Isn't Zeal a Trait of the Youth

In the subsequent days, Lin Yuan was busy with his classes and didn't visit the music room.

Even during his occasional breaks, he spent his time with Jian Yi and Xia Fan.

As the end of the month neared, Lin Yuan returned to the company once more.

Instead of focusing on his department, he spent a day and a half in the recording studio, finally completing his recording of the song "Big Fish".

This time, he took on the roles of lyricist, composer, and arranger.

Moreover, the piano elements in the arrangement were personally played by him.

Even though a girl at school had criticized him for his "mediocre piano skills", the company's assigned pianist was of a similar skill level to Lin Yuan. Hence, Lin Yuan took the initiative, which made the piece feel more personal.

Once the recording was done, he sent his work to Manager Old Zhou's internal company mailbox, with a special note:

"Impression Piece."

An 'Impression Piece' typically reflects the worldview or emotions of the original work. "Big Fish", with its lyrics and style, fits the mold of an iconic impression song.

After sending the song, Lin Yuan, having finished his morning tasks, headed to the company cafeteria for lunch. Compared to the school, the company's food was both cheap and delicious.

Meanwhile, in the manager's office, Old Zhou was also about to head to the cafeteria when he received Lin Yuan's email. He paused in surprise.

"A piece from Lin Yuan?"

Lin Yuan was the first on the entire floor to submit his assignment!

But Old Zhou, as the department head, wasn't elated. Instead, he frowned deeply. He was already anxious about potentially failing the "Dance of Fish and Dragon" project. Now, the early submission exacerbated his irritation.

He felt the impulse to call Lin Yuan in for a stern reprimand.

However, remembering that Lin Yuan was a newcomer he had personally introduced to the composition department and had a better resilience than older employees, he held back.

Yet, Old Zhou couldn't help but feel disappointed.

It had only been two weeks since he had assigned the "Dance of Fish and Dragon" composition task to the entire floor! Just over ten days!

For any composer... What kind of quality song could be produced in such a short time?

This was the pitfall of early success. The exuberance of youth!

He'd suffer for it later.

Lin Yuan couldn't escape this either. The success of the New Talent Chart had inflated the young man's ego.

Old Zhou hadn't expected Lin Yuan to have the audacity to submit a piece he'd only worked on for two weeks.

"We need to have a serious talk later," he murmured.

Taking a deep breath, Old Zhou hesitated to open the song "Big Fish" sent by Lin Yuan, even though it was his responsibility as a manager.

But he needed to hear it to critique Lin Yuan's shortcomings.

Reluctantly, he decided to give it a listen without headphones.

The distinctive triadic piano sound filled the room, followed by the main vocals.

Only two lines in, and Old Zhou's furrowed brows relaxed.

By the chorus, his eyes had changed.

He leaned forward, as if trying to get closer to the sound.

By the harmonizing section of the song, Old Zhou's mouth was agape, and remained so until the end.

He exhaled deeply.

Pulling out his favorite pair of custom headphones from a drawer, Old Zhou carefully put them on, then played "Big Fish" again.

The same melody.

But this time, the surround sound of the headphones enhanced the listening experience, letting Old Zhou catch every detail.

By the harmonizing section, goosebumps covered his entire body, and every hair stood on end.

Swallowing hard, Old Zhou clicked to play the song a third time.

Regardless of how many times he listened, the song remained the same. It wouldn't change. But the listener could.

"Heh...heh...heh..."

Old Zhou chuckled softly, swaying slightly to the rhythm of the song as it played for the third time.

The chair beneath him creaked with his movement, the sound echoing with his laughter, creating a humorous contrast.

Mid-laugh, he suddenly slapped his forehead.

Carefully downloading the song and encrypting the original file for archiving, he quickly stood up, a blush coloring his old face.

...

Lin Yuan had a particular fondness for the braised pork knuckle served in the company's cafeteria.

Unlike the overly sweet version he was accustomed to, the company's pork knuckle was not too sugary. The meat was stewed to perfection, so tender that even the skin melted in his mouth. He relished every bite.

Meanwhile, several tables away sat a few members from the composition department, whispering among themselves.

"That's Xian Yu."

"He looks so young and handsome."

"Yeah, Xian Yu. Young and handsome indeed, but his attitude leaves much to be desired. He was so rude to Jing."

"Yes, he's a bit too arrogant."

"Tsk, the pitfalls of early success. We've seen plenty of newcomers like him in our industry."

"Just wrote one decent song and now he thinks he's a top-tier composer."

"It's just one song inspired by a flash of brilliance. This industry will teach him humility soon enough."

As they continued their whispered critique, they suddenly felt a chilling presence behind them. Turning, they found themselves staring into the stern face of Old Zhou.

"Manager..."

"You came to dine here?"

"Wha... What would you like to eat? I'll get it for you!"

Facing Old Zhou, they were trembling in fear.

Old Zhou's voice was ice-cold, "Have you all eaten too much?"

"Manager... We..."

He continued, "Oh, it seems you are quite full. Then, it's time for some exercise. The cleaning lady from the 12th floor took a leave today. Why don't you go clean up the entire floor? Especially the restrooms."

"Yes..."

The group left, their heads hanging in shame. "We're sorry, Manager. We won't gossip behind our colleagues' backs again."

"That's not it," Old Zhou corrected, "Gossip all you want, I do it too. But not about him!"

"Huh?"

With puzzled expressions, they departed.

As they were about to exit the cafeteria, one of them glanced back to see Old Zhou, now wearing a completely different, jovial face, approaching Lin Yuan.

"What the..."

Their faces mirrored the shock of seeing a ghost.

...

Lin Yuan was enjoying his pork knuckle when suddenly someone placed greens on his plate. "Young man, you shouldn't be picky. You need to eat your vegetables too."

"Alright."

Though Lin Yuan agreed, he continued to eat his pork knuckle.

Old Zhou didn't seem to mind and continued, "How have you been adjusting to the composition department? If there's anything bothering you, feel free to tell me."

"It's good," Lin Yuan replied honestly. He rarely interacted with employees from other floors, and his colleagues on the tenth floor were quite kind to him.

"That's good to hear."

Old Zhou continued with a warm smile, "Anything that Sister Zhao could offer you, I, Old Zhou, can provide too. Even more! So, let me know if you need anything."

"Can I skip the veggies?"

Lin Yuan looked at the greens on his plate with slight hesitation.

Old Zhou almost choked on his food, but soon burst into laughter, "Of course, young men should eat more meat!"

"Mm."

"How's school?"

"School's good too."

"That's good. I know college life can be hard. If you face any difficulties, let me know."

"Thank you."

Lin Yuan continued eating.

Old Zhou looked at Lin Yuan with a satisfied nod. The more he looked, the more he appreciated the young man.

Yes!

A sophomore, after all, should be full of youthful zeal! He should defy authority! He should carry himself as if the manager was of no consequence!

Without such exuberance, can one even be considered young?