I Became an All-round Artist

The students’ guess was spot on. Everyone had grown accustomed to Lin Yuan’s style—what could now be called the "Lin Yuan style."

Lin Yuan really didn’t feel like explaining himself. But more importantly, he didn’t want to draw too much attention. If he did, what if the professor brought up the idea of transferring to the Fine Arts Department again? That was the last thing he wanted. Lin Yuan had no intention of leaving the Composition Department.

“Next classroom,” Professor Kong An said before leaving, giving Lin Yuan a deep, lingering look, as if solidifying some internal decision.

After the evaluation team left, the attention of the entire class once again shifted toward Lin Yuan. His classmates couldn’t help but throw around a few compliments, mixed with some casual questions, which Lin Yuan handled with ease. Ever since kindergarten, he had been used to the treatment that came with being the class favorite.

Like with his piano skills, when the class saw the stunning blackboard drawing behind them, their conclusion was simply that Lin Yuan was also a talented artist. But the exact level of his skill remained unclear to most. However, Yan Mengjia, the class’s artistic committee member who had studied painting for a few years, knew exactly what it meant to complete such a high-quality gouache painting in just two hours. Her gaze toward Lin Yuan had changed significantly.

Of course, the way many of the girls in class looked at Lin Yuan was already a bit off. You could tell from the random snacks that kept appearing on his desk. This sort of attention wasn't something that could be easily avoided, especially after Lin Yuan had impressed everyone twice now with his varied talents.

The next day, Lin Yuan’s class’s blackboard design made its way to the university’s official website, and the sophomore class’s blackboard championship win was unsurprising. Lin Yuan also began his gouache lessons at the painting club, teaching two sessions a day—first drawing, then gouache. However, far more students signed up for the drawing lessons, as Lin Yuan’s expertise in that area was already well-known in the Fine Arts Department. By contrast, many still weren’t sure of his level when it came to gouache painting—except for students like Zhong Yu and the others who had witnessed his two-hour masterpiece.

These students were rather crafty. They agreed among themselves not to spread the word about Lin Yuan’s gouache skills just yet. That way, fewer people would compete with them for spots in his gouache classes. They figured they could learn from Lin Yuan first, and then reveal his talents to the rest of the department after mastering the techniques themselves.

Lin Yuan didn’t mind either way. He already had plenty of students, and the tuition was the same no matter the class.

Winning the blackboard contest also earned Lin Yuan praise from his advisor in the Composition Department. At university, advisors play a role quite similar to high school homeroom teachers, but in Qin Yi’s case, most advisors also serve as subject teachers.

Lin Yuan’s advisor was named Hua Li. Recently, she had been paying close attention to him because Lin Yuan’s academic performance had been improving rapidly. Unlike most college students who only aimed to pass, Lin Yuan was serious about his studies. Although he had struggled to keep up when he first transferred into the Composition Department, his hard work had paid off. In the most recent theory exam, he ranked in the top five of his class.

Hua Li appreciated students like him. Exactly how much of her appreciation was influenced by his looks was anyone’s guess, but she made sure to lavish Lin Yuan with praise for the honor he had brought to the class. The praise went on for a full three minutes.

Afterward, Hua Li got to the main point of her lecture. “You’ve all been studying composition for nearly two years now. I imagine most of you don’t plan to pursue pure instrumental composition but aim to become songwriters for entertainment companies.”

Writing piano pieces is one thing, but composing pop songs also falls under the scope of a composer. The former is much more niche, while the latter is accessible to a wider audience. While the official focus of Qin Yi’s Composition Department leans toward the former, they’ve never neglected the importance of the latter.

“So, for the next part of our curriculum,” Hua Li continued, “instead of writing papers, I want each of you to compose a song. The style is up to you. You can write the lyrics and sing it yourself, or find someone else to perform it. There’s no need to spend money—there are plenty of collaborative groups within the school. The deadline is the end of next month.”

“Got it!” The students were excited. Writing a song wasn’t a daunting task for them. Many had already composed songs on their own and even submitted work to entertainment companies.

“One more thing,” Hua Li added with a smile, “this assignment will be crucial for your final grades. It will count as your year-end assessment! The department heads will personally grade your songs. Since you’re in your second year, next year will be your junior year, when we’ll select students for exchange programs. Your song’s grade will play a big role in whether you qualify for that.”

“What?!”

“Seriously?”

“A year-end assessment?”

The excitement in the room surged. Faces that had been playful or relaxed now turned serious. Many students were visibly excited by the prospect. Most students were eager to participate in exchange programs because the experience could significantly enhance their job prospects after graduation. It was also a chance to benefit from various scholarships and enjoy the perks offered to exchange students.

“Exchange program, huh?” Lin Yuan mused to himself. Since his friend Jian Yi had mentioned going to Qi Province as an exchange student, Lin Yuan had been considering whether to join him. After all, they would have less time together in the future. Plus, Lin Yuan was interested in the perks offered by the exchange program.

As for Xia Fan, she would definitely stay at Qin Yi University. She planned to participate in this year’s Bloom, aiming to make her debut—a dream she had been working toward for years. If she succeeded, her time at the university would be even more limited. So, going to Qi Province seemed like a serious option for Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan was confident Xia Fan would debut. Even if she failed on Bloom, he would ask Zhao Jue to sign her, and he had already prepared songs for her.

With that in mind, Lin Yuan knew he needed to take this song assignment seriously.

Later that evening, on his way home from school, Lin Yuan called up the system, gritting his teeth. “I want to purchase a custom song—the 500,000 one.”

“What type of song?” the system inquired.

“A motivational one,” Lin Yuan replied. He didn’t specify the genre but instead focused on the theme, as a motivational song would be fitting for a school setting.

“Deducting funds… Drawing a random song… Song selected… Congratulations, you’ve obtained the song The First Dream.”

With that, Lin Yuan’s bank account lost 500,000, and his song library gained a new track. Lin Yuan felt he’d gotten lucky this time.

“Oh, by the way,” Lin Yuan suddenly asked, “won’t there be a problem with the bank noticing the withdrawals?”

“No need to worry,” the system replied. “The funds are deducted through legitimate channels. The bank won’t detect anything unusual.”

“Got it.” Lin Yuan decided to submit the song next month. Given his academic performance this semester and the quality of the song, he felt confident about securing a spot in the exchange program.

Of course, the semester had just begun, and there was still a long way to go before the next. Lin Yuan was just preparing ahead.

Enjoying this story? Support me on [Patreon](patreon.com/aiden_connor) to unlock more chapters early and get exclusive content!