Times of Our Lives - Chapter 44
Three days later, Ji Qinyang met with Binggan’s so-called uncle, Li Fanghe, in his now empty studio. Li Fanghe was somewhat polite upon seeing him and exchanged a few pleasantries before getting to the point.
“There’s no future for bands in the domestic market,” Li Fanghe said as he lit a cigarette. He offered one to Ji Qinyang, who declined. Unbothered, Li Fanghe took a few puffs before continuing, “Qian Mo has the potential to go solo. If you’re willing, you could write songs for him… Isn’t there a term, what is it, gold record producer?”
Ji Qinyang’s expression remained indifferent as he listened to Li Fanghe’s long-winded speech. He finally spoke slowly, “Qian Mo can’t fully handle my style. I have no issues with him going solo, but the prior agreements need to be honored. There are still a few months left on our five-year contract. Shouldn’t he at least give me an explanation?”
Li Fanghe smiled. “Contract? What contract?”
Ji Qinyang was taken aback and furrowed his brows, sensing something amiss. “What do you mean?”
With a smile plastered on his face, Li Fanghe took out two documents from a drawer. One was the contract Ji Qinyang signed with the band five years ago, and the other was a newer one that Ji Qinyang had never seen.
“Honestly, our company isn’t doing well,” Li Fanghe said, extinguishing his cigarette on the table. “It was surprising you young folks could make it this far. You know Senmao, right?”
Ji Qinyang’s heart sank. Senmao was one of the largest entertainment companies in Beijing, and the competition he signed the band up for was organized by them.
Li Fanghe continued, “As it turns out, Senmao acquired our company and took an interest in your band. Unfortunately, you never signed a contract with us, making it hard to buy you out. Qian Mo, being the smart and sensible one, signed a direct buyout agreement with Senmao under his own name, not informing Wentao and the others.”
Qian Mo, representing the band as an individual, signed a fifty-page contract with Senmao, categorizing everyone, including Ji Qinyang, as behind-the-scenes staff. Senmao was fair, offering decent treatment to their behind-the-scenes staff, which gave Qian Mo the confidence to sign without informing Wentao.
“They don’t know the songs are yours,” Li Fanghe said, pulling out the last cigarette from the pack. “Industry insiders don’t care, let alone your band’s fans. Rebranding, a bit of fireworks, who would remember you?”
Ji Qinyang remained silent as he held the contract. Li Fanghe glanced at him with a touch of pity, “With your appearance, it’s a pity to stay behind the scenes. Senmao considered having you take the lead for the competition.”
Ji Qinyang’s gaze shifted to Li Fanghe’s face. He coldly asked, “What else do you have planned?”
“Smart, really smart,” Li Fanghe said, applauding as he lit the cigarette. “Senmao wants you to stay behind the scenes. You’ll get paid and continue to provide songs. If you don’t comply…” He pulled out an envelope filled with photos of Wentao drinking and using drugs.
Ji Qinyang glanced at the photos indifferently and laughed, “Since we’ve already come to this, do you think I’ll care about the band?”
Li Fanghe tutted, “Don’t be hasty. You might not care about them, but what about this one?”
Ji Qinyang saw Li Fanghe pull out photos of Xie Meng, many of them intimate pictures taken at home, some as recent as three days ago when Ji Qinyang kissed Xie Meng goodbye downstairs.
“Your partner works at a bank, right? Recently promoted?” Li Fanghe said, examining a photo closely. “Not easy, only four years after graduation. Working in a big city is tough. What if these photos got leaked…”
Before he could finish, Ji Qinyang suddenly grabbed his collar, slamming his head onto the table. He stuffed the photos into Li Fanghe’s mouth while pressing on his throat, forcing him to swallow them all.
“You can mess with me all you want,” Ji Qinyang said, patting Li Fanghe’s bloodied face as he struggled to speak. Ji Qinyang coldly added, “If anything happens to Xie Meng, I can’t guarantee what I’ll do, understand?”
Li Fanghe quickly nodded.Â
“Where are the backups?” Ji Qinyang asked.
Li Fanghe shakily handed over a USB drive from his pocket.
Ji Qinyang took it and twisted Li Fanghe’s arm, dislocating it with a crack. The pain left Li Fanghe speechless, his eyes rolling back. Ji Qinyang let go, dusted himself off, and pulled up a chair, sitting down in front of Li Fanghe. He lit the unfinished cigarette and placed it back in Li Fanghe’s mouth.
As Li Fanghe slowly calmed down, he weakly asked, “Can you… fix my arm?”
“After I ask a few questions,” Ji Qinyang said, looking down at him. “Who’s been following Xie Meng?”
“Qian Mo hired them,” Li Fanghe replied, swallowing hard.
