I Became an All-round Artist

The company has produced a third-place hit on the Rising Star Chart!

The moment the Rising Star Chart was released, this news spread like wildfire throughout Xingmang Entertainment, and it lifted the spirits of everyone in the company.

“Wow, finally someone has come through and saved our reputation.”

“Maybe they won’t dock our bonuses in the music department this year?”

“Well, our film department made everyone download ‘Life Like Summer Flowers’ once. Now that we’ve got a third place, the higher-ups are going to do everything they can to keep it.”

“Of course. Xingmang is one of the top three entertainment companies in Qinzhou. A poor showing on the Rising Star Chart really hurts our image, especially since so many music school graduates base their job choices on these indicators.”

There are countless entertainment companies in Qinzhou. The most well-known are undoubtedly Xingmang Entertainment, Sand Sea Culture, and Brilliant Silverfire.

In previous rookie seasons, these three companies usually dominated the top ranks of the Rising Star Chart. But in recent years, while Sand Sea and Brilliant Silverfire have maintained their strong performance, Xingmang Entertainment has been falling behind, to the point where people have started to question Xingmang’s authority in the music industry.

This has had a very negative impact!

That’s why the company’s higher-ups have been putting pressure on Zhao Jue, who is fully in charge of this matter. Normally, a rookie season wouldn’t cause the company’s boss so much stress, but this situation is different.

As the employees discussed the situation, Xianyu’s name naturally spread throughout the company. In comparison, there was little talk about Sun Yaohuo. In this era, where even ordinary people pay attention to composers, it’s even more the case in an entertainment company—a typical insider environment!

Composers hold far more status than singers.

Why else would the industry have the term “song daddy”?

Everyone understands one thing clearly:

The success of a song often comes from the composer writing a melody that resonates with people.

In other words, Xianyu’s song “Life Like Summer Flowers” isn’t too picky about the singer. Even if the company hadn’t chosen Sun Yaohuo and had someone else sing the song, as long as they had a decent voice, they could have become a hit with the company’s resources and promotion.

This is why composers get so much attention after a song becomes popular.

Of course, there are exceptions—those singers with truly extraordinary voices.

These singers are rare gems in the music industry, with such unique vocal qualities that they can make any song sound amazing. These singers are like trump cards, and their status is so high that they can stand shoulder to shoulder with the most famous composers.

When these exceptional singers collaborate with top-tier composers, they often achieve mutual success, with neither able to do without the other. After all, some songs just can’t be sung by anyone.

It’s like you wouldn’t just pull any singer into a recording studio to sing an opera.

But this doesn’t mean that the more difficult a song is to sing, the better it is. Some songs are easy for anyone to sing, but you can’t deny their excellence.

...

Meanwhile, outside the company, the rookie season atmosphere has spread throughout all of Qinzhou with the launch of the Rising Star Chart.

The focus of the major companies has temporarily shifted from Sand Sea Entertainment, which has a firm grip on the first spot, to Xingmang Entertainment, another one of the Big Three.

“Oh wow, Xingmang’s rookie has returned to the top three this year.”

“After all, it’s one of the old Big Three entertainment companies. Xingmang Entertainment isn’t going to be a letdown every year.”

“So, the Big Three aren’t leaving any room for us. Sand Sea holds first place firmly, Brilliant Silverfire is steadily in second, and now Xingmang is regaining its glory in third place. They’re feasting, and we small companies are left to fight over scraps.”

...

Beyond the entertainment industry, music critics are also paying close attention to the Rising Star Chart, especially the top three songs, which have become a hot topic.

On Weibo, critics are actively recommending their favorite songs from the chart. Interestingly, the majority of critics ended up recommending the third-place song, “Life Like Summer Flowers”.

This trend sparked interest in the song among the general public, and the comment sections under these recommendations became lively:

“The song title is beautiful.”

“‘Life is as brilliant as summer flowers, death as serene as autumn leaves.’ I haven’t even started listening, but based on the description, this song seems like the best.”

“Seven out of the ten critics I follow recommended ‘Life Like Summer Flowers.’ I have to listen to it now.”

“I listened to the song—it's pretty good. Downloaded it to support.”

“I listened too. Personally, I think it’s just okay.”

“Tastes differ, but I was blown away by ‘Life Like Summer Flowers’ on the first listen. It’s the first time a song without high notes has moved me this much.”

“Wow, there’s something special about this song.”

“Thanks to the critics’ recommendation, this is probably my biggest find of this rookie season. No more words needed—this one’s going into my favorites and playlists.”

...

This is almost a tradition in Qinzhou.

Every rookie season, nearly every music critic seizes the opportunity to ride the wave of popularity.

Some recommend songs they genuinely love, while others take money from entertainment companies to post pre-written promotional content.

The former is more common, while the latter is less so, because in Qinzhou, music is still considered a sacred thing, and the public isn’t easily fooled by critics.

This is tied to Qinzhou’s unique character.

Blue Star consists of eight continents: Qin, Qi, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao, Wei, and an additional “capital” of Blue Star, Zhongzhou.

Each continent has its own distinct features.

