Chapter 90 By a Twist of Fate

rience. Since elementary school through high school, he had always buried himself in books and problems, even shedding tears when graduating from high school over not getting to see his ideal girl one...Chapter 90: A Case of Mistaken Identity

Smiling is a means to cover up one's true intentions deep within the human heart, while also conveying a peaceful signal to others.

Before coming here, Su Can had already thought about how he should display an innocuous smile during their meeting, what topics he should steer the conversation towards to avoid heavy issues, how to find突破口s, and how to leverage his age advantage. He had carefully considered all these details.

Every matter that seemed to be handled with ease had been thoroughly pondered over by Su Can.

This was because he took it seriously.

Zhao Hao obtained a large number of new technology copyrights, but the problem was that the mobile and telecom companies' new ringback tone business was still in its infancy. There were too many wireless value-added service providers operating independently, each with their own territories. Today, Zhao Hao had invited Xuntong Technology Media, one of China's leading wireless internet companies that provides services such as wireless internet businesses and network advertisements, covering text messages, ringback tones, 4VC (wireless audio interaction), and even paid emails.

Compared to the OPs like Xuntong Technology, there were numerous content providers like Zhao Hao. In such cooperative exchanges, record companies initially found themselves at a disadvantage.

Even major record labels like Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI, Warner Music Group, and BMG struggled with copyright infringement by OPs, finding it extremely frustrating.

The wireless value-added service providers who held OP licenses were almost entirely monopolizing the midstream market between operators and content providers. They controlled the throat of record companies. If a record company wanted to profit through mobile music, they had to go through OPs, whose revenue-sharing model determined how well the record company would fare.

In the entire cellular wireless music industry chain, record companies were at the very bottom and often only received scraps after operators and OPs had their fill.

Su Can and Zhao Hao discussed this issue, realizing that Shangmai Music needed to transform through content service providers and wireless value-added service providers to truly dominate this market. However, obtaining domestic OP operation licenses and investing a large amount of money to establish nationwide network access were the two key conditions for this transformation, testing Shangmai's internal and external capabilities as well as its relationship with operators.

This required a significant investment of energy from an enterprise.

If Zhao Hao’s company solely focused on this area, they would likely exhaust themselves without achieving any substantial results, unable to secure contracts with a large number of artists' copyrights. They might ultimately collapse in the midst of striving for success. Therefore, cooperation was still their best approach.

Xuntong Technology was one of the industry's primary OPs; behind them were investors like Wharf Group and Senkai Corporation, naturally making Xuntong Technology look down on others.

Zhao Hao had to mobilize his connections before he could convince Manager Liu Li of Xuntong Technology that their newly appointed operations director was in Shanghai. They then agreed to arrange a meeting.

This meeting directly impacted the future development trajectory and profit margins of Shangmai Music. Some of these new technology copyrights needed to be released to generate cash flow. Su Can certainly didn't want his ideas to be dissected layer by layer, leaving him with little benefit. Thus, he couldn't afford to take this lightly; even as he entered the Jinmao Hyatt Regency Hotel, his blood pressure was rising, giving birth to a mix of anxiety and excitement that made him feel like he needed to use the restroom.

He could only hold it in.

But when Su Can saw the delicate and gentle Song Zhen, the feeling of pressure on some organ vanished immediately, leaving him completely at ease.

Liu Li from Xuntong Technology, where bureaucracy was thick, had originally frowned upon seeing Song Zhen enter without acknowledging him first. He thought that she should know better than to do so if she wanted to make a good impression in front of him.

When the Song family hoped for her to test the waters by taking over this part from the holding company, there were numerous people around willing to curry favor with her. Although he believed someone who thought they deserved this woman would act discreetly at first and then strike hard when the time was right, there were also many like Liu Li who harbored fantasies of being favored by Song Zhen someday.

But in front of him now stood Su Can, a person originally only possible to exist among those naive college kids. Song Zhen unexpectedly revealed her seldom-seen smile at the company, making Liu Li feel even more inferior and his expression darkened.

He drove a BMW Series 5, could shower girls who hadn't seen much of the world yet with branded clothes and jewelry, and then use them to exchange for their virginity and youthful bodies.

If the environment or identity changed, in college, love like that between Su Can and Song Zhen would ultimately succumb to the materialistic world's cold reality. The girl treasured by her boyfriend during university might end up as a tool to vent his frustrations in luxury hotel rooms.

But the young man before him was obviously not one of those naive college kids, while the beautiful woman beside him wasn't willing to be kept like other girls who would rather be campus queens. His dirty thoughts were only fantasies; if he dared show any sign of them outwardly, he might immediately find himself cast into hell and destroyed.

This was the stark reality of strength and status differences in this world.

Seeing Song Zhen's attitude change towards Su Can, Liu Li did not dare further harass him or Zhao Hao. He involuntarily became more friendly instead, hurriedly inviting them to sit down.

"What's going on" Su Can smiled at Song Zhen after sitting down.

