I Became an All-round Artist

Finally, Lin Yuan’s long-awaited Saturday had arrived...

While Jian Yi was still fast asleep, Lin Yuan was already sitting in Gu Dong's car on the way to the company, much like the first time he had ever stepped through its doors.

The moment Lin Yuan entered the office, all eyes were on him. The composers in the department looked at him with a mix of admiration and awe.

And who wouldn’t be in awe?

A 3-million-yuan commission, a one-month deadline, with strict stylistic requirements from the client—it seemed to everyone that Lin Yuan only had a 10% chance of pulling it off. But not only did he complete the task, he exceeded expectations by securing a deal with Thunder Entertainment, and the theme song "Liking You" had become a huge hit!

It’s one thing to complete a commissioned piece, but it’s quite another for that piece to become popular. For Starlight Music, once a commission is handed over, it usually doesn’t matter whether the song becomes a hit or not. After all, more than 80% of commissioned songs don’t succeed.

Commissioned music is like writing an essay on a set topic—it’s difficult for composers to fully showcase their skills. That’s why many composers in Qin Province dislike taking on commissions from Qi Province. They feel restricted and unable to express their full creative potential.

The composers' mentality is this: Why should I slave away for days on end to write a song that only pleases the client but not the general public? I'd rather skip the commission altogether, create a hit song I’m passionate about, and just rake in the royalties from downloads.

And unless it’s a massive commission, few top composers are interested. But for Lin Yuan, completing this near-impossible commission and producing a hit in the process elevated him to near-mythical status among his peers.

However, Lin Yuan remained indifferent to all this attention. Having grown up in the spotlight, he was hardly fazed by being the center of it now. Calmly, he made his way into his office, followed closely by Gu Dong, who trailed behind like a dutiful assistant—though she wasn’t actually carrying anything.

"Now that’s what I call real composer energy!" one person remarked.

"I used to think Lin Yuan was aloof, but now I realize, even if he were approachable, I wouldn’t dare bother someone like him," another added.

"Greatness is often lonely, which is why we're not great," someone else chimed in.

"Two major commissions in the short time he’s been with us!"

“It's like one genius leading a pack of dogs."

“Hey, don’t say that! It’s more like one genius leading a whole bunch of dogs.”

“You see how eager Gu Dong is around him? She doesn’t even treat her own dad like that.”

“I wish I could get close to him, but no chance."

"If only we had a fifth of Lin Yuan’s talent, we wouldn’t be stuck with tiny commissions that barely pay 50,000 yuan."

"I heard new commissions are coming in, all thanks to the success with Thunder. It’s crazy to think companies are now approaching Starlight Music for collaborations!"

As the office buzzed with chatter, General Manager Gu Qiangyun was grinning ear to ear. From last night to this morning, he’d received several calls from potential clients eager to work with Starlight Music. These were what they called "potential commissions"—deals that hadn’t been finalized yet.

Of course, Starlight’s capacity was limited, and Gu Qiangyun couldn’t just pile all the work onto Lin Yuan. The commission with Thunder had already been nerve-wracking enough; he wasn’t about to gamble on another high-stakes project. He planned to let Lin Yuan choose from the available opportunities later on.

But today, Lin Yuan had no plans to take on any new commissions. Composing one song per month was his limit, and any more would attract unnecessary attention. He was here for another reason, so after entering his office, he turned to Gu Dong.

“Is Xue Liang in today?”

Gu Dong blinked in surprise before remembering that Lin Yuan had previously asked her for a list of the company’s composers. "Is there something you need from him?" she asked.

"Yes," Lin Yuan nodded. "I’m planning to mentor three apprentices from the composition department. Xue Liang is my first choice."

“What?” Gu Dong was startled at first, but then she smiled. She knew Lin Yuan wouldn’t stay with the branch office forever, and when he left, things might return to how they were before. So, if Lin Yuan was willing to train the company’s composers, it was obviously a good thing. Not that she expected him to produce musical geniuses—just improving the general skill level would be enough.

Five minutes later, Xue Liang arrived, clearly nervous. His admiration for Lin Yuan was the same as everyone else’s, but as one of the youngest composers in the company at just 25, seeing someone even younger than himself achieve so much was humbling.

He knew that without Lin Yuan’s transfer from the main office, he might never have had the chance to work with someone of this caliber. Even in Qin Province, the heart of music, Lin Yuan would undoubtedly be a big name.

"Mr. Lin," Xue Liang stammered. "Is there something you need from me?"

Aside from the usual concerns, Xue Liang couldn’t shake the worry that maybe he had done something wrong and was about to be fired.

Lin Yuan looked up at him. "Starting today, you’ll spend every weekend learning composition from me. Are you interested?"

"What?" Xue Liang was stunned for a moment before his face lit up with joy. "Yes, I’m interested! Absolutely!"

Lin Yuan gave a small nod. He had chosen Xue Liang for a reason. After reviewing the employee files, Lin Yuan saw that Xue Liang consistently produced results. He was smart and rarely took on large commissions, instead preferring smaller jobs worth around 100,000 yuan each, which he handled with ease.

This strategy of taking on smaller, easier commissions was paying off for Xue Liang, whose success rate was remarkably high. It showed a certain skill—knowing how to pick the right jobs.

Moreover, Xue Liang had an interesting background. Before becoming a composer, he had been a programmer. The two professions didn’t seem to align, but his transition proved his potential, and Starlight had seen enough in him to hire him despite his unrelated degree.

If Xue Liang could handle so many commissions without any formal training, there was clearly some innate talent there.

With that thought, Lin Yuan asked Gu Dong to bring in a whiteboard and some markers for their lesson.

As soon as she left, Lin Yuan activated his Yang Zhongming skill card, instantly gaining a wealth of composition knowledge. At the same time, his "teacher’s aura" automatically activated.

“Let’s begin,” Lin Yuan said calmly.

Xue Liang felt as though Lin Yuan had suddenly changed in some imperceptible way. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, but somehow, in that moment, Lin Yuan seemed larger than life, and Xue Liang felt incredibly small in comparison.

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