I Became an All-round Artist

Hua Li paused, counting on her fingers. “If we’re talking about looks, Lin Yuan is definitely not ‘average.’ If we’re talking about popularity in the class, he gets along with everyone exceptionally well. Even in terms of art skills, he’s quite talented. He helped our class win first place in the blackboard competition, after all.”

“Is that what I was asking?” Shi Cheng retorted. “In the field of composition, a student capable of writing a piece like ‘The First Dream’ can't possibly be considered average. Even if this was an outlier performance, it shows he has enormous potential. You need to pay more attention to your students. How could you not know we had such a rare talent in our department?”

A genius in the composition department!

That was Shi Cheng’s assessment.

Hua Li nodded repeatedly. After hearing "The First Dream," she couldn’t disagree. Even if this was Lin Yuan's best work yet, the potential was there, and everyone knew it.

Just then, there was more noise at the door.

Shi Cheng looked up and saw representatives from Xingmang arrive, led bEnjoying this story? Support me on [Patreon](patreon.com/aiden_connor) to unlock more chapters early and get exclusive content!
y none other than Zhou Ruiming, the head of Xingmang’s composition department. Shi Cheng greeted him warmly: "Old Zhou, it's been a while!"

“Professor Shi.”

Zhou Ruiming smiled back. He had a great deal of respect for the head professor of Qinyi’s composition department, given that many top composers in the industry had graduated from there. “Got any promising talent to recommend this time?”

“Actually, I do,” Shi Cheng replied with a proud grin, leading Zhou Ruiming into the adjacent room where "The First Dream" was stored like a treasure.

Zhou Ruiming's interest piqued.

For Shi Cheng to present a song with such formality, it had to be exceptional. He and the representatives from Xingmang put on their headphones and listened.

A few minutes later.

The representatives from Xingmang were stunned. They all knew immediately: “This song is amazing!” “Director, we have to sign this talent!” “A sophomore with this level of skill!” “This composer is a must for Xingmang!” “No wonder Qinyi is considered one of the top schools in Qinzhou. It truly nurtures talent. We should visit more often. This place is a breeding ground for future composers!”

The Xingmang representatives were thoroughly impressed. Zhou Ruiming was equally moved. The quality of "The First Dream" was outstanding, especially considering it was composed by a sophomore. Qinyi truly hid talents in plain sight.

No wonder Xianyu came from this school!

Zhou Ruiming turned to Shi Cheng, his expression serious. “Professor Shi, could I meet the composer of this song?”

Shi Cheng smiled slightly. “Of course.”

He had expected this reaction. Zhou Ruiming and his team would not leave without trying to sign Lin Yuan based on this song alone.

“I’ll go get him,” Shi Cheng said.

But just as he was about to leave, Zhou Ruiming couldn’t help but ask eagerly, “What’s the name of this student?”

He had every reason to be eager. A song of this caliber reminded him of only one person—Xianyu. Could it be that today he had encountered another Xianyu-level genius at Qinyi?

Is Xingmang about to strike gold twice?

If other companies heard this song, they would be fighting tooth and nail to sign the composer. There would be no hesitation.

“His name is Lin Yuan,” Shi Cheng answered without missing a beat. The name was now firmly engraved in his mind.

Zhou Ruiming: “...”

The previously enthusiastic representatives from Xingmang suddenly wore strange expressions. They exchanged awkward glances, at a loss for words.

“I’ll go get him,” Shi Cheng said, oblivious to their reactions.

Zhou Ruiming let out a bitter laugh. “No need, Professor.”

Shi Cheng paused. “You’re not satisfied?”

Zhou Ruiming waved his hand dismissively. “What are the odds? I was just thinking how improbable it was for another prodigy like Lin Yuan to show up... turns out it’s the same Lin Yuan.”

How unlucky!

Zhou Ruiming had been so excited, thinking he’d discovered a new genius akin to Xianyu, only to realize they had been chasing after their own company’s talent all along.

This so-called genius was already Xingmang’s own treasure.

"A prodigy?"

Shi Cheng was baffled by Zhou Ruiming and his team's reaction. They had been so excited just moments ago—why did they suddenly seem disappointed?

“Professor,” Zhou Ruiming signaled for his colleagues to leave before leaning in to whisper to Shi Cheng, “Since we're old friends, I won’t keep anything from you. Actually, Lin Yuan…”

“What about Lin Yuan?” Shi Cheng was growing impatient. What was Zhou Ruiming trying to say?

