I Became an All-round Artist

6:00 PM.

As soon as the class ended, Lin Yuan received a message from Jian Yi: “Want to have dinner tonight? Xia Fan is treating!”

“No, I have plans tonight. You and Xia Fan go ahead.”

While replying, Lin Yuan walked out of the school gate, where a red sedan was parked by the roadside.

“It’s been a while. Get in,” said a woman from the car as she rolled down the window, taking off her sunglasses and smiling at Lin Yuan.

“Hello.”

After exchanging pleasantries, Lin Yuan got into the car.

The woman was Zhao Jue    his agent. At thirty-five, she had faint crow's feet at the corners of her eyes. She was approachable when smiling but serious and composed when not, exuding an air of calm professionalism.

“Lin Yuan,” Zhao Jue    said, glancing at Lin Yuan in the back seat through the rearview mirror as she started the car. “It seems your song doesn’t have lyrics yet. Do you need me to help find someone to write them? There are only ten days left until the Newcomer Season.”

“No need, the lyrics are already finished.”

“Then the arrangement… is it done by you?”

“Yes.”

“Alright.” Zhao Jue    smiled. “Do you know what the core competition of the Newcomer Season in November is?”

“What is it?”

Zhao Jue    kept her eyes on the road. “Newcomer Season is a broad term. What each company really competes for is a spot on the Qinzhou Music Rising Stars chart. Only those in the top twenty on this chart are considered to have made a mark.”

“Got it.”

This wasn’t new to Lin Yuan.

At a red light, Zhao Jue    turned to Lin Yuan. “Your song is good. If you can get a good ranking on the Rising Stars chart in November, I can help transfer your contract to the composition department.”

“Thank you.”

Lin Yuan’s eyes lit up.

He wanted to develop in the direction of a composer, which was also his current field of study. It was a way to gain recognition from the system without being in the spotlight like a singer.

Just then, Lin Yuan heard the system’s voice: “Ding dong, congratulations on triggering a new task.”

Task Name: The First Song
Task Content: Successfully record “Life Like Summer Flowers”
Task Reward: One Bronze Chest

Another new task even before the previous one was completed?

Looking at the three lines of text that appeared, Lin Yuan felt a bit excited about the upcoming recording and hoped it would go smoothly tonight.

 

Half an hour later, Lin Yuan arrived at Xingmang Entertainment.

It was a fifty-story building, with everyone in professional attire and wearing badges from various departments of Xingmang Entertainment, clearly showing the company's impressive stature.

“Hello, Sister Zhao.”

Zhao Jue    was a key figure at Xingmang, and many people greeted her as she walked through. She responded briefly and took Lin Yuan straight to the recording studio on the ninth floor.

“Sister Zhao!”

A portly agent who had been waiting on the ninth floor hurried over to greet her. “The equipment has been mostly set up.”

“And the newcomer?”

Zhao Jue    looked around but only saw the recording studio staff busy with their tasks.

“Uh…”

The portly agent wiped the sweat from his forehead. “There was a bit of traffic, so the newcomer hasn’t arrived yet. I’ve already called that kid several times! When he gets here, I’ll definitely give him a piece of my mind!”

“Doesn’t traffic make it necessary to leave earlier?”

Zhao Jue   ’s gaze was cold. “If you can’t handle newcomers, let someone else do it! From now on, start the timer. If the newcomer isn’t here in fifteen minutes, bring someone else to sing. I won’t tolerate inefficiency!”

“Alright, alright…”

The portly agent, pale and trembling, smiled apologetically, pulled out his phone, and prepared to make another call, mentally cursing the tardy newcomer.

At that moment, an assistant dressed in formal attire came out of the elevator, heading straight towards Zhao Jue   . “Sister Zhao, the manager wants to see you…”

“Understood.”

Zhao Jue    rubbed her temples, feeling a bit of a headache. The manager’s request was likely related to the Rising Stars chart.

She blamed herself for being too ambitious.

Back then, she had dared to make a military order in front of the company's senior executives.

Looking at Lin Yuan, who appeared completely innocent, Zhao Jue    felt a surge of frustration with nowhere to vent.

She had to hold back her irritation and, with a warning glance, told the recording studio staff and the portly agent, “The song was written by Lin Yuan. During the recording, his opinions should take precedence, understood?”

“Yes.”

The portly agent and the recording staff quickly nodded at Lin Yuan, clearly wary of defying Zhao Jue   ’s orders.

Lin Yuan responded with a nod of acknowledgment.

 

Zhao Jue    left for her meeting.

The portly agent went downstairs to make calls.

Lin Yuan and the staff waited for about ten minutes when suddenly, a voice of reprimand came from a distance: “If you’re late again, you’ll miss your chance to participate in this year’s Newcomer Season, do you know that? How long have you waited to debut? Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused me with Sister Zhao’s frustration?”

“Sorry, sorry, bro, I made a mistake!”

