Chapter 101: Sold for an Astronomical Price!

After humming softly for a while, Xu Man nodded gently. At last, she understood why Chen Qi dared to claim this song could dominate every chart. Whether from the listener’s perspective or her own as a professional singer, the song truly sounded exceptional. The melody was beautiful, and the lyrics were excellent.

If she were to sing it, Xu Man couldn’t boast about dominating all the charts, but she was fairly sure it wouldn’t attract any criticism. “What’s the name of this song?” she asked, noticing that there was no title on the sheet.

“‘Beyond Light Years,’” Chen Qi replied.

“‘Beyond Light Years’?” Xu Man repeated softly, then asked, “Who wrote it?”

“Deng Ziqi. Both lyrics and music are hers.”

“Deng Ziqi?” Xu Man furrowed her elegant brows, searching her memory for the name. Yet, she found nothing. She was certain she had never heard of it.

“So, are you interested in this song?” Chen Qi asked.

Xu Man smiled and nodded. “How are you planning to sell it? Full rights?”

“No.” Chen Qi shook his head. “To be honest, I don’t know how you usually handle buying and selling songs, but I don’t want to follow your usual process.”

“What do you mean?” Xu Man was puzzled.

“I won’t sell all the rights. I’m only selling you the singing rights. One price: five million.”

“How much?” Xu Man’s eyes widened in shock, as if she’d heard something unbelievable.

A cough—

Not just her, even her quiet little assistant nearly choked on her coffee upon hearing the number, then stared at him in disbelief.

Five million?

Five million for a single song? And only for the singing rights?

Is he insane?

Xu Man was stunned! Her mind went blank, unable to think at all.

What kind of madness was this?

Was she dealing with a fool?

“Five million,” Chen Qi repeated. “Five million, and you get the exclusive rights to debut this song. After that, you can perform it anywhere without any extra fees.”

Xu Man stared at him, dumbfounded, and after a long moment, she managed to ask, half amused and half exasperated, “Do you know how outrageous your price is?”

“Not at all,” Chen Qi shook his head earnestly. “A song that can reach the top of the Storm Music Chart is worth that price!”

Xu Man really didn’t know whether to laugh at his ignorance.

The Storm Music Chart? That’s the most authoritative chart in the music industry right now! Its prestige far surpasses those new song charts or trending lists on music platforms. This chart relies on real-name voting, and each person can only vote for one song.

Any song selected for this chart is guaranteed to be a masterpiece. All the classic hits from previous years have shone on this list. Because of its authority, even the most fervent fans wouldn’t dare to dream of manipulating it. There was a time when the loyal fans of a celebrity tried to push a song they liked onto this chart through sheer numbers, but the result was the celebrity left exposed and ridiculed before the whole nation. Instead of gaining fame, he became a joke. His popularity plummeted and soon he faded from public view.

Bad songs? They wouldn’t even dare to dream of making it onto this chart.

Xu Man’s very first song had ranked third on this chart. Over the years, three more of her songs had entered the top five and top ten. These four songs established her as a near-superstar, a leader of the new generation!

The chart’s prestige speaks for itself.

When Chen Qi first claimed the song could reach the new song charts on platforms, Xu Man already found it unbelievable. She knew those charts were dominated by the rabid fans of certain celebrities. But he skipped all those charts and went straight to say this song would top the Storm Music Chart—and not just that, but take the number one spot.

No wonder he dared to say the song could dominate all charts. If it reached the top of the Storm Music Chart, the rest would follow with ease.

But where did he get such confidence?

Xu Man looked at Chen Qi, torn between amusement and disbelief, as if she were staring at a madman.

Even the legendary songwriters wouldn’t dare to be so arrogant!

Just as she was about to refuse him, Chen Qi’s next words left her stunned.

“Five million, the debut performance is yours, and you can sing it anywhere you like with no additional fees. And what I can guarantee is that it will reach the number one spot on the Storm Music Chart!

