I Became an All-round Artist

On the same day, Thunder Entertainment’s music department held their end-of-month meeting earlier than scheduled.

As the team gathered in the conference room, many glanced at Fan Longhe, who sat in the corner gripping his phone tightly. Some considered approaching him with words of comfort, but after a nudge from their colleagues, they hesitated and decided against it.

The sharp clicking of high heels echoed outside the door.

Supervisor Luo Qi had arrived.

She entered the room, her eyes briefly scanning Fan Longhe in the corner, a faint smile playing on her lips. She raised her voice, "Shall we start the meeting? I think it’s time to finalize the theme song for the drama with the relevant departments."

"Supervisor Luo," Fan Longhe suddenly spoke up.

Luo Qi raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Deputy Supervisor Fan?"

Fan Longhe’s voice was hoarse as he asked, "Why are we starting the meeting early? We haven’t reached the deadline yet."

"Have you forgotten something, Deputy Supervisor?" Luo Qi crossed her legs as she sat in the head chair. "If we wait any longer, even if your Xian Yu submits the song, will we have enough time to record it?"

Fan Longhe clenched his teeth. Luo Qi was right.

If they waited any longer, even if Xian Yu delivered the song, there wouldn’t be enough time left for production. They couldn’t push back a set airdate just to accommodate an uncertain track.

"And even if he submits it now, wouldn’t the lyrics need revisions?" Luo Qi added confidently, fully expecting her win.

Fan Longhe stared at her. Clearly, she had spies; otherwise, how would she know so much? She even knew about Xian Yu’s refusal to let others write the lyrics.

Had he… already lost?

The rest of the meeting passed in a blur for Fan Longhe. He sat in the corner, feeling like an outsider.

It wasn’t until the meeting adjourned, and someone patted his shoulder, that he snapped back to reality.

"Meeting’s over, Supervisor Fan," one of his close subordinates said.

Fan Longhe gave a bitter smile. "You should probably distance yourself from me. If Supervisor Luo sees us, it might hurt your career."

"Doesn’t matter." The subordinate shrugged. "I don’t have any big ambitions to climb the ladder. I’m happy just staying a small-time employee."

Fan Longhe felt touched. Who really doesn’t want to be promoted? It was just loyalty, pure and simple.

He usually had plenty of people surrounding him, but now, only this one person remained firmly by his side.

Suddenly, Fan Longhe’s phone chimed.

He glanced at the screen and then abruptly stood up. For a moment, his eyes lit up, but just as quickly, the light dimmed again. "They’ve probably already been informed…"

"Yeah." The subordinate curiously asked, "Did he send the song? Too bad it’s too late now. Maybe we should’ve stalled a bit longer."

"Yeah." Fan Longhe smiled wryly. "But even if we delayed, it might not have mattered. Still, I did spend three million on this order, even if it was a rushed job within a month. Let’s give it a listen, shall we?"

The subordinate nodded.

They each put in an earphone, and Fan Longhe pressed play.

A soft, melancholic piano intro played, mirroring Fan Longhe’s bitter mood. The song made him feel even more dejected.

Then, a seamless electronic voice, singing in the Qi language, gently flowed through the earphones:
“The misty rain drenched the streets at dusk, I wipe the rain from my eyes and gaze aimlessly, staring at the lonely evening lights, lost in painful memories…”

Fan Longhe’s head slowly lifted.

His subordinate also looked up at the same time. Their eyes briefly met.

The song continued in their mono earphones:
“Countless thoughts of longing fill my heart again, brief moments of laughter still linger on my face. I wonder if you know now, I sincerely want to tell you…”

Their eyes stayed locked as a gleam appeared in both pairs, and then, suddenly, their pupils contracted at the same time:
“I like you
Those captivating eyes
Your smile is even more enchanting
I wish I could gently caress
Your lovely face,
Hold your hand, and talk about dreams
Like we did yesterday…”

Fan Longhe shot to his feet, pulling the earphone cable loose as he stood. His mouth hung open, and his subordinate had already leaped to his feet as well.

