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

Meanwhile, in the capital city, at Qiwu Residence.

The night was deep, but a light was still on in the study on the second floor.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city lights shone brightly. Inside, Fei Zhao leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the computer screen, a chill settling over his expression.

On the computer screen, the last email from the composition department lay quietly.

Progress report on the shortlisted tracks for the August Star Chart.

In short: no outstanding works yet.

In plain language, it means: "I can't do it."

Fei Zhao rubbed his temples, feeling that he might have owed the composition department a high-interest loan in his past life, and they had come to collect the debt in this life.

But misfortunes never come singly.

My phone screen lit up, and I received a screenshot of a push notification from the public relations department.

[Starway Entertainment officially announces: Singer He Ying's new single "Midsummer" is scheduled for release in mid-August. Compiled by renowned composer Chu Nan, stay tuned.]

Fei Zhao stared at the message, his eyes as cold as if he had just been pulled out of a freezer.

Chu Nan.

The composer, who had originally signed a contract with Tianxing Entertainment, hadn't even finished writing on the contract when he turned around and offered his services to Xingtu Entertainment. He paid the breach of contract penalty with such ease, as if money wasn't money at all, and was the most annoying thing he had ever seen in his life.

Now look at them, they've made an official announcement and even started deploying promotional resources.

Star Journey is clearly trying to humiliate Tianxing on the August Star Cloud Ranking.

Fei Zhao closed his eyes, and the face of the boy on the high-speed train involuntarily appeared in his mind.

Young, carefree, with an unfathomable certainty in his eyes.

She still kept the note that was handed to her before leaving in her bag; she didn't throw it away.

At the time, I just thought it was a young person's whim and didn't take it to heart. But now...

Fei Zhao paused for two seconds, opened his bag, and pulled out the note.

The handwriting on it is still neat and clean, just like its owner, exuding a casual "take it or leave it" attitude.

She picked up her phone and dialed the number.

-

Lin Yuan was fast asleep, dreaming that he had just become the overlord of the online novel world, with thousands of readers begging for updates, creating a scene of great excitement.

Then my phone rang.

The ringing bell shattered the silence of the room like a bolt from the blue, instantly turning his imperial dreams to shreds.

Lin Yuan, eyes still closed, reached for his phone, his voice dripping with morning grumpiness:

"Who is it? Calling in the middle of the night, demanding more updates?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

Then a familiar female voice rang out, calm yet carrying a hint of a half-smile:

"Kobayashi, are you already asleep at this hour?"

Lin Yuan opened his eyes, glanced at the caller ID, and then at the time.

10 PM.

He instantly became more alert, sat up abruptly, and his voice instantly shifted from drowsy to teasing:

"Sister Fei, it's the middle of the night, why aren't you sleeping? I don't offer sleep-inducing services."

Fei Zhao raised an eyebrow at his abrupt "sleep-inducing service," and the irritation that had been weighing on her chest inexplicably dissipated.

"What, your business is quite extensive?"

"Of course, it mainly depends on the client's looks when taking orders." Lin Yuan leaned against the headboard, grinning broadly. "But Sister Fei, you're different; I'll definitely give you special treatment."

Fei Zhao chuckled lightly, too lazy to argue with him.

"Alright, enough joking. You said last time that if Tianxing needed a song, he could contact you."

"For the August Star Chart, we need a hit song. Do you have one?"

After listening, Lin Yuan deliberately dragged out the sound:

"Yes, there is..."

He paused, a hint of triumphant amusement in his voice:

"But if you had called any later, Sister Fei, I might have sold the song to someone else."

Fei Zhao paused for a moment, then smiled slightly.

This little guy, though young, has quite the big mouth.

"Send the items over so I can take a look."

"Okay, Sister Fei, let's add each other on WeChat first? Otherwise, my song won't be able to travel over the phone line."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"you say."

Lin Yuan gave a string of WeChat IDs.

A moment later, Lin Yuan clicked "accept," and Fei Zhao's avatar popped up.

