Reset to Zero

The group chat, which was once vibrant, almost turned cold because of Lin Yuan and Zheng Jing.

After the conversation between Lin Yuan and Zheng Jing ended, the group was silent for a full two hours.

And not just in the group chat.

Even in the department, many sneaked glances at Lin Yuan from time to time, with a hint of strangeness in their eyes.

Clearly, these people were also members of the Starlight Composers group and had seen Lin Yuan's messages.

"You've unknowingly offended a lot of people," Wu Yong couldn't help but remind Lin Yuan kindly.

Although he found Lin Yuan's manner of speaking in the group a bit inappropriate, he did not believe Lin Yuan was just trying to cause a commotion.

"Why?" Lin Yuan was puzzled.

Faced with Lin Yuan's confusion, Wu Yong wasn't sure how to explain, so he simply said with a wry smile, "Perhaps many people don't like the way you talk to Sister Jing."

"Why?" Lin Yuan still didn't understand.

Wu Yong could only shrug helplessly, "All I can say is that you're different from others."

"Oh."

This time, Lin Yuan didn't ask any further, even though he still couldn't understand why being different would offend others.

"It's not a big deal. At least here on the ninth floor in our composition department, everyone is still friendly to you," Wu Yong, fearing Lin Yuan might be affected, consoled, "Besides, we are all artists. We don't have ulterior motives. People won't trip you up just because they dislike you. You've done well, composing a song like "Life Like Summer Flowers" while still in your second year of college shows your potential! Once you produce more hit songs in the future, they will understand you. In Blue Star, in any profession, results are what speaks."

"Okay."

Lin Yuan nodded.

Seeing that Lin Yuan wasn't too affected, Wu Yong felt a bit relieved.

However, even though he comforted Lin Yuan, deep down Wu Yong knew that creating a song of the caliber of "Life Like Summer Flowers" wasn't an easy feat.

Everyone has moments of brilliance.

Who knows when Lin Yuan might produce another song of that caliber?

Perhaps, he might never compose a better song than "Life Like Summer Flowers" in his lifetime. This was a common scenario in the industry.

If that's the case, being the number one on the rising star list might be the pinnacle of Lin Yuan's career.

At that moment,

Old Zhou suddenly walked in from the entrance with a stern face and angrily announced, "Everyone, drop what you're doing and come to the meeting room for a meeting!"

After saying this, Old Zhou was the first to walk into the meeting room next door, slamming the door behind him.

"What's going on?"

"Who upset the boss?"

"Could it be because of what Lin Yuan said in the group?"

"I've rarely seen the boss in such a bad mood."

"Yes, Lin Yuan's comment in the group was inappropriate, but he's just a sophomore in college. It's normal for him to lack experience."

"That's true."

"Enough speculating, let's go to the meeting."

The sound of chairs scraping the floor rang out as everyone from the composition department got up to follow Old Zhou into the meeting room.

Lin Yuan also entered.

However, due to concerns about Old Zhou's anger being directed at Lin Yuan's recent comments, no one wanted to sit next to him.

After hesitating for a bit, Wu Yong sat on Lin Yuan's left.

Soon after, a long-haired man took the seat on Lin Yuan's right and extended his hand, "My name is Zheng Han, a graduate from the Qin state Art Institute's Class of 2020."

"Hello, senior."

Lin Yuan shook his hand politely. He might be reserved, but he was observant.

"Is everyone here?"

Old Zhou spoke in a deep tone, "The reason I called you all is to discuss an issue. The soundtrack for 'Dance of Fish and Dragon' has been sent back."

"What?"

Everyone was taken aback.

It seems Old Zhou's anger had nothing to do with Lin Yuan.

"So, what should we do?"

Old Zhou's sharp eyes scanned everyone in the room.

No one dared to meet Old Zhou's gaze directly. However, when he posed a question, it wasn't possible for everyone to feign ignorance. So, everyone tried their best to avoid Old Zhou's piercing gaze, sharing their opinions and suggestions:

"Boss, isn't the requirement of 'Dance of Fish and Dragon' a bit too demanding? They aren't some top-tier investment. It's just a medium-budget animated film."

"Isn't this the fourteenth time they've rejected a piece from our Starlight group?"

"Are they expecting one of our top composers from Starlight to step in?"

"The problem is, most of our top composers are either busy with other projects or are too selective. If they read a story and find no inspiration, they refuse outright."

"If they're being so difficult, why not let them try other music production houses? Like Sandy Sea or Dazzling Silvers? There's no shortage of talent in the Qin state music circle."

"How can the company agree to that? If one of the other two delivers, wouldn't it make Starlight look incompetent?"

"..."

Lin Yuan appeared lost, not really catching the depth of their discussion.

Wu Yong, appointed by Old Zhou to guide Lin Yuan, clarified, "There's this big animated movie in Qi state called 'Dance of Fish and Dragon'. They're almost done with their post-production and now only lack a core soundtrack. They commissioned us, Starlight, for it, but so far, fourteen of our compositions have been rejected!"

