"What?!"
Noda Kazuto's expression changed slightly: "Did Starlight buy the copyright?"
The staff member continued, "No, the creator's account for 'Sold Out' has been deleted, but the creator's name for this song has been changed to Li Zhaoyang, and the distributor is... Wanxia!"
"Damn it!!" Noda Kazuto, who was in this position, often didn't need to know everything; he only needed to know a few things to deduce a lot. "Sunset is plotting a shocking conspiracy. Quick, get the marketing department to work overtime. Everyone out there. I need to know all of Sunset's plans within half an hour."
Zhang Xincheng had previously said that Li Zhaoyang would release a new song at 8 pm that night, but two days have passed and there has been no news.
If... Sold Out really was written by Li Zhaoyang, then Wanxia had been planning the song release from the very beginning.
Less than five seconds after Noda Ichito gave the work order, his female secretary rushed in: "Minister, the court has issued us a summons!"
"A summons? What summons?" Noda Kazuto was enveloped by a sense of foreboding.
"Sunset Glow is suing us, Sihai, saying that we used a large number of movie clips from a sold-out work without the permission of Li Zhaoyang, the original creator of Sunset Glow, and are demanding that we, Sihai, pay $20 million in compensation."
"Baka!" Kimura Taro cursed. "Starlight Films used it too, and not just Starlight, many small studio films used it as well. Why doesn't Sunset Films sue them?"
Noda Kazuto narrowed his eyes, his expression serious, and sat down to carefully analyze the recent movements of the evening glow.
Is it possible that... the sunset has secretly collaborated with the starlight?
Are Starlight's actions these past two days all part of a coordinated effort with Sunset?
"Sunset Glow, you must die, you must die!" Noda Kazuto's eyes flashed with a sinister glint: "Sunset Glow thinks that by joining forces with Starlight they can outwit us? Ha, how naive. What's a $20 million settlement with them? It's nothing to Four Seas. Kimura, I demand that you immediately execute the 'Oppose Sunset Glow' plan. Five days, no, three days, I want to hear the news that all the artists under Sunset Glow's management have jumped ship to Four Seas!"
“Black!” Kimura Taro immediately nodded and did as instructed.
"Secretary, go and call Ms. Zhang Wenlan and Ms. Zuo Jingqiu here," Noda Kazuto instructed.
Two minutes later.
The two women arrived at the office.
"Minister, you wanted to see me?" Zuo Jingqiu still had a happy look on her face, clearly not having received any bad news yet.
"Kimura, during this operation, bring two beautiful ladies with you." Noda Kazuto's expression turned ferocious: "This time, I want 20 million to buy Sunset!!"
“Black!” Kimura nodded again.
Zhang Wenlan and Zuo Jingqiu were unaware of what was happening, but they were overjoyed when they heard that the plan was to be carried out.
Finally, it's time to get revenge.
Zhang Wenlan was already scheming in her heart about how to trample that bitch Zhang Shulan under her feet.
Zuo Jingqiu's thoughts were even more sinister; she didn't even want to let go of anyone around Zhang Shulan, including Li Zhaoyang, whom Zhang Shulan had brought from China.
"Minister! Minister! Something's happened to the Minister!!"
The Foreign Ministry official rushed over, panting heavily.
If it were from the beginning, Noda Kazuto would definitely have reprimanded the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for being so anxious.
The series of events gradually eroded Noda's sense of security, prompting him to press, "Is it about the sunset?"
"As expected of the minister, he could even guess that..." The foreign ministry official rested his hands on his knees, half-bending over to adjust his breathing.
"Speak quickly!" This time it was Kimura's turn to be anxious.
On the contrary, Zhang Wenlan and Zuo Jingqiu had not yet learned anything about the situation.
"Minister... go to Times Square quickly... there are ads for a new song about sunsets everywhere!!" The Foreign Ministry official's eyes showed panic.
"The hype surrounding 'Sold Out' has already peaked. Why are you advertising at this crucial juncture?" Kimura Taro demanded.
"It's not sold out, it's Li Zhaoyang's new song!!" The Ministry of Foreign Affairs official had long been fully aware of the seriousness of the situation.
Especially after Sold Out changed its name to Li Zhaoyang, he saw the wolfish ambitions of Wanxia.
"Would Li Zhaoyang really do this to you?" Zuo Jingqiu couldn't help but say something when she heard the name: "They didn't dare to release Li Zhaoyang's new song a few days ago, and now they only dare to release it while Sihai and Xingguang are fighting. They're just cowards. Besides, Li Zhaoyang is just a bronze-level lyricist and composer. He can't make any waves."
"Let him continue!" Kimura shouted.
"Minister, Wanxia... I... um... oh dear, you should go to Times Square yourself and see... the ads are everywhere, it's like crazy!!" The Foreign Ministry official was incoherent and unable to describe the situation properly.
"Get the car ready!" Noda Kazuto wanted to go see what Sunset was up to.
On their way to Times Square, Zhang Wenlan and Zuo Jingqiu finally got to know the general situation.
But their hearts were filled with endless doubt and disdain.
“Minister, that’s impossible. Li Zhaoyang is just a bronze-level lyricist and composer around my age. He could never write a masterpiece like ‘Sold Out.’” Zuo Jingqiu was still belittling Li Zhaoyang.
Actually, it's not that she can't accept this kind of thing.
If Li Zhaoyang were a foreigner, Zuo Jingqiu wouldn't have found it so difficult to accept.
Because Li Zhaoyang was from China like her and was so young, her subconscious thought was that the socially awkward follower who was always trailing behind Zhang Shulan could never be the original creator of Sold Out.
"Shut up!" Kimura knew that what the department head needed most at that moment was quiet, so he quickly spoke up to stop her from complaining.
After being rebuked, Zuo Jingqiu wisely shut her mouth.
When the group arrived at Times Square, before they even went inside, they could see a deluge of advertisements about the sunset.
The advertising spaces in Times Square were originally overflowing with all sorts of advertisements, from clothing and apparel to games, celebrities, and movies, like a hundred schools of thought contending.
At that moment, all the advertisements disappeared, leaving only one type of advertisement on the big screens—
Do students and workers from China feel lonely when they are far away in a foreign land?
Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to suddenly find that sense of familiarity in a foreign land?
Having lived in the US for a long time and become accustomed to all sorts of foreign language songs, have you ever wondered what it would feel like to suddenly hear a traditional Chinese music concert in this unfamiliar land?
If one day you open a music app and happen to see a piece of ancient Chinese style music that matches your taste and quality, wouldn't it give you a feeling of meeting an old friend in a foreign land?
Have you ever thought about... what would you feel if, one day, Chinese songs gradually became one of the mainstream genres in the American music scene? Would you feel gratified, proud, or... surprised?
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