Qinzhou, for example, is recognized as the “Land of Music” across Blue Star!

It’s a place that produces an abundance of musicians.

The neighboring continent of Qizhou is known as the “Home of Cinema.”

However, official data shows that most of Qizhou’s film scores are composed by Qinzhou’s songwriters.

Moreover, nearly 80% of the composers active on Blue Star’s artistic stages come from this land!

This goes beyond just the various musical genres.

And then there’s the piano... the violin... the symphony orchestra... And so on.

Every form of musical art has a vast commercial market in Qinzhou. This shows just how deep the love for music runs here, which is also why the Rookie Season in the music industry has become a traditional event in Qinzhou.

Growing up surrounded by this environment, people from Qinzhou take pride in their "high musical taste." When Qinzhou natives discuss music with people from the other seven continents, their sense of superiority is almost overwhelming.

...

Zhao Jue made a call to Lin Yuan.

When the call connected, the excitement in the voice of this chief agent was undeniable: “Lin Yuan, you’ll be able to transfer to the Composition Department soon. And congratulations on making it to third place on the Rising Star Chart!”

“I’m in third place?”

Lin Yuan thought for a moment and asked earnestly, “Is that ranking considered good for the Rookie Season?”

“...”

Zhao Jue was momentarily stunned by the question.

It took her a while to process it, and then she realized what Lin Yuan was implying. A bit taken aback, she asked, “You haven’t been following the Rising Star Chart today?”

“My classmates seem to be following it,” Lin Yuan replied.

Zhao Jue couldn’t help but laugh at the unexpectedness of Lin Yuan’s response, unsure where to even begin with his casual attitude.

All she could do was continue the conversation: “Yes, third place is an excellent achievement. But today is just the first day, and I’ll help you maintain your ranking.”

“Thank you, Sister Zhao.”

Lin Yuan held great respect for Zhao Jue.

However, Zhao Jue felt a bit deflated by the conversation. Lin Yuan’s calm demeanor was in stark contrast to her excitement.

It was as if he was making her feel like she was the one who had never seen success before.

She had to force herself to wrap up the conversation: “Anyway, when you have time, come by the office to handle some paperwork. Also, the income from the song will be deposited into your account at the end of the month. I’ll hang up now.”

“Okay.”

When money was mentioned, Lin Yuan’s voice showed a hint of anticipation, finally giving Zhao Jue a sense that she wasn’t the only one who knew what success looked like.

“This kid…”

Zhao Jue chuckled as she shook her head and hung up the phone, turning her attention back to her computer.

She was looking at the Rising Star Chart.

Ever since finishing lunch, Zhao Jue had been glued to this screen, afraid to step away even for a moment.

She was terrified that if she looked away, their third-place spot would slip away.

But as she continued to watch, Zhao Jue noticed something odd.

It wasn’t that the fourth-place song was catching up.

The fourth-place song had barely reached 30,000 downloads.

By comparison, “Life Like Summer Flowers” had climbed to 50,000 downloads from morning till now!

But the strange thing was that the downloads for “Life Like Summer Flowers” were increasing at a rapid pace.

The second-place song was from Brilliant Silverfire.

“Aires,” performed by Zeng Yi and composed by Li Yang, had 53,000 downloads.

When the chart first opened, “Aires” had 43,000 downloads and had since gained 10,000 more.

But “Life Like Summer Flowers” started with just 33,000 downloads, and now it had nearly doubled!

What does this mean?

Could Xingmang really be about to surpass Brilliant Silverfire?

The moment this thought took root in Zhao Jue’s mind, it grew uncontrollably, making her heart race.

Refresh!

Refresh!

Refresh!

Zhao Jue began repeatedly refreshing the webpage, and sure enough, the gap between “Life Like Summer Flowers” and the second-place song was narrowing, causing her heart to beat even faster...

At six in the evening, just before she was about to leave work, Zhao Jue refreshed the chart once more, and this time, she clearly saw that the second-place spot on the Rising Star Chart now belonged to:

“Life Like Summer Flowers”!

Downloads: 59,800!

The third-place song, Brilliant Silverfire’s “Aires,” had stalled at 59,100, dropping out of the top two!

At that moment, Zhao Jue almost burst out laughing with joy.

While she had been focused on holding onto third place, “Life Like Summer Flowers” had quietly overtaken Brilliant Silverfire, becoming the second on the chart!

Only the first place was untouchable.

In any other Rookie Season, “Life Like Summer Flowers” would have swept the entire chart and taken the top spot!

Just then, her phone rang.

Zhao Jue answered, pretending not to know: “Old Zhou, what’s up?”

The voice on the other end said, “Could you open the door?”

Zhao Jue was puzzled for a moment, then opened the door.

Outside stood a middle-aged man, smiling with excitement. “Sister Zhao, second place—no, I mean, it’s been a while since we’ve had a meal together. How about we go out tonight, and you can order whatever you like? My treat! By the way... when is Xianyu coming to report to the Composition Department? We’re really short-staffed.”

“Oh.”

Seeing Old Zhou’s eager expression, Zhao Jue suddenly felt like he was the one who had never seen success before.