ins Entertainment.
The Chairman's Office.
John, a lit cigar clenched between his fingers, reclined in his executive chair, eyes narrowed in enjoyment. Opposite him, the Director of Artist Management sat with his own eyes closed, a smile playing on his lips.
Unlike the live audience, John believed that as a member of high society, he didn't need the kind of stimulation that came with screaming and yelling.
He preferred listening to the sparks ignited by the collision of drumbeats and other instruments.
The song's arrangement was soul-stirring, and when listened to through his world-class equipment, it was a perfect auditory experience.
"Sean is too foolish. If he were even a little smarter, a small company like Dynasty Entertainment wouldn't stand a chance surviving in America." John watched the Cheetah band appear on the projection, took a puff of his cigar, and a dismissive smile curved his lips.
"However, we can't interfere too much with him. After all, the company's core business still relies on him writing songs," the Director of Artist Management agreed with John.
From a capitalist's perspective, Sean already possessed the power to crush everything else.
Yet, he had a bottom line that capital found difficult to comprehend.
In John's opinion, this bottom line was the very thing that limited Sean.
But he couldn't force Sean to abandon his principles, because Sean's value outweighed everything.
"If he could just give up that damn bottom line, with the help of INS Entertainment, he would have become the world's number one producer long ago. He wouldn't have had to participate in 'Time Music King' and make me owe that old man Wright so many favors!" John fumed at the thought.
"Chairman, please don't be angry. At least Sean has made so many artists famous for us. With JS Band winning the championship this time, we can at least continue to dominate American rock for another three years."
"I spend so much money supporting him, this is what he should be doing!"
John took a puff of his cigar and muttered gruffly.
The Director of Artist Management opened his mouth, unsure of what to say.
He knew John had been displeased with Sean for a long time, especially since Sean had been constantly overshadowed by Ting Yu in 'Time Music King'.
But he was also well aware of Sean's temperament.
This man only had eyes for the championship; nothing else mattered.
Since his debut, Sean had participated in countless competitions, his goal always being the championship, and he had always achieved it. He had never lost since his debut.
If one were to compare him to the martial arts world, Sean's personality could be described as a martial arts fanatic; he only wanted to win, to win through his own strength.
Such a person was simple, yet difficult to control.
Therefore, it was usually the Director of Artist Management who mediated between Sean and John. Coupled with Sean's immense value, John dared not push him too far, thus maintaining a delicate balance.
"Let's not talk about this anymore. The Cheetah band's performance is about to begin," the Director of Artist Management changed the subject.
"What's there to see? Do you think they can win?" John scoffed.
Suddenly.
His smile froze.
He shot up from his executive chair.
His eyes were fixed on the song information displayed on the screen.
"Hotel California"
Performed by: Cheetah Band
Lyrics: Ting Yu
Music: Ting Yu
Ordinary netizens or audiences didn't pay much attention to the song's producer when listening.
But for those in the industry, John's eyes first scanned the producer section.
Upon seeing the two extremely familiar characters, "Ting Yu."
He stood there, stunned, as if struck by lightning.
The cigar in his hand slipped from his fingers, falling to the ground with a soft thud, causing John to involuntarily shiver.
"What the hell???"
He uttered a nasal sound through his nostrils.
...
Many viewers watching the live broadcast also noticed the producer issue and were flooding the screen with question marks.
"What? Ting Yu?"
"Impossible. Although Ting Yu has written English songs, they are very few. And how could he write English rock?"
"Hotel California, is he writing a song about America?"
"Unbelievable, but no new artist would dare use that stage name in the music industry now, would they?"
"Ting Yu wrote the song for the Cheetah band?"
"With Ting Yu writing the song, why do these guys from the Cheetah band look so down?"
"This is like fishing for minnows and hooking a great white shark!"
It wasn't surprising they were so astonished.
The main reason was the Cheetah band's lackluster performance. All members wore expressions of insecurity, and their performance lacked any joy or excitement.
They looked as if they were marching to their deaths, just like the little minnow that was supposedly being "fried."
Who would have thought that the "minnow" JS Band was trying to "fry" was actually a shark!
...
On stage.
The lighting was dim.
It created a sense of twilight intoxication.
Unexpectedly, they did not arrange themselves as before.
Instead, they sat in a row, each holding a guitar. The drummer was behind them, without drumsticks in hand.
The strange formation and arrangement.
As the entire audience looked on, bewildered and unsure of what was happening.
The lead singer, Lei Bao, held a acoustic guitar and gently strummed the strings.
The clear sound of the guitar echoed through the venue.
Then, a guitar solo that transitioned from gentle to rapid and back to gentle made the audience involuntarily applaud.
The moment the drumbeat kicked in, some people couldn't help but nod along to the rhythm.
"Is this rock?"
"It's different from what I remember!"
"Their positioning and formation are all different from before!"
"Now I believe it. This song must have been written by Ting Yu, because the first few seconds of the intro alone gave me a sense of subversion."
"They've changed styles, country rock, not their previous heavy metal rock!"
The audience came back to their senses and whispered among themselves.
This pairing of country rock guitar and drumbeats with shakers was as comfortable as bathing in the sunset.
Even the passion ignited by the JS band earlier was extinguished by this comfortable and pleasant music, and their bodies and minds unconsciously became serene.
But what they didn't expect was that after the drumbeats finished, the anticipated verse did not appear.
The lead singer, Lei Bao, holding the acoustic guitar, played a melody that was incredibly beautiful!
It was as if under the sunset, there was a hazy golden mist, leisurely driving a vintage car in the afterglow, with a gentle evening breeze.
Enchanting.
Dreamlike.
At this moment, many audience members were simply moved by the guitar melody and involuntarily let out cheers.
However, what surprised everyone was that the cheers blended exceptionally well with the guitar melody, as if they were originally one. It even made people suspect if this was part of the producer's meticulous design!
Too brilliant!
The shakers, drumbeats, and guitar, these three elements actually managed to create such an intoxicating piece of music.
The intro was still ongoing, seemingly without end.
But no one cared how long the intro lasted.
Everyone was lost in the exquisite melody.
If the JS band's song earlier had set the entire venue ablaze with its explosive melody and atmosphere, then this song, "Hotel California," was a potent sedative. No matter how fervent the audience was, they all fell into a trance with this simple yet profound intro!
Ting Yu, with just a guitar melody, achieved the effect of overcoming the strong with the gentle!
...