Meanwhile...
Henry had already left the venue.
The cool evening breeze brushed gently against his face as he stepped onto the wide sidewalk outside.
He stopped beneath a streetlamp, stretched lazily, and took a deep breath of fresh air.
"Ha..."
"I can't believe I actually pulled it off."
A satisfied smile crept onto his face.
The pressure that had been weighing on him before stepping onto the stage had finally disappeared.
As for what was happening inside...
Henry had absolutely no idea.
At that very moment, Anne was being overwhelmed by boos and ridicule, standing helplessly beneath the spotlight as her mentality completely collapsed.
Even if Henry knew...
Would he care?
Of course.
He would care enough to raise his thumb and say, "Good riddance."
After all, he wasn't some saint who repaid evil with kindness.
The predecessor had been kicked out of the company to make room for her.
He had merely returned the favor.
Besides...
Compared to what the predecessor had suffered, this was nothing more than the beginning.
Henry looked back at the brightly lit venue one last time before withdrawing his gaze.
According to the competition's rules, there was no need for contestants to remain after performing.
The judges would finish evaluating everyone before the production team notified successful contestants through email.
Since there was nothing left for him to do, he planned to head home, take a hot shower, and get some well-deserved rest.
Just as Henry was about to leave—
"Huff... Huff..."
"Huff... Huff..."
A series of labored gasps interrupted his thoughts.
The sound resembled a pig that had just finished running a marathon.
Henry turned around.
Not far away, a chubby figure was bent over with both hands resting on his knees, desperately trying to catch his breath after sprinting all the way out of the venue.
Seeing the familiar face, Henry raised an eyebrow.
Jonas.
His so-called manager.
To be honest...
Calling him a manager was giving him far too much credit.
Ever since the company assigned Jonas to the predecessor, the man had contributed exactly zero to his career.
No resources.
No opportunities.
No networking.
Nothing.
It was almost as if the predecessor didn't have a manager at all.
Instead, Jonas spent his days shamelessly flattering the company's executives and chasing after established celebrities, hoping one of them would eventually take him under their wing.
As for Henry?
He had long been forgotten in some dusty corner.
The funniest part was...
The moment the predecessor's contract was terminated, Jonas had been the first person to kick him while he was down.
Not only had he made no attempt to help...
He had even sent a message telling Henry to give up on the entertainment industry altogether because he wasn't cut out for it.
Someone like that had the nerve to call himself a manager.Talk about overestimating his own abilities.
In Henry's eyes, Jonas was mediocre at best.The only thing exceptional about him.Was his ability to curry favor with people above him while stepping on those below him.
After taking several deep breaths, he immediately forced a brilliant smile onto his face, as though nothing unpleasant had ever happened between them.
Henry folded his arms across his chest, his lips curling into a sarcastic smile.
"What's wrong, Manager Jonas?"
"You look like you just lost a fight."
Jonas completely ignored the mockery.His skin was thicker than a city wall.
"Haha! Don't joke around!"
"I rushed over the moment I heard the news. No time to prepare, no time for anything."
"But I brought you good news!"
He proudly patted the folder tucked beneath his arm,forced a bright smile. "Henry, I rushed here the moment I heard the news because I have fantastic news for you. I just got off the phone with the company, and after a long discussion with upper management, I managed to convince them that terminating your contract was a huge mistake. I fought hard on your behalf, and after overcoming everyone's objections, they finally agreed to sign you back. Not only that, I secured a much better contract for you with a higher guaranteed salary, better revenue sharing, dedicated promotional resources, priority for new releases, and full support from the company. Believe me, Henry, opportunities like this don't come around twice, and as long as you sign this contract today, I'll personally make sure you become one of the company's biggest stars."
Jonas spread his arms dramatically.
"Henry..."
"You'll be very satisfied with this offer."
As he spoke, he conveniently erased every trace of his own involvement in terminating Henry's contract.Anyone who didn't know the truth would genuinely think he had been working tirelessly for Henry all along.
Henry couldn't help laughing.
"Manager Jonas...I still remember the text message you sent me.You were the one who told me the company didn't need me anymore."
