John rubbed his temples as he walked out of the conference room.
He ran into Sean in the hallway.
As the company's most accomplished producer, even Chairman John would greet him with a smile.
"Sean, you were looking for me?"
"Mm."
"Let's talk in my office."
Sean looked somewhat serious.
He hadn't been in good spirits lately.
This was because the program team had decided to hold the "Era Music King" competition in the United States.
And this particular competition was between him and Ting Yu.
Many people online were saying that Sean had bribed the program team, which was why the location was deliberately set for the match between him and Ting Yu.
Sean desperately wanted to win. He yearned to defeat Ting Yu and finally crush the opponent who had been ahead of him on the points table for months.
He wanted everyone to know that he, Sean, was the greatest producer on Blue Star.
But the location of this competition made him feel it was unfair to Su Yu. Even if he won, the victory wouldn't be as satisfying as he imagined. It would feel like a fishbone stuck in his throat.
The two entered John's office one after another.
"Sean, we've been friends for so many years, I know your character well." John poured two cups of coffee and handed one to Sean.
Sean took it, took a sip, and remained silent.
"I admit, the location of this match was kept for last by the program team, but it's not cheating. It's entirely within the rules. This is called strategy."
John continued.
The program team could choose any competition to hold in the United States, but if Sean's opponent wasn't strong, holding the competition in the US would be meaningless. Sean would win regardless of the location, thus wasting the advantage of this competition.
However, the next episode was different. Sean's opponent in the next episode was the formidable Ting Yu. Everyone thought the outcome between him and Sean was unpredictable. Therefore, using this location advantage here would be perfect.
"I'm here just to say that I've already given the songs for JS band. Don't come to me for songs for these newcomers anymore," Sean interrupted John's eloquent speech.
In his opinion, John was a very capable capitalist, but capitalists had a common flaw: they only cared about profit. Talking about dreams and fairness with them was utter nonsense.
Sean had been meticulously preparing his competition song for "Era Music King," but John had asked him to write a song for a new rock band, which had delayed him considerably. He was here to see John to ask him not to assign him to mentor newcomers anymore.
"No problem. The reason I asked you to write songs for JS band this time was mainly to ensure their championship. Our company has too few top rock bands, and I have high hopes for them." John said with a smile.
But this smile looked very hypocritical in Sean's eyes.
"It's your business to have high hopes for them. All I want is the championship of 'Era Music King'."
Sean finished the remaining coffee in his cup in one gulp and prepared to leave.
Suddenly.
John called out to him.
"I will ensure you win the championship, and you are the only one who can win it." His tone was calm.
"Put away your little tricks."
Sean sighed and shook his head.
He knew John's personality and his connections.
If he wanted to win, John would definitely have ways to make him win. But Sean disdained to win through such means that didn't rely on true strength. He wanted the sense of honor that came with winning, while John wanted the value of the championship.
The two were conflicting.
"You're just too stubborn," John shook his head.
"I just respect my profession." Sean smiled and walked out of the office.
John didn't call him.
Instead, he took out his phone, opened the chat history with Sean, edited a message, and sent it.
Sean, who had just left the office, suddenly heard his phone buzz.
He took out his phone, opened the message, and frowned deeply. He looked back at John, who was still smiling in the office, with a hint of annoyance in his expression.
"Sean, spend some time studying the 'Godfather' film series during this period."
It was a simple, ordinary message.
But at this particular time, it was easily understandable.
John must have used his connections to find out the theme of this season's "Era Music King" competition and asked him to watch the "Godfather" series. This meant that the theme would definitely be related to the movie "The Godfather."
John had leaked the exam questions to him.
"Good luck."
Inside the office, John watched him with a smile.
"Fuck!"
Sean cursed angrily, uttered an expletive, and turned to leave.
...
Moxis Entertainment.
Tina arrived at the office of the Artist Director.
"How is it? Have you found out the identity of that mysterious audience member?"
A day had passed, and her biggest concern during this time was the identity of this audience member.
The online reaction was enough to demonstrate the value of the song "Shape of You."
If they could find this audience member, they could learn from them who wrote the song.
INS Entertainment was now paying a lot of money to find this producer, which further highlighted his commercial value.
The Chairman of Moxis Entertainment had also issued a strict order to find out the identity of this audience member as soon as possible, and then sign this producer to the company at all costs.
They were the organizers of the concert and had a natural advantage.
"We've found out..." The Artist Director spread his hands helplessly.
His expression was a bit stiff, and his enthusiasm was completely gone.
"What's wrong?" Tina asked, "Did you find this audience member? Who wrote that song?"
She asked several questions in rapid succession.
However, the Artist Director's expression became even more dejected.
"It's not that we've found out, we've only found out who bought the tickets." He sighed and said.
"Who?" Tina asked.
"Those two tickets were bought by Dynasty Entertainment through connections."
"Dynasty Entertainment?"
"That's right, the Dynasty Entertainment from China."
"..."
Tina fell into thought.
Could it be that the person who wrote "Shape of You" was Chinese?
How was that possible!
Although Dynasty Entertainment was a strong company in the Chinese music scene, in the global context, there were still many companies more powerful than them.
Moreover, in recent years, she hadn't heard of this company making any significant moves, at least not that Tina had heard of.
"Wait! Ting Yu!!"
Suddenly, Tina thought of someone and gasped.
Ting Yu, the dark horse of "Era Music King" from China!
Ting Yu, who had made it difficult for Sean to rebound on the points table!!
She looked up at the Artist Director, who nodded with a wry smile.
"That's right, judging from the footage at the time, it should have been Ting Yu and his fiancée. The one singing was Ting Yu."
For a moment, the office fell into an eerie silence.
Then, Tina slowly exhaled, her eyes filled with very complex emotions.
She said with a hint of schadenfreude, "Let INS Entertainment fight for it..."