I Became an All-round Artist

"Are you alright, Master?"

A crowd gathered around Lin Yuan, showing concern. Lin Yuan recognized them as members of the Art Club and nodded to indicate he was fine. He hadn't even seen who pushed him, only that the shove had some real force behind it.

Jian Yi was dumbfounded, and Xia Fan was equally puzzled. They knew Lin Yuan was a bit of a team favorite, but the fact that a simple push had summoned such a massive group of protectors seemed wildly exaggerated. Judging by Xu Chang's ghostly expression, he was probably questioning his entire existence at this point.

In fact, Xu Chang could barely stand. Being stared down by so many fierce eyes, who could hold up under that kind of pressure?

"What’s going on here?"

The school leadership finally arrived, fashionably late. Seeing Xu Chang surrounded like a trapped animal, his eyes almost welled up in tears. He wanted nothing more than to rush over and hug the leader, grateful he wasn't about to disappear from the face of the earth.

This is terrifying!

This group of people is truly terrifying! Anyone standing here, under the intense glares of that mob, would likely fare no better. At that moment, Xu Chang found himself yearning for his mom’s home-cooked meals, though it had no relevance to the current situation.

"It's nothing," Zhong Yu chuckled awkwardly. He wasn’t about to get pinned with the charge of inciting a riot. Luckily, everyone was fairly restrained; no one seemed eager to escalate things over Lin Yuan getting shoved. "We were just here to cheer for the Composition Department."

"Composition Department?" the school leader asked, confused.

Jian Yi whispered, "We're from the Acting Department."

Zhong Yu's face turned beet red as the Art Club members collectively sighed and dispersed in embarrassment.

The school leader glanced at Zhong Yu but didn't press further. With a wave of his hand, he said, "There's still the second half of the game to go, right? No fighting. Every year, the basketball games end up with fights. What do you all think this place is?"

With that, the school leader left, followed closely by Xu Chang.

"Why are you following me?" the school leader asked, turning around.

Xu Chang glanced nervously at the lingering gazes still aimed his way, his voice trembling as he replied, "I don’t know why, but being near you makes me feel safe."

What if I stay behind and get torn to pieces?

Is Lin Yuan some kind of secret ruler of this school? Like in those crime movies where a single order from the boss summons a swarm of delinquents?

Xu Chang felt like he had just stumbled upon the school's dark secret.

"Don’t follow me," the school leader said, visibly annoyed.

Xu Chang shook his head vigorously. "I’m the kind of person who listens to his heart."

The school leader: "..."

In any case, the conflict dissipated without much incident.

However, during the second half of the game, Xu Chang was clearly out of sorts, playing as if he were in a daze. Every time his right hand touched the basketball, he remembered how he had used that hand to push Lin Yuan, and the memory sent him into a panic.

In the end, the Acting Department won the basketball championship.

Xu Chang’s teammates didn’t blame him for his performance, as they too were still shaken by what had happened.

Lin Yuan, on the other hand, was completely unfazed. He returned to the stands and continued munching on sunflower seeds.

Xia Fan, puzzled, asked, "What’s the deal with all those people?"

"They're my friends from the Art Club," Lin Yuan explained.

"Friends from the Art Club?" Xia Fan couldn’t believe how loyal those students seemed to be.

Lin Yuan didn’t elaborate further. When Jian Yi later asked, he gave the same answer.

Eventually, they both accepted this explanation. It seemed Lin Yuan’s "group favorite" status had leveled up. But, truth be told, Lin Yuan had always been that way, adored by others ever since childhood.

Lin Yuan himself, however, was feeling a bit frustrated. He knew he was physically weak, easily knocked down with just a shove. The only way to change that, he thought, was for the system to enhance his constitution, which meant gaining more prestige. He just wondered how Sun Yaohuo was doing with his singing practice.

At a Star Entertainment recording studio, Sun Yaohuo looked disheveled, tirelessly practicing his song.

The studio wasn't just for recording anymore; for Sun Yaohuo, it had practically become home. Ever since his first audition, he had been living there, working on his performance day and night.

While recording songs at the company was free, occupying the studio for long stretches to practice was not. Sun Yaohuo had been paying for extra time out of his own pocket, all in his effort to perfect "Red Rose."

"Take a break. It sounds flawless now," the monitoring engineer said with a smile. He had never seen a singer work this hard to nail a performance.

Sun Yaohuo nodded in agreement and left the studio, only to run into a man dressed in a sharp suit with gold-rimmed glasses.

"Sun Yaohuo, right?"

"Hello, Brother Tao!" Sun Yaohuo greeted him respectfully.

"You know me?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sun Yaohuo smiled politely. "Of course! How could I not? In the company, you’re second only to the head honcho in terms of influence. Even Jin Shuyu, who’s hugely popular now, owes his career to you!"

"Smart guy." Tao Ran nodded approvingly. "Since you know who I am, I’ll get straight to the point. Jin Shuyu wants 'Red Rose.'"

Sun Yaohuo’s smile froze.

Tao Ran, still smiling warmly, continued, "You’re a smart guy, so I’m sure you know the drill. 'Red Rose' will now belong to Jin Shuyu. But don’t worry, I won’t leave you high and dry. You’ve worked hard on this song, so I’ll make sure you get some compensation—maybe a few gigs, and a spot as a guest at Jin Shuyu’s concert next month."

"Brother Tao..." Sun Yaohuo's voice was dry.

Tao Ran raised an eyebrow. "Not satisfied? Fine, I’ll give you thirty thousand yuan, plus the perks I mentioned. That should more than make up for any loss. Here’s my card. If you need anything, feel free to drop my name."

He pulled a business card from his pocket.

Sun Yaohuo didn’t take it. After a long pause, he finally spoke. "This song was written by Teacher Xianyu. I don’t have the authority to make decisions. I haven’t even signed a contract with him yet. You’ll need to speak with him directly."

Tao Ran chuckled. "You’ve been practicing this song all this time and still haven’t signed a contract? Teacher Xianyu, huh? Well, even without the paperwork, my offer stands. Keep the card; you know what I mean."

He waved the card in front of Sun Yaohuo.

Reluctantly, Sun Yaohuo took it.

With that, Tao Ran turned and left.

Sun Yaohuo stared after him, clenching the card tightly in his fist until his knuckles turned white.

"What happened?" the monitoring engineer asked as he passed by.

Sun Yaohuo forced a smile. "Nothing."

He tossed the card into the trash, letting out a bitter laugh. "Guess I’m just unlucky."

The engineer glanced at Tao Ran's retreating figure, then patted Sun Yaohuo on the shoulder with a sigh. "This is how the industry works. No matter how angry you are, you’ll have to deal with it. I’ve been in this studio for eight years... At least they’ll give you a decent payout. Just take it and move on. Getting upset will only hurt yourself."

"What happens if I refuse?" Sun Yaohuo asked.

The engineer gave him a long look before walking away. "Ask that question again when you’re in a position to fight back."

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