Chương 5: Chapter 5: Thunderous Pressure
A bronze treasure chest?
Lin Yuan looked at the system's inventory grid, feeling a bit worried for no apparent reason, "Is there a bomb inside this box?"
The system didn't respond to Lin Yuan's concerns.
To be safe, Lin Yuan made up an excuse to go to the bathroom and then opened the first bronze treasure chest he had received.
[Task Reward: Professional-level Piano Proficiency]
As soon as the bronze treasure chest was opened, countless piano techniques appeared in Lin Yuan's mind. These included various arpeggios, chords, fingerings, arpeggiations, leaps, and scales, among others.
"Is that it?" Lin Yuan wasn't very satisfied. After all, the original owner already had a piano proficiency of Level 10 in the Blue Star Piano, which was not a difficult level to achieve for a child who aspired to be a musician.
He would have preferred rewards like songs or novels.
The system didn't seem pleased with Lin Yuan's attitude and responded in its emotionless, mechanical synthesized voice, [Treasure chests come in four levels: bronze, silver, gold, and diamond. Even the lowest-level bronze treasure chest contains items of considerable value.]
Lin Yuan wanted to understand more about the system's standard for "professional."
Lin Yuan received a response, [The piano proficiency you currently possess is at a level that the vast majority of ordinary people cannot reach. Even some exceptionally talented piano prodigies would need to practice for more than ten years to reach this level. As for your so-called Level 10 in piano proficiency, isn't that a level that even elementary school students can achieve?]
"Okay," Lin Yuan accepted the result, ignoring the system's somewhat mocking tone in its last sentence. "What's the level above professional?"
[After professional is top-level, then master-level, and beyond that is perfect-level, corresponding to the silver, gold, and precious diamond treasure chests, respectively.]
"When will I receive these treasure chests?"
[That depends on the host's own abilities and luck. Generally, there are two ways to obtain them: the first is by completing tasks issued by the system, and the second is by accumulating reputation points to a certain standard, such as achieving a total reputation of over 10,000.]
"What is my current reputation?"
As soon as Lin Yuan's question was uttered, several lines of pale blue text appeared in front of him:
[Age: 19"]
[Lifespan: 22]
[Painting: 45]
[Literature: 105]
[Music: 2509]
[Overall: 2659]
[Other: Awaiting Activation]
The categories for painting and literature hadn't changed, but the music category had increased significantly. This was likely due to the recent addition of piano proficiency and the reputation gained from recording the song "Life Like Summer Flowers."
It seemed that achieving over 10,000 reputation points would have to wait until "Life Like Summer Flowers" was officially released.
Lin Yuan washed his hands and left the bathroom. At this moment, the finance and legal departments of Starlight Entertainment arrived to have him sign a contract, a standard procedure for the song "Life Like Summer Flowers." The contract stated that after the release of the song, 80% of the song's earnings would belong to the company, and the remaining 20% would be split between Lin Yuan and Sun Yaohuo. Sun Yaohuo would receive 0.5%, and Lin Yuan, who was responsible for both the lyrics and music, as well as the arrangement, would receive 1.5%.
Sun Yaohuo had no objections. He kept a humble attitude, not treating the performance of "Life Like Summer Flowers" as an opportunity to make money but rather as his chance to debut. Thus, he signed the contract without hesitation.
Lin Yuan had no objections either. Although he wanted a larger share of the earnings, he, like Sun Yaohuo, was a newcomer, and newcomers didn't have the qualifications to negotiate with the company over the terms. The company could distribute the earnings as they pleased. Only industry giants could influence the revenue split.
Once the contract was signed, the staff from the Resource Promotion Department came to find Lin Yuan. They handed him a form that required Lin Yuan to fill in some information.
"First, your name."
The staff from the Resource Promotion Department guided Lin Yuan to fill out the form, saying, "In the 'Lyrics and Music' column, you can write your own name or use a pseudonym. However, once you've written it, don't change it casually."
"Xianyu, is that okay?"
"You don't want to use your real name?"
Lin Yuan nodded. He had some resistance to being in the spotlight. Being low-key was better.
"Sure."
The staff didn't have a problem with it. Lin Yuan then wrote "Xianyu" in the Lyrics and Music section.
Although his memories from his previous life were somewhat hazy, Lin Yuan still remembered some classic phrases and sentences. For example, this sentence:
"Rather than approaching the edge of the water longing for fish, it is better to take a step back and prepare a net."
