Chapter 43: Serendipitous Indeed
Translator: Min_Lee  Editor: Tennesh
The person Song Shihua wanted to poach the most was the actual composer behind the two movements. Initially, he had suspected it was the newcomer Silver Wing listed in the credits, but after figuring out Silver Wingâs true intentions, he reversed himself. Silver Wing couldnât possibly have assigned such an important project to a newcomer.
Song Shihua studied the credits at the end of the two music videos again and again. He also ordered his underlings to research everyone listed. His conclusion: the list of project team members was incomplete. Silver Wing had left out the most important name.
More than a few people shared Song Shihuaâs thinking.
Industry practice was to only identify the producer of the virtual idol project at the outset. The producer was the equivalent of the director of a TV show or movie. As for the composer, the arranger, the mixer, and the actual performer, they were never named. Any other names that would draw attention away from the virtual idol were held back. Only when the virtual idol became a bona fide star, when the timing was right, would the label provide a detailed division of labor.
Even though everyone wanted to know who had composed the two movements and who had mixed and arranged them, you couldnât tell from the list of credits at the end of the music videos. Most people believed that the names listed were merely technicians and that Silver Wing had held back the names of the composer, arranger, and mixer. They were probably afraid these folks would get poached.
Inside a sanatorium in Yanzhouâs coastal city of Jinggang.
Famed musician and virtual idol producer Glifetz was sitting by the window in his room as usual, except he hadnât been in the mood to enjoy the bright sunshine for days now. All he did was stare at his tablet. He looked pale and frowned increasingly harder.
He wasnât faking it this time. He was really sick. On the day the second movement, âCocoon Breach,â was released, Gliftez was nearly transferred to intensive care.
His humble hopes for a comeback were dashed with the release of the second movement. Ming Cangâs comments put him in an even tougher spot. The more attention Polar Light got, the worse his situation, and the dimmer the prospects of his comeback. Quite a few colleagues were already poking fun at him, saying he didnât even measure up to a newcomer.
âStill no luck?â Glifetz asked the three people standing next to him. They were all disciples of his. Two of them had been purged from Silver Wingâs virtual projects department last year.
Glifetzâs voice was hoarse and muffled, but his tone was pointed. He spoke slowly, making for a creepy delivery. It sounded like a set of rusty gears struggling to rotate, giving his three students the goosebumps.
âNot yet,â one of the students said, his head drooped.
The other two students shriveled, wishing they were somewhere else.
Glifetz had asked them to identify the composer who wrote the two movements. The composer was the key to Polar Lightâs success. The three students tried on their own and worked some of Glifetzâs connections, but they still came up empty-handed.
It wasnât just them. Most of the folks at Silver Wing only knew that the project was assigned to Fang Zhao, but they didnât know who the actual composer was.
âNo?â Glifetz sounded like he was responding and talking to himself at the same time. He had a desperate look in his eyes.
Glifetz paused briefly, then waved his hand, signaling his students to leave.
A tremendous weight lifted from their shoulders, and the trio bolted, not bothering to ask any follow-up questions.
Glifetz was the only person left in the quiet room. The afternoon sun was quite strong, flooding the entire room with light. The flowers in the vase were still lush, adding a touch of brightness to the room. But the room was so quiet you could hear Glifetz breathe, and a sense of chill prevailed.
Glifetz switched his tablet to encrypted mode and dialed a number. The person on the other end answered after about 15 seconds.
âWhat is it?â The person sounded cautious. He lowered his voice and, before Glifetz could speak, blurted out, âIf youâre calling about the Polar Light project, I canât tell you anything. Duan Qianji is watching everyone like a hawk. I donât want to get kicked out.â
The person on the other end was a senior executive at Silver Wing who had a history with Glifetz. He benefited quite a bit from Glifetzâs help in the past.
âItâs OK. I know Iâm putting you in a difficult bind. All I want to know is who the actual composer behind the first two movements of the Polar Light project is.â
ââŠâ The senior executive went silent for a few seconds. âDuan Qianji issued strict orders not to tell.â
âI just want to know for myself. I wonât tell anyone else.â Glifetz knew his source had to be careful, so he added, âI swear I wonât tell anyone else.â
A longer silence on the other end. Hesitation.
Glifetz didnât dial up the pressure. He just waited patiently.
After a minuteâs silence, the person said in a muffled voice, âItâs Fang Zhao.â
âCome again?â Glifetz was so shocked he got up abruptly and almost fell before struggling to regain his balance.
