CHAPTER 83: CHAPTER 79: XU QINGQIU’S COUNTERATTACK, RE-RECORDING THE SONG

Brilliant!

Li Chunhua’s eyes practically glowed as she looked at Xu Qingqiu.

"Qingqiu, you’re really something! This idea is fantastic. I can’t stand the way those people lord it over us, taking all the benefits for granted as if they’re entitled to them. Let’s do it!"

"But Sister Hua, will this really not violate the contract?"

"Don’t worry! They probably thought they had us cornered today, so they terminated the contract right in front of me. We both signed the termination agreement, so there are no issues at all."

Here, ’contract termination’ refers to prematurely ending the contract. This means that due to certain circumstances, there’s no need to continue fulfilling the contractual obligations. Consequently, neither party needs to adhere to the corresponding duties and restrictions.

In effect, the previous restrictions on the songs were also lifted; they could completely re-record and release a studio version.

It’s just that such things are rarely done. After all, no one wants to push people too hard; it’s generally better for everyone if things remain amicable. Plus, one wouldn’t want to appear too grasping.

But look at the situation now! The other side is practically spitting in your face with insults. Who cares about saving face at this point?

In Sister Hua’s opinion, they had already torn away all pretenses, which is why she thought Xu Qingqiu’s idea was brilliant!

"Alright then, since there’s no issue, let’s go record the song tomorrow."

Xu Qingqiu excitedly pumped her little fists, her face alight with excitement, as if she were about to take on a major challenge.

She had been cooped up at home for several days and was eager to get out.

"No way!"

"Huh? What’s wrong, Sister Hua?"

"Your leg hasn’t healed yet. Don’t rush. We can record the song in a couple of days when your leg is a bit better; there’s still time."

"It’s okay, Sister Hua. My leg is much better; it’s not a problem anymore. Look!"

With that, Xu Qingqiu stood up and walked a couple of steps. This frightened Sister Hua, who quickly got up to support her.

"Oh dear, don’t move around recklessly! Be careful! Don’t strain yourself and reopen the wound. I haven’t even contacted a plastic surgeon yet. If it reopens and leaves a big scar, that’ll be even worse..."

Li Chunhua swallowed the rest of her words. She watched, dumbfounded, as Xu Qingqiu stood up and walked around with ease, seemingly even more nimbly than herself. Her eyes nearly popped out.

"Your leg doesn’t hurt anymore? What happened? Didn’t you get over forty stitches?"

"Yep, it’s almost fully healed. If you don’t believe me, unwrap it and take a look."

Xu Qingqiu plopped down on the sofa, lifted her leg, and playfully wiggled her foot, showing it off to Sister Hua with a proud expression.

"Really?"

Sister Hua still couldn’t quite believe it, but when she unwrapped the bandage and saw the wound, she was completely stunned.

"How about that, Sister Hua? I didn’t lie to you, did I?"

"How could it have healed so quickly?"

"Um... I’m not really sure. Maybe the doctor used some really good medicine?"

Carried away by her excitement, Xu Qingqiu almost forgot her little secret with Chu Tian. Her eyes darted around as she started to fabricate an explanation.

Fortunately, Sister Hua’s attention was entirely on the wound, and she didn’t notice Xu Qingqiu’s expression, instead believing her explanation.

"Has medical science advanced this far? That’s such great news!"

"Let’s go record the song tomorrow! Let’s really give those people a slap in the face!"

Seeing this result, Sister Hua also became excited, re-bandaging the wound while speaking passionately.

Xu Qingqiu didn’t dare to make any more careless remarks after that close call and just sat there grinning, equally happy in her heart.

She wasn’t sure if she was happier about the prospect of teaching the other side a lesson or because of the person who had helped her wound heal so quickly.

「Early the next morning, the three of them packed up and went downstairs.」

Sister Hua kept her eyes glued to Xu Qingqiu’s leg the entire way. Only after they were downstairs and she saw there were no issues at all did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Yiyi, still sleepy-eyed, was about to drive. Sister Hua had to give her a slap to fully wake her before daring to let her start the car. If Yiyi had dozed off, everyone in the car might have been done for.

"Sister Qiu, you’re here?"

"President Xu? Is your injury alright now?"

Xu Qingqiu’s injury had not been made public yet, primarily because the show’s production team had imposed a gag order, planning to release the news to generate some buzz before the show aired.

Xu Qingqiu’s side, however, didn’t need this kind of buzz. Instead, they planned to release their new song right when the production team made their announcement, intending to blindside them. Thus, they certainly wouldn’t publicize the injury themselves.

However, people within the company definitely knew, as their involvement was necessary for handling certain matters. Nevertheless, maintaining secrecy for a short period was still achievable.

"I’m back, no big deal. Focus on your work, guys. I’ll give everyone a bonus later!"

"Wow, thank you, President Xu!"

"Thank you, Sister Qiu!"

After greeting people on her way to the office and putting her things down, Xu Qingqiu was about to head to the recording studio when she instinctively glanced towards Chu Tian’s desk.

"Eh? Where’s Chu Tian?"

"Sister Qiu~" Yiyi said in a teasing tone, "Didn’t you give him paid leave?"

Yiyi emphasized the words "with pay."

Yiyi’s reminder made Xu Qingqiu recall that this was indeed the case. Previously, she had only focused on sending him away. But now, she suddenly found herself wondering: Where had he gone? What had he been doing these past few days? Why hadn’t he replied to her messages?

She hadn’t been pondering for long before she realized she was still standing in the office doorway. Snapping back to her senses, she shot Yiyi an irritated glance.

"You little foodie, weren’t you also on paid leave when you went home a while back?"

"Hehe, Sister Qiu is the best~"

Xu Qingqiu rolled her eyes and went straight to the recording studio.

Right now, two songs needed to be re-recorded: "In the World" and "Morning bound for midnight." These songs from the show were still ranked high on the popular song charts. Although not number one, they were, without exception, all within the top 20.

Including the earliest, "The Original Dream," and the latest, "So Proud," all were within the top 20.

Among them, "The Original Dream" was in 12th place on the popular song chart, "In the World live" was in 16th, "So Proud" was in third, and "Morning bound for midnight live" claimed the top spot.

Indeed, just a few days ago, "So Proud" had been in first place. However, after many days of competition, it was gradually overtaken by "Morning bound for midnight."

The reason this song had so much potential wasn’t necessarily that it was better than the others. In fact, its current success was entirely related to its rhythm, or more precisely, its strong connection with short-video platforms.

Especially the rhythm of the chorus was very catchy and particularly suited for spreading through short-video platforms and as background music.

As more people used it, its exposure naturally grew, and its search volume would skyrocket, consequently affecting its ranking.

This was why Xu Qingqiu believed that re-recording the two songs would definitely have an impact on the production team.

Currently, only two live version songs released by the production team remained on the charts, and both were her works.

"The Original Dream" could also be considered, but it was from a non-contractual, free competitive performance segment. Moreover, it was completed and released before the program’s recording, so it didn’t violate any rules. Therefore, the version on the charts was the studio version, not a live one at all.

It’s not that all studio versions of songs are better than the live versions; some live versions are irreplaceable classics.

At least for this show, Xu Qingqiu was confident that her studio versions would turn out better and more polished than the live ones.

Besides, most people still preferred listening to studio versions.

Once she finished recording and released her versions, the two live versions currently on the charts would likely plummet and perhaps disappear altogether. This was precisely the outcome she aimed for.