Volume One, Chapter Seven: A Targeted Concert, Battling for the Spotlight!

In an instant, everyone was bewildered by Chen Tianxiong’s sudden change in attitude! Just a moment ago, he had been so warm and welcoming—how had he turned hostile in the blink of an eye? And now, he wanted to sign Su Le? Did they hear that right?

“Mr. Chen, what did you just say? Your company wants to sign Su Le?”

“You want us to apologize to him? Mr. Chen, you’re just making things difficult for us on purpose!”

“That’s right! He’s just a washed-up folk singer—even if he can write a few original songs, none of them are worth much!”

A-lian asked in disbelief.

“Washed up? Not worth much?”

“Heh…”

“A bunch of frogs at the bottom of a well. I have no desire to waste words on you. Get out!” Chen Tianxiong slammed his hand angrily on the table.

Immediately, several security guards pushed open the door and entered.

Seeing this, Lu Yaoyao finally couldn’t sit still.

“Mr. Chen, I apologize for the disturbance!” she said coldly. “A-lian, let’s go!” With that, she stood up and left in a huff.

A-lian gave Chen Tianxiong a deep, meaningful look and said, “Mr. Chen, I’ll remember what happened today. You’ll regret this.”

Soon, only Yang Wei remained. Lighting a cigarette, he glanced at Su Le and lifted his chin defiantly. “Chen Tianxiong, don’t think that just because you’re the director of Eastern Group you can do whatever you please! We’re all serving Kyushu Entertainment—what’s with the arrogance? Signing a talentless, has-been singer like him… You must have money to burn. I’ll report this to headquarters.”

With that, Yang Wei turned and strode out.

Once everyone had left, Chen Tianxiong quickly stood up. “Mr. Su, are you satisfied with how I handled things?” His actions were nothing more than giving Su Le the respect he deserved.

“Thank you, Mr. Chen, for giving me enough dignity,” Su Le replied with a smile.

He could have simply walked away, but why should he? While he was married, he had always obeyed Lu Yaoyao’s every word. Now that the marriage was over, he was free and could go wherever he liked. He no longer cared about the opinions of others. As for their provocations, Su Le dismissed them entirely.

After all, the truth speaks louder than words—and has a way of striking back, hard.

“Mr. Su, please don’t be so polite with me. It was nothing, really. Besides, I can’t stand people like them,” Chen Tianxiong said, his voice sincere. “The funniest thing is, as your wife, she didn’t even know that ‘The Big Fish’—that masterpiece—was your creation! Though you’re divorced now, I think that’s a blessing in disguise. She dreams of the stage, but in my view, you’re the one with the potential to make it internationally,” he added, not out of flattery, but simple truth.

Lu Yaoyao might have some fame now, with a recognizable voice and growing personal style. It wasn’t impossible that she’d become a top star in the future. But Su Le was another story entirely. After five years living incognito, he returned and exploded onto the scene—a single song, “The Big Fish,” had instantly established his legend! To create such a masterpiece proved that Su Le’s talent was far beyond what people like Lu Yaoyao imagined, far from being limited to writing folk songs.

His potential was limitless! With talent like his, it was best to build a good relationship before he rose to prominence.

“Then I’ll take you at your word, Mr. Chen,” Su Le replied with a smile.

“Oh, Mr. Su, there’s one more thing I’d like to ask your help with,” Chen Tianxiong said tentatively. “Originally, you planned to give ‘The Big Fish’ to Miss Hongyan, but by a twist of fate, it went to Yingying instead. We’re planning to organize a small concert for Yingying and Hongyan before the Grand Final to boost their popularity. The problem is, neither of them has had any outstanding new works in the past couple of years; they’ve just been singing old hits. So, if you have time, could you help us by writing two new songs?”

Chen Tianxiong was probing carefully. He had witnessed Su Le’s talent firsthand. Securing the rights to “The Big Fish” had already been a stroke of luck—he had no idea if Su Le would agree to this request.

“No problem,” Su Le replied without hesitation.

“That’s wonderful, Mr. Su!”

“But time is tight,” Chen Tianxiong continued. “The Grand Final is only three days away. Our concert window is narrow—probably tomorrow night at the latest. It’s a tall order. If it’s too much, perhaps you could just write the lyrics, and our band could improvise the music?”

Writing lyrics alone was already a challenge; composing as well would be nearly impossible given the timeframe. Chen Tianxiong didn’t dare expect Su Le to create another masterpiece on the level of “The Big Fish” in such a short time. Even for an ordinary song, writing both lyrics and music would normally take at least a month or two—longer without inspiration. The current hit “Eastward and Westward” had reportedly taken its original songwriter three years to complete! A great work might be the product of years of experience, or it could come in a flash of inspiration.

“No need. I can finish both,” Su Le said, shaking his head. “If the lyrics and music don’t match, the song loses its soul—then there’s no point in creating it. I’ll have them ready by noon tomorrow. The only question is whether Yingying and Miss Hongyan can do them justice.”

What a joke. The memories in his mind contained the entire entertainment history of Blue Star, with hundreds of thousands of songs ready to be brought forth at any moment!

“So quickly?” Chen Tianxiong was both shocked and overjoyed. “Mr. Su, you truly are a genius! I’ll have Yingying and Hongyan start preparing immediately. Tomorrow at noon, they’ll begin rehearsals, and I’ll make arrangements for the concert as well.”

To compose two songs in twenty-four hours—such a feat was unheard of! If word got out, it would cause a sensation.

“All right, Mr. Chen, you should get back to work. I’m heading home,” Su Le said, nodding, and made his way outside.

Standing at the foot of the company building, Su Le took a deep breath. Looking up at the clear blue sky, the gloom of his divorce was swept away.

“Heaven has given me a second chance—if I don’t cherish it, I’d be a fool! If I can’t live an ordinary life, then I’ll set the world ablaze with my own fire!” The broken entertainment civilization of this world seemed tailor-made for him—his future was boundless, unimaginably bright.

Meanwhile, Lu Yaoyao and her companions returned to the studio, all of them in a foul mood.

“Hmph, Yaoyao, now you’ve seen Su Le’s true colors—a petty man intoxicated by a little success! Who knows what he did to bewitch Chen Tianxiong into trusting him so much?” A-lian threw her bag onto the table, her face dark with anger. “I bet he was behind all of it. Otherwise, why would Chen Tianxiong treat us so badly?”

The thought of being humiliated at Eastern Group was infuriating—especially after seeing the smug look on Su Le’s face.

“Don’t mention him. I don’t want to hear it,” Lu Yaoyao said, sitting down, her mood low.

Her thoughts were in turmoil, her emotions complicated. She couldn’t understand why Su Le was acting this way. She’d felt a twinge of guilt about the divorce, but after hearing A-lian’s words, she was filled with disappointment in him.

Only when the marriage ended did she see his true nature.

“Yaoyao, don’t be discouraged. You can still win the Grand Final. I’ve looked into this Yingying—she was just a temporary artist hired by Eastern Group, with no popularity at all. It was pure luck that ‘The Big Fish’ shot her to fame! I just checked Weibo, and Eastern Group is holding a concert tomorrow night to ride this wave. We can’t just sit back and do nothing.”

“We need to drum up some buzz for you too—we can’t let Eastern Group steal the spotlight!” A-lian said determinedly.