Chapter 60: Share Distribution Received

"Ding!"
"Your bank card has received 9,346,409.62 Huaxia currency!"
Su Chen’s phone buzzed with a deposit notification.
Over nine million? Which transaction was this?
Just as he puzzled over it, Wang Yan called.

"Su Chen, the finance department has just credited your bank card with your share for August from ‘White Fox,’ ‘Boundless Sky,’ and ‘The Prose Poem My Father Wrote.’ Did you receive it?"

Ah! That explains it.

"Yes, I just got it," Su Chen replied.

Wang Yan’s laughter came through the phone. "Doesn’t it seem a little less than expected? Here’s the thing: even though you were upgraded to Silver Composer in September, you’ve just won the ‘Rookie King’ title and brought credit to the company! So for the next two songs, ‘I Believe’ and ‘Rain Turning to Mist,’ we’ll pay you at the Silver Composer’s rate. But you know, this isn’t just up to me anymore—we need to report it for approval first. So the payment for those two songs may be a bit delayed!"

Su Chen had no objections, only thanking Wang Yan warmly. "Thank you, Mr. Wang. I understand!"

After hanging up, he shook his head. Wang Yan always made a point of calling personally for matters like this. He never missed a chance to bestow a favor.

Suddenly, Su Chen frowned, recalling something. The amount still seemed off.

He opened his mobile banking app and checked the transaction details.

‘White Fox’—500,000.
‘Boundless Sky’—4,084,800.
‘The Prose Poem My Father Wrote’—4,761,600.

Though the description was veiled in coded language, Su Chen could deduce which song was which by the amounts.

‘White Fox’ was about right; after August, he hadn’t paid much attention to its performance. Five hundred thousand seemed reasonable.

But ‘Boundless Sky’ and ‘The Prose Poem My Father Wrote’—he remembered their August numbers clearly. Quick mental math suggested the total shouldn’t be this high. At most, seven million plus; so where did the extra million come from?

Suddenly, Su Chen slapped his forehead. Ah! How could he forget?

He’d always calculated his share as 25%, because both songs went live at the start of August. At that time, he was still a Senior Composer, and according to the rules, the company kept 70%, while the composer and singer split the remaining 30%. Luo Jiaxing and Qu An'an were trainees, so he planned to give them 5% each, keeping 25% for himself.

But that was just his plan—no one had asked him, nor had he discussed it with Luo Jiaxing and Qu An'an. Everyone else assumed he wouldn’t share with the two trainees. Finance simply transferred the full 30% to his card.

"..."

Were these two poor kids really so oblivious to their own earnings?

The next day, Su Chen called Luo Jiaxing and Qu An'an together, finding an empty meeting room.

"Mr. Su, are we recording another song?" Luo Jiaxing asked excitedly.

Su Chen gave him a speechless glance. "What are you thinking? Do you think songs are like cabbages, popping up whenever you want?"

"Heh! But with you, isn’t it just a matter of lifting a finger?"

Seeing Luo Jiaxing about to ramble, Su Chen knocked on the table. "Stop, stop!"

Only then did Luo Jiaxing quiet down, noticing Su Chen’s serious demeanor.

After weighing his words, Su Chen said, "You two... I should really be discussing this with Fang Xiaotan. But it’s fine—she wasn’t your manager yet when these songs went online."

The two looked at Su Chen, puzzled.

"The August royalties for ‘Boundless Sky’ and ‘The Prose Poem My Father Wrote’ have come in. But yesterday, finance made a mistake and sent it all to my card. Send me your card numbers via WeChat later, and tomorrow I’ll transfer your shares."

Huh?

The two stared at Su Chen in surprise.

"We get paid too?" Luo Jiaxing blurted out.

Su Chen rolled his eyes. "What, you think you sing for free?"

Now he understood where the problem lay. On one side, two rookies who knew nothing; on the other, he himself had overlooked the matter and hadn’t discussed it with them. Hence the mix-up.

Patiently, he explained, "When these songs launched, my royalty split was to share 30% with the singers."

"You’re trainees, so you might not get as much as someone like Qin Pei. But with me, you still get a share. I always planned to give you each 5%, just forgot to mention it!"

He finished, noticing the two staring at him, dumbfounded.

"So... how much is that?" Luo Jiaxing asked, grinning sheepishly.

Su Chen thought for a moment. "Together, you two should get over a million."

"Ah!" Both gasped in unison.

A million plus—for them, it was unimaginable. Their previous monthly salaries were only three or four thousand. Now, suddenly over a million—a sum beyond their wildest dreams.

They’d heard from others that debut songs for trainees rarely came with royalties. Usually, shares only started after official debut—and even then, only a tiny amount.

They never expected Su Chen would give them a share—let alone 5% each.

"Mr. Su..." Qu An'an’s eyes were red as she spoke. "We don’t want it."

Luo Jiaxing quickly echoed, "Right, we don’t want it! Singing your songs is already a huge favor. If we take your money too, are we even human?"

Su Chen stared at Luo Jiaxing, wondering how everything he said managed to twist the meaning.

Seeing their insistence, Su Chen stiffened his expression. "Just take it! Do you think I’d covet your little bit of money?"

Su Chen never fussed about the amount. To him, 5% or 10% made little difference. As long as he gave the other party their fair share according to their contribution, that was enough. Though they were trainees, they’d worked hard for these songs. When it was time to give, he would not be stingy.

Seeing Su Chen’s genuine annoyance, the two quickly bowed their heads and sent their card numbers.

Soon, Su Chen calculated their shares:

Luo Jiaxing: 680,000.
Qu An'an: 790,000.