Chapter 136: Termination of contract
Chapter 136
After listening to Liu Xin's words, everyone could roughly piece together what had happened -
After the second performance, Youyou's group had achieved good results, and she herself had also gained some fans due to her good performance. She used this as leverage to ask her company for more resources, otherwise she would terminate her contract.
The company promised to give her resources, but she was greedy and wanted even more. As a result, she got into an argument with the management.
The company planned to freeze her out for nurturing such an ungrateful artist. Unless she paid a penalty for breach of contract, she would not be allowed to take on any entertainment work until her contract expired.
...
This was probably what everyone had seen thus far.
But what was the truth?
After the second performance ended, Qin Wei had met with Youyou downstairs for a brief conversation that ended unpleasantly. As Youyou was leaving, she said to Qin Wei:
"Sister Qin, you're a good person. I never intended to hurt you. I didn't expect that I would almost ruin your career...
Sheng Shi Entertainment, I... don't want to stay in this company anymore. As long as I'm here, I'll be constrained by my seniors. Sister Qin, I'd rather have nothing and go back to school, than continue wronging someone I've always respected so much..."
However, Qin Wei did not respond at the time.
She didn't expect that Youyou would really dare to do this.
Perhaps only children who have not left campus would dare to be so courageous and decisive, without considering the consequences.
Not like her, who didn't even dare to speak up in the past, only daring to muddle along.
She admired Youyou's courage.
Because he didn't understand the rules in the industry or the antecedents and consequences, Gu Minghua listened in a daze, silently looking to Qin Wei for help, hoping that she could help him.
"Let's practice in groups of ten for now,"
said Qin Wei,
"For Youyou's case, if she or the program producers issue a statement of withdrawal, then we'll adjust accordingly."
Liu Xin instinctively frowned slightly:
"Time is tight and tasks are heavy. Although everyone is very good, adjustments require time. If a statement comes out the night before going on stage, can you take responsibility for that?"
Liu Xin's concerns were reasonable. There were still some people who supported her idea.
Youyou had already clashed with the company quite badly. In such a situation, it would be a medical miracle if she could still come back to compete.
Qin Wei refuted:
"If she comes back to continue competing, wouldn't our prepared nine-person performance have to start over again too after we worked so hard to adapt it?"
"You..."
"Hear me out."
Just as Liu Xin was about to say something, Gu Minghua interrupted, glancing first at Liu Xin, then at the others, before waving the sheet music:
"Although the lyrics haven't been distributed yet, the chorus part is set. I planned for the first three lines to definitely go to the person with the best vocal ability...
But that's getting a little off track for now - let's look at the chorus section first!"
"Then I'll sing the first three lines,"
said Liu Xin as she raised her hand to nominate herself.
Sun Tiantian and Qin Wei looked at each other, Sun shook her head furiously while Qin was about to say something but got interrupted by someone else:
"The distribution of lyrics is something we should all discuss together. Teamwork means one person can't just decide everything themselves, right?"
The tone and attitude of these words were very aggressive, faintly carrying a sense of oppression.
Qin Wei couldn't help but be reminded of Jiao Xixiao.
Looking in the direction of the voice, she saw a tall, slender girl. It goes without saying that her looks met the visual threshold for joining the industry.
She appeared to be in her early twenties with very fair skin, dressed in loose, casual clothing. She wasn't wearing any makeup today and had on a pair of black frame glasses.
Her whole demeanor did not seem very approachable...
Qin Wei also had a deep impression of her - Yan Jinyu, an artist from Huo Yu Entertainment. She was from the same company as Lin Qiqi, who had just been eliminated. Yan Jinyu was very capable, but there had probably always been big issues with her company's management. As a result, many resources had not gone to her.
Earlier, she had said in interviews that she had worked very hard to secure this opportunity, so she would take it seriously.
She had delivered on that, firmly staying in Class B from the preliminaries until now.
Right now, she looked straight at Liu Xin without bothering to hide her dissatisfaction.
Liu Xin was also completely unafraid of her. She turned around to lean against her chair back, an expression of disdain on her face:
"If you think you can do it too, then let's compete and see who's capable. Whoever can fulfill the role gets it."
"I don't think I can handle it, but the competition is completed by the team together. It needs each person to be in the position most suitable for her, making the optimal combination to fully utilize everyone's strengths.
I'm not competing with you. I want the highest score for the team so that we can minimize the chance of being eliminated as much as possible."
The others didn't dare to speak up, silently watching the two of them and feeling like flames could ignite between them at any moment.
Yan Jinyu seemed rather overbearing.
However, compared to Lin Qiqi from her company who was always standing on some moral high ground, resorting to moral coercion and controlling others in the name of "for your own good" and "for the good of the entire group", Yan Jinyu's words genuinely only considered the competition perspective.
But it was still too early to judge right now.
On one side was Liu Xin whom Qin Wei disliked, on the other side was Yan Jinyu from the same company as Lin Qiqi. Qin Wei mulled it over and decided she should observe for a bit longer. She couldn't defeat either of them.
As the two continued to trade barbs with rising tensions, the atmosphere made every person present very uncomfortable. Gu Minghua had wanted to give everyone ample opportunity for expression, but now he had no choice but to step in and stop them:
"Let's discuss distributing lyrics afterward. For now, let's start learning the chorus part..."
At this point, the two of them were so caught up in the argument that neither paid any attention to Gu Minghua's words.
Yan Jinyu pushed her glasses up and said,
"I don't care whether you call the shots in your company or not. Right now, it's about who has the capability. Ms. Liu, as long as you can prove you're more suitable than anyone, I will willingly and sincerely choose you."
Liu Xin did not back down at all. On the contrary, she fully turned to face Yan Jinyu and debated:
"Since I dared ask for it, then naturally I can sing it. Just because I didn't graduate from a music conservatory like you doesn't mean I'm incapable.
I stand by what I said earlier - if you want it, then come and take it."
"Ms. Liu, I feel talking with you is like playing the lute to a cow. You're misusing the word 'take'. Were those lyrics originally yours to begin with, that you say others who want to sing it are trying to 'take' it?"
The two of them were so wrapped up in the argument that the other people could no longer bear to sit quietly and started softly persuading "All right, all right, that's enough". However, it was still useless.