97: Chapter 97 Copyright Harvesting: The Birth of the Gemini Stars (and their associated scams)

When Meimei saw a strange woman following Zhao Yang from a distance, her first reaction was to pause in surprise. The woman was dressed in a low-key but tasteful manner, wore a pair of glasses, and possessed a cool, aloof temperament that exuded a scholarly aura.

The more Meimei looked, the brighter her eyes became—her physical appearance was truly excellent, and her temperament was unique; she was far better than those who came out of talent shows.

Where did Brother Yang dig up this talent? With her and Huang Yimei—one fiery and one calm—joining forces, wouldn't Tomorrow Culture be able to dominate the entertainment industry from now on?

She hurried over, greeted Zhao Yang, and without waiting for him to introduce her, proactively reached out to Bai Xiaohe: "Hello, hello! I am Meimei, from Tomorrow Culture. How should I address you, Young Miss?"

Bai Xiaohe shook her hand naturally: "Hello, I am Bai Xiaohe."

"Beautiful person, beautiful name!" Meimei gave a thumbs up and turned to look at Zhao Yang: "Brother Yang, you are too amazing, you've found another star of tomorrow! Our company is about to take off!"

Zhao Yang paused for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh: "Xiaohe, the big boss Meimei has taken a liking to your temperament. Do you not want to debut? That is, enter the film and television industry."

"Ah?" Bai Xiaohe was stunned: "You want me to enter the film and television industry? Then are we still going to research the medicine you gave me?"

Meimei realized instantly and looked ashamed: "I'm sorry, Young Miss Bai, I didn't know you were Brother Yang's friend. I saw how beautiful you were and thought you were a new talent Brother Yang had discovered."

"It's okay." Bai Xiaohe adjusted her glasses, her tone indifferent: "I have no interest in the entertainment industry. My major is chemistry."

Zhao Yang added for her: "But you were right about one thing—Xiaohe is indeed a star of tomorrow, only the stage she will stand on isn't for performance, but the podium for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry."

Meimei looked full of admiration: "Young Miss Bai is truly amazing!"

Bai Xiaohe's face flushed slightly, but she felt very pleased inside. She had indeed dreamed of winning a Nobel Prize, so she said in a low voice: "Zhao Yang, I do have this goal, but my current level is still far off. But I found that your chemistry knowledge is quite good—would you like to do research with me? We could stand on the Nobel podium together."

Zhao Yang was amused by her earnestness: "Fine, fine, fine, we'll research together when we have time."

He agreed readily, but inwardly he was complaining. Later on, the Nobel Prize became heavily politicized, and its status in the hearts of the people declined day by day. However, in this era, the Nobel Prize was truly a beacon—it was normal for Bai Xiaohe to yearn for that trophy.

Bai Xiaohe pursed her lips, a sense of satisfaction at being recognized in her eyes.

When they arrived at the rehearsal hall, Bai Xiaohe was a bit surprised.

She saw Phoenix Legend, the duo that had become popular all over the country, currently being respectful to Zhao Yang, just like students to a teacher.

Bai Xiaohe was puzzled: Could it be that the "Legend of Zhao Yang" circulating at Shuimu wasn't complete, and he had even more secrets waiting to be discovered?

But now was not the time to ask. She sat down in a corner, holding a cup of hot tea, and watched quietly.

Meimei had already shown the concert proposal to Zhao Yang.

Zeng Yi and Ling Hua sat to the side, their faces showing fatigue. Although they had held many concerts, the Imperial Capital Grand Concert Hall was not a place ordinary stars could enter; the pressure was no joke. If it weren't for that, they wouldn't still be rehearsing on New Year's Eve.

Zhao Yang flipped through the proposal and sighed: "You are right, these few National Style pieces are too thin; they don't carry enough weight to support that serious music segment."

Meimei's face turned bitter: "How about we just tell the TV station to cancel that segment?"

"That won't do." Zhao Yang curled his lips: "We can't let this opportunity go. We won't stuff it with National Style—we'll do serious music."

Meimei was stunned: "Serious music? Brother Yang, you also play serious music?"

