“No need, I’ll go by myself tomorrow.”
Xu Zhiyuan refused without a second thought.
She still didn’t know whether her dismissal had anything to do with Xu Tianhe. What if Xu Tianhe was waiting for her at the company? She didn’t want to face Xu Tianhe herself, nor did she want He Jiayu to go.
He Jiayu’s gaze lingered on her face for a few moments before he finally nodded.
“Isn’t the song being released tomorrow?”
Reminded of this, Xu Zhiyuan suddenly remembered that tomorrow was Valentine’s Day.
“Yes, it’s tomorrow.” Xu Zhiyuan temporarily pushed aside those troubling thoughts. What she should be focusing on now was the song release.
“Are you nervous?” He Jiayu asked.
Xu Zhiyuan nodded firmly. “But I have confidence.”
The song had already been tested in the real world—there was absolutely no problem.
“Your song is very well-written. It’s sure to be popular,” He Jiayu agreed. “When you sent me the demo earlier, some people at the company heard it and were asking what song it was.”
Xu Zhiyuan immediately felt a little embarrassed, her cheeks flushing slightly.
It wasn’t her writing—she was really just a messenger.
…
At 8 a.m. on Valentine’s Day, “Single Love Song” went live on major music platforms.
Wang Hao and Guang Sheng Entertainment both updated their Weibo statuses to promote the song, and Guang Sheng Entertainment’s artists also shared the posts.
Wang Hao already had a certain fan base, though not a large one. Combined with the fans of Guang Sheng Entertainment’s other artists, however, the numbers grew significantly, instantly bringing a considerable amount of traffic to the song.
And today was Valentine’s Day. Then, looking at the title of Wang Hao’s new song…
“Single Love Song”?
What did that mean? On a day filled with pink bubbles, were they deliberately trying to ruin the mood?
[I just want to say, Wang Hao, well done!]
[I’m single and happy. Whoever wants to suffer the bitterness of love can go ahead.]
[Singing a single love song on Valentine’s Day, Wang Hao, you’re ruthless.]
[I want to say goodbye to being single too, but who should I find?]
[It seems carefree on the surface, but those who understand the pain of being single truly get it.]
[Who’s more miserable than me? I just broke up yesterday, and today I hear this song.]
[There are already so many single people—can’t I be one less?]
[It sounds great, I love it, especially the comments section—so entertaining!]
The data soared, with streams and downloads skyrocketing. The song climbed rapidly on the new releases chart.
Wang Hao refreshed the chart every so often, getting excited each time he saw the ranking rise. Eventually, he couldn’t contain himself and jumped up, dancing around.
It had already entered the top ten!
Wang Hao knew that this song would become his signature work, and his career was about to reach new heights.
Once again, he felt grateful to have been chosen.
After recording the song, he learned that Miss Xu, Teacher Xu, had requested vocal samples from many people at the company, even including trainees. So, being selected by Teacher Xu was truly a stroke of luck.
By noon, the song had reached the top of the new releases chart. The data was so impressive it felt surreal, as if it had been artificially inflated.
In today’s entertainment industry, traffic was everything, and it had been a long time since a genuinely high-quality song had emerged. Too many songs on the charts were artificially boosted, but since everyone was doing it, the focus was just on making the numbers look good.
But “Single Love Song” had left the second-place song far behind, with a gap of over a million downloads.
This inevitably led to comparisons, which greatly displeased the second-place contender. Fans jumped in, accusing Wang Hao of inflating his numbers, while Wang Hao’s fans fought back, countering that the second-place contender was the one manipulating data.
On Weibo, the two sides were locked in a fierce battle, driving even more attention to the song and sparking another surge in streams and downloads.
Seeing that he had inadvertently boosted his rival’s popularity, the second-place contender was so furious he nearly coughed up blood.
Meanwhile, Guang Sheng Entertainment and Wang Hao were overjoyed. However, they soon shifted their focus, as Wang Hao’s schedule had filled up in no time. They had little energy to waste on trivial matters.
Now, back to Xu Zhiyuan.
Xu Zhiyuan paid no attention to the online drama. At eight in the morning, she arrived at the company building in He Jiayu’s car.
“Are you okay?”
Xu Zhiyuan looked at the bustling crowd outside and took a deep breath. “I’m fine.”
He Jiayu watched her. Her nervousness was written all over her face, and her hands were clenched as if she were psyching herself up. He reached out and patted her hand. When his palm touched the back of her hand, he could clearly feel her warmth.
“Don’t be nervous.”
Xu Zhiyuan smiled awkwardly, surprised she had been found out.
“I’m not nervous,” she insisted stubbornly, then unbuckled her seatbelt. “I’m heading up. You should go to work too.”
He Jiayu didn’t call her out, simply nodding as he watched her get out of the car and walk into the office building before driving away.
Following the route from memory, Xu Zhiyuan arrived at the company on the 18th floor. When she appeared, the employees reacted with a mix of surprise, schadenfreude, and sympathy. Facing their varied expressions, Xu Zhiyuan pretended not to notice, though only she knew how nervous she truly felt and how flustered she was under so many gazes.
Somehow, the company’s general manager had learned of Xu Zhiyuan’s arrival and personally came to escort her to his office.
“Hey, what do you think is really going on?”
“This is going to be interesting. Didn’t they say Xu Zhiyuan offended the higher-ups? I heard someone from the headquarters is in the manager’s office?”
“Xu Zhiyuan is in for it.”
The employees gossiped curiously.
In the general manager’s office, Xu Zhiyuan saw Xu Tianhe.
Xu Tianhe sat expressionlessly behind the desk, his gaze sharp and severe as he looked at Xu Zhiyuan.
Perhaps because this body was the daughter of the man before her, even though it was their first meeting, Xu Zhiyuan wasn’t as afraid of Xu Tianhe as she might have imagined. She even dared to meet his eyes directly.
“What kind of attitude is this?” Xu Tianhe, seeing her stare straight at him with defiance and resentment, felt his anger flare up again. “Do you really think you’ve grown wings and can defy me now?”
“My attitude matches yours,” Xu Zhiyuan replied firmly. While this body was indeed his daughter, her heart and soul did not acknowledge him, leaving her with little respect. She saw him merely as an elder.
Xu Tianhe slammed the table in anger, startling the company manager. After a moment’s thought, the manager quickly excused himself and left the office.
With no outsiders present, Xu Tianhe had no reservations, pointing at Xu Zhiyuan’s nose and berating her for being unfilial, disobedient to her father, not as considerate and sensible as Xu Zhixiao, and not as capable as Xu Zhixiao.
“…He Jiayu even went abroad for your sister. If it weren’t for you, your sister would have come back with He Jiayu long ago. What more do you have to complain about? I’m telling you, no matter what method you use, you must make He Jiayu satisfied with you.”