“President He, this song is quite nice. What’s it called? I haven’t heard it before.”
Everyone in the conference room heard it clearly. It was obvious the singing wasn’t very professional, and the singer’s voice was somewhat sweet, which didn’t quite match the style of the song. But the song itself was so good, and it even tugged a little at the heartstrings.
He Jiayu saved the file. “It’s a new song, set to release on Valentine’s Day. You can look for it then.”
A new song?
Everyone was quite surprised, wondering to themselves if President He was planning to venture into the entertainment industry next.
The entertainment industry is quite profitable. As long as it’s managed well and you capture the right audience, you can monetize it easily. Coincidentally, the company also owns an entertainment agency, which has created significant value over the years.
Their minds raced with thoughts, even starting to consider how to operate if they were to shift focus toward the cultural and entertainment industries. Should they create their own IPs? IPs are quite popular these days. They’d also need to carefully select artists to avoid scandals before they could even monetize them.
He Jiayu had no idea what his subordinates were thinking. After saving the song, he slipped one hand into his pocket and walked out while sending a message to Xu Zhiyuan.
He: It sounds great, but it’s a shame there’s no full version.
Xu Zhiyuan was still in the audio-visual room, but she wasn’t working on the song. Instead, she was on a voice call with Yuan Yuan.
Xu Zhiyuan: I didn’t record the full song, but the singer is already recording it. You’ll be able to hear it soon.
He Jiayu replied not long after.
He: Okay.
Xu Zhiyuan used the voice call with Yuan Yuan to monitor Wang Hao’s recording session. Although this method had some drawbacks, like poor audio quality, Wang Hao was at least a professional singer, and the recording studio engineer was also a professional. After two or three hours of recording, everyone was satisfied with the final version.
The contract was also signed. Since it was their own company, Yuan Yuan naturally couldn’t let the young mistress suffer. They chose the highest-tier profit-sharing ratio. On the surface, it seemed like the company was at a disadvantage, but they all knew that as long as Xu Zhiyuan could write a few more high-quality songs, both the singer and the company could make money.
Xu Zhiyuan earned money from the song itself, but the singer and the company stood to gain much more.
That day, Xu Zhiyuan was still tinkering in the audio-visual room when her phone suddenly rang. She glanced at it and saw the contact name displayed as “Dad.”
It was the original host’s father.
Thinking about the original host’s experiences, Xu Zhiyuan suddenly felt a sense of discomfort and displeasure.
She wanted to pretend she hadn’t heard the ringtone, but it showed no signs of stopping. Xu Zhiyuan took a deep breath before finally answering the call.
“Xu Zhiyuan, what are you doing? Why did it take you so long to answer?” The other party was clearly unhappy as well.
Xu Zhiyuan was even more displeased. If it weren’t for her upbringing, she would have pretended not to hear it or simply muted the call.
“I’m busy. What do you need?” The word “Dad” stuck in her throat. She couldn’t bring herself to say it because she deeply disliked the original host’s parents, and she felt the same way about her sister.
“You still ask me what I need? Didn’t I tell you that if Jiayu comes back, you should bring him home for a meal? He’s been back for days now, and you still haven’t done it. You can’t even handle such a simple thing. What’s the use of raising you all these years?”
Xu Zhiyuan wasn’t very good at arguing, and her face flushed with anxiety. “I’m useless, so hurry up and bring Xu Zhixiao back. She’s the capable one.”
“You dare talk back to me?” Xu Tianhe’s voice rose in anger. “You have the nerve to mention your sister? If it weren’t for her, you wouldn’t have been able to marry He Jiayu.”
“Wasn’t I the one cleaning up her mess? If she’s so great, why did she elope with someone else? If you think she’s so wonderful, go find her. Don’t come looking for me—I don’t have time.” Xu Zhiyuan said, “I’m busy, so that’s it. Goodbye.”
Xu Zhiyuan hung up the phone, no longer in the mood to continue working.
Reflecting on her performance just now, she felt she should have been sharper. Why had she been so polite to Xu Tianhe, even saying “goodbye”? She had been too courteous.
It was Xu Tianhe and the others who had forced the original owner into this situation. What did Xu Tianhe mean by his words? As if the original owner should be grateful. Their moral compass was utterly twisted—no wonder they ended up being left with nothing by Xu Zhixiao in the end.
Still lost in thought, Xu Tianhe called again. This time, Xu Zhiyuan didn’t answer, simply turning her phone to silent.
She had said she was busy.
Xu Tianhe was so furious he nearly smashed his phone.
He had never liked this daughter—she was dull and nowhere near as considerate or accomplished as his eldest daughter. The only thing that had satisfied him about her was her obedience.
But now, even that virtue was gone. This was the first time Xu Zhiyuan had defied him, and Xu Tianhe’s anger burned hotter and hotter.
Did Xu Zhiyuan think that marrying He Jiayu had given her wings, making her bold enough to oppose him?
He called his wife and told her to phone Xu Zhiyuan.
Zhao Meixiang didn’t overthink it. Like her husband, she wasn’t particularly fond of this daughter either. After her birth, the child had been taken away by her domineering mother-in-law to be raised and wasn’t brought back to her until she was five. Having not been raised by her side and bearing some resemblance to her mother-in-law, Zhao Meixiang naturally couldn’t feel close to this daughter.
But whether she felt close or not didn’t change the fact that she was Xu Zhiyuan’s mother. Xu Zhiyuan had always been obedient, so after calling her, Zhao Meixiang used her usual commanding tone to order Xu Zhiyuan to bring He Jiayu home.
Xu Zhiyuan refused, leaving Zhao Meixiang with the same frustration and anger as Xu Tianhe.
Xu Zhiyuan didn’t care about any of this. She had no desire to return to the Xu family.
For her, and for the original owner, that place was never home.
However, these two calls reminded Xu Zhiyuan of something she had forgotten—she hadn’t resigned yet.
Just as this thought crossed her mind, she received a call from the company’s HR department, notifying her that she had been fired and asking her to collect her personal belongings.
Could it be Xu Tianhe’s doing?
She couldn’t help but wonder.
When He Jiayu returned, he found her looking troubled and distressed, her brows furrowed as if facing an insurmountable problem.
After a few days of living together, He Jiayu had gained a fairly comprehensive understanding of his wife.
She was relatively simple and straightforward, her emotions written all over her face. She was a little socially anxious but not excessively so—she just didn’t enjoy socializing much, rarely went out, and preferred staying at home.
“I’m back,” he announced.
In just a few days, he had grown accustomed to saying this to Xu Zhiyuan upon returning home.
He walked over and sat down beside her. She had already put on a smile. “You’re back. You seem a bit early today.”
“Well, I finished up early, so I left work ahead of time,” He Jiayu said. “What were you thinking about just now?”
“Nothing much, just that I got laid off,” she replied. “I’ve been busy writing songs these past few days and forgot to resign.”
“That’s all?” He Jiayu didn’t believe it. “Getting laid off is no big deal. Do you need to go to the company? It’s still early—I can give you a ride.”