Chapter 141: Doubt and Confidence

Amidst an eerie silence, Xiang Fengxing spoke first. Suppressing the joy of having just discovered a genius, he put on a serious expression and said in a deep voice, "Young people shouldn't aim too high to be realistic. Knowing how to write songs doesn't mean you can be a producer."

Cao Danian could not help chiming in either, his tone much gentler. "Xiaoyu, we all see your talent, but becoming a producer is no easy task. You are still young; taking steady, solid steps is the only true path, and the future will undoubtedly belong to your generation." Anyone who knew Cao Danian was stunned by the gentleness he displayed today. Was this really the notoriously stern, hard-headed, and ruthless Cao Danian they knew?

Xiang Fengxing glanced sideways at Cao Danian, whose face still held a fond expression of cherishing talent, and relaxed upon remembering that Cheng Xiaoyu had been recommended by him.

The other two music directors had not yet had a chance to speak and could no longer hold it in. As soon as the heads of the two departments finished, they fired questions at Cheng Xiaoyu like a machine gun, one after another.

"Do you know how to use music production software?"
"Do you know how to record a musical work?"
"Do you understand harmony arrangement? How many instruments do you know?"
"Do you understand arrangement? Arrangement is not composition!"
"Do you understand mixing? The mixing I'm talking about is not singing!"
"Do you understand marketing and packaging?"
"Have you ever researched market trends?"

Following wave after wave of questioning, Xiang Fengxing, quite satisfied with the two directors' inquiries, added, "A soldier who doesn't want to be a general is not a good soldier, and a musician who doesn't want to be a producer is not a good musician either. Your dream is a good one, but you must learn step by step with your feet firmly on the ground. We all walked this path. You have a lot of potential; if you truly want to be a producer, you can study under me first." As the head of Shanghe's Production Department, although some people held parallel positions and others had higher administrative ranks, as the most important department in a record company, his status was second to none, standing above tens of thousands. Moreover, he was an authority in his professional field, currently one of the top producers in China, having produced albums for almost all of Shanghe's three major heavenly queens.

For a figure at the pinnacle of the food chain to offer to let someone study under him was an opportunity countless people dreamed of, practically foretelling that a bright future was already beckoning to this lucky soul.

Everyone in the audience gazed intently at Cheng Xiaoyu, their eyes filled with envy, jealousy, and the desire to replace him. Ma Guoli practically ground his teeth to dust; thinking of the two demo tracks he had submitted yesterday, which Xiang Fengxing hadn't even glanced at, his mind was filled with sorrow.

Cao Danian had not expected Xiang Fengxing to value Cheng Xiaoyu so highly, but deep down, he did not want Cheng Xiaoyu to actually go to the Production Department. For a potential future boss, whoever was closer naturally held the advantage. However, he could not blatantly persuade Cheng Xiaoyu against joining the Production Department right now. Pondering for a moment, he said, "Xiaoyu, Director Xiang is right. Becoming a producer is a long and arduous journey, and you must consider it carefully. If you cannot make up your mind right now, you can come to the Planning Department first to undergo trainee training. There are many outstanding teachers here, and whether you become a producer or a singer in the future, it will be of great help to you." Cao Danian's words once again shocked the entire theater. This was practically the Planning Department openly poaching talent, something that had almost never happened in Shanghe's history.

Although the two departments were parallel, when artists debuted, whose hands did the music come from? Naturally, the Production Department. If the Production Department refused to cooperate or withheld good music from the artists favored by the Planning Department, the latter could only watch helplessly. Being in the same company meant their ultimate goals were aligned, but private power struggles were inevitable. Therefore, the people in the Planning Department had always tried to humor the bigwigs in the Production Department. But this time, for the sake of a little chubby guy, the Planning Department was ready to lock horns with the Production Department.

Xiang Fengxing paid no attention to Cao Danian. He felt that given his current status and the conditions he had offered, Cheng Xiaoyu had no reason to refuse. However, he did not know that Cheng Xiaoyu had no intention of slowly working his way up, nor did he know that Cheng Xiaoyu's music production skills surpassed not only his own, but those of this entire era.

