This chapter has been translated by Atlas Studios. All credits belong to them.
If Xia Ling were still at Imperial Entertainment, she would never have let Xia Yu sing a song like that. Even if Xia Yu had stubbornly refused to listen, Pei Ziheng would be there to help her make it happen...
Unknowingly, she was thinking about that man again.
Xia Ling closed her eyes gently as she chased the tall handsome silhouette out of her mind. She told herself, don't look back, you can never return there again .
Outside the makeup room, someone knocked on the door.
Wei Shaoyin responded with some irritation in his voice. "Come in."
The door opened and two people entered the room. They were Chu Chen and Xia Yu.
Meeting them for the first time in this life, Xia Ling was shocked at how calm she remained. The Xia Yu in front of her seemed like a stranger. She was dressed in a stage outfit that Xia Ling had never seen before, made of a material that was silver and sparkly, and specially tailored to bring out the best of Xia Yu's good figure.
Xia Yu called out with trepidation. "Mr. Wei...."
Wei Shaoyin put down the glass in his hand and replied coldly. "What is it?"
Xia Yu bit back her words and looked at him pitifully.
Chu Chen took a step forward and looked Wei Shaoyin straight in the eye. He said, "Mr. Wei, don't you feel that you were a little harsh to have said what you did on the show?"
Wei Shaoyin gave a cold laugh and retorted. "I was just speaking the truth. Why? Do I have to seek approval from Imperial Entertainment to express my views?"
Chu Chen tried to remain calm as he replied. "I know that Boss Li of Skyart Entertainment has a formidable background and you guys aren't afraid to offend Imperial Entertainment. However, it might be prudent for you to remain amicable so that there won't be trouble if we meet again next time. Mr. Wei, I hope that you can retract your statements on the show. Imperial Entertainment will be appreciative of that and will make sure to repay you in the future."
This last sentence had a slight commanding attitude towards it.
With a light "tsk", Wei Shaoyin said, "Chu Chen, are you kidding me? Nobody said anything about your attitude before when you were managing Xia Ling because of her abilities. But now, you are managing this kind of artiste..." He cocked his chin in Xia Yu's direction. "One that has no idea what kind of music style suits her. How long do you expect her fame to last in the industry?"
"Mr. Wei, do be careful of what you insinuate!" Chu Chen's face darkened.
"I thought I was already being very careful." Wei Shaoyin confidently met Chu Chen's gaze, continuing, "She's just a 'recording studio singer'. Who does she think she is?" This title was a big insult to any singer in the entertainment industry. A 'recording studio singer' referred to a singer that had bad foundations and could only rely on autotune and other recording edits to make their song sound presentable.
Xia Yu's face turned pale as she tried to defend herself. "I... I'm not a recording studio singer..."
Wei Shaoyin glanced at her and said with disdain. "I am very curious what Feng Kun has against you to have written such a song for you. Your voice is nowhere near that of Xia Ling's and you dare try singing something this challenging? Yes, this debut song was recorded very well, but I bet it was completed by breaking up into sentences, with you singing one sentence and requiring significant edits as you went along. Whether it was completed through a lot of background touch-up or that you actually sang it smoothly at one go, you would be the clearest on that... And you dare say you are not a recording studio singer?"
Feng Kun's songs were known to be difficult to sing. With Xia Yu's foundation and skill, there was no way she could have sung it through smoothly.
Chu Chen frowned and said, "Mr. Wei, you are being way too harsh. Xia Yu just made her debut and is bound to be less experienced. Some touch-up work in the recording studio is normal. With time, she will get better."
Wei Shaoyin looked at him as if looking at an idiot. "Chu Chen, you were Xia Ling's manager for such a long time, are you pretending to be dumb or really dumb? Whether Xia Yu is able to sing Feng Kun's song is not a matter of experience, it's a matter of lack of talent. If she keeps stubbornly going down this track singing songs that she cannot handle, there is only one final result —
"One day, she will destroy her voice completely."
This was the scariest consequence. A blow that would destroy her career in totality.
There was silence in the makeup room.
After a moment, Chu Chen turned to Xia Yu, his face ashen, and asked, "Xiao Yu, didn't you say that you were fine?"
Xia Ling sighed in her heart. Chu Chen was a shrewd businessman, but he did not have the same instincts when it came to the arts. With his music abilities, he was unable to sense that something was off with Xia Yu's singing. On the other hand, it only took one song for Wei Shaoyin to point out the key issue.
Xia Yu's voice trembled as she said, "I... I thought Feng Kun was just trying to scare me."
Wei Shaoyin looked at her with some interest, "Looks like Feng Kun and you indeed have some history. Feng Kun worked with your sister for 10 years and you still don't trust him."
