Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Conditions for Return

“What is it?” Chen Nian asked, pouring a glass of water for Zhou Lu, who had nearly been mistaken for a door-to-door salesperson by Wei Xi.

After taking a sip, Zhou Lu didn’t answer right away. She simply fixed her gaze on the girl beside her.

Wei Xi felt uneasy under the scrutiny of this cool and striking woman, and instinctively edged closer to hide behind Chen Nian.

“Are you interested in becoming an actress? Our company is preparing to shoot a short series. If you’re interested, I could recommend you for a tryout.” Zhou Lu finally spoke after much hesitation.

There was no helping it—the girl before her was simply too beautiful, in figure and features both. She was born to be an actress.

“An actress?” Wei Xi’s eyes lit up, only to dim almost immediately. “Forget it, I’m not interested.”

Before she became a national-level calligrapher, she didn’t intend to try her hand at anything else.

“Alright.” Zhou Lu nodded, letting the matter drop. Having spent so many years in the entertainment industry, she knew everyone had their own way of living.

Knock, knock, knock!

Chen Nian tapped the table, drawing Zhou Lu’s attention back to him.

“You saw the open call for singers for ‘The New Voice’?” Zhou Lu asked directly, without preamble.

Chen Nian nodded. “Xiao Yi has already told me everything.”

“The show starts filming in two days, and right now, no singer is willing to accept our invitation.”

“So?” Chen Nian replied nonchalantly.

“What’s that got to do with me? It hardly warrants you coming here in person.”

Wei Xi, seated between the two, looked from Chen Nian to Zhou Lu in confusion. Their conversation left her utterly lost.

What show? What singer recruitment? Wasn’t Chen Nian a calligrapher? How was he involved with singers now?

Though curious, her impeccable upbringing kept her from interrupting, so she sat quietly, content to observe.

“After careful consideration, our company would like to invite you back to the stage of ‘The New Voice.’”

Chen Nian let out a laugh at these words.

“Use and discard at will—now that you need me, you want to pick me up again? What do you take me for, some commodity bought and sold for love?”

Zhou Lu’s fair face flushed with embarrassment. Even as a seasoned veteran of the industry, she found the situation mortifying.

If only she hadn’t confronted Gong Yu in that meeting room. But as an artist of Celestial Star, she had to keep the company’s interests in mind.

“If you agree to return, we’ll offer you a generous reward,” Zhou Lu said through gritted teeth.

“This is Wei Xi. Her father is Wei Yancheng. Do you really think I’m short on money?” Chen Nian said, gesturing at Wei Xi with a smile.

Used as a shield, Wei Xi was annoyed and pinched Chen Nian hard on the thigh.

“Wei Yancheng?” Zhou Lu thought for a moment before a middle-aged man’s face came to mind.

Her expression shifted. The national calligrapher from the capital was also named Wei Yancheng, wasn’t he?

Impossible, she told herself, shaking her head. She didn’t deny, and even admired, Chen Nian’s talent in music. But after his meteoric rise, the company had investigated his background thoroughly. Chen Nian had never left Rong City since birth—how could he possibly know the daughter of a national calligrapher?

A veteran of the entertainment world, Zhou Lu quickly realized this must be Chen Nian’s ploy to raise his price.

“Just tell me what you want, and I’ll handle negotiations with the company,” she said, having figured out his intention.

“Returning to ‘The New Voice’ isn’t out of the question,” Chen Nian replied with a slight smile, having achieved his aim.

“Go on,” Zhou Lu prompted.

“I don’t want any money.”

“No money? Then what do you want?” Zhou Lu was taken aback.

“I want Celestial Star Entertainment to terminate its contract with Xing Fei,” Chen Nian said, still smiling.

“What?” Zhou Lu thought she’d misheard.

“I said, I want you to terminate Xing Fei’s contract. If you agree, I’ll sign with you right now.”

“Why?” Zhou Lu was utterly baffled. After so many years in the industry, she’d thought she understood it inside out, but now she was completely at a loss.

Hadn’t Chen Nian just written a song for Xing Fei half a month ago, promising to help her win ‘Who Is the Singer’? Xing Fei had even called Chen Nian her mentor on the show. Weren’t they on good terms?

Why ask for her to be fired now?

“That’s not your concern. Just promise me, and I guarantee those two foreign singers will be eliminated within two episodes.”

“I’ll have to discuss this with the company and the higher-ups,” Zhou Lu said blankly, thoroughly at a loss.

“Alright.” Chen Nian nodded. Xing Fei was currently one of Celestial Star’s rising stars, so he didn’t expect Zhou Lu to agree on the spot.

After Zhou Lu left, Wei Xi could no longer contain her curiosity.

“You’re a singer, too?”

Chen Nian shook his head. “Strictly speaking, not really—just a hobby at most.”

A hobby, again!

Wei Xi couldn’t stand another moment of Chen Nian’s modesty. She opened her music app and searched his name.

First was “Sunny Day,” then “Elopement,” “Cinderella,” followed by “Love Never Lost,” “Undersea,” and finally “Rose”...

Half an hour later, Wei Xi sat dumbstruck, completely captivated by Chen Nian’s magnetic voice.

“Chen Nian!” As if making a huge decision, Wei Xi slapped her hand on the table and stared straight at Chen Nian, who was washing dishes.

“What is it?” Chen Nian turned, puzzled by her sudden outburst.

“I’ve decided—I’m going to take you as my teacher!”

“What?” Now it was Chen Nian’s turn to be stunned.

“Chen Nian wants us to terminate Xing Fei’s contract?” In the office, Gong Yu frowned at Zhou Lu.

“You’re sure you didn’t mishear? Why would he want to go against a newcomer who hasn’t even officially debuted?”

“I don’t know,” Zhou Lu replied, shaking her head. “Can you understand the minds of people who can write songs like ‘Undersea’ and ‘Rose’?”

“Old Mo, what do you think?” Unable to decide, Gong Yu turned to Celestial Star’s top producer, Mo Fan.

Mo Fan adjusted his glasses, pondered for a moment, and gave his answer.

“We haven’t invested much in Xing Fei—practically nothing, in fact. Trading her for Chen Nian is worth it.”

“Alright!” Gong Yu nodded. “Then meet his demand. We’ll terminate Xing Fei’s contract.”