Standing on the stage under the gaze of everyone, Cheng Xiaoyu first bowed to Xiang Fengxing and said, "Director Xiang, I know my qualifications are shallow, and I know you might doubt what I'm saying. But at the very least, as for the questions the two directors beside you just asked, I can answer them without hesitation—I know how to do all of them, and I do them quite well. If you are interested, I can let you review my work. I will definitely go to the Production Department, but not right now. Right now, I want to be the producer for the Idol Project. I've considered this for a long time, and I feel that your positioning for the Idol Project has deviations, and your choice of songs also has misconceptions. Therefore, I believe this matter cannot wait. I can understand if you won't hand the entire album over to me, but could you let me guide them to complete two to three musical tracks? After they are finished, you can judge the results and we can talk again?"

Xiang Fengxing let out a dry laugh, his expression changing completely. The company placed great importance on the Idol Project; after all, the daughter of Shanghai's richest man and the boss's daughter were both in it, and Cheng Xiujing's father was also a good friend of his. The overall positioning and direction of the album were entirely under his control, and now Cheng Xiaoyu had the audacity to blatantly refute him. Filled with anger, he glared at Cheng Xiaoyu and said, "So young, yet so arrogant and ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth." With that, ignoring everyone else, he stood up, swept his hand, and strode away, the scraping of his chair against the floor making a harsh rattling sound.

Cheng Xiaoyu did not know that the Idol Project's album had been personally crafted by this heavyweight figure, but right now he had no time to plan step by step. He naively thought that as the boss's son, even if they wouldn't grant him full control of an album, they could at least give him the chance to handle two songs for his old man's sake.

This was wishful thinking on his part. Even if Xiang Fengxing didn't yet know that Cheng Xiaoyu was the boss's son, he wouldn't have agreed anyway; doing so would feel like a form of contempt to him. The Idol Project could be said to be Shanghe's most important new act this year, and failing to make a hit right out of the gate would mean dereliction of duty on his part. He was under immense pressure himself.

Furthermore, Cheng Xiaoyu did not know that although Su Changhe was the president and chairman, it was because he was the representative of the Su family, not solely due to personal influence. Xiang Fengxing was entirely qualified to stand his ground and ignore Su Changhe. Su Changhe himself would not interfere in music production anyway; his domain was management.

As soon as Xiang Fengxing left, one of the directors stood up and followed him out of the theater.

Cao Danian also gave a bitter smile and said, "Xiaoyu, you can offend anyone, but you shouldn't offend Director Xiang! No matter whether you want to be a producer or a singer, you can't bypass Director Xiang. Besides, you are still so young; take it slow, there is plenty of time." Cao Danian completely misinterpreted Cheng Xiaoyu's intentions. He assumed that Cheng Xiaoyu had just returned to the Su family and urgently needed to prove himself through some drastic action, which explained his stubbornness. But regardless of the reason, the label of showing disrespect to his elders was now firmly attached to Cheng Xiaoyu.

Cheng Xiaoyu smiled without explaining. Time and capability would naturally prove everything. However, a rift had clearly been created with Xiang Fengxing's side, so for now, he had to win over Cao Danian. Without hesitation, and with a respectful tone, he said, "Director Cao, it's not that this junior is arrogant, but time and tide wait for no man. Just give me the chance to produce a single song, and I can make those who doubt me shut up." Modesty was entirely useless at this moment. If he wanted to stand out, he had to exude an unyielding, supreme confidence to move others. If you cannot firmly believe in yourself, how can others believe in you?

Cao Danian smiled benevolently at Cheng Xiaoyu and said, "It's good for a young person to have confidence. Come report to the Planning Department tomorrow first. As for whether you can be a producer, write ten songs first and let me see them. If they are all above average, I will fight to secure the production rights for one or two songs for you."