I Became an All-round Artist

"Congratulations on becoming the new star of the 10th floor!"

As soon as Lin Yuan stepped out of the office, the whole composition department erupted into applause. Wu Yong and a few others led the cheers.

"Thank you." Lin Yuan gave a socially appropriate smile.

One of his colleagues teased, "To celebrate, how about Xianyu treats us to some coffee?"

"No coffee," Lin Yuan instinctively shook his head. "I'll treat everyone to tea instead."

The group laughed. "Tea works too! There's a teahouse downstairs. Should we go down, or do you want to order it up here?"

"No need to trouble ourselves," Lin Yuan replied, turning back toward Lao Zhou’s office.

Zhao Jue hadn't left yet. She was chatting with Lao Zhou when they saw Lin Yuan come back. Curious, they asked, "Is there something else, Lin Yuan?"

"Where's your tea?" Lin Yuan asked.

Lao Zhou was stunned for a moment before laughing. "Bottom of the left drawer."

Seems like this kid has officially given up on coffee and taken a liking to tea.

Lin Yuan nodded, rummaged through the drawer, and then grabbed a whole box of tea before heading back out.

Lao Zhou jumped up, alarmed. "Wait, wait! That's too much!"

"I'm treating everyone," Lin Yuan said simply.

The colleagues outside had been peeking through the door and saw Lin Yuan walk out with Lao Zhou's prized tea collection. Their eyes lit up as they gave him a thumbs-up.

"Xianyu doesn't hold back!"

"Lao Zhou must be bleeding internally!"

"That tea's top-notch!"

"Lao Zhou's way too generous with Xianyu."

"If you had Xianyu's talent, you’d get the same treatment."

Everyone looked eager.

Lao Zhou, on the other hand, looked restless, resisting the urge to snatch his tea back. Zhao Jue, still seated, calmly remarked, "Supervisor Zhou is indeed very generous. I’m impressed."

Lao Zhou: "..."

I can’t lose face in front of her!

He forced himself to stay composed, giving Lin Yuan a weak wave of approval.

Lin Yuan didn’t think much of it and went outside to brew the tea for his colleagues. Luckily, there was hot water ready.

"Pour me some!"

To Lin Yuan's surprise, his colleagues seemed to enjoy tea far more than coffee. They quickly gathered around, eager for a cup.

Smart move. Tea downstairs would have been expensive! And Lao Zhou's stash was just sitting there.

Besides, it's not like I'm taking his tea for free. I'll just buy him a new box later. It’ll definitely be cheaper than ordering from downstairs.

Satisfied with his plan, Lin Yuan made himself a cup as well. But halfway through his tea, Wu Yong came over. "You’ve got some serious clout now! That tea must be worth tens of thousands per box. Lao Zhou barely drinks it himself, and here we are, thanks to you!"

Lin Yuan’s hand shook slightly.

Wu Yong didn’t notice and sighed contentedly, "No wonder! Tea worth tens of thousands really does taste different."

Lin Yuan glanced back at Lao Zhou.

Lao Zhou was sitting there, rubbing his temples intensely.

Lin Yuan looked at his cup of tea, then at the now-empty tea box, and suddenly felt nostalgic for the 60-yuan coffee upstairs.

...

Should I compensate Lao Zhou?

Even as Lin Yuan clocked out, this significant life dilemma weighed on his mind. He couldn't understand how someone like Lao Zhou could spend that much on tea—thousands per box!

It’s not practical at all! Tea is just tea, much like coffee is just coffee. The differences are only in sweetness and bitterness. With that kind of money, couldn’t you buy a ton of ice cream and pudding instead?

As Lin Yuan wrestled with his thoughts, a voice interrupted him.

"Xianyu."

He looked up and saw two people standing before him. One was Tao Ran, whom he had met before, and the other was unfamiliar.

"I'm Jin Shuyu," the unfamiliar man introduced himself quickly.

Lin Yuan paused, puzzled. "And this is...?"

Tao Ran spoke seriously, "We're here to apologize for what happened last time, Xianyu. We’ve brought some gifts as a token of our sincerity. Please accept them."

Tao Ran held up several boxes.

Lin Yuan didn’t take them. "It’s fine."

Jin Shuyu smiled bitterly. "No need to be polite. What happened last time was my fault. I've been reflecting on it, and I promise nothing like that will happen again."

"Good," Lin Yuan nodded, ready to leave.

Jin Shuyu shot Tao Ran a look, who quickly understood. He stepped forward, almost forcing the boxes into Lin Yuan’s hands. "It’s nothing much—just some tea."

Tea?

Lin Yuan’s senses perked up. He hesitated for a moment, then leaned in and whispered, "How much is the tea worth?"

"It’s not expensive," Tao Ran waved his hand.

Lin Yuan frowned, "That won’t do."

Tao Ran blinked, then coughed. "It’s worth around thirty or fifty thousand per box. If you're not satisfied, I can get you something better. High-quality tea usually needs to be ordered in advance, so just give me some time..."

"That’s perfect!"

This tea would be the perfect compensation for Lao Zhou.

Lin Yuan quickly accepted the gift boxes. Feeling that leaving immediately would be awkward, he added sincerely, "I never held a grudge. Next time, you really don’t have to go to this much trouble."

"Understood!"

Both Tao Ran and Jin Shuyu were overjoyed.

As Lin Yuan walked away, Jin Shuyu let out a sigh of relief. "Tao, you’ve got to remember, the one person you don’t want to cross in this company is a composer—especially one of Xianyu's caliber."

"Absolutely!" Tao Ran nodded vigorously.

Jin Shuyu laughed. "But maybe we were overthinking it before. Xianyu is human too. He accepted the gifts, so maintaining a good relationship won’t be that hard."

"Foolish!"

Tao Ran snapped.

"Huh?" Jin Shuyu was confused.

Tao Ran shook his head, "Xianyu is not someone moved by money. I offered him two million for 'Red Rose,' and he didn’t even bat an eye. Do you think a few tens of thousands in gifts would mean anything to him?"

"Then why...?"

Tao Ran sighed. "That’s what makes him so admirable. He didn’t want us to feel uneasy, so he accepted the gift. He even asked about the price of the tea—testing me. He knows that a few tens of thousands is just the right amount. Too cheap, and it would seem insincere. Too expensive, and it would send the wrong message. This way, he’s reassuring us that we’ve been forgiven."

"Got it!"

Jin Shuyu looked at Lin Yuan’s retreating figure, feeling moved. He had misunderstood Xianyu's character!

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