Three days later.
The studio was unusually quiet.
Li Chen stared at the computer screen.
The final master of Lin Yueyin's new single was playing through the speakers.
The song was finished.
The vocals were clean.
The arrangement was polished.
And after weeks of preparation—
everything was finally ready.
Xiaoyu checked the release schedule one last time.
"Seventeen days became fourteen."
Li Chen nodded.
"Everything is ready?"
"Yes."
"Distribution?"
"Confirmed."
"Promotion?"
"Scheduled."
"Advertising?"
"Already paid."
Yueyin looked relieved.
"So... we're finally done?"
Li Chen smiled.
"Almost."
Yara looked suspiciously at him.
"Why does that sound like a bad thing?"
Before Li Chen could answer—
Xiaoyu's phone rang.
She answered.
"Hello?"
Her expression changed.
"What?"
Everyone looked at her.
She listened for several seconds.
Then slowly lowered the phone.
"The distributor canceled."
Silence.
Li Chen's smile disappeared.
"What distributor?"
"Aurora."
Yueyin stood up.
"But they weren't our distributor."
"They were supposed to handle part of the physical distribution."
Xiaoyu shook her head.
"They just withdrew."
Li Chen immediately opened the contract.
"Reason?"
"They said there was a scheduling conflict."
Yara frowned.
"A scheduling conflict?"
"The release is in two weeks!"
"Exactly."
Li Chen's eyes narrowed.
Someone had made a move.
Ten minutes later—
another call.
This time from the advertising agency.
Xiaoyu answered.
Her face became even paler.
"They canceled too."
Li Chen looked at her.
"Reason?"
"Internal restructuring."
Yara laughed bitterly.
"Of course."
Another phone call.
Then another.
A venue canceled a promotional appearance.
A streaming platform delayed a campaign.
An online music program suddenly claimed it had no available slot.
One after another—
doors began closing.
Not randomly.
Systematically.
Li Chen stood silently in the middle of the studio.
Yueyin looked at him.
"...It's him."
Li Chen nodded.
"Yes."
Zhou Kang had finally attacked.
By noon—
the situation was much worse.
Xiaoyu had compiled everything into a single document.
She placed it on the table.
"Sixteen partners have withdrawn."
"Three advertising campaigns."
"Four promotional appearances."
"Two distribution agreements."
"And the livestream platform reduced our promotional exposure."
Yara slammed her hand onto the table.
"They're trying to bury the song."
Wanqing calmly corrected her.
"No."
Everyone looked at her.
"They're trying to make the song invisible."
Li Chen nodded.
"Exactly."
That was the real strategy.
They didn't need to stop the song.
They only needed to prevent people from discovering it.
No advertising.
No playlists.
No events.
No media coverage.
The song could exist—
and still fail.
Yueyin lowered her eyes.
"Then..."
"Should we postpone the release?"
Li Chen immediately answered.
"No."
She looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because that's what they want."
Li Chen turned toward the computer.
"If we postpone, they win."
"If we release under these conditions..."
"They still have a chance to win."
Yara crossed her arms.
"So what's the plan?"
Li Chen smiled.
"We stop playing their game."
That afternoon—
Li Chen called everyone into the studio.
Yueyin.
Yara.
Wanqing.
Xiaoyu.
Even several members of the production team.
Li Chen placed his laptop on the table.
"The original marketing plan is dead."
Xiaoyu nodded.
"We don't have enough partners anymore."
"Good."
Everyone stared at him.
Xiaoyu blinked.
"...Good?"
Li Chen nodded.
"Now we don't need them."
He opened a new presentation.
The title appeared on the screen.
PROJECT NEBULA
Yueyin read it carefully.
"What is this?"
Li Chen smiled.
"Our new distribution strategy."
The first step was simple.
Direct digital release.
No exclusive distributor.
No major label.
No dependence on a single platform.
The song would be released simultaneously across every major service that would accept it.
