Chapter 4: The Workhorse

It's six in the evening.

Class has just ended, and Lin Yuan received a message from Jianyi: "Want to have dinner together tonight? Xia Fan is treating!"

"No, I have something to do tonight. You go have dinner with Xia Fan."

Lin Yuan replied to the message, then left the school gates. Parking on the roadside near the school gate was a red car.

"Long time no see. Get in."

The window on the left side of the red car rolled down, and a woman removed her sunglasses, smiling and waving at Lin Yuan.

"Hello."

After exchanging greetings, Lin Yuan got into the car. The woman was Zhao Jue, his manager. At 35 years old, she had faint laugh lines at the corners of her eyes. Her smile was warm and approachable, but when she didn't smile, she exuded an air of seriousness and composure, giving off a sense of calm professionalism.

"Lin Yuan."

Zhao Jue started the engine and said, "Your song seems to lack lyrics. Do you need me to find someone to write lyrics for you? There are only ten days left until the Newcomer Season in November."

"No need, the lyrics are already done."

"What about the arrangement? Are you using what you've arranged?"

"Yes."

"Alright." Zhao Jue smiled. "Do you know what the core competition is during the November Newcomer Season every year?"

"What is it?"

Zhao Jue drove through a red light and said, "The Newcomer Season is a broad term, but what the companies are really competing for is a specific list—the Qin Prefecture Music Newcomer Season. Only those who make it into the top twenty on the Newcomer Season can be considered to have made a name for themselves."

"I see."

This wasn't news to Lin Yuan.

Zhao Jue stopped at a red light and looked at Lin Yuan. "Your song is good. If you can achieve a good ranking on the Newcomer Season in November, I can help you transfer your contract to the Composition Department."

"Thank you."

Lin Yuan's eyes lit up.

He wanted to develop in the direction of a composer, which was his chosen major. Not only did it allow him to avoid the limelight like a singer, but he could also gain the recognition of the system in this direction.

At that moment, the system's voice sounded in his ear: [Ding, congratulations, the host has triggered a new task.]

[Task Name: First Song]

[Task Content: Successfully record "Life Like Summer Flowers."]

[Task Reward: One Bronze Treasure Chest]

One task wasn't even completed, and a new one appeared?

Lin Yuan was somewhat looking forward to the recording ahead, hoping to complete it tonight.

Half an hour later.

Lin Yuan arrived at Starlight Entertainment.

It was a fifty-story skyscraper. Everyone inside was dressed in professional attire, with badges of different departments of Starlight Entertainment on their chests. The grandeur of a big company was evident.

"Hello, Sister Zhao."

Zhao Jue was the top figure at Starlight Entertainment. Many people greeted her as they passed by, and Zhao Jue responded briefly and took Lin Yuan straight to the ninth-floor recording studio.

"Sister Zhao!"

Seeing Zhao Jue, a chubby manager who had been waiting on the ninth floor rushed over. "The equipment is almost set up."

"Where's your talent?"

Zhao Jue looked around but only saw the recording studio staff busy with their work.

"That...," the chubby manager wiped sweat from his forehead. "There was some traffic on the road, so my talent hasn't arrived yet. I've scolded that slacker several times already! If he doesn't arrive soon, I'll make sure to give him a good scolding!"

"Couldn't he have left earlier to avoid the traffic?"

Zhao Jue's gaze was cold. "If you don't have the capacity to manage your talents, let someone else handle it. From now on, if your talent doesn't arrive within fifteen minutes, I'll have someone else come to record. A chance that's not used is worthless!"

"Okay, okay..."

The chubby manager nodded, his face pale, and his hands slightly trembling as he took out his phone to call and hurry his talent. He had already cursed that latecomer a hundred times in his heart.

At that moment, an assistant-looking woman came down from the elevator and walked directly toward Zhao Jue. "Sister Zhao, the manager wants to see you."

"I see."

Zhao Jue massaged her temples, feeling a headache coming on. The manager wanted to see her, and it was undoubtedly related to the Newcomer Season.

She blamed herself for being too arrogant.

Back then, she had the audacity to make a pledge in front of the company's top executives.

Looking at Lin Yuan, who had a completely innocent expression, Zhao Jue felt like she had nowhere to vent her frustration.

She could only suppress her annoyance and give a warning look to the staff in the recording studio, as well as the chubby manager. "Lin Yuan composed the song, so when recording, prioritize Lin Yuan's preferences, understand?"

"Of course."

The chubby manager and the recording studio staff nodded, clearly not daring to defy Zhao Jue's orders.

