Chapter 9 Ning Cai Agrees

After hanging up the phone, Li Xiurong looked at Wang Tianqi with a hint of resignation. “We just signed the contract, and you’re already being given this task. Shen Xian... could he be a scammer?”

A bitter smile appeared on Wang Tianqi’s face. “Even if he is, what can I do about it?”

Because just moments ago, Shen Xian had already transferred thirty thousand yuan to him—three months’ salary in advance.

“Do I even have a choice?” Wang Tianqi spoke softly.

Li Xiurong fell silent.

That’s right.

There was no choice left.

The bar wouldn’t take him back, his source of income was cut off; he couldn’t just wait around to die, could he?

“Rather than wait for death, I might as well give it a try,” Wang Tianqi said.

Li Xiurong hummed in agreement, glanced at her phone, and saw another message from Shen Xian, saying he’d buy a song for Wang Tianqi from the Original Music Base.

Wang Tianqi sighed. “Let’s get some rest tonight. Tomorrow we’re meeting Shen Xian at Yu’an Media.”

Shen Xian was someone who struggled to get up in the mornings. Though he’d woken up at half past seven, he lingered in bed for another half hour before getting up.

He took a cab and arrived at the base of Yu’an Media at nine o’clock.

The office workers had already started their day. Shen Xian waited at the entrance for Wang Tianqi.

Before long, Li Xiurong helped Wang Tianqi out of a taxi.

Today, Wang Tianqi was dressed very formally: black suit, tie, and sunglasses. But to Shen Xian, he looked more like a mafia boss, given his imposing build.

“Good morning, President Shen,” Li Xiurong greeted politely.

Wang Tianqi followed suit with a greeting of his own.

Shen Xian smiled. “Have you had breakfast? If not, there’s a great little diner nearby.”

“We’ve eaten. Let’s go up,” Wang Tianqi replied, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves.

Shen Xian led Wang Tianqi and Li Xiurong into the company.

At the front desk, the receptionist immediately stood up, a sweet smile on her face. “Good morning, President Shen.”

“Is President Ning in?” Shen Xian’s smile was warm, putting people at ease.

“She is. She gave instructions this morning—said you could go straight up when you arrived.” The receptionist looked at Shen Xian as she spoke.

Shen Xian nodded and took Wang Tianqi directly to Ning Cai’s office.

He knocked, and Ning Cai’s cold voice came from inside. “Come in.”

Pushing open the door, Shen Xian paused in surprise at the sight within. Besides Ning Cai, Vice President Chen Rumeng was there—and so was Zhou Wan, the queen of love songs!

This was only Shen Xian’s second time meeting Zhou Wan in person. The first had been three or four years ago at a small cocktail party, when Zhou Wan had just started branching out from online streaming to in-person events and was already making a name for herself online.

Now was the second time.

Zhou Wan was also taken aback upon seeing Shen Xian, then quickly looked away.

But Ning Cai, ever observant, noticed the complicated mix of emotions in Zhou Wan’s eyes.

Was it anger? Regret? Mockery? Or something else?

Ning Cai couldn’t quite read it.

“Cai Cai, you go ahead with your work,” Zhou Wan said, then moved to the sofa, took out her phone, and ignored Shen Xian.

Chen Rumeng, seeing Shen Xian enter, snorted coldly and gave him a frosty look.

Shen Xian raised an eyebrow and glanced at Chen Rumeng.

This little vice president—what had he done to offend her? Why such hostility?

“Ms. Zhou, it’s an honor to meet you,” Shen Xian greeted Zhou Wan out of courtesy.

Zhou Wan rose and nodded slightly to him.

Yet, for some reason, Shen Xian felt that Zhou Wan’s eyes were evasive, as if she dared not meet his gaze.

He didn’t dwell on it, but pulled Wang Tianqi over to Ning Cai. “President Ning, this is the artist my studio just signed, Wang Tianqi. I plan to have him compete in ‘I Am a Singer.’”

Ning Cai looked Wang Tianqi up and down without comment, merely asking, “What’s his background? Formally trained?”

Shen Xian pulled up a chair and sat opposite Ning Cai. “He used to perform at Zero Point Bar. I discovered his voice was excellent, with a rich and powerful timbre, so I signed him. By the way, he’s visually impaired, but that has nothing to do with his ability to sing.”

Ning Cai frowned, though she sighed inwardly.

So this was Shen Xian’s way of throwing in the towel—just grabbing anyone to fill the spot, hoping to escape the penalty for breach of contract?

Chen Rumeng’s eyes widened. “Shen Xian, are you out of your mind? Bringing in a blind man to cover for you? ‘Who Is the Singer’ is not something you can mess around with!”

She looked at Shen Xian with disgust, then at Wang Tianqi, before giving a cold laugh. “What a joke. Since when can blind people sing in the entertainment industry?”

At these words, Zhou Wan’s brow furrowed as well.

But it wasn’t because of Shen Xian or Wang Tianqi—she simply felt that Chen Rumeng was particularly disrespectful.

Wang Tianqi and Li Xiurong stood side by side, awkwardly, unsure whether to sit or remain standing.

Ning Cai spoke up, “Rumeng, that’s enough.”

Chen Rumeng’s eyes flashed with anger as she looked at Ning Cai, pointing at Shen Xian and Wang Tianqi. “President Ning, do you think this is acceptable?”

“I disagree. I absolutely do not agree with this!” she declared. “I’ll contact legal immediately to pursue Shen Xian’s eighty million penalty for breach of contract!”

She rattled off a string of objections.

Ning Cai lifted her head, her tone calm and devoid of any emotion. “That’s enough. Say no more.”

Seeing the chill in Ning Cai’s gaze, Chen Rumeng, though unwilling, fell silent.

For the first time, Li Xiurong felt a pressure emanating from Ning Cai.

This woman appeared so cold and commanding—one look was enough to silence Chen Rumeng.

“What decisions you make are your own,” Ning Cai said. “But I hope, in the end, you don’t lose all dignity.”

She made no mention of the penalty.

Shen Xian simply chuckled. “Don’t worry. As long as the show is fair, I’m confident Wang Tianqi can make the top three!”

“Fine,” Ning Cai nodded. “I don’t believe it, nor do I expect it. I’m not taking your words seriously, but it’s good that you have your own ideas. Send me Wang Tianqi’s resume and I’ll recommend him to the show’s producers.”

Shen Xian had a copy of the resume from the contract signing and sent it to Ning Cai immediately.

He noticed a detail: as soon as he sent the file, Ning Cai forwarded it directly without even opening it.

And just like that, the matter was settled.

Throughout it all, Zhou Wan hadn’t said a word, watching everything unfold as a bystander.

“Alright, I’ll get back to work then,” Shen Xian said to Ning Cai, and left with Wang Tianqi and Li Xiurong.

But Chen Rumeng followed them out. “Shen Xian, wait, I need to speak with you.”

Shen Xian paused, turning to look at her.

Chen Rumeng closed the office door behind them to make sure neither Ning Cai nor Zhou Wan could overhear.

Then she fixed Shen Xian with her gaze. “Shen Xian, you really have no shame!”