Chapter 112: A Fortune Delivered to His Doorstep, and Leng Yan Is Ready to Draw His Blade!

The singers were already rolling their eyes.

Even Bai Ling onstage felt helpless.

Only then did she understand what Leng Yan had meant by apologizing earlier.

So that was it. He had not come to nitpick at all; he had come to pressure her.

He had brought so many people with him just to force her into writing a new song?

Bai Ling muttered to herself in her heart, “Young Master Leng, you really have lowered yourself.”

Since he had put it that way, and since Leng Yan had always treated Bai Ling fairly well, one of the people who had once stood firmly behind her was him.

Besides, if it had not been for the surge in popularity from that performance of Youthful China, she probably would have had a hard time turning the tables in that comeback battle.

After thinking it over, Bai Ling could only nod helplessly. “Young Master Leng, the way you are acting feels very unfamiliar to me.”

“I still prefer your rebellious old self. But since you have said it this far, how could I refuse?”

Seeing Bai Ling’s expression, half amused and half resigned, Leng Yan laughed heartily. The blank, expressionless look he had worn before was suddenly gone.

“You said it yourself. Everyone here is a witness!”

Several of the veteran singers in the room could not stand it anymore.

“Leng Yan, Young Master Leng, mind your image. Your persona is about to collapse.”

Leng Yan chuckled. “What persona do I have?”

Seeing how shameless he was, everyone could only sigh in helplessness.

That really was him.

Leng Yan could not argue his way into a conclusion either, so the commentary ended there.

What came next was the serious voting stage.

What was there left to say about that?

By then, everyone had basically accepted Bai Ling as the winner of the round.

Sure enough, once the votes were revealed, the turnout was almost one hundred percent. Even Bai Ling was completely stunned.

Everyone had truly given her face. Compared with the other singers’ numbers, these results looked almost suspicious, as if they had been forged.

“Good grief, can one song like A Diao really have this kind of effect?”

In Bai Ling’s mind, A Diao was indeed a good piece, but it was still, after all, a nursery rhyme.

If Singer Zhang had not covered it on a fairly major stage, and if not for that uniquely distinctive voice and the outstanding performance, it would never have attracted such high attention.

She had not expected that the people present today would be so generous, creating a chasm so wide that Bai Ling and the other singers seemed to stand on opposite sides of a gulf.

Of course, Bai Ling had no intention of getting carried away.

After calming down and thinking it through, she understood that the reason for such a striking result was partly that the other singers had all performed old songs from the past, endlessly rehashing old material until they had provoked public resentment.

Meanwhile, Bai Ling’s new song was completely different from theirs, showing real vitality.

On top of that, A Diao itself had some connection to Bai Ling’s own experiences.

It gave people even more room for association.

With one thing counterbalancing another, Bai Ling had ended up with this unexpected harvest.

For the production team, however, this surprise was even more delightful.

The director was grinning from ear to ear as he said, “Our advance predictions for the past few episodes haven’t been very effective, have they?”

“This time, add Bai Ling’s buzz into the mix and promote it properly.”

“When the time comes, there will definitely be an unexpected effect.”

“Haha, as expected of me. Inviting Bai Ling onto the show was truly the smartest decision I’ve ever made!”

The staff beside him could only laugh and say, “Yes, yes, Director, that was all you.”

And so, the episode was officially over.

This was never the kind of show that placed special emphasis on competition for fame and profit, so even though Bai Ling had taken first place in the vote count, all she got were a few congratulatory remarks.

Even as the audience began to leave, many of them were still talking about Bai Ling’s performance.

Clearly, after going home, they would keep discussing it. It might even stir up quite a wave.

Of course, since no footage from the live venue had leaked, the stir would not be too large.

For Bai Ling, it would not have any substantial impact.

What kind of changes this episode would ultimately cause still depended on how the production team chose to handle it.

Bai Ling did not need to worry about that for now.

After she came down from the stage, Leng Yan was already waiting for her.

“Young Master Leng, there’s no need to be that eager.”

“I’ve already agreed to your request.”

Leng Yan gave a faint smile. “Don’t misunderstand. I came to ask you for a new song, but not to take advantage of you for nothing.”

“In fact, a project came to me to commission an original piece. That’s why I came looking for you.”

“I hear it’s for a popular animated series based on a major intellectual property, and the company behind it is very powerful. They should be willing to invest a lot of money.”

“Really?” Bai Ling’s eyes lit up. “How do you know they’ll invest a lot? Young Master Leng, your information is so well connected?”

As someone in the same industry, Bai Ling knew almost nothing about this sort of thing. She was basically stumbling around in the dark.

At that moment, she once again felt the importance of connections.

Leng Yan chuckled. “If they’re willing to pay ten million in licensing fees without demanding all the rights, would you call that small change?”

“Do I really need to guess after that?”

Bai Ling froze. “Ten million in licensing fees for one song?”

Leng Yan added, “Ten million a year...”

Bai Ling fell silent.

“Good grief, I was being too shallow!”

Damn it, how on earth do these people make their money?

Although that was an astronomical sum to ordinary people, thinking about it carefully, a homeowner in a major city who was being relocated could easily walk away with nine hundred square meters or more than twenty million in compensation.

Seen that way, the number did not seem quite so outrageous anymore.

Bai Ling no longer found Leng Yan irritating.

“Oh, Young Master Leng, you should have said so earlier. Why keep it hidden?”

“I nearly missed a golden opportunity to make money.”

Leng Yan gave her a speechless look. “I thought you were at least somewhat devoted to art.”

“I am devoted to art,” Bai Ling said. “What does that have to do with making money?”

Leng Yan did not want to bicker with her any longer. “Fine. If you want to make money, I have plenty of projects. We can collaborate later. As for the income, seventy-thirty. I take thirty.”

Bai Ling immediately widened her eyes. “Young Master Leng, you’re so good to me. It’s a pity your age is still a little too young. Otherwise, I’d just recognize you as my foster father!”

After all, that worthless father of hers, Bai Zhengyi, had never been any good to begin with.

So Bai Ling said those words with complete peace of mind.

Leng Yan’s face turned green. “I’m only in my early forties. Call me big brother in the future. What foster father?”

“You little brat!”

Bai Ling laughed. “Then let’s do it this way. Send me the project details later. Maybe inspiration will strike, and I’ll write you a new song tonight.”

Leng Yan snorted with disdain. “Nonsense. And you expect me to believe that?”

Even as he said that, his fingers flicked twice across his phone screen, and a file was already sent into their chat.

Bai Ling: “?”

“You’re a middle-aged tsundere?”

Leng Yan: “Where’s my knife? Where is it?”

The End