Chapter Ten: Recording the Song (Please Continue Reading)

“I asked Miss Xia, and she said she’s willing to promote your new song,” Sister Li said.

Upon hearing this, Yi Yunxue let out a sigh of relief. “At critical moments, this girl is truly dependable.”

“Miss Xia also mentioned that if you can’t find a company you like later, you might consider their Tangxin Culture,” Sister Li added.

Yi Yunxue smiled wryly, feeling a warmth in her heart. Indeed, true feelings are revealed in hardship; her previous care for this girl was not in vain.

“I’ll message her later. Sister Li, does that mean the others won’t be involved in this promotion at all?”

“Yes,” Sister Li nodded.

Yi Yunxue’s eyes were calm as still water, which was somewhat expected. Most people maintain relationships only for their own benefit. It’s natural for each to fend for themselves in times of crisis. Previously, they all pretended to be close, but when she fell upon hard times, they all kept their distance.

“It’s fine. We’ll handle the promotion ourselves. I already have a decent following. If the company won’t help, so be it. Good wine needs no bush,” she said.

...

That afternoon, Chen Jiang had just finished writing over ten thousand words for a chapter and updated it.

He checked the bookmarks; in just one day, there were already more than thirty bookmarks and several new comments.

“New author? Doesn’t seem like it! The writing is solid, and the setting is great. Just wish the updates were more frequent!”

“Found this book in a recent update—surprisingly good! Just too short. It’s way better than those on the current charts. I’ve already shared it in other novel groups. Good books deserve more publicity!”

There were about four or five comments like this. Chen Jiang guessed these readers had come from other novel groups.

Even before any formal recommendations or exposure, the numbers were promising. Indeed, the mysterious novel was even more captivating in this world than in his past life.

In his previous life, the market had been somewhat developed, but the current web novel market was still a murky pond.

Readers, tired of cliché stories full of pretense and slaps to the face, found this fresh novel particularly appealing, causing a response that was incomparable to before.

Now that this stone had been cast, it was just a matter of how much rippling it would cause.

At that moment, his phone buzzed.

Chen Jiang picked it up.

[Yi Yunxue]: Chen Jiang, I’m recording the song the day after tomorrow. Are you free then? I want to invite you to the studio to be part of the process.

[Yi Yunxue]: After all, you wrote the song. I think the final product needs your input. (Shivering)

[Chen Jiang]: No problem. I’ll be there.

Chen Jiang smiled, immediately recognizing the girl’s intentions.

Clearly, she lacked confidence in herself and wanted Chen Jiang to review the song.

After all, no one understood this song better than its author.

[Yi Yunxue]: (Thank you)

[Yi Yunxue]: Someone will pick you up the day after tomorrow!

[Chen Jiang]: Okay.

...

Two days passed in a flash.

That noon, just after finishing lunch, Chen Jiang received a call from Yi Yunxue.

“Chen Jiang, my manager says her car has arrived at the community. The license plate is...”

“Alright, I’m coming down now.”

He went downstairs and saw the car Yi Yunxue had mentioned parked at the community entrance.

It was a somewhat business-style electric vehicle.

“Hello,” Chen Jiang knocked gently on the car window.

The window rolled down.

“Are you Mr. Chen?”

Chen Jiang saw a woman in her thirties wearing sunglasses behind the wheel. It was Sister Li.

She was stunned the moment she saw Chen Jiang.

She hadn’t expected this genius lyricist and composer Yi Yunxue often spoke of to be so young—and quite good-looking at that.

With such talent and appearance, if she debuted as a singer, her chances of stardom would be high!

Her heart stirred a little.

“Yes, that’s me. I’ve heard about you from Yunxue. You’re Sister Li, right?”

“That’s right. Mr. Chen, please get in,” Sister Li nodded.

Chen Jiang opened the door and sat in the back seat.

Turning around, Sister Li politely said, “Mr. Chen, thank you for your help today.”

Chen Jiang smiled and shook his head. “Not a bother. After all, I wrote the song, so I should be there to oversee the recording.”

The car drove along the road.

After about twenty minutes, it stopped beneath a building.

“Mr. Chen, we’re here,” Sister Li said.

Chen Jiang got out and followed Sister Li inside.

When the elevator stopped on the sixth floor and he stepped out, Chen Jiang was stunned by the sign at the door:

“Banxia Recording Studio.”

