Chapter 48: The Backup

The conversation between them continued in the same way — formal, with a hint of sarcasm. Xia Jinnian, sitting beside Lin Xiyue, was nearly falling asleep because it was utterly unnutritious for her attention.

But Lin Ziyu seemed to be in a rather good mood. After all, her purpose in coming was to see her “good little sister” struggle but refuse to admit defeat. That sense of superiority only reinforced her belief that her career jump back then was the right choice.

Lin Xiyue, on the other hand, felt genuinely helpless. She couldn’t find any way to fight back. Moral condemnation was useless; otherwise, she would have received an apology after all these years.

Even her own talent in music production, or Xia Jinnian’s vocal talent surpassing Lin Ziyu’s at the same age, couldn’t be used as a defense — unrealized talent was worth nothing.

“Ding-dong.”

Their phones rang simultaneously.

“Sorry, just checking a message. After all, at this level, everyone you deal with is high-profile; you can’t be careless~”

Lin Ziyu took out her phone, tapped the email icon with the red notification dot, and froze — just like Lin Xiyue had the first time they met…

[Our production team has selected the theme song. In the interest of fairness and transparency as previously promised, here are the top ten submissions:]

It was an email from the Fleet of Youth production team, listing the top ten entries in the selection.

Lin Ziyu’s name appeared first to catch her eye — but she was ranked second. That meant she missed the perfect opportunity to ascend to A-list status.

But that wasn’t the worst part. The first place listed “Lin Xiyue” and “Lin Entertainment.” Lin Ziyu was stunned. Could this really be real?

Seeing Lin Ziyu’s obvious emotional shift, Lin Xiyue couldn’t help glancing at the email herself, a subtle change appearing on her face.

“Pfft~”

She read it again and again, unable to hold back a laugh.

She had been worried about not finding a way to retaliate, but now her chance had arrived perfectly.

“Sorry, Miss Lin Ziyu, I accidentally snatched the theme song rights. Will this affect your A-list promotion? Looks like you’ll have to stay near-A-list a while longer~”

Lin Ziyu didn’t respond. Her mind was still on the email.

Why?! By status, vocal ability, and quality of work, she should have far surpassed Lin Xiyue and Lin Entertainment. How did she lose?!

“What did you give the production team?!”

Lin Ziyu could no longer remain composed. This opportunity was crucial — missing it could delay her A-list ascension indefinitely.

In the entertainment industry, luck mattered as much as talent.

Even stars stronger than her had submitted entries. Lin Xiyue’s style just happened to fit the film’s theme perfectly. That was her advantage — her luck.

But she didn’t seize it, and Lin Xiyue stole it instead. She couldn’t accept it.

“Advantage? My work is simply better and brings more revenue to the production. That’s it~”

Feeling Lin Ziyu’s composure collapse, Lin Xiyue felt a surge of satisfaction.

Winning the performance rights from Lin Ziyu was even more thrilling than the rights themselves. It was a just punishment for a bad woman — and this was only the beginning.

“How is this possible?!”

Lin Ziyu even checked the sender, suspecting a prank.

“You must have done something underhanded!”

“Too weak? Practice more. Can’t handle losing? Don’t play. Past is past, now is now.”

Lin Xiyue shrugged confidently.

Defeating Lin Ziyu for the performance rights was beyond her expectations, but she had to appear confident.

The strong humiliate the weak, especially when the weak had a grudge against them.

“Oh, by the way, Sister Ziyu, just in case you forgot, I’m still a rookie without even a three-line certification — yet I still beat you~”

“By the way, Sister Ziyu, if you lose this opportunity, you’ll have to wait even longer for A-list, huh?”

“Keep it up, oh spotlight-grabbing big sister. Don’t let me reach A-list before you finally take that last step~”

Xia Jinnian watched from the side, amused at her friend’s seamless transition from passive defense to aggressive offense, and at Lin Ziyu’s descent from haughty to hysterical.

Lin Xiyue glanced at her. Though silent, Xia Jinnian could read the meaning perfectly:

Ride the tailwind while you can — why fight fair when you have the advantage?

“You?!”

Lin Ziyu, never good at quarrels, was stunned by Lin Xiyue’s barrage and momentarily speechless, dizzy with anger.

Her manager quickly stepped in, pulling her up and opening the private room door.

Lin Ziyu couldn’t afford to lose face here — any scandal could trigger massive public opinion backlash.

“Sorry, Miss Lin, Miss Xia, Miss Lin Ziyu has a sudden engagement and must leave first—”

The manager dragged away the sulking Lin Ziyu. Even the manager was puzzled — if she hadn’t been selected, why hadn’t the email been sent sooner?

Downstairs, they met a young, innocent-looking girl.

“Miss Lin Ziyu, I’ll tell you some insider info about the production team.”

“Your submission wasn’t returned immediately because the director worried Lin Xiyue wouldn’t agree to their usage terms, so they left yours hanging.”

“In other words… you were just a backup. Don’t overestimate yourself—”

The girl leaned close, speaking coldly in a soft, cute voice.

Lin Ziyu, already devastated, went pale. How could this happen?

She never dreamed she’d lose to Lin Xiyue — and in this way.

****************

Inside the private room:

With Lin Ziyu gone, Lin Xiyue and Xia Jinnian also had no reason to stay. They left.

When the waitstaff came with dishes, they found the room empty, slightly bewildered.

“Hello, pack up these dishes for me. I’ll take them home.”

The door opened, and a small girl peeked in.

“Xiaoyue, everything else is fine, but don’t waste food this time~”

She muttered softly after calling out…