Chapter 39: Signing the Heavenly Queen

On the way, Yi Yunxue held the white cat plush toy.
The car drove into the residential complex.
After parking in the underground garage, the two of them walked to the elevator together.
Since Chen Jiang's apartment was one floor lower, he stepped out of the elevator first.
"Bye-bye, see you tomorrow!"
"See you tomorrow."
When the elevator doors opened on the twenty-first floor, Yi Yunxue held the white cat plush toy and walked out.
Upon entering her home, she immediately released little Ju from its cage.
"Meow～"
Little Ju let out a disgruntled cry, seemingly protesting against being locked inside the cage for the entire day.
"Alright, don't be mad. Look what I brought you!" Yi Yunxue took out the white cat plush toy from behind her back.
"How is it? Do you like it?"
Her face was full of anticipation.
Looking at the incredibly realistic white cat plush toy, little Ju's pupils suddenly dilated as it bared its teeth at the toy.
The moment Yi Yunxue placed the toy in front of it, little Ju lunged and bit down on it without hesitation.
"Meow!"
Seeing this scene, Yi Yunxue was completely dumbfounded.

...

Chen Jiang was just getting ready to take a shower when he suddenly received a message from Yi Yunxue.
[Yi Yunxue]: Little Ju chewed up the white cat plush toy!
[Yi Yunxue]: I really thought it would like this toy.
[Chen Jiang]: I remember white cats are supposedly the lowest-ranking kind in the cat world.
[Chen Jiang]: Next time, bring home a calico cat plush toy, and little Ju definitely won't react like that.
[Yi Yunxue]: (A sudden realization)
[Yi Yunxue]: That makes sense. I'll listen to you next time and buy it a calico toy.
After finishing his shower, Chen Jiang received another message from Yi Yunxue.
[Yi Yunxue]: Chen Jiang, have you ever heard of the singer Shan Yuna?
Chen Jiang dried his hair with a blow dryer while digging through his memories for that name.
He seemed to have heard her songs before... She was a Diva!
Although she wasn't particularly prominent among the Divas, Chen Jiang still had a fresh memory of her voice.
Her voice was extremely distinctive among all the Divas, carrying a sort of ethereal quality.
This voice naturally reminded Chen Jiang of the legendary Diva from his past life—Faye Wong.
Their voices were remarkably similar.

[Chen Jiang]: Why did you suddenly bring her up?
[Yi Yunxue]: Sister Li told me that Shan Yuna contacted her, expressing an interest in joining our company.
[Chen Jiang]: Doesn't she already have a company?
[Yi Yunxue]: According to her, her contract with Shengda Entertainment is about to expire, and she's currently looking for a new agency.
[Chen Jiang]: When looking for a new agency, shouldn't she be considering the top four entertainment giants? How did she end up reaching out to Sister Li?
Chen Jiang found it a bit difficult to understand.
[Yi Yunxue]: Probably because of you. She said she wanted to meet with me and specifically mentioned you.
[Chen Jiang]: What did she mention about me?
[Yi Yunxue]: She asked Sister Li if you were part of our studio and said she wanted to meet you in person.
"Is she setting her sights on me now?" Chen Jiang guessed her intention instantly.
[Chen Jiang]: Did you set a time to meet?
[Yi Yunxue]: Tomorrow afternoon.
[Chen Jiang]: I'll go with you guys then.

...

