Chapter 16o: Chapter 137: Eruption l
Translator: 549690339
The next day, Ward Owen returned to Oxfordshire from out of town.
He hurriedly rushed into Harrison Clark’s office, his plump body moving as swiftly as a spherical lightning bolt.
Bang!
Ward Owen threw himself onto Harrison Clark’s desk.
Harrison felt as if his desk had been hit by a car.
Fortunately, he was strong enough to hold it steady, otherwise, the computer monitor would have been knocked over.
“What are you doing?”
Harrison asked irritably.
Ward Owen cautiously asked, ”1 heard my dad came yesterday?”
“What do you mean, you heard? Can’t you just go home and ask?”
“I haven’t had time to go home; I came straight to the office after getting off the plane.”
“Alright, your dad did come.”
Ward Owen sighed, “He said he would give me another two years, but he couldn’t wait. I didn’t expect him to be so impatient.”
“Did he force you to make a choice at home too?”
Ward shook his head, “No, he’s not the nagging type. He won’t pressure me in advance, but I didn’t expect him to want to buy Summit Ventures outright. You didn’t agree to it, did you, Master?”
“No.”
“That’s good, that’s good. If the company was controlled by him, he’d definitely make me, the signed artist, go to Whale Group and put on a good show.” Harrison asked, “What kind of show?”
“A dog-blood workplace drama about a wealthy second-generation who starts from the grassroots level, hides their identity, and climbs the ladder of success. It would be thousands of episodes long, smelly and lengthy, just like an old lady’s foot wrap.”
Harrison gave him a thumbs-up, “This show sounds great, and it’s suitable for a promising artist like you.”
“Forget about it. But, Master, I have to warn you in advance – knowing my dad, once he sets his mind on something, he won’t give up until he gets it. His desire to acquire Summit Ventures is not just because of me. The value our company holds in his heart must be very high. This time he offered 1 billion and you rejected it, but there’s no guarantee that one day he won’t throw 20 or 30 billion at you. You must resist.”
The thought made Harrison’s heart skip a beat, thinking that if the price were really that high, it might not be a bad idea.
Anyway, it’s just selling songs. Afterward, they can continue shipping songs every month.
During the actual negotiation, they’d find a way to keep their free time, allow themselves to expand their territory outside, and cash out their shares sooner.
This way, the progress of their other operations on this side would be accelerated, and it would be a win-win plan.
But Ward Owen would be back to cause trouble for Whale Group.
Sigh, it was indeed a dilemma.
Harrison was not sure which of the two options would be better for humanity.
Upon careful consideration, he felt that Ward Owen’s harm was greater, as Whale Group had proven its capabilities in various timelines.
Seeing Harrison’s hesitant and tempted expression, Ward Owen felt more anxious.
“Master, what are you thinking about! You can’t just leave me hanging!”
Harrison gave him a fierce glance, “Shut up! You were born with a golden key and are a winner at life. You have no idea what common people’s suffering is like. If the price is really that high, wouldn’t I be stupid to refuse? It’s all your fault!”
“What’s my fault?”
Harrison almost blurted out, blaming him for being too useless and dragging him down.
If you were more capable and didn’t hold your dad back, I’d gladly send you back to Whale Group.
It’s all your fault, making me watch so much money slip through my fingers.
“Forget it, forget it, we’ll see when the time comes.”
Ward Owen’s eyes shifted and he pointed at Harrison’s monitor and said, “Master, are you working on a new song?”
Harrison glanced at the monitor, nodding.
To improve his songwriting skills, Harrison had improved his “creative” techniques since returning.
After all, he was a perfectionist artist.
He switched from handwriting to software input.
He didn’t learn before because he had tried it and found that using software required a long familiarization period and would need to remember many operating methods.
Now that his memory had improved, he needed less than a tenth of the time to learn the same content.
At this moment, he was referencing a tutorial while trying to input the sheet music. It was slower than handwriting, but Harrison estimated that in another day or two, his speed would be completely up to par.
Harrison nodded, “Yes, I’m writing a new song.”
“Master, look at your creative state, how powerful! Your inspiration is so valuable! It’s inexhaustible and never-ending! Even if you sold yourself for 20 billion, you’d still lose out! You must be worth even more in the future.”
Harrison patted Ward Owen’s head earnestly, “You can stay calm in the face of tens of billions because your father only has you, his son, and all his hundreds of billions will eventually be yours. But you see, you and I are different, understand? People are different. Now, be gone, I have a plan.”
Ward Owen left the chairman’s office with a bewildered expression, slapping his forehead.Oh, what should I do?
I’m going to be abandoned.
Ward Owen confided in Julia Lambert, revealing his own troubles.
Julia Lambert offered an extremely effective suggestion.