Lin Yuan also nodded in acknowledgment.

Zhao Jue left, and the chubby manager went downstairs to make a call.

Lin Yuan and the recording studio staff waited for about ten minutes, and suddenly, they heard a series of scolding from a distance: "If you're late for one more minute, you won't have a chance to participate in this year's Newcomer Season! Do you understand that? You've been waiting for years just to make your debut in the Newcomer Season! You've made even Sister Zhao mad. Everyone knows she's in a bad mood lately, and you still want to provoke her..."

"I'm sorry, bro, I'm really sorry!"

A young man of short stature, standing in front of the chubby manager who had just come downstairs, nodded repeatedly and apologized, "I really didn't expect to have a chance to debut this year. Don't worry, bro! Today, I promise to seize this opportunity and not embarrass you! Thank you for helping me secure the last slot for the Newcomer Season!"

"Don't waste time. Get ready to record."

The chubby manager turned and said, pressing his temples, as his blood pressure seemed to be rising.

The young man heaved a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and had a mix of nervousness and excitement on his face. Just as he looked up, he suddenly saw a guy in front of him who was staring at him.

"Lin Yuan?"

He took a few steps closer, carefully looked at Lin Yuan, and after confirming that he hadn't made a mistake, he smiled, "It's really you! How did you end up here? Oh, I get it, you're here for a part-time job, right?"

Lin Yuan: "..."

He was thinking seriously about who this person was. From the original host's memory, he did look somewhat familiar.

The young man clearly didn't know what Lin Yuan was thinking.

He raised his head, puffed up his chest, and patted Lin Yuan's shoulder, "You're really something, our School of Vocal Music's top junior, and you're already doing a part-time job at Starlight Entertainment in your sophomore year... Oh, you're working in the recording studio, right? Well, I suppose you could call me your colleague now, as your senior!"

He took out a thermos cup from his bag and handed it to Lin Yuan.

The young man added, "Go pour some water for your senior. I just rushed over, and it really wore me out. But this little bit of tiredness doesn't matter. After finishing this song, your senior will be making his debut!"

Lin Yuan: "..."

He finally remembered who the young man was. His name was Sun Yaohuo, a graduate of the Qin Prefecture Art Academy' School of Vocal Music, who had already graduated. The School of Vocal Music organized events, and some alumni returned to perform. That's how the original host knew Sun Yaohuo, so he was indeed Lin Yuan's senior.

Because Sun Yaohuo had good talent, he was signed by Starlight Entertainment immediately after graduation. Junior and senior students at the School of Vocal Music admired him for signing with a big company and likely becoming a star in the future.

While Lin Yuan had also signed with Starlight Entertainment, he had never publicized it. After all, his physical condition was quite special, so only Xia Fan and Jianyi knew about it, and no one else was aware.

"What are you standing there for?"

Sun Yaohuo laughed, "Go help me pour water. Your senior still has to record a song. Later, you can watch and learn from the side, which will be good for you."

"Sure."

Lin Yuan went to get water.

The staff in the recording studio looked at each other with strange expressions.

Sun Yaohuo's chubby manager had just turned around and saw Sun Yaohuo gesturing to Lin Yuan, which instantly made him feel like his blood pressure, which had finally dropped, was rising again.

"Sun Yaohuo, who are you talking to?"

He rushed over and hit Sun Yaohuo on the back of his neck. "You should call Lin Yuan 'Mister' for he was the one who composed the song!"

With that, the chubby manager turned to Lin Yuan and said, "Sorry, Mr. Lin, Sun Yaohuo's not the brightest bulb..."

"It's normal to have some water before recording."

Lin Yuan replied seriously, not finding anything inappropriate about it, and handed the thermos cup full of water to Sun Yaohuo.

Sun Yaohuo took it dumbfoundedly.

Still feeling a bit angry, the chubby manager turned to scold him, "You should respect Mr. Lin; don't forget your place."

"..."

Sun Yaohuo opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he didn't know what to say. He felt a bit confused and wondered why he had acted so inappropriately.

He's several years younger than me!

How did I forget my place?

The staff around suppressed their laughter and Lin Yuan said, "So, do you know the melody well? If you do, let's go through it with the lyrics to get a feel for it. Can you do that?"

"I know the melody, Mister."

Sun Yaohuo hurriedly responded.

The staff members looked at Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan said, "Let's get started then."

They entered the recording booth, and Sun Yaohuo began singing according to the lyrics. He had good skills, which was why he was signed by Starlight Entertainment immediately after graduation. However, Lin Yuan had experience with vocal music from the original host, so his expectations were high. Even though Sun Yaohuo was supposed to be a workhorse, he still had to show some skill to get a share of the profits.

