Yin-Yang Master Chen Baozhu

Wang Siyi was in the recording studio, wearing a pair of over-ear headphones. Her mind was full of Li Changle.

She imagined how he had taken care of her when she was drunk, and wondered what kind of ending lay in store for them.

She believed it would be a happy one, because she felt that Li Changle had feelings for her too. Otherwise, why would he grant her every request?

A faint smile played on her lips. As the accompaniment began, Wang Siyi came in at just the right moment with the first verse.

"Before we've had the chance to feel

The season when snowflakes bloom

We'll understand even better

What tenderness means

..."

Her sweet smile shone through in her singing, which also carried all her longing. She missed Li Changle so much; at that moment, her mind was filled with his image.

There was still a long road ahead, and she believed Li Changle would stay by her side all the way.

After finishing the song, Wang Siyi still felt caught up in the emotions of the performance. She paid no attention to Chen Baozhu and Yang Caiqian, who were overjoyed.

She just asked Xiuxiu for her phone, then sent Li Changle a "I miss you" sticker.

She was too embarrassed to say it outright, but she could express it with a sticker.

Seeing Wang Siyi gaze shyly at her phone, anyone could tell she was chatting with Li Changle.

Xiuxiu pursed her lips, feeling incredibly jealous.

Li Changle looked at the sticker Wang Siyi had sent him. If he wasn't mistaken, it meant, "I miss you"?

He hesitated. Had she sent it by mistake? But why hadn't she unsent it?

Wanting to tease her, he simply added the sticker to his own collection, then sent one back saying, "I miss you too."

Wang Siyi saw the sticker and felt even happier. If Xiuxiu hadn't held her back, she might have jumped for joy.

"Sister Wanjun, get a grip!"

"Sister Baozhu's still here. If she finds out, you're done for..."

Xiuxiu spoke softly to Wang Siyi. Wang Siyi also felt she'd gotten a little too excited, but after working so hard for so long, she'd finally gotten a response. Wasn't it only natural to be happy?

Chen Baozhu wasn't paying attention to the two of them just then. She was discussing things with Yang Caiqian.

"Teacher Yang, you mean the version Wanjun just recorded is already perfect, and there's no need to record it again?"

Chen Baozhu sounded hesitant and astonished. It was rare to finish recording a song in a single day.

"The emotion in that take was so full. It conveyed longing, along with beautiful hopes for the future, which fit the lyrics perfectly. It was absolutely flawless. I doubt she'd manage to capture such a great performance again if she tried another take."

Yang Caiqian couldn't help but marvel. Wang Wanjun really had a gift for singing. He'd only given her a few pointers, and she'd already grasped the song's essence. She'd sung it even better than he'd expected!

"Then... once the sample's ready, we can arrange the release?"

Chen Baozhu suddenly felt that her trials had finally paid off. This album had been delayed for more than half a year, but now it was finally ready. And this time, it was sure to take off!

"If you've already prepared the promotional resources, then yes, you can arrange the release..."

Yang Caiqian nodded and smiled at Chen Baozhu.

"That's wonderful. Thank you so much, Teacher Yang. If it weren't for you, we'd probably have been delayed much longer. Thank you..."

Chen Baozhu excitedly grabbed Yang Caiqian's hand, speaking with overwhelming gratitude.

Yang Caiqian found himself holding Chen Baozhu's soft, fair hand. It had a little softness to it, and felt quite nice—but that wasn't the point. Men and women were supposed to keep their distance...

Yang Caiqian felt awkward, unsure whether to pull away or wait for Chen Baozhu to let go.

Xiuxiu saw Chen Baozhu holding Yang Caiqian's hand and stared in shock. What was Sister Baozhu doing...?

"Ahem, ahem, ahem."

Xiuxiu hurriedly coughed a few times to remind Chen Baozhu.

"Xiuxiu, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Chen Baozhu didn't notice Xiuxiu's strange behavior, but Wang Siyi did. She followed Xiuxiu's gaze, and now two people were left staring in shock.

Chen Baozhu was holding Yang Caiqian's hand with a smile. She was so excited that her fair face had turned a little red.

Chen Baozhu finally realized something was off. She saw that she was still holding Yang Caiqian's hand and quickly let go.

"Ahem, I'm sorry, Teacher Yang. I got too excited. I hope you won't take it the wrong way..."

Chen Baozhu hurriedly apologized. Her hand started to reach for his again, but she remembered that it would be impolite and froze.

She gave an awkward smile. Yang Caiqian blushed a little too, then made an excuse and took his leave.

