I Became an All-round Artist

At the end of August, at the airport.

Lin Xuan, Xia Fan, and Sun Yaohuo were there together to see Lin Yuan off. This time, Sun Yaohuo wasn’t wearing a mask or sunglasses. He had gone from not wanting to be recognized to desperately hoping someone would notice him.

“Isn’t that a celebrity?” “It really looks like him!” “What’s his name again?”

A murmur rose from the distant crowd.

Sun Yaohuo straightened his chest and smiled, turning toward the onlookers, but his smile froze in the next second. He watched as several people rushed toward Xia Fan. Some took out their phones for pictures, while others pulled out notebooks asking for autographs.

“Xia Fan!” “Xia Fan!”

The excitement was all for them.

Lin Yuan had just boarded his flight, and Sun Yaohuo, standing alone in the vast airport, was already feeling a growing sense of loneliness, slowly being pushed to the outskirts by the crowd.

"......"

Lin Yuan wasn’t quite used to flying. It wasn’t that he was afraid of heights, but the higher the plane climbed, the more uncomfortable his ears felt. He tried his best to sleep, knowing the flight would last seven hours.

The ticket had been booked by his sister. She had directly bought a business class seat. By the time Lin Yuan realized it, it was too late to change it, so he could only silently feel the sting in his heart. After all, the price difference between business and economy class was significant. He couldn't help but wonder how many salted egg yolks he could have bought with the extra money.

The villa was almost ready for handover.

Lin Yuan had also covered the renovation costs, leaving the arrangements to his sister. After spending on these things, his funds were running low. Fortunately, with September around the corner, new royalties and song earnings would soon arrive, so Lin Yuan wasn’t too worried.

Seven hours later.

Lin Yuan arrived in Qizhou.

The sky was still bright in Qizhou. Having slept through half the journey, Lin Yuan felt groggy when he got off the plane. He retrieved his luggage from baggage claim, and after washing his face in the restroom, he felt slightly more awake.

Qizhou, Yicheng.

This was the city where Lin Yuan landed. As one of Qizhou’s most developed cities, it had a four-hour time difference with Sucheng in Qinzhou. But Lin Yuan felt that adjusting to it wouldn’t be too difficult.

He took out his phone and made a call.

This was the number Old Zhou had given him, saying that once Lin Yuan arrived in Qizhou, he should call, and someone would pick him up and take him to the branch office. His accommodations had already been arranged by the branch.

The call connected.

A female voice answered, “Hello, is this Teacher Xianyu? I’m waiting for you at the first-floor gate. The car is parked in the lot below, and you’ll see me as soon as you come out. I’m wearing a red jacket…”

“I see you.”

Lin Yuan looked toward the distant figure.

When the girl saw his face, she was visibly surprised. She quickly ended the call and approached, her tone uncertain. “I’m Gu Dong, an employee of the Xingmang branch. Are you Teacher Xianyu?”

Lin Yuan nodded.

Gu Dong was a bit surprised. The representative sent from headquarters was so young—this was beyond her expectations. But she had researched Xianyu beforehand and knew that he was a highly respected composer in Qinzhou, so she dared not show any disrespect because of his age. “Shall we head to the office?”

“Okay.”

Xianyu was a man of few words, with a cool demeanor.

Gu Dong made a mental note of this and took his suitcase. “You must be tired from the flight. Let me take your luggage. The car is parked downstairs; just follow me.”

Lin Yuan didn’t object.

As they drove away from the airport, Gu Dong began explaining the situation. “I’ll be your secretary at the branch. If you need anything, feel free to ask. Also, if you don’t mind me asking, is Xianyu your real name?”

“My real name is Lin Yuan.”

Gu Dong nodded. It made sense that Xianyu was more like a pen name. “Then I’ll call you Representative Lin from now on, unless you prefer being called Teacher Xianyu. I’ll let the company know.”

“Whatever.”

Lin Yuan was succinct as usual.

Gu Dong chuckled awkwardly but said nothing more, focusing on driving. Lin Yuan took out his phone to message his sister. Apart from the time difference, communication between the two was mostly uninterrupted.

After sending the message, Lin Yuan downloaded several music apps popular in Qizhou. Two of them were also popular in Qinzhou, showing that there were quite a few similarities between the two places. This made Lin Yuan feel a little less like a stranger in a foreign land.

Putting on his headphones, Lin Yuan started listening to songs.

Most of the music was popular in Qizhou. The style was somewhat different from Qinzhou, and overall, the quality wasn’t quite as high. This was where Qinzhou lived up to its reputation as the “Land of Music.” Also, Qizhou songs were predominantly sung in the local dialect, with over 70% of the songs in the top charts being in the Qizhou language, and only 30% in Mandarin.

He wasn’t sure how long he had been listening when they finally arrived at the branch office.

Lin Yuan and Gu Dong got out of the car and stood in front of a building with “Xingmang Music” in large letters on the wall. However, the building wasn’t nearly as impressive as the headquarters. The company sign itself was faded and rusting from a lack of maintenance.

