Chapter 22: Chapter 22: In their eyes, she was no different from a hostess.

Cheng Zhiwei heard Wen Ya’s words and realized that she had received the audition opportunity because of He Ye’s recommendation, her heart flooded with gratitude, "Thank you, senior."

There was a pause, and her tone turned slightly bitter, "So the invitation that Da Tiantian gave me was also from you, right?"

She owed He Ye a huge favor.

"The lyrics and music for this time were all written by me, and they were written for you," He Ye said, his gaze fixed deeply on Cheng Zhiwei, "Zhiwei, I hope you can reconsider my initial proposal."

His initial proposal was for Cheng Zhiwei to join his studio and create an era of their own in the Mandarin music scene together.

He Ye had both the ambition and the confidence to do so.

In fact, he had heard a lot about Cheng Zhiwei’s circumstances long ago, and after many years, he once again extended an olive branch to her.

Cheng Zhiwei’s heart raced, realizing that He Ye’s recognition showed her that she was still of value.

"As long as senior still approves of my voice," Cheng Zhiwei agreed, her heart brimming with joy.

He Ye revealed a gentle smile, "Zhiwei, let’s work hard together."

"Okay."

"I didn’t tell you this morning because I was afraid it would pressure you, but now I don’t know if I have the honor of inviting you to dinner," said He Ye with a chivalrous demeanor, accompanied by his handsome appearance, gentle, and perfect.

"I should be the one treating you to dinner, senior, as a thank you," she said.

"Either way is fine."

The two had dinner together and then returned to the hotel. He Ye was very considerate, not asking Cheng Zhiwei about her marital situation but instead discussing with her his plans for the future. In his plans, Cheng Zhiwei heard her own presence.

That unprecedented sense of importance was enough to make one’s heart stir.

Cheng Zhiwei felt warmth in her chest, and once again she realized deeply how unworthy and wasteful the time she had spent on Zhou Lin was.

Back at the hotel, the two entered the elevator together, only to find out they were staying on the same floor.

The soft carpet swallowed their footsteps, and the lights were bright. Cheng Zhiwei stood in front of her hotel room door saying goodbye to He Ye, mentioning that she was planning on changing hotels. He Ye strongly agreed, asking her to let him know after she changed hotels because he had to return to Yucheng for a while, on an early flight the next day.

After closing the door, Cheng Zhiwei covered her heart, feeling it burn.

She even fantasized about shining in the future music circles.

She messaged Xu Tian to share the joy and to thank her for giving her this opportunity. The two chatted for a long time on the phone, and Cheng Zhiwei was too excited to fall asleep till late in the night.

Early the next morning, she was woken up by a phone call.

A stranger’s voice came through: "I am very sorry to inform you, Miss Cheng, that the ending song has already been decided for someone else."

Cheng Zhiwei’s sleepiness vanished in an instant, and after a long while, she managed to speak, "What?"

It had only been a night, how could they have changed their minds?

The other party was very apologetic, constantly saying sorry, "Miss Cheng, we are really sorry. We are willing to reimburse you for the round-trip airfare and accommodation expenses, does that work for you?"

Cheng Zhiwei knew there must be some problem, and had no intention of making it difficult for a staff member. She restrained her emotions and asked, "That’s not necessary, but may I ask who you’ve decided for?"

The staff member mentioned a name and added kindly, "Bai Zhuzhu, our music producer decided on it."

Cheng Zhiwei’s heart clenched suddenly; it was actually Bai Zhuzhu, "I see, thank you."

Bai Zhuzhu had also studied music at college, but unlike Cheng Zhiwei, who had graduated from the top-ranked university in the country, Bai Zhuzhu attended an obscure community college. Over the years, Bai Zhuzhu had also made some name for herself in the music circle, but her fame was due to Zhou Lin’s support; she actually had no real talent of her own.

This was no secret.

As soon as Cheng Zhiwei heard Bai Zhuzhu’s name, she knew Zhou Lin was behind this.

Zhou Lin, Cheng Zhiwei gripped her hair, a surge of repressed anger came wave after wave, infuriating her.

So many opportunities, yet he insisted on helping Bai Zhuzhu snatch this one.

Was he trying to force her to apologize to Bai Zhuzhu?

Moreover, the theme song’s lyrics and music were written by He Ye. Someone as despicable as Bai Zhuzhu did not deserve to sing the songs written by He Ye.

Filled with rage, Cheng Zhiwei mustered the courage, held her phone, and thought for a moment before calling Xu Tian, asking for her help to find out who the music producer of the TV series was.

When Xu Tian heard about this, she, too, was furious. She specifically found out for Cheng Zhiwei that the music producer, along with the music team, was having dinner at the Bay Hotel that very night.

Xu Tian had an acquaintance in the music group, who arranged for Cheng Zhiwei to get in.

At six in the afternoon, Cheng Zhiwei put on her makeup and slipped into a light blue starry dress before entering the private room.

There were a lot of people in the private room, including Zhou Lin and Bai Zhuzhu.

When they saw her, Producer Wu Chengshuang seemed displeased, "Why have you come?"

Cheng Zhiwei, under the gaze of everyone in the room, walked up to Wu Chengshuang, "Producer Wu, about the lead vocal..."

"Miss Cheng, haven’t I already made it clear through someone else? The lead vocalist has already been decided—it’s Miss Bai Zhuzhu," he said, his tone becoming obsequious.

Bai Zhuzhu giggled behind her hand, "It must be that the communicator didn’t explain things clearly to Sister Zhiwei, so Sister Zhiwei had to come here in person."

Zhou Lin’s gaze settled lightly on Cheng Zhiwei, one hand caressing his wine glass, his thoughts inscrutable.

Cheng Zhiwei ignored Bai Zhuzhu and simply stated, "I was the one who passed Director Wen Ya’s audition, Bai Zhuzhu did not pass the audition; she’s not qualified."

She had come to stand up for herself with reason.

Why should their carelessly spoken words negate her week’s worth of effort? In order to secure that audition spot, she had spent the week studying the script, finally settling on the most fitting ancient style song.

It was simply unfair.

The private room fell silent, and tension washed over Producer Wu Chengshuang’s face, "Cheng Zhiwei, I have the final say on who’s the lead vocalist. Are you trying to cause trouble here?"

"Don’t get angry, Producer Wu." Someone spoke up with a mischievous chuckle, a teasing light laughter, "It’s said that Miss Cheng also studied music, why not ask her to sing a few lines a cappella here, so we can all enjoy the sound and lighten the mood? If she truly sings well, and Producer Wu is pleased, giving away a spot is not out of the question."

"That makes sense. But just singing is no fun. How about we have Miss Cheng drink while singing, and keep everyone here happy? We’ll also speak well of her to Producer Wu."

A murmur of ambiguous laughter rose from the men in the private room.

Cheng Zhiwei, beautiful and untouchable in their everyday lives, satisfied their internal desires to humiliate. At that moment, Cheng Zhiwei, in their eyes, was no different than a hostess.

Humiliation weighed down on Cheng Zhiwei.

She bit her lip and instinctively looked towards Zhou Lin, only to meet his indifferent, impassive expression.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read