Zhao Yang nodded seriously: "It's a coincidence, I dabbled in it not long ago, and it happens to be just right to use."

Zeng Yi and Ling Hua looked at each other. Meimei swallowed hard: "Brother Yang, we're going on stage on the third day of the Lunar New Year, and today is New Year's Eve, there are only a few days left..."

"Listen first. The first piece—'Star Sea'."

Zhao Yang sat down at the piano in the center of the rehearsal hall. He thought for a moment and said to Meimei: "Clear the room. Only keep you, Zeng Yi, Ling Hua, and Bai Xiaohe."

Meimei immediately asked the few assistants to leave. Only five people remained in the rehearsal hall.

Zhao Yang took a deep breath and placed his hands on the keys.

At first, there were a few single notes, clear and sparse, like the first star lighting up in the night sky. Then the left hand joined in, the harmonies spread out, and the melodic lines piled up layer by layer—not with an overwhelming sense of oppression, but "vastness" itself. Standing on a mountaintop looking up at the galaxy, every star was burning quietly, with the entire human world beneath one's feet.

In that space-time, this piece was called "Star Sky," a poem that could make people tear up while looking at the starry sky, and it was also a copyright-harvesting machine that swept across top global projects, widely used as background music in videos on Bilibili.

The last note faded into silence.

Zhao Yang took a deep breath: "Next—'Victory'."

The moment the chords slammed down, the air in the entire rehearsal hall shook. Majestic, iron-blooded, and unstoppable, like an army marching through a storm. The melodic line jumped back and forth between the bass and treble ranges. The piano sound accelerated during the final repetition, the rhythm becoming tighter, the chords becoming denser, and then it abruptly stopped on a high note.

This was "Victory," the sister piece to "Star Sky," a war song that could instantly turn any arena into an epic. Together, the two were the copyright-harvesting twins.

Meimei, Ling Hua, Zeng Yi, and Bai Xiaohe all looked at Zhao Yang with dazed expressions. The rehearsal hall was extremely quiet, with only the sound of their rapid breathing remaining.

Zhao Yang looked at them with a smile: "Tell me, is the depth of these two pieces enough for the Imperial Capital Grand Concert Hall?"

"Brother Yang..." Zeng Yi was trembling all over, "You are a god. Sit tight, I want to kowtow to you."

"No, no, no." Zhao Yang quickly waved his hand, "Don't do that. You are in the arts; you know that when inspiration strikes, anything can be created. To be honest, sometimes I can't even control myself."

Ling Hua swallowed hard: "Brother Yang, you will go down in history."

Zhao Yang smiled faintly: "I am still just a Passerby. For these two pieces, I'll sign a revenue-sharing contract with Tomorrow Culture, and the copyrights will belong to Tomorrow Culture. Ling Hua, Zeng Yi, you two must also participate—if I go on stage alone with just a piano, the Concept is still a bit lacking. We need to arrange some other instrument sounds into it."

Upon hearing this, the fatigue in their bodies was swept away, and the drive in their eyes ignited on the spot.

"Brother Yang." Meimei looked excited, "I have a premonition that these two pieces will definitely become popular nationwide."

"Your perspective is too small." Zhao Yang smiled, "They will become popular worldwide."

In another space-time, the copyright revenue for these two pieces accumulated to tens of millions of dollars, and they were repeatedly used in countless top games, movies, and sports events. One was used for setting out on an expedition, and the other for coronation. In this space-time, the copyrights were all firmly in the hands of Tomorrow Culture—in other words, everyone could really just lie back and relax from now on.

He checked the time and turned to Bai Xiaohe: "Xiaohe, you should go back first; I have to be busy here for a while."

Bai Xiaohe shook her head: "No need. When I was young, my dad took me to study music for a while. Although I don't have much talent, I can tell these are two great works. I don't want to miss the opportunity to witness history."

Zhao Yang looked at her shining eyes and swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

"Young lady, it's New Year's Eve, and you're staying out with a boy, not returning home—aren't you afraid your parents will worry?"