“Harrison Clark’s music production has been dominating the charts, including your own work, and it’s rapidly expanding the company’s brand influence. If you want to stop your dad from buying the company, isn’t the simplest way to quickly maximize the influence of the existing resources of the company? As long as the value of Summit Ventures is so high that your dad isn’t willing to spend that much money on an acquisition, and the price he can offer can’t meet Harrison’s psychological expectations, then won’t it naturally put you at ease?”
Ward Owen nodded vigorously.
“Right! So, what do we do?”
“Of course, work overtime! Push yourself to the limit! I’ve just accepted a few variety show invitations for you, so go and record them now. The fastest broadcast can start next week. These are all shows with high ratings, and the appearance fees offered are very ideal. Whether it’s for the company’s profits or building your personal brand, it’s a win-win effect. Oh, right, I asked Harrison earlier, and he said your next album is still mainly folk music, but it will incorporate a lot of innovative elements. So, I suggest you get rid of your lazy habits and learn more about innovative singing techniques.”
Ward Owen, pumped up, said, “Alright! I’ll do it right away!”
If it had been before, he would have had no interest in taking on variety show appearances, and the fees wouldn’t even be worth his pocket money.
But now, in order to increase his own value as much as possible and to diffuse any contact between Harrison and his father, he gave his all.
Including Harrison, who was “creating” at a high speed, the company entered an intense period of non-stop work in the following days.
Ward Owen’s commitment needed no explanation; he had to make money and learn at the same time.
Carrie Thomas, though she stopped creating, didn’t slack off, but instead restarted her crazy process of learning and absorbing knowledge.
She seemed determined to master every musical instrument in the world, and her research on music theory and singing techniques had never stopped.
As the company’s third signing, Lucy Haywood also began intense vocal training.
Although Harrison hadn’t started preparing her album yet, good preparation is essential for success. One minute on the stage takes ten years of practice offstage.
With such a rare opportunity, Lucy had to be in the best possible shape for every moment, prepared to take on a battle when needed.
But no one expected the real breakthrough for Summit Ventures to come from something else.
On the weekend, five days later, Neil Blomkamp’s “Chaos Space” was released simultaneously worldwide.
Like Harrison’s predictions, this film could only be considered mediocre among A-Class films.
On its opening day, the global box office just surpassed 60 million US dollars, and the final box office estimate was between 800 and 900 million US dollars.
Investors could almost recoup their costs and make a small profit.
This market performance was just enough to maintain Neil’s worth; it wouldn’t plummet due to making a film, but it also wouldn’t advance him further.
In the science fiction genre, “Chaos Space” had obtained a passing grade.
But the relatively mediocre film performance only served to highlight the classic hit “Self-Combustion.”
They say that bad movies create great songs, and indeed, this saying is truly wise.
Performed by Katie Swift, the English version of “Self-Combustion” swept the globe in just three or four days, landing straight onto the Billboard Charts and securing the top spot.
This song became a phenomenal masterpiece and was praised worldwide.
This achievement was a rarity in the Chinese music industry.
Carrie Thomas and Summit Ventures became the first Chinese music creators and companies to truly break through in the European and American markets.
The disdain and prejudice of the European and American music industries toward Chinese music diminished somewhat in an instant.
Even some film critics commented that if it weren’t for this overwhelmingly strong theme song, “Chaos Space” would have had to revise its box office expectations down by one or two hundred million US dollars.
Everyone in Summit Ventures was overjoyed at this development, and even Carrie Thomas almost couldn’t contain herself when she saw “Self-Combustion” at the top of the charts; she nearly hugged Harrison. Meanwhile, a flurry of congratulatory text messages, phone calls, and WeChat messages came pouring in from all corners of the entertainment industry.
On the Internet, on Twitter and in WeChat groups, there was a chorus of praise.
Harrison was not surprised by this at all.
That’s because he knew the level of this song, so he remained the calmest and most composed while others were caught in the frenzy of excitement.
As your boss, I love your inexperienced reactions.
If you knew that “Self-Combustion” could start a world war in 500 years, you’d be scared to death.
And to those international friends who are astounded, don’t panic; this is just the beginning.
You’ve only just started to qualify for this creative competition through your understanding of “Self-Combustion.”
Next up, a global Renaissance awaits you.
And me, I am the man who will pull back the curtain on the Renaissance.
Although Harrison seemed calm, he still had to cater to the emotions of others, so he generously treated everyone to a big celebration at the Sheraton Hotel, rewarding their hard work with bonuses and a grand feast.
After the feast, Harrison stood on the second-floor balcony of the hotel villa with a glass of red wine, admiring the moon and contemplating life.
Julia Lambert approached Harrison and said, “I had a friend of mine in the United States help assess the positive impact this has had on our company.” Harrison asked, “What did they say?”