Shen Jianbin said, "Da Fei, don't say that. You're a company veteran, and you've written many hit songs for the company. How could I fire you? It's just a job change. Isn't that normal in ordinary workplaces?"
Before Lin Chudong could speak, Su Yulin directly retorted.
"Normal, my foot!"
"Da Fei Band, the lead singer isn't Da Fei? Are you kidding me?"
"Besides, who can compare to Da Fei's singing? Those hit songs are all Da Fei's signature works. Can anyone else sing them with the same flavor?"
Shen Jianbin's expression gradually darkened. Su Yulin had already signed a contract renewal. For the next year, she would still be Shen Jianbin's employee, so there was no need to be polite with her.
"The company needs to operate the entire band, not just one person."
"A band exists to generate commercial value. A lead singer who sings well is important, but a lead singer who can bring in traffic is what we truly need!"
"Wu Bo is someone I carefully selected. He graduated from Donghai Music Academy, and is, in fact, Da Fei's junior."
"His vocal talent, stage presence, and variety show appeal are all very strong. To put it bluntly, he surpasses Da Fei in every aspect."
"He is the future of our Da Fei Band!"
Hearing this, Lin Chudong gave a self-deprecating sneer.
He never expected that three years of hard work would lead to this outcome.
Shen Jianbin said, "Da Fei, if you want to go solo, you can…"
Lin Chudong said, "No need to say more, let's terminate the contract."
Shen Jianbin's eyes held a hint of smugness. "When we started the company, you put in a hundred thousand. We didn't sign a share agreement back then, so let's do things by the book."
"I'll give you the highest interest rate, 4% annually, according to bank standards. That comes to 112,000 in total. Add your salary for this month, and I'll give you 120,000. No need for change."
Lin Chudong scoffed. Three years ago, this broken company had nothing. He'd put in his entire savings of a hundred thousand. Three years later, he was only getting back 120,000. It was truly ironic.
"What about my songs?"
Shen Jianbin said, "It's in the contract. The copyright is yours for fifty years. You wrote the lyrics and music. You can sing them at KTV anytime, but no commercial performances."
Lin Chudong narrowed his eyes. "You changed the contract?"
When they signed the contract initially, the company wasn't very formal, and the contract wasn't very detailed. Thinking about it now, if Shen Jianbin had been planning to screw him over from the start, changing the contract wouldn't have been difficult.
Shen Jianbin smiled faintly. "A supplementary contract, you signed it when you were drunk."
It's not Shen Jianbin's fault he has to be so ruthless. The main reason is Lin Chudong's extraordinary talent. In the past three years, he wrote over a dozen classic songs. As long as the lead singer's voice is good, they could coast on those songs for a while. These songs absolutely cannot be taken away by Lin Chudong.
Lin Chudong sneered. Just as I expected, this is exactly his style. Truly despicable.
Shen Jianbin said, "The money for the electric guitar originally came from the company. Now, it's considered the company's private property. You can only take your acoustic guitar."
Su Yulin slammed her hand on the table, and angrily said, "Shen Jianbin! Aren't you going too far? This success was built by Da Fei! Even if you let him go, at least do it with some dignity, right?"
Shen Jianbin's face turned grim, and he said coldly, "First, employees are forbidden from directly calling my name in the company. If there is a next time, I will consider it a breach of contract!"
"Second, you are only employees of the company, not shareholders. You have no right to interfere with any decisions of the company. Do you understand!"
Bang!
Shen Jianbin slammed his hand on the table, and the entire conference room fell silent.
Shen Jianbin was usually very strict, and almost no one dared to contradict him. Lin Chudong being able to negotiate with him didn't mean everyone else could.
Lin Chudong stood up and said, "Alright, I'm leaving. You guys continue the meeting. I'm taking the guitar."
With that, Lin Chudong turned and left the conference room.
Afraid that if she was a step too slow, Su Yulin's temper would explode, resulting in her being the one to suffer.
Lin Chudong went to the instrument room and took the guitar he had bought for a thousand yuan back then, then walked out the studio door.
Outside, traffic flowed like a river, and everyone was busy.
Only Lin Chudong was walking slowly on the street, carrying a guitar on his back.
The sunlight was so glaring, as if mocking him, a failure.
He passed through an underground passage, and a song drifted over.
A folk singer stood in the passage, singing his song, Autumn's Farewell, with deep emotion.
The guitar in his hand was old, just like the one Lin Chudong was carrying.
But with music, the old ones still had a certain charm.
Lin Chudong didn't stop, just brushed past him.
Seeing Lin Chudong with his guitar, the busker nodded slightly.
It wasn't until Lin Chudong was far away that the busker remembered, that person, he looked so familiar?
But, who was it? He just couldn't remember.
Lin Chudong was like that – his songs were far more famous than he was.
Lin Chudong's songs were at the top tier.
Lin Chudong himself couldn't even break into the third tier.
If you shouted "Da Fei" on the street, maybe a few people would know who you meant. But if Da Fei himself walked down the street, no one would recognize him.
Only die-hard fans would know who he was. However, there's a difference between TV and reality, and even if they recognized him, they might not dare to say hello.
Who would have thought that the famous singer Da Fei would be walking so casually on the street?
Who would have thought that the Da Fei Band had kicked Da Fei out?
Fortunately, Lin Chudong had a system. After signing in for three years, day after day, he'd gained skills. No matter where he was, he could make a living.
Lin Chudong snapped back to reality; the treasure chest time was almost up.
He glanced at it; the countdown had only a few minutes left.
He stopped walking and waited attentively for the treasure chest to open.
The sign-in system had given him a lot of good things in the past, so this treasure chest shouldn't be bad either, right?
[Ding!]
A familiar sound rang in his mind, but it wasn't a sign-in; it was the opening of the treasure chest.
[Green Treasure Chest x1] [Intermediate Cooking x1]
Lin Chudong was stunned. Cooking?
For three years, everything he'd opened from any gift pack was related to music. He'd even opened [Intermediate Whistling].
Today's unexpected turn, which had nothing to do with music, made him feel a little uneasy.
It's fine. More life skills will make up for the life experiences I missed in the past three years.
Lin Chudong used Intermediate Cooking, and suddenly some recipes and information appeared in his mind. He was already used to this feeling.
Then, he opened the Green Treasure Chest.
[11:59:59]
The countdown began.
This time, the countdown was a full 12 hours! And the treasure chest had also turned green. It seemed that the contents inside should be more powerful.
Fortunately, he had plenty of time now. He just needed to wait patiently.
Before the treasure chest opens, I need to find a place to settle down.
Crossing the overpass, a small music store came into view, with a recruitment notice posted on the door.
[Guitar Teacher Wanted, Accommodation Provided, Monthly Salary 6000+...]
Lin Chudong pushed the door open and entered.
"Excuse me, are you still hiring a guitar teacher?"
Suddenly, a quarrel erupted from inside.
It looked like a mother and her fifteen or sixteen-year-old child were arguing with the boss, their faces flushed.
"My child has been studying here for a month, and he can't do anything! He can't even play a single song. What kind of teacher do you have? Give us a refund!"
"I'm telling you, if you don't give me a refund today, I'm going to report you to the Administration for Market Regulation for consumer fraud!"
"My son isn't stupid, how could he not learn how to play a guitar?"
(End of Chapter)