Chapter 229 – Almost Tearing One’s Face Apart
Mo Fei still hadn’t returned on Monday. Niu Meiling, who received the news from her subordinates, couldn’t sit still. She called Mo Xiaojuan the next morning and issued an ultimatum: “Come to my office, let’s talk about Mo Fei’s situation!”
Mo Xiaojuan wasn’t timid and went to the meeting alone.
“What does Mo Fei mean? Her wings have hardened1The phrase “翅膀硬了” (chì bǎng yìng le) is an idiomatic expression in Chinese. Its literal translation is “wings have hardened.” Basically, She is saying/implying that Mo Fei wanted to be independent and is ready to leave the companynow and doesn’t want to renew the contract with the company, right?” When Mo Xiaojuan walked in, Niu Meiling immediately tried to establish her dominance and intimidate Mo Xiaojuan in terms of momentum.
But Mo Xiaojuan was not Mo Fei; she smiled and said, “Hey, Sister Ling, why are you angry? Renewing a contract is not as trivial as eating and sleeping. We need to discuss it slowly!”
“Slowly? Is this the attitude you want to talk to me with?” Niu Meiling snorted coldly, “It’s been over a week, and Mo Fei hasn’t made any statement. She’s even hiding and refusing to see me. I think you all have something to hide!”
“Sister Fei is sick today with a cold and cough. She can’t speak much, so I let her rest well at home and take care of her golden voice.” Mo Xiaojuan smiled and said, “And Sister Ling, if we’re talking about who has something to hide, don’t you have any secrets in your heart?”
Niu Meiling was shocked and furious, and said, “Mo Xiaojuan, are you talking to me like this? What’s your attitude?”
“Sorry, sorry, Sister Ling. I have a quick mouth and can’t control it. It’s my fault. I hope you, as a magnanimous person, can overlook my mistake.” Mo Xiaojuan apologized with a cheerful smile, but there was no sincerity in her apology.2
This girl was actually getting a bit fed up with Niu Meiling’s aggressive attitude from the very beginning, and she almost couldn’t help but flip the table and confront her.
“Hmph!” Niu Meiling was furious.
But Mo Xiaojuan wasn’t finished speaking. She continued to smile charmingly and said, “Sister Ling, in fact, we also have the sincerity to renew the contract, but we can’t rush into it without careful consideration, right? What sincerity has the company shown? Our Sister Fei is currently at the top of her contract3TN: I really don’t know what this means. It could be that she is on a top contract or it implies that Mo Fei holds a strong position in her current contract and has leverage in negotiations., and there is still more than half a year left for the contract. You want her to renew the contract and sign this seven-year garbage contract. This can fool a newcomer, but don’t think our Mo Fei is naive and easily fooled!”
Mo Xiaojuan continued to speak with a smile, but the sharpness in her words had already been revealed.
“Circumstances change with time. I also talked to Mo Fei about her achievements when she signed the top contract before and what achievement she has now. The company’s situation is not as optimistic as before. Being able to sign this contract with her is already a concession made in view of her previous contributions to the company.” Niu Meiling’s tone eased as she tried to persuade.
“Sister Ling, please don’t play this game with us anymore. After Mo Fei’s return, her performance has been poor. At first, we didn’t know what was going on, but later we got a better understanding. Has the company truly made efforts to support Mo Fei’s return? Don’t you understand that?” Mo Xiaojuan smiled faintly, but there was a burning fire within her.
“The company hasn’t made efforts to support Mo Fei? What nonsense are you talking about?” Niu Meiling scolded in anger.
“Hehe, let’s not dwell on the past, but why are you so eager to renew now, Sister Ling? Why not wait for Mo Fei to release this album and see the results, see if she can once again achieve the brilliance of the platinum records of the past before considering renewal?” Mo Xiaojuan asked with a coquettish smile.
“It’s impossible. If Mo Fei doesn’t renew her contract, there’s no way we’ll release an album for her. If she wants to drag this out, let’s see if the company dares to sideline her.” Niu Meiling’s face was repeatedly humiliated by Mo Xiaojuan, so she decided to drop the pretense and issued a threat.
Mo Xiaojuan narrowed her eyes, like a cat, and her smile faded. However, she didn’t lose her temper, Instead, she gently, as if persuading a friend, softly said, “Sister Ling, there’s less than a year left on Sister Fei’s contract. If you sideline her, we can afford to wait. No big deal. If necessary, she can bring her new album to another company after a year. You know that these twelve songs were authorized by Mu Li’ang to our Sister Fei, not to you.”
Niu Meiling’s breath couldn’t help but stagnate, her nose almost twisted from anger. “Is Mo Fei’s wings hard now? Is she determined to leave?”
“Look at what you’re saying, Sister Ling. Wasn’t it you who first mentioned sidelining Sister Fei just now? Our Sister Fei has deep affection for you and Tianmei. Of course, she can’t bear to leave, but if you insist on pushing her and threaten her with sidelining, even if she is firm, you might just force her to leave!” Mo Xiaojuan regained her smile, looking playful.
