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The mistake people make about the entertainment industry is thinking it runs on music.
It runs on leverage.
Music is just the excuse.
After tearing up Brightnote's contract, I didn't celebrate. I didn't relax. I didn't even tell Yueyin how serious it was.
Because the moment you refuse to be owned, someone decides you need to be taught why ownership exists.
And they wouldn't come for me first.
They would go for her.
Negative articles had already started appearing.
Nothing direct. Nothing aggressive.
Just questions.
Is Yueyin a one-song wonder?Who really creates her music?Can independent idols survive long-term?
Soft attacks.
Testing the waters.
Seeing if we would panic.
I didn't.
I made calls instead.
The company I contacted wasn't mid-tier.
They were bigger. Older. Patient.
The kind of company that didn't chase trends — they absorbed them.
Jinhai Entertainment.
They didn't contact me first.
I contacted them.
That alone changed the tone of the conversation.
The meeting felt different from the start.
No attempts to impress me.
No fake friendliness.
Just calculation.
Their director, Zhou Ming, spoke plainly.
"You rejected Brightnote."
Not a question.
"Yes."
"And now you want protection."
"No," I corrected. "I want cooperation."
His eyes sharpened slightly.
Interesting.
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I placed the proposal on the table.
Not a contract.
A framework.
"You handle distribution, legal pressure, media shielding, and event access," I said."Yueyin remains independent."
"And what do we gain?" Zhou Ming asked.
I held his gaze.
"Songs."
He didn't react.
So I continued.
"Not fillers. Not seasonal hits. Songs that stay."
Confidence is dangerous unless you can back it up.
The system window flickered briefly in my peripheral vision.
[Resource Available: High Probability Hit Composition]
I ignored it outwardly.
Inside, I already knew.
I could deliver.
"You're asking us to invest resources without ownership," Zhou Ming said.
"I'm offering guaranteed return without risk."
Silence stretched.
Executives whispered quietly among themselves.
They weren't doubting the idea.
They were recalculating my value.
Finally, Zhou Ming leaned forward.
"One condition."
I waited.
"The songs you provide cannot be exclusive to Yueyin."
Fair.
Expected.
Logical.
I nodded slowly.
"As long as Yueyin's releases take priority."
He smiled faintly.
Now we were speaking the same language.
The agreement wasn't flashy.
No public announcement.
No headlines.
Just invisible protection.
Media pressure eased within days.
Negative posts stopped spreading.
Event invitations suddenly became easier to obtain.
The industry understood the message immediately.
Yueyin wasn't alone anymore.
That night, Yueyin sat beside me on the sofa, scrolling through her phone.
"…Things feel calmer," she said.
"They are," I answered.
She leaned against my shoulder without thinking.
"You did something again, didn't you?"
"Just work."
She smiled, satisfied with that answer.
Xiaoyu watched from across the room.
She knew better.
Later, when Yueyin had gone to sleep, Xiaoyu spoke quietly.
"You made a deal with a monster to keep another monster away."
"Yes."
"And when they want more?"
I looked at the city lights outside the window.
"Then I'll already be strong enough to say no again."
The system interface appeared once more.
[Main Path Updated:]Super Idol Development — Protected Growth Phase Activated
I closed it.
Because for the first time since this started, the path ahead wasn't just survival.
It was expansion.
In the entertainment world, talent opens doors.
Power decides who gets to walk through them safely.
And now—
we had borrowed power.
⭐ End of Chapter 19If you want to see Yueyin's next step as her influence grows under protection, vote, comment, and add the story to your library! ⭐