Seventeen days.
That was how long remained until Lin Yueyin's next solo release.
And suddenly—
everyone wanted something from her.
The morning after the warehouse confrontation, Li Chen arrived at Studio Three earlier than usual.
He expected to find Xiaoyu already working.
Instead—
he found three people waiting for him.
Yueyin.
Yara.
Wanqing.
And, judging by their expressions, none of them had come to talk about breakfast.
Li Chen stopped.
"...What's happening?"
Yara pointed toward the table.
"Your phone."
Li Chen looked down.
Thirty-seven missed calls.
He blinked.
"That's a lot."
Xiaoyu walked out of the office carrying another stack of documents.
"That's only from the last hour."
Li Chen sighed.
"What happened?"
She dropped the documents onto the table.
"Everyone wants Lin Yueyin."
Yueyin frowned.
"Everyone?"
"Everyone."
Xiaoyu began counting.
"Three major labels."
"Two streaming platforms."
"Four advertising agencies."
"And..."
She paused.
"One international entertainment company."
Yara whistled.
"Yueyin became expensive."
Yueyin looked uncomfortable.
"I don't like this."
Li Chen understood immediately.
This wasn't random.
After the success of the concert, Yueyin's market value had increased dramatically.
And Zhou Kang knew it.
The question was—
what was he planning?
Li Chen picked up one of the offers.
The numbers were impressive.
Very impressive.
Another company offered Yueyin a contract with almost double her current salary.
Another offered complete control over her public image.
Another promised international promotion.
At first glance—
they were excellent offers.
But Li Chen wasn't looking at the money.
He was looking at the clauses.
He stopped at one.
Then another.
Then another.
"Interesting."
Xiaoyu looked at him.
"What?"
Li Chen handed her the document.
"These three companies all have the same parent investor."
Xiaoyu's eyes widened.
"Seriously?"
She checked.
Then checked again.
"...You're right."
Yara crossed her arms.
"So they're working together."
"Maybe."
Li Chen shook his head.
"Not necessarily."
Wanqing looked at the documents.
"Then what?"
Li Chen pointed at the contract.
"They're testing the market."
"Testing?"
"Seeing how much Yueyin is worth."
He looked at the pile.
"And how much pressure it takes to make us move."
Yueyin lowered her eyes.
"So I'm a number."
Li Chen immediately looked at her.
"No."
"You are an artist."
He placed the contract back on the table.
"These people see a profitable asset."
"That's their job."
"But you don't have to accept their definition of you."
Yueyin looked at him for several seconds.
Then nodded.
A few minutes later—
another message arrived.
This one wasn't from an agency.
It was from Aurora Music Distribution.
Xiaoyu opened it.
Her expression immediately changed.
"Li Chen..."
"What?"
"They're offering us priority distribution."
Yara raised an eyebrow.
"Isn't that good?"
Xiaoyu shook her head.
"Very good."
Li Chen took the phone.
The offer was unusually generous.
Aurora would guarantee:
nationwide distribution; premium playlist placement; promotional support; advertising partnerships; priority scheduling.
And one final condition.
Li Chen read it twice.
Then smiled.
"Of course."
Yara looked at him.
"What?"
"They want exclusive distribution rights for Yueyin's next three releases."
Silence.
Wanqing's eyes narrowed.
"That's the trap."
Li Chen nodded.
"Exactly."
Aurora was the company Zhao Mingyuan had mentioned.
The same company closely connected to Zhou Kang's productions.
They weren't offering help.
They were offering a cage.
Yara leaned over the table.
"So what do we do?"
Li Chen smiled.
"We accept."
Everyone stared at him.
"What?!"
Xiaoyu nearly dropped her phone.
Li Chen laughed.
"Not the contract."
He pointed at the offer.
"We accept the meeting."
Two Hours Later
Aurora Music Distribution.
Executive Floor.
Li Chen walked into the conference room with Xiaoyu and Yueyin.
Yara and Wanqing remained at the studio.
This meeting was specifically about Yueyin.
A man in his fifties stood to greet them.
"Mr. Li."
"Ms. Lin."
"I'm Han Wei, Vice President of Aurora."
They shook hands.
Han Wei gestured toward the seats.
"Please."
Everyone sat.
Han Wei smiled.
"Let's get straight to the point."
He opened a presentation.
"Lin Yueyin is currently experiencing unprecedented growth."
Yueyin remained silent.
"We believe she has the potential to become one of the biggest pop stars in the country."
Li Chen nodded.
"I agree."
Han Wei smiled.
"Then you understand why she needs a larger platform."
"I understand."
