Just because I wrote "Zhu Xian," the school beauty sent me razor blades.

The next day.

Nine o'clock in the morning.

Tianxing Entertainment Headquarters Building, 32nd Floor, Boardroom.

Seven or eight people sat on either side of the long table.

The director of the composition department, the head of the talent agency department, the director of publicity and promotion, the legal representative... all the core management personnel of Tianxing Entertainment were present.

Fei Zhao sat in the main seat.

Several documents were spread out on the table in front of her, but her gaze did not fall on them.

She was looking at the empty chair across from her.

That's the position of Zhao Heng, the director of the composition department.

Zhao Heng was present today.

He was only three minutes late.

When the door opened, Zhao Heng strode in, holding a cup of coffee he hadn't had time to drink, his expression not very good.

"Sorry, there was a last-minute delay due to an arrangement issue with the composition department."

He pulled out a chair, sat down, and nodded to Fei Zhao.

Fei Zhao didn't say much, only calmly stating, "Everyone's here, let's begin."

She pressed a button on the remote control on the table, and the projection screen behind her lit up.

There was only one line of text on the screen—

August Star Chart Rankings - Tianxing Entertainment Ranking Plan (Revised Edition)

Fei Zhao stood up and glanced at everyone present.

"As you all probably already know, Starway Entertainment officially announced a partnership with Chu Nan last night."

No one responded in the meeting room, but the atmosphere noticeably became heavier.

"The legal department is already processing the breach of contract penalty, but the focus of this matter is not on compensation."

Fei Zhao tapped the remote control, and a set of data popped up on the screen.

"The singer from Starway Entertainment who is making it onto the charts in August is their newly crowned A-list female singer, He Ying."

"He Ying broke into the top ten of the annual hot song chart at the end of last year with her song 'Dark Surge,' and her momentum is very strong this year. StarTour has been providing her with resources."

"And Chu Nan—it's highly likely he tailored a chart-topping song specifically for her."

Zhao Heng, the director of the composition department, frowned: "The contract Chu Nan signed with us originally stipulated that the song for August was written for Shen Wei. Now he's switched to Starway Music... He Ying's singing skills and audience base are both strong, and with Chu Nan's lyrics and music, Starway Music has practically secured a high position on the Star Cloud Chart in August."

Fei Zhao nodded.

"So the problem is very clear."

"Our artist for August is Shen Wei, but we're currently missing a hit song."

She looked at Zhao Heng.

"Tell me about the situation in the composition department."

Zhao Heng put down his coffee cup, looking somewhat troubled.

"Mr. Fei, it's not that I don't want to take it. The composition department is currently... truly unable to spare the time."

"On the senior composer side, Chen Yu took on an OST for a Shengshi Pictures film last month, with his schedule booked until September. Liu Yan is working on an album for Wang Rui of Qinghe Media; the contract is exclusive, so we can't touch it. On the ace composer side, Fang Zhou said he doesn't plan to take on any chart-topping comrades in the second half of the year and wants to take a break."

"Other senior and above composers either have contracts or don't plan to release any music this month."

Zhao Heng sighed, his tone full of helplessness.

"To put it bluntly, among the top-tier composers planning to chart in August, Chu Nan is practically the only one left in the entire industry."

"And Chu Nan is now on Xingtu's side."

The meeting room fell silent for a few seconds.

The publicity and promotion director couldn't help but ask, "What about our own composition department? If we don't have senior composers, what about mid-level composers? If all else fails, could we fill in some promising young composers?"

Zhao Heng gave a wry smile.

"A chart-topping song is no joke. August is the peak summer season, the most competitive month for streaming. Mid-level composers' experience is mainly in single production; the comprehensive abilities required for a chart-topping song—arrangement sophistication, market judgment, and emotional control—are beyond their reach. Young composers are even less proven. If they're tasked with carrying a chart-topping song and it flops, it won't just be Shen Wei's problem—Tianxing's entire chart-topping strategy for August will be affected."

"Everyone knows how important August is."

Fei Zhao's tone became slightly more somber.

"The reference period for Song of the Year nominations is from January to December of that year. However, those in the industry know that the judging panel places particular emphasis on performances during the summer season—especially July and August."

She paused for a moment, her gaze sweeping across the Nebula Ranking data for July on the screen.

"There's an even more troublesome situation: Xingtu has been completely ahead of us throughout July. Lu Ting's 'The Lone Wanderer' has already topped the Xingyun Chart. Throughout July, Tianxing only had one song barely squeeze into the top ten of the Xingyun Chart, and it was only ninth."

"If we can't come up with a good song in August, we at Sky Music might not get a single nomination for the year-end Golden Melody Awards."

"Shen Wei has been a top-tier singer for a long time. Both her company and she herself consider this year crucial for winning the 'Best Female Singer' award. Without a good ranking on the August Star Chart, Shen Wei has no advantage whatsoever in the competition."

At this point, everyone understood the seriousness of the situation.

This isn't about missing a song.

What's missing is a song that can directly compete with Starway Entertainment during the August summer movie season.

There are practically no available people in the market who can write this kind of song.

"Zhao Heng, no matter what, get the composition department to come up with songs suitable for charting as soon as possible, whether they're from mid-level or young composers. Now is not the time to pick and choose; everyone who can write songs should be promoted."

Fei Zhao stood up, his tone returning to its usual crispness.

Zhao Heng nodded, his expression solemn.

"As for Shen Wei, let's try to calm her down first."

"Report any progress to me immediately."

That concludes today's meeting.

Meanwhile, in a hotel in Beijing—

Lin Yuan was awakened by hunger.

The stomach's ultimatum is simple: either get up and eat, or it will go on strike along with the duodenum.

He opened his eyes and stared at the hotel ceiling for ten seconds.

The sunlight outside the window was so bright that he wondered if it was morning or noon.

The phone on the bedside table showed the time: 10:47 AM.

well.

He successfully blurred the line between breakfast and lunch by sleeping.

Lin Yuan turned over, buried his face in the pillow, and began to calculate rapidly in his mind.

If I get up in ten minutes, spend fifteen minutes washing up, and twenty minutes going downstairs to find something to eat, then I'll probably start my workday around 11:30.

At 11:30, in most restaurant schedules, it is an awkward transitional period—breakfast is dead, lunch is not yet ready, and all that remains are a group of breakfast stalls that have not yet closed and the kitchen that has already begun to warm up.

He thought about it and decided to postpone his plan of "getting up in ten minutes" to "fifteen minutes later".

Since I'm already late, being five more minutes late won't make a difference.

Lin Yuan has one redeeming quality: he never deceives himself when it comes to self-deception.

Fifteen minutes later, he did indeed get up.

It wasn't because of self-discipline, but because the pillow was so hot from his sleeping on it. He turned over and it was still hot on both sides. If he continued to lie on it, it would turn into a pancake.

He sat up, rubbed his hair, and went to the bathroom to wash up.

The young man in the mirror had handsome features, but his eyes held a sleepy, nonchalant look, like a cat just dragged out of its den—calm on the surface, but deep down contemplating how to take revenge on the world.