As Yang Yi took Xixi to the temple fair, the rumors about Murphy and Ju Jie quietly subsided. After all, Ju Jie's fame was too weak, and Murphy refused to cooperate. The media kept stirring things up, but it felt like clowns dancing, and public attention dwindled significantly.
Adding to that, a rather shocking event had just occurred in the entertainment industry! Without much buildup, Hong Kong star Chen Yijie released his long-awaited new album, *Long Time No See*, after two years of hard work! Yet, under these circumstances, the album's sales in the first two days astonishingly broke the million mark!
It's worth noting that Cantonese songs have a limited market, unlike Mandarin, which boasts a massive audience. The copyright association set the platinum record standard for Cantonese albums at five million copies! Clearly, with its current momentum, *Long Time No See* achieving platinum status is just a matter of time!
Moreover, both industry insiders and Chen Yijie's fans gave the album almost unanimous high praise. The positive word-of-mouth buzz naturally boosted sales significantly!
Interestingly, although *Long Time No See* consisted entirely of Cantonese songs, the second lead single of the same name was in Mandarin. This drew attention from the Mandarin-speaking entertainment circles as well. Soon, they discovered that the Mandarin version of *Long Time No See* was unexpectedly good! As a result, the song began spreading across the vast Mandarin market—even though many could only download it through paid online channels, its popularity had become a phenomenon!
"Who is Mu Zi'ang?" More record companies and agencies quickly turned their focus to the lyricist and composer of these two lead singles, which shared the same melody but different lyrics. However, since the copyright association had set the author's information to unreadable, those who tried to dig deeper hit dead ends.
Of course, Chen Yijie's new album's massive success didn't bring any benefits to Murphy. Although she bought the album immediately to appreciate and learn from it, she had to admit that the attention she was receiving had been affected, and this impact was reflected in her album sales!
Murphy didn't mind, though. Instead, she felt relieved, thinking that her previous sales were too inflated. She wanted real achievements, even if they were poor enough to sadden her. That felt lighter than relying on deliberate hype and rumors to trick people into buying albums.
After the deadline set with Ling Jie passed, Murphy immediately had Mo Xiaojuan arrange a meeting with a familiar journalist to formally clarify to the public: "I, Murphy, am still single. Ju Jie and I are just ordinary colleagues. The photos circulating earlier appeared intimate due to camera angles, but that's not the case!"
This clarification was cold and aloof, very much in Murphy's style. Whether it was convincing or not, it didn't make much of a splash after its release. The fans lost due to the rumors were hard to win back, and her album sales, which had initially spiked thanks to the gossip, began to slow and decline again...
Finally, Murphy's last album sales week came to an end. Although her album could still be sold, it now depended on the whims of major retailers and music store owners. In this world, album sales somewhat resembled movie releases. The copyright association required all sales channels to reserve the front shelves for albums released within a month. Of course, how well they sold and whether they got better placement depended on their own merit!
This protected creators' rights to some extent but also intensified competition in the album market. Unless a store owner was driven by nostalgia, market factors largely determined whether outdated albums stayed or were removed. Once the month passed, without the mandatory shelf period backed by the copyright association, poorly selling albums were often taken down or left to gather dust in obscure corners...
Clearly, Murphy's new album wasn't good enough to survive beyond a month—especially in this fiercely competitive entertainment world. According to feedback from the company's marketing department, after the deadline, Murphy's album sales plummeted the next day, with daily increments dropping to just double digits...
With such results, Murphy faced not only external ridicule but also a noticeable shift in how others in her agency treated her. There was less respect and deference, replaced by distance and disdain.
Mo Xiaojuan felt it even more keenly. She had just stormed back from the restroom, fuming, and said, "What a bunch of people! So snobbish! They used to call me 'Jie' sweetly, and now they won't even greet me in the restroom. They roll their eyes and speak with such sarcastic tones."
Mo Xiaojuan didn't want to tell Murphy the harsh things they said—like calling Murphy a has-been, accusing her of hogging the company's biggest resources and blocking the paths of the younger female stars they managed. Hearing that was infuriating, and she didn't want Murphy to feel worse.
"Forget it, we'll come back with the next album!" Murphy put down her book and comforted her assistant cousin.
"Actually, their criticism isn't entirely baseless. I was too eager to make a comeback and didn't pick good songs." Murphy reflected on herself. "Next time, I'd rather take more time, have Ling Jie help me gather songs, pick the best ones, and polish them repeatedly. I'm sure we can craft an album that satisfies the fans!"
Mo Xiaojuan sighed softly and said, "Sis, that sounds simple, but how many years will that take? Your contract with Ling Jie expires around this time next year. Let's not even mention whether Ling Jie will still want to sign a top-tier deal with us!"
Without a top-tier contract, many aspects would be restricted! Mo Xiaojuan didn't say it out loud, but she felt the company was unlikely to invest heavily in getting songs for Murphy. Without good songs, no amount of polishing would help!
"Besides, what do we do in the meantime? We can't just stop eating and lock ourselves in the studio practicing, right?" Mo Xiaojuan said, frustrated.
The entertainment industry was brutal, and so were the economic terms. If Murphy made money, the agency took a big cut; if she didn't, they wouldn't give her a cent...
"Then I'll tell Ling Jie I'll take on a few more commercial gigs each month," Murphy said reluctantly but stubbornly.
"Sigh, Sis, why are you pushing yourself so hard?" Mo Xiaojuan couldn't help but complain.
Yeah, why? Murphy wasn't doing it for money or fame. Otherwise, she wouldn't have retired for Xixi or risked offending the TV station to rush back from Shanghai to Jiangcheng for her daughter. But she craved the stage, the feeling of singing for her fans at concerts! She loved singing and didn't want to give up easily.
Right! She couldn't give up! After thinking for a long time, Murphy's resolve strengthened again. She said to Mo Xiaojuan, "Xiaojuan, it's late. You go home first. I'll listen to a few more songs to find some inspiration!"
But Mo Xiaojuan didn't move. She sat frozen at her desk, staring at the computer.
"What's wrong, Xiaojuan?" Murphy asked curiously, walking over.
"Sis..." Mo Xiaojuan's voice trembled with excitement as she pointed at the email page and asked, "This name, Mu Zi'ang—have I seen it somewhere before?"