Before leaving, he told Chen Baozhu and Wang Siyi to find a chance to introduce him to the lyricist and composer of "Red Bean." He also said that if they had another song like this later on, they should ask him to produce it—he'd definitely come.

After seeing Yang Caiqian off with an embarrassed expression, Chen Baozhu took a while to recover.

"All right, we have the song now. I'll go back to the company today and submit the application for the new album. All New Art needs to do is make a show of releasing it."

"As for the other resources and promotion, I'll make a few more rounds over the next few days. That should have some effect. The most important thing is to wait for Huang Wenchuan's movie to come out."

"Wanjun and Xiuxiu, you don't need to go to the company. You'll only get mistreated if you do. This time, I'm going to catch them completely off guard."

Chen Baozhu gave a cold smile. Chen Zhiyuan had really put her through the wringer last time.

This time, she would watch that sanctimonious hypocrite Chen Zhiyuan grit his teeth as he signed the application.

Wang Siyi and Xiuxiu clearly didn't want to go to the New Art Huyou building. They were uncomfortable even seeing Chen Zhiyuan, Su Yanying, and the others.

Hearing they wouldn't have to go, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

Watching Chen Baozhu head off alone to confront New Art Huyou, Wang Siyi felt touched.

With Chen Baozhu's work experience and accomplishments, she could have landed a top-tier spot as an agent at any leading entertainment company.

At a company the size of New Art Huyou, as long as the executives weren't brain-dead, she'd be a star agent without question.

And yet an agent as capable as her had turned down offers from top domestic agencies to join New Art Huyou, where Wang Siyi worked.

She'd taken on the role of an ordinary agent mainly because Chen Baozhu wanted to prove herself—to show that she could create a diva without relying on a major company's backing.

Judging by the results so far, she had clearly failed. But she didn't regret her choice, because it wasn't a mistake on her part.

Nor was it that Wang Siyi lacked the potential to become a diva. It was simply that New Art Huyou was a trash company that treated people like dirt.

On the contrary, she was glad she'd discovered someone like Wang Siyi. Before she became famous, Wang Siyi had worked hard and never complained.

After becoming famous, she hadn't put on airs either. She was still just as kind and considerate as she'd been from the start.

Someone like that was worth enduring a little hardship for. Chen Baozhu believed it was only a matter of time before Wang Siyi became a diva.

It might not be possible at New Art Huyou, but Wang Siyi's contract had less than a year left. Even if the company put her on the shelf, other entertainment companies would still want a rising star like her next year.

At the New Art Huyou building, Chen Baozhu stood calmly in front of Chen Zhiyuan. An application lay on the desk.

"Sign it, Director Chen."

"Where did you get this new song? Don't tell me you just randomly recorded some song by an unknown musician and made it the lead single for the album?"

"Don't get me wrong, Baozhu. You're a veteran employee here. How can you let Wanjun be so willful? I told you I just wanted her to have dinner and a few drinks with the bosses. Nothing else would happen. Why make such a fuss?"

Chen Zhiyuan sighed, looking regretful.

"Wanjun has such great talent. How can you make some song written by a no-name musician the lead single on her album? Baozhu, I still hope you'll talk to Wanjun. Young people shouldn't be so impulsive..."

"The company worked so hard to develop Wanjun into a popular singer. Things haven't been easy for us. You're company employees, part of the company, so you should understand our difficulties..."

"You should reconsider this new album. If I sign and it turns out to be poor quality, Wanjun could lose her popularity, and the company would suffer quite a bit too. That wouldn't be good for anyone. Take it back and think it over. Come see me again once you've given it more thought."

Chen Zhiyuan spoke to Chen Baozhu in a sincere, earnest tone, as if he had Wang Siyi's best interests at heart.

Chen Zhiyuan had no intention of signing the application. If the album didn't sell well, the company would lose money, though not enough to hurt too badly.

More importantly, if Wang Wanjun lost her popularity, even the wealthy investors wouldn't be interested in having drinks with him anymore.

They wanted popular female celebrities, not washed-up ones. Plenty of washed-up celebrities were willing to sell themselves, but that just didn't give them the same thrill.

Chen Zhiyuan understood the wealthy investors' tastes very well.

So more than anything, he wanted to break Wang Wanjun down and make her submit, so she'd obediently serve the wealthy investors.

Once the big shots were happy, even a little investment slipping through their fingers would mean an immeasurable amount of money and resources for New Art Huyou.

But Chen Baozhu clearly had no intention of bargaining with Chen Zhiyuan.

