Huayu: Starting by piggybacking on the fame of "Fairy Mom"

Since he had decided to unleash his ultimate move, Zhou Xiaobai decided to try a different approach.

This is related to my income and the upcoming advance payments.

He thought for a moment, then asked with utmost seriousness, "Have you estimated the sales figures for this album? We signed a five-year contract, so what's the target for the first year, and what's the total sales revenue target?"

"Two million copies, that's for five years."

Secretary Li glanced at the documents in front of her, which contained their company's evaluation of the album.

But she didn't tell the truth.

It's better to be conservative. If you make grand promises and then fail to deliver, you'll be laughed at.

"Two million, not bad. The sales in the first year are about what I estimated." Zhou Xiaobai nodded.

Secretary Li explained, "I meant five years."

"Are you sure you didn't make a mistake?" Zhou Xiaobai couldn't believe it.

Secretary Li confirmed again: "That's right."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiaobai wanted to curse.

He was both annoyed and amused, and turned to Chen Minghua: "Uncle Chen, is that what you think too, or is that how your company evaluates it? Or is your company's marketing campaign only aimed at two million copies?"

After saying that, he made a move to leave, and Anxi jumped off the chair to cooperate.

Wang Shuzhen found it funny; these two children are really interesting, and they acted quite well.

"What are you doing? Your analysis is bound to be biased." Chen Minghua immediately became anxious when he saw their posture.

He can see it now—children have a fiery temper, they don't mince words, they're all straightforward.

"Then tell me the truth, how much exactly?" Zhou Xiaobai turned to Secretary Li.

Seeing the wink Chen Minghua gave him, Secretary Li straightened up and said, "Our estimate is three million for five years."

That's absolutely right; that's how the head office assessed it.

Zhou Xiaobai smiled but didn't reply. Instead, he held An Qianqian's small hand and his mind raced.

After a short while, he said, "How about this, if we don't reach two million in the first year and five million within five years, I'll deduct ten percent from my share." He paused, then added, "Your marketing and distribution plan also has to be based on this figure. My only condition is that you have to pay three million in advance."

The huge office suddenly fell silent.

Chen Minghua froze, and the fingers resting on the table unconsciously curled up.

Secretary Li's hand, holding the pen, paused above the notebook, the pen tip scraping the paper, but she was completely unaware.

Even Wang Shuzhen, who had been listening quietly the whole time, unconsciously sat up straight.

"What did you say?" Chen Minghua repeated subconsciously, "Five years...five million copies?"

"Yes." Zhou Xiaobai met his gaze calmly. "Two million in the first year, five million in five years. If we don't reach that, ten percent will be deducted from my share."

He continued, "Even if we consider your total sales of three million, at a factory price of ten yuan, ten percent is three million. You can't lose out no matter what."

Secretary Li finally found her voice, but it was filled with disbelief: "Xiao Bai, you may not understand the current market environment..." After saying that, she quickly started calculating on her notebook.

"I know it very well," Zhou Xiaobai interrupted her, each word clear and distinct. "It is precisely because I know it that I dare to say this number."

His gaze swept over Chen Minghua and Secretary Li. "Uncle Chen, what year is it now? 1995. In the video stores on the street, genuine copies sell for more than fifteen yuan, while pirated copies sell for eight yuan—or even five yuan. People who buy genuine copies are either true fans or collectors."

He spoke slowly: "Last year, how many records did the top-selling record in China sell? I checked, three million. That's already an incredible achievement."

All of this was the result of Zhou Xiaobai's hard work over the past few months.

With the "One-Click Learning" skill, he has developed a strong memory and judgment ability for numbers and words.

Chen Minghua's throat bobbed.

He wanted to refute it, but he found that every word Zhou Xiaobai said was reality.

Zhou Xiaobai pondered for a moment, waiting for them to finish digesting the information, before continuing:

"The three million you just mentioned over five years must be an assessment by your head office, right?"

"I think their evaluation was mainly based on other types of albums."

"Although this album is made up of children's songs, it is suitable for all ages."

"There are no similar products on the market, and this field is a blue ocean. You don't need to worry about competitors appearing at all. You definitely understand what this means."

Before they could reply, Zhou Xiaobai looked at Secretary Li and revealed his hand directly, "I think you've also been planning to grab market share from the piracy market. As long as it's not too excessive, I won't interfere."

He had considered piracy, but according to the system, pirated versions could also collect popularity points and had a wider impact, making them no less effective than the original.

Immortality is his goal; as long as he can gain popularity points, he'd be eager to steal one from everyone.

Chen Minghua's mouth gaped open; Zhou Xiaobai's words had left him extremely embarrassed.

Although this is an open secret in the industry, it is unheard of for someone to say it so openly.

If he weren't a child, he would definitely have made up an excuse.

Secretary Li looked even stranger.

She's seen her share of madmen in this industry—producers with an inflated sense of self-importance, ambitious newcomers, and eloquent bosses.

But this kid is completely different—he actually condones piracy? Does he think money is nothing?

Chen Minghua rubbed his hands together to hide his embarrassment, but his tone became formal: "Xiaobai, the advance payment you mentioned earlier is fine in principle." He looked at An Qianqian, "You have to guarantee that Qianqian's progress can keep up, and all the songs must be recorded by the end of April."

Anxi looked bewildered, but was also extremely excited. Finally, it was her turn to be involved! She nodded quickly.

Before Zhou Xiaobai could respond, Chen Minghua added, "Also, from now on, your albums and singles must be released with priority given to our company. This must be written into the contract."

Zhou Xiaobai frowned, tapping her adult-like fingers lightly on the table as she fell into deep thought.

The office fell silent for a moment, with only the sound of breathing.

After a long silence, he raised his head, his expression more serious than ever before, and looked directly at Chen Minghua: "Uncle Chen, I can agree to this."

Just as Chen Minghua's face lit up with joy, Zhou Xiaobai continued, "But as you know, we still have to go to school, so we can only record on weekends. And you have to keep it a secret; you can't reveal that we're releasing a record before it's officially released."

He paused, then added, "If your company can guarantee that... then the next album will be released in two years."

There's a reason for saying that; mainly, I'm afraid Da Meili would have a hard time explaining if she found out.

Once they run away during summer vacation, even if the authorities find out, it will be too far away for them to reach them.

After going around and coming back, this record will definitely gain millions of popularity points. Once we recruit them, all the problems will be solved.

Moreover, he didn't want to push himself so hard. Although immortality was a big deal, he and Qianqian were still children, and children should enjoy their childhood.

Anxixi argued even more vehemently that she was still a child and it was good for her to run away from home and have some fun.

To satisfy Anxi's perverse sense of humor, if we don't run now, we'll never have another chance.

"Snapped!"

Chen Minghua slammed his hand on the table, gritting his teeth, "I don't expect to reach five million, just four million. And can you guarantee that Xixi's progress will keep up—" He stared at Zhou Xiaobai, enunciating each word clearly, "Can you guarantee that?"

"ensure."