"Didn't I tell you earlier that I would take over a company Now it's happening. If we had known it was you, we wouldn't have been eating and chatting here. There are plenty of cafes in Nan University," said Song Zhen with a slight smile, her voice hinting at something ambiguous. "But if we were in a cafe in Nan University, would people think that we're on a date"

Standing by Zhao Hao and Liu Li both kept quiet, not daring to say another word.

Su Can privately thought this girl was formidable; Song Zhen had defused the awkwardness earlier and now showed weakness. From a negotiation standpoint, he needed to be wary of her trying to make him pay for everything as compensation. Wasn't that something women were good at

"I think… probably not," Su Can shook his head.

Song Zhen looked at him and felt somewhat complicated emotions, pursing her lips slightly. "Of course not, Nan University has many beauties; you seem to have broadened your horizons..." She was obviously referring to the event when Song Zhen wanted to test Su Can's resolve but was interrupted by that blue lotus woman.

The bright and clear eyes of Song Zhen gave Su Can a feeling of being under intense scrutiny.

Standing by, Manager Liu Li's entire body stiffened, keeping quiet. He kept glancing between Song Zhen and Su Can. Zhao Hao looked at Su Can with a sly expression and half-smiling face, secretly wishing that if Young Master Su had the ability to directly woo such high-level female executives like this, he wouldn't need to kowtow to Liu Li as much.

Su Can felt rather awkward and cleared his throat, about to speak. Song Zhen smiled faintly; her pale purple eyes flashed with amusement, "Since desire is human nature, it's quite normal." You don't need to explain anything to me. Let's talk about the next steps of our collaboration instead.

The sudden stop was unexpected. Su Can had intended to clarify things but at this point, any explanation would be superfluous. Moreover, he had just been misunderstood by Song Zhen as having feelings for her not long ago; explaining himself now would feel like a case of "there is no silver here." However, if he didn't explain, wouldn't it confirm Song Zhen's assessment that desire is inherent As the founder of Spectrum Network with millions in assets, he obediently attended university at Nan University to earn his bachelor's degree. What was the point of all this Saying he would not chase girls or indulge in games when faced with a university full of beautiful women made even him unsure if he could be convinced.

After all, who knew that he had been reincarnated Who understood the excitement and thrill he felt by seizing every opportunity life offered rather than seeking to conquer the world

No matter whether he explained or not, either way wasn't ideal. Su Can was quite dejected but couldn't vent his frustration. However, with two lifetimes of experience backing him, this had forged a stable yet arrogant personality. Now that they were getting down to business, there was no need to糾纏 on such matters with Song Zhen.

"As you mentioned, your company provides the music content and we will produce it as ringtones for mobile operators to offer downloads and earn revenue from. Indeed, both China Mobile and China Unicom have such plans and ideas, but our ringtone business is merely a small part of our overall operations.

Since you only provide content, this isn't irreplaceable; we can use our own content suppliers, rendering your company dispensable."

Song Zhen smiled. When Su Can had remained noncommittal earlier, she felt he could maintain his composure, further cementing her belief that Su Can was indeed a playboy. Thinking back to the clear and beautiful girl who had been affected by Su Can on the first day of Nan University's new semester made even Song Zhen's usually calm heart stir; she didn't know why she was angry.

"That is precisely what I meant to say: we have purchased a significant portion of the current popular artists' copyrights in the digital music domain, and currently, there are already two thousand songs! We possess such content resources which are unique and irreplaceable."

Zhao Hao clearly sensed Song Zhen's skepticism and spoke with pride as an industry insider; he didn't want to be underestimated by her.

"Two thousand songs Is that a lot" Song Zhen sneered, "Does two thousand represent the total number of new technology domain copyrights held by all current popular artists Do I live in sparsely populated Uruguay Can your company really have contracts with every artist in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and inland China"

Zhao Hao was taken aback; although copyright fees for digital music were not highly valued yet this year, some first- and second-tier singers' copyrights could be acquired for a few ten thousand yuan while others could fetch hundreds of thousands. But Zhao Hao couldn't possibly secure all the copyrights in the music market. There were plenty of artists whose rights had slipped through the net; this was a shared frustration between Zhao Hao and Su Can.

The funds available to Su Can's disposal were becoming increasingly thin; only Shushan and Donhuang, two cash flow-generating companies, supplied him with capital. They were currently in a saturated phase, and to acquire more copyrights, they urgently needed to use some of their resources through wireless services to obtain funding. After all, seven million yuan was already far from sufficient.

Zhao Hao felt blocked by Song Zhen's remarks but couldn't refute her; indeed, if Xuntong Technology also bought a portion of the singers' copyrights and provided content for itself, they would be superfluous at this stage and could be eliminated from the process.

As Song Zhen waited with folded arms for their response, Su Can said, "Don't underestimate the future potential of digital music. Xuntong Technology may very well find a breakthrough here and開辟 a direction that allows traditional music industries to突圍."

