Full-time Artist Chapter 3: Military order

"When a song's main melody stretches for a considerable duration, it can be divided into multiple smaller sections, commonly referred to as phrases. Each phrase can be performed with subtle variations, for instance, like this..."

The subsequent morning arrived.

Within the Composition Department's professional curriculum.

Lin Yuan diligently absorbed the instructor's lecture, diligently jotting down notes in his book.

Despite the original owner's transition from the vocal music program to composition, and possessing only moderate talent for composition itself, any field connected to music fell within the original owner's sphere of interest.

Lin Yuan shared this same passion for music.

He wasn't keen on the prospect of creating a multitude of songs in the future without even recognizing musical notation – a sign of inadequacy.

What Lin Yuan hadn't anticipated was that dedicating himself seriously to professional coursework would yield unexpected benefits.

A distinct chime resonated in his ear: "Ding Dong, the host is detected learning composition knowledge, triggering a novice quest."

Immediately after.

Before Lin Yuan's eyes, several lines of shimmering azure text materialized:

[Quest Name: Student's Quest for Knowledge]

[Quest Content: Achieve a placement within the top 25 of the class in the upcoming music theory examination administered by the academy]

[Quest Reward: Acquire a Bronze Treasure Chest]

This introductory quest appeared quite suddenly, yet Lin Yuan wasn't overwhelmingly surprised.

Could a system truly be a system without issuing quests?

He then contemplated the difficulty level of this particular quest:

The Composition Department at Qinzhou Conservatory of Music comprised ten distinct classes, with approximately fifty students in each. Lin Yuan's own class had precisely fifty individuals.

However, this detail held no significance for Lin Yuan.

His objective was not to compete against students from other classes.

The novice quest merely required Lin Yuan to secure a position among the top 25 students within his own class during the impending examination.

This presented no significant challenge for Lin Yuan.

Typically, Lin Yuan's performance in professional courses placed him around 30th in the class rankings. With a modest increase in effort, he should be capable of breaking into the top 25.

"What occurs if the quest is failed?"

Lin Yuan inquired of the system, his curiosity piqued: "Will the system deliver a jolt? Or perhaps complete obliteration? Hold on!"

Lin Yuan's expression shifted slightly: "Surely, you don't intend to deduct funds? No, no, no, no?"

System Rule Number One: Never inflict harm upon the host.

[A further friendly reminder: Electric shocks, obliteration – all are considerably more dreadful than monetary deductions. Kindly prioritize accordingly, host.]

"No deductions? That is perfectly acceptable."

Lin Yuan exhaled in relief, only to immediately realize that even if the system *had* intended to deduct funds, he possessed none for the system to take...

This realization sparked a flicker of amusement within him.

Post-class activities.

Lin Yuan bypassed his dormitory, opting instead to locate a secluded spot. He retrieved a contact from his phone and initiated a call. The contact was labeled:

"Broker Zhao Yu"

The phone rang twice before connecting.

A weary female voice answered, "Lin Yuan? Is there something you require?"

Lin Yuan stated, "I have a song I wish to release."

The voice on the other end of the line suddenly sounded more animated: "You wish to sing? Has your voice recovered? Can you sing again?"

"No."

Lin Yuan clarified, "I've transitioned from the vocal music department to composition, and recently, I've finished a song. I'm hoping the company can help find a vocalist to perform and release it?"

"I see."

Zhao Jue expressed a hint of disappointment, her tone softening, "You're also aiming for the November Rookie Season, correct?"

"Yes."

"I must remind you, you are an artist signed under Starman Entertainment, not a songwriter affiliated with the company. Within the company, there exists a dedicated song and music department for singers, and most singers have their own assigned songwriters..." Zhao Jue's rejection was polite yet firm.

Lin Yuan persisted, "Then, could I perhaps transfer to the songwriting department now?"

He genuinely required the company's distribution network.

