Chapter 154: Two songs... for this price?

"Wonderful, wonderful!" Liang Xiang popped up in the group chat once again. "Teacher Lin, what kind of songs do you plan to auction this time? Just give us a general direction first; we don't even need to listen to the demo."

"Indeed, I also feel that Teacher Lin's songs don't need any demos at all. The name 'Lin Ze' alone is the best endorsement possible."

Regardless of their current fame and status, everyone in the chat flattered Lin Ze a little.

Most of the people in this group chat with Lin Ze were upper-tier mainstream artists.

The ones with the highest status were in the tier of the Four Little Heavenly Queens, while veteran singing artists of an even higher rank didn't seem to have any intention of seeking out Lin Ze yet.

However, this was normal; people of that caliber wouldn't stoop to seeking out a junior like Lin Ze just for a single song.

"Well... actually, the slots for two songs are being auctioned this time, and I haven't decided on their genres yet. Once you win the bid, you can just tell me what kind of song you want, and I will write it for you."

When Lin Ze sent this message, everyone in the group widened their eyes in astonishment.

No songs prepared... written on the spot?

Yet, recalling Lin Ze's performances on *Super Singer-Songwriter*, everyone calmed down.

If anyone else among lyricists and composers claimed they could pull this off, nobody would believe it even if their lives were on the line.

But the person speaking was Lin Ze, after all.

"I'm bidding! Teacher Lin, what's the starting price? How much is the minimum increment per bid?"

Someone in the group asked.

Lin Ze pondered for a moment. "The starting price... let's say fifty thousand. Everyone can just raise the bid as they please."

Lin Ze activated the "Mute All" function in the group chat.

"Alright, the bidding for the first song is about to begin. Every time I lift the mute, you can send your price into the group. The highest offer will serve as the opening bid."

"And we'll keep going until no one else places a bid."

Lin Ze added, "Everyone, please bid rationally. Don't drive the price up too ridiculously high. It's just a song, lest people curse me later for making up exorbitant astronomical prices for songs."

With that, Lin Ze sent a countdown of three, two, one in the group.

Finally, he unmuted the chat for five seconds before locking it again.

"One hundred, two hundred, three hundred."

The bids varied. Lin Ze glanced at the figures, intending to scroll past them, but suddenly paused in surprise.

Huh?

Who on earth is this?

Meanwhile, Liang Xiang's private messages were blowing up.

"Damn it, who the hell auctions like you do?"

"Sister Liang, you are really going overboard!"

"A starting price of fifty thousand and you throw out one hundred and fifty? Liang Xiang, oh Liang Xiang, you better hope I don't run into you next time!"

Liang Xiang looked through these private messages with a smug expression.

Who has the time to slowly bid against you guys? The key to winning is taking people by surprise!

Soon, as Brother Lin's three-two-one countdown ended, Liang Xiang didn't make a move this time, wanting to see who else would compete with her and how much they could offer.

"Oh, Bai Yuxin, oh Bai Yuxin, did you get anxious when you saw me buying a song from Lin Ze? One hundred and eighty?"

The number of people bidding in the group had dropped significantly, and those singers with lower status had all stopped bidding.

One hundred and fifty was already a price accessible only to well-established singer-songwriters like Old Shi.

It wasn't that Lin Ze wasn't worth that much; rather, they couldn't come up with that much cash on short notice, and their agencies certainly wouldn't shell out the money.

The few who were still bidding no longer hoped just to become famous overnight through Lin Ze's song; they all intended to use this song to climb even higher.

Take Bai Yuxin, for instance; she desperately wanted to shed the modifier preceding her title as a Heavenly Queen.

Holding her phone, Liang Xiang was already brewing some mischief.

"I'll drive the price up a bit for you."

Everyone had already witnessed the value Lin Ze brought. If Bai Yuxin failed to secure this song, she might end up lagging behind Liang Xiang in the future.

Perhaps that would allow Bai Yuxin to step up to the position of top Heavenly Queen one step behind Liang Xiang.

Among four peers of equal standing, if one managed to break out of their circle and ascend to a higher position, then from the outside perspective, the other three would naturally appear a cut below.

Liang Xiang was just about to join the bidding when, unexpectedly, Bai Yuxin sent her a direct message.

"Don't you dare drive up the price! If I win this song, I'll let you release your song first!"

Oh?

Liang Xiang smiled slightly. She's conceding! She's admitting defeat here.

With those words, Liang Xiang withdrew the hand she was about to press down with.

Ultimately, this song was won by Bai Yuxin for two hundred and fifty.

To be fair, this price was completely astronomical.

Such a price was simply unimaginable if applied to anyone else.

Lin Ze lifted the "Mute All" restriction, and everyone began congratulating Bai Yuxin on winning the song.

Some singers with relatively lower standing couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

Just as everyone was asking when the next song would be auctioned, Lin Ze unexpectedly pulled someone into the chat whom nobody had anticipated.

Wei Yan, the veteran Heavenly King.

As soon as Wei Yan entered, everyone hurriedly clicked on his profile page, just to make sure it wasn't an impersonator.

Upon checking, they realized it was definitely him, genuine and without a doubt.

A Heavenly King was here to buy songs too?

"Hello, everyone," Wei Yan greeted the group.

Everyone hurriedly typed "Greetings, Senior" in the chat below.

"I heard there was an auction for Lin Ze's songs here, so I sought it out."

Wei Yan spoke very politely.

After observing so much, Lin Ze noticed that the bigger a star's status, the more polite they seemed to be.

Even those with lower status couldn't afford to act arrogant.

Only those stuck in the middle grew more and more arrogant by the minute.

Lin Ze shook his head.

However, with a senior present, this auction...

Seeming to sense Lin Ze's hesitation, Wei Yan sent a voice message to the group.

"Sorry, everyone, I urgently need a song right now, and this song is very important to me."

"How about this? I'll offer three hundred. Can everyone please do me a favor and let me have this song?"

Initially, some people harbored a bit of resentment toward the Heavenly King, but upon hearing him speak this way, their grievances dissipated.

After all, he was a Heavenly King; who dared to contend with him? Contending with him would simply be refusing to give him face.

Now, things were settled—three hundred, the absolute ceiling.

The previous winning bid had only been two hundred and fifty.

Everyone quickly expressed that they would withdraw from the bidding.

Lin Ze also breathed a sigh of relief.

"Since that's the case, now that both songs have been auctioned off, let's not disband this group chat. It's quite nice to just chat here casually whether we have matters to discuss or not."

Since Lin Ze put it that way, naturally, nobody would refuse to give him face.

As for whether there were personal grudges among some members in the group, it didn't really matter.

The resources one could gain in this chat group far outweighed any personal grievances.

Lin Ze exited the chat and saw that both buyers of the two songs had sent him messages.

"Sister Zitan!"

Lin Ze called out, and Su Zitan's voice drifted out from the bathroom.

"What is it?"

"My two songs sold for five million total, pretty impressive right?" Lin Ze asked cheerfully.

"Impressive!"

Su Zitan paused for a moment before continuing.

"Still, you should avoid selling them this way in the future, and... make sure to pay your taxes."

Lin Ze was extremely proactive when it came to paying taxes.

Only by abiding by the law and rules could one go far.

"I know, I'm going to talk business now."

Wei Yan had already sent over some specific requirements.

"Xiao Lin, I've been invited to attend the upcoming Heavenly Melody Awards ceremony at the beginning of next month, and I've been asked to perform a song during the program."