Chapter 124: Swallow This Poison

Two days before the college entrance examination, Liu Bin arrived in Shanghai with a full team, including lawyers and several staff members from MusicNet, to finalize the contract details with Cheng Xiaoyu.

Cheng Xiaoyu did not place much importance on the matter. A few days earlier, Liu Bin had called to say that their president, Niu Huateng, wanted to meet him. Cheng Xiaoyu had no interest in such internet titans, and considering they might become competitors in the future, he was even less inclined to travel to Yangcheng to see a man so high up on the Forbes list. He declined, citing the upcoming exams as his reason.

This only deepened Liu Bin’s respect for Cheng Xiaoyu, making him even more inclined to favor Cheng in the contract negotiations. Niu Huateng, too, developed a keener interest in such a genius; most billionaires have a soft spot for geniuses with this kind of temperament, as they are exceptionally easy to control once you find the right leverage. Furthermore, such geniuses who do not know how to scheme often possess even more outstanding talent. Not to mention that the other party had chosen to donate all the proceeds. Although Niu Huateng could not quite understand such a person, it did not stop him from admiring them. Consequently, the contract offered by MusicNet was filled with sincerity.

The signing process was much faster than Liu Bin had anticipated. Cheng Xiaoyu, wearing a mask and a baseball cap, roughly scanned the contract in the hotel room and signaled that everything was in order, leaving the lawyer, who had been braced for a difficult battle, completely stunned. For confidentiality reasons, only Liu Bin and the lawyer were in the room, while the other staff members remained on the floor below.

Liu Bin was actually more worried than Cheng Xiaoyu. He looked at him earnestly and asked, "Are you sure you don't want a lawyer to help you review this?"

Cheng Xiaoyu smiled and replied, "Your terms have already shown sufficient sincerity. If I were to continue making demands, it would be pure greed. You have placed my foundation under the umbrella of a public welfare fund and provided a detailed establishment plan and oversight mechanism; I have nothing to pick at. I have no further requirements, but I can only guarantee a creation pace of about one album per year. Any faster would affect the quality, and I think that is something neither of us wants to see. Finally, I hope the confidentiality clauses are strictly enforced. Although I don’t know how famous the name 'Poison' will become in the future, I hope that, no matter what, it does not affect my life."

Cheng Xiaoyu didn't even mention the revenue split. The fifty-fifty split offered by MusicNet, with all expenses attributed to the company, meant that Cheng Xiaoyu's half was based on gross profit rather than net profit. Of course, the costs of online music itself were not particularly high, but if the production and sales were also calculated this way, it was a significant loss for MusicNet.

Taking the four heavenly kings who dominated the Chinese music scene as an example, their share ratio usually capped at thirty percent. While companies would offer bonuses for high sales, such an extravagant contract was a first in Chinese history. Although this was related to Niu Huateng’s enthusiasm for public welfare, it had to be said that MusicNet was determined to win Cheng Xiaoyu over.

Sweating profusely, Liu Bin agreed to Cheng Xiaoyu’s requests. He had originally expected Cheng to have many strange demands, but everything had gone more smoothly than he could have imagined. Henceforth, he would be Cheng Xiaoyu’s dedicated liaison, and only those above his position would have access to Cheng’s user information. Within MusicNet, there was only one such person. There were many people in the parent company with higher positions, but they had no jurisdiction over the music department.

Under the witness of the lawyer, Cheng Xiaoyu signed his name and pressed his fingerprint, as he had not yet had a personal seal carved. Liu Bin also signed and affixed his personal seal and the company’s official seal. The lawyer also signed the confidentiality clause; he was not permitted to speak of anything that occurred that day.

After the signing, the lawyer left with the contract. Cheng Xiaoyu casually folded his copy, tucked it into his bag, and invited Liu Bin to dinner.

Cheng Xiaoyu had observed and remembered Liu Bin’s efforts. Throughout these past few days, Liu Bin had been sending text messages to maintain communication, likely avoiding phone calls so as not to disturb him. Liu Bin understood well that every genius had their quirks.

At this moment, Liu Bin smiled and asked Cheng Xiaoyu to wait a moment, then made a call to instruct his staff to unblock the "A's Poison" account and immediately launch the grand promotional advertisement on the homepage.

The staff had been prepared for a long time. Now, anyone opening MusicNet would see the promotional video for "Poison." It started with the vast, boundless universe, from which countless tiny black musical notes burst forth from the endless starry sky, gradually piecing together the words: "An Epoch-Making Musical Epic." A shooting star flew by, shattering the characters, and the starlight flowed together to form: "Take this dose of poison, are you ready?" The word "Poison" was composed of a black vortex, symbolizing a black hole. The background music playing was none other than "Father and Son."

This 3D animation was a major production by MusicNet; the production cost for the video, which was less than a minute long, reached as high as four to five hundred thousand. On the music player page, the "A's Poison" promotional video was also featured as a top recommendation.

Liu Bin opened his laptop and brought it to Cheng Xiaoyu to watch. Cheng Xiaoyu didn't care much; for him, this was merely completing a task to introduce better music to the listeners of this era. He was fed up with the stagnant, unimaginative, and repetitive pop music of this time. He wanted to show everyone that music was diverse, that any theme could be explored, and that it shouldn't be limited to romance. He hoped he could open a new door for Chinese pop music.

Cheng Xiaoyu glanced at the promotional video; it was well-produced. The stars, shooting stars, and black holes were vivid, and one could glimpse the vastness of the universe at a glance. While the creativity wasn't groundbreaking, the visual quality was certainly commendable. Cheng Xiaoyu thought to himself that he should register an account for "Poison" on "Whisper," or someone else might snatch the handle, which would be troublesome.

