Perfect Superstar.

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In the Fourth Ring Road of the capital, the Delong Building stood tall.

Delong Building is well-known in this bustling financial and commercial district, housing a collection of top-tier entertainment media and music production companies, including Tian Lai (Heavenly Sound) Music Workshop, Golden Disc Culture, and Sunshine Records.

As a result, those working in this building often encounter celebrities and idols coming and going. If you find a random corner outside, you might spot entertainment reporters, commonly known as paparazzi, lurking about.

Baidi Culture Agency is also located in the Delong Building, but as a medium-sized agency, it pales in comparison to the likes of Golden Disc Culture. Its office is situated on the less desirable seventh floor.

There's a saying in the entertainment industry: when multiple companies share a building, the stronger and more renowned ones typically occupy the higher floors. Otherwise, they would prefer to find another location rather than be subordinate to others.

While this saying may not hold true in every case, it certainly applies to the Delong Building.

Even so, securing a spot in the Delong Building is no small feat for any company.

Baidi Culture Agency boasts dozens of artists and over a hundred trainees. Among its signed artists, there are several second and third-tier celebrities, making its standing quite respectable.

It's said that there are around 2,000 entertainment agencies in the capital, but only about one-tenth are truly qualified.

At around 1 PM, the sun blazed down, making it the hottest part of the day.

Although the central air conditioning in the Delong Building was functioning well, providing ample cool air, Wen Zhiyuan, sitting in his office, felt increasingly irritable. He had downed two bottles of chilled mineral water, yet a wave of inexplicable anger simmered within him, causing beads of sweat to form on his forehead.

This forty-year-old, portly man is the head of the agency department at Baidi Culture Agency.

The agency department is the most crucial part of an agency, and the head's position is considered mid-to-high level within the company.

However, Wen Zhiyuan had never truly felt the thrill of power. The agency department, while influential and well-funded, was under the watchful eyes of many higher-ups. From afar, there were the general manager, director, deputy general manager, and deputy director. 

Closer to him were the department manager and deputy manager, along with three other heads at his level.

Aside from one trainee head, the other two were not easy to deal with.

Wen Zhiyuan had to manage the artists and agents under him while also guarding against both overt and covert attacks from competitors within the same department. His life was anything but smooth.

Recently, several signed artists under Wen Zhiyuan had been restless. One had even been embroiled in a scandal exposed by the media. Not only did Wen Zhiyuan have to clean up the mess, but he was also ridiculed by the PR department.

He often fantasized about quitting, but the thought of a mortgage that still had 15 years left to pay kept him tethered to his job.

Bang! Bang!

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Wen Zhiyuan instinctively straightened his back, grabbed a tissue from the table, and wiped the sweat from his face.

After quickly discarding the tissue, he called out in a deep voice, "Come in!"

In front of his subordinates, Wen Zhiyuan always made an effort to maintain his image; otherwise, it would be hard to command respect.

The door swung open, and two women entered, one after the other.

Upon seeing the middle-aged woman in front of him, Wen Zhiyuan felt his already large head throb even more! His brain ached.

This middle-aged woman was dressed elegantly, sporting a long dress, high heels, a leather bag, and jewelry—all branded. However, her appearance didn't quite match the expensive items. She looked ordinary and slightly fierce.

Yet, she clearly had no intention of hiding her shortcomings, holding her nose high and acting as if she owned the place.

The younger woman following her was undoubtedly prettier, with almond-shaped eyes, willow-leaf eyebrows, and flawless makeup. Her expression carried a hint of arrogance, reminiscent of the older woman.

As they approached, the young woman greeted them with a smile, "Manager Wen."

Wen Zhiyuan sighed inwardly but forced a smile onto his face. "Shuhui, you're here."

Zhang Shuhui, a signed artist under Baidi Culture Agency, had debuted just two months ago.

The middle-aged woman accompanying her is her agent, Zhang Qiong, who is also her aunt.

This is no ordinary person. Not only is she fierce in character, but she also has connections with the upper management of the company.

Although Zhang Qiong is nominally under Wen Zhiyuan, in reality, he has little authority over her.

The two of them are the epitome of arrogant soldiers and fierce generals!

Without needing to guess, Wen Zhiyuan knew that the other party was up to no good.

He felt extremely annoyed but still managed to put on a smile. "Please, have a seat."

Zhang Qiong wasted no time. She pulled Zhang Shuhui down onto the sofa and got straight to the point. "Manager Wen, I heard you applied for some funds to buy songs for Shuhui, right?"

Wen Zhiyuan nodded. "Yes, a total of 200,000. I have already..."

According to company procedures, important expenses related to training, packaging, and promotion for signed artists like Zhang Shuhui must be applied for and approved before funds can be allocated.

This is one of the greatest powers Wen Zhiyuan holds as the head of the agency department.

He applied for this fund for Zhang Shuhui to keep her calm and allow him to keep his job.