"The key is..."

Zheng Han on the right interjected, "Those fourteen rejected compositions were from our department's ace composers. While they aren't on the same level as the top composers, their quality is undoubtedly top-notch. Most of the big-name singers usually collaborate with these ace composers."

Lin Yuan began to understand.

However, he chose to remain silent. He believed that if the entire department couldn't satisfy the client, he might not be able to make a difference.

He did have songs at his disposal.

But for a targeted project like this, the mood of the song must fit perfectly with the film's atmosphere. It doesn't matter how good a song is if it doesn't fit the context.

"Enough chit-chat," Old Zhou said, massaging his temples, "Let's treat it as a desperate move. Try to make music for 'Dance of Fish and Dragon'. You have one month. I'll send the requirements over. Maybe someone here will find the inspiration."

Inspiration is mystical.

Not every song from a top composer is necessarily the best.

Sometimes, when top composers are stumped, someone with slightly lesser accolades might suddenly have an epiphany, creating a song that delights the client.

These situations occasionally occur in the composition circle.

Just like how Lin Yuan, only in his sophomore year, could compose "Life Like Summer Flowers".

A combination of innate talent and seizing a perfect inspiration might have birthed that song.

That's also why Wu Yong believes Lin Yuan might not be able to replicate such brilliance in the future.

Inspiration is, after all, a game of chances.

Old Zhou's strategy was to cast a wide net, hoping someone might catch the elusive fish. However, they couldn't possibly ask a top composer to intervene, right?

It wasn't impossible.

But, it would cost more!

Considering the limited budget of "Dance of Fish and Dragon", the fee set by the Qi state side wasn't enticing enough for a top-tier composer.

Soon, everyone received a sheet of paper detailing the requirements for the "Dance of Fish and Dragon" soundtrack.

Lin Yuan received one too.

The requirements only provided a broad overview of the story due to plot confidentiality:

It's a tale filled with fantasy. Many years ago, a girl saves a fish. Years later, when the girl and her family face peril, the fish, having crossed the dragon gate, transforms into a mighty white dragon, and reunites with the girl...

The soundtrack had only three requirements:

It should be ethereal, evoke profound emotions, and possess aesthetic beauty.

Upon reading the requirements, the room filled with groans.

"Could the client be any more vague? Ethereal, emotive, beautiful? These terms are far too broad!"

"I, for one, couldn't pin down a specific vibe."

"A fantasy story needs music that's a bit whimsical, right?"

"Considering there's a fish and dragon, perhaps an essence of soaring in the sky? Maybe using an oboe would be apt."

"I think it needs to be melancholic, a bit sentimental. Perhaps incorporating bamboo flutes?"

"Forget it. This is too hard. I give up."

"The point is, we've heard the tracks that were sent back before. They were already really fitting! The fact that they're still rejected means we haven't hit the mark perfectly."

"For composers, achieving ethereality, depth, and beauty is easy. The real challenge is combining all to meet such a vague brief."

Capturing those three characteristics in a composition wasn't challenging.

But making a piece genuinely touch one's soul was another story.

It's akin to the client requesting an energetic and explosive track.

Everyone present could probably compose something energetic and explosive. Yet, such a direction was broad. Out of a thousand energetic and explosive songs, perhaps only one or two would genuinely ignite the listeners' passion.

A thought suddenly stirred within Lin Yuan.

Apart from his piano pieces, he currently had two songs on hand.

One was "Super Explosive," which obviously wouldn't fit the bill given the mood discrepancy.

But what about his other song, "Big Fish"?

The style of this song seemed to align somewhat with the requirements.

Did the system foresee this?

As he contemplated, Lin Yuan overheard Wu Yong grumbling, "The clients from Qi state are too demanding! Merely a 5 million yuan order, and they expect our top composer to step in? If they can't afford to entice our top composer, they shouldn't have such high demands."

Lin Yuan hurriedly inquired, "What did you just say?"

Wu Yong blinked, "If they can't pay enough to impress our top composer, they shouldn't be so demanding."

"The sentence before that!"

"Do they expect our top composer to take the lead?"

"And before that one!"

"Merely a 5 million yuan order..."

That was the piece of information Lin Yuan sought. He vigorously nodded and then quickly grabbed the calculator by his side.

"Reset!"

The calculator's beep was surprisingly loud, interrupting the collective groan of the room. Everyone turned to look at Lin Yuan, including the supervisor, Old Zhou.

But Lin Yuan was oblivious to the surrounding stares.

His fingers danced across the calculator, the beeping echoing throughout the room:

"5,000,000 multiplied by 0.2, multiplied by 2, divided by 3 equals 666,666.666666667."

The room fell into silence.

Only the calculator's beeping persisted.

Everyone knew what Lin Yuan was calculating.

And precisely because they understood, everyone's gaze was filled with astonishment.

A commission of over 666,000 yuan?

Once the calculations concluded, Lin Yuan happily turned off the calculator, looked up at Supervisor Old Zhou, and declared with emphasis on every word:

"I'll take this project."