"What do you mean?" Niu Meiling asked. "How do we split them?"
Sister Ling's reaction wasn't a scolding—she actually seemed interested in hearing more? Murphy was so stunned she could only stare at Niu Meiling, clinging to a faint hope that Sister Ling might still object later!
"What I mean is, take our Zhenzhen here—isn't she also preparing her new album? Why not have Zhenzhen swap three or four good songs from her album with Murphy?" Jian Chuo smiled. "There are so many classic songs anyway; losing a few won't matter, but it would be a huge help to our Zhenzhen!"
Zhen Muqian stood up cooperatively, a warm smile on her face, and said intimately, "Zhenzhen thanks Sister Murphy for her generosity."
Generosity my foot! Mo Xiaojuan was disgusted inside, thinking this woman was so fake, like she was acting in a palace drama!
As soon as Zhen Muqian finished speaking, several agents who had already conspired stood up one after another, chattering to grab songs for their own artists—one for you, two for me, as if Murphy had opened a supermarket here.
"Our Yueyue doesn't have an album out yet, but she's scheduled for next year. Could we save one for her too? When Yueyue becomes famous, she'll definitely be grateful to everyone..." Even agents of lesser-known stars, who hadn't been in on the plan, couldn't help but chime in.
"Ahem, everyone, quiet down first. If we decide to go ahead, the company will allocate these resources fairly. Even if not, we can ask Mr. Mu Zi'ang to write a few more songs for us!" Niu Meiling said, beaming.
Finally, as if she'd just remembered Murphy, she turned to look at her and asked with a smile, "Murphy, what do you think of Jian Chuo's suggestion? Of course, the company won't shortchange you—we'll go all out to help you collect songs and fill in the gaps."
Murphy's pretty face seemed to frost over, her whole demeanor radiating coldness.
She really hadn't expected it—hadn't expected Sister Ling wouldn't speak up for her!
"No!" Murphy said, word by word, after Sister Ling had stared at her for a long time. "These are my songs!"
Jian Chuo laughed. "Yes, they're your songs, but aren't you part of the company? You need to follow the company's unified arrangements. It's not like the company is saying you can't release an album. If you take a step back, won't the company invest more resources to make your album better and promote it more?"
Murphy was so angry she'd clenched her fists under the table. She wasn't the type to yell at people, or she'd have cursed them out loud.
"Shameless!" Mo Xiaojuan cursed for her.
"Mo Xiaojuan, who are you calling shameless?" Jian Chuo was caught off guard.
"You! And all of you who are taking advantage of the situation!" Mo Xiaojuan stood up, facing Jian Chuo across the table, and scolded, "These songs were written by Mu Zi'ang for our Murphy. What right do you have to take them?"
Mo Xiaojuan wasn't done yet and added another jab: "If jealousy is a disease, you'd all be lying in a hospital bed!"
Murphy tugged at Mo Xiaojuan's clothes, but this time she didn't tell her to back down. Instead, in a voice quiet enough for everyone to hear, she said, "It seems jealousy really is a disease."
She said it seriously, as if discussing a scientific issue...
The meeting room fell silent...
After a long pause, Niu Meiling cleared her throat twice and stepped in to smooth things over: "You can't say that. The company is just considering the bigger picture, redistributing these high-quality song resources. Murphy, you need to understand Sister Ling's difficulties."
Murphy shook her head, suppressing her emotions. "No, Sister Ling, I'm not stupid. These songs weren't collected by the company for me. We asked Mu Zi'ang to write them without using the company's connections or funds. When did they become the company's resources?"
Jian Chuo snapped, "Murphy, you're too arrogant. Aren't you part of the company? Are you refusing to follow the company's arrangements?"
Then, gritting her teeth, she revealed her unfinished trump card: "As far as I know, you haven't signed a contract with Mu Zi'ang. He never said these songs were written specifically for you."
"Oh, how do you know that?" Mo Xiaojuan laughed sarcastically.
"Well..." Jian Chuo was at a loss for words but still found a lie. "Mu Zi'ang isn't someone only you know about. We have his contact info too!"
"Oh!" Mo Xiaojuan chuckled. "So Mu Zi'ang didn't say these songs were for us—did he say they were for the company?"
