Chapter Seventy-Seven: Wang Mo’s Romantic Fortune?

Wang Mo took the script outline, his eyes glancing over the title on the cover.

“Eternal Fates.”

There was nothing particularly revealing about the name; after all, these xianxia dramas all tended to have similar titles.

He opened the file and began to read carefully.

After about ten minutes, Wang Mo had formed a rough impression of the series’ storyline.

The plot was as follows: the protagonist, born into a celestial sect, is aloof and flippant by nature, but during his travels he encounters a simple and endearing heroine. He pursues her fervently, though at first she refuses him. Gradually, however, she is moved by his persistence. Just as their feelings blossom, the heroine is abducted by the antagonist. In order to save her, the protagonist surrenders himself to darkness, becoming a demon, and thus unfolds a stirring and deeply moving love story.

“A love story wrapped in xianxia trappings.”

That was Wang Mo’s assessment.

It was to be expected.

After all, in contemporary television, nine out of ten series revolve around romance, with the love story between the leads serving as the core of the narrative.

What did surprise Wang Mo, though, was that while this period xianxia drama’s outline was somewhat conventional, the plot itself was remarkably fresh and compelling.

How to put it? It was somewhat reminiscent of “The Journey of Flower” from his previous life.

In Wang Mo’s view, “Eternal Fates” and “The Journey of Flower” were each outstanding in their own right.

In his previous life, “The Journey of Flower” had taken the world by storm and achieved dazzling success.

Thus, Wang Mo thought that with the hefty investment and star-studded cast of “Eternal Fates,” as long as the director didn’t mess things up, it was bound to become a ratings sensation upon broadcast.

No wonder the production team was so meticulous, even about the ending theme song.

They were striving for perfection.

He closed the script.

A plan had already begun to take shape in his mind.

Originally, Wang Mo believed that he probably wouldn’t be able to take on this ending theme, as he didn’t have any suitable songs for a xianxia drama.

But after reading the story summary, he felt a surge of inspiration: “Given the love story depicted in ‘Eternal Fates,’ isn’t my song ‘Peach Blossom Promise’ a perfect fit?”

…

Seeing Wang Mo put away the script, Yuan Xiong asked, “So? Can you take this job?”

Wang Mo nodded. “I can.”

“Haha!” Yuan Xiong laughed heartily and slapped him on the shoulder. “I knew you could do it. Since you’re willing, that’s settled. I’ll inform the company right away, and the production team will get in touch with you.”

Wang Mo wasn’t concerned about that.

He asked, “How much does this job pay?”

Yuan Xiong widened his eyes. “You won’t be shortchanged.”

Wang Mo pressed, “But how much, exactly?”

Yuan Xiong said, “You’re obsessed with money, aren’t you?”

Wang Mo replied, “I have a big villa to pay off, you know.”

“…,” Yuan Xiong was at a loss for words, defeated by this guy, and could only pull out his phone and make a call.

Several minutes later.

He finally looked at Wang Mo, his expression somewhat stunned. “Wang Mo, the company is really going all out for you this time.”

“Oh? How so?” Wang Mo asked.

Yuan Xiong said, “Just now, upper management gave me two updates.

First: it’s about your status as a songwriter.

Recently, due to public opinion and the efforts of songwriters, the position has changed dramatically compared to before. Now the company plans to categorize songwriters into different tiers: Ace Songwriter, Gold Songwriter, Senior Songwriter, and Regular Songwriter.

You’re currently listed as an Ace Songwriter, and there are three others in the company at the same level.

As an Ace Songwriter, you can receive up to seventy percent of the profit share.”

“How much?” Wang Mo finally couldn’t keep quiet at this.

“Seventy percent!” Yuan Xiong replied.

A profound shock appeared on Wang Mo’s face.

That share was outrageous.

Did this mean that, in some cases, the company and the singer together would only get thirty percent?

Yuan Xiong grinned. “Of course, seventy percent is the maximum share. The exact percentage depends on the tier of the singer you’re collaborating with. If you work with a newcomer, you’ll get seventy percent, with the remaining thirty split—twenty for the company, ten for the singer. But if you’re working with a superstar, the company still takes twenty, but you split the rest evenly, so you’d get forty percent.”

“Got it,” Wang Mo nodded.

Such terms meant the company was putting him on the same level as the top singers, treating him as an equal.

No wonder Yuan Xiong said the company was bleeding for him.

“What’s the second update?” Wang Mo quickly asked.

Yuan Xiong said, “The second update is: the company has two proposals for acquiring the song from you.

The first: a flat buyout of five million.

The second: pay three hundred thousand for the rights to use the song in ‘Eternal Fates,’ while all other rights remain yours for negotiation with the singer.

Which do you think is better?”

“The second one!” Wang Mo replied without hesitation.

Although five million for a song was a high price, there was no way “Peach Blossom Promise” was worth only five million.

Only a fool would agree to a flat buyout.

Yuan Xiong wasn’t surprised by Wang Mo’s choice. Given the value of Wang Mo’s previous works, five million was hardly a measure. And with “Wordless” gaining ever greater fame in the music industry, even if the ending theme for this xianxia drama wasn’t top tier, its future commercial value would far exceed a mere five million.

With that settled, Wang Mo asked, “When does the production team want the song submitted?”

Yuan Xiong shook his head. “There’s no rush. ‘Eternal Fates’ is still filming, and with post-production and promotion, it’ll be at least two or three months before the series airs. Knowing the company’s pace, it’ll probably be at the end of the year or the beginning of next. So you have plenty of time to write.”

At this point, Yuan Xiong suddenly put on a mysterious air. “Wang Mo, you might even have some romantic luck this time.”

Wang Mo scoffed, “With my looks, do I need romantic luck?”

Yuan Xiong replied, “But you’re single.”

Wang Mo said, “If I fancy any young lady, all I have to do is beckon.”

Yuan Xiong persisted, “But you’re single.”

Wang Mo boasted, “There’s a line of admirers for me all the way to the Bund.”

Yuan Xiong repeated, “But you’re single.”

Wang Mo: “…”

Damn you!

Yuan Xiong said, “I’m not joking. The ending theme for ‘Eternal Fates’ will most likely be sung by Diva Xu Mengqi. That was decided long ago. Wang Mo, you don’t mind if your song is sung by Xu Mengqi, do you?”

“What?” Wang Mo was indeed taken aback, a look of surprise on his face. “Xu Mengqi is singing the ending theme?”

Yuan Xiong nodded. “That’s right. Since she’s the female lead in ‘Eternal Fates’, it makes sense for her to sing the ending theme as well. It’ll draw even more attention when the show airs.”

Wang Mo took a deep breath. “I have no problem with her singing my song. But how does that mean I’ll have romantic fortune?”

“You’re being silly,” Yuan Xiong said. “As the lyricist and composer of the ending theme, you’ll need to work with Xu Mengqi one-on-one. There’ll be test recordings, discussions about lyrics and music, and hashing out details. Hmm… and all the preliminary communication. So that’s settled: in a few days, I’ll take you to the ‘Eternal Fates’ set so you can talk everything over with Xu Mengqi about the theme song. How about it? Am I a good friend or what!”

“…”

Wang Mo watched Yuan Xiong’s excited antics.

He thought to himself: Isn’t it you who wants to meet the diva?

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.