The next afternoon.
Chen Jiang and his group met with Shan Yuna at a café as previously arranged.
"Hello, Miss Shan. We spoke over the phone yesterday. I am Li Yuli, the head of the Artist Management Department at Dream Rising Studio!" The moment they met, Sister Li recognized her.
"Hello, Miss Li," Shan Yuna replied.
"You must be Miss Yi?" She shifted her gaze to Yi Yunxue.
"It's me. Hello, Senior Shan," Yi Yunxue greeted her.
"And who is this?" Shan Yuna looked at Chen Jiang, a vague guess forming in her mind.
"Hello, I am Chen Jiang," Chen Jiang introduced himself.
Hearing Chen Jiang admit his identity, Shan Yuna instantly became enthusiastic: "I never expected Director Chen to be so young!"
"Miss Shan, our President Yi has already agreed to all the terms we discussed over the phone yesterday, except for one point on which we cannot make a final decision just yet," Sister Li pointed at Chen Jiang:
"If you want Director Chen to write songs for you, it has to be with his personal consent."
"Besides, writing songs isn't particularly easy; it heavily relies on being in the right state... Director Chen might not always have the inspiration."
She expressed this rather tactfully.

"Is that so?"
Hearing Sister Li's words, Shan Yuna instantly felt a trace of disappointment.
That made sense. For a musical genius to write two golden hits in a short period was already a miracle. Inspiration wasn't something that could be summoned at will, after all.
At that moment, Chen Jiang spoke slowly: "Actually, it's not too bad. I think Miss Shan's voice is very unique."
"As it happens, I got some inspiration recently and wrote a song that I feel would suit Miss Shan very well."
Another new song? And one tailored to Shan Yuna's style?
Sister Li widened her eyes in astonishment.
Yi Yunxue blinked.
She couldn't help but wonder: could the song Chen Jiang was talking about have been written just last night?
After all, there had been no prior sign that he was familiar with Shan Yuna. It was impossible for him to have "coincidentally" written a song fitting her style so perfectly without any prior connection.
Combining this with Chen Jiang's previous supernatural speed at writing songs, Yi Yunxue couldn't help but feel suspicious.
If they could actually sign Shan Yuna, that would naturally be for the best.
Although her status wasn't the highest among the Divas, she was a Diva nonetheless, possessing that prestigious title.
Currently, Dream Rising Studio was severely lacking in top-tier artists.
Yi Yunxue was the only artist above the first-tier level.
Moreover, she hadn't officially become a Diva yet; she possessed the strength of a Diva, but lacked official certification from the association.
Aside from herself, only Maya had recently gained a bit of fame thanks to a new song, but at most, she was at a second-tier level.
Maya currently belonged to the category of artists whose songs were popular, but whose personal fame hadn't quite caught up.
Currently, Hua nation only had a handful of entertainment companies that boasted Kings and Divas, with the top four entertainment companies claiming the majority of them.
The remaining companies were established by a few Kings and Divas who went independent after achieving fame.
They operated solely to serve themselves.
Shengda Entertainment had produced Divas in the past, but Shan Yuna's contract was about to expire.
If Shan Yuna came to Dream Rising Studio, their studio would become the only entertainment company outside of the top four giants to house a non-founding Diva.

"What kind of song is it?" Joy surged in Shan Yuna's heart, and her expression instantly turned serious.
Chen Jiang took out his phone, searched for a moment, and opened a file.
This song was typed out by him just last night, and he had only completed the copyright registration application this morning.
Shan Yuna took the phone and began to read it carefully.
The title of the song was—*Red Bean*.
Her gaze swept across the musical notes, and the melody of the song naturally formed in her mind.
Then she read the lyrics once more, her pupils instantly dilating as overwhelming interest took over.
"The quality of this song is exceptionally high, easily on par with *Meet* that you wrote for Miss Yi!"
She made a promise to Chen Jiang: "I don't care about the profit-sharing arrangement at all. As long as you are willing to give me this song, the moment my contract expires, I will immediately join your studio."
As a Diva, she had earned more than enough money over the years; she didn't lack money—she just wanted to fight for her own dignity.
She was unwilling to remain stagnant, let alone fall from her pedestal entirely in the future.
"Thank you, Miss Shan, for choosing Dream Rising Studio!" Yi Yunxue reached out her hand, and the two of them shared a gentle handshake.
"Not at all. It is I who should thank your studio for being willing to choose me," Shan Yuna said with a smile.