"I knew it!" The subordinate tore out his earphones and bolted from the room, while Fan Longhe rushed down the hall toward one of the senior offices, frantically knocking on the door.

"Come in," a stern voice answered from within.

Fan Longhe pushed the door open and quickly placed his phone on the desk. "Manager, this is the real theme song for You and Me!"

The man looked up. "Five minutes ago, Luo Qi already confirmed the theme song with me."

"Not that one!" Fan Longhe stammered nervously. "This… this is different. This is the song I purchased separately… Please, could you listen to it?"

"You’re overstepping," the manager said sharply, narrowing his eyes at Fan Longhe. But seeing the insistence in Fan’s gaze, he sighed, took the earphones, and pressed play. His expression clearly showed impatience.

As the song resumed through the speakers, the second verse began:
“The idealistic me was once impulsive, constantly frustrated by love’s restrictions, I wonder if you know now, I sincerely want to say—
I like you, those captivating eyes, your smile is even more enchanting
I wish I could gently caress your lovely face, hold your hand, and talk about dreams, like we did yesterday…”

Fan Longhe clenched his fists tightly.

From love, to weariness, to regret.

Though the manager hadn’t yet spoken, Fan Longhe was certain—there was no better theme song for You and Me than this one!

The manager’s frown gradually softened as he leaned back in his chair, the music filling the room.

At that moment, the song transitioned to an emotional bridge, building to an even more powerful climax:
"Every night, I wander alone, drifting aimlessly, so cold. I struggled for myself in the past, never realizing her pain…”

"Manager," Fan Longhe finally couldn’t hold back and stepped forward.

The manager didn’t pause the song but merely glanced at him and shook his head with a smile. "Luo Qi is technically your boss, you know. You held onto this until now, after she already confirmed the song? You’re really not giving her any face, huh?"

"I…"

The manager waved it off, picking up his desk phone. "Get in touch with the TV station. Tell them we’re swapping the theme song for You and Me at the last minute. Why? Because we’ve got a better one, of course."

He hung up the phone.

The manager looked at Fan Longhe and said, "I don't care about your feud with Luo Qi, but you must record this song within three days!"

"Understood!"

In that moment, Fan Longhe's eyes lit up with renewed energy.

As he left the manager's office, the employees in the music department meeting room had already returned to their seats. However, their expressions were filled with confusion.

"Didn't we just have a meeting? Why is the deputy supervisor calling another one? Is he still trying to fight back?" they wondered.

Luo Qi sat at the head of the table, her mood uncharacteristically irritable. The moment Fan Longhe walked in, she glared at him coldly, "What do you want now? Do you expect me to give you more time?"

"That won't be necessary," Fan Longhe replied calmly. His mood had shifted dramatically. He even smiled as he addressed the department staff, "Xian Yu has sent the song. I'd like everyone to listen and evaluate its quality."

Getting the manager's approval wasn't enough for Fan Longhe. He needed to prove the song's merit in front of Luo Qi and the entire department to regain the ground he had lost.

"The song has arrived?" Luo Qi's irritation deepened. "Even if the tune is acceptable, aren't the lyrics going to need revisions? We can't just record it without ensuring the lyrics meet the standards, and do you think we have time for that?"

Fan Longhe responded, "Let's see." He then made a phone call, deliberately putting it on speaker, "We have an important meeting here in the music department. Could the three lyricists who went to Star Entertainment please come over?"

He hung up, and the room buzzed with murmurs. The only one who seemed unbothered was the employee who had already heard part of "I Like You" with Fan Longhe. He had a knowing smirk, eager to see how this would play out.

Before long, the three lyricists—Huang Da and his colleagues—arrived. Luo Qi immediately began discussing the lyrics with them. As the room remained slightly noisy with chatter, suddenly, music began playing through the speakers:

"The drizzle and wind soak the streets at dusk, wiping away the rain from my eyes as I gaze up for no reason…"

The room gradually fell silent as the synthesized vocals continued to play. Luo Qi felt a strange jolt in her heart. As the head of the music department, she had a keen ear, and she could instantly recognize the quality of the song’s verse.

