Chapter 55: Decisive and Swift

Mu Qingyun, having suffered two consecutive defeats, was now so furious that he had lost all reason. Upon seeing Su Chen’s Weibo post, “See you in September,” he acted on impulse and immediately reposted it with a comment: “If you can rise to Silver Composer in September, I’ll eat shit. Mark my words!” The moment he hit send, regret flooded him. Although Su Chen’s current achievements made it unlikely for him to claim the Silver Composer title, there was still that one song that had made it onto the Storm Chart. And judging by the results of Su Chen’s two songs in August, it wouldn’t take much for him to lock down the rankings quickly. If he produced two more songs of comparable quality, wouldn’t that seal his victory?

At this thought, cold sweat broke out across Mu Qingyun’s back. What should he do? Delete the post? But the self-media crowd had already spread screenshots of his Weibo everywhere. Deleting it was impossible now! If he deleted it at this moment, it would be tantamount to admitting defeat in advance. Since he couldn’t delete it, the die was cast… Fine, he would stick to it! He was betting that Su Chen couldn’t produce songs of such caliber. At least this stance seemed a bit tougher. If Su Chen really managed to do it, Mu Qingyun would just accept his misfortune. At worst, he’d lay low for a while before reemerging.

Just as Mu Qingyun was pondering his retreat, Su Chen’s next Weibo post shattered his composure once again. “Trying to scam a meal?” Su Chen had forgotten to comment directly under Mu Qingyun’s Weibo, so initially, many netizens didn’t catch on. But soon enough, someone noticed the connection. Mu Qingyun had sworn that if Su Chen reached Silver Composer in September, he would eat shit. Su Chen immediately replied, “Trying to scam a meal.”

“Pfft!” The netizens immediately burst into hysterical laughter.

“This Tang Guo is ruthless—doesn’t he know the other guy’s an old man? What if he ends up with heart disease?”
“This is absolutely brilliant. How does Tang Guo’s mind work?”
“Guys, I’m now certain Tang Guo is definitely a fake girl!”
“……”

Rumor had it that an hour after Su Chen posted his Weibo, a crowd saw an ambulance arrive at Mu Qingyun’s villa. After a brief stop, it sped off toward the hospital.

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At last, the agents for Luo Jiaxing and Qu Anan confirmed the news: it was Fang Xiao.

Su Chen hadn’t expected this. The company had issued an appointment letter yesterday, naming Fang Xiao as the director of the Artist Department. But he hadn’t imagined she would personally take on the role of agent for Luo Jiaxing and Qu Anan. Still, this was actually a good thing! From Su Chen’s perspective, Fang Xiao was probably the most suitable agent for these two in the company. She had once cultivated stars and nearly became general manager herself. Her abilities were unquestionable, and her connections even more so. Most importantly, her strict nature would only benefit newcomers like Luo Jiaxing and Qu Anan.

Why do so many rookies fade into obscurity shortly after debuting? Most of the time, it’s their own fault. Su Chen had seen too many stars become arrogant after just a few days of fame. Prudence is especially vital in the entertainment circle. And Fang Xiao was absolutely the strictest in this regard.

“Teacher Su, President Fang is going to be our agent…” Qu Anan said, her face twisted with concern. Luo Jiaxing stood beside her, looking utterly despondent.

Su Chen pretended not to understand their meaning and simply smiled, “Isn’t that a good thing? President Fang’s abilities are recognized throughout the company!”

“But…” Qu Anan hesitated, unable to finish, so Luo Jiaxing continued, “President Fang is really strict. I get scared just seeing her.”

“There’s no good days ahead!”

Both had suffered plenty during their trainee days. Even an honest kid like Qu Anan was so opposed to Fang Xiao, which said a lot.

Su Chen shook his head and addressed them seriously, “You two should be grateful! To have such a capable agent guiding you right at debut—ask President Fang if you don’t understand anything. Once you’re adept, you’ll naturally gain more freedom.”

Indeed, the higher the artist’s rank, the more lenient the company’s management becomes. Not that their words and actions cease to matter; on the contrary, they matter even more than those of newcomers. But senior artists are familiar with the rules of the entertainment industry. They know what to do, what not to do, what to say, and what not to say. So the company doesn’t need to remind or assist them as often. In this way, they appear relaxed to outsiders.

Luo Jiaxing and Qu Anan could only accept this, their complaints merely a sigh. They hadn’t thought about changing anything—nor could they.

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On August 13th, Su Chen brought out two songs he had selected.

One was “I Believe,” perfectly suited to Luo Jiaxing’s style—youthful and exuberant, just the right song for him.

The other was “Clouds Become Rain,” a gentle, folk-tinged ballad. He decided that Qu Anan would sing this one.

As for other singers, he hadn’t considered them. With about half a month left in August, letting veteran singers hit the Storm Chart carried no certainty. “White Fox” had such massive traffic backing it, yet it only managed ninth place after half a month. Launching a song without any support, he couldn’t guarantee success.

Since the Storm Chart was out of reach, only Luo Jiaxing and Qu Anan could aim for the Newcomer Chart. Judging by the results of previous songs, Su Chen felt fairly confident about the Newcomer Chart.

“You’re sure you want Luo Jiaxing and Qu Anan to sing these two songs?” Fang Xiao asked in surprise, her tone uncertain.

“Absolutely!” Su Chen replied firmly. With Wang Yan giving him full authority, he naturally chose as he pleased.

Fang Xiao nodded. Truth be told, she was somewhat shaken to see Su Chen produce two more songs in such a short time. Counting these, he’d already released four songs in just one month. She listened to the demos that had already been recorded. While she felt there was a bit of a gap compared to the previous two songs, they were still rare gems. The quantity and quality were astonishing.

As the director of the Artist Department, she thought these songs could be saved for September’s Storm Chart instead. But as the agent for Luo Jiaxing and Qu Anan, releasing them in August was also viable. Of course, none of this was voiced aloud. Her question had been purely out of surprise.

“Alright!” Fang Xiao was not one to dither. Since it was Su Chen’s decision, she wouldn’t interfere. “I’ll arrange the recording sessions right away!”

Right in front of Su Chen, she dialed out, “Tomorrow morning at nine, send over some of your people. I’ve got songs to record! Bring reliable ones—don’t bother with any riffraff, don’t waste my time!”

Efficient and decisive!