Chapter Forty-Two: Lin Xinrou's Invitation

Three days had passed since the broadcast of the show, yet the trending topics of “New Voice” still dominated the social media charts, showing no sign of fading. Lin Xinrou sat numbly on the sofa, her eyes vacant. Ever since she had watched Chen Nian’s performance, she hadn’t left her apartment for three days.

Even when there were publicity events or company programs, she used ill health as an excuse to decline. Now, her mind was filled with nothing but Chen Nian’s name, and she saw no hope at all in her own life. Undeniably, Chen Nian had become the demon occupying her entire being.

Just then, Lin Xinrou’s manager, Wei, pushed the door open and entered. Lin Xinrou glanced at him listlessly, saying nothing. Wei smiled faintly and sat down beside her.

Seeing the shattered look on her face, Wei immediately understood. “I have good news. Want to hear it?”

Lin Xinrou looked up at him, still silent. Wei tugged at the corner of his mouth and continued, “It’s about Xing Fei. There might be a chance to bring down Chen Nian from this angle.”

In the scheming and rivalry with Chen Nian, Wei had lost completely and suffered cold storage by the company. He believed his hatred for Chen Nian was at least as great as Lin Xinrou’s—perhaps even more so.

At the mention of Chen Nian’s name, Lin Xinrou immediately straightened up on the sofa, glaring at Wei. “Quick, tell me—how can we take Chen Nian down?”

Wei was satisfied with her reaction. He nodded and reached out to gently stroke her delicate feet. “You’re familiar with Xing Fei, aren’t you?”

Lin Xinrou nodded. “She’s a trainee from Starshine Entertainment. I’ve had people look into who her so-called mentor is for a long time, but got nothing.”

Wei shook his head with a smirk. “Not exactly.”

“What, did I get it wrong?” Lin Xinrou was taken aback.

“Right and wrong,” Wei continued. “Just before the last episode, she had already terminated her contract with Starshine.”

“I had someone check—she’s now only signed to one company: Dawn Media.”

“Dawn Media?” Lin Xinrou frowned, unable to recall any information about a company by that name.

“Don’t bother. It’s just a small firm established a month ago, with only a million in registered capital,” Wei explained.

“So, what are you getting at?” Lin Xinrou was astute; by now she’d caught on to Wei’s meaning, but she still asked cautiously.

Wei chuckled. “These songs of Chen Nian—who else could write them but him?”

“Xing Fei’s mentor!”

“Exactly. If fans don’t believe us, will they not believe Xing Fei’s mentor?”

“As long as we persuade her mentor to insist that all of Chen Nian’s songs are plagiarized from him, Chen Nian will be utterly ruined!” Wei said triumphantly.

“But I’ve dug for so long and still haven’t found out who Xing Fei’s mentor is. Why would Xing Fei help us anyway?”

Wei smiled slyly. “When she was a Starshine trainee, she had no reason to help. But now she’s just a contracted artist at a small company—if she wants to go against us, we’ll make sure she’s finished!”

Lin Xinrou instantly understood what Wei meant. “Alright, I’ll have someone arrange a meeting with Xing Fei right away.”

With that, she picked up the phone to make the call. Wei smiled, and seized the opportunity to press Lin Xinrou down beneath him…

Elsewhere, Chen Nian, Xing Fei, Luo Xiaoyi, and others were having a meal together when Xing Fei received a call from the contestant coordinator of “Who’s the Singer.”

“Hello, Sister Mei, what’s up?” Xing Fei glanced at her phone, greeted Chen Nian and the others, then stepped aside to take the call.

“Do you have time this afternoon? Our company leadership would like to meet with you to discuss the next steps for the show.”

Xing Fei checked the time and nodded. “Alright, just let me know when and where, and I’ll be there.”

As an artist about to make her official debut, she had no right to refuse. If she wanted to become famous overnight, she had to seize every opportunity.

“What’s up?” Chen Nian asked when Xing Fei returned to the table.

“Nothing much, the program team wants to discuss something with me.” Xing Fei relayed the call’s content to Chen Nian in full.

Chen Nian nodded. “Need me to go with you?”

“No need,” Xing Fei shook her head. “It’s just a routine meeting. No need for you to come, Teacher.”

Chen Nian smiled and said no more. Instead, Luo Xiaoyi reminded her, “Xiaofei, if they want you to sign anything, don’t rush—come back and talk to us first.”

As a key figure in Chen Nian’s rise to fame, Luo Xiaoyi was now half-shelved at Xinji Entertainment. Fortunately, her contract had only six months left; when the time came, she could leave without a backward glance.

“Okay, Sister Xiaoyi,” Xing Fei agreed demurely. After saying goodbye to the others, she left the private room.

Following Sister Mei’s directions, Xing Fei took a cab to a teahouse.

“You’re here,” Sister Mei said, opening the door and ushering Xing Fei inside.

Once in the private room, Xing Fei didn’t see the familiar faces from the production team; instead, she was met by Lin Xinrou and He Wei.

Xing Fei’s brows knit together, but at Sister Mei’s urging, she sat down.

“Hello, I’m Jiang Wei, a top agent and producer from Xinji Entertainment.” The moment he laid eyes on Xing Fei, Jiang Wei’s gaze was glued to her, almost as if he wanted to press his face against hers.

Xing Fei shook hands with him, her expression full of distaste.

“Xing Fei, it’s been a while,” Lin Xinrou said, trying to maintain her poise despite her impatience.

Xing Fei nodded. “Ms. Lin, but I think we just saw each other two days ago?”

Thrown off by Xing Fei’s remark, Lin Xinrou hesitated. “Did we? Perhaps I’m mistaken.”

“Alright, let’s get to the point,” she said. “As a trainee, you should know that no matter how outstanding you are, without the backing of a major agency, you won’t get far on a show like ‘Who’s the Singer.’”

Xing Fei paused, finally realizing what these two wanted from her.

“Sorry, I’m already signed with Dawn Media,” she replied without hesitation, immediately turning down Jiang Wei’s offer.

“Heh, with a tiny company like Dawn Media, how far do you think you can go?”

“Join Xinji, and I guarantee you’ll win this season’s ‘Who’s the Singer’—the championship is yours for the taking!”

Xing Fei smiled and looked up at Jiang Wei. “Mr. Wei, as far as I know, you’re already on ice at Xinji Entertainment. Can you really pull that off?”

Jiang Wei’s brows knitted tightly as she hit his sore spot.