Qiu Feiyue left, leaving only Ji Ying and Gao Hanfei behind.
The manager's gaze lingered between the two of them for a moment before speaking, "Which of you teachers will go?"
"Don't look at me! I'm not going. Since Qiu Feiyue doesn't have time to play house with kids, do you think I have time for that?" Gao Hanfei made his stance clear first.
Now only Ji Ying was left.
She hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'll go then."
"Ms. Ji, you don't have to do this," Gao Hanfei frowned. "Just get some novice producer to bluff their way through it. Third Miss Zhan is from a wealthy family; they're all about putting on a show. It's a waste of time to humor them."
"That's enough," the manager cut off Gao Hanfei. "You won't go, and you won't let Ms. Ji go either. Why are you being so domineering?"
Turning to Ji Ying, the manager said happily, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Ms. Ji."
Ji Ying nodded.
Seeing this, Gao Hanfei got up and left, snorting. If they don't appreciate a good person, so be it.
After Gao Hanfei left, Ji Ying got Zhan Yiran's contact information and headed to her office from the meeting room.
Along the way, she noticed many people were secretly discussing her.
Originally, everyone thought the Third Miss Zhan job would fall to a novice producer since the three veteran producers wouldn't take it. No one expected Ji Ying to volunteer.
People were talking about it everywhere.
"Why would Ms. Ji take this? She doesn't need to."
"Tsk, you think she's still the Ji Ying from 15 years ago? Back then, she was at the top of her game, producing dozens of great songs. So many singers were vying for her to produce for them. But then she got married and gave up her great career.
After her divorce, she came back to being a producer, but times have changed. The music market now is nothing like it was back then. Ji Ying has been at the company for two years without producing a single decent song. Everyone says her talents have dried up.
If not for riding on her past fame, she would have been fired long ago."
"Exactly, I think she's just trying to be a sycophant and curry favor with Third Miss Zhan."
"Alas, who could have imagined the once brilliant Ji Ying would end up like this today..."
...
The discussion voices were incessant, and no one bothered hiding it from Ji Ying.
For a has-been, what's there to worry about? She's just taking up space. With no good songs under her belt, what business does she have calling herself a top producer? She should just quit and make way for others.
"They're going too far!"
A young fan of Ji Ying wanted to charge over and argue with them.
But Ji Ying grabbed her and stopped her from going.
The girl protested, "Teacher Ji, don't stop me. I need to set them straight. What do they mean talents dried up? Have they produced any good songs themselves?
The current music market is just in a slump. No one has good songs, and with the rise of short videos, many vapid songs have emerged. Even famous singers have abandoned their principles and started singing those mindless tunes.
It's the overall environment that's to blame. How can you fault you for it?"
To be honest, with music's development, many catchy tunes have already been used up, making it hard to produce new good songs.
Not just Ji Ying, but others can't do it either.
"Has she really dried up?"
In the restroom, Ji Ying splashed some water on her face and looked at her reflection, muttering to herself.
Her young fan said she hadn't dried up, but Ji Ying didn't believe it herself.
She couldn't write good songs, and the songs she thought were good didn't sell in the market. No one in today's music market has the patience to listen to good songs; everyone prefers those mindless tunes.
Ji Ying had considered giving up her so-called principles and following the market by producing vapid songs.
But when she actually tried, she realized she couldn't do it.
Forget it, no need to torment herself anymore!
Ji Ying was unusually calm. She had already decided that after finishing the Third Miss Zhan job, she would resign.
She really was too old for the current music market.
Taking a deep breath, Ji Ying called Zhan Yiran and drove to the Zhan residence.
Zhan Yiran was extremely excited, waiting at the door for Ji Ying's arrival. As soon as she saw Ji Ying, she ran over. "Teacher Ji, I'm so glad it's you! I was wondering who the general manager would arrange, if they would try to bluff me.
I never expected the general manager to not only avoid bluffing me but to actually arrange a great master like you.
Teacher Ji, I'm such a big fan of the songs you've produced."
"That was all in the past," Ji Ying said, not out of modesty but because she really had produced many classic songs, just 15 years ago.
When she came back, friends advised her not to, saying if she didn't come back, she'd be a legend. But if she did and failed to produce good songs, everyone would call her a has-been and trample all over her past glory.
But Ji Ying didn't want to give up music for the sake of empty fame after her divorce; music was all she had left in life.
Sadly, in the end, she was mocked as a has-been, just as her friends predicted.
But she didn't regret it.
"Teacher Ji, you're too modest. Come with me. This time my sister-in-law will be recording a song. The lyrics and melody are ready; you just need to arrange and record it."
Zhan Yiran's words made Ji Ying's heart sink. She hadn't expected an even worse situation.
Originally, just producing a song for Third Miss Zhan had people mocking her as a sycophant. Now she would be producing for Gu Nanyan, the notorious third-rate small celebrity.
Who in the entertainment circle didn't know Gu Nanyan? That vain homewrecker with a terrible personality, hated by everyone online.
She had zero talent - couldn't sing, dance, or act at all, and spent all her time seeking publicity from top stars and fanning scandal flames.
If this was 15 years ago, the younger, more spirited Ji Ying would have turned and walked away, never demeaning herself.
But sadly, she was no longer that brilliant, confident Ji Ying of the past.
Ji Ying was only startled for a moment before composing herself and following Zhan Yiran upstairs.
Whatever, it didn't matter whom she was humoring. She had already embarrassed herself.
Now she could only hope Gu Nanyan didn't sing too poorly, or else she'd really need a million-dollar audio engineer to fix every single note for her.
When Zhan Yiran reached the third floor, she did not go to find Gu Nanyan first, but instead handed the musical score and lyrics to Ji Ying, asking her to take a look.
Ji Ying lowered her head and glanced at it casually, but her pupils suddenly dilated.
This song... was surprisingly good!
Ji Ying eagerly asked, "Who wrote this?"
Zhan Yiran replied, "My sister-in-law."
Ji Ying could hardly believe it. Wasn't Gu Nanyan supposed to be uneducated? Yet she had composed such a stunning piece of music.
Ji Ying rushed to see Gu Nanyan, and the two walked to Gu Nanyan's bedroom door, about to knock.
—Then a voice as melodious as a celestial being's came from within.
