Chapter 5 Thunderbolt and Dew_1

Bronze Treasure Chest?

Lin Yuan stared at the System's warehouse grid, inexplicably feeling a little uneasy. "There isn't a bomb in this chest, is there?"

The System ignored Lin Yuan.

To play it safe, Lin Yuan found an excuse to go to the bathroom before opening his first-ever Bronze Treasure Chest.

[Mission Reward: Professional-Level Piano Skills]

As the Bronze Treasure Chest opened, Lin Yuan's mind was suddenly flooded with countless piano techniques.

Arpeggios, chords, tremolos, leaps, octaves, even three-six scales, and so on and so forth.

"That's it?"

Lin Yuan wasn't very impressed.

After all, the original owner of his body already had a Level Ten Blue Star piano certification. For a kid who's been determined to pursue music since childhood, that wasn't a big deal.

It would've been better to reward a song or a novel or something.

The System seemed equally unimpressed with Lin Yuan's attitude. With a flat, emotionless mechanical voice, it replied, "Treasure Chests are divided into four levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Diamond. But even the lowest-grade Bronze Treasure Chest contains items of definite value."

"So, what level is professional-grade piano playing?"

Lin Yuan needed to understand the System's standard for "professional."

The System responded, "The piano skills you now possess are at a level unattainable for the vast majority of ordinary people. Even piano prodigies with exceptional talent would need to practice diligently for more than ten years to reach this stage. As for the so-called Level Ten piano certification you mentioned, isn't that something even elementary school kids can achieve?"

"Fine,"

Lin Yuan accepted the result, ignoring the faint hint of mockery in the System's last statement. "What level comes after professional?"

"Beyond professional is elite; above elite is master-level, and after that is perfect-level. These correspond respectively to Silver Treasure Chests, Gold Treasure Chests, and the rare Diamond Treasure Chests."

"When do I get these chests?"

"You must rely on your own ability and luck to obtain them. Generally speaking, there are two ways to acquire them. The first is by completing tasks assigned by the System. The second is through reaching certain milestones in Reputation Points, such as earning a total reputation surpassing ten thousand."

"What's my current reputation?"

Just as Lin Yuan finished speaking, a few lines of pale blue text materialized before him:

[Age: 19]

[Lifespan: 22]

[Painting: 45]

[Literature: 105]

[Music: 2509]

[Total: 2659]

[Other: Pending Unlock]

Both the painting and literature categories hadn't changed, but the music category had increased significantly.

It was probably due to the piano skill bonus he had just received, along with a slight boost in reputation after recording the song "Life Like A Summer Flower."

It seemed that reaching ten thousand total reputation points would have to wait until "Life Like A Summer Flower" was officially released.

Lin Yuan washed his hands and walked out of the restroom.

At this moment, staff members from Starlight's finance and legal departments approached him to sign a contract—a signing agreement for "Life Like A Summer Flower." This was standard procedure.

The contract specified—

Once "Life Like A Summer Flower" was released, eighty percent of the song's revenue would go to the company, while the remaining twenty percent would be split between Lin Yuan and Sun Yaohuo.

Of this, Sun Yaohuo would receive 0.5 percent.

Lin Yuan, who had handled both the lyrics and composition, as well as completing the arrangement on his own, would receive 1.5 percent.

Sun Yaohuo had no objections.

He was taking a very humble approach, treating the performance of "Life Like A Summer Flower" not as a money-making opportunity, but as his chance to debut. So, he signed without hesitation.

Lin Yuan didn't have any objections either.

Although he would have liked a larger share, like Sun Yaohuo, he was still at the newbie level. Newcomers simply didn't have the right to negotiate terms with the company. Whatever the company decided, that's how it would be.

Only industry veterans could make the company concede on profit-sharing.

After signing,

Someone from the finance department reminded Lin Yuan, "The song will be released on November 1st. At that time, the audio will be available through all major channels partnering with the company."

"Got it,"

Lin Yuan nodded.

After signing the contract, a staff member from the promotions department approached Lin Yuan with a form that needed signing. The form asked Lin Yuan to fill in some details.

"First, your name."

The promotions staff guided Lin Yuan through the process. "In the lyrics and composition sections, you can use your real name or a pseudonym, but once you've written it down, don't casually change it."

"Xian Yu, is that okay?"

"You're not planning to use your real name?"

Lin Yuan nodded. He preferred keeping a low profile and avoiding the limelight whenever possible.

"That's fine,"

The staff member assured him there was no issue.

Lin Yuan then signed the "Xian Yu" name in both the lyrics and composition credit sections.

Although his memories of his past life were hazy, Lin Yuan could still recall fragments of famous literary lines. For example, this one:

"Instead of envying the fish in the abyss, why not weave a net to catch them?"

But didn't "Xian Yu" sound an awful lot like "Salted Fish?"

Moving on—

The form asked Lin Yuan to provide the inspiration behind the song.

Lin Yuan fell into deep thought.

