I Became an All-round Artist

"When you encounter a song with a particularly lengthy melody, you can break it down into several smaller segments, which we commonly refer to as musical phrases. Each phrase will be played with slight variations, such as this segment..."

 

The following morning.

 

In the composition class.

 

Lin Yuan listened attentively to the teacher’s explanation while taking notes in his notebook.

 

Although the original owner had transferred from the vocal department to the composition department and had limited compositional talent, he had always been interested in music-related fields.

 

Lin Yuan now shared the same enthusiasm for music as the original owner.

 

He certainly did not want to end up presenting a pile of songs in the future without being proficient in reading musical scores.

 

Unexpectedly, while earnestly attending his specialized class, Lin Yuan received an unexpected reward—

 

A notification sound suddenly rang in his ears: "Ding dong, detection of host learning composition knowledge, new beginner task activated."

 

Immediately after.

 

In front of Lin Yuan, a few lines of glowing blue text appeared:

 

[Task Name: A Student's Task is to Learn]

[Task Content: Achieve a ranking in the top twenty-five of the class in the next scheduled exam]

[Task Reward: A bronze treasure chest]

 

The arrival of this beginner task was rather abrupt, but Lin Yuan was not overly surprised.

 

Isn’t a system that doesn’t issue tasks even a system?

 

He then considered the difficulty of the task:

 

Qinzhou Conservatory of Music has ten classes in the composition department, each with around fifty students. Lin Yuan's class just happens to have fifty students.

 

However, this does not concern Lin Yuan.

 

The beginner task only required him to be in the top twenty-five of his own class in the next exam.

 

This was not a significant challenge for Lin Yuan.

 

Given that his usual ranking in specialized courses was around thirtieth in his class, a little extra effort should suffice to reach the top twenty-five.

 

"What if I fail the task?"

 

Lin Yuan wondered to the system: "Will there be a system shock? Or will the system erase me? Wait!"

 

Lin Yuan’s expression changed slightly: "It wouldn’t deduct money, would it? No, surely not, right?"

 

[System First Principle: Never harm the host]

[Additionally, a friendly reminder: Shock, erasure, and other such consequences are far worse than a monetary deduction. Please distinguish between priorities.]

 

"Just as long as there’s no monetary deduction."

 

Lin Yuan sighed in relief, but then he suddenly realized that even if the system wanted to deduct money, he had no money for the system to take...

 

This realization dampened his spirits somewhat.

 

...

 

After class.

 

Lin Yuan did not return to the dormitory but instead found a quiet spot and pulled out a number from his phone. The contact was labeled:

 

"Agent Zhao Jue  ."

 

The phone rang twice before it was answered.

 

On the other end was a slightly weary female voice: "Lin Yuan? What’s the matter?"

 

Lin Yuan said, "I have a song I want to release."

 

The voice on the other end brightened a bit: "A song you want to release? Has your voice recovered? Are you singing again?"

 

"Not quite."

 

Lin Yuan replied, "I’ve now transferred from the vocal department to the composition department. I have a song on hand and was wondering if the company could help find a singer to perform and release it."

 

"I see."

 

Zhao Jue  ’s tone became somewhat disappointed, returning to a subdued note: "You want to participate in the November Newcomer Season, don’t you?"

 

"Yes."

 

"I must remind you that you are signed with Xingmang Entertainment as a singer, not as a songwriter. The company has a specialized songwriting department that collaborates with singers, and most singers have their own songwriters..." Zhao Jue  ’s rejection was very polite.

 

Lin Yuan, however, did not give up: "Can I now transfer to the songwriting department?"

 

He needed the company’s distribution channels.

 

Without the promotional resources provided by the company, even a very excellent song could easily sink without a trace. Newcomers who stood out in past seasons all had the backing of entertainment companies.

 

"That’s not possible!"

 

Zhao Jue  ’s refusal was firm.

 

The silence lasted about ten seconds before Zhao Jue   sighed, her voice tinged with resignation: "Fine, send me the song through the company’s internal channel for review. If the quality is acceptable, I’ll have someone help you release it. If not, let’s consider it as though this never happened."

 

"Thank you."

 

Lin Yuan expressed his gratitude earnestly.

 

Zhao Jue   was the agent who had initially signed Lin Yuan. She had high hopes for him, but unfortunately, his voice had suffered an accident and lost its value.

 

In such circumstances, Zhao Jue  ’s willingness to help Lin Yuan was already a significant favor.

 

"That’s it, then. Goodbye."

 

Zhao Jue   disconnected the call, her irritation evident.

 

...

 

Zhao Jue  ’s frustration was not directed at Lin Yuan, but rather stemmed from him.

 

With the Newcomer Season just a month away, Zhao Jue   was overwhelmed with tasks.

 

She still had several newly signed talents to push during the annual newcomer season.

 

Originally, Lin Yuan was supposed to be among these newcomers.

 

Zhao Jue   had even considered enlisting the company’s top songwriters to tailor a few songs for Lin Yuan, hoping to make a significant impact during the Newcomer Season, as Lin Yuan’s vocal talent was truly remarkable.

 

But fate had other plans.

 

"Turning to songwriting after failing as a singer?" Zhao Jue   shook her head with a rueful smile. If songwriting were so easy, why would even top-tier singers not write their own songs and instead hire professional songwriters?

 

Is it that they don’t want to?

 

It’s because they can’t produce the songs that audiences love.

 

In today’s world, a composer’s status is far higher than that of a singer, especially in the current pragmatic industry ecosystem.

 

A composer is a vital asset!

 

A company with a brilliant composer can support a multitude of singers.

 

In fact, in recent years, audiences have become increasingly aware of composers’ names.