A short youth, who had just come downstairs, was bowing and apologizing profusely in front of the portly agent. “I really didn’t expect to have a chance to debut this year! Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to seize the opportunity and not let you down! Thanks for covering for me and giving me the last spot for the Newcomer Season!”

“Stop talking, get ready for the recording.”

The portly agent turned around, pressing his temples hard, likely due to high blood pressure.

The youth, relieved, wiped his sweat, and looked up to see the person he was staring at—

“Lin Yuan?”

He stepped closer, took another look at Lin Yuan, confirmed he wasn’t mistaken, and then smiled. “It’s really you. What are you doing here? Oh, I see, you’re here for a part-time job, right?”

Lin Yuan: “…”

He was trying to recall who the person was. From the original owner’s memory, the person did look somewhat familiar.

The youth clearly didn’t know what Lin Yuan was thinking.

He puffed out his chest and patted Lin Yuan on the shoulder. “You’re really something, being the most outstanding sophomore in our vocal department and working part-time at Xingmang… Oh, since you’re in the recording studio, that makes us sort of colleagues!”

He pulled out a thermos and handed it to Lin Yuan. “Get me a glass of water first. I’m exhausted from running here. But it’s worth it because after this song, I’ll be debuting!”

Lin Yuan: “…”

He finally remembered who the youth was.

This person was Sun Yaohuo, a vocal student from Qinzhou Art College, now a graduate.

Sun Yaohuo was one of the alumni who returned to perform at a department event, so he was indeed a senior to Lin Yuan.

Because Sun Yaohuo was quite talented, he had signed with Xingmang Entertainment right after graduation, and the juniors admired him for being a senior who had signed with a major company and might become a star in the future.

Although Lin Yuan had also signed with Xingmang Entertainment, he had never advertised it. His special health condition meant that only Xia Fan and Jian Yi knew about it, and no one else was aware.

“What are you standing there for?”

Sun Yaohuo laughed. “Get me some water, will you? I need to record, and you can watch and learn a thing or two. It’ll be beneficial for you.”

“Okay.”

Lin Yuan went to get the water.

The recording studio staff had strange expressions on their faces.

As soon as the portly agent turned around, he saw Sun Yaohuo showing off to Lin Yuan and felt his blood pressure rise again.

“Sun Yaohuo, who do you think you’re showing off to?”

He walked up and gave Sun Yaohuo a sharp tap on the back of the neck. “The song you’re about to sing was written by him. You should call him Teacher Lin!”

The agent then turned to Lin Yuan, who was filling the water bottle. “Sorry, Teacher Lin. Sun Yaohuo isn’t too bright…”

“It's actually important to drink some water before recording,” Lin Yuan replied seriously. He didn’t find anything wrong with the situation and handed the filled thermos back to Sun Yaohuo.

Sun Yaohuo took it, stunned.

The portly agent, still angry, scolded him, “Show respect to Teacher Lin. Don’t act so arrogantly.”

“…”

Sun Yaohuo opened his mouth, wanting to say something but couldn’t find the right words. He felt confused—

He’s several years younger than me!

Why am I the one being disrespectful?

Nearby staff tried to suppress their smiles and asked, “Newcomer, have you memorized the melody? If so, let’s start with a practice run according to the lyrics.”

“I’ve memorized it, teacher.”

Sun Yaohuo responded quickly.

The staff looked at Lin Yuan.

“Let’s get started then,” Lin Yuan said.

In the recording booth, Sun Yaohuo began singing according to the lyrics.

His skill was decent; otherwise, he wouldn’t have signed with Xingmang right after graduation.

But Lin Yuan had the original owner’s vocal experience, so his standards were naturally high. His eyes observed Sun Yaohuo’s performance closely, and he quickly noticed some problems.

Half an hour later, Zhao Jue    returned from her meeting.

When she saw Lin Yuan working in the studio, she felt a bit relieved. She wasn’t worried about Sun Yaohuo’s late arrival anymore. What concerned her was Lin Yuan’s performance.

Lin Yuan’s suggestions were quite effective. As Sun Yaohuo sang, he followed Lin Yuan’s advice. The recording quality steadily improved, and Zhao Jue    was satisfied with the results.

After recording the demo, Lin Yuan and Zhao Jue    left Xingmang. Zhao Jue    took him to a restaurant for dinner.

“What did you think of the recording?” Zhao Jue    asked.

“It went well.”

Zhao Jue    had to admit that Lin Yuan’s talent was real. The song was almost complete, and if it performed well, Lin Yuan’s debut might be on the horizon.

“It seems you really have a future as a composer,” Zhao Jue    said with a smile.

“Thank you, Sister Zhao.”

Lin Yuan was modest.

It wasn’t the first time he had recorded a song, but he had to manage this project well.

If the song did well, it would be beneficial for his future career development.

The next day, Lin Yuan received another message from the system: “Ding dong, congratulations on completing the task:

 The First Song.

Task Reward: One Bronze Chest