"You even advised me to stay away from the entertainment industry."
"You said I was destined to be eliminated."
Jonas' smile stiffened for only a fraction of a second before returning as though nothing had happened.
"A misunderstanding!"
"It's all a misunderstanding!"
"I only said those things to temper your will."
"Yes..yes..I wanted to motivate you."
"Who would've thought you'd misunderstand my good intentions?"
Henry blinked.
For a moment...He was genuinely caught off guard.
There are shameless people and then there's this guy.Peak shamelessness.
If shamelessness were an Olympic event...
Jonas would return home wearing enough gold medals to build a small house.
Seeing Henry remain silent, Jonas assumed he was beginning to waver.He quickly struck while the iron was hot.
"Henry!"
"As long as you're willing to come back, I guarantee you'll become famous!"He opened the folder and pulled out a freshly printed contract.
"This time the company is sincere."
"We're offering you a guaranteed monthly salary of eight thousand dollars.In addition, you'll receive a fifty-thousand-dollar signing bonus.The company will also cover your first album's production costs and provide dedicated promotional resources."
"As for revenue from your music..."
"You'll receive sixty-five percent."
"The company only takes thirty-five."
"What do you think?"
Jonas smiled confidently.
In his eyes...
There was absolutely no reason for Henry to refuse.Compared to his previous rookie contract, which guaranteed only three thousand dollars a month with almost no resources...
This was already an enormous leap.Any newcomer would be ecstatic.Some might even kneel down in gratitude.
Unfortunately,the person standing before him was Henry.
Henry smiled faintly before slowly shaking his head.
"Sorry."
"I refuse."
The smile on Jonas' face froze.
"...What?"
Henry shrugged.
"I said..."
"I refuse."
To others...
That contract might seem incredibly generous.
To Henry...
It wasn't even worth considering.
After tonight's performance, he finally understood one thing.With the Superstar System in his possession...
Becoming famous wasn't a question of if.
It was only a matter of when.The audience's reaction had already proven everything.
They loved his song.
...
What?
It wasn't actually his?Henry coughed awkwardly in his heart.
Who else knew besides him and the readers?
Exactly.
Besides, someone had to introduce those timeless classics to this parallel world.He simply happened to be that person.
Perhaps one day, when his musical ability had truly caught up, he'd compose masterpieces of his own.
Until then...
He would shamelessly accept every round of applause.
Jonas finally began to panic.This wasn't the script he had imagined.
He hurriedly stepped forward.
"We can negotiate!"
"I know you're short on money."
"Ten thousand dollars a month!"
"No..."
"Twelve thousand!"
"The commission stays exactly the same!"
"We can even discuss additional promotional resources!"
Henry shook his head once more.
"There's nothing to discuss."
The smile on Jonas' face disappeared completely.
His expression darkened.The flattering tone from moments ago vanished without a trace.
"Henry."
"Don't push your luck."
"I'm giving you a chance."
"Sign this contract."
"It'll be good for both of us."
Henry looked at him as though he were looking at a clown.
Then he chuckled softly.
"Jonas..."
"There's something you seem to have misunderstood."
He stepped slightly closer.His voice remained calm.
"You're the one begging me now and not the other way around.I know you've always looked down on me."
He smiled.
"And now..."
"I look down on you."
"So..."
"Go back to whatever hole you crawled out of."
Jonas' eyes widened.His face alternated between pale and red.
He couldn't believe it.The insignificant rookie he had never taken seriously...
Was now looking down on him.Before he could utter another word...
Henry simply turned around and walked away.
A city bus slowly pulled up beside the curb.
The doors opened with a hiss.Henry stepped aboard without looking back.As he tapped his transport card against the reader, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
If this were a movie...
I'd have just crushed the villain with a few cool lines, casually hailed a luxury taxi, then disappeared into the night while dramatic music played in the background.
He reached into his pocket.
After checking the pitiful balance in his wallet...
Henry silently accepted reality.
Unfortunately...
Being broke has an incredible talent for ruining cinematic moments.
The bus doors slowly closed.Leaving behind a stunned Jonas standing alone on the sidewalk, clutching a contract that had suddenly become a piece of junk.