Chapter 48 The Sovereign Empire

e of gratitude towards this boy; if not for him, she would probably still be lost and directionless. She wouldn’t have the courage to resist Wang Cuiping and Qian Hong either. It’s possible that she’d...Chapter Forty-Eight: The Emperor's Empire

Su Cen's speech had gotten everyone quite excited. Before encountering Su Cen, Zhao Hao would likely have been in a phase of capital shortage, a situation that might take one or two years to overcome. Some ideas forming in Zhao Hao's mind might also be delayed until then. It’s like trying to talk about development and dreams with someone who can't even afford food; it's simply impossible.

These are matters that only become possible after one has their basic needs met. Now, Zhao Hao feels extremely comfortable, finally living a life without worries about food and clothing. With the funds to realize his ideas one by one, how could he not feel hopeful about the future Moreover, Su Cen's thoughts as the major shareholder are strangely aligned with his own, providing him with vast room for expansion.

At this moment, Zhang Lin is quite surprised at the free-flowing ideas Su Cen has expressed at the dinner table. The original intention of merely dealing with a big investor was thrown out the window. The distance in age between Su Cen and himself seemed to have been bridged, making him feel closer.

Nie You, biting on a plastic straw, smiles mockingly. Her previous view of Su Cen has greatly improved. Although he looks somewhat rustic, when he speaks, it's as if he’s another person altogether, full of confidence and fresh perspectives regarding new things. Nie Xiao is very curious about where such self-confidence comes from but finds no clear answer.

With the aroma of roast duck and hot pot lamb filling the entire room, Su Cen begins his speech: "Personally, I don't hold high hopes for traditional music records, which is why I support you in doing digital music. Making a record album always feels like forced sales; people might love one or two songs by an artist but not necessarily want to purchase the whole album. For instance, if I like Andy Lau's songs, it doesn't mean that all of his songs are enjoyable for me—some with R&B style and fast-paced tunes are mostly unlistenable to me, even the lyrics are unfamiliar. So after buying a CD, we would repeatedly listen only to one or two songs while ignoring the rest, which feels like a waste and somewhat deceptive towards consumers. In the future, if I can hear such a song online, there's no need for another purchase. Conversely, stopping piracy online is also challenging."

Nie Xiao raises her eyebrow and asks: "Does that mean you're denying the significance of legitimate music"

Zhang Lin furrows his brow and says, "China’s copyright awareness is weak; can we just let it develop unchecked The music industry is one where you put in ninety percent of effort and labor but earn only ten percent of the profit. It's difficult to change this abnormal situation. Many who work in the record business either have no attachment or have been hurt by it, which is understandable." Both are resolute in their objections.

Su Cen says, "This isn’t about denying its significance; don’t misunderstand me, I find piracy annoying too. But we need to delve deeper into finding the reasons rather than just condemning them. Elevating public awareness is a long and arduous process. As things stand today, the environment that fosters such practices is unreasonable. Bundling several songs with one hit single isn't as beneficial compared to releasing only the popular song; this also doesn’t conform to consumer habits in terms of payment for content. You guys doing music marketing should focus on customer service and how to align the market better with consumer preferences, which is crucial for the future direction of Over-the-Moon Music. I hope that by investing in Over-the-Moon, you can become leaders in the domestic music industry." "Industry leader" Zhao Hao froze his chopsticks over the hot pot upon hearing Su Cen’s words, eyes widening in surprise. Zhang Lin coughed and choked on it.

Nie Xiao looked at Su Cen and thought to herself, "Alright then, I've met all sorts of people anyway. Back when she first graduated from the Beijing Film Academy and was freelancing in Beijing, she had dealt with all sorts of third-rate folks, as well as big bosses who were full of hot air. But before even drinking much alcohol, this student from Nankai University's first year has already started demanding high returns. The initial novelty and goodwill that she built up by chatting with him earlier have been completely ruined.

She knew how difficult it was for Uncle Zhao to establish his company. Apart from relying on some of Zhao Hao’s previous connections, Wumei was originally a no-name company. If not for Zhao Hao's unique insight and hard work, he might never have reached the point where Su Cen would invest in him.