The second step—
social media.
Instead of paying traditional advertising companies—
they would create performance clips.
Behind-the-scenes footage.
Acoustic versions.
Short videos.
Fan challenges.
The artists themselves would promote the song.
The third step—
live performances.
If traditional venues refused them—
they would find alternative ones.
Small theaters.
Universities.
Independent festivals.
Outdoor events.
Anywhere they could legally perform.
And finally—
the fans.
Li Chen looked at Yueyin.
"The industry can block advertisements."
"They can pressure companies."
"They can cancel appearances."
"But they can't stop your fans from sharing a song."
Yueyin slowly smiled.
"I understand."
The plan was risky.
Very risky.
But it was possible.
Then Yara raised her hand.
Li Chen stared at her.
"What?"
"I have an idea."
She stood up.
"If they're trying to make Yueyin's song invisible..."
"Then let's make it impossible to ignore."
She grabbed her guitar.
"Give me one hour."
Li Chen raised an eyebrow.
"For what?"
"You'll see."
One hour later—
Yara uploaded a short video.
No announcement.
No explanation.
Just herself sitting in the studio.
Guitar in hand.
She played the opening melody of Yueyin's new song.
Then she stopped.
She looked at the camera.
"Yueyin's new song is coming."
She smiled.
"If they won't promote it..."
"We will."
The video ended.
Within twenty minutes—
the clip reached one million views.
Within an hour—
three million.
Within three hours—
six million.
And the hashtag began trending.
#LetYueyinSing
Fans began uploading their own videos.
Singing the melody.
Playing it on instruments.
Sharing old performances.
Creating fan art.
Talking about the upcoming release.
The campaign Zhou Kang had tried to suppress—
was becoming a movement.
Inside Golden Vision Media—
Zhou Kang watched the numbers rise.
His assistant stood beside him.
"Should we take the videos down?"
Zhou Kang shook his head.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because we can't."
The assistant hesitated.
"And if they continue?"
Zhou Kang stared at the screen.
"They will."
His expression became darker.
"Which means we need something stronger."
His assistant placed another document on the desk.
"There is one more option."
Zhou Kang opened it.
His expression changed slightly.
"This is..."
"Yes."
"The contract between Jinhai and Li Chen."
Zhou Kang slowly smiled.
"Now we're getting somewhere."
That evening—
Li Chen received an email.
The sender was Jinhai Entertainment's legal department.
He opened it.
His expression immediately became serious.
Xiaoyu noticed.
"What is it?"
Li Chen handed her the laptop.
She read the message.
Her eyes widened.
"They're claiming that several of your upcoming productions are company property."
Yueyin frowned.
"What?"
Li Chen remained silent.
The email continued.
Jinhai was demanding that all unreleased material produced while Li Chen was employed by the company be submitted for review.
Including Yueyin's upcoming single.
Yara immediately stood.
"They can't do that."
Xiaoyu shook her head.
"Depending on the contract..."
Li Chen finished the sentence.
"They might."
Silence.
The entire room became still.
This wasn't about promotion anymore.
It wasn't about rankings.
It wasn't even about Zhou Kang.
Jinhai had entered the fight.
And suddenly—
Li Chen understood something.
As long as he remained inside someone else's company...
every weapon could eventually be turned against his artists.
He closed the laptop.
Slowly.
Then looked at Yueyin.
At Yara.
At Wanqing.
And finally—
at Xiaoyu.
His expression was calm.
But his decision had already been made.
"Enough."
Yara looked at him.
"Enough what?"
Li Chen stood.
"Enough depending on other people."
Outside the studio—
the city continued moving.
Millions of people were still listening to their music.
The industry was watching.
And somewhere in the shadows—
Zhou Kang was waiting for Li Chen to make his next move.
He didn't know it yet.
But the attack that was supposed to destroy Li Chen's career...
had just given him the final reason to build something of his own.
End of Chapter 36