blueteamnovel Chapter 22 Where did this come from?
Chapter 22 Where did this come from?
In the following days, Xie Anran calmed down and waited patiently for further news.
During this period, with the full assistance of professional musician Lin Zhe, all of his original songs successfully completed the copyright registration procedures. This copyright certificate provided a solid guarantee for these hard-earned works and gave him considerable peace of mind.
All that remained for the rest of the days was to wait for good news. Xie Anran's original plan was simple: to steadily polish and produce a complete album, take advantage of radio promotion resources, operate steadily for a year or two, and even if it was a gradual process, she could still sell 100,000 copies and establish herself firmly in the music scene.
But now he suddenly realized that his parents' abilities were far more formidable than he had imagined.
In this day and age, families who can readily produce hundreds of thousands of yuan in cash flow have hidden businesses and assets that are impossible to easily estimate.
Xie Anran couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that his parents had been deliberately pretending to be poor, which was why the family had lived in an old neighborhood for so many years? He pondered the simple living environment of his home for a moment, then shook his head and gave up the idea.
While a wealthy family background is undoubtedly a great asset, it cannot extend his life; fulfilling his last wishes is the top priority right now. Of course, his substantial family wealth is by no means a burden; on the contrary, it can provide him with considerable convenience and support in accomplishing various tasks.
April 20th marked exactly ten days since the last time I finalized the score with Teacher Lin Zhe, and there were only ten days left until the May Day holiday.
During this period, Zhang Yun contacted Rolling Stone and Warner Music, but without even looking at her work, they asked for high prices and had many restrictions in their contracts, so they couldn't reach an agreement.
Xie Anran wasn't in a hurry. Good things come to those who wait. He started a new elective art course, which required everyone to choose an instrument they were interested in and willing to study in depth. He chose both the guitar and the piano without hesitation. He chose the guitar so that he could write songs and compose music more easily in the future, and could compose and refine his works anytime, anywhere; he chose the piano purely to impress on stage and enhance his image.
He naturally wouldn't reveal his true feelings directly. When facing his teacher, he would only obediently say that he particularly favored the timbre and texture of these two instruments.
Unexpectedly, Xixi, who was with him day and night, also chose these two courses, adding two more musical instruments to her studies.
In the piano practice room, the teacher slowly and methodically explained the basics of piano, covering everything from the history of piano development and the characteristics of its tone and sound production to the control of one's mindset while playing. This theoretical knowledge held no appeal for Xie Anran, who currently had no urgent tasks and only wanted to practice. He listened with drowsiness, unable to muster any interest whatsoever.
It wasn't until the course entered its core phase, with formal hands-on instruction on fingering techniques, that Xie Anran perked up. But once he actually started practicing, he realized a tricky problem: his mind completely grasped the key points, but his body couldn't keep up with the pace of his thoughts.
I had silently memorized all the fingerings, and the complete melody was already playing in my mind, but my fingers just wouldn't obey me, their movements stiff and sluggish. It perfectly illustrated the old saying: "You may have learned it in your mind, but your hands just can't seem to learn it."
Xie Anran was secretly annoyed. After trying to play the tune several times, her fingertips even felt a cramping, soreness, and she became increasingly unresponsive to the tune.
In contrast, Xixi beside him learned with exceptional ease and fluency. This little girl possessed outstanding natural physical coordination. Although the details of her playing were not perfect and the rhythm was occasionally chaotic, her overall posture was quite impressive, and her progress in learning far surpassed Xie Anran's.
Looking at Sisi's practice results, the teacher smiled broadly and praised her generously: "Sisi learns very quickly and has a particularly good comprehension."
When it was Xie Anran's turn, the teacher felt something was off. He played each note and key precisely, but whenever he played a piece continuously, his fingers would inexplicably twitch and tremble, his condition very unstable. At first, the teacher was startled by this abnormal state, but later, realizing that it only happened occasionally and was not a physical ailment, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Don't rush, Anran. Take your time. You have an exceptional talent for music and a very good foundation," the teacher quickly encouraged him gently, trying to soothe his emotions.
Xie Anran nodded blankly, knowing full well that he would need to spend a lot of time getting used to and adapting before he could play the piano fluently and master it. It wasn't that he was untalented; it was just that his body needed time to adapt to the hand movements and rhythms required for playing the piano.
"Hehe, Anran! There are times when you learn slower than me!" Upon seeing this, Xixi immediately came over and grabbed his wrist, her face full of smugness, taking the rare opportunity to tease him.
"Yes, Xixi, you're really amazing." Xie Anran said earnestly, echoing her sentiment.
Sisi's smile froze instantly, her smugness vanished in an instant. She awkwardly turned her head away and muttered a comforting whisper, "Anran, don't be discouraged. Practice more, and you can definitely do it too."
"Haha, I know." Xie Anran looked at her adorable appearance, which was comforted instead of showing off, and couldn't help but smile, her eyes crinkling. She felt particularly relaxed.
Just as the two were chatting and joking, Liu Xiaoli and Zhang Yun arrived at the music room on time. Without saying a word, they took their two children out, got into the car, and drove to a nearby restaurant.
"Mom, this isn't the way home." Xie Anran looked out the window at the Wuguang Building rushing past, his mind filled with doubt. He knew this area like the back of his hand; he should be heading home towards Jingjiadun, but the route was clearly wrong.
"Teacher Lin has arranged to meet with the head of a record company. Let's go over there to discuss the collaboration and get to the bottom of the details," Liu Xiaoli explained simply. "Anran, during the discussions later, please feel free to voice any thoughts or requests you may have."
"Oh? Which company is it?" Xie Anran immediately became interested and casually asked.
"It seems to be called Crystal Records," Zhang Yun replied from the side.
"Crystal Records?" Xie Anran was stunned for a moment, his mind filled with doubt. He had never heard of this name before, and his first thought was, "Could this be a scam company?" There are only a handful of established record companies in China with legitimate distribution channels and solid financial backing; there's no such thing as an unknown little company. He had that much industry knowledge.
"Ah Yun, their official name is Crystal Records, which is a large global record company. Their domestic branch is called Anning Crystal Records Company," Liu Xiaoli quickly corrected and explained.
Xie Anran looked utterly astonished, as if she'd seen a ghost. These days, scammers are so sophisticated, even masquerading as multinational corporations?
"Why is it called Anning Crystal?" Sisi asked innocently and curiously.
"It's said that the shares are managed by a company called Anning Fund, hence the prefix!" Liu Xiaoli replied casually with a smile.
Seeing this, Xie Anran was afraid her mother would be fooled by the fancy name, so she quickly probed, "Mom, I've never heard of this company before. Is it really that capable?"
"They are incredibly powerful. They have their own global distribution channels, and they also wholly own well-known radio stations overseas. Even the Billboard music charts are under their control," Zhang Yun patiently explained the company's strength to him.
Xie Anran was stunned on the spot, thinking to himself that this liar was too audacious in his boasting. Even he, a layman, was familiar with the Billboard charts; how could they possibly belong to this mysterious Crystal Records?
"Really? It's that amazing?" Xie Anran suppressed her shock and pretended to be surprised as she continued to probe.
"Of course it's true. I specifically asked a friend abroad to visit their headquarters in person. Their scale and strength are real." Liu Xiaoli said confidently.
Xie Anran fell silent instantly, scratching his head as a crucial realization dawned on him. If this company truly possessed such top-tier capabilities, it meant that the future trajectory he knew would most likely not unfold as originally planned.
He muttered to himself: It's normal. Even my parents' background and family wealth are completely different from my previous life. It's not surprising that they suddenly have a few top companies out of nowhere.