Chapter 22 Gratitude for a meal_2

Zhao Jue ate very slowly.

She intermittently received phone calls, busy as ever. When on the phone, she typically spoke with authority and decisiveness.

"That jewelry brand replaced our artist? It's not our artist's fault, is it? Then stop fighting for it. Announce now that Starlight's artists won't be endorsing this brand anymore."

"The event organizing team from Muses Apparel complained that Starlight's artist was late? How did I teach you all, thinking you've gone big? Don't blame it on the traffic. Just impose the fines. Don't try to be a big shot in front of me."

"Li Li's wardrobe malfunction was photographed? Contact the PR department. Also, find the reporter who took the photos, and have him answer to his boss."

"..."

After several calls, she finally turned to Lin Yuan with an apologetic smile, "I hope I didn't disturb you."

"Not at all."

Lin Yuan hadn't eaten breakfast and was a bit hungry, but while Zhao Jue was busy on the phone, he focused on his meal.

"Oh you."

Zhao Jue chided, looking at Lin Yuan humorously. She reached over and wiped away a grain of rice that rested on the corner of his lips, "Last time your mother called me to ask about you, I didn't expect you to lie to her. You earn less than a hundred thousand, don't you? Your salary isn't even two thousand."

Lin Yuan said, "I've put Ms. Zhao to trouble."

Zhao Jue shook her head slightly, guessing his reasons and not blaming him.

Just then.

Her phone rang again. However, this call seemed particularly important. Lin Yuan saw Zhao Jue's expression change, and she even stood up.

Furthermore.

Her tone on this call was unlike the previous authoritative one as she seemed a bit restrained, "Um, um, um ..... I am taking care of ..... this girl is a bit arrogant ..... not easy to handle .... I understand ... boss ... Please don't let those people pressure me into making any promises. My heart can't take it ..."

Lin Yuan finally understood.

It turned out it was the company boss. That explained everything; who would dare disrespect their own boss?

After hanging up.

Zhao Jue seemed to have lost her appetite. After idly taking a couple of bites she sat with a troubled expression.

"Is something troubling you?" Lin Yuan asked with concern.

Zhao Jue gave a bitter smile, "Telling you isn't going to solve my problem. Just have your meal."

Lin Yuan took a sip of soup, then wiped his mouth, "I'm full. You can talk now."

"..."

Zhao Jue put down her phone: "You know about 'Bloom', right?"

Lin Yuan nodded.

This was an annual talent show in Qin Continent. Xia Fan had always dreamed of becoming an excellent female singer, but she had been eliminated in the past two years. It was a competition with quite a high threshold.

"Well, you must have followed the competition, then."

Exasperated, Zhao Jue continued, "This year's 'Bloom' produced an unusual winner named Zhao Ying Ge. She's beautiful and possesses a voice on par with yours from before. Most importantly, she doesn't have an agency which has every entertainment company in Qin Continent, large and small, wanting to sign her. Unfortunately, this prideful girl made a statement that anyone wanting to sign her must present a signature song worthy of representing her. Consequently, I asked Ol' Zhou to bring in seven to eight ace songwriters to write for her, none of which she was satisfied with."

Lin Yuan commented, "Her standards are pretty high."

During his work in the morning, Lin Yuan had listened to various representative works of the ace songwriters out of curiosity.

No doubt about it.

The level of work they produced was extraordinary. Each of their signature pieces could be considered a classic.

Simultaneously, Lin Yuan believed with certainty that these representative works from the ace songwriters would have been enormous hits even in his past life.

This gave Lin Yuan a deeper impression of the compositional skills of people on the Blue Star.

"However, she's not specifically targeting Starlight."

Zhao Jue's tone became somewhat lighter. It seemed she had found a good listener in Lin Yuan.

"Thankfully, neither Dazzling Silver Glow nor Sand Sea has managed to move her with their songs either, so for now, our three companies are still in the competition - she hasn't considered any companies outside of the Big Three."

At this point.

Zhao Jue shook her head and added, "Actually, it's not that she doesn't appreciate the songs from the ace songwriters, the main issue is that they are limited in their focus. They mostly have long-term partnerships with singers, and sometimes they have to accept some external customizations, so the songs they write at the last minute are bound to be of questionable quality....."

Another call came in.

Zhao Jue didn't want to answer and immediately hung up. She continued sharing her troubles with Lin Yuan, "As a songwriter, you should understand that even with their full effort, no ace songwriter can guarantee that every one of their pieces will be a signature work. Signature works often represent an individual's highest level. Who dares to say that every one of their works can reach their highest level?"

"Yes, everyone says that ace songwriters are amazing, and everything they do is extraordinary."

"But they say it in a certain way ... Granted, they're definitely amazing. After all, every ace songwriter in Starlight has at least five or more classic songs. But if you average it out, you'll find ... that most of these ace songwriters are over thirty years old, and at thirty, they're already considered young talents!"

"In other words, except for a few prodigies, most of them have spent over ten years writing just a few pieces that could be considered as signature works."

"Ten years! Just for these few signature works!"

"This output, isn't it like giving birth, nine months of pregnancy? These ace songwriters couldn't even bear a child in nine months. So, Zhao Ying Ge's requirement for a signature work is not as simple as asking an ace songwriter to write a song for her. This seemingly simple requirement is, in fact, extremely difficult."

Lin Yuan finally understood.

Ms. Zhao provided him with a new perspective.

He only saw the strength of the ace songwriters but didn't see how much time and effort everyone had put in to produce a signature work, just like how he had to work hard to complete the system tasks in order to get the treasure chest.

"Oh well."

Zhao Jue suddenly laughed, "I've been venting to you for so long, I guess you must be bored by now. Thank you for listening to all my nonsense. Go back to work if you're done eating. I'll just have to try my luck with Ol' Zhou a couple more times. After all, the other two companies are also stuck with Zhao Ying Ge for now. I'll figure something out gradually."

Lin Yuan asked, "If she gets a song, she'll sign?"

Zhao Jue was almost toppled by Lin Yuan's nonchalance, "Yes, a song will do, but it has to be a signature work. You understand what a signature work means, right? 'Life Like A Summer Flower' is your signature work. Can you produce 'Summer Flowers' every day?"

Lin Yuan regretted, "'Life Like A Summer Flower' has already been released, she must have heard it."

Zhao Jue: "..."

Boy, are you serious?

Lin Yuan was also a bit troubled, "Would 'Easy to Ignite and Explode' work?"

Zhao Jue looked confused, "What explosion?"

Lin Yuan took out his phone, did something on his mailbox, and then said, "I have sent it to you."

Zhao Jue looked even more confused, "What have you sent me?"

Lin Yuan stood up and said, "Consider it a thank-you gift for the meal."