I Became an All-round Artist

On the second floor of Starry Music’s composition department, everyone stared at the manager's message in the group chat, their brows furrowed deeply.

We’re used to being pushed around by demanding clients. We accept it.
It’s how we make money, no shame in that.
But the manager calling Lin our “boss”? What for?
Just because he was sent here by the headquarters?
Just because he holds the same rank as the manager and is basically the boss of our branch?
No way!

Everyone felt the same resistance.
In Qizhou, we already have enough bosses—our clients!

Some people were lost in these thoughts, while others, less burdened by overthinking, had already put on their headphones and started listening to "Jianghu Laugh."

Meanwhile, Gu Dong returned to her office and listened to the song too.
A few minutes later, her movements became mechanical as she removed her headphones, her mind in turmoil.
She glanced at the new group she’d just created.
No one had said a word in there.
Then she looked at the “fake group” next door where Lin Zhen was, and there were already 99+ messages.

"@Lin Zhen, you’re amazing!"
"Wow, Lin, you’re a beast!"
"Lin, I’m officially your fan now!"
"Some people in the department were saying earlier that there was no way Lin could finish the song in such a short time. As the head of the composition department, I was furious and stood up for him. Lin, you’re a gold medalist from Qinzhou—how dare they doubt you? Well, after hearing the song, that guy totally caved, and I gave him a piece of my mind."
"Head, did you drop something?"
"How dare anyone question Lin Zhen? Are they tired of living? Doesn’t everyone know Lin was sent here to save us all? Is that how you treat a savior?"
"..."

Reading these messages, Gu Dong felt a rush of blood to her head. She was furious, wanting to fire them all.
Where’s your dignity?!
And the deal’s not even closed yet!
Such bootlickers—what an embarrassment to the company!

Unable to hold back any longer, she angrily typed:
"Anyone who doubted Lin earlier, write a 3,000-word self-reflection and submit it to me. You’re lucky to even have the chance to work with such an outstanding leader like Lin Zhen—you must have accumulated a lifetime of good karma!"
Everyone: "..."

Wasn’t it you who started the doubt in the first place?

Finally, someone in the new group spoke up.
"Now that’s just hypocritical."
"Come on, Little Gu Dong, didn’t you have your doubts too?"
"And the head of the department was the one who said Lin Zhen couldn’t possibly finish the song. Didn’t he say he’d eat his keyboard if the deal went through?"
"So, how’s he gonna eat it? With peanut butter or beef sauce? Will it be roasted or steamed?"
"Look, no one saw this coming. Lin Zhen, a gold medalist from Qinzhou, is just that good."
"Damn, today I learned what it means to be a real genius."
"It’s not just because Lin is a gold medalist. You could grab any gold medalist from Qinzhou, and they still wouldn’t finish a song in such a short time. We’re dealing with a true master here."
"I almost thought it was Master Yang stepping in."
"When Yang Zhongming was in Qizhou, we’d occasionally ask for his help. He was precise and efficient, but not this fast, right?"
"..."

They were genuinely shocked.
It wasn’t that "Jianghu Laugh" was so incredible, though it was a good song. But it wasn’t at a level that would make people fall to their knees.
The scary part was the speed.
Some even joked that maybe Lin Zhen had written it while on the toilet.

Of course, that was just an exaggerated guess. They were just too stunned.
As a gold medalist composer from Qinzhou, it wasn’t surprising that Lin Zhen could produce a high-quality song.
His title as a gold medalist was legitimate, after all.
If Lin Zhen had spent two months, or even one month, to finish this song, no one would have had so many doubts.
But how long had he had the order?
From the moment he got off work to when he announced in the group that the song was done—how much time had passed?
He finished this level of composition in such a short time?
It was absurd!
And he even wrote the lyrics himself!
The lyrics’ depth and atmosphere were remarkable!

Compared to Lin Zhen, the composers at Starry Music felt only one thing:
"Born as a human, I apologize."

At that moment, Gu Qiangyun appeared in the group, tagging everyone:
"Don’t start apologizing just yet. I’ve already sent ‘Jianghu Laugh’ to the client. With this, the order for the martial arts game is pretty much done. Our next urgent task is to secure a new order!"

As always, top-tier companies have clients knocking on their doors, but a company like Starry Music? We have to go out and find the business ourselves.
The composers here aren’t just responsible for composing; they double as salespeople.
Not just them.
Even Gu Dong and the manager, Gu Qiangyun, had to go out and hustle for orders.

Starry Music faces two major challenges.
First, the composers’ abilities are limited, so their success rate in landing deals is low.
Second, the company’s deal-closing rate is also low.
When top clients see Starry Music’s track record, they frown.
So when negotiating deals, the team often has to pull out the headquarters’ reputation.
It used to work.
Now, even that’s losing its effect.
Starry Music is just a branch company, and the industry has weighed its significance.

Because of this, sometimes the company has to take small, private orders just to stay afloat.
Those small orders may only bring in tens of thousands of dollars in commission, but for the composers, even small deals matter. They’ve got the basic skills to complete those.

"Oh, right," Gu Dong reminded everyone. "If you’re struggling to land a deal, stop relying on the headquarters’ name. That card’s no longer useful. You can tell them we’ve been assigned a gold medal composer from the headquarters, but don’t you dare sign any cheap orders for Lin Zhen!"

During their conversation earlier, Gu Dong noticed that Lin Zhen wasn’t happy about the low price of the orders.
Understandably so—he’s a gold medalist. Back in Qinzhou, the prices for his commissions must have been much higher.
Now that he’s at the branch, being asked to take on deals worth only tens of thousands? Of course, he’d be upset.

"Well, we should ask what genres Lin excels at."
Every composer has their strengths.
Some are great at rock, while others specialize in writing emotional ballads.
The team suspected that Lin Zhen was particularly skilled at ancient-style music with grand, atmospheric themes.
How else could he have finished "Jianghu Laugh" so effortlessly?
He must have been too good at it. One glance at the order, and he wrote the song instantly.

Gu Dong thought for a moment, then tagged Lin Zhen in the main group:
"We’re preparing to take on new orders. May I ask which music styles you specialize in?"

Everyone opened the group chat, eager to see Lin Zhen’s response.
In their minds, Lin, being such a master, would probably list several genres—rock, ballads, hip-hop, and so on—showcasing his broad range. After all, "Big Fish" was also excellent, and that wasn’t an ancient-style song. This meant Lin Zhen likely had expertise in multiple styles, which fit his status as a gold medalist.

However, ten seconds later, Lin Zhen replied with just two words:
"The expensive ones."

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