"Li Hongzhen?"
On the other end of the phone, Lin Wanzhou hesitated, immediately growing nervous.
"What... what does she want with you?"
"Songwriting, what else?" Xu Qingyan sat alone in the arranging room, making the call and contemplating the music score, "She said she's somebody's agent, right?"
"Jiang Ling."
"Right, seems like it was her." He didn't have anything important to discuss, so he casually added, "Hey, didn't you say last time that you wanted to compete in the ring? I wrote a couple of songs."
"A couple?"
"Yes, just random ones. Aren't you still undecided about participating in the show? There's no rush, we can talk about it later." Xu Qingyan said, "How is Li Hongzhen in terms of character?"
"Not sure about her character, but she should be alright." Lin Wanzhou said, "She was already there when I signed with Cloud Wing Entertainment, senior in experience, highly capable, has brought up quite a few singers."
"Heard she took a loan to buy a house recently, plus being an old company employee... hmm, it's hard to say. Just be careful, to prevent the company from setting a trap for you."
"Hmm??"
"Old employees at Cloud Wing Entertainment basically all have their own cliques, and the infighting there is serious."
Lin Wanzhou said with indignation, "Originally, I wouldn't have had to pay so much compensation; Sister Yun had already smoothed things out, but it was spoiled by those people fanning the flames."
"They are petty, I'm already cleanly released from my contract, they can't do anything to me. Maybe they're interested in your abilities and want to trick you into signing."
"Anyway, they truly are bad, even if you have to cooperate with them, be careful and cautious. Inspect the contract meticulously, and watch out for switcheroo contracts or sham contracts."
Hearing this, Xu Qingyan couldn't help but fall into thought.
"Forget it, I won't go."
Cloud Wing Entertainment was indeed the most bottom-line-lacking company he had ever seen, but that's what happens with big companies, depending solely on operating traffic stars to make a steady profit.
Besides, netizens don't care about lesser-known singers; in the public's mind, singers are just picking up money in sacks. Disputes over contracts are just dog-eat-dog affairs.
"Oh." Lin Wanzhou's face felt a bit hot.
What she had just said was one hundred percent genuine truth, and Cloud Wing Entertainment was indeed infuriating. However, speaking of which, she also harbored a little bit of self-interest.
Lin Wanzhou hadn't really interacted much with Jiang Ling, only hearing that she was somewhat crazy.
Once both being one of the little divas under Cloud Wing Entertainment, Jiang Ling's singing skills were impeccable, she was beautiful, debuted earlier than her, just not good at songwriting.
Additionally, the company didn't really value the music sector, and inter-departmental conflicts were severe. This led to Jiang Ling, like her, unable to get many breakout hit songs.
"By the way, when do you have time?" she asked.
"Something up?"
"No, just asking you." The not-so-young-anymore girl wasn't being forthright; having just thrown out the conversation starter, she immediately retracted it, "Summer is almost over, and I heard there's a temple near Xinghai."
"The one from last time?" Xu Qingyan laughed, his lips unconsciously curling up.
A few days prior, on the first day of the release of "The One I Miss," he had driven through the night with Lin Wanzhou to tour a scenic spot, but the temple was closed due to the late hour.
"No, it's in Pucheng District, quite far away." Lin Wanzhou tried to keep her voice level, the unusual thoughts in her head urging her to say things she had never said before.
She held her breath and blurted them out all at once.
"I want to go there with you."
Thump, thump, thump, Lin Wanzhou could feel her heart spontaneously quicken at that moment, her emotions floating up like a dandelion in that instant.
"To play? I'm okay over here, but do you have time?" He chuckled softly.
"Yes, I can sneak out." She whispered, "Sister Yun won't scold me, she's too busy, and I become free instead."
"All right, let's go the day after tomorrow," he said, habitually leaving out a day's time.
"Okay!"
After hanging up, Lin Wanzhou's mood was sparkling. In the brilliant daylight, the grass in front of her seemed to be coated with a layer of shimmering gold light.
Returning to the recording resting room, she saw Qi Ting diligently working over her phone and computer. As both an assistant and acting agent, she had to ensure all of Lin Wanzhou's activity projects were on time.
Lin Wanzhou walked behind her with hands behind her back, suddenly wrapping her arms around Qi Ting's neck and giving her a shake.
"Sister Zhou Zhou, what are you doing?" Qi Ting turned to look at her, her face full of question marks, "Early in the morning, are you treating me like a roly-poly toy?"
Not really doing anything.
Just felt like shaking something for no reason, not that strange, right.
"Ting Ting, I want to go out the day after tomorrow." She said.
"What?" Qi Ting's hand twitched, nearly dropping her phone, "The day after tomorrow you have to practice singing, Sister Yun said so, and in a few days, you'll have to be on the show too!"
"It's not confirmed yet, why the rush?"
"It may not be confirmed, but I guess Sister Yun will make sure it's all but certain." Qi Ting stroked her chin, then suddenly looked at her with suspicion.
"Sister Zhou Zhou, you're going on a date, aren't you?"
"No... no," Lin Wanzhou struggled to straighten her lips, trying to appear as normal as possible, "Just want to go to the temple to pray for the new song to be a hit."
"Hmm??" Qi Ting grew even more puzzled, "Going to the temple mainly means you know you can't rely on yourself. But Sister Zhou Zhou, your new song is already a hit!"
"It can't hurt to pray more." She pursed her lips.
"That's true," Qi Ting agreed as she sat at her desk, nodding her head, "The better you do, Sister Zhou Zhou, the sooner we can have our own studio."
Hearing this, Lin Wanzhou's eyes dropped slightly, falling silent for a few seconds.
"Thank you, Ting Ting, for being willing to leave the company with me."
"Hey, there's nothing to thank me for." Qi Ting patted her somewhat meager chest, grinning broadly, "I never knew what the company was like anyway, I've always been running around with Sister Yun and Sister Zhou Zhou."