The scene fell into silence.
Sean's hand froze mid-air. To avoid embarrassment, he casually raised it to adjust his hairstyle, then let it drop naturally.
Inside, however, he was cursing.
"Fuck! How could it be Ting Yu!"
The song Sean had chosen for this competition had garnered seven million votes, the highest among all contestants.
In his opinion, even if Ting Yu had over five million votes, it was still far behind him. A travel theme song shouldn't possibly go to Ting Yu, right?
However, Sean's expression remained unchanged, his face still full of arrogance, a subtle hint of embarrassment and anger flickering in his brows.
"Mr. Ting Yu, what do you think of the price of ten million?" Lopez withdrew his bewildered gaze and looked at Su Yu tentatively.
"This song is a gift I made for my wife, and it holds extraordinary significance for us..." Su Yu said with a smile.
Ten million was too little for him at this moment.
While it was better than nothing, agreeing to such a price would lower his prestige, making it difficult for Xing Hui to set prices for future commissions.
"That doesn't conflict. We are only purchasing certain types of broadcast rights; the ownership of the song will remain with you," Lopez said hurriedly.
There were many types of song copyrights. Lopez only needed the online streaming rights and the theme song copyright. The song would still belong to Su Yu.
Seeing Su Yu's unchanging expression, he continued, "Ten million US dollars might not be much, but this is the highest budget Cuba has. We truly love Mr. Ting Yu's 'Mojito'..."
"Pick me, I don't want any money!"
"He won't sell, but I will! Don't say ten million US dollars, I'd sell it for a thousand US dollars!"
"Damn, why isn't he selling? He's not selling partial copyright for ten million US dollars. Is he really not short of money?"
"The price is already above market value, and it's officially recognized by Cuba. I really can't understand why he wouldn't sell."
For a moment, the gazes of several producers towards Su Yu were unreadable, a mix of envy and jealousy.
Everyone wanted to collaborate with the Cuban government and promote their songs better, but Ting Yu seemed to have no such intentions.
Was his expression even one of rejection?
After about five seconds of silence, Su Yu finally smiled and said, "Since you've said it all, it shows you truly like this song. Contact Xing Hui to sign the contract."
Ten million US dollars for only partial copyright was indeed a good price.
"Then I thank you, Mr. Ting Yu. On behalf of the Cuban tourism industry, I express our most sincere gratitude to Mr. Ting Yu!"
From Lopez's perspective, Su Yu was moved by his sincere words and agreed.
After all, ten million US dollars for partial copyright was a price that even Sean couldn't refuse.
But he could tell that Su Yu hadn't wanted to sell initially, and only reluctantly agreed after he guaranteed that he would treat 'Mojito' with utmost seriousness.
"This Ting Yu is different from ordinary producers. He doesn't treat his work as a commodity. My approach of discussing it with him through money was disrespectful!"
Ting Yu was a true artist; his works were like his children, immeasurable by money!
He was too noble!
With this realization, Lopez was filled with profound respect for Su Yu!
At the same time, his favorability towards Su Yu soared!
He secretly resolved to treat this song with all his effort, making it a symbol of Cuban culture.
Only then would he not fail Mr. Ting Yu for selling them the song's copyright!
...
After the interlude of the Cuban government purchasing the song's copyright.
The program was nearing its end.
Simultaneously, it was the segment everyone was most anticipating.
The announcement of the next competition venue!
The host, holding the script, glanced at it and then announced to the audience, "The venue for the next competition has been decided. After deliberation by the production team, it will be chosen from the home countries of several contestants..."
The host paused here.
The other producers' eyes lit up.
In their own countries, if the theme was still their national culture, they would have a significant advantage.
However, the votes likely wouldn't come from their own country's audience, as that would be an inherent advantage.
These details would depend on how the production team adjusted the rules later.
Whether it would still be about writing songs in a national style, or adopting other styles, would only be known on the third day of the program's commencement. This was to ensure everyone started from the same baseline, preventing them from writing songs before the competition even began.
"If it's in China, and the focus is on Chinese people, then Ting Yu gets all the votes!"
"Hahaha, if it's in China, these foreigners won't stand a chance. After all, Ting Yu has absolute dominance in the domestic entertainment industry."
"I don't think the production team will choose China, at least not in the initial few episodes."
"I guess it will be Japan; their style is quite distinctive."
"If the location is set in a contestant's country, they definitely won't let their own citizens vote."
Among the eight producers, apart from Sean, Ting Yu had the largest fan base due to China's population advantage. However, people usually stayed within their own circles, and only a small fraction paid attention to overseas entertainment. That's why Ting Yu wasn't very famous worldwide.
But now, after the triumphant start of the first competition, coupled with the Cuban government's purchase of the song's copyright, Ting Yu had proven himself on the world stage. Not only did the producers have to re-examine this Chinese youth, but even audiences worldwide who were following the competition had taken notice of this Chinese youth.
It seemed the Chinese music scene wasn't as weak as people imagined; it was even quite strong.
"The answer is revealed! The next program will be held in Russia!!"
The host, after building suspense, directly announced the competition venue.
Then, the producers' eyes instantly shifted to Losov.
His smile was incredibly brilliant. He had never been good at hiding his emotions; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so smug when he drew Ting Yu at the beginning.
He was still the same now.
"Losov has already competed with Ting Yu. Next time, we will choose one from the three of us in the winners' bracket," Sean said meaningfully.
Losov's smile instantly froze.
The winners' bracket included Ting Yu, Adolf, Sean, and Kim Seong-hyun.
Ting Yu had already competed. The remaining three were all formidable opponents.
No way! Dà Fēng Novel Network
If he lost on his home turf, how embarrassing would that be??
Thinking of this, Losov deflated instantly. He, who had been all smiles just moments ago, was now extremely dejected. Why didn't they go to Russia in the first episode!!