1990: Starting from Baojia Street

At around ten o'clock, two customers came to Kubo Masa's shop.

The only regret today is that I didn't buy a ticket to go to the concert hall to listen.

Yeah, I should have spent more money on tickets if I had known earlier.

Although I didn't go in, the outdoor performance at the end was also very good, with five songs in total.

The key is it's free, haha.

After hearing the guests' discussion, Kubo guessed that they should have come out after listening to Zhou Yan's concert.

Although Kubo Masaru is not a loyal fan of Zhou Yan, he paid attention to this concert. Recently, news of Zhou Yan coming to a concert can be heard everywhere.

Are you talking about Zhou Yan's concert? Kubo asked.

The two looked at Kubo Masaru, nodded and said, Well, it just ended. My concert tonight was really exciting. It's a pity that your store is separated by a park, otherwise you can hear the concert from here.

The boss smiled: It seems that you are indeed very satisfied with this concert.

certainly.

What do you two want to eat? Kubo was handing them the menu.

we want……

Just as the two customers opened their mouths to order, several more customers pushed the door open and came in.

welcome.

Kubo said hello and felt a little surprised at the same time. Although there were usually guests at this time, it seemed to be more lively today.

Moreover, the guests who came in were also discussing the concert.

What do you think the last song should be called?

I think we should order a cup of sake. Didn't Zhou Yan get inspiration from an izakaya?

You only heard about the izakaya. Didn't you hear Zhou Yan say that he got such inspiration after hearing a neon pop song? So, you should know what the song is called first.

I'm going to call TV Asahi and suggest that they use the name 'Tokyo Tower.'

This name will definitely not be accepted.

Tell me, how did Zhou Yan achieve the effect of shakuhachi on the bamboo flute?

Because he has a high level of skill. Shizuka Kudo said before that Zhou Yan is the best bamboo flute player she has ever seen.

Haha, Kudo Shizuka must be exaggerating when she says this, but Zhou Yan plays the flute, and the stage effect is indeed very good.

Kubo was busy taking orders for the customers here, while listening to the conversation of the people on the other side.

He was very curious as to why these people came here from the concert hall. Although it was not far from them, it still took ten minutes to walk. There were many izakayas near the concert hall, so there was no need for them to go this way.

Just when he was wondering, three more guests came, and these three guests were also talking about the concert.

However, unlike the previous two groups, these three customers came in and asked Kubo Masaru: Boss, has Zhou Yan been to your store recently?

Kubo was confused by the customer's question, what is this question? Why did Zhou Yan come to his store?

Seeing the boss's confused look, another customer said, Even if Zhou Yan comes over, the boss may not know him.

Kubo said immediately, Of course I know Zhou Yan, I've seen him on TV.

But even if he comes here, he will definitely be in disguise, and it's impossible for you to recognize him.

Why do you think Zhou Yan will come to my store? Kubo asked the doubts in his heart.

One of the guests said with a smile, Because Zhou Yan said at the concert that a few days ago, when he first came to Tokyo, he came to a certain izakaya here. There are only a few izakayas nearby, so we I’ll ask you.”

Oh, that's right. Kubo smiled, That's why you came all the way here.

Well, we got here relatively quickly, and there are still people behind us.

Before the man finished speaking, several more guests came in, and Kubo hurriedly ran to greet them.

Looking at the waves of customers, Kubo was happy, but at the same time he was a little embarrassed, and began to think about whether there had been any customers with special behavior in the store in the past few days.

Then he really thought about it. In the evening a few days ago, not long after their store opened, two customers, a man and a woman, came, all wrapped up tightly.

That time it was his wife who greeted them outside. He only saw the two people at the final checkout, but at that time both of them covered most of their faces with scarves. He didn't stare at other people's faces, so he didn't look at them. to what they look like.

At that time, he only felt a little strange, but he didn't think much about it. After all, there are all kinds of strange people in Tokyo.

Not to mention those two people covering half of their faces with scarves, he wouldn't find it strange even if they came in to eat wearing Ultraman hoods.

But now that I think about it, that man and woman were indeed very strange.

Counting the time, it should be when Zhou Yan first came to Tokyo.

