Chapter 160: Jealousy and Destruction (End)

Su Changhe found himself in a slight dilemma. For a record company, avoiding risks was always the top priority. Musical styles had to follow the current trends, albums featured already popular artists, and songs were written by award-winning composers. What they wanted was never originality or standing out; they simply conformed to the tides. From this perspective, Xiang Fengxing was not entirely wrong. However, recalling Cheng Xiaoyu’s absolute confidence from yesterday, Su Changhe still felt that he should give this young man a chance. He spoke up, "I feel it is a real pity that this song cannot make it onto the album this time. But since the cover for Idol Project's album has already been printed, there is not much more I can say. Director Xiang, Director Cao, I just want to know—if the cover had not been printed yet, should this song be included on the album?"

Cao Danan answered first, "Without a doubt. Honestly, I truly feel it would be a huge waste to leave out such a potential mega-hit."

Watching Su Changhe’s earnest expression, Xiang Fengxing had no idea what the president was plotting, but he had to admit the song was indeed quite good. If Cheng Xiaoyu had not been so disrespectful to him previously, he might have even put in a few more good words. As for putting it on the album, he wouldn't be producing the second album anyway, so it was no longer his concern; and as for the current album, it was already too late for any changes. Seeing how much importance Su Changhe attached to Cheng Xiaoyu, he simply said, "The main issue is the tight schedule, otherwise it certainly could have been included."

Having finally waited for Xiang Fengxing’s concession, Su Changhe smiled and said, "Since Director Xiang agrees, that settles it. I will personally cover the financial loss of the printed covers, and the master tracks do not need to be re-recorded. We will make this a twelve-track album and add Xiaoyu's two songs."

Xiang Fengxing never expected Su Changhe to be willing to invest such a heavy stake. He glanced at Cheng Xiaoyu, who was standing to the side with a calm smile, and the Idol Project members, whose faces beamed with joy. Feeling that their expressions were a challenge and mockery directed at him, he said in a deep voice, "President, isn't this far too hasty? Those two songs by Cheng Xiaoyu do not match the style of the album I produced! As the production director, I have every right to refuse."

With a sharp and piercing gaze, Su Changhe looked at Xiang Fengxing and said, "Director Xiang just witnessed how enthusiastic everyone's reaction was. Most of our record company's staff are right here in this small theater, and the vast majority of them are professionals. Why don't we issue a questionnaire and use everyone's opinion as a reference?" With that, Su Changhe instructed his secretary to distribute the questionnaires.

Only then did Xiang Fengxing realize that Su Changhe had been plotting this for a long time. This made him feel somewhat uneasy. His position was not something Su Changhe could strip away on a whim—only the board of directors held that authority. Yet, power struggles were inevitable in any corporation, and he had always maintained close ties with the second-largest shareholder, Hu Shijie. Although Su Changhe rarely interfered with the production department, who could say if he had designs on encroaching into it? Furthermore, Cheng Xiaoyu undoubtedly possessed exceptional talent; all the boy lacked was seniority. While a year or two certainly wouldn't pose a threat to him, four or five years down the line was a different story. Xiang Fengxing had personally planned to stay in this comfortable position until his retirement a decade later. Right now, however, he had no way to stop the president from conducting a poll, so he could only pull a long face and turn his head away.

Sitting in the front row, Ma Guoli had already received a questionnaire. The content was very simple, consisting of only two options: Do you think this song has the potential to become a major hit single? Recalling the scene from yesterday and seeing Xiang Fengxing’s irritated face, Ma Guoli looked around and did not hesitate. Overcome by a sudden rush of impulse, he quickly checked the box on the questionnaire, voting in support of the song's potential to become a major hit.

Immediately afterward, he picked up the questionnaire, stood up, walked over to Su Changhe's secretary, and handed it to her. The secretary gave it a quick glance before dropping it into an empty paper bag she was holding. With a beaming smile, Ma Guoli offered, "Sister, let me help you distribute these. It's quite tiring for just one person, and there are still so many people here."

Seeing that he was the same person who had eagerly helped Su Changhe move a chair earlier—and had even earned a smile from the president—the secretary didn't think much of it and handed a large stack of papers over to Ma Guoli.

Taking the stack, Ma Guoli walked briskly toward Qin Shenmei’s direction, handing them out as he walked. When he reached Qin Shenmei, seeing that no one was paying particular attention to him as everyone was focused on the girls of Idol Project on stage, he feigned casualness and whispered, "Come over and help me hand these out, Xiao Qin."