With a helpless expression, Zhou Ruiming revealed, “Lin Yuan is Xianyu. He’s already one of our top composers at Xingmang. How can I sign him twice?”

“What?!” Shi Cheng’s face changed instantly, and he was left speechless.

Zhou Ruiming quietly added, “Please, keep this under wraps. Xianyu doesn't like the spotlight. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have kept his identity hidden for so long. As for why I’m telling you, well, I’m sure you understand.”

“…”

Shi Cheng gradually snapped out of it.

Two shocks in one day, each bigger than the last, and yet he had somehow managed to keep his composure. He had to admire his own resilience.

Of course, he understood what Zhou meant!

By revealing that Lin Yuan was actually Xianyu, Zhou was reminding him to take special care of this exceptional student. Even giving Lin Yuan some extra privileges would be completely justifiable!

Special treatment? Absolutely! Care and attention? Without question!

Shi Cheng would never let Lin Yuan face the slightest hardship at school—not in a million years!

Suddenly, he burst out laughing.

So Lin Yuan was Xianyu all along! Xianyu was just a sophomore! And Xianyu was a student at Qinyi!

Dongyi had come here, brimming with confidence and armed with Zou Yu’s work, to challenge Qinyi. They clearly had no idea what they were up against!

They had Zou Yu? Well, we have Xianyu! Your "Yu" is a pretender—ours is the real deal!

Zou Yu, a prodigy? In front of Xianyu, how could anyone still dare to call Zou Yu a prodigy?

But, in fairness, Shi Cheng couldn’t blame Dongyi. After all, even he had just learned the truth. If Zhou hadn’t told him, he would still be in the dark.

Dongyi was just unlucky.

Had they known that the legendary Xianyu was quietly studying in Qinyi's sophomore composition department, they wouldn’t have dared to show up at all!

“I should get going then,” Zhou Ruiming smiled as he stood up.

Despite the confusion, he had reason to be pleased.

Xianyu had composed yet another brilliant song!

It hadn’t been that long since "Red Rose" dominated the charts, and here he was, creating another masterpiece. His talent was almost frightening.

But why hadn’t Xianyu told him this time?

Oh well, it wasn’t the first time. Xianyu never gave a heads-up when he had a new song.

Best to just let him be.

Zhou Ruiming and his team waved goodbye.

Shi Cheng watched them leave, thinking that he had planned to let Zhou listen to some of the other excellent works. But on second thought, there was no need.

The gap was just too large.

Compared to Xianyu, the rest of the students still had a long way to go in honing their skills.

And yes, he would keep this secret.

If Lin Yuan himself wasn’t broadcasting it, there was no way Shi Cheng would betray his intentions. Even though publicly revealing that Xianyu was a sophomore at Qinyi’s composition department could bring massive benefits to the school, Lin Yuan’s wishes came first.

Besides, the truth would come out sooner or later.

When that time came, all the benefits would still go to Qinyi. It was just a matter of time.

With that comforting thought, Shi Cheng sat back and poured himself a cup of tea.

The sofa at Qinyi really was quite soft.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Shi Cheng turned and broke into a smile. “Professor Kong! What brings you here? Has the painting department been slow lately?”

The visitor was Kong An, the head professor of Qinyi's painting department. Kong An had recently been promoted to this position, making him an equal to Shi Cheng.

But that wasn’t the point.

The key thing was that the two of them had started teaching at Qinyi at the same time, and their bond was anything but ordinary. So, seeing each other now felt especially warm and familiar.

An unbreakable friendship!

Kong An’s smile was equally bright. “What’s the occasion today? I see you can’t stop grinning.”

“Really?” Shi Cheng waved his hand. “Have a seat. I’ve got some top-notch tea here, just for you. Even though we work at the same school, it’s rare that we get to catch up.”

“That’s true,” Kong An agreed with a sigh. “We’re best friends, and today I came to ask you a small favor. You wouldn’t turn me down, would you?”

“What are you talking about?” Shi Cheng said firmly as he brewed the tea. “You could ask me for a hundred favors today, and I’d agree to every single one!”

Kong An was deeply moved.

This was true friendship—unchanging with time, unaffected by the years!