Chapter 143: Deals at the Crossroads

“Leader, I’ll start contacting the performers tomorrow!”

Ren Long said nothing further.

If we don’t get help from Haofang Culture, this is our only option.

“That wraps up today’s meeting. One last thing—everyone, stay alert. You all know how critical this New Year’s Eve show is! If we nail it, next year we’ll join the top tier with a major boost in influence and ad revenue. If not, we’ll all be affected.”

Rising to his feet, Han Lijun scanned the room.

“Yes, Leader!”

Days passed quickly; in just two days, the buzz over the discovery of the Yeguang Cup in Mingsha County began to fade, though many netizens still awaited an official announcement from the authorities or Mingsha Tourism.

Unfortunately, neither the government nor Mingsha Tourism made a move. There was no word on where the Yeguang Cup would be placed next, nor any mention of rebuilding the old Protectorate of Guliangzhou on its original site.

This only fueled the online curiosity.

Some even declared that if Mingsha Tourism didn’t announce anything soon, they’d go to Mingsha County themselves. One comment even racked up over 100,000 likes—a clear sign of the popularity of both the Yeguang Cup and the Protectorate.

Yet while some netizens were just talking, others had already arrived in Mingsha County.

In front of the ancient office building at the city gate, Li Yang of the Tiger Leopard Band and another young man paused.

A few months back, when Qing Brick Avenue was being renovated, Mingsha Tourism built three outer and seven inner ancient-style office buildings at the entrance, along with five employee dormitory buildings.

Later, the largest of the three office buildings went to Mingsha Tourism, the second to Haofang Culture, and the smallest now serves as the office for Mingsha Labor.

“Brother Li, Haofang Culture is in Building 2!”

Gazing up at the majestic ancient structure, the young man could only marvel in awe.

Earlier online, they had read various comments about Mingsha Tourism, thinking that netizens might have exaggerated—the famed spots often turned out to be less impressive than their filtered, effect-laden portrayals.

But the guesthouses in Mingsha County were different! The towering presence of one office building easily outshone many imitation landmarks. In fact, those online videos couldn’t capture the true beauty—you had to be there.

“Let’s take care of business first. Once that’s done, we can head over to Qixia Town and Wudi City.”

Li Yang nodded.

“Alright!”

The young man, thrilled, quickly responded.

“Excuse me, are you here on business or as tourists? This isn’t a sight—it’s an office building and isn’t open to the public.”

However, as soon as the two reached Building 2, they were stopped.

“Um…”

Staring at the security guard dressed in traditional attire, Li Yang and the young man were momentarily stunned.

They hadn’t expected Mingsha County to take immersive tourism this far—even the security guards donned traditional costumes.

Though surprised, they couldn’t help feeling a bit uneasy.

A few years back, at the height of Tiger Leopard Band’s fame, they were swarmed by fans wherever they went. Now, even at the entrance of this site, no one acknowledged them—not even the guard.

Perhaps only the spirited crowds at music festivals still cheered loudly.

“Oh, we’re here for Mr. Fang from Haofang Culture as scheduled!”

Snapping back to reality, Li Yang quickly explained.

“Scheduled? May I ask your surname?”

The security guard scrutinized Li Yang and the young man.

“Li.”

“Alright, please hold on while I contact someone in the office. If you have an appointment, someone will come up to escort you.”

The guard then took out a walkie-talkie.

“So attentive!”

Seeing this, the young man couldn’t help but remark.

Usually, you just register at the door, but being personally escorted was a first.

“There’s no avoiding it—every main cast member from Wulin Wai Chuan works in this building. Many tourists have pretended to be on business just to get autographs, causing quite the hassle. Please understand.”

The guard glanced at the young man before opening the channel.

“Is it the office? A Mr. Li downstairs mentioned he had an appointment with Mr. Fang.”

Minutes later, Li Yang and the young man were led to Fang Hou’s office by a staff member.

Inside, modern decor prevailed for convenience, lacking the ancient style outside.

“Hello, Mr. Fang!”

“Brother Li, hello! Please, have a seat!”

Noticing Li Yang, Fang Hou quickly rose and led them to a tea table, promptly pouring two cups.

“No need for such formalities, Mr. Fang.”

After some polite exchanges, Li Yang got straight to the point.

“Mr. Fang, we’re here to discuss the song ‘Passionate Desert.’ If possible, Tiger Leopard Band would like to buy its rights.”

“Brother Li, let’s talk business. What’s your offer?”

Fang Hou nodded in acknowledgment.

Xu Hao had already instructed him about selling songs. He would sell to anyone who met the right price.

“How about one million?”

At the mention of the price, Li Yang instinctively glanced at the young man beside him.

“One million?”

Fang Hou frowned. “Brother Li, isn’t one million a bit low? This song has already blown up at the Tourism Festival. Once you buy it, you get exclusive performance rights—and even a few gigs could rake in more than a million.

Not to mention, you’re a veteran in this scene. Commissioning a hit song should cost much more.”

“So, Mr. Fang, what price do you think is fair?”

