Meanwhile, in downtown Jiangcheng, at Tianmei Entertainment’s branch office—

Liu Qian’s expression was dark enough to drip ink. Her manager, Sister Yuan, didn’t look any better. The atmosphere in the room was heavy and tense.

Only Tao Lele sat nearby snickering, clearly relishing the chaos.

Liu Qian shot a sideways glance at her manager. She was growing more and more convinced that this washed-up old woman was completely useless.

“Sister Yuan! Wasn’t my song supposed to launch on Huayin by the end of July? What happened? Now it’s been yanked and pushed back to early August?”

“The company already pushed out the promos! I just bought a trending tag! And now what? They suddenly delay my song without a word, then dominate all the hot searches? Sister Yuan, you were in charge of this—so you’d better explain!”

Sister Yuan’s face grew even darker. She’d already been in a foul mood after everything that happened, and now Liu Qian was yelling at her? It only made her angrier.

“Explain? You want an explanation from me? Why don’t you go ask Huayin? Why are you taking it out on me? The event over there was originally scheduled to end mid-August. Who knew some guy named Xingyao would show up out of nowhere and push Huayin to release their MV ahead of time!”

If she didn’t still need Liu Qian to make money, she wouldn’t even bother dealing with her anymore.

“So what do we do now?”

Liu Qian’s tone remained harsh. Sister Yuan frowned again. The two of them were tied to the same sinking ship, so she couldn’t blow up just yet. She took a deep breath and replied more patiently, “What else can we do? We wait until the buzz dies down and then launch your album. But the company’s resources for it will definitely be scaled back. We’ll have to rely on ourselves this time.”

Liu Qian knew that was the only option, but she couldn’t swallow her anger. She silently cursed Xingyao in her heart—he stole all the attention that should’ve been hers!

Just then, she turned and saw Tao Lele covering her mouth, still snickering. That was the last straw.

“Tao Lele! Can’t you see the mess we’re in? Get over here and clean this up!”

Her voice was shrill and piercing. Tao Lele winced and rubbed her ear.

“Oh! My bad! I actually turned in my resignation today. My contract ends today too!”

“Haha! I’m done serving you!”

She laughed and leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs and sipping tea, completely at ease.

She was leaving anyway, so why bother playing nice? Tao Lele was thoroughly enjoying herself.

Liu Qian shot up from her seat and pointed at her, her face cycling between pale and flushed—but for a long time, she couldn’t say a single word.

Some people were angry. Others were thrilled.

Meanwhile, Gu Xingyi and his family finished lunch and headed out in a taxi, happily on their way to the dealership to buy a car.

Even though the revenue from the MV co-released with Huayin hadn’t hit yet, Gu Xingyi’s savings were more than enough for a new car.

The dealership closest to their place was about an hour away. At 2:20 p.m., the family of three arrived right on time.

“Welcome! Is there a particular model you’re interested in, sir, ma’am?”

The salesperson’s eyes lit up. He had several years of experience, and families like this usually meant a high chance of closing a deal.

Gu Xingyi nodded. He and Xia Xiyao had already researched and settled on a car model before coming.

“Do you have the H9? Top trim.”

“Yes, absolutely!”

Hearing that Gu Xingyi had a specific model in mind, the salesperson lit up even more. The H9, fully loaded, would run upwards of 300,000 yuan.

“Sir, we’ve got two H9s in stock—one in sand gold, one in gentian purple. Which would you like to look at first?”

His tone was clever—he didn’t ask which to look at, but which to look at first, subtly implying that both were worthy choices for someone of Gu Xingyi’s status.

“Let’s look at the gentian purple one. It feels more refined.”

They’d already agreed on this at home. Gentian purple gave off a luxurious vibe, and it would suit Xia Xiyao well.

“Excellent eye, sir! Gentian purple really matches your wife’s temperament perfectly.”

The salesperson led Gu Xingyi to the car while explaining enthusiastically, “This is the H9 in gentian purple, fully loaded. It comes with a head-up display, a panoramic sunroof, power-adjustable memory seats, rear executive controls, heated seats, and more. The ambient lighting inside is also especially elegant.”

“Would you like to try sitting in it?”

Gu Xingyi shook his head with a smile.

“I’ll pass. Xia Xiyao, I’ll hold Nainai—why don’t you give it a try?”

He could tell her eyes lit up the moment she saw the car. Clearly, she liked it.

Xia Xiyao looked a little shy, her cheeks tinged pink, but she still worked up the courage to hand Nainai over and slide into the driver’s seat.

She’d dreamed about owning her own car one day—she just hadn’t expected that day to be today.

The car was gorgeous, with sleek lines and a commanding presence. The controls felt intuitive, the engine sounded great, and the interior—especially the design—was something she loved.

Seeing her visibly enamored made Gu Xingyi grin even wider.

He pulled out his driver’s license and bank card and handed them over to the salesperson.

“This one. Full price. Swipe the card.”

The salesperson could barely keep his smile from stretching ear to ear, though he still asked professionally, “Sir, would you like to know the price first?”

“No need. I’ve already looked into it. Just apply whatever discount you think is fair. As long as it’s under what I was quoted, I’ll close the deal today.”

That line made the salesperson’s heart skip a beat. Damn, this guy’s sharp. By not revealing his quoted price, he limited how much wiggle room the salesperson had.

“Got it! I’ll give you the best deal possible. Let me get the paperwork.”

Soon, he returned with the paperwork and brought the family to the seating area.

“Sir, with full payment, we can offer the H9 at 385,000 yuan, including insurance, registration, and a full set of seat covers and a car cover. You can pick it up tomorrow.”

Gu Xingyi nodded. That was right around what he expected, and he liked this guy’s attitude.

Without hesitation, he keyed in his PIN and paid.

Once the paperwork was done, they scheduled to pick up the car the next morning and left the dealership in good spirits.

By the time they returned home, it was already 5 p.m.

Just as they arrived, Gu Xingyi’s phone rang—it was Yang Chenglin.

“Hello? Genius songwriter, congratulations! You’re all over the internet now with that MV and your name. You’re officially famous!”

“Thanks, thanks. I never aimed to be famous, though. I’m guessing your company reaped some major benefits from this, huh?”

Gu Xingyi chuckled. After all, he’d submitted the song on behalf of Yin Hai Entertainment. They were bound to get some serious perks.

Maybe not all at once, but those benefits would surely materialize over time. Whenever Huayin had good projects in the future, they’d likely think of Yin Hai first.

“Of course! All thanks to you, bigshot! But back to business—when’s Xia Xiyao coming to report in?”

Yang Chenglin teased him before switching to a more serious tone.

Glancing over at Xia Xiyao, who was blatantly eavesdropping with her ears perked up on the couch, Gu Xingyi smiled.

“In a couple of days—by the 3rd at the latest. Got a few things to settle at home first.”

“All right! I’ll be waiting for the grand arrival!”

Yang Chenglin was more curious than ever now. What kind of woman could inspire Gu Xingyi to go to such great lengths for her?