To be at the forefront of the industry is an immense challenge! She had been exposed to China’s music market through her time at the Beijing Film Academy and could say with certainty that it was a chaotic place. All kinds of corporate fleets operated here, creating many cliques. Even after Nie You graduated, she wouldn’t dare mention this company to her classmates, as they certainly didn't consider Wumei to be among those companies worth talking about. No girl likes losing face; Nie You was no exception.

However, the whirlpool of life is too vast and the ideal in one's heart is too small. Everyone dreams of achieving success someday, but before that happens, they must earn enough money to support themselves and live well. This was the simple belief shared by countless drifters like her.

"Is this goal so high" Su Cen stared at Zhao Hao and sneered. Just being a leader in China's music industry doesn't mean becoming Sony Music or Warner, nor does it imply dominating the entire music industry and achieving invincibility within it. Is the difficulty that great You, Zhao Hao, were still looking for investments back in 2002, but just a few years later you’ve already reached this goal. Is this reality or is it a joke

Zhao Hao didn’t know that he liked Su Cen because of who Su Cen was. If not for their chance meeting at the summit in Shanghai, Su Cen wouldn't have bothered him; people like him would find their own stage to grow on and have space to freely develop without being restricted.

But since they met by coincidence, things were different now. Since Su Cen had inevitably intervened, he felt an even greater responsibility to help Zhao Hao utilize his strengths. If Su Cen couldn’t give him a more free and glorious stage, it would have been better if he had simply nodded politely at the start without any further interaction.

"You need to understand that I invested in Wumei because of you, your ideas, and what you can do. Wumei is just a company, an entity; its name doesn't matter. What's important is that I know what Zhao Hao can achieve." Of course, Su Cen knew exactly what Zhao Hao was capable of: being recognized on stage as a lecherous but honored figure among the clouds of pretty ladies.

"No need to say more; with this sentence from Mr. Su, I’ll do it," said Zhao Hao, moved by Su Cen’s profound final words. He raised his glass, because thanks to those words, he had received five million dollars in investment from FaceBook Chinese Language. How could he not feel touched Money is the foundation of life and essential for realizing one's dreams and achieving success that earns admiration from others. Most importantly, it gave him immense recognition.

Su Cen didn't waste the moment when everyone was catching their breath and continued to throw out his idea, "This year, I noticed that Korean mobile telecom companies launched ringback tone services which quickly became popular in Korea. I believe domestic mobile telecom companies will soon start working on this as well. With your dream of digital music being such an extravagant name, 'the first battle can be initiated here.' Now that you have money, go ahead and buy all the valuable copyrights you see fit, both traditional and online ones. While they are still affordable now, buy them all up. If you need more funds, I can provide them. Since your goal is to become a leader in this industry in the future, you must make big moves. Your objective should be to acquire as much of the industry's intellectual property as possible—especially those in new technology fields that are currently valuable to you. Once we've done that, we'll take our next step."

Currently, digital music is still not mature enough. Korean mobile ringback tone services only became popular this year. These new technology field copyrights are still very cheap domestically now. In the future, these ringback tones will continuously convert music resources into real value. The substantial income from a single song can make the sluggish record industry collectively envious and follow suit.

This trend is currently spreading from Korea to China or if perceived by some sharp-minded individuals, they probably have noticed this business opportunity but are not entirely clear about it. Or perhaps they have ideas but haven't actually taken action yet.

In summary, in the world of martial arts, speed is the ultimate strategy. No one understands the situation as clearly and swiftly as he does—Su Cen—with his uniquely advantageous shell and resources. No one senses the opportunity faster or acts earlier than him.

"Will we be overwhelmed if we hold onto these copyrights in new technology platforms within the industry We're talking about fifty percent of the industry's copyright resources!" Hearing this, Zhao Hao was momentarily stunned. How could all that money spent on this be recouped And how to digest and utilize such a vast amount of copyrights

"If you want to do digital music, you need the ambition and confidence to build an empire within it. Without resources, we must start accumulating them now for our future breakthroughs and explosive growth. Do you remember what Zhu Sheng told Zhu Yuanzhang" Su Cen countered.