Without the promotional resources provided by a company, even an exceptionally good song could easily disappear without a trace. The emerging artists from previous Rookie Seasons consistently benefited from the substantial backing of their entertainment companies.

"Absolutely not!"

Zhao Jue firmly denied his request.

A silence stretched for approximately ten seconds before Zhao Jue sighed, her voice laced with resignation, "Very well. Encrypt the song using the company's internal channels and send it to me. If the quality is high, I will endeavor to find someone to assist with its release. Naturally, if the quality proves insufficient, we will pretend this conversation never occurred."

"Thank you."

Lin Yuan offered his sincere gratitude.

It was Zhao Jue who was responsible for signing Lin Yuan. Once holding great expectations for him, those hopes were dashed when Lin Yuan suffered an accident that rendered his voice beyond recovery.

Zhao Jue's continued willingness to assist Lin Yuan in this predicament was already a significant act of kindness.

"That's all for now, goodbye."

Zhao Jue terminated the call with a hint of vexation.

Zhao Jue's irritation wasn't aimed at Lin Yuan personally, but its origin was indeed Lin Yuan.

Furthermore, the impending newcomer season next month meant Zhao Jue was overwhelmed with responsibilities.

Several other newly signed artists under her management were aiming to make their mark during the annual newcomer competition.

Lin Yuan was originally slated to be among these promising talents.

Zhao Jue had even planned to enlist the company's premier songwriters to craft bespoke songs for Lin Yuan, envisioning him as a breakout star of the rookie season, given his truly astounding vocal abilities.

Alas, circumstances had taken an unfavorable turn.

"So, the path of a singer is no longer viable, and now he wishes to pivot to songwriting and music composition?"

Zhao Jue offered a wry smile, shaking her head. If composition were that straightforward, wouldn't renowned divas pen their own hits instead of relying on professional songwriters?

Was it a lack of desire?

No, it was simply that they couldn't produce songs that resonated deeply with audiences.

In today's industry, a composer's standing far surpasses that of a singer, especially within the current pragmatic business landscape.

The composer is the true powerhouse!

A single exceptional composer can sustain an entire roster of singers for a company.

Indeed, in recent years, listeners have shown increasing attention to the names of composers.

It's evident that the public is beginning to recognize composition as the very soul of a song, with singing relegated to a secondary importance!

Elements such as lyrics and arrangement are also crucial, but the core musical creation holds more significance than the vocal performance.

A strong melody can elevate any instrument!

Whether it's a guitar, piano, bass, or oboe, if one truly desires to play, even a suona can be adapted to perform a song with flair.

"This young man is truly unfortunate."

Recalling past events, Zhao Jue felt a pang of regret.

During Lin Yuan's hospitalization, Zhao Jue, as his agent, had indeed visited. However, she ultimately stopped short of his ward door.

From beyond the door, she had overheard his hoarse, whimpering cries – sounds akin to an injured puppy...

Compassion is a universal human trait.

This empathy was the driving force behind Zhao Jue's desire to help Lin Yuan.

Not necessarily aiming for success, but at the very least, to offer the young man an opportunity, to let him understand that not everything in life is guaranteed.

"Yet, you have put me in quite a difficult position."

Zhao Jue sighed, a shadow of sadness crossing her features – the source of her current vexation.

The annual newcomer season serves as a crucial period for major companies to promote their emerging artists.

During this time, intense competition unfolds among these corporations.

Even across the vast expanse of the eight continents, Astral Entertainment stands as a reputable company.

Within Qinzhou, Astral Entertainment's overall strength consistently places it among the top three contenders!

However, Astral Entertainment has experienced a streak of lackluster performances in the newcomer season for three consecutive years.

In the past three years, the company's most notable achievement was launching two newcomers who secured spots within the top ten the year before last, barely clinging to the ninth and tenth positions...

Compared to companies of similar caliber, their performance has been truly disappointing.

What irks Astral Entertainment the most is that their direct competitor, Shahai Culture, claimed four spots in the top ten of the newcomer season rankings last year.

