That evening, Linton selected seven new songs from his memory bank:
The first song was "FreeLoop."
Its Chinese title was "Uncontrollable Notes," and it later became well-known to Chinese fans in 2006 when it was used as an advertisement song for Ford cars. It once became the most popular English ringtone in the United States and has remained enduringly popular, being very pleasant to listen to. This song became a global hit, charting in nearly half of the world's countries with excellent chart performance, making it one of the few songs to achieve widespread global success.
The second song was "Natural."
A representative work by Imagine Dragons, its Chinese title is "Such is Nature." Its style is extremely powerful and explosive, full of dynamic charm, earning it the reputation of a "nuclear explosion divine song." The lyrics are very realistic but also inspiring; even in a world where the strong prey on the weak, we continue to climb upwards, igniting light in the darkness.
The third song was "You're Beautiful."
The breakthrough hit by British singer James Blunt, its Chinese title is "Beautiful You." This is a melancholic love song, with a touch of freshness and romance, yet also a sense of unattainable sadness and coldness, making it very moving to listen to.
The fourth song was "Sugar."
Released by the American band Maroon 5 in 2014, this lyrical rock song, with the Chinese title "Sweetheart," is a popular wedding song, very festive and suitable for accompanying newlyweds' weddings.
The fifth song was "What Are Words."
This is a deeply emotional confession love song that never gets old, with a very touching love story behind it. After his fiancée became paralyzed in a car accident, the singer remained devoted, expressing his deep love for her through the song. Although the story's final outcome was somewhat regrettable, with the couple eventually breaking up, at least at the moment the song was written, its melody and emotion were incredibly sincere. Because of this, the song's emotional appeal quickly made it a global hit.
The sixth song was "Legends Never Die."
Its Chinese title is "Legends Never Fade," and it was the theme song for the 2017 League of Legends World Championship, an explosively powerful rock song.
The seventh song was "We Don't Talk Anymore."
Its Chinese title is "Only Silence Remains," and it is also an extremely popular song both domestically and internationally, nominated for multiple awards in the United States, and particularly popular among young students.
The next morning, Linton and Mira went to BMI to register the copyrights for the seven songs. Upon returning to Universal, he handed the songs to Daniel, asking him to arrange for their production.
He also informed Daniel that Lisa would still be producing his album, mainly because Lisa had promised to fully respect his opinions during the arrangement and production process. The real reason, however, was that Linton knew the effect of the original versions, which would ensure the songs were produced authentically and effectively.
However, Forte and Jack were different; as top-tier music producers, they might have their own interpretations and insistence during the arrangement process. In such a scenario, whose opinion would prevail?
Moreover, so much time had passed, and they hadn't even come over to greet him. Did they think he didn't have the final say on producers, or were they still waiting for him to proactively invite them? Never mind, he'd rather have a pleasant collaboration with Lisa.
In the afternoon, Linton asked Goodman to register a studio. Goodman inquired about the studio's business scope. Linton explained that currently, the studio wouldn't have specific operations; its primary purpose was to house his personal assistant and bodyguards, manage his fan club, and potentially invest in films in the future.
"Since you plan to invest in films in the next step, I suggest you register the studio in Delaware, because taxes in Los Angeles are too high. The best place to register a company in the United States is Delaware, because there are significant tax benefits.
Basically, all Hollywood companies are registered here, including giants like Disney and Paramount. Delaware also has a specialized Court of Chancery, so even if there are disputes, it's particularly convenient to handle them here.
Moreover, according to Delaware regulations, as long as a company has a nominal office in Delaware, it can even share a clerk with other companies to register a company or studio, and the operating costs are very low.
After registration, it will be a nominal tax-paying entity there, essentially a shell. Calls can be directly forwarded to Los Angeles, which will not affect our normal business operations in Los Angeles at all, nor will there be any other inconveniences or risks."
This was the benefit of having a professional consultant. Following Goodman's advice, Linton and he registered a studio in Delaware that day, naming it Linton Studio. Its office space was temporarily shared with the fan club.
Upon returning to Los Angeles, he contacted Bella to arrange for Goodman to process her formal employment, officially affiliating her with Linton Studio and signing a non-disclosure agreement.
However, Bella was currently in Chicago establishing fan clubs. Her previous promotional tour with Linton across the top 10 economically strong cities in the United States had been highly successful. She had initially screened fan club leaders in each location and was now assisting them one by one in formally establishing their fan clubs and organizing activities. So, they would wait until she returned to Los Angeles to complete the onboarding process.
Subsequently, with Goodman's assistance, Linton interviewed three accountants, ultimately selecting a Chinese American accountant named Zhou Haisheng. Zhou Haisheng was in his 40s, with ancestral roots in Shanghai, a second-generation Chinese American with no negative records, who had long served a local Chinese American Family and had an excellent reputation. Most importantly, his social circle was simple, his accounting firm was very small, and he had few clients.
After signing Zhou Haisheng, his first task was to have him audit and verify the royalty splits for the three singles with Universal.
That night, another shootout occurred on the streets of Los Angeles, with police reporting three fatalities at the scene.
Upon seeing this news, Linton decided it would be more secure to hire a 24-hour personal bodyguard. He considered himself a chosen one, with the hope of Immortal Ascension, and was already on the correct path of Cultivate. He absolutely did not want to be caught by a stray bullet and lose his life before achieving Immortal Ascension, as that would be the greatest joke.
The next day, Linton found a security company and selected a bodyguard named Danny Green, who had recently retired from the Delta Force. Danny was 35 years old, 185CM tall, had served in the military for over 15 years, was skilled in firearms and combat, and had participated in the Grenada War. He had a calm demeanor, ordinary appearance, was married, had a daughter, and his wife and daughter lived in Berkeley. Linton immediately signed an employment contract with the security company, making Danny Linton's personal bodyguard and driver from then on.
Linton quickly finalized arrangements for his lawyer, studio, accountant, and bodyguard.
Mira was also efficient, quickly securing endorsement contracts with three companies. Each contract was for $1.6 million per year, signed for two years, with a single payment. The endorsement advertisements would be promoted on television and in busy areas of major cities across the United States.
Linton was very satisfied; although the endorsement prices were not very high, the brands' promotion was what he valued most.
Contracts with the three brands were quickly signed, and within half a month, promotional advertisements for all three brands, including videos and print ads, were filmed. Linton also attended the press conferences required by the brands. According to the promotion plans of the three brands, outdoor advertisements had already begun to be laid out, and video advertisements would start airing on television by purchasing ad slots in August.