"And Aurora can provide that platform."
The presentation continued.
Numbers.
Charts.
Projected revenue.
Marketing campaigns.
International expansion.
Everything looked perfect.
Too perfect.
Li Chen noticed one detail.
Every projection assumed Yueyin remained under Aurora's control.
He leaned back.
"These numbers are impressive."
Han Wei smiled.
"Thank you."
"But there's a problem."
Han Wei's expression changed slightly.
"Which is?"
"Your projections don't include what happens if Yueyin's popularity continues growing independently."
Silence.
Li Chen continued.
"You've calculated how much Aurora can make from her."
"But not how much power she gains by herself."
Han Wei stared at him.
Then laughed softly.
"Mr. Li..."
"You think too much."
"Maybe."
Li Chen smiled.
"But that's my job."
Han Wei closed the presentation.
"Let's be honest."
"Jinhai can't give Yueyin what we can."
Li Chen remained silent.
"Your company is already having problems."
"You have internal conflicts."
"Your manager is fighting with the board."
"And now several companies are trying to recruit your artists."
Han Wei leaned forward.
"You need protection."
Li Chen smiled.
"Protection?"
"Yes."
Han Wei lowered his voice.
"We can protect her."
Li Chen looked directly at him.
"From whom?"
Han Wei didn't answer.
That was enough.
Li Chen understood.
They weren't offering protection from the industry.
They were offering protection from themselves.
Yueyin finally spoke.
"If I sign..."
Han Wei turned toward her.
"Yes?"
"Who chooses my music?"
Han Wei smiled.
"Naturally, our creative department."
Yueyin's expression became colder.
"Who chooses my image?"
"Our marketing team."
"My schedule?"
"Management."
"My songs?"
"Creative direction."
She asked one final question.
"And what do I choose?"
The room became silent.
Han Wei's smile slowly disappeared.
Yueyin looked at Li Chen.
Then back at Han Wei.
"I think I understand."
She stood.
"I don't want this."
Han Wei's eyes narrowed.
"Ms. Lin..."
Yueyin interrupted him.
"I'm not leaving my current team."
She looked at Li Chen.
"Not for money."
"Not for fame."
"And not because someone promises to protect me."
Li Chen smiled.
Han Wei's expression became cold.
"You should think carefully."
Yueyin answered calmly.
"I already did."
The meeting ended.
Outside the building, Xiaoyu exhaled.
"That went well."
Yueyin looked at Li Chen.
"Did it?"
Li Chen nodded.
"Very."
Yueyin frowned.
"We didn't get anything."
Li Chen smiled.
"Exactly."
She looked confused.
Li Chen pointed toward the building behind them.
"Now we know."
"Know what?"
"Zhou Kang's next move."
Yueyin's eyes widened.
"He wanted me to sign."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Li Chen looked at the city.
"Because if he controls the distribution..."
He paused.
"...he controls our next release."
Xiaoyu immediately understood.
"And if he controls our release..."
"He can make it disappear."
Li Chen nodded.
"Or make it fail."
His phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
Only one sentence.
"You should have accepted the offer."
Li Chen stared at the screen.
Then smiled.
He typed a reply.
"You should have made a better offer."
He pressed send.
Three seconds later—
the message was read.
No response.
Li Chen put the phone away.
Yueyin looked at him.
"What now?"
Li Chen looked at her.
"Now?"
His smile became confident.
"We release your song."
"Without them."
That evening—
Li Chen returned to the studio.
He opened the project file for Yueyin's upcoming single.
For several seconds, he stared at the waveform.
Then—
he deleted the original marketing plan.
Xiaoyu froze.
"What are you doing?"
Li Chen smiled.
"Changing the strategy."
"But the release is in seventeen days!"
"I know."
"Then why—"
Li Chen opened a new document.
Project: Yueyin — Independent Release
He began typing.
"If they want to control the distribution..."
He looked at the others.
"...we'll make distribution irrelevant."
Yara's eyes lit up.
"Now that's interesting."
Wanqing smiled faintly.
Yueyin stared at the screen.
For the first time—
she wasn't thinking about escaping Jinhai.
She was thinking about something bigger.
Freedom.
And somewhere else—
Zhou Kang received a report.
Yueyin rejected Aurora.
He read it.
Then slowly smiled.
"Good."
His assistant looked confused.
"Good?"
Zhou Kang nodded.
"Now I know what he values."
He placed the report down.
"Li Chen isn't protecting his company."
"He's protecting his artists."
A pause.
"That makes him predictable."
He looked toward the city.
"And predictable people..."
"...can be broken."
End of Chapter 35