Wasn’t Yi Yunxue signed to Tianxing Entertainment?

Large companies usually had their own recording studios, but this was clearly a private studio.

Chen Jiang hadn’t realized that Yi Yunxue’s relationship with Tianxing Entertainment had deteriorated to this extent.

Entering the studio, Chen Jiang immediately saw Yi Yunxue sitting on the sofa, with a girl beside her.

The girl was also very attractive, with a cute style.

Chen Jiang instantly recognized her.

Tang Xiaxia!

An artist who had been very popular these past two years.

“Chen Jiang, you’re here?”

Noticing someone had entered, Yi Yunxue looked up with joy.

...

“Xiaxia, let me introduce you. This is Chen Jiang, my downstairs neighbor and the lyricist and composer of ‘Encounter.’”

She turned to Tang Xiaxia.

“Chen Jiang, this is Tang Xiaxia. Not sure if you’ve heard of her—she’s an artist under Tangxin Culture.”

“Of course, I’ve heard of her. Miss Tang is quite famous,” Chen Jiang smiled.

“You’re the creator of ‘Encounter’? Finally, I get to meet you in person!”

“When I saw the sheet music yesterday, I thought it was written by some top-tier lyricist-composer! Didn’t expect you to be so young,” Tang Xiaxia said enthusiastically, clearly interested and generous with her praise.

“Thank you for the compliment,” Chen Jiang was pleased to hear her recognition.

“When do you start recording?” he asked.

Yi Yunxue looked toward Tang Xiaxia.

Tang Xiaxia picked up her phone. “I’ll check with Uncle Wei. He should be arriving soon.”

Chen Jiang sat down on a leather chair opposite the two women.

“Aren’t you an artist of Tianxing Entertainment? Why come here to record?”

Hearing Chen Jiang’s question, a trace of bitterness appeared on Yi Yunxue’s face.

“I had a falling out with the company. Recording there isn’t a problem, but I’m afraid they’ll tamper with the song during post-production.”

“This studio belongs to Xiaxia personally. All the staff are hired by her.”

“I don’t trust letting those people handle the song’s packaging. Xiaxia took me here after hearing the song. I plan to entrust the post-production to her studio.”

“Tianxing Entertainment has been despicable to Yunxue. Not only did they hire online trolls to smear her, but they also blocked her original song, trying to ruin her,” Tang Xiaxia spoke up in defense of Yi Yunxue.

“When does your contract expire?” Chen Jiang asked curiously.

“Next month,” Yi Yunxue complained. “I announced on Weibo that the new song would be released next month. They want to force me to renew, but I don’t want to stay in that lousy company any longer.”

“Yunxue, if you ask me, you should come to Tangxin Culture. I guarantee you can become a top diva within three years!” Tang Xiaxia promised.

“I’ll think about it when the contract expires. I haven’t decided yet,” Yi Yunxue ruffled Tang Xiaxia’s hair.

At that moment, the glass door outside slid open, and a middle-aged man wearing a jacket entered.

“Uncle Wei!” Tang Xiaxia stood up.

“Xiaxia, you must be Miss Yi. I’ve heard your songs—they’re very good. Your fundamentals are solid, and your tone is distinctive,” the man smiled warmly at Yi Yunxue.

“Hello,” Yi Yunxue replied promptly.

“Xiaxia has told me your situation. Honestly, I feel sorry for you having such a company. Tianxing Entertainment has made a lot of money over the years and has become complacent,” Uncle Wei said, shaking his head, clearly disgusted with Tianxing’s conduct.

He suddenly looked at Chen Jiang.

“You must be the creator of ‘Encounter’? So young!” Uncle Wei was surprised.

“Hello, I’m Chen Jiang,” Chen Jiang smiled.

They shook hands.

“Uncle Wei is a well-known music producer in the industry; his arrangement skills are exceptional. I specially invited him to handle the post-production of this song,” Tang Xiaxia explained.

“Originally, Uncle Wei didn’t want to come, but I took the liberty to show him the score. He immediately agreed to participate,” she continued.

“Ha ha, it’s an honor to arrange such a great song,” Uncle Wei smiled at Chen Jiang. “When I first saw the song, I thought it was written by some seasoned master under a pseudonym.”

“Never expected the real person to be so young. Mr. Chen, you’re truly talented—the new wave surpassing the old!”