Thunder and Dew

A bronze treasure chest?

Lin Yuan stared at the inventory grid in his system, voicing his unexpected concern, "There isn't a bomb inside this chest, right?"

The system chose to ignore Lin Yuan's remark.

For safety's sake, Lin Yuan made an excuse to visit the restroom. Only then did he dare to open his first-ever bronze treasure chest.

[Reward: Professional-Level Piano Skills]

Upon opening the chest, a myriad of piano techniques flooded Lin Yuan's mind.

Techniques such as arpeggios, chords, finger rotations, large jumps, and various musical scales.

"That's it?"

Lin Yuan was slightly disappointed.

After all, the original host had achieved the 10th-grade piano level at Blue Star. Achieving this level was not particularly difficult for a child with dreams of a musical career.

The system seemed dissatisfied with Lin Yuan's attitude.

Using its emotionless synthesized voice, the system responded, "The chests come in four levels: bronze, silver, gold, and diamond. Even the lowest level, the bronze chest, contains valuable items."

"And what level does 'professional' equate to?" Lin Yuan needed to clarify the system's standard for "professional".

The system responded, "Following 'professional' is 'top-notch', after which is 'master', and then 'perfect'. These correspond to silver, gold, and the precious diamond chests respectively."

"When will I receive these chests?"

"There are generally two ways for the host to obtain them. The first is by completing tasks assigned by the system. The second is by accumulating a certain amount of reputation points, such as reaching a total of 10,000."

"What's my current reputation?"

The moment Lin Yuan's words landed, a set of light-blue text materialized in front of him:

[Age: 19]

[Life Span: 22]

[Painting: 45]

[Literature: 105]

[Music: 2509]

[Total: 2659]

[Others: Waiting to be Unlocked]

The categories of painting and literature remained unchanged, but the music category had noticeably increased. Likely a result of the recent acquisition of piano skills and the reputation earned from recording the song "Life Like Summer Flowers".

It seemed the total reputation would likely exceed 10,000 once "Life Like Summer Flowers" was officially released.

After washing his hands, Lin Yuan exited the restroom.

At this moment, the finance and legal departments of Starlight Entertainment approached him to sign a contract. A standard procedure concerning the song "Life Like Summer Flowers".

The contract specified—

Upon the release of "Life Like Summer Flowers", 80% of the song's profits would belong to the company. The remaining 20% would be split between Lin Yuan and Sun YaoHuo.

Of that, Sun YaoHuo would receive 5%, while Lin Yuan, having contributed both lyrics and composition, as well as completing the arrangement, would receive 15%.

Sun YaoHuo had no objections.

He viewed the performance of "Life Like Summer Flowers" not as a monetary opportunity but as his debut chance, so he signed without hesitation.

Lin Yuan also had no objections.

Though he too wished for a larger share, like Sun YaoHuo, they were both newcomers. Newcomers had no say in negotiating terms with the company. How the company divided the profits was not their concern.

Only industry heavyweights could make the company yield on profit distribution.

Once the contracts were signed, a representative from the finance department reminded Lin Yuan, "The song will be released promptly on November 1st. By then, all major channels partnering with our company will feature the song."

"Understood."

Lin Yuan nodded in acknowledgment.

Upon signing the contract, staff from the Publicity Department approached Lin Yuan. They handed him a form to fill out.

"Start with your name."

The staff member from the Publicity Department instructed Lin Yuan, "You can use your real name for the lyrics and music column, or a pseudonym. Once chosen, it's best not to change it."

"Xian Yu, is that alright?"

"You're not going with your real name?"

Lin Yuan nodded. He was reluctant to be too conspicuous. If he could remain under the radar, that's what he preferred.

"That's fine."

The staff assured him there would be no problem.

Hence, under the columns for song lyrics and composition, Lin Yuan wrote down the pseudonym "Xian Yu."

Though his memories from his previous life were vague, Lin Yuan recalled certain classic poetic lines, such as this one:

While gazing into the depths and yearning for the fish, it's more fruitful to step back and craft a net.

But didn't "Xian Yu" sound a bit like "salted fish"?(*)

Following that, the form asked for the inspiration behind the song's creation.

Lin Yuan paused in thought.

Seeing his hesitance, the experienced staff member advised, "Don't stress about it. Write down whatever comes to mind. Most other songwriters do the same. After all, it's not like anyone pays it much attention."