Jian Chuo braced herself and said, "That's right! We contacted Mu Zi'ang last night and plan to sign these twelve songs with him under the company's name! So these twelve songs will become company resources!"
Jian Chuo saw surprise on Murphy's face, but she was disappointed—she didn't see the panic she'd hoped for on Mo Xiaojuan's.
Mo Xiaojuan's expression was calm, so calm it felt off.
"Since that's the case, Murphy, just bear with it a little. But don't worry—how could Sister Ling let you suffer? I guarantee we'll invest maximum resources to make your new album a smash hit!" Niu Meiling said with a smile.
Murphy couldn't tell if she felt hurt, let down, or hopeless at that moment! But her face remained icy, betraying no emotion.
Zhenzhen, still young, had been nervous as hell but now finally relaxed, flashing a smug smile, thinking the matter was settled.
But then Mo Xiaojuan smiled, turned to grab her briefcase from the chair behind her, and pulled out a stack of printed papers, shaking them almost showily.
"You all might want to take a look at this!" Mo Xiaojuan said triumphantly. "This is the electronic authorization Mu Zi'ang sent us, clearly stating that Murphy is the beneficiary of the performance rights for these twelve songs—and the sole authorized party!"
Murphy was a bit surprised. She'd seen Mo Xiaojuan print these out before the meeting, but she'd been too busy reading what Yang Yi had sent her, over and over, to notice what they were.
Mu Zi'ang had sent them an electronic authorization? How did she not know?
Jian Chuo's eyes widened. She snatched the papers and flipped through them. The format was identical to the one she'd sent Mu Zi'ang last night—of course, it was the copyright organization's standard template—but Mu Zi'ang had signed it with an electronic seal, and the second party had been changed from Tianmei Entertainment Agency to Murphy, with an additional note...
"If Murphy doesn't sing these songs, this authorization is void," Mo Xiaojuan helpfully reminded. "And the copyright organization will impose severe penalties on the infringer!"
Niu Meiling looked at Jian Chuo with a questioning gaze, but the latter could only offer a bitter smile.
"Well, we can discuss this with Mu Zi'ang, right? Murphy, I think you should consider the bigger picture," Niu Meiling said with a forced laugh.
"No!" Murphy shook her head firmly.
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the meeting room turned awkward.
"Heh heh!" Mo Xiaojuan wasn't about to let Jian Chuo off. She pointed a finger at her and laughed. "This problem is easy to solve. Jian Chuo knows Mu Zi'ang, doesn't she? Let her ask him to write a few more songs, and everyone will have enough to share! Why covet Murphy's songs?"
"..." Jian Chuo's emotions were a mess—bitter, embarrassed, helpless.
But facing Mo Xiaojuan's provocation, she had something to say, though she wasn't sure if she should...
(The plot is unfolding enough now. Let me explain: the supporting characters' intelligence is intact. Jealousy is normal—if you saw so many great songs, anyone would want them, but copyright issues can't be bypassed. As for Niu Meiling suppressing Murphy, it's not jealousy; it's about maximizing profit and adding conditions when renewing Murphy's contract to turn her into a money-making machine. Under the current top-tier contract, Murphy takes most of the earnings. So Sister Ling and Jian Chuo played two moves: first, using the greater good to pressure Murphy into giving up the songs—Jian Chuo was the front, but she wasn't alone, teaming up with other agents, though they didn't expect Murphy to be so stubborn; second, they used tech staff to hack Murphy's email and send messages to Mu Zi'ang in her name, hoping he'd sign the authorization to the company without thinking—a loophole. But they didn't know Mu Zi'ang is Murphy's man. Yang Yi saw through their disguise and, knowing the issue from Mo Xiaojuan, prepared the authorization. If Yang Yi and Mo Xiaojuan had been clueless, and Yang Yi had signed, imagine the consequences. Now, since the second move failed, Jian Chuo had to bluff with the greater good. So the supporting characters' intelligence is intact, including the next chapter's wrap-up—Niu Meiling isn't as simple as you think. Would they really just burn bridges? Impossible! PS: This plot isn't just for face-slapping; as one reader analyzed well, it's still a setup.)