She immediately pulled out a contract.

"Director Chen, this contract clearly states that New Art Huyou must give Wanjun at least one album a year. If you don't sign this, I'll take the contract and a recording of what you just said to a lawyer and ask what the consequences might be..."

Chen Baozhu took a voice recorder from her pocket, waved it at him, and added with biting sarcasm:

"As I recall, if the company violates this contract, Wanjun can terminate it unilaterally through legal channels, and the company will have to pay her compensation. Or am I remembering wrong...?"

Chen Zhiyuan had been all smiles, but after hearing Chen Baozhu's words, his expression darkened as he looked at her.

"Chen Baozhu, so you're determined to go against the company?"

"Oh, we're just lowly employees. How could we dare oppose the company? We only hope the company will leave us alone."

Chen Baozhu turned into a master of sarcasm, speaking in a syrupy, mocking tone:

"Director Chen, you'd better sign this contract. If you wait a few more days, I can't guarantee the company won't receive a lawyer's letter..."

Chen Zhiyuan felt he'd taken a nasty fall this time. He had no idea where they'd found a song, but somehow they'd quietly bypassed him.

They'd gone around the company and recorded the song already. He had to sign this contract whether he wanted to or not.

If he didn't, the company would face a lawsuit, not to mention a wave of public backlash. Wang Wanjun could also leave the company freely, without facing any legal consequences.

It was strange, too. Somehow, Wang Wanjun's fans had organized themselves into a group. They'd gotten the word from somewhere that the company really had put Wang Wanjun on the shelf.

They'd stirred up quite a commotion online, and New Art had spent a lot of effort suppressing the backlash.

Chen Zhiyuan was close to losing it. Grinding his teeth, he signed the application, then tossed the pen aside.

"Hmph. It's just a new album. Release it if you want. Without the company managing things for you, you still won't become popular. Looks like you've accepted your fate."

Chen Zhiyuan thought he hadn't lost yet. He'd finally found a weakness he could exploit, so he quickly sneered.

"Oh, there's no need to trouble yourself with that, Director Chen. We're already incredibly grateful that the company is releasing an album for our Wanjun. How could we have the nerve to ask the company for promotional support too? We'll figure that out ourselves."

Chen Baozhu had her sarcasm down to a fine art. Every word she said was barbed, making Chen Zhiyuan's expression grow darker and darker.

Seeing Chen Zhiyuan's expression getting worse, she knew she should still be cautious. They were in the company, and he couldn't do anything to her, but better not to take any chances. She took the signed application and went to submit it.

Chen Baozhu walked out of Chen Zhiyuan's office with her head held high, feeling immensely satisfied. The last time she'd left that office, she'd been forced to swallow a bitter loss.

Chen Zhiyuan watched her sashay out of his office like a rooster that had won a fight, and he was instantly furious.

Who had written them that song? He'd had everything under control. They should have had no choice but to accept being shelved or follow the company's arrangements.

This musician who'd appeared out of nowhere had caught him completely off guard. He still had no idea what kind of quality their new song had.

He hoped things were as he imagined, and that they'd simply found some unknown musician to write it.

After thinking it over, he took out his phone and sent Su Yanying a WeChat message.

"Get started on recording your new album right away. It's due to be released in a week."

"Why? Are we moving up the release date? We've only just started recording."

Su Yanying was confused. The album had originally been scheduled for release in a month, but now it had been moved up by three weeks, leaving very little time to prepare.

"Don't ask so many questions. Do what I say. Get the recording done as soon as possible. The company will arrange promotional resources, and we'll pour them all into your new album."

Chen Zhiyuan didn't want to waste time explaining things to Su Yanying. She just needed to do whatever he said.

She was only an employee working for the company. She needed to know her place, and he had no reason to explain himself to her.

Su Yanying was delighted when she saw the message.

"Okay, thank you, Director Chen. You're the best~"

She'd sent the message as a voice note, in a coy, sweet tone.

"All right, all right. Get to work. The company's invested so much in you. If you don't deliver results, don't expect to remain the company's leading star."

"Okay, Director Chen. I'll do my best!"

Thanks to the two book friends, Humble Xiao Mo and Dream in Fantasy, for their tips, and to Saint Demon God's Child for the Monthly Ticket. Thank you!

Also, I want to complain about this test-promotion slot. It feels like it was pointless. Today's increase in followers was about the same as usual~

As always, please vote with your Monthly Tickets, follow, and send recommendation tickets. Thank you, everyone~