Solemn Pledge

"When encountering a song with a longer main melody, everyone can break it down into smaller sections, which we often refer to as musical phrases. Each phrase will be played with slight variations, such as this section…"

The next morning.

In the composition class.

Lin Yuan was listening to the teacher's explanation and taking notes in his notebook at the same time.

Although the original owner had switched from the vocal music department to the composition department and didn't have outstanding talent in composing, anything related to music was within his range of interest.

And now, Lin Yuan also shared the original owner's enthusiasm for music.

He didn't want to produce a bunch of songs in the future only to find out that he wasn't familiar with even the basics, like reading musical notation.

However, what Lin Yuan didn't expect was while he was attentively attending his professional class, he suddenly received an unexpected reward—

A prompt sounded in his ear: "Ding dong, detected that the host is learning about composition, triggering a novice task."

Following that,

In front of Lin Yuan, blue texts that shimmered lightly appeared:

[Task Name: The task of a student is to study]

[Task Description: Rank within the top 25 in the next music theory exam scheduled by the academy]

[Task Reward: A bronze treasure chest]

This novice task came quite unexpectedly, but Lin Yuan wasn't too surprised.

Isn't a system that doesn't issue tasks still a system?

Immediately, he began to ponder the difficulty of this task:

Qin state Music Academy's composition department alone has ten classes, and each class has around fifty students. Lin Yuan's class had exactly fifty.

However, that was not related to Lin Yuan.

Because he didn't need to compete with students from other classes.

The novice task only required Lin Yuan to rank within the top 25 in the next exam in his class.

For Lin Yuan, this wasn't a major issue.

On average, Lin Yuan's class ranking was around 30th. With a little more effort, he should be able to rank within the top 25.

"What will happen if I fail the task?"

Lin Yuan curiously asked the system in his heart: "Will I be electrocuted by the system? Or will it annihilate me? Wait a minute!"

Lin Yuan's face changed slightly: "It won't deduct money, right? No way, no way, no way, right?"

[System Rule One: Never harm the host]

[Additionally, a friendly reminder: Electrocuting, annihilating, each is more terrifying than deducting money. Please prioritize]

"As long as it doesn't deduct money, that's fine."

Lin Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. But soon, he realized that even if the system wanted to deduct money, he had none to give...

This realization made him feel a bit dispirited.

...

After class,

Lin Yuan didn't return to his dormitory. Instead, he found a quiet place, took out his phone, looked up a number, and called. The contact name was:

"Agent Zhao Yu."

After two rings, the call was connected.

On the other end was a slightly tired female voice: "Lin Yuan? What's up?"

Lin Yuan said, "I have a song I want to release."

The voice on the other end became a bit excited: "Want to release a song? Has your voice recovered? Can you sing again?"

"No."

Lin Yuan said, "I've switched from the vocal department to the composition department. I have a song now and was wondering if the company could help find a singer to perform and release it?"

"I see."

Zhao Yu sounded a bit disappointed, her voice became low again: "You're thinking of participating in the Newcomers Talent Season in November, right?"

"Yes."

"I have to remind you, you are a singer signed to our Starlight Entertainment, not a songwriter. The company has a dedicated lyricist department to coordinate with the singers. Most singers also have their own collaborating lyricists and composers..." Zhao Yu's rejection was very tactful.

But Lin Yuan didn't give up: "Can I transfer to the songwriting department then?"

He really needed the company's distribution channels.

Without the resources provided by the company, even a very outstanding song could easily sink without a trace. In past Newcomers Talent Seasons, those who stood out all had the backing of entertainment companies.

"No!"

Zhao Yu flatly refused.

After about ten seconds of silence, Zhao Yu suddenly sighed, sounding somewhat resigned: "Fine, encrypt the song and send it to me using the company's internal channel. If the quality is good, I'll find someone to help you release it. Of course, if the quality isn't up to par, we'll act as if this never happened."

"Thank you."

Lin Yuan sincerely expressed his gratitude.

Zhao Yu was the one who had originally signed Lin Yuan. She had high hopes for him, but unfortunately, Lin Yuan's voice suffered an accident, rendering him less valuable.

In such circumstances, the fact that Zhao Yu was still willing to lend Lin Yuan a hand already showed a significant amount of goodwill.

"That's it then. Bye."

Zhao Yu, sounding a bit agitated, ended the call.

...

Zhao Yu's irritability was not targeted at Lin Yuan, but it was indeed because of him.

Also, because the music industry's Newcomers Talent Season was next month, Zhao Yu had a lot on her plate.

She still had several newly signed artists under her who aimed to make a splash during this annual season.

Originally, Lin Yuan was supposed to be one of them.

Zhao Yu had even considered inviting the company's top songwriters to craft songs tailored for Lin Yuan, hoping he would make a grand debut in this upcoming season, given his impressively gifted voice.

But fate had other plans.

"Since he can't pursue a singing career, he wants to try his hand at songwriting?"

Zhao Yu shook her head with a bitter smile. If songwriting was that easy, why didn't some superstar singers write their own songs and instead rely on professional songwriting maestros?

Did they not want to?

Or was it because they couldn't produce good songs that resonated with the audience?

In today's era, a songwriter's status is much higher than that of a singer, especially considering the current practical industry ecosystem.

Composers are the backbone!

If a company has a top-notch composer, they can support a multitude of singers.

In fact, in recent years, audiences have increasingly paid attention to the names of songwriters.

