I Became an All-round Artist

"You're not yourself today."

Wu Yong sidled up to Lin Yuan, noticing his subdued mood. "Who upset the future star of our 10th floor?"

Lin Yuan had already composed four songs that surpassed a million downloads. One more hit, and he would officially be promoted to a senior composer—the company's rising star. Everyone in the composing department knew this, which is why they often teased Lin Yuan like this.

"Two million..."

Lin Yuan gazed sorrowfully out the window.

"What?"

"Two million..."

Wu Yong was confused. "Two million what?"

Lin Yuan didn’t answer, simply repeating, "Two million..."

Wu Yong decided to leave him alone. All morning, Lin Yuan seemed out of it, almost like how Sun Yaohuo had been recently.

Meanwhile, Lao Zhou had stormed into the auditing department. The head of the department greeted him with a forced smile. "Supervisor Zhou, what brings you here? Got time for lunch later?"

"Lunch? My foot!" Lao Zhou snapped. "Your department's been bending the rules. I used to turn a blind eye since they were only helping out internally without causing any real harm. But this time, it's different. Who leaked 'Red Rose'?"

The head of the department laughed awkwardly. "I'll reprimand them later..."

Zhou Ruiming glared. "You know reprimanding isn’t enough for me."

The department head nodded hastily. "I get it. I’ll fine them heavily!"

"Not enough."

The smile slowly faded from the head’s face. He pointed upwards with a lowered voice. "Supervisor Zhou, let’s be honest, this isn't entirely within my control."

"Fire them."

Zhou Ruiming spoke calmly.

The department head chuckled. "If that's your stance, I’ll need to inform the higher-ups first."

"Go ahead."

Zhou Ruiming took a seat. The department head sent a message, and soon enough, Zhou Ruiming’s phone rang. On the other end was a cold voice: "What are you trying to do?"

"Someone in the auditing department broke company rules."

"It was authorized."

"Do you still want me to fire them?"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm in a tough spot here."

"Do as you please."

The call ended abruptly. The other person was clearly furious.

Zhou Ruiming looked at the department head. "You've made your call. Now it's my turn. You know what to do, right?"

"Got it." The department head smiled and gave a thumbs-up. "You're truly the boss of the composing department—always tough. Don’t blame me for this, I’m just following orders. Since you've handled it, I’ll go ahead and fire them."

Zhou Ruiming turned to leave.

Back in his office, his assistant approached cautiously. "Supervisor, you didn’t clash with another exec, did you?"

"Yep." Zhou Ruiming smiled bitterly. "I used to fight them over top composers, now I’m fighting for Xianyu. It’s tough being the boss here."

"You’re impressive!" The assistant laughed. "As you instructed, I had the rough cut of 'Red Rose' sent over from the studio. Want to give it a listen?"

"Sure."

Zhou Ruiming put on his headphones, reclined in his chair, and listened to "Red Rose." Halfway through, he sat up abruptly.

"What’s wrong?" The assistant asked, puzzled.

Zhou Ruiming slammed the desk, startling the assistant. Then, a broad smile spread across Zhou's face. "Worth it!"

...

At noon, Lao Zhou called Lin Yuan into his office. "The person who leaked the song has been fired," he said with a smile. "I can guarantee this won’t happen again!"

"Mm." Lin Yuan didn't seem particularly pleased.

Lao Zhou nervously rubbed his hands. "Want some coffee?"

"No!" Lin Yuan refused firmly.

Lao Zhou blinked, confused. Why such a strong reaction? He cleared his throat. "How about tea then? The best I’ve got, my special stash."

Lin Yuan nodded.

Lao Zhou personally made the tea. After it was ready, he cautiously asked, "Did you just write 'Red Rose'?"

"Mm." Lin Yuan blew on the tea.

From now on, he wouldn’t drink coffee anymore. Tea was better for the body and mind.

Lao Zhou relaxed into the sofa. "This song is amazing."

Lin Yuan kept blowing on the tea. "Hoo...hoo..."

Lao Zhou didn’t mind the lack of conversation; he was content smiling to himself.

Then Lin Yuan's phone rang. It was Zhao Jue: "Tao Ran’s suspended for a month, and all of Jin Shuyu's appearances this month are canceled. Lao Zhou went to handle the auditing department, so I stayed out of it. If you're still unhappy, let me know."

"Thanks, Sister Zhao."

"It’s nothing."

Lin Yuan hung up. Lao Zhou grinned. "Zhao Jue’s got your back, huh? She’s Tao Ran’s direct superior and the company’s top agent. With her around, Tao Ran doesn't stand a chance."

Lin Yuan stayed silent.

The next day, news of Jin Shuyu and Tao Ran’s punishment spread throughout the company. The hot gossip across departments was:

Which powerful figure did they offend?

Meanwhile, Lin Yuan was helping Sun Yaohuo record a song. Sun Yaohuo was in great form, and the recording was going smoothly. Lin Yuan was quite satisfied—it wouldn’t be long before the song was completed.

During a break, Sun Yaohuo hesitated, uncharacteristically shy for someone who usually flattered others so effortlessly. "Thank you."

"For what?" Lin Yuan asked, confused.

"Thanks for choosing me."

Lin Yuan, clueless about what Sun Yaohuo had gone through, responded matter-of-factly. "Didn’t I say from the start you’d be the one to sing it?"

Sun Yaohuo froze. In that moment, he recalled their first meeting at the company, feeling a mix of emotions.

Right.

For someone like Xianyu, things are that simple. The song was always meant for me—why would he give it to anyone else?

"You didn’t stand up for me?"

"What do you mean?" Lin Yuan asked, puzzled.

Sun Yaohuo chuckled, knowing full well the entire company had been buzzing about Jin Shuyu and Tao Ran’s punishment. Most believed it was due to someone’s influence, and Sun Yaohuo assumed Lin Yuan had intervened on his behalf.

Turns out it was a misunderstanding.

But, that’s just who Xianyu is.

Laughing lightly, Sun Yaohuo said, "Junior, let me treat you to lunch at the executive dining hall. I just got a special meal pass, enough for us to have a good meal."

"Alright!" Lin Yuan’s eyes lit up.

The food in the executive dining hall was much better than the regular one. Lin Yuan still remembered fondly the time Zhao Jue had taken him there, but he couldn’t go in by himself. Well, even if he could, it was way too expensive to eat there without a treat.

"Let’s go."

Sun Yaohuo held the door open for Lin Yuan.

In his heart, Sun Yaohuo made a vow: One day, he would stand tall in this industry. He would no longer feel inferior to people like Tao Ran. He would have the confidence to face anyone!

One day, he wouldn't grovel to anyone anymore.

...Except Xianyu, of course!

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