Chapter Ninety-Nine: Preparing to Take Orders for the Villa

Hao Mingxing became the dark horse—indeed, the brightest one among them all.

Especially since the ratings for "Singer Style" soared, the buzz surrounding Hao Mingxing this time far eclipsed even that of his debut song, "It Doesn't Matter."

At Yunhai Media, many people were slow to catch on and only learned of the news the day after the show ended.

It was then that everyone was stunned: Wuyan had actually written another song for Hao Mingxing.

In total, Wuyan wrote four songs, two of which were given to Hao Mingxing.

What kind of treatment was this?

Even a biological father wouldn’t go this far, would he?

What was truly unsettling to consider was that Hao Mingxing had only just advanced to the second round on the "Singer Style" stage. There were still the top eight, top four, finals, and a series of competitions ahead. Who knew if Wuyan would continue writing songs for him?

Looking back, people had once called Hao Mingxing a sycophant behind his back.

Some despised him.

Others looked down on him.

But now, seeing Hao Mingxing basking in the height of his popularity, everyone felt a complex mix of emotions.

“If Wuyan could write me two songs, I swear I’d flatter him even better than Hao Mingxing.”

“Is it too late for me to start sucking up now?”

“Wuyan, my hero!”

“...”

At this moment, Hao Mingxing was resting back at Yunhai Media.

His manager, Zheng Lai, was somewhat irate. “A lot of people outside say you’re just Wuyan’s lapdog, and that’s why he wrote two songs for you. It’s pure jealousy.”

Hao Mingxing replied calmly, “What’s there to be angry about? Am I not?”

Zheng Lai was speechless.

Hao Mingxing continued, “There’s nothing shameful about being a lapdog. What’s shameful is not even having the qualification to be one. By the way... how much am I making per month now?”

Zheng Lai said, “After this episode of 'Singer Style' aired, your reputation skyrocketed. But the song royalties haven’t increased significantly since most of the profits go to Tomato TV. However, your endorsement deals have already reached the millions, and your appearance fees have multiplied several times. If nothing unexpected happens, your monthly average income will exceed one million. If you land endorsements with top-tier brands, your earnings could be even more substantial.

“Of course, this is just your current market value. You still have a third song from Wuyan, so your value will continue to rise. With the company’s management, becoming a second-tier singer within six months is no problem. A second-tier singer’s annual income ranges from ten million to several tens of millions.”

Hao Mingxing responded decisively, “Alright, I’ll put it all into building schools. Not a penny will be kept.”

Zheng Lai said, “Good.”

He had long known Hao Mingxing’s resolve and understood that no amount of persuasion would sway him.

More importantly, he knew Hao Mingxing was never short of money; it was his passion for music that had driven him to become a singer.

...

At the same time,

Wang Mo counted on his fingers how much he could earn in a month.

“My main income right now is from royalties on a few songs. I haven’t earned a single cent from live streaming yet. Song royalties come in slowly: last month was 460,000 yuan, and this month should be around six or seven hundred thousand. That’s enough to cover the mortgage on the villa, but there’s very little left over.”

This wasn’t enough...

The money was still too little.

What worried Wang Mo so much was a call from the developer: his villa was ready for handover. After that, came the renovation.

He asked Yuan Xiong, “Brother Xiong, how much does it cost to renovate a villa like mine?”

Yuan Xiong replied, “Do you want a luxury finish or a simple one?”

Wang Mo said, “I bought a detached villa; of course I want luxury.”

Yuan Xiong raised one finger.

Wang Mo’s face brightened. “Ten million? That’s manageable.”

Yuan Xiong said, “Ten million barely covers the basic hard furnishings. The soft furnishings are a bottomless pit—sometimes a single ornament or an oil painting can cost eight figures. No matter how you cut it, if you want your villa to have taste and style, you’re looking at several tens of millions.”

Wang Mo’s cheerful expression froze.

“Several tens of millions? Seriously?”

“Exactly. If you want a simple finish—just a quick paint job and some furniture—then a few million is doable. But if you want real comfort, tens of millions is just the starting point... Not to mention, a set of rosewood furniture alone costs over ten million. For some wealthy people, renovation costs more than the property itself.”

Wang Mo was stunned.

He could handle a ten-million renovation if he gritted his teeth.

But tens of millions?

That was beyond his means.

He calculated silently: at his current earning rate, even if he starved himself for ten or twenty years, he might never finish renovating the villa properly.

“No, I have to speed up my earning.”

He silently resolved.

There were two ways to accelerate income:

First: rely on live streaming.

Second: rely on songwriting.

He already had over three million followers on his Douyin account, so live streaming sales could bring in a lot.

But Wang Mo felt uneasy about this method, as it involved making money off ordinary netizens’ hard-earned money. Moreover, the quality of products sold during live streams was often questionable, which troubled his conscience.

