Chapter Nine: Yi Yunxue’s Predicament
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Chen Jiang suddenly noticed someone mentioned him on Penguin Number. Clicking in, he saw it was the author group he had joined today.
Group Chat for the Seventh Writing Team.
The chat was extremely lively at the moment.
Over 99 unread messages.
He found the message that mentioned him; it was from a cover designer.
[Failed Writer Forced to Do Design Work]: New big shot in the group?
[Failed Writer Forced to Do Design Work]: Boss, want to buy a cover?
There were countless mentions under his message.
[@Jiang He—Boss, please take me under your wing!]
[@Jiang He—Boss, please take me under your wing!]
“These people are quite interesting. Does every newcomer have to be hyped up like this?” Chen Jiang watched the messages with keen interest.
“Get a cover made?” Chen Jiang hesitated.
He was still using the system’s default template cover.
Usually, novel covers were made by finding a base image and then asking a designer to add text.
It only cost a few bucks.
But Chen Jiang was someone who valued ceremony. Since he wrote the novel himself...
He might as well have a decent cover, and money was no issue.
He opened Taobao, intending to order a custom original base image.
He found a highly rated studio specializing in original designs and shared his requirements.
There was a famous scene in his book "The Mysterious": the protagonist entering the misty realm, playing the role of the “Fool.”
Chen Jiang planned to base the cover on that scene.
After spending a few hundred yuan and explaining his demands, the studio promised to deliver the image within three days.
Having written a lot today, Chen Jiang decided not to continue typing for now.
He curled up in bed and launched a game.
Ten minutes later, with the word “Defeat” flashing on the screen,
Chen Jiang gritted his teeth, having scored MVP with over a dozen kills, and promptly reported his teammates.
“This ranking system is getting ridiculous.”
He shook his head and quit the game.
Then he scrolled through some short videos.
He liked a few dance clips by young ladies, then suddenly came across a video.
The opening line was, “Today, we’re reviewing Yi Yunxue, a female singer who has been in the spotlight these past few years.”
The voice was clearly from an edited audio clip, a typical marketing account.
Hearing it was about Yi Yunxue, Chen Jiang listened on out of curiosity.
At first, it was just some dirt on Yi Yunxue. Many doubted her talent despite her “Young Diva” title.
Because she had very few hit songs.
Lacking a standout signature piece.
There was much criticism on this point, though her singing skills were good, and her voice distinctive.
But overall, her songs weren’t quite at the level fitting her status.
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It was just that her resources were too poor.
The marketing account ended with some gossip: “According to insider sources, Yi Yunxue’s contract with Tianxing Entertainment is about to expire. Rumor has it that there have been many disputes over renewal. Before the contract ends, she probably won't get much support.”
Disputes with her company?
Chen Jiang pondered.
Though marketing accounts sometimes exaggerated or distorted facts,
their scoops often had some basis.
In other words, Yi Yunxue’s contract was indeed nearing its end, and her relationship with the company was strained.
Looking at the resources given to her before, the company was clearly stingy.
A top-tier star with decent ability, yet forced to work with mediocre songs.
For an average first-tier singer, this might suffice, but for someone of Yi Yunxue’s stature, it was subpar.
It could be said that Yi Yunxue’s achievements were mostly due to her own talent and luck, not her company.
With such a company, it was inevitable she would jump ship once the contract ended, leading to the current feud.
Yi Yunxue was aiming for diva status, but her company wasn’t backing her.
“No wonder she was so eager to buy a song from me that day,” Chen Jiang suddenly realized.
She was desperate to use his song to turn things around!
He glanced at the comments; opinions were mixed.
Some believed Yi Yunxue truly had talent, but her company gave her too little support—better off leaving that lousy company.
Others blindly criticized, claiming her singing was all autotuned and mocking her unworthy of the “Young Diva” title.
[Stop bashing! Yi Yunxue has held concerts; she definitely has talent!]
[Ha, don’t blame the company for everything. If you lack skill, you lack skill. Stop whining about lack of resources!]
[Tianxing Entertainment discovered Yi Yunxue in the first place. Now that she’s famous, she wants to jump ship? Ungrateful!]
Chen Jiang checked the profiles of these haters and noticed something odd.
Most were ghost accounts with no real information.
...
At that moment, Yi Yunxue had just finished showering and drying her hair, stepping out of the bathroom.
She picked up her phone and saw several voice messages from her agent, Sister Li.
“Yunxue, the company is disgusting. They are hiring internet trolls to spread rumors about you breaking ties with them. There’s a lot of negative media coverage about you.”
“They want to ruin you before you leave!”
“Are you confident in this new song? The release is critical. If it flops, your reputation will be finished!”
Yi Yunxue’s face instantly fell.
“This is never-ending, always pressuring me.”
She muttered and thought about the new song; she wasn’t 100% confident either.
Although it was a high-quality track, the closer she got to the crucial moment, the more her doubts crept in.
She felt her mind was about to unravel.
“So frustrating!”
“Boohoo!”
She could only promise Sister Li she would make it work and sent over the new sheet music.
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To stabilize morale.
“Meow~”
At that moment, Little Orange rubbed against Yi Yunxue’s leg.
“Boohoo, Little Orange is the best, knows how to comfort mama!”
Yi Yunxue scooped up Little Orange and showered her with affection.
“Meow!”
Little Orange looked at Yi Yunxue with a resigned expression.
As if to say: If I’d known, I wouldn’t have begged for canned food; I’m not actually comforting you!!!
Unfortunately, Yi Yunxue couldn’t understand cat language.
After the love-fest, she finally gave the chubby orange cat a can of food.
“Little Orange, Chen Jiang said you’re so fat, the fattest cat he’s ever seen. This is the last time, no more feeding you like this.”
...
The next day.
Just after nine in the morning, Yi Yunxue went to the company.
As soon as she entered the agent’s office, she saw Sister Li, full of energy.
“Yunxue, why didn’t you show me the sheet music earlier? I was so anxious I couldn’t sleep.”
Sister Li playfully scolded her.
“I only got the song a couple of days ago, didn’t have a chance to tell you.”
Yi Yunxue explained.
Fortunately, she had this song; otherwise, she wouldn’t know how to explain things to her fans next month.
Originally, the company had promised to commission two top-tier lyricists and composers to create a song for her two months ago.
She hadn’t doubted it and even announced it on Weibo.
But last week, the company suddenly said another top artist had taken the song.
Upon hearing this, Yi Yunxue immediately realized the company was deliberately sabotaging her, trying to crush her.
That was why she was so excited when she heard the song Chen Jiang played the other day.
It was a lifeline! A timely rescue!
“That’s why you asked me to come to the company late at night to draft the electronic contract,” Sister Li said cheerfully.
As the company’s top agent, she was riding on Yi Yunxue’s coattails.
They were now in the same boat.
Having watched Yi Yunxue’s journey closely, Sister Li was even more anxious than the star herself.
“Both lyrics and music were written by the same person? This person’s a genius! How did you meet someone like that?” Sister Li asked curiously.
“A chance encounter. I didn’t ask about his background much, but he doesn’t seem to be a well-known figure in the industry,” Yi Yunxue explained.
Sister Li was about to ask more but was cut off.
“As long as he’s willing to sell me the song, that’s enough.”
“We should now think about the promotion strategy. Knowing this company, they probably won’t give us any marketing resources.”
...