Li Yang sighed heavily.

He knew one million was too little, but Tiger Leopard Band wasn’t in a strong financial position—they hadn’t produced new work in years and were relying solely on past hits.

Coupled with mounting expenses, the band barely had any funds left.

They even struggled to pay their studio rent, relying on small gigs to keep afloat. One million was truly their limit.

“To be honest, Haofang Culture has a stockpile of great original rock tracks. We initially planned to collaborate on several more songs if your band showed genuine interest.

But now…”

Fang Hou didn’t offer a new price; instead, he sipped his tea thoughtfully.

Just the other night, Xu Hao had sent him numerous scores. Haofang Culture has already begun registering copyrights—the collection includes over a hundred songs across various genres.

He wasn’t showing off; he was simply trying to justify raising the price.

“Really? Haofang Culture has more songs?”

Li Yang was taken aback.

“Yes, ‘Passionate Desert’ is just one of them. So if we collaborate further, Tiger Leopard Band could very well return to its peak.”

Fang Hou nodded.

“Uh…”

Li Yang exchanged a glance with the young man.

In that moment, he felt a spark of hope. The songs performed at the Mingsha Tourism Festival were masterpieces, and given Haofang Culture’s repertoire, their quality was bound to be exceptional.

“Could we take a look at the scores? If they meet our expectations—including for ‘Desert Camel’—our band is willing to pay a premium.”

Coming back to his senses, Li Yang rubbed his hands nervously.

“Premium? How high exactly? Even for ‘Desert Camel’—which is already a hit—you’re only offering a million. Honestly, the revenue from its short video clips exceeds that amount.”

Slowly setting down his tea, Fang Hou gestured with an open hand.

“It’s not that we don’t want to pay more—it’s just that we don’t have the funds. Perhaps, besides cash, we could consider an alternative payment method: Tiger Leopard Band performing a few free shows for Mingsha Tourism.”

Li Yang felt a twinge of embarrassment.

Of course, he understood that Fang Hou was speaking truthfully.

He had mentally prepared himself for this possibility on the way here.

“That would be difficult. You know that performances by the Mingsha County Troupe are free. So, Brother Li, we’ll have to wait for our next collaboration.”

Fang Hou shook his head, signaling he was ready to wrap things up.

“Wait a minute, Mr. Fang. Can’t you give us a chance? Our sincerity is genuine—even if our funds are tight. Or, if you set a price, we could sign a contract with installments.”

Seeing Fang Hou show no sign of compromise, Li Yang grew increasingly anxious.

As a musician, the urge to see Haofang Culture’s scores—especially after hearing about more songs—was indescribable.

“Installments?”

Fang Hou paused, taken aback.

He could tell Li Yang’s urgency was real.

“Yes!”

“Alright, let me discuss this. If it doesn’t work out, I’m afraid there’s nothing more I can do.”

After a moment’s thought, Fang Hou added,

“With an installment plan, the price might even end up higher.”

“Alright, thank you!”

With that, Fang Hou left the office with his phone. It wasn’t until seven or eight minutes later that he returned.

“So, what’s the verdict, Mr. Fang?”

Li Yang anxiously asked.

“Brother Li, I’m really sorry. If we cooperate, payment must be made in full.”

Fang Hou shook his head.

“Ah.”

Li Yang’s hopeful expression instantly turned to deep disappointment.

“Of course. Our team had someone propose an idea, but I doubt you’d agree—so I won’t go into details.”

“What conditions? Tell me—what if it actually works?”

Li Yang, who had nearly lost hope, quickly pressed on.

“Your band signs on with Haofang Culture as contracted artists, or alternatively, Haofang Culture invests to acquire your band.”

Fang Hou glanced at Li Yang and slowly replied,

He wasn’t referring to anyone else but Xu Hao.

“Becoming contracted artists.”

Li Yang and the young man were stunned, as the atmosphere in the office turned eerily silent.

While the lead singer of Tiger Leopard Band was being cornered into unfavorable terms to buy the rights, the other two remained outside the Mingsha Tourism office building—faring even worse.

“General Zhu, there’s no way around it. We’ll have to wait until the day after tomorrow! Mr. Zhu’s schedule is completely booked—you saw that. I called, but no one in the office could help.”

Those two were none other than Wang He and Xu Chen.

“Then, let’s aim for the day after tomorrow.”

Xu Chen couldn’t hide his disappointment.

“General Zhu, don’t worry. I’ll head to Mingsha County to find a hotel and use my contacts. Maybe we can secure an appointment with Mr. Zhu by tomorrow.”

Wang He patted Xu Chen on the shoulder.

“You’re heading back to Mingsha County right away?”

Xu Chen glanced around.

“Hmm? Want to take a look inside? That works—I’ve been here before. The interior is impressively built. Too bad I couldn’t book a guesthouse; it would have been perfect for an overnight stay.”

Wang He immediately said,

“No, I have a friend working inside. I didn’t want to trouble him, but since we’ve got two more days to wait, it’s a good chance to see him and maybe grab a meal.”

Xu Chen shook his head.