Both Xia Yu and Chu Chen's expression changed.
"I don't have anything against Feng Kun. I was simply willful and did not listen to his advice." Xia Yu said with a weak smile.
"A singer that has just debuted is able to question and go against the views of the top producer," said Wei Shaoyin lightly. "You guys at Imperial Entertainment are indeed interesting."
Chu Chen's face darkened further but, remembering the purpose of the visit, he controlled himself from losing his temper.
"Mr. Wei," He said at a slower pace. "I apologise for my impoliteness earlier."
He was indeed a good businessman, changing to a softer attitude once he saw that being hard would not work. Xia Ling had never see Chu Chen apologize to someone before, and he was always in a position where others had to plead with him. Since when did he need to beg someone for help?
She lamented. Since she passed away so many things had changed.
Chu Chen said, "You're reputable in the industry for being the best producer around. Why do you need to lower yourself to bear a grudge against a new singer? It would hurt your status if others were to hear about this."
"So?" Wei Shaoyin responded, his tone less agitated.
After all, everyone was part of the same industry and had an image to keep up. It would not be pleasant for the issue to blow out of proportion. Since Chu Chen had offered him an escape route, Wei Shaoyin did not mind taking up the offer.
Xia Ling continued to sit and watch the scene unfold like she was invisible.
A polite, formal smile appeared on Chu Chen's face. He said, "So, let us have a chat. Mr. Wei, if you're willing to retract your statements, Imperial Entertainment will express our most sincere appreciation for your help."
Express the most sincere appreciation...
What did he plan on doing to express that? Was this... an under-the-table transaction? Shouldn't she make herself scarce?
A series of question marks entered Xia Ling's mind as she thought about this for a few seconds. Yet, she did not know what to do since her experience as an assistant was lacking.
Wei Shaoyin's cold voice rang out, solving her problem. "Sorry, Mr. Chu, I will never retract statements that have already left my mouth."
A deep frown replaced the smile on Chu Chen's face.
However, being the gold-class manager that he was with many years of experience, he continued persistently even in the face of this hard wall. "Mr. Wei is indeed principled as many in the industry have said." He thought for a moment before saying, "I understand your insistence, but I hope you understand Xia Yu's difficulty as a newcomer."
He glanced at Xia Yu as he spoke.
Xia Yu immediately displayed a weak and submissive expression, with the innocence that could rival a deer. She said, "Mr. Wei, please forgive me."
"Don't act like I'm bullying you." Wei Shaoyin turned to Chu Chen, mildly irritated. "I didn't know that you were this persistent before. Talk, what exactly do you want from me? Other than retracting what I said."
Chu Chen lowered his eyes slightly. "I will arrange for a little publicity to cancel out the negative impact from this show. I just ask that Mr. Wei remain silent when that happens. Of course, the publicity will not harm your reputation or you in any way. And like I mentioned, Imperial Entertainment will show you our utmost appreciation and sincerity."
At the end, he was still offering a bribe.
After all, Imperial Entertainment had strong financial backing and could bribe each person as required.
Chu Chen had used the same method to help Xia Ling resolve many problems in the past as well. It was clear that he was still highly adept at using this method.
Wei Shaoyin gave a light laugh and asked, "What do you think I would need?"
He picked up his glass to drink a mouthful of iced water, the Patek Philippe sparkling on his left wrist.
He lived a life of luxury, drove expensive cars, wore expensive watches, and bought the most expensive music equipment — he clearly did not lack in riches. Should Chu Chen try to bribe him with money he would be barking up the wrong tree. After all, as rich as Imperial Entertainment was, they could not be spending that much of a fortune to keep Wei Shaoyin quiet.
It was difficult to convince Wei Shaoyin using power as well — he was already amongst the top in the entertainment industry. There was no way to give him a promotion or to poach him over — he was highly regarded at Skyart Entertainment and could call the shots freely, and even Boss Li had to give him due respect. Why would he want to go to Imperial Entertainment and fight with Feng Kun for the top producer position there?
Xia Ling was getting a headache on Chu Chen's behalf just thinking about this problem.
Chu Chen could not give Wei Shaoyin money nor status, what else could he give him?
"Mr. Wei, I don't know what you would like exactly," Chu Chen replied calmly. "but I can assure you that I will do all in my power to fulfill any requirement you may have."
Xia Ling almost felt pity for Chu Chen after hearing his response. She was aware of how boring Wei Shaoyin was. Other than music and cleanliness, he did not have any other interests. And was there anything that he couldn't achieve in his music career?
As expected, Wei Shaoyin shook his head and said, "I don't have anything that I need." He then turned to Xia Ling and asked, "What do you want?"
"Me?" Xia Ling gave a start. Did he just give her his bribe?
Tsk, that's really generous of him.