"...So that's how it is. What do you think I should do?" At the dinner table, Murphy rested her chin on her hand, her beautiful eyes sparkling as she looked at Yang Yi.
Niu Meiling had rambled on at length about their friendship, then sighed and "confessed" to Murphy about the company's struggles over the past two years. Finally, she pulled out a contract she wanted Murphy to renew, but it was no longer the top-tier deal Murphy had originally signed.
Of course, she wasn't completely unreasonable—she didn't try to trick Murphy with some shady long-term rookie contract. This offer was even better than what Zhen Zhen had signed, ranking just below the top tier as a second-tier deal. However, the term was long; originally five years, Niu Meiling had changed it to seven!
But for some reason, Murphy had recently started to feel that even Niu Meiling's smiles seemed a bit fake. She felt that Sister Ling was no longer as warm and approachable as before, a mentor and friend, but instead felt a growing distance between them.
Although Niu Meiling's earlier talk of their bond had stirred up fond memories, when Murphy saw the contract, she snapped back to reality, her mind razor-sharp.
According to Sister Ling, the company's operations were in trouble and needed her to share the hardships, so signing a lower-tier contract didn't seem entirely out of the question.
Yet, Murphy had a nagging sense that something was off.
Her current contract still had nearly a year left—why was Sister Ling suddenly in such a rush? Could someone be preparing to poach her?
But Sister Ling should know that Murphy had always been fiercely loyal to Tianmei!
Back when her platinum album topped the charts, other major record labels had tried to recruit her as their star act, offering terms that were stunning even by today's standards. Yet Murphy chose to stay and immediately renewed with Tianmei—signing a top-tier deal.
Murphy didn't want to think the worst of Niu Meiling; after all, Sister Ling had been her mentor and discoverer. So she couldn't figure out the reason behind this.
Fortunately, Murphy wasn't naive—she had a bit of cleverness.
When faced with uncertainty, she didn't let Niu Meiling's tearful, emotional pleas cloud her judgment and sign the contract on impulse. Instead, she decided to put the renewal on hold.
That evening, Murphy had no heart to stay late at the studio recording songs. She called Yang Yi to come pick her up, and after dinner, she brought up the matter to discuss with him.
"Why ask me?" Yang Yi asked, a little surprised.
"Can't I talk it over with you?" Murphy bit her lower lip, looking a bit downcast.
"Of course you can. I'd be glad to help you in any way," Yang Yi said with a smile. "But isn't this something you usually discuss with Xiaojuan?"
"If I asked Xiaojuan, she'd definitely say not to sign with Sister Ling. Xiaojuan has a big grudge against Sister Ling, Jian Chuo, and the management. I know she means well, but I was hoping you could give me some good advice too," Murphy said.
Unfortunately, Murphy didn't realize that the person she was asking had long been recruited into Xiaojuan's camp...
But Yang Yi didn't give Murphy a direct answer. Instead, he asked, "What do you think? Do you want to stay at Tianmei?"
Murphy hesitated, then nodded slightly. "If the company isn't what I fear, and if Sister Ling and the others haven't all turned bad, I'd still like to stay at Tianmei. After all, they helped me a lot before."
"Actually, you see it clearly enough—you just don't want to admit it. Sister Ling is no longer the Sister Ling you once knew, and this company doesn't treat you as well as it used to, does it?" Yang Yi said with a faint smile, cutting straight to the point.
"For instance, when you came back, that album—what kind of songs did they pick for you? Haven't you figured it out by now?"
Murphy bit her lower lip, her expression darkening.
"Another example: the meeting you told me about. Mu Zi'ang wrote twelve songs for you, and they wanted to take them all..."
"Just take most of them, not all," Murphy weakly defended.
"You fool." Yang Yi reached out, took her hand, and wrapped it in his own, speaking softly. "Whether they take part or all of it, what difference does it make? More importantly, didn't you tell me that Sister Ling didn't speak up for you but instead urged you to compromise?"
Murphy nodded gently.
"This Sister Ling of yours has long stopped thinking about what's best for you. So why should you still think about what's best for them? Why force yourself to sign a bad contract?" Yang Yi asked.
Murphy felt a pang of sadness but lowered her gaze and said softly, "Because right now, I'm only a third- or fourth-tier star. I'm not qualified for a top-tier deal, and the company's situation isn't good either."
"Tianmei's situation is fine—at least not as bad as Sister Ling tried to trick you into believing!" Yang Yi said firmly. "And as for whether you're qualified for a top-tier deal, I think your Sister Ling knows the answer. Otherwise, why would she shamelessly come to you early to renew? Isn't she afraid that once your new album drops, you'll blow up again?"
It was as if a thin membrane had been pierced...
Yang Yi's series of pointed questions shattered Murphy's last shred of hope in human nature, forcing her to see the truth she had been unwilling to accept.
Murphy gripped Yang Yi's hand tightly, feeling a bit lost. "So what do I do now? What if the company forces me to sign?"
"Do you still want to stay at Tianmei?" Yang Yi asked again.
Murphy nodded slightly, then shook her head.
"I don't want to leave, but I don't want to renew with Sister Ling either," Murphy said, her future now clouded with uncertainty.
"Then you can just wait until the contract ends, and we'll start our own studio, put it in your name," Yang Yi said, gently rubbing her hand. "We'll set it up in Tingshan District, hire some people to work just for you. From then on, you'll live at home. I'll take Xixi to kindergarten and drop you off at work on the way, then pick you both up in the evening. You won't have to rush off to commercial gigs or media appearances—just sing your songs, hold concerts, or pick a few variety shows you like to have fun with..."
Murphy was tempted by the picture Yang Yi painted. She truly longed for that kind of life. Over the past few months, sitting on planes every day heading to unfamiliar cities had exhausted her, or coming home each night to a house without her daughter or Yang Yi had left her feeling lonely...
The daily routine Yang Yi described was the life she wanted to live. So much so that she forgot about her ties to Tianmei and Sister Ling and seriously considered the possibility.
"But if I don't do commercial gigs, where will the money come from? The savings I had before aren't much left, and living abroad with Xixi is expensive... It might not even support the studio for a few months," Murphy asked, worried.
Yang Yi couldn't help but laugh. Murphy had really asked about the one thing she least needed to worry about.
"What about me? Silly, now that you're with me, isn't my money your money?" Yang Yi asked.
"Your money? Do you have a lot of money?" Murphy asked, confused. She had never really thought about managing finances—money was just a string of numbers in her bank account. Even after truly being with Yang Yi, it hadn't occurred to her to take control of his bank card like other women might.
In her mind, Yang Yi wrote novels, which might have given him a bit more financial breathing room than when he was working odd jobs, but he still had to run a coffee shop and raise Xixi. How much could he possibly have left?