Knocking Her Down a Peg

After saying that, Su Yanying hurried off to Chen Zhiyuan's office.

When Chen Zhiyuan saw Su Yanying walk into his office, he noticed the unhappy look on her face and immediately knew what she wanted to talk about.

Come to think of it, Chen Zhiyuan regretted signing off on Chen Baozhu's album so hastily without listening to Wang Wanjun's song first.

He'd just listened to it, and immediately realized it was top-tier—better even than Yang Caiqian's song. Fortunately, they hadn't put any promotional resources behind it.

The song was good, but its sales were dismal for now, so there wasn't much to worry about. Their album would still flop, just as expected. What good was a great song? These days, even the finest wine could go unnoticed if it was tucked away in a narrow alley.

"Director Chen, why didn't I know Wang Wanjun was releasing a new album?"

Su Yanying asked, her tone carrying a trace of doubt.

"What, do I have to report to you whenever one of the company's artists is releasing a new album?"

Chen Zhiyuan replied expressionlessly without even looking up.

"But if I'd sung her song, I could've gained a lot more popularity this time. Maybe I could've even surpassed Wang Wanjun and become the company's leading star. Don't you want to see her lower her head and admit defeat?"

Su Yanying was unhappy. She couldn't understand why Chen Zhiyuan had let Wang Wanjun release an album, especially one with such high-quality songs.

And now, after all their effort to suppress her, she was showing signs of a comeback.

Su Yanying had no idea that Chen Zhiyuan hadn't thought it through at the time. Chen Baozhu had threatened him, so he'd hastily signed off on it.

Though he regretted it a little now, who did this woman think she was, telling him what to do?

"Bang!"

Chen Zhiyuan picked up the notebook beside him and slammed it onto the desk. Su Yanying jumped in fright, her heart nearly leaping into her throat.

Su Yanying had been about to say more, but her bluster was gone. She lowered her head and fell silent.

"Know your place. To put it nicely, you're a star. To put it bluntly, you're a tool of the company. Why would the company report its plans to a tool?"

"What, you think a little fame means you can throw your weight around?"

"Su Yanying, the company can package you as a sweet young diva and turn you into a rising star overnight. It can also send you straight to rock bottom tomorrow, where you'll never be able to hold your head up again."

"Don't tell me what to do. You have no right. Focus on your own work. The rest is none of your business, and you have no standing to interfere."

Chen Zhiyuan lectured Su Yanying without a trace of warmth. The more he said, the more impatient he became.

Did this woman think that because she'd gained a little fame, she could stand as an equal to the company?

Everything she had now came from the company. Did she not understand that?

She needed to be put in her place. If necessary, Chen Zhiyuan would find another, more obedient artist to package and promote.

"Do you understand what I've been saying?"

Chen Zhiyuan's tone was nothing like his usual genial self. He stared at Su Yanying with a dark expression.

Su Yanying was terrified. All the pride she'd felt after becoming famous had evaporated. She'd thought a little fame meant she could talk back to the company. Now she saw how naive she'd been.

She couldn't even withstand the imposing presence of one of the company's directors. With her head bowed, Su Yanying stammered:

"I-I understand, Director Chen. I'm sorry."

Chen Zhiyuan looked at Su Yanying with satisfaction. At least she had some sense. Otherwise, he'd have kicked her out and started promoting another female artist.

There was no shortage of young, beautiful female artists these days. Maybe they didn't have such good voices, but not many people cared about that anymore. As long as they were good-looking and packaged well, that was enough.

"Good. At least you know your place. Wang Wanjun and the others won't cause much of a stir this time. Don't worry."

"Your new album is also coming out today, and it's doing much better than hers. The company will step up promotion for your album tomorrow. The gap between you will only grow. There's no need to worry about these little details."

Chen Zhiyuan waved a hand and explained. Putting her in her place was necessary, of course.

But after knocking her down a peg, he'd offer her a little sweetness. That was how to make an artist more obedient, and Chen Zhiyuan clearly knew the routine well.

Apart from Wang Siyi, an artist who refused to yield no matter how much he tried to put her in her place, he'd used this tactic to thrive in the entertainment industry for years.

New Art had also continued to grow under his leadership.

He believed this was the way artists survived in the entertainment industry: they only needed to obey the company. Ruin the ones who wouldn't listen, cultivate the ones who would, then discard them once their remaining value had been squeezed dry.

He couldn't ruin Wang Siyi because she had such a clean background. There was nothing to use against her, so he could only shelve her and let her release albums as she pleased.

"All right. Thank you, Director Chen."

Su Yanying gave Chen Zhiyuan a quiet reply, then left his office. She walked down the corridor of the New Art Entertainment building, her face expressionless.

If she'd heard before coming in that her new album would get more promotional support, Su Yanying would have been delighted. But now she couldn't feel happy at all, because she'd understood something.

She was still too young. Every bit of fame and glory she had today came from the company. If she stopped obeying, or if she no longer had any value to the company,

then her fate could be miserable—even worse than Wang Wanjun's had been.

Wang Wanjun had merely been shelved by the company. But Chen Baozhu had been very cautious back then and insisted that the company release one of her albums each year.

So even after being shelved, Wang Wanjun could still release new albums.

There had been no such clause when Su Yanying signed with New Art. Her contract was practically the harshest in the industry. She suddenly felt bitter.

Su Yanying didn't believe Chen Zhiyuan when he said Wang Wanjun's album wouldn't make much of a splash. He'd said that mostly to comfort her.

How could a song as good as "Red Bean" fail to make waves? It only needed a chance.

A song like that would spread across the whole internet. Wang Siyi would become a top-tier singer overnight, and then the company would have to figure out how to keep Wang Wanjun next year.

A top-tier singer! New Art Entertainment had been around for so many years and never had one. Now that they finally did, she was someone the company had suppressed and shelved. How ridiculous.

Su Yanying gave a self-mocking smile, laughing at Chen Zhiyuan's shortsightedness and at her own youthful ignorance.

She'd thought that if she obediently did as she was told, she could get ahead. She'd thought that once she became famous, she wouldn't have to keep lowering herself. In truth, she'd been wrong about it all.

Second update for today. That's all for now. Just to clarify again: before the book goes on sale, I'll post two updates a day, around 4,000 words total, without fail. After it goes on sale, I'll post extra chapters for a while.

Lastly, please vote with your Monthly Tickets and recommendation tickets, and add the book to your collection. Thank you, everyone.