At six in the afternoon, as soon as the class ended, Lin Yuan received a message from Jian Yi: “Want to have dinner together tonight? Xia Fan is treating!”

“No, I have something to do tonight. You and Xia Fan go ahead.”

While replying to the message, Lin Yuan stepped out of the school gate, where a red car was parked by the roadside.

“Long time no see, get in.”

The left window of the red car rolled down, and a woman took off her sunglasses, smiling as she waved at Lin Yuan.

“Hello.”

After greeting, Lin Yuan got into the car.

This woman was his agent, Zhao Jue. At thirty-five, she had faint crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes. Her smile was approachable, but when not smiling, she exuded a calm and composed aura.

“Lin Yuan.”

Glancing at Lin Yuan in the back seat through the rearview mirror, Zhao Jue started the engine: “It seems your song doesn’t have lyrics yet. Do you need me to find someone to write them? There are only ten days left until the Newcomer Season.”

“No need, the lyrics are done.”

“And the arrangement… are you using your own?”

“Yes.”

“Alright.” Zhao Jue smiled: “Do you know what the core competition of the Newcomer Season in November is?”

“What is it?”

Zhao Jue drove, eyes on the road ahead: “The Newcomer Season is a broad term. In fact, what companies really compete for is a ranking list, specifically the Qinzhou Music Newcomer Chart. Only those who make it to the top twenty are considered to have made a mark.”

“Oh.”

This wasn’t new to him.

Zhao Jue stopped at a red light, turning to glance at Lin Yuan: “Your song is good. If you achieve a decent result on the Newcomer Chart in November, I can help transfer your contract to the Composition Department.”

“Thank you.”

Lin Yuan’s eyes lit up.

He wanted to develop as a composer, which was also his field of study. It allowed him to gain the system’s recognition without having to be in the spotlight like a singer.

At that moment, Lin Yuan heard the system’s voice: “Ding dong, congratulations to the host for triggering a new task.”

[Task Name: First Song]

[Task Content: Successfully record “Life Like Summer Flowers”]

[Task Reward: One Bronze Treasure Chest]

A new task already, even before completing the last one?

Seeing the three lines of text before him, Lin Yuan felt a bit more anticipation for the upcoming recording. He hoped to succeed tonight.

Half an hour later, Lin Yuan arrived at Starlight Entertainment.

This was a fifty-story skyscraper, bustling with people in professional attire, each wearing badges from different departments of Starlight Entertainment, showcasing the company’s grandeur.

“Hello, Sister Zhao.”

Zhao Jue was a notable figure at Starlight Entertainment, and many people greeted her as they passed by. Zhao Jue responded briefly and led Lin Yuan directly to the recording studio on the ninth floor.

“Sister Zhao!”

A chubby agent who had been waiting on the ninth floor hurriedly came forward to greet Zhao Jue: “The equipment is almost ready.”

“Where’s your person?”

Zhao Jue glanced around, only seeing the busy recording studio staff.

“Uh…”

The chubby agent wiped the sweat from his forehead: “There’s a bit of traffic, so the newcomer hasn’t arrived yet. I’ve urged that brat several times! When he arrives, I’ll make sure to give him a good scolding!”

“Can’t he leave earlier if there’s traffic?”

Zhao Jue’s gaze was cold: “If you can’t manage newcomers, let someone else do it! Starting now, if he’s not here in fifteen minutes, find someone else to sing. Useless even when given a chance!”

“Alright, alright…”

The chubby agent smiled apologetically, his face pale, hands trembling as he took out his phone to make a call, cursing the tardy newcomer a hundred times in his heart.

At this moment, a woman dressed as an assistant came from the elevator, heading straight for Zhao Jue: “Sister Zhao, the manager wants to see you…”

“Got it.”

Zhao Jue rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache. The manager was definitely looking for her about the Newcomer Chart.

She blamed herself for being too arrogant.

She had dared to make a military pledge in front of the company’s top executives.

Looking at Lin Yuan, the innocent instigator, Zhao Jue felt a fire in her belly with nowhere to vent.

She could only suppress her frustration, her gaze warning the recording studio staff and the chubby agent: “The song was written by Lin Yuan. When recording, follow Lin Yuan’s lead, understand?”