What made Kubozheng most suspicious was that the girl at that time said that her boyfriend and Zhou Yan were from the same school.

The more he thought about it, the more suspicious Kubo Masaru felt.

However, there was no time for him to think too much now. There were too many customers in the store, and he was so busy that his feet didn't even touch the floor.

…

After the concert, of course Zhou Yan did not go to the izakaya. He went backstage to rest for a while, and then returned to the hotel with the group.

After returning to the hotel and washing up, it was already one o'clock in the middle of the night. Zhou Yan fell into bed and went to sleep.

The next morning, while he was still sleeping, he was awakened by the ringing of the phone.

Zhou Yan rubbed his head, groaned twice, and grabbed the phone on the bedside table. He wanted to hear who came to disturb his sleep so early in the morning.

Third brother, are you up?

Hearing Wang Zuxian's sweet voice, Zhou Yan's anger at getting up was mostly gone. He looked at the watch on the bedside table. It was already past eight o'clock, and it was not particularly early.

Well, I just got up, are you going to provide me with wake-up service?

Hearing Zhou Yan's voice, Wang Zuxian knew that he probably hadn't gotten up yet, How about you sleep a little longer?

Zhou Yan turned over and said, I'm not going to sleep anymore. I've been sleeping for a long time. Do you have work today? Do you want to go shopping? The band has a day off.

I'm afraid I won't be able to go shopping. Didn't I say yesterday that some people from Shiseido went to the concert? This morning, the head of their sales department called me and wanted me to introduce you to them.

What does he want from me?

I asked for you, and he said he wanted to cooperate with you. As for the specific cooperation, he didn't say anything.

Zhou Yan thought for a while and said, That's okay, just let him come to me.

I'll take him with me. Wang Zuxian said with a smile. She would not miss the opportunity to come to Zhou Yan openly.

Well, okay, then I'll wait for you at the hotel. When can I arrive?

Ten o'clock, you can go have breakfast first.

okay.

…

After hanging up Wang Zuxian's phone, Zhou Yan went to the bathroom to wash up, and then went to the restaurant to have breakfast.

In the restaurant he met several members of the group, all of them very tired.

After asking, I found out that after they returned to the hotel last night, they were too excited to sleep and kept chatting.

Especially Ma Dongfang, apart from Zhou Yan and Yue Lin, he had the most scenes yesterday.

This kind of experience is fatal for him, a pretender, so after returning to the hotel last night, he has been dragging his classmates to review the concert. Played well and stuff like that.

Seeing Ma Dongfang and the others so excited, Zhou Yan could also express his understanding. After all, this was their first time to perform abroad, and it was already very good to be able to perform like this.

After breakfast, Zhou Yan returned to the room. He didn't rest and began to perfect the score of the last song.

At nine forty, there was a knock on the door.

coming.

Zhou Yan got up and went to open the door. It was Wang Zuxian who knocked on the door. There was a middle-aged man standing next to her.

Without waiting for Wang Zuxian's introduction, Hattori Jiro took the initiative to shake hands with Zhou Yan, Hello, Mr. Zhou Yan, I am Hattori Jiro from the Shiseido Sales Department. Nice to meet you. I was also at the concert last night. It was really a wonderful night.

He spoke a lot of neon words, and Wang Zuxian summarized him in Chinese, He is Jiro Hattori of the Shiseido Sales Department.

Zhou Yan blinked, that's it? Is neon language so complicated?

He seriously suspected that Wang Zuxian cut corners when translating.

At the same time, he also admired Bujiro very much for following Wang Zuxian without a translator. He overestimated Wang Zuxian.

Zhou Yan shook hands with Jiro Hattori, smiled and said, Hello, Mr. Hattori, please come in.

Wang Zuxian didn't need to translate this sentence. Hattori Jiro saw Zhou Yan's gesture, nodded, and followed him into the house.

When they arrived at the room, Zhou Yan poured a glass of water for each of them, and then said straight to the point, I heard from Xiaoxian that Mr. Hattori wants to cooperate with me. I wonder what kind of cooperation it is?

Jiro Hattori said, We hope to buy the song The Street Where the Wind Lives.