The staff member saw Lin Yuan's hesitation and said skillfully, "Don't overthink it. Just make something up. Other lyricists and composers do the same; no one really cares."

"Alright."

Lin Yuan thought for a moment and wrote this line: "Life is as brilliant as a summer flower; death is as peaceful as an autumn leaf."

This was the song's origin.

After writing, he turned and left.

The staff member took the form Lin Yuan completed and stared at the line he had written, momentarily dazed—

"Life is as brilliant as a summer flower; death is as peaceful as an autumn leaf."

On Blue Star, where Rabindranath Tagore didn't exist, a short poem like this packed quite a punch.

Even someone with no literary intuition could sense a weight of life-like texture in these delicate lines.

Snapping out of it,

The staff member smiled and muttered, "Looks like the PR team won't have to worry about coming up with a promotional tagline this time."

...

As Lin Yuan was leaving, he sent Zhao Jue a text. Seeing that she hadn't replied, Lin Yuan simply took a cab back to school.

Meanwhile,

In the general manager's office at Starlight,

Zhao Jue was dealing with pressure from the company boss and had no time to check her phone.

"This year, Sand Sea plans to debut Qian Xingyu during the Newcomer Season. How are you going to counter that?"

The boss's voice was calm.

But Zhao Jue could hear the dissatisfaction veiled beneath his tone.

It wasn't unwarranted. After all, Qian Xingyu wasn't a true newcomer; he had played the male supporting role in a hit drama just last month—

What were the unspoken rules of Newcomer Season?

Any newcomer to the music industry could release songs during this period.

In this case, a popular actor like Qian Xingyu attempting to release a song as a "newcomer" was still within bounds.

After all, while he had acted before, he had never sung professionally. So, technically, he was a new voice in the music world, right?

But this was blatantly unfair to other new artists.

Previous discussions in the industry suggested barring actors from debuting as new singers during Newcomer Season to preserve opportunities for true newcomers in the entertainment world.

However, this proposal was never adopted by higher-ups.

That said, the discussions weren't entirely in vain.

Many established actors preferred to maintain their image. Even if they wanted to dabble in the music scene, they would avoid releasing songs during Newcomer Season to sidestep industry controversies.

But newcomer actors didn't fall into this category.

Before becoming a breakout star in this year's hit drama, Qian Xingyu hadn't acted in anything else. He was also considered a newcomer in the entertainment industry!

This made his situation quite unique.

Even if he joined the fray and competed against pure newcomers during Newcomer Season, it wouldn't stir up much backlash since his rise to fame coincided with the season's arrival.

In this way, Qian Xingyu's advantage was overwhelming.

Thanks to the hit drama, promoting him would be incredibly easy. Even if the song's quality wasn't outstanding, his built-in fanbase could still propel him up the charts!

Considering all this,

Zhao Jue chose her words carefully. "With Qian Xingyu aiming for first place, having him there could elevate the value of second and third place…"

"You're thorough, I'll give you that."

The boss was a scholarly, graceful-looking middle-aged man.

As Starlight's general manager, he had a reputation for being easygoing. But everyone in the company knew you couldn't judge a book by its cover.

This seemingly gentle and amicable boss could turn into a tyrant when angered.

Tapping his fingers lightly on the desk, the boss spoke softly. "The military order you signed this year was quite impulsive… aiming for the top three in Newcomer Season! If you don't meet the target, even I won't be able to shield you… When that happens, I might have to reassign you for a year or two, and you'll have to earn your way back to your position as chief agent."

"Understood."

Zhao Jue took a deep breath. From the moment Lin Yuan's vocal cords were damaged, she had mentally prepared herself for this.

"Additionally…"

The boss added, "Even if no one makes it into the top three, dominate as many spots in the top ten as possible. Also, work on getting our best-ranking newcomer as high as you can. That's the only way I'll have a chance to defend you in front of the upper management."

"I understand."

Zhao Jue knew the boss had been supportive of her career. Her rise to the position of chief agent was largely due to his guidance over the years.

"You can go."

With a wave of his hand, the boss dismissed her.

Zhao Jue nodded and left the office. After composing herself, she pulled out her phone and called Lin Yuan. "Where are you? I'll drive you back to school."

"I'm already back at school,"

Lin Yuan replied. "I sent you a message earlier; you might've missed it."

Zhao Jue was taken aback but quickly recovered. "Alright, then. Take care. Once November's Newcomer Season arrives, I'll see if I can get you better resources to help you make a push for the top ten. Personally, I think your song is pretty good; there's hope."

"Thanks, Ms. Zhao,"

Lin Yuan said sincerely. Even someone as dense as he was could sense Zhao Jue's care for him. It was evident from many small details that she truly admired the original owner of this body.

"No need to thank me. Talk soon,"

Zhao Jue replied with a laugh—though her smile was tinged with bitterness.

Helping you is really just helping myself. The more we secure spots in the top ten, the less weight I'll have to bear from above…