“The company has three floors,” Gu Dong explained. “The recording studios are on the first floor, most of the work areas are on the second, and the third floor is mostly offices. Since you’re a representative from headquarters, we’ve set up an office for you on the third floor.”

Lin Yuan nodded.

The office building was in a relatively quiet area, which was one advantage of its remote location. Although the scale of the branch was nothing compared to the headquarters, Lin Yuan understood since he’d heard the branch wasn’t doing well.

There was no elevator.

They had to take the stairs. Lin Yuan didn’t mind, and followed Gu Dong as she gave him a tour. As they passed the second floor, several employees glanced curiously at the pair.

“Gu Dong is back with the new guy?” “Is that the representative from headquarters?” “He looks so young!” “Maybe they sent him here because he’s young and easy to manipulate. This company is so neglected by headquarters, and the manager practically begged for months for them to send someone over. Now the manager thinks this guy is a lifeline, but he’s forgetting that a single straw can’t save a drowning man…”

“I bet he’s still a student.”

“I’m starting to worry the company’s really going to shut down. Headquarters sending a young guy like this is clearly just a formality. You guys got backup plans?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. I’m loyal to this company!”

“Oh, please! You’ve jumped ship five times before coming here. If it weren’t for the staff shortage, HR wouldn’t have hired you!”

"......"

Lin Yuan was unaware of these conversations. He was already in his new office, following Gu Dong. The office wasn’t big, but the view was nice. Through the window, he could see a wide lawn, which reminded him of his office at headquarters.

There was a nameplate on the desk: Headquarters Representative: Xianyu.

The office had a black desk and some fresh plants in the corner, which clearly meant someone had prepared the room for his arrival. "There will be a meeting later to introduce you to the team. The manager is planning to host a welcome dinner for you tonight. He’s really excited about your arrival!" Gu Dong said with a smile.

However, beneath her smile was a sense of bitterness. "Dad has been hoping for someone from headquarters to come. He’s probably putting all his hopes for the company’s future on this representative. But how could one person solve all the problems of the branch?"

"No need," Lin Yuan declined. He wasn’t interested in a welcome party. He had more pressing concerns. "How’s my accommodation? Is it near Qizhou Art Academy? Will commuting to school be convenient?"

Gu Dong: "..."

Her heart sank even further.

This representative was still a student. Headquarters had made it clear over the phone, and Zhou Ruiming had personally called the manager to emphasize, "Xianyu’s main task in Qizhou is to study. He’s coming as an exchange student from Qinzhou Art Academy."

The implication was clear: don’t give Xianyu too much work.

Regaining her composure, Gu Dong forced a smile. "Your place is a bit far from the office, but it’s very close to your school. That’s something headquarters specifically requested. We’ve already rented the place, and the branch will cover the cost."

"Thank you."

Lin Yuan felt relieved.

Just then, a commotion erupted outside. He couldn’t make out the exact words, but he could hear someone complaining, “If your company can’t handle it, why don’t you get the headquarters involved? We signed the contract because of Xingmang’s reputation, and you promised us…”

The voices grew closer.

Lin Yuan heard a middle-aged man apologizing, “We’ll prepare a few more songs for you. I’m sure you’ll be satisfied. Haven’t we always worked well together? We really value your partnership. Please give us a little more time…”

Before the words even finished, a group of men in suits walked past Lin Yuan's office. Noticing the sign at the door, they immediately stopped: "When did Qinzhou headquarters send a representative here? They didn’t even inform us."

The door was open.

The man leading the group spotted Lin Yuan standing at the desk, glanced at the nameplate, and raised his voice: "Are you the representative sent by Xingmang headquarters? Please contact your HQ. Our orders can't be handled by the branch. We signed a contract in black and white for your headquarters to handle this!"

“Our representative just arrived…”

The voice that had been apologizing earlier sounded again, and soon a slightly overweight middle-aged man appeared at the door. Looking a bit embarrassed, he bowed to Lin Yuan before escorting the group out of the company. Their voices gradually faded away.

Lin Yuan asked, "Who was that?"

Gu Dong sighed helplessly, “That’s Gu Qiangyun, the general manager of the branch—and also my dad. Those men you just saw are our branch’s biggest clients. We’ve worked with them a few times before, but they’ve been unhappy with the recent projects we delivered. This isn't the first time they've come by to push us.”

“Oh.”

Lin Yuan sat down.

Gu Dong couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed seeing Lin Yuan’s lack of reaction. But then, she reconsidered, realizing she had been too optimistic. How could the branch’s problems be solved just because headquarters sent someone over?

“By the way.”

The chair Lin Yuan was sitting on seemed new—very comfortable. In terms of the work environment, he quite liked it here. After adjusting a bit, he said, “Please send me the address of my accommodation later.”

“I’ll take you there after work,” Gu Dong replied.