Zhou Yan stared at Wang Zuxian with a puzzled look on his face, He really said that? Are you sure the translation was correct?

Hearing Zhou Yan question herself, Wang Zuxian was unhappy. She pouted and said, I have made rapid progress in neon language recently.

I'm making rapid progress. Is it possible that it's because of my poor foundation?

Do you want me to translate?

Yes, of course, I believe in you unconditionally, okay?

That's pretty much it.

Then you ask him, why did he buy my music?

Jiro Hattori listened to the two of them talking back and forth several times, as if they were arguing. He was a little confused when Wang Zuxian asked him in neon language, Mr. Hattori, why did you buy this song?

We wanted to use this song as our advertising song, explained Jiro Hattori.

They're going to use it as a commercial jingle.

Zhou Yan looked confused. This time he was not questioning Wang Zuxian's translation, but wondering why Shiseido used The Street Where the Wind Lives as a commercial song.

The song The Street Where the Wind Lives is rather sad overall and is not suitable as an advertising song. Zhou Yan couldn't imagine any advertisement that could match this song.

And generally advertisements are very short, only about ten or twenty seconds. Do they need such a long song?

“Are they going to license it, or are they going to buy it?”

There is a big difference between the two. Authorization is relatively simple. Zhou Yan and others can issue an authorization letter and Shiseido can use it in advertising.

However, authorization also has restrictions. Generally, authorization is targeted. If Shiseido wants to use it, it can only be used in a certain advertisement. In the future, they will not need to use it for other advertisements.

If you want to buy it, it also depends on how you buy it, whether you buy part of the copyright or all the copyright.

Mr. Hattori, which copyrights of this song do you want to buy? Zhou Yan asked.

Hattori Jiro replied, As long as we can buy it, we will buy it.

Except for the copyright of a song, which is protected and cannot be bought or sold, other copyrights can be purchased.

According to Hattori Jiro, Shiseido wanted to buy out the song.

If the transaction is successful, all future profits from this song will have nothing to do with Zhou Yan.

Not only did others not need to use this piece of music, but Zhou Yan also had to submit an application to Shiseido if he wanted to play it in a concert. Of course, Zhou Yan could not agree to such a thing.

I'm so sorry, Mr. Hattori, I won't sell out any of my songs.

Mr. Zhou Yan, don't you want to hear the quotation first?

Zhou Yan nodded, You might as well come and listen.

Three million Xiangjiang coins.

Hearing the quotation, Zhou Yan raised his eyebrows and said, Hey, they really dare to submit the quotation. No wonder Hattori Jiro looked confident when he mentioned the quotation.

Three million Xiangjiang coins to buy only one piece of music.

In the long run, this song may not be able to earn Zhou Yan 3 million Hong Kong dollars or more, but no matter how much he earns, it will be a matter of the future. Now this song has not been officially released, but Shiseido is offering 3 million Buying it, I have to say, it is indeed very tempting.

Zhou Yan asked curiously, What do you want to do with this song, is it just to put it into an advertisement?

Hattori Jiro smiled and shook his head, Of course not. If that were the case, there would be no need for us to spend three million Xiangjiang coins to buy out the song. But I am sorry that it is not convenient for me to reveal what we are going to do specifically now.

Zhou Yan stared at Hattori Jiro. He really couldn't figure out what kind of medicine the other party was selling in this gourd.

For Shiseido, three million Hong Kong dollars is actually nothing. Their company spends many three million yuan on advertising every year.

But Shiseido is not a charity after all. Since they are willing to spend these three million, they must be confident that they can earn more.

But since Hattori Jiro didn't say anything, Zhou Yan didn't ask again.

In fact, it doesn't matter whether he asks or not, because he still decided not to sell.

He is indeed very excited about three million, but as he just said, he will not sell out any song. Even if this song cannot bring him three million in income in the future, he does not want to dig a hole for himself. This kind of selling off the copyright is likely to cause problems later.

He shook his head, Sorry, I'm still saying that, I won't sell out any of my songs, no matter how much you pay.

Of course, if Shiseido really wants to spend 30 million, he can make an exception.

But the boss of Shiseido will not spend 30 million to buy a song unless his brain is kicked by a donkey.

