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

Zhou Hongyuan shifted his gaze from Wu Liang to Chen Ting'an.

"Ting'an, what's your plan?"

"My suggestion is to have Qin Mu compete in the September Star Cloud Ranking."

"Qin Mu, our Starway's top composer, is also recognized as the industry's leading figure. In his fifteen years in the industry, his works have topped the Star Cloud Chart five times, ranked in the top three eleven times, won the Best Composer of the Year award three times, and he penned two Golden Melody Award-winning compositions. There's a saying in the industry—'When Qin Mu makes a melody, the top spot is guaranteed.' While that's a bit of an exaggeration, it speaks volumes."

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over each of the directors present.

"For the past three years, Qin Mu's works have topped at least one chart each year. Last year, his composition for Lin Man, 'Deep Sea,' deservedly won the Golden Melody Award. In terms of talent, experience, and the rate of hit songs produced, Qin Mu is the pinnacle of the domestic composition industry. With him personally handling the September chart push, we have every confidence to go head-to-head with Tianxing."

The directors exchanged glances, and some nodded slightly.

"Besides Qin Mu," Chen Ting'an's tone shifted, "we've also deployed senior composer Chu Nan as a second line of defense."

The moment the name was mentioned, the atmosphere in the meeting room subtly shifted.

Some people frowned, while others hesitated – after all, the defeat in August was still fresh in everyone's mind. Chu Nan's "Midsummer" was overturned by a newcomer, and this matter is still a thorn in the side of Xingtu.

Chen Ting'an seemed oblivious, and continued calmly:

"Although Chu Nan was the loser in August, his strength is undeniable, and he has delivered many outstanding works over the past three years. August's problem wasn't his ability, but his underestimation of his opponent. In September, I'll give him one last chance—let him bring a chart-topping song."

The directors remained silent, each considering their options. After a moment, one of them nodded slightly, offering no immediate objection.

Chen Ting-an continued, "As for the singers—for two chart-topping songs, I suggest this combination."

He tapped the remote control, and two lines of solutions popped up on the screen.

"First song: Qin Mu and Bo Laikun."

"Berlekun's 'Because You're Too Beautiful' secured a top-five spot on the Nebula Chart in July, demonstrating its undeniable appeal among young audiences. With Qin Mu's compositional talent combined with Berlekun's massive fanbase, this line is poised to dominate the charts."

The directors nodded slightly; this combination was indeed prudent—Qin Mu's works provided a solid foundation, while Bolaikun's fan base provided the initial impetus.

"The second piece: composed by senior composer Chu Nan in collaboration with Shen Wei."

"Shen Wei?" A director frowned. "Isn't she from Tianxing?"

Chen Ting'an's lips curved slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.

"Shen Wei recently proactively offered a collaboration, indicating her intention to terminate her contract and join our company, Starway."

As soon as these words were spoken, a buzz of discussion immediately broke out in the conference room.

"Shen Wei switched companies?" The director with the gold-rimmed glasses widened his eyes. "A top-tier singer at Tianxing? She was just one step away from becoming a 'Queen of Pop'!"

"That's right." Chen Ting'an nodded. "Shen Wei has completely lost faith in Tianxing—the reason is related to the August chart-topping efforts, but I won't go into details. The important thing is that she proactively approached us. She asked Chu Nan to write a song for her. With Shen Wei's singing skills combined with Chu Nan's composition, this approach targets female audiences and the mass market, aiming to secure a top-three position."

Zhou Hongyuan pondered for a moment: "Shen Wei's strength is beyond doubt, but how do we resolve her contract issue? Tianxing won't release her easily."

"The legal department has already prepared the contract, just waiting for the board's order," Chen Ting'an said confidently. "Moreover—"

He turned around, his gaze sharpening.

"My plan is to directly sign a stringent performance-based agreement with Shen Wei regarding the rankings."

"Her new song broke into the top three on the Star Chart in September, and the company is pouring resources into promoting her to become a top female singer."

"If the results are dismal, she will have to bear the hefty penalty for breach of contract herself."

After he finished speaking, a collective gasp filled the conference room.

This move is too cruel.

They pushed Shen Wei to the edge of a cliff; it was either a phoenix rising from the ashes or utter destruction. There was no middle ground.

"It's a good opportunity to use Shen Wei as one of our main fighters in September, to test her true commercial value." Chen Ting'an adjusted his glasses, his tone calm. "Only by cutting off her escape route with a performance-based agreement will she truly fight tooth and nail."

"We'll pursue two fronts simultaneously to ensure we secure at least two spots in the top five of the September Nebula Rankings."

He closed the remote control and calmly looked at each of the directors present.

"This is the ranking strategy for September."

The meeting room was silent for about ten seconds.

Then, Zhou Hongyuan spoke first.

"Everyone, what are your opinions?"

The directors exchanged glances.

Some frowned, some nodded, and some hesitated, flipping through the data report. But in the end, no one objected.

Because everyone knows that if we lose in August and then lose in September, the year is truly over.

The director of the gold-rimmed glasses company was the first to speak: "I have no objections. The plan is clear, and we really can't afford to lose again in September."

The other directors echoed this sentiment.

Zhou Hongyuan looked around and nodded.

"good."

"The September plan was passed unanimously."

He stood up and his gaze fell on Wu Liang.

