I Became an All-round Artist

Lin Yuan only needed to work on weekends. From Monday to Friday, he was still a student. However, at this point, it was more accurate to say he was Yang Zhongming’s student rather than the school's. Every day, Lin Yuan would spend two hours learning from Yang Zhongming! This didn't affect his regular classes, as the two hours spent in his mind amounted to just two minutes in reality.

Yet, this extra learning did have some influence on Lin Yuan’s campus life. The biggest impact was that his teachers’ pace was now too slow for him. While Qi Yi’s teachers were still covering the basics from last semester, Lin Yuan had already progressed to the third or fourth stage of composition knowledge with Yang Zhongming. As a result, his classes started to feel dull. Lin Yuan even found himself wishing the weekend would come sooner so he could focus on his tasks at the company.

However, before the weekend arrived, something else caught his attention: the premiere of The Distance Between Us, a drama that aired on Friday night!

With Tan Kai, one of Qizhou’s top actors, starring in this Thunder Entertainment production, the show naturally attracted a lot of attention. Surprisingly, after the first two episodes aired, the online discussions weren’t focused on the plot but rather on the drama’s theme song!

“Wow, the theme song, I Like You, is amazing!”

“The drama itself is fine, but when the male and female leads reunited and that song started playing, it made the whole scene so much better!”

“Is this one of those cases where a mediocre drama has an amazing song?”

“Haha, it’s not that bad. Remember when the male and female leads saw each other after years apart? She was carrying boxes, and after lifting a dozen of them, she looked up and saw the male lead standing there. They locked eyes, and the song started playing. It was just perfect!”

“You know, the whole 'poor boy becomes a powerful CEO and meets the woman who abandoned him' storyline is so cliché, but with the music, it becomes more exciting than expected!”

“The music and the story blend so well!”

“And Tan Kai sang the theme song himself! I never knew he had such a great voice. Plus, since he’s also the lead actor, the immersion is on another level!”

“This song reignited my interest in the drama.”

“Usually, you watch a drama and end up liking the song, but this is the first time I’ve watched a drama because of a song!”

Gu Dong, a fan of Tan Kai, watched the drama after its release and couldn’t contain her excitement when she saw the comments online. People were saying that I Like You had saved the show! Of course, as a professional, Gu Dong knew this was an exaggeration.

A good drama can elevate an ordinary song, but a great song can’t save a bad drama. Gu Dong understood that I Like You was so well-received not just because of its quality, but also because the drama itself wasn’t bad. Without the right storyline, even a great song would only be appreciated on its own, without boosting the audience’s impression of the show.

It was clear that many viewers were unwilling to admit they were hooked on such a typical drama. After all, wouldn’t that make them seem like they had “basic” taste? But the truth is, most people are drawn to familiar, emotional stories. It's the same in novels—whether it's well-executed or cheesy depends entirely on the creators. Just look at remakes: the same story can feel completely different depending on who's behind the camera.

In short, the drama’s performance was solid. Soon after, the official soundtrack for I Like You was released by Star Sound Music, and its download numbers skyrocketed, positioning it as one of the trending songs of the moment.

It’s worth mentioning that the song's copyright was shared between Star Sound Music and Thunder Entertainment, but Thunder Entertainment did not participate in the song’s download revenue. Tan Kai, as the performer, could have shared in the profits, but Thunder Entertainment chose to waive his royalty rights in exchange for a one-time performance fee of 200,000 yuan, paid half by Lin Yuan and half by the company.

Since Star Sound didn't have a singer of its own, Lin Yuan had no choice but to select an artist from Thunder Entertainment’s roster to perform the song. Even if Star Sound had its own artists, those who performed would still receive a share of the profits, so it was no different in the end.

Lin Yuan was satisfied with the outcome. This business model in Qizhou suited him perfectly because he was already composing music, and these commissioned projects just felt like extra compensation on top. Thanks to the system, Lin Yuan found these projects easy to complete. For other composers, adhering to strict client demands while maintaining high quality was a challenge, but for Lin Yuan, with the system's vast music library at his disposal, it was a lucrative opportunity.

Most importantly, Star Sound Music had gained significant recognition! In the competitive music industry, clients tend to choose partners based on proven success. Previously, Star Sound had little to show, and no major clients were interested in working with them. But now, thanks to the popularity of I Like You, Star Sound had a clear, undeniable success under its belt. Moreover, collaborating with Thunder Entertainment—a company that had mostly worked with composers from Qinzhou—was a significant achievement.

As a result, several companies in Qizhou, some of them quite prominent, began to show interest in Star Sound Music, extending tentative offers of collaboration. Star Sound had finally caught the attention of the industry, and the future looked bright.

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