 

It’s clear that the public is beginning to recognize that composition is the soul of a song, while performance is secondary.

 

Other aspects such as lyrics and arrangement are also crucial, but the core element, the composition, is undeniably more important than performance—

 

A good song sounds great with any instrument!

 

Whether it’s guitar, piano, bassoon, or even a suona, if someone’s passionate, they can make the song shine.

 

"This child is also quite unfortunate."

 

Recalling past events, Zhao Jue   felt a pang of sympathy.

 

When Lin Yuan was hospitalized, Zhao Jue  , as his agent, had visited him but ultimately stopped at the door of the ward.

 

Through the door, she had heard the raspy, weeping cries from inside the room, akin to a wounded puppy...

 

Everyone has a compassionate side.

 

This was the reason Zhao Jue   was willing to help Lin Yuan.

 

Regardless of the outcome, she wanted to give the child a chance and let him know that many things in this world cannot succeed by mere presumption.

 

"However, you’ve truly put me in a difficult position."

 

Zhao Jue   sighed, her face marked with worry. This was the root of her frustration—

 

The annual Newcomer Season is when major companies push their new talents.

 

During this time, the competition among companies is fierce and intense.

 

Even though Xingmang Entertainment is a prominent company, ranking high in Qinzhou, its overall strength is among the top three!

 

Yet Xingmang Entertainment has been performing poorly in the Newcomer Season for three consecutive years.

 

In these three years, the best performance was two newcomers breaking into the top ten, and even then, they were only in ninth and tenth place...

 

Compared to companies of the same level, this was quite disappointing.

 

What infuriated Xingmang the most was that their rival, Sha Hai Culture, occupied four spots in last year’s top ten, including the highly coveted second and third places.

 

This left the higher-ups of Xingmang embarrassed, as the major entertainment companies in Qinzhou are highly competitive, and thus the executives naturally pressured the chief agent, Zhao Jue  .

 

Under the intense pressure, Zhao Jue   had pledged before all the executives:

 

This year’s Newcomer Season must have a top-three finish!

 

If she failed, she would resign voluntarily.

 

Zhao Jue  ’s willingness to make such a pledge was not only due to the pressure from above but also because she had just signed the extraordinarily talented Lin Yuan and was eager to make a significant impact—

 

She believed Lin Yuan could help her achieve this goal.

 

But now that Lin Yuan’s voice was compromised, the pledge remained unfulfilled.

 

The executives only cared about results, not the complications in between.

 

Thus, Zhao Jue   was frantically searching for someone to replace Lin Yuan and fulfill the pledge, having already reported nine newcomers in a row.

 

Yet Zhao Jue   knew in her heart.

 

The nine newcomers she had reported might still have a chance to break into the top twenty, but reaching the top ten would be a matter of luck.

 

Aiming for the top five or even the top three?

 

She might as well dream on; dreams can hold anything.

 

The company could allocate ten spots, but now only one remained, and Zhao Jue   had still not found a suitable replacement for Lin Yuan.

 

She was nearly in a state of resignation.

 

Thus, she had agreed to Lin Yuan’s request.

 

After all, it was the last spot available, and if Lin Yuan’s song was at least passable, why not give that unfortunate child a chance?

 

At that moment.

 

Her phone rang.

 

It was an email notification, sent through the company’s internal encrypted channel, from Lin Yuan.

 

Opening the email.

 

Zhao Jue   decrypted the message and saw the audio file sent by Lin Yuan, titled: "Life Like Summer Flowers."

 

Life Like Summer Flowers?

 

Zhao Jue    did not fully grasp the meaning of the phrase but could faintly sense some symbolic imagery.

 

She put on her headphones and clicked play.

 

As she immersed herself in the music, the song soon came to an end.

 

Zhao Jue   's expression was one of surprise and amazement.

 

Unlike the rough demos she was accustomed to, Lin Yuan’s song was quite polished; not only was the melody fully developed, but the arrangement was also complete—

 

This was no mere short-term creation.

 

The vocal part consisted solely of a hummed tune, synthesized by machines.

 

Yet this synthetic voice, compared to typical machine-generated sounds, was less rigid and surprisingly natural.

 

Nevertheless, Zhao Jue    could infer from her experience that if this emotionless hum were replaced with a human voice, it could yield remarkable results.

 

“Interesting.”

 

Zhao Jue   , as an agent, might have only a superficial understanding of composition, but her extensive industry experience provided her with solid judgment.

 

Her eyes gleamed with interest, as she considered that "Life Like Summer Flowers" might turn out to be an excellent song, as she was already somewhat captivated, even though it currently only featured a melody and synthesized hum.

 

“Does this guy really have a talent for composition?”

 

Raising an eyebrow, Zhao Jue    made three consecutive phone calls.

 

The first call was to the review department: “I have a song for you to review. Expedited, I need results by tonight.”

 

This was a necessary step.

 

Technical review was crucial to ensure that Lin Yuan’s "Life Like Summer Flowers" did not resemble any existing songs too closely, thereby avoiding accusations of plagiarism. Any issues could severely damage the company’s reputation.

 

The second call was to one of her subordinate agents.

 

As the chief, Zhao Jue   ’s voice was commanding and decisive: “Record the song tonight. For the final spot in the Newcomer Season, make sure to get a reliable singer, and don’t give the sound engineer too much trouble.”

 

A newcomer with a less-than-top-notch voice was of little concern to Zhao Jue   .

 

It was merely a matter of the company’s sound engineers working a bit harder.

 

The third call was to Lin Yuan, her tone gentle and markedly softer than the previous calls: “When do you finish classes today? I’ll come to your school to pick you up so we can record the song.”

 

“Alright.”

 

Lin Yuan responded.

 

His tone seemed... not particularly surprised?