Chapter 0141 Parting on Bad Terms

In fact, the first time Zhao Fusheng met He Yunzhi, he took an instant dislike to her, especially the way she held her head high when she spoke. In Zhao Fusheng's eyes, she was like a proud peacock, constantly exuding an air of arrogance.

If you could tolerate her occasional bad temper, you might become close friends with someone like her, because she didn't like scheming behind people's backs. Even if she was dissatisfied with you, she wouldn't gossip about you.

But one thing: such people always think they are right. To put it plainly, they are very stubborn. If she looked down on someone, the contempt came from the bottom of her heart.

Just like now, He Yunzhi looked at Zhao Fusheng and felt that this brash young man from a small city, relying only on some talent, dared to demand a higher price—it was simply unforgivable.

"Mr. Zhao, I don't understand what you mean. Could you be clearer?" He Yunzhi looked at Zhao Fusheng and asked seriously.

After Zhao Fusheng arrived at Qingcheng Culture, Li Jian, who was waiting downstairs, took him to this meeting room. Inside, there was only He Yunzhi; Mu Qingwan did not appear. Seeing this, Zhao Fusheng understood what was going on. Hearing He Yunzhi's question at that moment, Zhao Fusheng smiled faintly but did not speak immediately.

"Hmm?" He Yunzhi frowned. She felt that the smile on Zhao Fusheng's face was somewhat strange.

Zhao Fusheng looked at He Yunzhi with interest. She wore a white dress with pink trim and a low waist, paired with stockings and a pair of retro women's sandals. Perhaps because she was angry at the moment, a faint peach-red blush was visible on her fair neck.

Sitting across from him, she was refined, artistic, slightly sexy yet somewhat conservative. Zhao Fusheng knew well that most men liked this kind of unintentional subtle sexiness in women. In simple terms, most men are the same; straightforwardness might not stir their hearts, but covering up could indeed attract attention.

"President He, have you ever heard a saying?" Zhao Fusheng smiled faintly and asked He Yunzhi, "Life and death are determined by fate, wealth and honor depend on heaven."

He Yunzhi was startled, a bit baffled, wondering why Zhao Fusheng asked that.

Frowning slightly, He Yunzhi looked at Zhao Fusheng and said solemnly, "Mr. Zhao, since it is I, not President Mu, who is negotiating with you, you should understand that we will not easily compromise. Even if we have to give up this cooperation, we will never agree to some of your excessive conditions."

In her view, the reason Zhao Fusheng instructed Li Jian to produce the melody of "Father's Prose Poem" was ultimately to demand a higher price. Otherwise, why would he go to such trouble?

Zhao Fusheng frowned and glanced at He Yunzhi, thinking to himself, Is this woman sick?

Or perhaps these rich people all suffer from persecution mania, always feeling that others want to take advantage of them?

Scanning the room calmly and seeing only himself and He Yunzhi, Zhao Fusheng said flatly, "President He, I think you've misunderstood."

"Misunderstood?" He Yunzhi was taken aback.

"First, I never intended to gain anything from your company because I'm not that interested in the entertainment industry. Second, I came this time only because of my classmate relationship with Mu Qingwan, not as you think." Zhao Fusheng said calmly, "Your company changed my work beyond recognition. Now that I've re-composed the piece myself, you think I want to raise the price? Don't you think, President He, that you're being too cynical?"

He Yunzhi looked coldly at Zhao Fusheng: "I don't understand what you mean, Mr. Zhao, but I think since we're discussing business, it's best to stick to the business itself, isn't it?"

Frowning, Zhao Fusheng took a deep breath to keep himself from cursing. This woman was simply impervious to reason. Originally, his idea was simple: out of consideration for Li Jian and Mu Qingwan, as long as Qingcheng Culture offered a reasonable price, he would sell them the piece. It was just a niche campus song; Zhao Fusheng didn't plan to make much money from it.

But now it seemed that this He Yunzhi was used to looking down on people, always putting on an air of superiority, which made Zhao Fusheng quite dissatisfied.

Wasn't he just born into a wealthy family? What right did he have to look down on others?

It was just good fortune—what was there to be proud of?

Zhao Fusheng refused to accept fate, because he knew very well that if a person didn't even dare to resist fate, the ultimate outcome of that person's life would be nothing but mediocrity.

If Huo Yingdong had accepted fate, he would have stayed at his mother's grocery store instead of being chased by naval machine guns while smuggling war supplies through thorns and brambles.

If Zheng Yutong had accepted fate, he would have obediently worked as an apprentice in a gold shop instead of going alone to Macau to smuggle gold back to Hong Kong.

If Stanley Ho had accepted fate, he would have given up when his father ran away from home, instead of taking ten Hong Kong dollars to Macau and working as a secretary, even refusing to back down when grenades were thrown at him.

Fate has always been in one's own hands.

Life is inherently a fierce battle—whether it gives you painkillers or slaps, in the end, you have to forge your own courage single-handedly, and no one is an exception.

Though unwilling to admit it, Zhao Fusheng thought to himself that with a handful of trump cards now, he could not tolerate He Yunzhi putting on such an attitude in front of him.

"In that case, I want to initiate the buyback agreement for this song," Zhao Fusheng said coldly, looking at He Yunzhi.

He Yunzhi was stunned, never expecting Zhao Fusheng to be so direct. Shouldn't he first demand a higher price for the song's copyright buyout, and only after being rejected threaten to buy back the copyright?

How could he suddenly skip all the procedures and directly demand a copyright buyback?

It was like two enemy soldiers meeting on a battlefield. Normally, they would first shoot at each other, and after exhausting their guns, they would fix bayonets and fight hand-to-hand. But Zhao Fusheng, instead of waiting for her to lay out the terms, had directly revealed his trump card.

"Mr. Zhao, you..." He Yunzhi looked at Zhao Fusheng and suddenly found herself unable to refute him. Copyright buyback agreements did exist in the industry, but no one took them seriously, as few copyright holders ever used such agreements. Once a work was sold, it was sold; if the production was poor, it was the record company's problem, not the author's. After all, listeners only cared about how well the singer performed, and few paid attention to the author.

"President He, I'll say it again: if you need something from someone, show your sincerity. Being condescending won't get you anywhere in negotiations. At the very least, in my view, we are equals."

Zhao Fusheng stood up, glanced at He Yunzhi, and said calmly.

With that, Zhao Fusheng walked straight out of the office. When he reached the door, Li Jian was standing there, looking expectant.

He really liked this song and hoped to sign it for his album.

Zhao Fusheng sighed, recalling how Li Jian had accompanied him to the bar a few days ago. After all, Li Jian had given him face in that matter. He was the kind of person who didn't like owing favors.

"Brother Li, if you want to make a truly exquisite album, you can come find me sometime, and we'll talk." Zhao Fusheng said these words meaningfully.

Then, as Li Jian looked thoughtful, he left Qingcheng Culture.