These four positions included the highly coveted second and third places.

This setback left the executives of Astral Group collectively demoralized. After all, the major entertainment companies in Qinzhou were constantly vying for dominance, leading the executives to exert considerable pressure on Zhao Jue, the company's chief agent.

Cornered, Zhao Jue issued a solemn pledge before all the company's high-ranking officials:

This year's rookie season must yield a top-three ranking!

Failure to achieve this goal would result in her demotion.

The confidence behind Zhao Jue's bold declaration stemmed not only from the pressure exerted by her superiors but also from the recent signing of the prodigious Lin Yuan, whose voice had astounded her, brimming with ambition and poised for a triumphant debut.

She had believed Lin Yuan would be instrumental in helping her fulfill this commitment.

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

As long as the higher-ups see results, their personal circumstances become irrelevant.

Consequently, Zhao Jue has been desperately searching for a replacement for Lin Yuan to fulfill the military order. To this end, she has put forward nine new recruits consecutively.

However, Zhao Jue was acutely aware of the reality.

The nine newcomers she had recommended had a chance to break into the top 20, and reaching the top 10 would depend on sheer luck.

Aiming for the top five or even the top three?

That was a pipe dream; one might as well wash up and go to sleep.

Although the company's resources could allocate ten spots, only one remained, yet Zhao Jue still hadn't found anyone to replace Lin Yuan.

She was already in a state of near resignation.

This was precisely why she had ultimately agreed to Lin Yuan's request.

After all, it was merely the last spot. If the quality of the songs Lin Yuan produced was barely up to par, why not indulge the hopeful young artist?

Just then.

Her phone rang.

It was the mailbox alert tone, indicating an encrypted message sent through the company's internal channels, with Lin Yuan as the sender.

She opened her mailbox.

After decryption, Zhao Jue found the audio file from Lin Yuan, titled: "Born as Summer Flowers."

Born like summer flowers?

Zhao Jue couldn't quite grasp the meaning of the phrase, yet a faint sense of imagery stirred within her. She put on her headphones and clicked play.

Soon, she finished listening to the song.

Zhao Jue's expression shifted, a mix of surprise and bewilderment.

Unlike the crude demos, the song Lin Yuan sent was remarkably complete. Not only was the melody fully formed, but the arrangement was also finished.

This was not something that could be accomplished in a short period.

The vocal part consisted of pure humming, a synthesized sound produced by a machine.

However, this synthesized sound was less stiff than typical machine-generated vocals, appearing quite natural.

Still, based on her experience, Zhao Jue could tell that if this impassioned hum were replaced by a human voice, it would likely be astonishing.

"Interesting."

Zhao Jue was an agent.

While she might possess some understanding of composition, her years in the industry had honed her basic judgment.

She felt that "Life as a Summer Flower" had the potential to be a great song, as she found herself somewhat captivated, even with just the humming melody and synthesized sound.

"Does this kid genuinely possess talent in songwriting?"

Raising her eyebrows, Zhao Jue made three consecutive phone calls.

The first call was to the review department: "I have a song here. Please review it with expedited priority- I need the results by tonight."

This was a necessary step.

The technical review was crucial to ensure Lin Yuan's "Life as a Summer Flower" wasn't too similar to existing songs on the market, which could lead to accusations of plagiarism. Any issues here would severely damage the company's reputation.

The second call was to her subordinate agent.

As the chief agent, Zhao Jue's voice was firm: "Record tonight. For the last spot in the new season, give me someone reliable, but don't make it too difficult for the sound engineer to train."

A newcomer whose voice wasn't top-tier was acceptable to Zhao Jue.

It merely meant the company's sound engineer would have to work overtime.

The third call was to Lin Yuan. Her voice softened considerably, lacking the commanding tone of the first two calls: "I'll pick you up from your school tonight, and we'll head to the studio to record the song."

"Okay."

Lin Yuan replied.

That tone... seemed unsurprised?