"Alright, send it."

"Alright, Sister Fei, please wait a moment."

Lin Yuan hung up the phone, got out of bed, and opened his laptop.

The moment the screen lit up, he stared at the song he had prepared long ago in the folder, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

Come here.

It's no fun if we don't stir up some trouble.

He sent the lyrics and demo file over.

A moment later, Fei Zhao's phone vibrated; WeChat notified him of a new file.

Fei Zhao opened the file and glanced at the lyrics first.

She stopped after just one glance.

Without piling up flowery language or deliberately exaggerating emotions, the imagery is like a summer breeze, refreshing and invigorating.

Each word is distinct, yet together they possess a power that softens the heart.

She put on her headphones and opened the demo.

The intro begins, as clean as the afternoon sunlight streaming through the window.

Then a clear voice flowed out along with the melody—

Lazy, clean, with a touch of summer's unique relaxation.

It's like someone whispering in your ear: Don't rush, summer is still long.

Fei Zhao leaned back in his chair and listened to the whole thing with his eyes closed.

She suddenly opened her eyes, and the light in them was astonishing.

This song...

No need for flashy techniques, no need for screaming, and not even a complicated arrangement.

It is summer itself.

It floats lightly into your ear and then stays there, refusing to leave.

Fei Zhao took off his headphones.

August Star Chart.

She had already been considering whether to strategically abandon this month in order to preserve her reputation at the end of the year.

But now.

She suddenly gained complete confidence.

Fei Zhao picked up his phone and dialed back.

The moment the call connected, she got straight to the point:

"I want the song. Name your terms."

Lin Yuan seemed to have anticipated her reaction, his voice carrying a hint of triumphant laughter:

"Sister Fei is straightforward."

"My conditions are very simple—the singer who sings this song must be personally selected by me, and it must be a female singer."

Fei Zhao frowned slightly: "You?"

"Yes, it's me."

Lin Yuan said confidently, "I wrote the song, and I know best who is suitable for it and who isn't."

"Of course, if Sister Fei doesn't trust me, you can hang up now. Let's each go our separate ways and meet again someday."

Fei Zhao was taken aback by his "take it or leave it" attitude.

And yet, she couldn't find any fault with it.

After all, I've already heard the song.

She hadn't found anyone of that caliber in the composition department in the past few years.

After a moment of silence, Fei Zhao uttered a single word:

"OK."

"You can select the singers. But you must come to Tianxing Entertainment tomorrow for a face-to-face meeting."

Lin Yuan yawned, his voice immediately becoming lazy:

"No problem tomorrow."

"Sister Fei, I'll stop here now, I'm going to sleep. I'm getting old, I can't stay up all night."

"Whatever it is, let's settle it face to face at Tianxing Entertainment tomorrow."

Fei Zhao: "..."

Getting old?

If she remembered correctly, this guy had just finished his college entrance exams.

If eighteen years old is considered old, then shouldn't she be able to retire right away at that age?

Before Fei Zhao could even complain, the phone went dead.

Lin Yuan hung it up so cleanly.

Fei Zhao stared at his phone screen for a long time before suddenly bursting out laughing.

"interesting."

She put her phone aside, opened the demo again, and listened to it once more.

This time, she had even started brainstorming promotional plans.

After listening, Fei Zhao picked up his phone and dialed another number.

When the call connected, she spoke slowly, but with an undeniable force:

"Zhao Heng, notify all female singers under Tianxing Entertainment, from top-tier to lower-tier, to report to the company tomorrow morning."

Yes, all of them.

"Not a single one is allowed to be absent."

"I want to choose the people myself."

Zhao Heng on the other end of the phone looked bewildered: "President Fei, what happened? Why all this fuss..."

Fei Zhao looked out the window at the night scene, a slight smile playing on his lips, a long-lost sharpness in his eyes.

"fine."

"It's the August Star Chart; those guys at Starway Entertainment should know—"

"Who truly rules this summer?"