"Just as we can't do what you do due to lack of resources, you also suffer from the same issue; our cooperation with mobile operators isn't as close as yours, nor do you have the advantages of traditional music industries such as extensive copyrights and industry connections. You claim to be content providers, but are you sure you can get these advantageous resources As wireless value-added service providers, you still have competitors. The real threat is not from us but from whether or not you possess high-quality copyright resources and your relationship with operators. Operators with good content partners will focus on public relations to enhance their competitive edge. After you've cut off our funding streams千方百計, when the time comes for competition, what can you do against your opponents who have already made progress"

Seeing Song Zhen deep in thought, Su Can directly addressed her concerns, "We may not cover all artists' copyrights, but we are necessary and irreplaceable because we know which singers and songs will become wildly popular after signing with us today!"

"Don't speak so confidently; where do you get this confidence from" Song Zhen frowned, then said after a moment, "Nevertheless, I still won't agree."

She stared provocatively at Su Can. He and Zhao Hao exchanged glances, feeling that women can be terrifyingly stubborn sometimes. The entire music industry was gradually declining; few singers could earn money by selling albums anymore. Mainstream big-name singers mostly relied on advertisements, endorsements, and concerts to earn money, while non-mainstream singers were even worse off. Zhao Hao had been desperately seeking a breakthrough for the dilapidated music industry through digital music but now faced a bleak future. How could he not feel lost

At this moment, both of them heard Song Zhen giggle "puh," then stand up. She was wearing a black dress that was quite alluring, her flirtatious eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm just kidding with you, to see if you are always this calm. How about we talk about the specifics of our profit-sharing system"

Subsequently, Song Zhen, along with her deputy Liu Li, and Su Can and Zhao Hao started to formulate a detailed profit-sharing plan. While there was no established industry standard in this area, the operators would deduct fifteen percent as operational fees, leaving eighty-five percent of the profits for negotiation between both parties. Zhao Hao and Liu Li each wanted to claim more shares from this arrangement, with every detail being fiercely contested.

Song Zhen stretched her body gracefully, revealing every curve in her figure. Su Can looked at her and thought she had a similar physique to Tang Wu, though he couldn't be sure if there were subtle differences as he hadn’t seen any other girl in the nude before him.

He finally needed to use the restroom, so Su Can excused himself and headed for the washroom near the corridor. As soon as he washed his hands, he saw a fiery silhouette standing by the toilet door.

The black one-piece dress, her legs in sheer stockings, high heels—perhaps due to Song Zhen's high heels or her model-like figure, she was indeed taller than Tang Wu and could be considered the tallest girl Su Can had met after Tang Wu and Lin Ge Ran.

She exuded a powerful presence.

Song Zhen paused in front of the ladies' restroom door. She glanced at Su Can with her beautiful eyes, then said coolly, "I heard that Mark Zuckerberg and some decision-makers from Facebook often attend Victoria's Secret parties in Palo Alto and receive the company’s female models. Is this common among men"

"That has nothing to do with me. It happened in America. Miss, don't you think you're going off-topic here" When Su Can said these words, he realized that 'Miss' could have another meaning. Unfortunately, he had emphasized the word when speaking it.

As expected, Song Zhen's beautiful eyes suddenly widened.

If a man misunderstands your actions, everything you do seems misinterpreted. Even if he just picks up a glass of water quietly, they might think that’s his saliva.

Song Zhen was about to say something more when she heard a very familiar voice from around the corner of the corridor:

"Liu Li, hasn't Song Zhen finished talking yet Didn’t I tell her in advance that I’m coming to Jinmao Hyatt today It was utterly boring hanging out with those uncles and my dad earlier. Also, Dad promised me a Lexus SC430 but it’s still far from reality; I’ve lost all hope waiting for it. She's in the bathroom now, so I'll go find her directly. My mood is terrible, so I have to take her out to Nanjing University to play around with some handsome guys and cheer myself up…"

Su Can immediately recognized this voice as Zhang Razi’s from when he met her during the start of the semester at Nanjing University. Her clear and crisp voice was quite distinctive, but she had a rather impudent personality that made Su Can feel awkward back then. Now, it was hard to forget such an unusual voice.

However, Song Zhen turned pale when she heard this voice, looking towards Su Can with horror-stricken eyes.

Zhang Razi might be bold and impudent but not stupid; sometimes, her straightforwardness hid a shrewd mind. Girls are naturally sensitive to such matters. Zhang Razi had already become suspicious of Song Zhen’s unusual behavior during their last encounter at Nanjing University, and she would probably ask about the relationship between Su Can and Song Zhen along with how they knew each other.

Song Zhen couldn’t bear her questioning any longer; if Zhang Xizhu saw them together now, it wouldn't be possible to explain everything clearly, let alone what kind of rumors she would spread.

"Don't let her see us. Go inside first." In a rush, Song Zhen pushed Su Can into the empty men's restroom behind her.er evening self-study during high school, she would silently pass through the bustling festivities and return home by herself on a bus that rattled through the small city. The reflection in her eyes w...