Hattori Jiro was surprised to hear Zhou Yan's refusal. He didn't expect that even three million Xiangjiang coins failed to impress Zhou Yan.

He pondered for a moment and said, Maybe we can talk about authorization.

If there is no way to buy it out, Hattori Jiro can only choose to get the authorization from Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan nodded. If he just wanted authorization, he would definitely be fine.

Okay, but you have to talk to my agent about the specific matters.

No problem at all.

Hattori Jiro didn't expect to be able to finalize the matter with Zhou Yan today, otherwise he wouldn't be able to do it without a translator. Of course he knew that Wang Zuxian's neon language skills were average.

After that, they stopped talking about work. Hattori Jiro started talking about music with Zhou Yan, mainly praising how successful Zhou Yan's concert was and how shocked he was at the scene last night.

Sitting in Zhou Yan's room until half past ten, Hattori Jiro got up and left.

Wang Zuxian also left, but they made an appointment to go shopping together in the afternoon.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, when Zhou Yan had just changed his clothes and was about to go out to find Wang Zuxian, Zhang Youan knocked on his door.

After Zhou Yan opened the door, Zhang Youan looked at him wearing a scarf and asked, Are you going out?

Well, let's go out for a walk.

you alone?

I made an appointment with Wang Zuxian.

Zhou Yan said so generously that he wanted to go shopping with Wang Zuxian, but Zhang Youan didn't think much about it. The two of them are good friends. They met in Tokyo and it was normal for them to go shopping together.

Then you two, be careful. Whether it is you or her, you will be easily recognized in Tokyo. Zhang Youan reminded.

Zhou Yan pointed at his outfit, Isn't this fully armed? It's not easy to be recognized. What do you want from me?

You didn't ask them to come to me about Shiseido.

So fast. Zhou Yan said in surprise.

Hattori Jiro left here at 10:30 in the morning, and only three hours passed before they contacted Zhang Youan.

Because they want to put The Street Where the Wind Lives in the latest commercial, so of course they have to talk quickly. Joey Wong has been waiting here. If it continues to be delayed, Joey Wong may not be willing to do it.

What kind of advertisement do they use? Why do they use The Street Where the Wind Lives? Can't they use other songs? Zhou Yan asked.

Yes. Actually, they don't have to ask for The Street Where the Wind Lives. Your last unnamed song is also fine.

Zhou Yan probably understood, So, they want a new song that hasn't been officially released yet?

It's not just a new song, it also has to be famous. A new song means no one else will use it, so it's easy to tie the song to the brand. As for the popularity, it goes without saying. They want to advertise. Of course, the higher the popularity, the more popular it is. The better. And the two songs that meet this requirement are your two. Compared with The Street Where the Wind Lives, the unnamed one at the back is a little less well-known. Of course, because the title of the song is being called, so It’s still a bit of a gimmick, so it’s not impossible for them to choose.”

You can just talk about authorization. You don't need to ask me.

I'm not here to ask you, I'm here to tell you, you are really confused, why don't you sell this song directly for 3 million.

Oh, they even told you about this.

Of course I said it. People praise you as a great musician who is not moved by money. Zhang Youan gave a thumbs up, and then sighed slightly, Actually, three million is not a lot. It's normal for you to look down on it. , but the positive impact this incident has brought to you is immeasurable. Shiseido spent three million to buy the song. In order not to lose money, it must have tried its best to use this song, which is very conducive to the spread of music.

Also, the main reason why Shiseido spent three million to buy the song is that the song is good and you are well-known. There is another reason. They can use this matter to make a stunt. While you are in the neon opening During this period of the concert, the publicity effect of this news is probably better than that of an advertisement. At the same time, it is also very positive for your personal publicity. You can raise your price by subsidy. Now if you refuse, such a good draft will be gone.

Zhou Yan shrugged nonchalantly, Can you change the announcement? Let's just say that Shiseido offered me a sky-high price of three million, but I didn't even sell the music. It not only raised my worth, but also erected a tall memorial arch for me. . If you think three million is not shocking enough, there is no problem in writing five million. Shiseido will definitely not deny it anyway.

...

Zhang Youan gave both thumbs up this time, You should be my manager. (End of Chapter)