“Got it.”

The chubby agent and the recording studio staff nodded at Lin Yuan behind Zhao Jue, clearly not daring to defy her orders.

Lin Yuan nodded back in acknowledgment.

Zhao Jue left for her meeting.

The chubby agent also went downstairs to make a call.

Lin Yuan and the staff waited for about ten minutes when they suddenly heard a voice shouting from afar: “If you were any later, you wouldn’t have a chance to participate in this year’s Newcomer Season, you know that? How many years have you waited to debut in the Newcomer Season? You got me scolded by Sister Zhao, and everyone knows she’s been in a bad mood lately, yet you still walk into the line of fire…”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, bro, I’m wrong!”

A short young man was nodding and bowing in apology to the chubby agent who had just gone downstairs: “I really didn’t expect to have a chance to debut this year! Don’t worry, bro! I’ll seize this opportunity today and not embarrass you! Thank you for covering for me and getting me the last spot in the Newcomer Season!”

“Stop talking, get ready to record.”

The chubby agent turned around, pressing his temples hard, probably feeling his blood pressure rising.

The young man sighed in relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking both nervous and excited. When he looked up, he saw a boy staring at him—

“Lin Yuan?”

He took a few steps closer, looked at Lin Yuan carefully, and confirmed he wasn’t mistaken, then laughed: “It’s really you, what are you doing here? Oh, I get it, you’re here for a part-time job, right?”

Lin Yuan: “…”

He was seriously trying to recall who this person was. From the original owner’s memory, this person seemed somewhat familiar.

The young man clearly didn’t know what Lin Yuan was thinking.

He raised his head, puffed out his chest, and patted Lin Yuan’s shoulder: “You really are the most outstanding junior in our Vocal Department. You’re only in your second year and already working part-time at Starlight Entertainment… Oh, working in the recording studio, huh? In that case, senior and you are sort of colleagues!”

He took out a thermos from his pocket and handed it to Lin Yuan.

The young man waved his hand: “Go get senior a cup of water. I ran all the way here and I’m exhausted, but it’s nothing. After recording this song, senior is going to debut!”

Lin Yuan: “…”

He finally remembered who the young man was.

This was Sun Yaohuo, a student from the Vocal Department at Qinzhou Art Academy, who had already graduated.

The Vocal Department held events where some graduates returned to perform, and that’s how he met the original owner, so he was indeed Lin Yuan’s senior.

And because Sun Yaohuo was quite capable, he signed with Starlight Entertainment right after graduation. The juniors and juniors in the Vocal Department admired Sun Yaohuo, who signed with a big company and had the potential to become a star.

Although Lin Yuan also signed with Starlight Entertainment, he never publicized it due to his unique health condition, so only Xia Fan and Jian Yi knew about it, and others were unaware.

“What are you standing there for?”

Sun Yaohuo laughed: “Go get me some water, senior needs to record a song. You can watch and learn from the experience, it’ll be good for you.”

“Okay.”

Lin Yuan went to get water.

The surrounding recording studio staff had strange expressions.

The chubby agent had just turned his head and saw Sun Yaohuo acting superior to Lin Yuan. His blood pressure, which had just gone down, shot up again:

“Sun Yaohuo, who do you think you are!”

He rushed over and gave Sun Yaohuo a hard chop on the back of his neck: “The song you’re going to sing was written by him. You should call him Teacher Lin!”

Then he turned to Lin Yuan, who was getting water: “Sorry, Teacher Lin, Sun Yaohuo isn’t very bright…”

“Drinking water before recording is indeed necessary.”

Lin Yuan replied seriously, not finding anything wrong, and handed the filled thermos back to Sun Yaohuo.

Sun Yaohuo took it dumbfounded.

The chubby agent, still angry, turned to scold him: “Show respect to Teacher Lin, don’t be disrespectful.”

“……”

Sun Yaohuo opened his mouth, wanting to speak but not knowing what to say, feeling his head spinning—

He’s several years younger than me!

How… how am I being disrespectful?

The staff nearby suppressed their laughter: “Newcomer, have you memorized the melody? If so, let’s go through the lyrics and get a feel for it, shall we?”

“I’ve memorized it, teacher.”

