Xia Xiyao?

Yang Xian suddenly remembered—wasn’t she the one Gu Xingyi had recommended? She was already at the company? He’d been so busy these past few days, he completely forgot!

Just after Zhang Chao finished speaking, the refined-looking man chimed in again, “Director Zhang, I don’t think Xia Xiyao is a good choice! Even amateurs would be better.”

“She’s got no popularity, no recent work—and she left the industry because of marriage. That kind of image won’t go over well with audiences!”

Zhang Chao waved his hand dismissively, firmly defending his stance.

“That’s exactly why we should pick her! Since she’s making her comeback through our company, we need to give her a stage. I’ve heard Xia Xiyao’s old songs—she’s got a great voice! And she’s gorgeous too. So why not?”

The refined man frowned.

“Director Zhang, you’re in HR, I handle operations. Compared to you, I understand what a singer really needs—popularity! We’re not a charity! Just because she’s with our company, we have to give her a spotlight?”

“Oh? Director Yin, you're talking popularity? Then maybe you don’t know who recommended Xia Xiyao.”

“Tell me, Director Yin—how popular is Xingyao? What if he writes her song?”

Zhang Chao responded without backing down, his face full of smug satisfaction.

Hah, you want to compete with me? Come back when you’ve eaten a few more years of rice.

Zhang Chao had never liked Yin Ping. The man always threw his weight around the company just because he ran operations—and even flirted with female singers. Several of them had already complained to Zhang Chao.

He was a total sleazebag in a gentleman’s suit. Zhang Chao despised him.

“Xing... Xingyao?”

Even Yin Ping was left speechless when he heard the name.

What could he say? That Xingyao wasn’t popular? He didn’t dare.

That MV he made with Hua Yin had over a hundred million likes, and rumor had it his fanbase had reached 50 million!

Yin Ping adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, his eyes dark as he glared at the smug Zhang Chao.

“You’re sure Xingyao will write a song for Xia Xiyao?”

“Alright, enough arguing! I can confirm it.”

Yang Xian raised a hand to silence the room.

“In that case, the candidates will be Cheng Di and Xia Xiyao. Go notify them.”

With the chairman’s decision made, Yin Ping had no choice but to nod, though reluctantly. He had someone else in mind, but he hadn’t even gotten the chance to mention it.

As the meeting ended, Zhang Chao walked out rubbing his smooth bald head, chuckling with glee. This was the first time he’d ever outmaneuvered Yin Ping on something like this.

He was very happy.

At the same time, over at Shengshi Entertainment, Tianmei Entertainment, and several other smaller companies, similar discussions were happening.

At the Tianmei Entertainment branch in Jiangcheng, Yuan-jie came running breathlessly into the lounge. Liu Qian was sitting at the vanity, fussing over her red nails.

“Liu Qian, good news! Talk about a blessing in disguise!”

Liu Qian frowned. Because of Yuan-jie’s sudden shout, she’d smudged one of her nails.

“What good news?”

Annoyed, Liu Qian wiped off the polish and carefully reapplied it.

Yuan-jie’s excitement was instantly dampened by the cold shoulder. The more she looked at Liu Qian, the more irritated she became.

Honestly, they both couldn’t stand each other anymore.

But since Liu Qian hadn’t fallen from grace yet, Yuan-jie still had to serve this diva.

“StarSong Gathering! The company picked you to go! And they even hired a famous songwriter for you! Consider it compensation for your last setback!”

“StarSong Gathering?”

Liu Qian paused. Her nail got smudged again, but this time she didn’t care. She turned to confirm with Yuan-jie.

“You mean the StarSong Gathering? The one where even placing earns you a shot at becoming a first-tier singer?”

“Exactly! Unless there’s another StarSong Gathering out there. Xiao Qian, this is your big chance! You have to seize it. I worked so hard to get this for you!”

Seeing Liu Qian suddenly become serious, Yuan-jie finally relaxed, even softening her tone.

“Ah! StarSong Gathering! I’m gonna be famous!”

Liu Qian finally processed it all and jumped up from her chair, her joy overflowing.

She completely ignored Yuan-jie trying to take credit—she only heard one thing: she was about to be famous.

“Xiao Qian, we’ve got three days. Stay grounded. The songwriter is none other than Wu Fan! You need to give it your all!”

Yuan-jie tried to keep her calm.

After all, if Liu Qian blew up, she’d get a bigger cut too. She really hoped Liu Qian could get a good ranking this time.

But Liu Qian didn’t care. When she heard the name Wu Fan, she got even more excited.

“You mean that Wu Fan? The one they call the Godfather of Music? Then it’s in the bag! What’s there to worry about? Me and him? That’s a dream team! Hahaha!”

Yuan-jie sighed. Then again, it was true—Liu Qian might have a terrible personality, but her vocal skills were legit. And with Wu Fan’s song, she was basically guaranteed a top-three finish.

…

Meanwhile, in Modu, at the artist apartment, Xia Xiyao received a call from the operations department notifying her that she’d be competing in StarSong Gathering in three days.

When she hung up, she was completely stunned.

Just moments ago, they had still been worrying about how to plan her comeback—now the company had basically handed her a golden opportunity.

Seeing Xia Xiyao’s dazed expression, Tao Lele couldn’t help asking curiously, “Xiyao-jie, who was that?”

“The operations department. They said I’m participating in StarSong Gathering in three days.”

“StarSong Gathering? StarSong Gathering! Aaaaahhh~ Are you serious?! Xiyao-jie, really?!”

Tao Lele was stunned for a second, then immediately leapt up, grabbing Xia Xiyao’s shoulders and shaking her like crazy with excitement.

“Lele! You’re gonna shake me into a coma!”

Xia Xiyao peeled off Tao Lele’s pudgy hands, thoroughly annoyed.

“Xiyao, the company really said you’re going to StarSong Gathering?”

Yun-jie sat composedly to one side and asked calmly.

“Yeah. I just got the official call.”

Xia Xiyao nodded. A smile finally broke across Yun-jie’s face—making a high-profile return on the StarSong stage? That was a solid plan.

Now the urgent task was to find the right songwriter and composer.

“I’ll keep reaching out to contacts I used to know. Xiyao, keep trying to write something yourself too. We’ve got three days to come up with a great song—this comeback has to hit hard!”

“Mm!”

Xia Xiyao nodded seriously.

Tao Lele raised her hand.

“I’ll handle nutrition! Just like old times—we’re gonna get Xiyao-jie nice and plump again!”

The three of them divided tasks neatly. Tao Lele began selecting ingredients for lunch. Yun-jie picked up her phone to contact songwriters. Xia Xiyao spread manuscript paper across the table and began to think.

And at that moment, our dear Gu Xingyi was at home, teaching Xiao Nainai a second nursery rhyme.

These past two days, Xiao Nainai had been incredibly well-behaved. Maybe because Xia Xiyao called every day, but Gu Xingyi liked to think it was his doing too.

At the very least, he now had the whole “childcare” process down pat!

Xiao Nainai clapped along while Gu Xingyi wore a big bad wolf hat, pretending to be fierce while singing adorable lyrics.

“Little white bunny, open the door! Hurry and open it, I want to come in~”