Ji Qinyang nodded emotionlessly. “What about our studio?”
“Senmao took everything to their headquarters,” Li Fanghe said, swallowing nervously. “I really don’t know much. They told me to come here to talk to you.”
Ji Qinyang stood up. Li Fanghe flinched until Ji Qinyang reattached his arm.
“Are you going to Senmao?” Li Fanghe asked, propping himself up and cautiously advising, “Don’t cause trouble… You can’t win against them in Beijing.”
Ji Qinyang opened the door and calmly said, “I forgot something important there. I need to get it back.”
Qian Mo stood by the floor-to-ceiling window on the top floor of Senmao, holding Ji Qinyang’s headphones. Because Ji Qinyang had been preparing for the competition, he had been working, eating, and sleeping in the studio for a long time, discussing the competition’s style and content with Wentao until things went wrong. He hadn’t taken his belongings when he left.
Senmao’s deputy boss, Mo Gengyu, walked over after finishing a call. “What? Feeling sentimental?”
Qian Mo glanced at him sideways.
Mo Gengyu teasingly touched Qian Mo’s face. “He’s coming over. Do you want to see him?”
Qian Mo impatiently pushed his hand away. “You said he almost crippled Li Fanghe. Do you think I would still want to see him?”
“It’s said that friendship among actors is fickle and love among performers is shallow,” Mo Gengyu laughed. “It seems there’s some truth to that.”
Qian Mo couldn’t be bothered to continue the conversation and handed the headphones to Mo Gengyu. “He’s here for these. Just give them back to him for me.”
Mo Gengyu shrugged and made a gesture as if to say, “As you wish.”
When Ji Qinyang arrived at Senmao, he encountered no obstruction or difficulty. Mo Gengyu personally greeted him.
Known as a notorious playboy in Beijing, Mo Gengyu had always considered his life’s primary goal to be indulging in beautiful men and women. At first sight of Ji Qinyang, he was momentarily enthralled, but remembering Ji Qinyang’s brutal handling of Li Fanghe, his enthrallment turned into a feeling of dread.
“Actually, the contract is very favorable for behind-the-scenes producers,” Mo Gengyu said, thinking of himself as someone who appreciated talent. “You don’t need to create such an awkward situation with us. If you gain fame, the company can also promote you…”
Ji Qinyang gave him a half-smile while reviewing the termination contract. After ensuring there were no issues, he signed it and handed his card to the secretary to pay the penalty fee via a POS machine.
It was not a small amount, and Mo Gengyu’s attempts at persuasion abruptly halted, his face feeling as if it had been slapped.
“My identity is sensitive, and I’m not suitable to be an artist,” Ji Qinyang said calmly, retrieving his card. “As for creating success for others, I have no interest.”
Mo Gengyu laughed angrily, “You certainly have some backbone.”
Ji Qinyang did not argue. He asked another question, “The items from the studio, there are my headphones among them. Can I get them back?”
“Feel free,” Mo Gengyu said with a forced smile, pointing out the window. “But all the junk has been thrown into the recycling yard out back. I don’t know which item is yours, so you’ll have to find it yourself.”
Behind Senmao was a large waste ground filled with discarded instruments, old sheet music, and computer cases, covered in cobwebs and dust, piled up to about four or five meters high.
Ji Qinyang looked up for a moment, then took off his shirt and tied it around his waist, wearing only a tank top. He then bent down and carefully sifted through the pile of junk.
Many passersby stopped to watch him.
Oblivious to the onlookers, Ji Qinyang’s hands were covered in dust as he searched under the scorching sun, again and again.
From the upstairs window, Qian Mo could hardly believe his eyes. He grabbed Mo Gengyu’s secretary anxiously. “What is Ji Qinyang looking for?”
The secretary hesitated before answering reluctantly, “Mr. Mo said he threw his headphones there… and told him to find them himself.”
Qian Mo demanded, “Where are the headphones now?!”
The secretary thought for a moment. “I think they’re with Mr. Mo, probably taken to his car.”
Qian Mo frowned and looked back at the yard. Ji Qinyang had been searching for over an hour and finally stopped. He sat on a large computer case, his face and hands filthy, looking utterly exhausted.
Qian Mo bit his lip, too afraid to go down but sent a text to Binggan instead.
Xie Meng was in a meeting at the bank when he received a call from Binggan. He stepped out of the conference room, holding his phone to his ear. “Hello?”
“Xie, Xie Meng?” Binggan sounded nervous. “Sorry to bother you… Can you come out?”
Xie Meng frowned. “What’s going on?”
Binggan’s voice was tearful. “Yi, Yi Mei drank too much… Can you come and get him?”
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Liu
Damn those bastards