"Whisper" was currently lukewarm, without explosive user growth, slowly absorbing the remnants of the alumni networks. Cheng Xiaoyu knew this wasn't an overnight success, but he planned to find a way to start a new round of promotion during the summer vacation. He already had a plan in mind; once the college entrance exams were over, he would head to Beijing to discuss it with Wang Dongliang.

Cheng Xiaoyu pulled his thoughts back and saw it was already past five o'clock. He reached out to move the mouse, clicked to shut down the computer, closed Liu Bin’s laptop, and said, "It’s not work hours anymore. As for the results, I don't think you need to worry too much. I’ve booked a table at Sister Wang’s Pujiang Private Kitchen—it took quite some effort through a friend to get it, so if we don't go now, we'll be late!"

Liu Bin felt a bit uneasy. It was he who had insisted on signing "Poison" no matter what, even going so far as to sign a military-style pledge. If the audition numbers for "A's Poison" were poor, his only option would be to resign. He had wanted to decline the invitation, but realized his presence here wouldn't change anything, so he informed his subordinates and left with Cheng Xiaoyu.

The famous "Sister Wang" in Shanghai cooked authentic dishes with a "taste of home." The environment was styled in a 1980s retro Shanghai fashion, with three tables in three rooms—elegant, bright, and quiet. One of the rooms, where diners could watch Sister Wang cook, was called the "Chef’s Table."

This was Cheng Xiaoyu’s first time at this renowned private kitchen. Xu Qinning had recommended it and booked the table for him. He didn't know that one had to book half a year in advance, and even then, tables were hard to come by. The owner and chef, Sister Wang, insisted on preparing every dish herself, refusing to open a large restaurant, and continued to focus on her hidden gem of a kitchen, limited to only three tables a day.

In the car, Cheng Xiaoyu reminded Liu Bin not to say anything other than that he was a friend from a website. Since the young Miss Xu had booked the table, she naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to enjoy the food. She didn't stand on ceremony with Cheng Xiaoyu, and regardless of who he had invited, she insisted he save two seats for her and Su Yuxi. Fortunately, the only person Cheng Xiaoyu had invited was Liu Bin.

Entering the Chef's Table, Cheng Xiaoyu and Liu Bin sat down and saw Sister Wang. She greeted them warmly; although she didn't know them, she knew that the secretary to Shanghai’s wealthiest person had personally requested the table.

Sister Wang looked like a sharp, shrewd, authentic Shanghainese woman, with a stylish perm and makeup, her clothing exuding the charm of old Shanghai.

The private kitchen had no menu; you didn't order. Everything depended on what Sister Wang found fresh at the market that morning. She cooked what she bought that day and rarely used a refrigerator.

When Xu Qinning and Su Yuxi arrived, Sister Wang began serving. Liu Bin was clearly surprised by how beautiful Cheng Xiaoyu’s friends were—they were the kind of material that could become stars with a little packaging—but since he couldn't talk about work, he could only sigh in secret.

Cheng Xiaoyu didn't introduce them much, only saying they were friends from a website, surname Liu. Su Yuxi and Xu Qinning didn't pay it much mind, as they knew Cheng Xiaoyu was running an internet company.

The dishes came quickly—twenty courses plus one dessert. There were no expensive delicacies like bird's nest, abalone, or shark fin, just home-style dishes. No MSG or chicken essence was used, yet every dish was spectacular, showing off true skill, especially the cold appetizers. Many were seasonal spring dishes; in summer, one would come for hairy crab, and in winter, for mutton, all of which were delicious.

Every time she prepared a dinner, Sister Wang would spend over three hours shopping, sometimes from nine in the morning until one in the afternoon, just to find a piece of pork belly that satisfied her.

She explained to them, "The meat I want must be perfectly square so it looks good and tastes good when cooked. The ratio of lean to fat must be even, so every piece is equally delicious. I have to poke and prod it here and there; if it’s not fresh, I don't want it, and I’ll go to another market."

Sometimes, to find the best meat, Sister Wang would order ingredients from organic farms. She was quite fond of the Zhongze Organic Farm in Xianju, especially their pork.

Today, she treated them to pork from that farm. It was a simple dish of poached white pork, sliced neatly, served with a small bowl of soy sauce with minced garlic on the side. A light dip in the sauce was all that was needed to release the inherent fragrance of the pork—tender, glutinous, and not greasy, a testament to her mastery in selecting ingredients.

Sister Wang’s signature drunken crab was also on display: from selecting the crabs for their roe, cleaning the mud, and letting them purge, to the final marination, every detail celebrated the richness of this Shanghai specialty, earning the admiration of all for the cook's skill.

Cheng Xiaoyu felt like he could swallow his own tongue; the aroma alone signaled that the taste would be extraordinary. The cherry-red braised pork was particularly beautiful, the skin and meat fused together, a lovely plum-red color. It melted in the mouth, carrying a rich, meaty aroma without being overpowered by soy sauce.

The salt-baked hairy crab was the shop’s signature, fragrant with salt crystals. Cheng Xiaoyu thought it would be even better if it were baked with salted egg yolk, but the authentic flavor of the crab was quite wonderful as it was.

The hairy crabs in July were fresh, though generally not large, but Sister Wang’s were about 2.5 taels each, which was rare. Any one of them would sell for over 160 yuan at a crab shop; the quality of the ingredients was impeccable.

The "Garlic River Eel" was the standout among the hot dishes. Cheng Xiaoyu loved it most—the skin and meat were sweet and soft, the gelatin having completely permeated the flesh. The sweet, fragrant flavor made even the garlic delicious. The side vegetables absorbed the essence of the meat without stealing the spotlight. The eel was completely free of impurities, delicate and refined. It reignited his longing for Japanese eel.