"Mmm."

After pondering for a moment, Lin Yuan wrote down: "To live as brilliantly as summer flowers, to die as gracefully as autumn leaves."

This was the origin of the song's title.

Having finished, he turned to leave.

The staff member glanced at the poetic line Lin Yuan left behind and was momentarily lost in thought—

To live as brilliantly as summer flowers, to die as gracefully as autumn leaves.

In a world without Tagore's poetry, such a line bore significant weight. Even for those lacking literary appreciation, one could feel the profound depth and life-like quality from this succinct verse.

Coming back to his senses, the staff member murmured with a smile, "Looks like the publicity team won't have a hard time coming up with a promotional headline this time."

...

As Lin Yuan left, he texted Zhao Jue, and when there was no response, he headed back to the university by taxi.

Meanwhile, at Starlight Entertainment's main office.

Zhao Jue faced pressure directly from the company's boss, with no time to check her phone.

"This year, Sahara plans to launch Qian XingYu as a debut during the Newcomers Talent Season. How do you intend to respond?"

The boss's tone was calm.

But Zhao Jue could sense the underlying discontent.

For a valid reason. Qian XingYu wasn't a newcomer. He was the supporting male lead in a recently popular drama.

What was the unwritten rule for the Newcomers Talent Season?

That any newcomer to the music industry could release a song during this period.

Yet Qian XingYu, an actor with a certain degree of fame wanting to release a song, could also be counted as a newcomer to the music world.

After all, he had only acted before and never sang.

However, this wasn't fair to the other newcomers.

Many established actors valued their reputation. To avoid industry controversies, they would refrain from releasing songs during the Newcomers Talent Season to compete with true newcomers.

However, newcomers like Qian XingYu weren't bound by this.

Having recently gained popularity from a hit drama, he stood out among the crowd.

As a result, he had a considerable advantage. With the backing of a popular drama, his song's promotion would be straightforward. Even if the song's quality wasn't top-notch, his existing fans would help boost its rankings!

Thinking about this, Zhao Jue carefully chose her words, "Qian XingYu is undoubtedly targeting the number one spot. If he takes first place, the value of second and third place will naturally increase..."

"You are indeed careful with your words," said the boss, a refined middle-aged man.

The general manager of Starlight Entertainment, while appearing quite amicable on the outside, was not as simple as he looked. Everyone in the company understood that appearances could be deceiving.

This elegant and amiable-looking boss could become ferocious when provoked, comparable to the arrival of a demon king.

His fingers tapped lightly on the desk. In a calm voice, the boss said, "Your commitments for this year were rather rash... Aiming for the top three in the Newcomers Talent Season! If the target isn't met, even I won't be able to shield you... In that case, I'll have to demote you for a while. You might have to work at a lower position for perhaps a year or so before returning to your role as the chief manager."

"Understood," Zhao Jue replied, taking a deep breath. Ever since Lin Yuan lost his voice, she had been mentally prepared for the challenges ahead.

"Furthermore," the boss reminded her, "even if none of our new artists make it to the top three, we should still occupy several spots in the top ten. And try to get our best newcomer as high as possible on the list. Only then can I speak up for you in front of the company's higher-ups."

"I understand," Zhao Jue nodded. She knew the boss had been kind to her. After all, she had risen to the position of chief manager mostly because of his guidance and support over the years.

"You may leave now," the boss waved her off.

Nodding, Zhao Jue exited the office. After recomposing herself, she took out her phone to call Lin Yuan. "Where are you? I can drop you at the university."

"I'm already back at the university," Lin Yuan replied. "I texted you earlier. You might have missed it."

Zhao Jue paused for a moment, then replied, "Alright then. Be safe on your way. Come November's season, I'll see if I can arrange better resources for you. Aim for the top ten on the charts. Personally, I think your song is promising."

"Thanks, Sister Zhao," Lin Yuan replied. Even if he was somewhat obtuse at times, he could feel Zhao Jue's care and concern. From many details, it was evident that she genuinely appreciated the original Lin Yuan.

"No need for thanks. Take care," Zhao Jue said with a chuckle, though her smile held a hint of bitterness.

Helping you is, in essence, helping myself. If we can squeeze one more into the top ten, maybe the storm looming over me would lighten just a tad...