Wu Liang felt as if his spine had been removed, shrinking into the chair as if he wanted to crawl under the table.

"Wu Liang."

Zhou Hongyuan's voice was flat, but Wu Liang could sense the weight in it.

"Chen Ting'an will oversee the execution of the September plan; you will fully cooperate. You will handle the negotiations with Qin Mu and Chu Nan. The legal department will follow up on Shen Wei's signing of the contract and the performance-based agreement."

"September... Only success is allowed, failure is not an option."

"Do you understand?"

Wu Liang jumped to his feet, his back bent three-quarters of the way: "Understood! I will definitely live up to the board's trust!"

Zhou Hongyuan didn't look at him again and turned to leave the conference room.

At 8 p.m. that evening.

Shen Wei posted a message on her personal Weibo account:

[Shen Wei V: Thank you Tianxing Entertainment for your nurturing and support over the past five years. After careful consideration, I have decided to embark on a new journey. Let's walk the road ahead together.]

The comment section exploded instantly.

"Holy crap??? Shen Wei has officially announced her departure from Tianxing?!"

"Five years have passed, and you're finally gone?"

"As expected, the rumors about the falling out with Fei Zhao at the karaoke room were true!"

What does "new journey" mean? Which company are you going to?

"Could it be a career path...?"

Before the public could even process what was happening, Starway Entertainment's official Weibo account reposted Shen Wei's post at 8:20 AM, with a single line of text—

[Star Journey Entertainment V: Welcome Shen Wei. September, a new beginning.]

This caused an uproar across the entire internet.

The hashtag #ShenWeiTerminatesContractWithTianxingAndSignsWithXingtu# rose from the bottom of the trending topics list and jumped to the top within just twenty minutes.

Read count: 3.7 million.

Number of discussions: 189 million.

The comment section below the entry is more lively than setting off firecrackers during Chinese New Year!

"As expected, it's Starway! Shen Wei has switched to Starway!"

"Tianxing terminates contract with a top-tier singer? What kind of move is this?"

"Has Tianxing gone mad? Throwing away a top-tier singer like that?"

"You all need to understand, it was Shen Wei who wanted to leave, not Tianxing who didn't want her."

"But the timing is too coincidental, isn't it? 'Summer Wind' just topped the August charts, and Shen Wei immediately switched to Starway Entertainment? This is clearly revenge!"

Zhao Heng was so startled by the notification on his phone at 9:30 p.m. that he jumped up from the sofa.

He was leaning back on the sofa watching a variety show, still clutching half a slice of watermelon in his hand. The moment the notification popped up on the screen, Zhao Heng's hand trembled, and the watermelon fell directly onto his pants.

Breaking News! Shen Wei officially announces her departure from Tianxing Entertainment and signing with Xingtu!

Zhao Heng didn't even bother wiping his pants; he grabbed his phone and frantically tapped on the details page.

After reading Shen Wei's nonchalant "new journey" Weibo post, and then seeing Starway Entertainment's official repost, Zhao Heng felt his blood pressure soaring.

"Is she crazy?"

And he even went to his arch-rival, Starway?

Zhao Heng became increasingly restless and eventually dialed Fei Zhao's number.

"Feed."

"President Fei, have you seen what happened with Shen Wei?"

"I saw it." Fei Zhao's tone was very calm. "I found out this afternoon. The legal department notified me when her legal team came to the company to process the contract termination."

Zhao Heng was taken aback: "She..."

Fei Zhao paused for a moment: "She also sent me a WeChat message."

"She said Tianxing couldn't give her what she wanted."

Zhao Heng tightened his grip on his phone.

He had also heard about Shen Wei's confrontation with Fei Zhao in the karaoke room.

Unexpectedly, just a few days later, Shen Wei really turned hostile.

"So... what are the company's plans to do?" Zhao Heng asked cautiously.

"Handled it over?" Fei Zhao chuckled. "She's already finished."

"Full compensation for breach of contract, payable in a lump sum."

Zhao Heng gasped.

"Full amount? How much...how much did she lose?"

"Eight figures," Fei Zhao said calmly, "enough to cripple her savings."

Zhao Heng remained silent.

An eight-figure penalty for breach of contract.

Shen Wei is determined to leave, even if it means losing everything she owns, she will leave Tianxing.

"Does she...do she hate the company that much?" Zhao Heng's voice was somewhat hoarse.

There was silence for a few seconds on the other end of the phone.

Then Fei Zhao spoke, his tone carrying a hint of something ambiguous: "It's not just hatred, it's also impatience."

"She's waited five years for the title of Best Female Singer," Fei Zhao said calmly. "StarTour made her a promise: if she gets into the top three on the charts in September, they'll allocate all their resources for the year to help her achieve that title."

Zhao Heng gave a wry smile: "She actually believes what Xingtu says?"

"Whether you believe it or not is unimportant," Fei Zhao's voice regained its composure. "What's important is that she chose to take a gamble."

Before Zhao Heng could say anything more, Fei Zhao interrupted him:

"Zhao Heng, things have come to this point; there's no need to dwell on Shen Wei anymore. Tianxing Entertainment won't shut down just because Shen Wei is gone. We should continue preparing for the September Star Chart."

"……clear."

After hanging up the phone, Zhao Heng sat on the sofa and stared blankly at the night view outside the window for a long time.