"I know!" 

Zhang Qiong interrupted him directly, questioning, "I heard you plan to invite a newcomer to write a song, and one song costs 250,000, is that right?"

Wen Zhiyuan suppressed his inner dissatisfaction and patiently explained, "That's correct..."

"This newcomer is quite extraordinary. He is the champion of 'Singing China,' and his songs have topped the Original Sound Chart for four consecutive weeks. He is a very talented singer. I think..."

"Manager Wen!" 

Zhang Qiong interrupted again, "I don't think any newcomer's work is worth 250,000. Even if his work is on the Original Sound Chart, so what? His creative style is completely different from Shuhui's. How can he write something suitable?"

"This fund was applied for with the efforts of both Shuhui and me, so I disagree with you buying songs from that newcomer named Lu Chen. The risk is too high. I think Xiyu would be a better choice."

The corner of her mouth curled into a smirk, "250,000 is enough to buy three songs!"

Wen Zhiyuan felt his temples throb at her insinuation of "Did you take a kickback?"

He was on the verge of losing his temper!

Heaven knows! He genuinely wanted to buy songs from Lu Chen for Zhang Shuhui's benefit.

Zhang Shuhui, as a new-generation vagabond singer, had debuted for a while. Despite the company's significant investment in packaging and promoting her, she hadn't gained much traction due to the abundance of similar newcomers in the industry.

In terms of looks, Zhang Shuhui wasn't the most stunning. In terms of singing ability, she was just average. As for talent...

Cough cough! Let's not even go there. She lacked any distinctive features or strengths. To become popular, she needed to take a different path.

Wen Zhiyuan believed that securing a suitable and outstanding song for Zhang Shuhui was the solution.

In the pop music industry, there's a saying: "People become popular because of songs." An ordinary vagabond singer can become a sensation if they sing the right song. While packaging and promotion are emphasized today, the quality of the work still matters.

Why do so many people desperately cover, imitate, or even plagiarize works from Europe, America, Japan, and South Korea?

As a singer who has recently risen rapidly in the pop music scene, Wen Zhiyuan had been keeping an eye on Lu Chen for some time. Knowing that Lu Chen had opened a workshop, he specifically sent people to contact him.

After "Singing China" concluded, Wen Zhiyuan finally decided to buy songs from Lu Chen at a premium.

He believed Lu Chen had the creative talent to back it up.

He never expected that his intentions and efforts would be questioned by Zhang Qiong!

The "Xiyu" she mentioned is a songwriter who gained fame early on, specializing in love songs and pop tracks, and has always had business ties with Baidi Culture Agency.

While 250,000 is indeed enough to hire Xiyu for three songs, Wen Zhiyuan felt that this songwriter's talent was nearly exhausted.

In comparison, Lu Chen was like a rising sun, brimming with vitality and creativity.

Xiyu, on the other hand, resembled a setting sun!

As for the style issue, it wasn't a significant concern.

Wen Zhiyuan wanted to explain again patiently, but Zhang Qiong's demeanor left him disheartened.

His straight back slumped, and he said dejectedly, "You're right. Fine, let's do as you say and invite Xiyu to write the songs."

Seeing Wen Zhiyuan's despondent expression, Zhang Shuhui, who had been silent until now, couldn't hold back and turned to Zhang Qiong. "Auntie..."

Zhang Qiong pinched her hand and said, "Listen to me, it's fine. Since Manager Wen has agreed, there's no problem."

She stood up and added, "Sorry to disturb you. We'll take our leave now."

Wen Zhiyuan weakly waved his hand, not even bothering to look at their smug faces.

He knew Zhang Qiong's true intention was to assert her power.

After Zhang Qiong and Zhang Shuhui left, it took Wen Zhiyuan a long time to recover. He chuckled wryly.

What a mess!

Ding Lingling~

At that moment, the phone on the table rang.

Wen Zhiyuan reached out to answer it.

The sweet voice of the receptionist came through, "Manager Wen, Mr. Lu Chen is here to see you."

Wen Zhiyuan suddenly remembered that he had an appointment with Lu Chen's workshop for a voice test!

Now things were really complicated. Wen Zhiyuan wished he could slap himself.

Of course, he could let Lu Chen leave, but that would completely offend him, and it would be a huge embarrassment if word got out. It was definitely not a wise choice.

But how could Wen Zhiyuan explain to Lu Chen that his artist didn't want to buy his songs?

That would still offend him!

"Hello, hello! Manager Wen, are you there?"

Wen Zhiyuan snapped back to reality and quickly said, "Yes, please ask Mr. Lu to wait in the reception room. Be sure to treat him warmly. I'll be there as soon as I finish what I'm doing!"

The receptionist replied, "Okay."

After hanging up the phone, Wen Zhiyuan was already drenched in sweat, nearly in tears.

Tap! Tap!

There was another knock at the office door.

(End of chapter)