Lin Yuan nodded, glad to save on cab fare.

Just then, the company manager, Gu Qiangyun, returned. He knocked on the door, offering a sheepish smile: "I'm really sorry you had to witness that right after arriving. I’m Gu Qiangyun, the branch manager. Nice to meet you!"

He extended his hand.

Lin Yuan politely shook it, then asked curiously, “I just got here, so I’m not very familiar with the situation. Do we get a lot of orders like the one we just saw?”

Gu Dong: “…”

Gu Qiangyun: “…”

An awkward silence hung in the air for a few seconds before Gu Qiangyun cleared his throat and said, "Not many, not many. Every music company faces some backlog of orders now and then. At worst, we just pay a bit of penalty for breach of contract."

“How many is 'not many'?”

“Just four or five,” Gu Qiangyun replied, starting to sweat. This representative from headquarters, despite his young appearance, seemed rather sharp. What if he was dissatisfied with the branch’s performance and reported them to HQ?

“Four or five…”

Lin Yuan didn’t react as severely as Gu Qiangyun feared. Instead, he was more interested in the price of the orders: "That group of clients just now—how much do they usually pay for a custom song?"

“Eight hundred thousand.”

Lin Yuan frowned. That was too low. When he took on the Dragon Dance order at headquarters, the client had paid five million. Why were the internal orders in Qizhou so cheap?

This was a sinking ship!

Gu Qiangyun, watching Lin Yuan’s expression, grew even more concerned. He carefully explained, "You might be used to the conditions at headquarters. Xingmang is a top entertainment company in Qinzhou, but here in Qizhou, it’s just a small music company. The highest price we’ve ever received for an order is one million. Only the big entertainment companies can secure multi-million-dollar deals..."

"Success rate?"

Lin Yuan's interest was piqued.

Gu Qiangyun was momentarily taken aback, realizing Lin Yuan wasn’t fully aware of the local situation. He gathered himself and explained, "In Qizhou, there's a high demand for music due to the numerous film, TV, and game projects produced every year. Top-tier productions usually commission their music from Qinzhou, but smaller projects, unable to afford those prices, turn to local companies like ours."

Lin Yuan seemed deep in thought.

Gu Dong added, "But since our branch has limited capabilities, if clients aren’t satisfied with the songs we deliver, the orders fall through. When that happens, both parties negotiate based on the contract. Sometimes the deal is canceled outright, and other times we have to pay compensation."

"Wait." Lin Yuan spotted a potential loophole. "What if clients deliberately claim a song doesn't meet their standards just to extort compensation? After all, judging the quality of music is subjective."

“Don’t worry,” Gu Qiangyun assured him with a smile. “That rarely happens. Most of the time, the orders are simply canceled. We only include penalty clauses in contracts with reputable clients, and the sums aren’t large enough to risk damaging their reputation. Plus, there's a professional review board in Qizhou. If there’s a disagreement, both parties can appeal, and the board’s judgment is usually very fair. If anyone disputes the board’s decision, the song can be publicly released for the audience to judge.”

Lin Yuan nodded.

While there were still some subjective elements, the process seemed fair enough. If 90 out of 100 people thought a song wasn’t good, that provided a relatively objective measure, even if it was based on subjective tastes. Moreover, most companies valued their reputation, which helped maintain a certain level of integrity.

“In fact,” Gu Dong added, addressing any lingering doubts Lin Yuan might have, “there have hardly been any disputes over the review board’s decisions. The board is composed of highly respected veterans from Qizhou’s music industry, all of whom hold official positions. It’s their full-time job to ensure fairness.”

“I see.”

Lin Yuan nodded again. "So if we can increase the success rate, clients might start offering higher prices in the future—possibly even hundreds of thousands per order, or more?"

“Exactly.”

Gu Qiangyun wanted to temper Lin Yuan’s optimism by pointing out that few companies in Qizhou secured deals worth millions. If clients were willing to pay that much, they’d likely go to Qinzhou, renowned as the land of music. But seeing the spark in Lin Yuan’s eyes, he wisely kept his mouth shut.

Dreams were a good thing.

Lin Yuan’s mood lifted. The situation wasn’t as bad as he had initially thought. He spoke up, “Let’s start by improving the company’s success rate. Please bring me the backlog of orders.”

“Uh?”

Gu Qiangyun and Gu Dong exchanged glances. Raising the company’s success rate wasn’t something you could achieve just by saying it. Each order took months of back-and-forth refinement!

“Is there a problem?” Lin Yuan looked up at them.

Gu Dong quickly replied, “Not at all! I’ll fetch the orders right away. These were assigned to specific composers, but since they haven’t been completed, they’ve entered the public pool. You can take a look and see if any suit you.”

“Alright.”

Lin Yuan was ready. Although the current orders weren’t high-paying, if he could raise the success rate as Qizhou’s system suggested, the prices would eventually increase too.

He was prepared.

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