Lyrics Plagiarism

Zhang Guan thought of a very suitable song, which was also his favorite song, and crucially, it wasn't difficult for him to sing.

"Professor Zhou, I have a song in mind that might be suitable," Zhang Guan said.

"What song? Who sang it?" Professor Zhou asked.

"A few days ago, when rehearsing with Teacher Wang Feng, he talked to me about some techniques for composing songs. When I got back, I tried it out and composed a simple song. Shall I sing it for you?" Zhang Guan replied.

The most crucial aspect of songwriting is what? It's not musical talent, but inspiration! Many famous musicians in China didn't actually have formal training, especially those born in the 1950s and 1960s. Due to the unique times they lived in, they didn't have the opportunity to learn music even if they wanted to. Many couldn't even read music scores. They relied on their good voices to enter some cultural troupes and then began their musical journey. Or they just learned to play a few chords on the guitar and started writing songs, forming rock bands. These people eventually became singers not because of their musical talent, but because of their unparalleled passion for music and their perseverance in pursuing their ideals.

Writing songs without studying music? If you put it in modern times, everyone would think it's impossible, but in that passionate era, it was a common phenomenon. Just like today's online writers, how many of them have a background in literature?

Professor Zhou also experienced that era, so he naturally knew about this situation, but he didn't think Zhang Guan was that kind of person. He frowned and said, "What joke is this? The Hong Kong Grand Concert is such an important event! How can you mess around?"

Ignoring Professor Zhou's attitude, Zhang Guan thought speaking with facts would be more direct, so he directly started singing:

"When I'm different from the world, let me be different, persistence for me is just being stubborn."

"If I compromise with myself, if I lie to myself, even if others forgive me, I can't forgive myself."

"The most beautiful wishes are always the craziest, I am my own god where I live."

"I am stubborn with my last stubbornness, holding hands tightly and never letting go, whether the next stop is heaven, even if disappointed, I cannot despair."

"I am proud and stubborn, singing loudly in the wind, this time being crazy for myself, just this time, me and my stubbornness."

Zhang Guan only sang a section of this song "Stubborn" before stopping. Looking at Professor Zhou opposite him, his eyes widened, his mouth gaping, wearing an expression that couldn't be described in words, staring at Zhang Guan.

"Singing 'Stubborn' is relatively easy, and you could even say it's catchy. Of course, if you want to sing it well, you still need some skills. But if the requirements aren't too high, you don't need extraordinary singing skills to capture its charm."

The first few lines of this song weren't particularly impressive, and combined with Zhang Guan's unprofessional singing, Professor Zhou seemed increasingly angry. But when Zhang Guan sang the line "I am stubborn with my last stubbornness," Professor Zhou's expression completely changed. With his professional level, he could naturally hear the brilliance of this song.

"This song sounds very fresh, and it doesn't need overly fancy vocal techniques. I'm sure I've never heard this song before. Is it really as Zhang Guan said, that he composed it himself? Is he really an athlete? That kind of melodious tune, many music majors may not be able to compose it!" Professor Zhou suddenly felt a lack of accomplishment in himself.

"The next stop is heaven, even if disappointed, I cannot despair." Professor Zhou silently recited this lyric in his heart. He felt somewhat moved, but more importantly, he resonated with it.

People of Professor Zhou's age have experienced a special era and many special events. He remembers when he was young, in that era of sports, he put in so much effort in pursuing music, endured so much loneliness for not being understood, and faced countless setbacks and failures, yet he persisted. And this song's lyrics, to Professor Zhou's ears, seemed to speak of his own experiences, instantly touching his heart.

"Is this kid really an athlete? Could it really be a so-called burst of inspiration? These lyrics, without experiencing some setbacks and failures, couldn't have been written..." Professor Zhou silently pondered.

"Do you have sheet music?" Professor Zhou asked. But then he felt his question was silly. A song composed by an athlete, how could there be sheet music!

Although Zhang Guan could hum the tune, he shook his head and said, "Where would there be sheet music! Besides, I haven't studied music, I don't know how to read sheet music."

Professor Zhou nodded and then said, "Wait here, I'll write out the score for you."

Professor Zhou closed his eyes, but memories flashed in his mind—those times he had struggled for music, the loneliness of not being understood, the countless times he wanted to give up but ultimately persisted. As memories kept circulating in his mind, enchanting musical notes began to appear.

