Just as Murphy was about to head to the meeting, a familiar guest walked into Yang Yi's newly opened coffee shop.
"Brother Yang, I, Guo Xiaopang, am back!" Guo Ziyi, dressed in a green military uniform, burst through the glass door and shouted excitedly.
Yang Yi gave a slight smile and nodded in acknowledgment, while Xixi happily waved at Guo Ziyi. "Uncle Guo, come over here! Let me show you my Xiao Guai!"
Guo Ziyi then noticed the three kittens in the shop. Being an animal lover, he hurried over, sat down in a booth, and started playing with the kittens alongside Xixi.
"This one is Xiao Guai. That one you're holding is Daddy's Duoduo," Xixi said, pointing at the restless little blue kitten squirming in Guo Ziyi's hands.
Xixi eagerly brought out her own Xiao Guai for Guo Ziyi to pet, looking at him with hopeful eyes, wanting him to praise her kitten!
"You've gotten a lot darker," Yang Yi said casually as he brewed a cup of coffee for Guo Ziyi.
"Heh, of course! I was filming in the capital, out in the sun and rain every day. Oh, Brother Yang, you have no idea how tough it was!" Guo Ziyi complained. "And tomorrow afternoon, I have to go for military training. Sigh, I'll never get my skin back!"
Yang Yi smiled faintly and said, "Isn't getting a bit darker a good thing? Always being soft and fair-skinned—how can a man be so delicate? Besides, I think you're not dark enough yet. The training will toughen you up."
Guo Ziyi rolled his eyes, seriously questioning Yang Yi's sense of aesthetics.
"Actually, Brother Yang, I reported in yesterday, but I didn't come to hang out last night. Know why?" Guo Ziyi said excitedly. "Guess where I went?"
"Where did you go?" Yang Yi remained unmoved.
"You didn't even guess! No fun!" Guo Ziyi felt a bit deflated.
But he quickly bounced back, grinning ear to ear. "I went to a bar! I stuck to a senior student—she works part-time there, so I tagged along as her bodyguard!"
"You went to have fun, didn't you?" Yang Yi raised an eyebrow, looking at Guo Ziyi. "With your skills, who could you beat? Playing bodyguard."
"..." If Guo Ziyi knew the phrase, he'd definitely shout: "Don't burst my bubble, bro!"
After finishing his coffee, Guo Ziyi didn't stay for a meal. He chuckled and said, "Alright, Brother Yang, I've got to go help my senior with orientation. I'll catch you after my military training!"
Though Guo Ziyi was a warm-hearted guy, his so-called "helping with orientation" wasn't purely out of goodwill. What else could it be? He was definitely scoping out the girls—not Ding Xiang, who was too dark and skinny for his taste. His targets were, of course, the beauties from the film academy, music academy, and other departments with high female ratios!
With new students arriving, he had to get the lay of the land on the freshmen beauties!
Even if they were technically older than him...
---
At Tianmei's meeting room, Murphy and Mo Xiaojuan walked in around the same time. Quite a few people had already arrived, with some seats still empty, and Sister Ling hadn't shown up yet.
Murphy's entrance caused a small stir. Some younger artists looked at her with admiration, while others had complicated expressions. Among them was Zhen Zhen, a young, dazzling, and soft-bodied new-generation female singer, who stared intently at Murphy, her eyes filled with longing.
And a deeply hidden jealousy!
Yesterday, Jian Chuo had filled her in. After listening to Murphy's demo, Zhen Zhen was so envious she almost wanted to throw her nearly finished album into the trash.
The gap was too huge!
If it were just one good song, that would be one thing, but all twelve songs were masterpieces. How could anyone else compete?
"I'll try to get 'Across the Ocean to See You' and a few other songs for you," Jian Chuo had comforted her.
Zhen Zhen looked at her agent, ambition burning in her eyes. "Why not take them all? Grabbing one or two is the same as taking the whole lot!"
Of course, that was just a thought. Zhen Zhen's position wasn't solid yet, and plenty of others were eyeing her spot. Jian Chuo had used the same reasoning she'd used on Niu Meiling to talk Zhen Zhen out of it.
But now, seeing Murphy, Zhen Zhen couldn't help but feel jealous. "Why doesn't she have a great fan like that? Why does she get all the good luck?"
Zhen Zhen's gaze and the murmurs of others didn't affect Murphy. She acted as if she hadn't noticed, sitting down in her seat calmly, while Mo Xiaojuan clutched a briefcase tightly and sat behind her.
Soon, Niu Meiling arrived. She started the meeting as usual, summarizing the company's recent progress and achievements, and even praised a few rising stars who had made breakthroughs.
Sister Ling's public praise was sometimes more valuable than winning awards. Seeing how excited everyone got, Mo Xiaojuan silently scoffed, "So inexperienced!"
Just as Mo Xiaojuan was growing impatient, thinking of bringing up Murphy's new album herself, Niu Meiling finally said, "Now, let's talk about Murphy's new album."
"Murphy's new album? Didn't she just release one?" Many smaller artists and agents who hadn't been in the know erupted in chatter, their faces animated as they whispered among themselves.
"Ahem, quiet down!" Niu Meiling intervened this time. "The reason for giving Murphy a new album is because I promised earlier: if she could gather twelve songs on her own, I'd allocate resources for a new album. I didn't expect Murphy to be so capable—she actually got Mu Zi'ang to write her twelve songs!"
"Tsk tsk!" Niu Meiling's tone turned cold, almost sarcastic. "Mu Zi'ang! He only wrote two songs for Chen Yijie, but for us, he wrote twelve, and every single one is brilliant."
"Mu Zi'ang?" At Niu Meiling's reminder, everyone suddenly remembered the significance of that name, and the chatter grew louder.
They looked at Murphy with admiration, shock, and, of course, envy and resentment...
Once the noise died down a bit, Niu Meiling chuckled and said, "I, Niu Meiling, am known in the industry for keeping my word. Since I made a promise, I can't break it, right?"
Murphy sat there, smiling with relief. She felt that Sister Ling was still the same person she'd always known, still treating her well.
"Oh, my dear sister, you're such a naive sweetheart!" Mo Xiaojuan, sitting behind her, saw Murphy's reaction clearly and couldn't help but silently roll her eyes.
About time for the mask to slip, wasn't it?
Sure enough, Mo Xiaojuan's peripheral vision caught Jian Chuo standing up. "Sister Ling, sorry, but I have a few things to say."
"What does Jian Chuo want to say?"
Jian Chuo smiled, scanning the room. "Yesterday, Sister Ling and I listened to Murphy's demo together. She wasn't exaggerating at all—every single one of those twelve songs is brilliant! In fact, any one of them could be the lead track on any Tianmei artist's album!"
"So, isn't it a bit wasteful to put all twelve songs on one album?" Jian Chuo revealed her true intent, ignoring Murphy's shocked expression as she addressed Niu Meiling. "Sister Ling, there are so many people in this company hoping to make a name for themselves with a new album! Take our Zhen Zhen, for example—she's been working nonstop, taking every gig, just waiting for her big break!"
"Why not allocate the resources more fairly? Spread these twelve songs around and help the company create several big stars. Wouldn't that be better?" Jian Chuo said with a smile.