Without thinking much, Qin Shenmei stood up from her chair. Ma Guoli immediately grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the exit. Once they reached the doorway, he whispered into her ear, "Our director told me to tell you—cross out every single one of them. Vote against it." He then shoved a large stack of questionnaires into Qin Shenmei's hands and pushed her out the doors of the small theater.

At that moment, Qin Shenmei felt as though she were holding a red-hot potato. Keeping it felt wrong, and throwing it away was impossible. Panic-stricken, she hid the stack behind her back and hurried away. Not daring to go too far, she hid in the corner of the fire escape stairwell. After a moment of inner turmoil, recalling the intimacy of the previous night and Ma Guoli's tenderness, she took out a pen with trembling hands and marked "No" on every single questionnaire in the thick stack.

Meanwhile, Ma Guoli's heart was pounding wildly. He had no idea if doing this would achieve anything, but his heart wouldn't rest if he didn't find a way to undermine Cheng Xiaoyu. As he continued handing out the questionnaires, he anxiously glanced toward the door, waiting for Qin Shenmei to return.

Once he finished distributing his batch of questionnaires, Ma Guoli returned to his starting point to collect them, checking every single one—all of them were votes in support. As he neared the entrance, he slowed his pace, burning with anxiety as he waited for Qin Shenmei to return.

It wasn't until Qin Shenmei appeared at the back door with a pale face that he glanced around to check his surroundings, hurried over, and whispered, "Did you cross them all out?"

Qin Shenmei didn't speak; she merely gave a slight nod. Not daring to say another word, Ma Guoli looked around to ensure completely that no one was paying attention to them. He quickly took the questionnaires from Qin Shenmei's hands, handed her another roughly equivalent stack of blank forms, and told her to find somewhere to dispose of them. Then, he immediately hurried back into the small theater to resume collecting the forms.

After collecting the last of the papers and thoroughly shuffling the crossed-out questionnaires into the pile, he walked over to Su Changhe's secretary with a pounding heart. As he handed the papers over, he felt as though his chest might explode. This was the first time in his life he had ever done something malicious, and he couldn't quite describe the sensation. Alongside lingering fear and nervousness, there was even a shred of thrilling excitement.

Because this survey was anonymous, Ma Guoli had found an opportunity to exploit the system. When Su Changhe's secretary tallied the results, it shocked everyone present: out of one hundred and thirteen questionnaires, nearly thirty had been marked with crosses. Everyone had expected a unanimous consensus in favor. The previously bustling little theater fell completely silent, with everyone exchanging bewildered glances. Only Ma Guoli sat stiffly and upright, staring straight ahead, while Qin Shenmei remained cowering outside the theater, not daring to step inside. Cheng Xiaoyu stood staring blankly at the stack of questionnaires in utter disbelief, unable to fathom where things had gone wrong.

Su Changhe's secretary recounted the votes to ensure accuracy, then reported the final tally to Su Changhe. The numbers caught Su Changhe completely off guard. Frowning, he was left speechless for a moment.

Xiang Fengxing had not anticipated such an outcome either. He didn't feel particularly jubilant, as he genuinely recognized the quality of the song, but this was no time for soft-heartedness. He spoke up, "It seems the public awareness of this song isn't as high as we imagined, President. I think we should reconsider the debut strategy for Idol Project. Perhaps we should hold off on sending the master tracks to the manufacturing plant as well. If we are genuinely worried that New Sony's momentum is too overwhelming, we can temporarily avoid their锋芒 (blunt edge) and wait for a more favorable moment to launch Idol Project. As for reprinting the album cover, I don't think there is any need. Facts have proven that even within our own company, this work hasn't achieved full recognition. It's hard to say how much of an impact it would actually make on a full album. Doing this really brings more loss than gain." Viewed purely from the company's perspective, Xiang Fengxing's conservative approach was entirely unassailable.

Su Changhe thought for a moment and said nothing more. Since the debut of Idol Project was now put on hold, variables remained regarding the album. Intending to call Cheng Xiaoyu and Xiang Fengxing for a proper discussion later, Su Changhe stood up and said, "Let's hold a meeting tomorrow to discuss this further!"

Xiang Fengxing, Cao Danan, and the two chief editors in the front row all stood up and escorted Su Changhe to the front entrance. As Su Changhe passed Cheng Xiaoyu, he patted the young man twice on the shoulder.

Cheng Xiaoyu smiled with a calm expression. Naturally, such an outcome exceeded his expectations, but he was not entirely unprepared; after all, he had always maintained a good habit of preparing for the worst-case scenario in everything he did.