Fu Yi, the reigning King of Singers, was currently Star Shine Media's biggest star, so he naturally attended the meeting.
Fu Yi had been idly playing with the pen in his hand. But when he heard Ye Chen sing "Lonely Warrior," he froze. The pen slipped from his fingers and hit the table, but he didn't even notice.
Fu Yi stared at Ye Chen singing and playing guitar in the video, his eyes wide with shock. A strong sense of crisis stirred in his heart.
After the two videos finished playing.
Everyone present was impressed, and they began to envy Ke An for finding another promising talent.
Ke An looked full of energy as she asked, "What do you all think of Ye Chen?"
"I think he's great. Even if he didn't write those two songs, with his looks, voice, and singing ability, he could debut right now." One shareholder nodded repeatedly, looking at Ye Chen as if he were a glittering money tree.
Another shareholder said excitedly, "I agree. It's been a long time since we've seen such a promising guy. The last one this good was probably our current King of Singers, Fu Yi."
"Why do I get the feeling Ye Chen will be even more popular than Fu Yi?" Xin Fan lounged lazily in his executive chair and raised an eyebrow at Fu Yi.
Xin Fan had a roguishly handsome face. He was a singer who had debuted around the same time as Fu Yi and owned ten percent of Star Shine Media.
But he was too lazy, and his family was rich, so he only released one song a year and had never quite made it big.
Xin Fan had never liked Fu Yi, who always wore a smiling, two-faced expression. He thought Fu Yi was so fake and couldn't stand him.
If money weren't involved, Xin Fan would have stripped Fu Yi bare long ago.
As soon as Xin Fan finished speaking.
The others also turned to look at Fu Yi, finding Xin Fan's words quite reasonable.
After all, Ye Chen clearly had the edge over Fu Yi in both looks and build.
If Ye Chen could write songs too, he'd be unbeatable.
Star Shine Media would probably have a new leading star.
Fu Yi's manager, Zeng Fanren, said with a defiant look, "Ye Chen's nowhere near as good as A-Yi. But Sister An, the person you've picked this time won't turn out like Su Ningwei, who just quit whenever she felt like it. He isn't an ungrateful wretch, is he?"
Ke An was fiercely protective of her own. Hearing Zeng Fanren speak about Su Ningwei like that, she flared up. "What are you talking about? How was Su Ningwei ungrateful? She paid every cent of the required penalty. How much did she bring the company while she was here? If the company hadn't arranged for her to appear and sing with Fu Yi on his album, would your Fu Yi have become King of Singers so easily?"
Su Ningwei had reached the peak of her career as soon as she debuted, and had even helped Star Shine Media rise to the top of the industry.
By the time Su Ningwei became the Queen of Singers, Fu Yi had already been in the industry for years. He was good-looking and talented, but he still hadn't become a huge star.
To produce a King of Singers, Star Shine Media had spent a fortune buying several great songs and arranged for Su Ningwei to appear and sing on Fu Yi's album.
Fu Yi had also done his part. He was the type to rise to the challenge, and his duet with Su Ningwei became a hit of the year.
That album helped Fu Yi claim the title of King of Singers.
Fu Yi had also pursued Su Ningwei fervently, riding her coattails and even asking the company to pair them up as a couple.
But Su Ningwei had flat-out rejected him.
At the time, Su Ningwei was at the height of her popularity, so the company naturally took her side.
Who could have guessed that Su Ningwei would later retire from the industry without warning? The company was caught off guard, but there was nothing they could do except let her do as she pleased.
After all, Su Ningwei's family wasn't short on money.
But Zeng Fanren was ungrateful.
He thought Fu Yi's fans could circle Blue Star several times over.
He blamed Su Ningwei for not knowing what was good for her, and had always resented her for rejecting Fu Yi.
Ke An's retort left Zeng Fanren's face bright red. He was about to fire back when Fu Yi shot him a sharp look, forcing him to keep quiet.
"A-Ren, how dare you question Sister An and Senior Su? Without Senior Su's support, would I be where I am today? Hurry up and apologize to Sister An." After scolding Zeng Fanren with a cold expression, Fu Yi turned to Ke An and said apologetically, "Sister An, you're right. I'll always remember everything you've done for me. A-Ren was out of line. I hope you'll be the bigger person and not take it to heart."
"Sister An, I'm sorry." Zeng Fanren obediently stood up and apologized to Ke An.
Fu Yi curled his handsome lips into a warm, humble smile. It was hard to stay angry while looking at such a handsome, smiling face.
Ke An gave a soft snort. Out of consideration for Fu Yi, she decided not to hold it against Zeng Fanren.
"Everyone can see Ye Chen's abilities. He really does have the potential to become the next King of Singers. Sister An, I trust your judgment and ability. You have full authority to move ahead with your plan. Whether you need money or resources, the company will give you our full support." Star Shine Media's CEO, Pei Xuan, swept back her long, wavy hair, breaking the awkward silence with a smile.
Star Shine Media CEO Pei Xuan was in her early thirties. She had brains, beauty, a great figure, and plenty of ability—a true woman in charge.
She was also very devoted: her boyfriend was always eighteen, tall, handsome, and adorable.
"Thank you for your support, President Pei. I'll get everything underway tomorrow," Ke An said with a smile.
Pei Xuan nodded. "Then that's settled. Everyone, head home and get some rest. Meeting adjourned."
Xin Fan couldn't stand Fu Yi's two-faced smile. He loved seeing Fu Yi get put in his place.
As he passed Fu Yi, Xin Fan deliberately gave him a smug, obnoxious look, as if he couldn't wait to see the show.
Fu Yi kept smiling on the outside, but inside, he felt as if he'd been steeping in boiling lemon water—sour, bitter, and tart. He struggled to maintain his image as a modest gentleman.
Meanwhile, Ye Chen had gone to bed early with the soft, fragrant Su Ningwei in his arms.
He slept soundly through the night without dreaming.
Early the next morning.
Ke An showed up with dark circles under her eyes. She carried a pile of gifts and baby presents in her left hand and a briefcase in her right, and excitedly rang Ye Chen's doorbell.
"Sister An, you're here so early?" Ye Chen opened the door wearing an apron and looked surprised to see Ke An outside.
Ke An handed Ye Chen the gifts and said with a smile, "These are for the baby and Weiwei. Are they awake? I hope I didn't disturb you."
Ye Chen took the gifts from Ke An and said with a smile, "You really shouldn't have. Thank you for the gifts. Come in and sit down. They're already up. Weiwei should still be in the bedroom feeding the baby. Have you had breakfast?"
"Not yet. Can I join you for breakfast?" Ke An smiled as she walked inside.
After looking around the tastefully decorated, cozy home, Ke An was very pleased with Ye Chen and Su Ningwei's new place. It seemed Ye Chen had picked a nice house. He looked like a man who knew how to make a home.
"I made mushroom and chicken congee this morning, and there are meat buns too. If you don't mind, you can have some," Ye Chen said.