At the same time.
Many people around the world suddenly froze.
Disbelieving exclamations burst from their mouths.
The bullet screen of the livestream was filled with question marks.
It seemed like the only way to express their shock.
"What did he say?"
"Shape of You?"
"The copyright holder of this song is Tingyu???"
"Tingyu wrote 'Shape of You'??"
"How is this possible!"
"Holy crap! A bolt from the blue!!"
Both Tingyu's fans and the haters who claimed Tingyu was inferior to amateurs gasped in unison!
Astonishment.
Shock.
Disbelief.
After days of arguments and mutual attacks between fans and haters,
The song hailed as the pinnacle of amateur works, "Shape of You," was actually Tingyu's creation!
In fact.
If Tingyu had revealed it himself on the show, many viewers might not have believed it. But since he said it in front of Tina, the situation was different.
After all, the song appeared at Tina's concert, making her the one with the most authority.
Her coming to Tingyu to buy the song's copyright already made things clear.
"Shape of You" was Tingyu's song!
Even a global superstar wanted to buy the copyright!
"Of course, Mr. Tingyu, rest assured, we will give you a satisfactory price," Tina said charmingly after taking a sip of her coffee.
Although "Shape of You" only had copyright fees two days ago, it was different now. After the hype generated by Ins Entertainment's internet trolls, the song had become incredibly popular online even before its official release, blazing across the entire Blue Star.
The associated value was far more than just a song's copyright.
Simply put, in addition to pre-production, a song also requires post-release promotion, with the latter being the truly expensive part. Making a song go viral worldwide required a terrifying amount of promotional funds.
Now, the song had become popular globally before its official launch, and the attached value was immense.
It was destined for success once the official version was released!
This was precisely why Su Yu had waited until now to contact Tina.
His goal was to make Ins spend more money and to build the song's fame. The more trolls they hired and the greater the public opinion influence, the more widely "Shape of You" would spread.
Just like now, guided by capital, the song had become a legendary work by an amateur.
And Su Yu had made the song go viral without spending a dime.
Thanks to Ins Entertainment's assistance.
Thanks to the opponent's gift.
"As long as the price is reasonable, actually, I have other things I'd like to ask for your help with when meeting you today, Ms. Tina," Su Yu said, smiling at Tina.
She looked at Su Yu with a hint of surprise. She had expected Su Yu to demand an exorbitant price, but she didn't expect him to not haggle over the copyright fee.
"What is it?" she asked, puzzled.
"Tonight is the competition for 'Time Music King,' and I need a backing vocalist. Ms. Tina, could you sing backing vocals for me?"
Su Yu's words stunned not only Tina but also the camerawoman, Lisa.
Asking Tina to sing backing vocals for him?
Tingyu was incredibly bold!
After all, Tina was a global superstar with immense influence worldwide, even surpassing Tingyu's current fame.
He was so audacious to propose that Tina sing backing vocals for him.
This was outrageous!
"Tingyu's request is too much. Asking a global superstar to sing backing vocals for him, is he kidding?"
"Does he know who he's talking to?"
"It is a bit excessive. Given Tina's status, how could she sing backing vocals for him!"
"Although it sounds absurd, why do I kind of look forward to them collaborating..."
The netizens were equally shocked by Su Yu's proposal.
If Tina were just a top-tier singer or a queen of music, singing backing vocals for Tingyu wouldn't be a big deal. But Tina was the world's most accomplished female singer, a global superstar who had won countless music awards.
Asking her to lower her status and sing backing vocals for Tingyu was like dreaming the impossible.
"You're quite bold," Tina playfully rolled her eyes at Su Yu.
"Heh, my song just happens to need a female voice with excellent singing skills. If you're not willing, then forget it," Su Yu said, taking a sip of his coffee and smiling.
He was well aware of Tina's status. It was precisely because of this that he had arranged to meet her after learning about this episode's theme.
To be honest, Shawn had high prestige in the United States. Lin Chaoyang had helped Su Yu gain a competitive edge in popularity against Shawn, but he was still far behind in terms of prestige.
If Tina collaborated on this song, Su Yu's chances of winning would definitely increase significantly.
Su Yu was unique in the show; among all the producers, he was the only one without a collaborating singer. According to the rules, he could apply to add a singer, just like when he sang "The Seventh Chapter of the Night" with Lin Yanyu.
He had even submitted the application that morning, and the production team had approved it.
"It's not that I'm unwilling, it's just..." Tina's leg, under the table, suddenly rested on Su Yu's thigh.
Her tight jeans outlined her shapely and long legs, radiating an alluring warmth.
Trying to use me?
Sorry, I, Su Yu, am not the type to be swayed by favors!
"I won't force you. This performance requirement is included in the copyright fee for 'Shape of You.'"
As Su Yu spoke, he subtly moved her leg away.
Tina shot him a look of slight resentment, then fell into thought.
She really wanted to obtain the copyright for this song, desperately.
Now, Su Yu had clearly stated that if she wanted the copyright, she had to sing backing vocals for him.
Honestly, if it were just her personally, it wouldn't be much, just helping this handsome young man with a small favor.
But she had her agency, Mosis Entertainment, behind her, and they likely wouldn't agree.
Because she was a global superstar, even with Tingyu's high fame and popularity, in the eyes of capital, he wasn't qualified to have her sing backing vocals.
"How about this, backing vocals are fine, but I need a vocal credit."
Backing vocals add layers to a song, and the vocalist doesn't usually get credited. If she were credited, it would be considered a duet, which was the best solution Tina could think of.
"Alright, you'll have a credit," Su Yu said, a slight smile on his lips.
Deal done.
Just by having a cup of coffee, he had convinced a top singer to provide backing vocals for him.
He stood up, dusting imaginary wrinkles off his clothes. "Let's go."
"Go where?" Tina asked, looking up at Su Yu in confusion.
"Write the song. This song is a bit complicated to produce."
After saying that, he walked towards the exit.
Tina stared at Su Yu's retreating back with a completely bewildered expression.
This was unbelievable. She hadn't even received her benefits yet, and she was already being dragged off to do manual labor.
She suddenly realized that this handsome young man was different from ordinary youths; it seemed he had set a trap for her from the very beginning.
This little fox!
...