âYou know, the newcomer.â
âHow come⊠That doesnât make sense. Why would Silver Wing trust a newcomer with such an expensive project? A newcomer couldnât possibly have composedâŠâ Glifetz was in disbelief.
âIâm warning you, just keep this to yourself. Donât tell anyone, otherwise we are both finished. You know what Duan Qianji is capable of,â the source said before hanging up.
In the warm and bright room, Glifetz collapsed onto his deck chair, limbs sprawled, and dropped his tablet. He lay paralyzed, a corpse waiting to be fossilized.
A sudden shiver. Glifetz felt the chills.
The newcomer heâd researched, the one who had joined Silver Wing just this year?
He remembered that fellow. A fresh graduate in his 20s. Fang Zhao wasnât even a third his age.
A little punk had all but hammered the final nail into his coffin.
If only Fang Zhao knew what Glifetz was thinking. He would have responded, âIâm your daddy, not the other way around.â
Regardless of what other people thought, regardless of the fact that some industry publications were clamoring for the name of the composer behind Polar Light, Fang Zhao was in no mood to deal with the media. He stuck to Silver Wingâs new protocol of not leaving the building unless it was necessary. He wanted to game.
The gaming equipment heâd requested from Duan Qianji had finally been set up.
There were about a dozen prop guns that were nearly identical to the real thing. These were hard to come by. They looked so realistic that they were more tightly regulated than the prop guns used by the labelâs film division. Duan Qianjiâs husband was a military official and she had her own connections. If they wanted to, they could probably procure a sizable batch of real firearms, let alone prop guns.
Some of Silver Wingâs security staff were licensed to carry.
Duan Qianji gave the virtual projects department 20 days off. Fang Zhao planned to devote the bulk of this period to gaming.
Fang Zhaoâs bracelet rang as he watched technicians install the gaming consoles in a dedicated room.
It was a number he didnât recognize.
He walked into his office and selected voice transmission.
âHello? Is it Fang Zhao?â It was the voice of a male stranger.
âSpeaking.â Fang Zhao walked to his window and examined the flying car traffic below the 50th floor.
âMy name is Beavis. Iâm a B-level agent at Neon Culture. Are you interested in working at Neon Culture? Donât worry about the fine for breaking your Silver Wing contract. We can take care of that. As long as youâre willing to jump ship, weâll sign you right away. Youâll be treated as a level B star. Your work will be given priority release during your first year. Weâll also assign a master composer to mentor you. And if you want anything else, weâre all ears.â
Beavis was quite confident. His offer was better than what most newcomers could manage. He was thinking that Fang Zhao was just a figurehead at Silver Wingâs virtual projects department. He was better off jumping ship to Neon Culture, where he would enjoy real perks. He had other enticements up his sleeve, but he wanted to gauge Fang Zhaoâs reaction first. He would continue with his sales pitch if Fang Zhao was interested.
Neon Culture? Fang Zhao had thought Tongshan True Entertainment would approach him first. He hadnât expected Neon Culture to beat them to the punch.
Fang Zhao knew what Neon Culture was up to.
Since they couldnât find out who had composed the first two movements, then they would poach a few known staffers from the project team. As the projectâs producer, Fang Zhao was naturally first on the list. While Song Shihua was still debating whether or not to make an offer, Neon Culture reached out first.
âBeavis from Neon Culture? How did you get my number?â Fang Zhao asked. The original owner of his body had gotten a new number when heâd moved to his black street after graduation. It was different from the number in the school directory. Only a few people had the number.
âNow that you mention it, itâs quite serendipitous. One of our newcomers is from the same hometown as you are. I think you know him.â
âYou mean Fang Sheng?â
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âExactly! What a coincidence, right? Haha!â
When he was digging into Fang Zhaoâs background, he had noticed that Fang Zhao shared a hometown with one of Neon Cultureâs new composers. They went to the same primary school and high school. He asked aroundâit turned out they did know each other.
Fang Sheng turned pale when Beavis asked him for Fang Zhaoâs number, but Beavis didnât think much of it. He thought Fang Sheng was just jealous and didnât dwell on the matter.
âSerendipitous indeed.â Fang Zhao chuckled as he stared into the glint from a passing flying car. âWhy donât you ask who the real composer of his first three songs was first?â
He hung up before Beavis could respond.