Rebirth: My Reclusive Husband Helps Me Get Revenge!-Chapter 82: What gave her the right to walk away

"I need your help," Yu Jia said, trying to keep her voice steady. "I need new songs. Something... fresh. I can’t afford to keep falling behind."

There was a pause on the other end, then a dry laugh. "You really can’t do this on your own, can you?"

Yu Jia’s grip tightened around the phone. She ignored the sting of his words. "Just get me something. I’ll pay whatever it takes."

"You know there’s always a price for everything," he said casually, as if he were talking about a transaction, not her career.

"I don’t care. Just get it done. I need something that’ll make the label happy. Something that’ll put me back where I belong."

"I’ll send something your way soon," he replied, his voice lacking any real warmth. "But you know, you’re going to owe me for this."

Yu Jia didn’t respond. She was too desperate to care about the cost anymore. All she could think about was getting back to the top, where she could shine like she once had. She hung up quickly, her mind spinning.

Sitting back in her chair, she stared at the lyrics on her desk. Nothing she wrote felt right anymore. The pressure, the loneliness—it was all starting to get to her.

She was running out of time, running out of options. If she couldn’t get something to work soon, she’d be just another fading star. And that, she couldn’t accept.

Yu Jia’s thoughts snapped back to just a few days ago, to the studio session that had gone horribly wrong. The memory felt too fresh, like it had just happened, and the panic still hadn’t eased.

She could hear the producer’s voice echoing in her mind, sharp and unforgiving.

"We’ve been here for hours, Yu Jia, and you’re not getting it. I need a hit, not this... this mess." He waved dismissively at the lyrics she’d written, his tone cutting through her already frayed nerves. "Your fans want more than this generic stuff. You’re capable of so much more, but if you keep this up, we’ll have nothing to show for all the years you’ve spent building your name."

Yu Jia felt her face heat up as she sat there in front of him, unable to meet his eyes. She could feel the weight of his disappointment pressing on her chest, the kind of pressure that made it hard to breathe.

"I’ve been working on it. I really have," she said quietly, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice. But even she could hear the uncertainty in her words. It was the same old song, over and over—she had worked on the lyrics for days, but it felt like something was missing. She couldn’t quite figure out what it was. And every time she tried to fix it, she only made it worse.

The producer was pacing, frustration simmering just beneath his words. "Don’t make excuses. You’ve been writing for years, you know how to do this! If you can’t deliver, we’re done here. I can’t push your name forever if the work doesn’t hold up."

Yu Jia swallowed hard, her hands shaking slightly as she gripped the pen in her fingers. "I’m sorry... I’ll do better next time."

But the apology felt hollow, even to her. The truth was, she was losing confidence in herself. She had been relying on Lixue for so long, pulling lyrics from her like they were second nature. But now that Lixue wasn’t coming through—she had nothing left.

Nothing to save her from the crushing weight of expectations.

The producer had thrown his hands up in frustration, signaling the end of the session. "Get it together, Yu Jia. We’ll reschedule, but if you come back with more of this..." He didn’t even finish the sentence, shaking his head and walking out of the room, leaving Yu Jia behind, feeling like a failure.

As the door clicked shut, she was left with the suffocating silence, her mind reeling, her chest tight with panic. She had never been so close to losing everything, and it felt like there was no way out.

That memory, just days ago, was still fresh in her mind as she sat now, her fingers trembling as she glanced at the half-written lyrics scattered in front of her. She had tried to write something new, tried to channel the pressure and frustration into something meaningful, but it was no use. The words wouldn’t come.

And now, with no new songs from Lixue, she felt like she was spiraling. The weight of her situation pressed on her, and the panic threatened to consume her.

She had to do something. She couldn’t afford to fail. Not again.

Yu Jia’s grip on her phone tightened as she stared at the screen, waiting for a response that never came. She had dialed Lixue’s number again and again, only to be met with silence. Frustration burned through her veins, and with a sharp exhale, she ended the call.

She was losing time, and every minute without those lyrics was another nail in her coffin. The producer was breathing down her neck, the deadline looming over her like a shadow, and she couldn’t afford to fail. Not now.

"Damn it," she muttered under her breath, pacing the length of her small studio. The walls seemed to close in as the pressure mounted. Her mind raced, but she kept coming back to one thought: I need Lixue’s lyrics. Now.

She ran a hand through her hair, trying to think through the panic threatening to overtake her. What could she do to make Lixue come through for her? She couldn’t beg. She wasn’t that desperate. But maybe she could force her hand.

Picking up her phone again, she drafted a message, her fingers flying across the screen as she typed. Her words were sharp, calculated—designed to provoke her. The last thing she wanted to do was show weakness, but she needed to get Lixue’s attention.

"If you don’t send me those lyrics by tomorrow, I’ll make sure everyone knows just how little you’ve contributed to the Yu family. Don’t test me, Lixue. You know how much influence I have."

She hit send before she could second-guess herself, her breath shallow as she waited. Her heart pounded in her chest, the weight of her ultimatum hanging heavily in the air.

This was a risk, but it was the only card she had left to play.

Seconds passed. Then minutes. There was no reply.

Yu Jia’s patience wore thin. She couldn’t wait any longer. She stormed across the room to her desk, where she’d left a stack of papers—discarded lyrics that had been rejected by the producer for their lack of substance. She picked them up, scanning each one with a critical eye, but none of them were good enough.

She could hear the producer’s voice in her head, berating her. "These lyrics are trash, Yu Jia. Is this the best you can do? The public’s going to see right through this."

Her hands shook as she tossed the papers aside. Nothing was coming together. Her mind was blank, the pressure suffocating her creativity.

Then her phone buzzed.

Yu Jia snapped her gaze toward it, almost relieved to see a message notification from Lixue. But when she opened it, her stomach dropped.

"I’m done, Yu Jia. I’m not doing this anymore. If you think you can threaten me, it’s not going to happen, because I have the evidence of all the lyrics you’ve stolen from me. So enjoy this little fame you have now."

It was simple and final.

A burst of anger surged through her, hot and searing. She could feel the bile rise in her throat as her vision blurred with fury.

How dare she? What gave her the right to just walk away?

Her fingers trembled with rage as she typed her response, her words dripping with venom. "You think I won’t destroy you? You think I’ll just sit back and let you ruin everything I’ve worked for? You owe me, Lixue. And I always get what’s mine."

She sent the message, watching the screen for any sign of movement, but there was no immediate reply. The silence was deafening. The fear of losing control, of being left with nothing, gripped her heart.