Lin Yuan quickly noticed some areas for improvement, saying, "The pauses in the early part of the humming are not natural enough."

Sun Yaohuo nodded.

The music started again but was interrupted by Lin Yuan, "You're emphasizing the pronunciation too much. Lighten it up a bit, and the emotions will come through stronger."

"Okay..."

Sun Yaohuo felt a bit awkward being manipulated by his junior like this. He felt that Lin Yuan was deliberately making things difficult for him. Those with thinner skin would have had their social death moment by now.

This might have affected his mentality.

So, although they recorded several times, Sun Yaohuo couldn't satisfy Lin Yuan each time. In the end, Lin Yuan had to call for a break, saying, "Let's take a ten-minute break and then continue."

Sun Yaohuo would be able to complete this song as a workhorse. He hadn't performed well because he was under pressure. This wasn't a big issue, and adjusting his mindset would help. Sun Yaohuo sighed with relief, sat in a chair outside the booth, and drank all the water in his cup in one gulp.

Just as Lin Yuan put down the water cup, he naturally took it and refilled it for Sun Yaohuo. 

Sun Yaohuo felt like he was being humiliated. His voice was muffled as he said, "Um... Junior... Mister Lin..."

"You can call me your junior."

Lin Yuan spoke and put down the water.

Sun Yaohuo smiled awkwardly. After all, he couldn't really confront Lin Yuan. He had waited for this debut opportunity for too long. He felt a bit uncomfortable but tightened the lid of the thermos cup with some force, saying, "Um... Junior Lin... I didn't know you could compose music..."

Lin Yuan explained, "I got sick before, which affected my voice. I switched to the school's composition department in my sophomore year."

Sun Yaohuo was taken aback and then shook his head, sighing softly. He patted Lin Yuan's shoulder sympathetically, "What a pity, what a pity, what a pity..."

He repeated the word "what a pity" three times.

Losing one's voice is a despairing matter. He couldn't imagine not being able to sing.

Then, Sun Yaohuo realized that his behavior was somewhat inappropriate and that he was acting too arrogantly. The guy in front of him was no longer just his junior; he was the author of the lyrics and music, someone who had the power to make decisions. This was why Lin Yuan could easily instruct him.

In other words, if Lin Yuan insisted on replacing him and getting someone else to sing "Life Like Summer Flowers," he wouldn't mind, because his own manager's attitude toward Lin Yuan had already made everything clear. The debut opportunity he had been waiting for years was in the hands of his junior, Lin Yuan.

Realizing this, Sun Yaohuo's hand, which was patting Lin Yuan's shoulder, hung awkwardly in the air.

"It's okay."

Lin Yuan didn't notice Sun Yaohuo's actions, and even if he did, he wouldn't care. He just sincerely said, "Thank you."

Sun Yaohuo was stunned.

He looked into Lin Yuan's clear eyes and suddenly realized that the guy in front of him had none of the thoughts he had imagined. He was just considering Sun Yaohuo as a collaborator. He realized that he had been overthinking everything and had subconsciously divided people into different social hierarchies based on their positions.

He initially considered himself a senior who was about to debut, so he was a bit arrogant. He had thought that even though he wanted to take care of Lin Yuan, he couldn't help but act condescending.

Then, he regarded Lin Yuan as a bigshot in lyrics and music and unconsciously put himself in a lower position. He was always worried that Lin Yuan would manipulate him, so his attitude was humble.

In reality, Lin Yuan was just a junior who happened to have the authority of a lyricist and composer. This was the reason why Lin Yuan could easily give him instructions.

In other words, if Lin Yuan insisted on replacing him and having someone else sing "Life Like Summer Flowers," he wouldn't hold a grudge. This was because the attitude of his own manager toward Lin Yuan had already revealed everything.

He realized that he had overthought everything.

"Junior Lin!"

He took a deep breath, and the hand that had been hanging in the air fell back onto Lin Yuan's shoulder. His movements were no longer stiff. "Let's start recording the song. This time, I'm ready."

"Sure."

Lin Yuan stood up with anticipation.

Although he didn't understand why his workhorse senior suddenly became assertive, the second round of recording went smoothly. Lin Yuan felt very satisfied, and he believed that sharing the profits with his workhorse was the right thing to do, considering the effort the senior had put in.

After all, the senior had worked hard.

At the moment of completing the recording, Lin Yuan received a notification from the system:

[Task Completed: The First Song]

[Task Reward: One Bronze Treasure Chest]