But "Xianyu" sounded a bit like "Salted Fish," didn't it?
Next...
The form required Lin Yuan to write the background of the song's creation. Lin Yuan pondered for a moment.
Seeing that Lin Yuan was struggling, the staff reassured him, "Don't worry about it too much. Just make something up; no one really pays attention to these things."
"Alright," Lin Yuan said. He thought for a moment and wrote, "Life as lively as summer flowers, death as serene as autumn leaves."
This explained the origin of the song's title. After completing this, he turned and left.
The staff took the form Lin Yuan had left behind and read the line he had written. For a moment, they seemed lost in thought.
"Life as lively as summer flowers, death as serene as autumn leaves." In the absence of Tagore in Blue Star, a short poem like this still had quite an impact. Even those without literary talent could appreciate the rich and lifelike texture in these well-crafted words.
Once they returned to their senses, the staff smiled and muttered, "It looks like the publicity team won't have to worry about coming up with a headline this time."
...
As Lin Yuan was leaving, he sent a message to Zhao Jue. Seeing that Zhao Jue didn't reply, Lin Yuan decided to take a taxi back to school.
At that moment, in the manager's office at Starlight Entertainment, Zhao Jue was facing pressure from the company's boss, leaving her with no time to check her phone.
"Qian Xingyu is scheduled to debut in the New Artists' Season this year. How do you plan to deal with it?" The boss's voice sounded calm, but Zhao Jue could sense the underlying displeasure.
Indeed, there was a reason for the displeasure. Qian Xingyu was not a real newcomer; he was the second male lead in a hit TV series last month. The default rule for New Artists' Season was that anyone in the entertainment industry who hadn't released songs before could participate. Qian Xingyu, who had previously only acted and had no singing experience, could technically be considered a newcomer to the music industry. However, this situation was special.
Even though Qian Xingyu wasn't competing directly with pure newcomers, his previous popularity gave him a significant advantage. Having a hit TV series as a foundation made it much easier to promote his music. Even if the song's quality wasn't the best, his existing fan base could help him secure a high ranking on the charts.
Zhao Jue understood this and carefully chose her words, "Qian Xingyu is definitely aiming for the top spot. If he secures the first place, it will increase the prestige of the second and third places as well."
"You are being very cautious," the boss said.
The boss was a middle-aged man with a refined demeanor. He seemed easy-going on the surface, but everyone in the company knew that appearances could be deceiving.
This seemingly easy-going boss could turn into a formidable figure when he was displeased.
Tapping his fingers lightly on the desk, the boss said, "You set the goal for this year's Newcomers Season rather hastily. The goal is to aim for the top three. If we don't meet the target, I won't be able to cover for you. At that time, I will have to reassign you for a while, and you may have to stay down there for a year or so before you can come back to continue your work as the chief talent manager."
"Understood," Zhao Jue replied. She had mentally prepared herself for this since Lin Yuan's vocal cord issue had arisen.
"Furthermore..."
The boss reminded her, "Even if no one reaches the top three, try to secure multiple spots in the top ten, and boost the highest ranking of our new talents as much as possible. That way, I can speak up for you in front of the higher-ups."
"I understand."
Zhao Jue knew that the boss was treating her quite well. Becoming the chief talent manager was a result of the boss's support and guidance over the years.
"You can go now," the boss said, waving his hand.
Zhao Jue nodded and left the office. She took a moment to compose herself, then pulled out her phone to call Lin Yuan. "Where are you? I can give you a ride back to school."
"I'm already back on campus," Lin Yuan replied. "I just sent you a message; you might not have noticed."
Zhao Jue paused for a moment and then said, "That's fine. You go ahead. Be safe on the way back. When Newcomer Season arrives in November, I'll see if I can arrange more resources for you and try to get you into the top ten on the rankings. I personally think your song is good and has potential."
"Thank you, Sister Zhao." Lin Yuan expressed his gratitude.
Lin Yuan, despite any dullness he might have, could sense Zhao Jue's care for him. Many details indicated that Zhao Jue genuinely appreciated the original host.
"Thanks for everything," Lin Yuan said, recognizing the unsaid words.
"Of course, no problem. I'll hang up," Zhao Jue replied with a smile, though there was a hint of bitterness in her expression. Helping you is, in a way, is helping myself. If we can secure one more spot in the top ten, the thunderous pressure on me might be a little lighter...
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