Tang Hanliu, holding a microphone, appeared on television screens across the entire planet. She was dressed in a vibrant red outfit, her lips a luscious crimson, her face beaming with joy, exuding festivity.
"Good day, dear viewers, I am Tang Hanliu, Director of Jiangye Star Television, bringing you live coverage of the Grand Opening and Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for Music City! As you can see behind me, representatives from all sectors of society have arrived..."
The various proceedings proceeded smoothly.
Soon, Jiang Ye stepped onto the podium.
The VIP seating area erupted in thunderous applause, which continued unabated.
On the television station's data display, the viewership ratings rapidly climbed to their peak!
In the online live stream, comments flooded in at an astonishing rate, hundreds per second, almost a blur.
Netizen 01076: "Long live Commander Jiang!"
Clapton Ted: "Commander Jiang looks so young! Only in his twenties?"
Sanmao Reiko: "Who knows his age? Wealthy people often age slower, maybe he's in his forties or fifties. But he has good spirit. It's a good thing for a planet to have a healthy leader!"
Brewing Coffee: "Commander Jiang, you've worked hard!"
Netizen 86890: "Is this Jiang Ye? He looks very kind, not as fierce as the rumors say, and even handsome!"
Atley Annie: "Butcher Jiang, is this his real appearance?"
San Kai Bu Subara: "Long live Commander Jiang!"
Seashell: "Damn it, why can't I have such a handsome man!"
Netizen 66002: "Long live Commander Jiang!"
Feng Dao Jiang Hu: "Long live Commander Jiang!"
The comment section was a chaotic mess.
At the hot spring villa, Cen Yemeng sat by the television, holding Jiang Senlin.
Jiang Senlin chuckled and pointed his finger at the TV screen.
"Who is that?" Cen Yemeng asked him, looking down.
"It's... Daddy!" Jiang Senlin grinned.
"And who is holding you?" Cen Yemeng asked again.
"Mommy!" Jiang Senlin replied promptly.
"Do you like Mommy or Daddy better?" Cen Yemeng asked expectantly.
Jiang Senlin looked at the television, then up at her. His smile vanished, and he remained silent.
"Speak up, my good son, do you think Mommy or Daddy is better?" Cen Yemeng smiled.
Jiang Senlin held back for a moment, then suddenly burst into tears.
...
The speeches were filled with grand, eloquent words, which Jiang Ye read through smoothly.
The opening ceremony lasted over an hour and concluded successfully.
Warships began docking at the port, and immigrants, carrying large bags and bundles, disembarked and entered the city to find their residences and workplaces.
Soldiers, armed with weapons, carried vats of Zhi Jun wine to the city's cultivation ponds.
The entire city immediately became bustling, with noisy streets, as if it had been established for a long time.
Jiang Ye boarded a military ornithopter and hurried back.
At lunchtime, he finally met with Feng Zishuang on the top floor of the Macroeconomic Building.
"Here is the list of 64 companies and their basic situations," Feng Zishuang handed him a thick stack of papers. "Although 64 sounds impressive, it's actually three old men leading a bunch of hangers-on."
"Who are the three old men?" Jiang Ye asked.
"The top three are."
Jiang Ye looked down. They were Noise Interstellar Music Co., Ltd., Giant Sound Interstellar Music Co., Ltd., and Soft Sound Interstellar Music Co., Ltd.
Looking at the smaller companies below, they were all minor players. More than half were subsidiaries of these three giants or small companies that had split off from them, while the rest were dependents controlled by executives of the three giants.
"This matter is unusually tricky," Feng Zishuang said with a worried expression. "The valuation of these three giants exceeds 129 trillion. They are terrifyingly wealthy and employ a large number of formidable lawyers who often sweep the board in court. If these three join forces, almost all lawsuits are guaranteed wins. The defendant is stripped to the bone every time."
"Why would these three giants sue me out of the blue? Has Zhi Jun's music risen too quickly and affected their artists?" Jiang Ye asked as he flipped through the documents.
"Yes, the music charts in this galaxy are largely controlled by these three giants. So, whenever a new artist suddenly emerges, they find ways to deal with them."
"Deal with them?"
"There are two paths: either recruit them under their banner, or if that's not possible, prevent other companies from acquiring them, and destroy them through various means," Feng Zishuang explained. "They've likely analyzed your situation and concluded it's unlikely they can recruit you, so they've declared war."
"Damn it, they're a bit nuts," Jiang Ye felt a surge of anger. "There are so many spots on the charts, can't they tolerate one more person like me? Contact lawyers, the best ones, I'll pay, and we'll fight this lawsuit to the end."
"I've already asked a contact to speak with top law firms, and we should have news in the next couple of days," Feng Zishuang said. "I have something I'm not sure if I should say."
"With me, you can say anything."
"Perhaps you could try leveraging your connections in the military."
Jiang Ye paused, a spark igniting in his mind.
Ultimately, the Galactic Empire was controlled by the military, and all order was maintained by the territory conquered by the army. In chaotic times, soldiers were kings. Therefore, if he could gain military support, the chances of winning the lawsuit would be much higher.
And the Zhi Jun, this very thing, was provided by the military. Zhi Jun was a product of the military's biological laboratories and a key pilot product for the military's support of colonial planets. Profits generated by Zhi Jun would eventually flow back to the military.
Coupled with the relationship with Li Nannan.
Li Nannan seemed to have been promoted again recently, steadily rising through the ranks in the military, soaring to prominence. As her junior, Jiang Ye should at least benefit from it.
Therefore, the probability of obtaining military support was extremely high!
Jiang Ye's confidence surged.
"The names of these three giants sound like they came from the same womb," Jiang Ye said, flipping through the documents again. "Noise, Giant Sound, Soft Sound. Don't tell me these three are inseparable brothers, with a single father behind them."
"There are rumors in the marketplace that these three indeed have a single overall boss behind them, who remains hidden, profiting silently. But I don't think these rumors are reliable."
"What makes you say that?"
"Consider the timing. Noise is the largest and oldest, established 120 years ago, and within just twenty years, it became an industry behemoth in the galaxy. Giant Sound was established 80 years ago, when Noise was already at its peak. Therefore, the naming of Giant Sound might have been a tribute to Noise, or to put it crudely, a copycat. It's like fried chicken restaurants, where many have similar names and appearances," Feng Zishuang spoke rapidly. "Giant Sound also took twenty years to become a giant comparable to Noise. Ten years later, Soft Sound was founded and gradually rose to prominence."
"Moreover, these three companies are at odds with each other. They sue each other, poach talent, mock each other on social media, and produce satirical advertisements. They've always been fighting, much like the rivalry between Wei, Shu, and Wu in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Such things are never out of fashion."