Professor Zhou swiftly wrote out a musical score on paper. Then he looked it over, made a few modifications, and handed it to Zhang Guan, asking, "What do you think?"

"Um, Professor Zhou, I can't understand this..." Zhang Guan said, his face slightly red.

"Oh, right." Professor Zhou smiled awkwardly and then said, "Let me play it for you."

Professor Zhou went to the piano and began to play the piece he had just written.

Professor Zhou composed the music based on Zhang Guan's singing, so the final piece had significant differences from the original "Stubborn" song. Compared to the original, Professor Zhou's piece sounded more mature and had a sense of vicissitude. This was undoubtedly influenced by the author's life experiences. A person in their twenties naturally couldn't compare to someone in their fifties in terms of life experiences, and Professor Zhou grew up in a special era.

"How is it?" Professor Zhou finished playing the piece and asked, but then naturally laughed to himself and said, "Asking you is pointless, anyway, you don't understand. Let's do it like this: I'll play, and you try singing. If there are any parts that don't fit, we'll change them."

Professor Zhou accompanied Zhang Guan, letting him sing once, and then Professor Zhou made some modifications. They repeated this process five times before creating a piece that Professor Zhou was relatively satisfied with.

"Alright, let's call it a day. The composition is settled. I'll bring some students over later, and we'll work on the arrangement. You can go back for now, come back tomorrow to listen to the finished piece here," Professor Zhou said.

Professor Zhou's students were at least at the level of master's or doctoral students, and their arrangement skills were at least comparable to many professional musicians.

...

Several senior management members of Nike were having a video conference with their branches, and on the other end of the video link were Mark Park, President of Nike Asia-Pacific, and Brent James, President of Nike China.

"We had contacted Zhang Guan last year, and the management center had already agreed to sign him, but it ultimately failed. This caused a great deal of passivity for our company, and I want to know why? I need a reasonable explanation to give to the board!" a senior executive from Nike headquarters asked.

Brent James immediately spoke up: "Our business manager had contacted the management center and Zhang Guan, and the management center was very satisfied with the signing at the time. However, Zhang Guan refused our invitation to sign, citing being a minor as the reason. I think it's very likely that Zhang Guan himself felt the price we offered was too low, so I had requested more signing money from Mr. Park, but Mr. Park did not approve."

Mark Park, although nominally Brent James's superior, was appointed directly by the headquarters, and Brent James had been eyeing Mark Park's position. Therefore, he frequently tried to trip up Brent James, and when Brent James proposed increasing the price to sign Zhang Guan, Mark Park refused in order to suppress Brent James and his mistrust of the Asian sprinting project.

Seeing Brent James shifting the blame onto him, Mark Park showed no signs of panic. It seemed he had already prepared his argument. Mark Park said, "It was already the end of the year, and we were facing settlements with our contractors, so we were very tight on funds. Our company's production chain mainly relies on Asia. If factories in Asia were to shut down, it would affect our global supply chain, so I had to carefully consider every penny."

Mark Park's explanation seemed plausible at first glance, but it was obviously untenable upon careful consideration. Nike's supply chain was vast, likely measured in billions, and Mark Park, as the president of the Asia-Pacific region, couldn't possibly not have access to a mere few million. However, after some discussion among the headquarters team, they ultimately accepted Mark Park's explanation.

The headquarters then continued, "Since Zhang Guan broke so many records at the Olympics last year, our competitors have already taken notice of him. Many of them have begun to take action, which has put us in a passive position. So, our strategy going forward is to sign Zhang Guan within a reasonable price range. Brent James, as the head of the China region, what are your plans?"

Brent James cleared his throat and continued, "Through our previous collaborations, we have a very good relationship with the management center. I believe that under the same conditions, the management center would prioritize signing with us. However, what we are facing now isn't just our old competitors, but also domestic sports brands in China. The development speed of domestic sports brands in China has exceeded our expectations. Just a few years ago, they were just our contract factories, but now they have formed several brands. So, I need funding, more funding. Otherwise, I can't guarantee signing Zhang Guan."

"How much do you need?" the headquarters asked.

"If including advertising, I need a budget of $2 million per year," Brent James said.

Although Brent James mentioned $2 million upfront, he didn't actually have high hopes for that figure. Negotiating for funds was like bargaining; he asked for $2 million, but in reality, he might only get half of that. So, Brent James simply asked for a relatively high figure.

The headquarters fell silent for a moment before ultimately compromising, giving Brent James an annual budget of $1 million.