If it doesn’t top the chart within a month of release, not only will I not take your money—I’ll pay you a million!”

Xu Man stared at him in shock, unable to react for a while.

She’d been in the music business for years, but had never heard of such a deal!

“You’re serious?” she asked, incredulous.

“Absolutely,” Chen Qi nodded.

It was the only way he could think of to sell the song for a good price. As for topping the Storm Music Chart, he was genuinely confident.

He’d prepared extensively during the day, researching a lot of relevant information. The music market was in a slump, and it had been ages since any outstanding works appeared. Listeners were practically starving for something new.

If it were an era of fierce competition and golden hits, he wouldn’t dare make such a bet, but given the current lifeless state of the music scene, he felt it was worth a gamble.

Yes, he admitted it was a gamble.

If it really failed, he didn’t mind—he’d just try again.

Seeing that Chen Qi wasn’t joking, Xu Man’s expression grew more serious.

“Miss Xu, you once had a song reach the top three of the Storm Music Chart. You know exactly how much popularity and fame a number one song on that chart can bring you,” Chen Qi pressed, worried she might not grasp the stakes.

“If this song really tops the chart, your status in the music world will rise even higher. You’re only a step away from diva status—maybe this song will get you there. Even if you don’t quite make it, your popularity and reputation will soar.

You’ll get more commercial performances, more endorsements—possibly even high-end ones. TV stations will compete to invite you onto their shows, and even the national broadcaster won’t be able to resist.

Five million is nothing for you. A couple of endorsements would make it back. In fact, even a newcomer with a song like this could quickly recoup the cost.

Besides, even if the song doesn’t reach number one, you won’t lose out. Not only will I compensate you with a million, but you’ll get a high-quality song for free! In today’s market, I’m certain ‘Beyond Light Years’ will make the top ten. A top ten song on the Storm Music Chart will bring you tremendous popularity.

All things considered, you’re almost taking no risk at all!”

Listening to Chen Qi’s analysis, Xu Man rolled her eyes internally.

Did she not know all this? But the whole thing still felt surreal.

Who sells songs like this?

If the song doesn’t top the chart, he loses a pretty decent song and a million besides. And the chances of that happening are quite high!

What’s he after? Thrills?

She voiced her doubts.

“No, no, I have great confidence in this song. I don’t see any risk for myself; I actually think it’s a sure profit.”

Xu Man: …

She’d seen self-confidence before, but never so extreme!

“You said I only get the singing rights?”

“That’s right!” Chen Qi nodded. “If you buy it, you can sing it wherever you want. But if other stars or TV stations want to use it, they’ll have to pay me for authorization.”

Xu Man could only laugh. “I’ve never heard of such a transaction before.”

“I don’t care how you’ve traded songs in the past. These are my rules,” Chen Qi said. “Though you only get the singing rights, your debut performance will leave a mark on the song. For ordinary audiences, they’ll assume it belongs to you from the start.”

Xu Man smiled, saying nothing, lost in thought.

Chen Qi glanced at her but didn’t add anything more.

He’d said everything he could. If she still refused, there was nothing else he could do.

Half a minute later, Xu Man tentatively asked, “Can you make it cheaper?”

“No,” Chen Qi shook his head.

He thought the price was already very reasonable.

Xu Man: …

“All right!” After a brief consideration, Xu Man agreed.

Just as Chen Qi had said, she was taking almost no risk—why not accept? If she didn’t, someone else would. She was sure that if these terms were made public, people would scramble madly to get the song.

“All right, let’s draw up a contract,” Chen Qi said, unsurprised by her answer.

Then, the two began discussing the details of their collaboration.

Chen Qi’s demands were numerous.

He insisted on being involved in every stage of the song’s production, retaining full say in the process. How the song should be sung, which instruments to use—all had to follow his direction.

In his words, only he knew how to present the song in its most perfect form.

Xu Man didn’t mind any of this.