Sun Yaohuo quickly replied.

The staff looked at Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan said: “Then let’s begin.”

In the booth, Sun Yaohuo started singing along with the lyrics.

His level was quite good; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been signed by Starlight Entertainment right after graduation.

But Lin Yuan, with the original owner’s vocal experience, had high standards. If someone wanted to share the credit, even as a tool, they had to show some skill. He quickly noticed areas for improvement:

“The humming in the beginning isn’t natural enough.”

This meant starting over, and Sun Yaohuo nodded.

The music started again, soon interrupted by Lin Yuan: “The enunciation is too heavy. Lighten it up, and the emotion will be more intense.”

“Okay…”

Sun Yaohuo felt awkward being directed by his junior in various ways, suspecting Lin Yuan was deliberately making things difficult for him. Those with thinner skin might have experienced social death by now.

This might have affected his mindset.

So even after several takes, the results didn’t satisfy Lin Yuan. Finally, Lin Yuan called for a break:

“Let’s take a ten-minute break before recording again.”

As a singing tool, Sun Yaohuo could complete the song, but he hadn’t done well, probably due to mental pressure.

This wasn’t a big issue.

He just needed to adjust his mindset.

Sun Yaohuo sighed in relief, sat on a chair outside the booth, and gulped down the water in his cup.

After putting down the cup, he saw Lin Yuan naturally take it and refill it at the water dispenser.

Is he mocking me?

Sun Yaohuo’s voice was muffled: “Um… Junior… Teacher Lin…”

“Just call me junior.”

Lin Yuan said, placing the water down.

Sun Yaohuo smiled awkwardly, unable to turn hostile. He had waited too long for this debut opportunity.

He just felt uneasy, tightening the thermos lid: “Um… Junior Lin… I didn’t know you could compose…”

Lin Yuan explained: “I was sick before, which affected my voice, so I switched to the Composition Department in my second year.”

Sun Yaohuo was stunned.

Then he shook his head, sighed softly, and patted Lin Yuan’s shoulder, his voice sympathetic and regretful: “What a pity, what a pity, what a pity…”

He said “what a pity” three times.

Losing one’s voice is a desperate situation.

He couldn’t imagine not being able to sing.

Then Sun Yaohuo realized his actions were inappropriate, too presumptuous.

The boy in front of him was not just his junior; he was a lyricist and composer with some power, which explained why Lin Yuan could direct him so freely!

In other words.

If Lin Yuan insisted on replacing him with someone else to sing “Life Like Summer Flowers,” he couldn’t do anything about it, as his agent’s attitude towards Lin Yuan said it all—

His long-awaited debut opportunity was in Lin Yuan’s hands.

Realizing this, his hand, which had been patting Lin Yuan’s shoulder, awkwardly hung in the air.

“It’s okay.”

Lin Yuan hadn’t noticed Sun Yaohuo’s actions, and even if he had, he wouldn’t have minded. He sincerely thanked him on behalf of the original owner:

“Thank you.”

Sun Yaohuo was taken aback.

Looking into Lin Yuan’s clear eyes, he suddenly realized that his junior didn’t have the ulterior motives he had imagined. Lin Yuan simply saw him as a collaborator.

It was his own narrow-mindedness.

Having been influenced by the company environment after graduation, he subconsciously categorized people into different levels and acted accordingly.

First, he saw himself as a senior about to debut, thinking he could act superior, so even if he intended to look after Lin Yuan, it came off as condescending and smug.

Then he saw Lin Yuan as a powerful lyricist and composer, feeling inferior and worried about being controlled, so he acted humbly.

In reality, he was overthinking everything.

“Junior Lin!”

He took a deep breath, his hand falling naturally on Lin Yuan’s shoulder, no longer stiff: “Let’s start recording again. This time, I’m ready.”

“Alright.”

Lin Yuan stood up expectantly.

Though he didn’t know why his tool senior suddenly performed so well, the second round of recording went smoothly. Lin Yuan was very satisfied, even feeling that sharing the credit with the tool was deserved.

After all, he had worked hard.

And at the moment of completing the recording, Lin Yuan received a system notification:

[Task Completed: First Song]

[Task Reward: One Bronze Treasure Chest]