The issue of contract renewal was finally resolved for the time being. Of course, as Mo Xiaojuan had hoped, the negotiations were temporarily shelved, and Niu Meiling privately promised Mo Xiaojuan that she wouldn’t play any tricks on Mo Fei, thereby securing Mo Fei’s return.
In fact, Niu Meiling had indeed compromised on this matter. She was a smart person and quickly weighed the pros and cons. Since she couldn’t trick or force Mo Fei into signing a low-tier contract, Niu Meiling had to change her approach and truly treat Mo Fei as a platinum-level singer. Naturally, she couldn’t keep suppressing her; instead, she had to make a complete 180-degree turn. Niu Meiling issued orders for her subordinates to fully support Mo Fei’s new album!
Even if she earned less from Mo Fei, so be it. Though Niu Meiling’s heart ached, she absolutely wouldn’t allow Mo Fei—this trump card she still valued—to slip into someone else’s hands after the contract ended!
Relying on her understanding of Mo Fei, Niu Meiling believed that as long as she maintained a good relationship with her, using years of cooperation and camaraderie, she could firmly tie Mo Fei to her Tianmei.
However, Niu Meiling only considered the possibility of Mo Fei jumping ship to another company or other companies poaching her star. She never imagined that Mo Fei had another option.
Going independent!
Even less did Niu Meiling expect that Mo Xiaojuan, that audacious schemer, had already, with the financial backing of her brother-in-law, poached a few girls from her company and set up a new operation outside during the contract period!
Of course, Niu Meiling’s strategy wasn’t bad either. Mo Fei was indeed easily swayed by emotions, and under her care, she might find it hard to leave Tianmei.
“…So it’s up to you, brother-in-law!” After Yang Yi dropped Mo Fei off, Mo Xiaojuan secretly called him, analyzing Tianmei’s changes and Niu Meiling’s thoughts, then chuckled. “You’ve got to work hard to snatch Sister Fei away from Tianmei!”
“Mm.” Yang Yi agreed.
Yang Yi wasn’t too worried that Mo Fei would hesitate to break her contract with Tianmei. What bond of teacher and student could compare to her feelings for him?
“Heh, brother-in-law, I’m rooting for you! You can use both soft and hard tactics, wear her down, and my sister will definitely give in and agree to you in the end,” Mo Xiaojuan said meaningfully. “Of course, take it slow, let it flow naturally!”
“…”
…
The new book period had passed, and many bookstores had taken the book off the shelves. Only state-owned large bookstores continued to sell it, along with a few optimistic independent shops that still displayed this fairy tale book in the most prominent spots.
In Guangdong Province, word of mouth was gradually spreading among parents, even leading to a situation where the book was hard to find. Fortunately, Sahara’s team reacted quickly, placing ads for online sales channels in influential local media early on.
Many parents, who had opened online banking accounts during bank promotions, tentatively registered and logged into Sahara’s online mall to make purchases. Even with shipping fees, after deducting website discounts, the price on the online mall was still a few yuan cheaper than in regular bookstores!
Crunching the numbers, they gradually realized the benefits of this online mall. Even if they didn’t buy anything, they browsed out of curiosity, comparing prices between the online mall and physical stores.
Adding to that, starting this month, the online mall had teamed up with manufacturers of infant and children’s products for promotions. Especially imported items like formula and diapers on the shelves were much cheaper than in supermarkets!
“Seems pretty cost-effective?” Though many were deeply wary of online shopping, quite a few were swayed by the price difference and gave it a try.
Even mothers too hesitant to buy would casually share the discount info with other moms over tea or idle chat. The online mall’s reputation spread bit by bit!
Sahara’s backend monitoring team could see sales data growing exponentially each day. It seemed like a push, but upon closer analysis, it wasn’t. Ultimately, it was the price advantage from cutting out middlemen that drove this!
Regardless, sales of the book began to rise. As more people read it, good word of mouth started spreading beyond Guangdong Province.
Until one day, a netizen who had come to Sahara’s online mall to buy the book noticed a large banner promotion.
“Huh? Written by Yang Yi? Isn’t Yang Yi a military fiction writer? Even though he’s dabbled in crime thrillers lately, when did he write a fairy tale book?” This non-die-hard fan of Yang Yi grew curious.
He specifically contacted the online mall’s customer service to confirm that the book was indeed written by Yang Yi!
“Interesting, so Big Yang Yi wrote a fairy tale book too?” The non-die-hard fan got intrigued. He wasn’t a hardcore fan, but he was very curious. He bought the book and also picked up another one, saving a bit on shipping.
However, when the package arrived, this guy in his early twenties, a grown man, got completely absorbed in the fairy tale book.
Over twenty carefully crafted fairy tales kept him captivated for two days and two nights. Especially when he read the story, he nearly got swept up in girlish sentiment, barely resisting the urge to cross-dress.
Such a great book had to be recommended! But he didn’t know any kids or single moms—what to do?
He had an idea! Excitedly, he went to the discussion forums for the two serialized books and posted: “You might not believe me, but Big Yang Yi made me fall in love with fairy tales again.”
The title was eye-catching, and the content naturally promoted Yang Yi, urging everyone to buy from Sahara’s online mall.
As soon as the post went up, he got flamed by readers eagerly waiting for updates.
“Shill, right? How could Big Yang Yi have written a fairy tale book?”
“Probably a fake link. Don’t click it—could be a scam!”
This non-die-hard fan’s username wasn’t as well-known among hardcore fans as Mu Yucheng’s “Mu Yuchen.” Despite his arguments, he couldn’t gain their trust.
But Mu Yucheng saw the post. He vaguely remembered visiting Sahara’s online mall last month to study their shopping model and had noticed the book, advertised as Yang Yi’s work. He hadn’t been interested because it was children’s literature.
Now on break and bored, Mu Yucheng followed the link the user provided and found it was indeed Yang Yi’s. Unable to wait for updates, he decided to buy a copy and jumped into the rabbit hole.
A few days later, Mu Yucheng reposted the long-lost non-die-hard fan’s thread, solemnly recommending it to millions of readers waiting for updates.
“It’s really compiled by Big Yang Yi! Confirmed with customer service—Big Yang Yi turned the bedtime stories he tells his daughter into a book. Full of fatherly love, right? Though sales in physical stores weren’t great, the quality is top-notch. The plots are fantastic, and while the wording is simple, Big Yang Yi’s writing is as excellent as ever!”
“If I had to write a blurb, I’d say: Suitable for all ages. Though it’s a fairy tale, adults get hooked too!” Mu Yucheng was genuinely enthusiastic, doing free promotion.
With a familiar username like his, many readers couldn’t sit still.
“Whoa, Old Mu’s spoken—guess I have to buy it!”
“Buy, buy, buy! Since it’s really written by Big Yang Yi, I’m definitely getting it!”
“Not buying means you’re not part of the Yang Army!”
“I was wondering why Big Yang Yi’s updates were so sluggish—turns out he has a daughter! Alright, let’s chip in for our daughter’s milk money!”
“Get lost, who’s your daughter? Yang Yi is my dad…”
“Keep chatting, I’m off to place an order. Big Yang Yi’s reputation is solid—can’t go wrong, can’t get ripped off.”
“Anyone living near Chaonei Street Alley in the capital? Let’s combine orders to save on shipping…”
Amid laughter and chatter, Yang Yi’s fans were about to push sales to a staggering number. Though it would no longer draw media attention or coverage, it would still spread these fairy tales far and wide.
But that’s a story for another time.