Simultaneously, the staff of the music department, who were listening intently, began showing expressions of surprise, which slowly morphed into astonishment. Everyone knew how short the production time had been—barely a month!

Even the lyricists, who had been prepared to critique the lyrics based on Luo Qi’s lead, began to change their expressions as the song progressed. They had read the plot of the drama as part of their preparation for writing lyrics. But now, hearing this song, they realized all that preparation might have been unnecessary. The song’s lyrics fit the show's theme so perfectly that even without knowing the storyline, one could guess what the drama was about.

"Memories of countless longings resurface, fleeting smiles from the past still linger on my face… The idealistic me used to act impulsively, always complaining that loving her lacked freedom… I was too focused on my own struggles, never knowing her pain... Will you understand now? I like your captivating eyes…"

From melancholic reminiscence to the moment of reunion, the song perfectly captured the emotions of the male lead, with a delayed realization of love erupting from deep within. This was exactly the inner world of the protagonist!

Xian Yu didn’t understand Qi dialect? Maybe his spoken Qi dialect was rough, but his lyrics? He understood it even better than most Qi people!

When the song ended, the meeting room was dead silent.

After a long pause, Huang Da spoke with a wry smile, "These lyrics are already perfect."

The lyricist next to him added, "It's not just that the lyrics are outstanding; it's that they align so well with the theme of the drama. Xian Yu really put his heart into this."

The third lyricist, despite having a good relationship with Luo Qi, couldn’t deny the truth: "These may not be the best Qi dialect lyrics ever written, but they are undoubtedly the most fitting for this drama."

The three lyricists left the meeting room, shaking their heads and murmuring in admiration.

Luo Qi’s face had darkened like a storm cloud.

With the lyricists gone, the rest of the staff finally began expressing their admiration aloud, their faces filled with shock and awe:

"This is amazing!"

"If I hadn’t been following this whole process, I wouldn’t believe Xian Yu managed to create something like this in just a month. No wonder he’s the author of 'The Big Fish!'"

"There’s no issue with the lyrics or the composition."

"I can't believe this was a rush job. In terms of quality, 'I Like You' absolutely crushes the previously chosen theme song!"

"It’s not just a win—it’s a landslide victory!"

"The former song was solid, but this one is a masterpiece. But are we too late to switch songs now?"

Someone glanced at Fan Longhe.

Fan Longhe looked over at Luo Qi, then smiled and said, "The manager shares your opinion. We can still make the switch, but we’ll need to record the song quickly. Fortunately, Xian Yu’s work is already quite complete, including the arrangement."

This song was unexpectedly polished! Melody, lyrics, arrangement—everything was done. Fan Longhe now felt that the three million he had spent had been worth every penny.

"Phew."

The staff collectively exhaled in relief, their faces showing smiles of satisfaction. But as soon as they noticed Luo Qi, they quickly suppressed their expressions.

Luo Qi stood up, forcing a smile as she looked at Fan Longhe, "Well done. If I’d heard this earlier, I would’ve chosen this song too."

"Thank you," Fan Longhe replied.

Luo Qi nodded and left the room.

Though she maintained her professional composure, everyone could imagine how bitter she must have felt. Fan Longhe, sensing this, didn’t press her further. After dismissing the meeting, he immediately contacted Star Entertainment to discuss the recording process.

He hadn’t forgotten his promise—that the recording would be handled by Xian Yu himself. Keeping his word was crucial if he wanted to maintain future collaborations.

"Lin, we did it!" Gu Dong excitedly burst into Lin Yuan's office after receiving notice from Thunder Entertainment. "They’re going to use our song!"

"Hmm," Lin Yuan replied calmly, as if he had been expecting it. He stood up and walked out, saying as he passed Gu Dong, "Take me to Thunder Entertainment."

Lin Yuan understood the urgency of the situation. Though he hadn’t seemed overly invested, he had already done some research on Thunder Entertainment a few days ago. Initially, he thought they’d need to send over more detailed information on potential singers, but after a quick search, he had already found the perfect voice for the song.

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