Clearly, the public has started to realize that composition is the soul of a song, and the performance is secondary.

While aspects like lyrics and arrangement are essential, the heart of a song – the composition – is even more vital than the performance.

A good composition sounds delightful with just about any instrument.

Be it guitar, piano, bass, or even the oboe. Given the right tune, any instrument can shine.

"That kid is indeed pitiable."

Recalling some past events, Zhao Yu sighed.

When Lin Yuan was hospitalized, Zhao Yu, being his agent, did visit him. But she ultimately stopped at the door of his ward.

She heard the raspy, sobbing cries coming from the room. The sounds resembled that of a wounded puppy...

Everyone has a compassionate side.

This was why Zhao Yu wanted to help Lin Yuan.

Regardless of success or failure, she wanted to give the boy a chance, so he'd realize that in this world, not everything goes as planned, even with the best intentions.

"However, you've put me in a tight spot."

Zhao Yu sighed, her face showing signs of distress. This was the source of her agitation—

Each year's Newcomers Talent Season is when major companies push their newcomers.

During this period, the companies compete fiercely.

Even when considering all eight continents, Starlight Entertainment is a reputable company.

In Qin state, Starlight's overall strength is even ranked in the top three!

However, Starlight has underperformed in the Newcomers Talent Season for three consecutive years.

In these three years, the company's best achievement was pushing two newcomers into the top ten, and even then, they barely made it at ninth and tenth...

This was unsatisfactory compared to peer companies.

What infuriated Starlight the most was their rival company, Sahara Entertainment. Last year, they claimed four spots in the Newcomers Talent Season's top ten, including the prestigious second and third spots.

This left the executives at Starlight embarrassed, especially considering the fierce rivalry between major entertainment companies in Qin state. Consequently, the higher-ups naturally pressured Zhao Yu, Starlight's chief agent.

Left with no choice, Zhao Yu, in front of all the executives, made a solemn pledge:

This upcoming sSeason, they would have a newcomer in the top three!

If they failed, she would voluntarily request a demotion.

And the reason Zhao Yu dared to make such a commitment was not only due to the pressure from the executives but also because she had just signed Lin Yuan, a teenager with an astonishing voice. She was ambitious and eager to achieve great things—

She believed Lin Yuan could help her fulfill this mission.

But now, with Lin Yuan's voice gone, the pledge remained.

Executives only care about results, not the obstacles faced in achieving them.

Therefore, recently Zhao Yu has been frantically searching for someone who could replace Lin Yuan and fulfill her pledged commitment, and has already recommended nine newcomers as a result.

But deep down, Zhao Yu knew the truth.

Of the nine newcomers she had put forward, while hoping to break into the top twenty was feasible, making it to the top ten depended on luck.

Aiming for the top five or even top three?

Might as well give it up; it's a mere pipe dream.

The company's resources allow for ten spots, and with only one spot remaining, Zhao Yu still hadn't found anyone who could replace Lin Yuan.

She was almost on the verge of giving up.

That's why, in the end, she agreed to Lin Yuan's request.

After all, it's just the last spot. If the song Lin Yuan wrote was of acceptable quality, why not satisfy the wishes of that pitiable boy?

At that moment,

Her phone buzzed.

It was an email notification sound. Sent through the company's internal encrypted channel, the sender was Lin Yuan.

Opening the email,

After decryption, Zhao Yu saw the audio file sent by Lin Yuan, titled: "Life Like a Summer Flower."

Life Like a Summer Flower?

While Zhao Yu didn't fully grasp the meaning, the title evoked certain images. She put on her headphones and pressed play.

The song concluded rather quickly.

Zhao Yu looked both surprised and taken aback.

Unlike other rough samples, the song Lin Yuan sent was polished. Not only was the melody well-fleshed out, but even the arrangement was complete—

This wasn't something that could be whipped up overnight.

The vocals, however, were mere hums synthesized by a machine.

Still, this sound was softer than the typical mechanical sounds, seeming quite natural.

But with her experience, Zhao Yu could tell that this emotionless humming, when replaced with actual vocals, would be very promising.

"Quite interesting."

Zhao Yu is an agent.

While she may have limited knowledge about composition, her years in the industry have honed her judgment.

She felt "Life Like a Summer Flower" could be a great song, especially since she found herself slightly drawn to it, even if it currently only had a melody and synthesized hums.

"Does this guy genuinely have a talent for composing?"

Raising an eyebrow, Zhao Yu made three consecutive calls.

The first call was to the review department: "I have a song here. Review it urgently. I need the results by tonight."

This step was crucial.

A technical review was necessary to ensure that Lin Yuan's "Life Like a Summer Flower" didn't resemble any other songs in the market, preventing allegations of plagiarism. If any issues arose, the damage to the company's reputation would be severe.

The second call was to her subordinate agents.

As the chief agent, Zhao Yu's tone was commanding: "We're recording tonight. It's the last slot for the upcoming Season. Bring someone reliable. Don't overburden the audio engineer."

To Zhao Yu, new artists without top-notch vocals weren't a huge concern.

It just meant the company's audio engineers would have to put in some extra hours.

The third call was to Lin Yuan. Her tone was the gentlest among the three, devoid of the earlier assertiveness: "I'll pick you up from your school tonight. We'll record the song."

"Alright."

Lin Yuan replied.

This tone seemed... unsurprised?