Of course, the company’s ultimate goal was probably to have him do live stream sales. But when that day came, he vowed to safeguard customers' interests as best as he could.

If live streaming wasn’t viable,

Then only the second option remained: songwriting.

At this thought,

Wang Mo inwardly asked, “System, can I commission a custom song now?”

System: [Yes.]

Wang Mo: “Under what conditions?”

System: [500,000 yuan per song.]

Five hundred thousand... Wang Mo swallowed hard, feeling it was a bit beyond his means.

But he quickly accepted the reality. Every song the system provided was a masterpiece. Paying 500,000 yuan for a custom song from the system was a bargain.

This business!

It was doable!

Wang Mo’s mind was made up. He looked at Yuan Xiong and said seriously, “Brother Xiong, are there companies or individuals in the entertainment industry who pay for custom songs?”

“Of course,” Yuan Xiong said in surprise. “You don’t know that? Not every company or production team has their own composing department, so many companies, studios, and variety shows look externally when they need songs. For example, the CCTV theme song for 'The Forbidden City' you composed was such a commission.

“In the past, composers’ status was low, so prices were modest—up to around 500,000 yuan per song. But in recent months, as people have realized the importance of composers, custom song prices have surged. Many big companies now pay over a million yuan for commissioned songs. Some gaming companies even offered five million yuan for a single song.”

Five million yuan for a song—indeed a high price.

Wang Mo nodded.

With his company contract granting him up to 70% royalties, he could net more than three million yuan from a single commission.

This only strengthened his resolve to take commissions.

Yuan Xiong smiled. “The surge in custom song prices is thanks in part to your influence as ‘Wuyan.’ You’ve made an indelible contribution to elevating composers’ status. By the way... why are you asking?”

Wang Mo said, “I want to take commissions.”

“Huh?”

“Ah?”

Yuan Xiong was initially taken aback, stunned for a long moment. “You want to take commissions? Using the name ‘Wuyan’ to accept orders from across the internet?”

Wang Mo nodded.

Yuan Xiong was silent for a while, then said, “This is a big deal. I need to discuss this with the company’s senior management.”

Wang Mo said, “Go ahead and discuss it, but no matter the outcome, I’m going to take orders.”

“Ahem…”

Seeing the determination in Wang Mo’s eyes, and knowing his stubborn nature, Yuan Xiong understood the decision was final. He could only say, “The company meeting is necessary since you’re ‘Wuyan.’ If the news of you accepting commissions spreads, many companies and production teams will come knocking. We must prepare risk assessments, pricing evaluations, client demand analyses... Trust me, the company probably won’t oppose your commissions. But the proper procedures and safeguards must be set in advance.”

Wang Mo understood Yuan Xiong was being honest. “Alright, then I’ll leave it to you, Brother Xiong.”

Yuan Xiong said, “But if you get too many orders, will you be able to handle it?”

Wang Mo thought a moment. “I think so... It depends on how much the clients are willing to pay. The more money, the more inspiration I get.”

“...”

Yuan Xiong was speechless.

He had never heard inspiration was controlled by money before.

Wang Mo continued, “Oh, one more important thing: I want to specify the singer for the songs I write. I won’t accept the client providing the singer.”

Yuan Xiong knew Wang Mo’s special requirement, as he had made similar demands for previous songs, and readily agreed, “No problem.”

After that, Yuan Xiong hurried off.

Nearly two hours later, Yuan Xiong hadn’t returned, but Liu Zhengwen found Wang Mo instead.

Liu Zhengwen’s face showed a mix of excitement and frustration. “Wang, you finally decided to focus mainly on composing. But all our company’s singers want you to write songs for them. Why are you still taking external commissions?”

Wang Mo said, “I need money.”

Liu Zhengwen replied, “How much? I’ll give you some.”

Wang Mo said, “My villa’s about to be renovated. I want it to be tasteful.”

“Heh, renovating, huh? Heh heh, a villa, huh? Heh heh heh, tasteful, huh?”

Liu Zhengwen laughed several times, then said seriously, “You’re right. With so many singers at the company, it’s tough to decide who to write for. I think it’s better to take outside commissions.”

Wang Mo nodded. “I think so too. Also... I won’t let the company’s singers suffer. If I get a commission and the company has a suitable singer, I’ll choose them to perform. Like I always say...”

“Keep the profits in the family!”

Liu Zhengwen said immediately.

He was very familiar with Wang Mo’s catchphrase.

“Exactly.”

Wang Mo smiled brightly.

This was his perfect plan.

By taking commissions, he could earn money from clients, then have company singers perform the songs, which would do the company a favor. Finally, the singer would share royalties with him.

A triple win.

Why not?

(The End of This Chapter)