Though Zhao Hao, a graduate from Tsinghua University, didn't know where Su Cen was heading with this, Zhang Lin, who was familiar with the context of the famous quote, replied, "Build high walls, stockpile grain... gradually claim kingship." Su Cen emphasized firmly, "I'm not Zhu Sheng, but in a digital music empire, you should emulate Zhu Yuanzhang."

Exiting from Quanjude, steam still lingered on the ground. The lights remained as bustling and radiant as ever, with cars along the roadside increasingly modern and dynamic.

But there was no denying that everyone felt like they had been thoroughly washed by the moment. The hot air from the steaming lamb pot in the harmonious gathering room added an extremely urgent war-like atmosphere. Every word and sentence coming out of Su Cen's mouth carried explosive power, making them reconsider their previous understanding and way of thinking.

Now, Su Cen's image is shrouded in a veil to Nie You’s eyes. Is he merely an idle dreamer from a wealthy family or someone with genuine talent and capability Can what he says truly be realized Nie You, who has always been accurate in judging people, suddenly finds himself unable to understand this boy. It's as if she couldn't comprehend the urban color of the cities back when she was aimlessly wandering the streets of Beijing with her close friends.

At this moment, Su Cen glanced sideways at Nie You. He didn’t intend for his conversation with Zhao Hao today to be overheard by Nie Xiao because she doesn’t currently pose a threat to their plans. Of course, Su Cen naturally wouldn't discuss the most crucial matters in front of Nie You and Zhao Hao. Su Cen feels conflicted towards Nie You; he knows that her future isn't within the music circle but rather in show business, where she will become one of the top actresses of the future. But how can he propel her into the entertainment industry Or if he does so, how can she still showcase her talents as she did in the past life

Su Cen doesn't quite want to meddle and let things take their natural course instead. If his actions have to be responsible for the lives of those affected by them, then he might feel guilty enough to commit suicide right now. At this moment, Tang Wu sent a text message. Su Cen took out his phone and replied.

Zhao Hao smiled at Nie You nearby, saying, "It seems like you are usually proactive. Why didn't you ask for Su Cen's contact today" He was still thinking about the look on Su Cen’s face when he first met Nie You.

"There are two reasons." Nie Xiao nodded her head as her long hair fell over her shoulders. With twinkling eyes, she said smilingly, "First is because I’m afraid Uncle Zhao will say that it's beyond my authority to ask for his number. Second is because if he didn't ask me for it, I wouldn’t feel comfortable asking him proactively. After all, I am a girl; how can girls be proactive" “Hey, this isn’t like chasing after someone as a young person.” Zhang Lin added without bias at the right moment, and suddenly the atmosphere changed. Su Cen scratched his head with a smile before exchanging numbers with Nie You.

However, when Zhang Lin spoke up, Nie Xiao’s face turned red. She recorded Su Cen's number using her long fingers, put away her pink phone, and hesitated for a moment. Then she suddenly turned to look at Su Cen; her bangs fluttered with the movement of her excellent hair quality, "Your cellphone is pretty good. Who sent you that text just now You look so happy." “Girlfriend” "Yes, girlfriend. She asked me if dinner was over," Su Cen replied with a smile.

After saying goodbye to everyone, he walked to the corner and got on his Giant bicycle. Against the backdrop of Shi Qi Gate's ancient yet bustling architecture, it looked like a scene that didn’t fit in at all. Then he cycled along the road under European street lamps.

The feeling gradually returned, and he became more energetic. Every chapter I write won't have any traces of perfunctory work; they are written with an extremely long time that might even seem unbelievable. If it’s not well-written, it's my own problem, a limitation of my ability as Grilled Fish. But I will never be perfunctory. I said before that being able to write books for everyone is the greatest honor for me.

If possible tomorrow, I'll update three times; if not, twice. The halfway point of this double-vote month is far behind, looking pitiful. I don't know whether it's still worth trying to catch up at this moment.d a pen she held between her fingers to make corrections.After tending to the flowers and plants, Mr. Qian walked into the study room, thinking for a moment before he said, "As for that child over the...