Volume One, Chapter 20: Sorry, I’m Here to Resign!

The next day.

Phoenix Media Conference Room.

Director Lu stood at the podium, his face dark with anger.

The senior executives of the subsidiary below held their breath, hardly daring to make a sound.

Only Yang Wei appeared calm, completely unaffected by the tense atmosphere.

“Alian, Yang Wei, about last night’s concert—you owe me an explanation,” Director Lu demanded coldly. “I gave you the rights to ‘The Big Fish.’ How did you guarantee that Lu Yaoyao’s fan numbers would surpass one million?”

“The hype—where is it? Tell me, where did it go? What happened to all the buzz?”

“The concert was a fiasco. Even Master Sun’s song was botched, with forgotten lyrics—a mistake no professional should make…”

Director Lu’s face was stormy as he questioned them.

Yang Wei simply smiled and said nothing. After all, with his father holding a high position at the Kyushu headquarters, he had nothing to fear from Director Lu’s temper.

But Alian was different.

She had no connections. Everything she had achieved was the result of her own hard work.

“Director, we’ve investigated the matter. It was due to one of our own artists—Lu Yaoyao’s duet partner, Deng Chengqi. She was too nervous and jumped the beat, which led to the mistake.”

“We’ve already explained everything immediately on Weibo and to the media, and the fans have been understanding.”

“Please, Director Lu, don’t be angry,” Alian replied cautiously.

Director Lu snorted and finally pulled out a chair, sitting down.

“You think it ends here? That artist must be kicked out right away. If anyone clings to this incident, it’ll only bring more trouble for Lu Yaoyao.”

“The company has spent so much to build her image—don’t let all that effort go to waste over a trivial blunder!” As Director Lu finished speaking, Alian’s face turned pale.

To fire an artist just to take the fall—how cold and heartless.

Even she had never done such a thing.

But with the director’s order, she had no choice.

“Understood, Director,” Alian nodded.

“Now, take last night’s concert. The Eastern Group did an excellent job,” Director Lu continued. “They not only invited the hugely popular White Elephant Idol, but the two artists’ new songs have also been widely praised.”

As he finished, a young man rose to speak.

“Director Lu, the two Eastern Group artists’ new songs have already soared to the top of the hot charts, with their popularity exceeding a million.”

“Both artists have broken the five-hundred-thousand mark in individual fans.”

“And this is only the result of one night. The impact of the concert means that, so far, this is the most successful event ever held by any entertainment company.”

“It’s trending on all the major charts and searches.”

Director Lu’s face broke into a broad smile at the report.

With results like these, he could finally report to his superiors with pride.

“This time, Chen Tianxiong did a great job!” Lu exclaimed. “By the way, where is President Chen?” He looked around, not seeing any sign of Chen Tianxiong.

Just then, the door opened.

Chen Tianxiong walked in, holding a contract in his hand.

“President Chen! Congratulations on the great success of last night’s concert!”

“My attitude and words yesterday were out of line—please don’t take them to heart.” Director Lu immediately changed his tune, treating people according to their fortunes.

Yesterday, Chen Tianxiong’s performance was at the bottom, with losses piling up.

A hit song had been stripped from him with just a single word.

But today, the concert was a triumph, both artists were skyrocketing in popularity, and Chen Tianxiong had managed to invite the mysterious celebrity, the White Elephant Idol.

Now, Chen Tianxiong was a hot commodity even at Kyushu Headquarters.

“Director Lu, you’re too kind!” Chen Tianxiong smiled. “I wouldn’t dare hold a grudge.”

“Come on, we’ve known each other for years. I’ve never treated you as a subordinate, always as a brother!”

“I’ve arranged a celebration for you tonight!”

“Let’s not go home until we’re drunk!” Director Lu grinned, changing the subject.

“There’s no need for a celebration—it’s too extravagant.”

“President Chen, I actually have something to discuss with you…” Chen Tianxiong began, but Director Lu interrupted with a shake of his head.

“That won’t do. You’re a hero to us now, having made two artists stars. And the White Elephant Idol—today’s traffic king—was your special guest!”

“We must celebrate!”

“By the way, have we secured the copyrights for the two artists’ new songs?”

“Give me the contact for the original songwriter. I’ll negotiate personally and offer a price he’ll be satisfied with!” As Director Lu spoke, Chen Tianxiong let out a cold snort.

“The original songwriter is none other than our special guest, the White Elephant Idol.”

“He does intend to sell the copyrights to both songs, including the compositions,” Chen Tianxiong said gravely.

Director Lu’s eyes blazed with excitement.

“Where is he? I’ll talk to him myself!” he said anxiously.

“No need. He’s entrusted the copyright sale to me. I’m his agent now.” As Chen Tianxiong spoke, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

After three years of bowing his head, he could finally stand tall.

“What?”

“You’ve signed the White Elephant Idol? Well done, old Chen! I had faith in you!”

“Amazing!”

“So, how much does he want for the two songs?” Director Lu was nearly trembling with excitement.

The White Elephant Idol was burning up the internet.

Especially with his masterpiece, ‘The Big Fish.’

Not only the original songwriter but also the singer.

Last night’s ‘South Mountain South’ had even outshone ‘The Big Fish’ in popularity.

Every song he wrote became a hit; every song he sang crushed the competition.

A rare genius, both a writer and performer.

To let such a talent slip away would be a crime!

“For both songs, full copyrights including composition—ten million, flat.”

Chen Tianxiong named the price, adding two million more than before.

Originally, Su Le only wanted four million per song.

But Chen Tianxiong decided not to let Kyushu Entertainment get a bargain.

And even if the songs were sold, it wouldn’t affect the current popularity of Yingying and Hongyan.

After all, it was their performances that made the songs famous.

“Ten million? Old Chen, is this guy insane?”

“For just two songs? That’s outrageous!”

“No way, it’s too much. We lost money buying ‘The Big Fish’ before—the hype didn’t pay off!”

“Let me talk to him. Without our artists, his songs wouldn’t have become hits. A song without exposure is worthless!”

Director Lu shook his head, clearly shocked by the price.

“Director Lu, he’s already entrusted this matter to me.”

“So you can negotiate directly with me.”

“And, just to clarify, I didn’t sign the White Elephant Idol—he signed me. Here is my resignation letter, please approve it.”

“And for Hongyan and Yingying, they were also on contract only—these are their withdrawal agreements. Please take a look.”

When Chen Tianxiong placed the three resignation letters on the table, Director Lu was stunned.

Everyone in the room was dumbfounded.

How could they all suddenly resign out of the blue?