Chapter 12: Zhou Li

“What’s wrong, Mom? Isn’t Jin Nian’s performance pretty good?”

Lin Xiyue asked with her hands on her hips.

Well, she is my future wife—of course she’s amazing, right?

“She’s fine. Better than you, at least.”

Xu Wei chuckled as she replied.

She knew her daughter’s abilities all too well.
The girl had talent, sure, but after what happened with Lin Ziyu, her father had forbidden her from ever stepping foot into the entertainment industry again.

Even so, Xiyue had received some professional training growing up.
Compared to Xia Jin Nian, her foundation was much stronger.

But despite that, Jin Nian’s singing ability was still superior—this was the difference that talent made.

It really felt like Lin Entertainment had struck gold, especially in such difficult times.
For them, this was like a miracle gift dropped from the heavens.

“I’ll go home and grab my ID card!”

For once, Xia Jin Nian couldn’t contain her excitement.
She was about to take her very first step toward chasing her dream.

It was three-thirty in the afternoon.
A quick trip home and back wouldn’t take long.
As long as she returned before the end of the workday, it’d be fine—Xu Wei didn’t mind waiting.

Once the signing was decided, mother and daughter returned to the office.
One resumed work at the computer, while the other stared blankly at the sheet music before her.

Xu Wei’s heart was still unsettled.
She pulled up an old report on her screen—it recorded Lin Ziyu’s progress and growth back in the day.

It was clear what she was thinking: she intended to compare Xia Jin Nian’s data with Lin Ziyu’s.

After so many years as a producer, she knew very well that with Jin Nian’s level of talent, the girl was unlikely to fall short of Lin Ziyu.

And with that kind of ability, if a talent scout had discovered her, she would’ve been guaranteed a contract with an A-level entertainment company.

But no one paid attention to middle school singing competitions.
They had no real credibility, even if Jin Nian had been crowned triple champion.

Because of that oversight, Xu Wei had picked up an unexpected treasure.
Looking at Jin Nian, she felt as if she were seeing the future of Lin Entertainment itself.

Knock, knock, knock—

Suddenly, someone rapped urgently on the office door.

“Come in.”

Xu Wei frowned slightly but still allowed the visitor to enter.

The door opened, revealing a heavily made-up woman in her early thirties—a mature beauty.

The moment Xu Wei saw her, her heart sank.

Zhou Li.

A second-tier celebrity.

She’d been invited that very morning to audition—but she’d turned up her nose and refused to come.
Now she was suddenly here, all smiles?

In the entertainment world, only third-tier and above could even call themselves “celebrities.”
And a second-tier star was already more than enough to serve as the leading artist of a B-level company.

Lin Entertainment was no exception.
Zhou Li was their top artist—the only second-tier celebrity they had left.

Back then, to keep her from leaving, Xu Wei had even agreed to a non-exclusive free contract, allowing Zhou Li to stay loosely affiliated with Lin Entertainment and only appear when good songs came up.

This year, a huge chunk of the company’s “maintenance funds” depended on her.

“What can I do for you, Miss Zhou?”

“President Xu, we’ve known each other for years, so I’ll skip the pleasantries.”

Zhou Li removed her sunglasses.
Perhaps she’d come in a rush—her makeup was half-done, and faint traces of age were showing beneath the powder.

“I want that song ‘Meteor Shower.’
Let me sing it.
I guarantee it’ll become a platinum single.
And in return, I’ll lower my fees for any future songs Lin Entertainment wants me to record.
How about it?”

Xu Wei didn’t respond immediately.
She weighed the proposal carefully.

She knew how strong ‘Meteor Shower’ was—a three-thousand-point rating on the StarNet charts.
Combined with Zhou Li’s veteran skills and established fanbase, platinum status was nearly guaranteed.

A million sales at three yuan each.
Half for the company, thirty percent to the producer.
That meant at least 2.4 million yuan in Xu Wei’s pocket—before counting sponsorships or higher potential sales.

It was a tempting offer, one that could fill the gap in the several-million-yuan funding shortfall for Lin Entertainment’s survival.

But Xu Wei also knew she’d already promised the original song rights to Xia Jin Nian.
And Zhou Li’s voice simply didn’t fit the song.
Giving it to her would waste its potential entirely.

Yet the reality was… Xu Wei was both the producer and the president.
If she wanted to take the song back, she could do so with a single sentence.

Besides, with Zhou Li’s star power, the song’s commercial success would likely surpass Jin Nian’s version, even if the emotional tone didn’t match.

So what should she do?

“And if I refuse, Miss Zhou?”

“Then I’ll terminate all my contracts with Lin Entertainment.
From now on, I won’t participate in any of your company’s projects.”

Zhou Li sneered.
She was indeed regretting her arrogance that morning—if she’d known the song was worth over three thousand points, she’d have rushed over immediately.

Still, she believed she had Xu Wei cornered.
Without her—the only second-tier celebrity holding up the brand—Lin Entertainment would surely fall to C-level status next year.

“In that case,” Xu Wei said with a calm smile, “I refuse your request.
You may leave, Miss Zhou.”

“…What—Wait, what did you just say?! Refuse?! Xu Wei, are you insane?!
Do you want to lose that ten-million maintenance fund?
Are you trying to shut Lin Entertainment down?!”

Zhou Li stared at her in disbelief.
She had never expected Xu Wei to reject her—especially when threatened with a full contract withdrawal.

“Xiao Li,” Xu Wei called lightly, waving her hand toward the door, “see Miss Zhou out.”

The young secretary stepped forward, giving a polite gesture.

“Miss Zhou, this way, please.”

“You—! Xu Wei, you’ll regret this!
When you come crawling back begging me to return, it won’t be so easy then!”

She turned sharply on her heel, storming out of the office in fury.