Niu Meiling took a deep breath to ease her mood.
Although Mo Xiaojuan was quite infuriating and had made Niu Meiling somewhat confused, Niu Meiling had to admit that what Mo Xiaojuan said made sense. She understood Mo Fei’s personality very well, even more so than Mo Xiaojuan, as she had worked with Mo Fei for a longer time…
This child was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and she had a stubborn personality. She could be tied down with emotions, but if pushed too far, she might just run away.4referring to Mo Fei
“What’s Mo Fei’s attitude? Does she still want to negotiate the contract renewal with the company?” Niu Meiling asked coldly.
“She wants to negotiate, of course she does, but the company also needs to show some sincerity!” Mo Xiaojuan said with a smile.
Mo Xiaojuan was actually cursing in her heart, “Negotiate my *ss, my Sister Fei is going to leave!”
However, she had to keep up appearances. Mo Xiaojuan didn’t know about Yang Yi’s resources, and she was inclined to use Tianmei to elevate Mo Fei’s status first and then leave when the contract expired. Tearing her face off5 “撕破脸皮” is a Chinese idiom that literally translates to “tear off the face.” It means to openly and directly confront or sever relationships, often resulting in a loss of harmony or mutual respect.would probably be the last resort.
“Cough, actually, I don’t think we need to make a final decision right now, Sister Ling.” Mo Xiaojuan said with a smile, “We still have a year, and you never know what kind of development Sister Fei will have.”
“If, let’s say, the company offers a top-tier contract and Sister Fei renews with you, how would the penalty fee be determined? You also don’t know how successful Sister Fei’s album will be. If there are still companies that think Sister Fei is more valuable than the penalty fee you set, and they’re willing to pay the penalty fee to poach her, what will you do?” Mo Xiaojuan enticed.
Niu Meiling furrowed her brows. With personal interests at stake, she had forgotten Mo Fei’s loyalty to the company.6If anyone got confused from this, just write it on the comment section, I’ll try to explain it. In the eyes of people like her, there was no relationship that couldn’t be betrayed; it was just a matter of whether the money offered would be enough to compensate for the betrayal.
Obviously, the negotiation between Niu Meiling and Mo Xiaojuan have reached a deadlock again this time, and the two parted way in displeasure. However, fortunately, they didn’t completely tear their faces apart.
After Mo Xiaojuan left, Niu Meiling remained calm and called several senior executives of the company over for a meeting.
…
Mo Xiaojuan left the company and wasn’t idle either. She rushed non-stop to Tingshan and arrived at the studio building that was being renovated. Mo Xiaojuan ultimately used the funds provided by Yang Yi to buy a three-story building. The location wasn’t bustling, but it had convenient transportation, making it suitable as Mo Fei’s studio.
However, the entire building needed to be renovated. Mo Xiaojuan believed that this would be their sisters’ new base, and no matter what, they couldn’t treat themselves unfairly.
She wore a mask and found Xiao Ai, who was supervising the construction. The two of them chatted while checking the progress of the project.
“Xiao Ai, did your family nag at you after you resigned?” Mo Xiaojuan held Xiao Ai’s hand, leaned against her soft body, and asked with a playful smile.
“Nag? How could they not nag? Last weekend, my mother came over and scolded me. She said I shouldn’t quit a stable job and didn’t know what I was doing all day. Then she said I looked tired and haggard recently. How will I find a boyfriend in the future? Juanjuan, you’re going to compensate me!” Xiao Ai also giggled as she spoke to Mo Xiaojuan.
“Of course, I’ll definitely compensate you! You will become a founding member of Sister Fei’s studio from now on. Your salary will definitely be much higher than before. For now, let’s endure a bit of inconvenience.” Mo Xiaojuan pinched Xiao Ai’s chubby cheek, then hummed, “Who needs men? They look down on us, and we also look down on them!”
“That’s right. They keep pushing me to go on blind dates. I’m so tired of those stinky men!” Xiao Ai agreed.
“I say you shouldn’t listen to your mother. What’s the rush? We sisters should focus on our careers first, and then we can take our time choosing. There are plenty of good men out there!” Mo Xiaojuan said proudly, “I don’t think that the men who come for blind dates are very good anyway.”
“But I’m afraid that if I don’t get married in a few more years, I’ll become an old leftover woman, just like people say.” Xiao Ai voiced her concerns.
“It doesn’t matter. You have me to back you up. Anyone who says you’re a leftover woman, I’ll beat them up!” Mo Xiaojuan waved her pink fist and said fiercely.
“Hehe, okay!” Xiao Ai giggled.
At that moment, Mo Xiaojuan’s phone rang. She took it out and checked. Seeing that it was another call from Niu Meiling, Mo Xiaojuan slightly raised the corner of her mouth.
Looks like it’s done!
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