Chapter 28: Anyone Is Fine, Just Not Her!

Kong Qishui was born in the 1970s. He had truly lived through the era described in the story. If Qu An'an's empathy came from a similar upbringing, then for Kong Qishui, the narrative unearthed warm memories of those times. In the 1980s, he was just over ten years old, already forming independent thoughts. Though his family was fairly affluent then, he had witnessed, heard, and felt so much more. Now, as a father himself, with a daughter only just entering her teens, he understood better than anyone what a father must endure.

After listening, he remained silent. A long while passed before he turned, wiped the dampness from the corner of his eye, and asked Su Chen, "This song... did you write it recently?"

Su Chen nodded calmly.

"Good! Good... very good..." He wasn't sure if he was praising the song or Su Chen's songwriting.

"This song bears a resemblance to one of our company's projects!" Something suddenly struck him, and he frowned in thought.

"It's the microfilm 'My Father' by the Directing Department of Capital Normal University."

"Yes, that's right!" With Su Chen's reminder, Kong Qishui recalled it.

"I plan to submit this song as the theme for the microfilm," Su Chen said.

Kong Qishui looked at Su Chen with firm conviction in his eyes. "Believe me! This song will definitely be chosen!"

At the same time, his gaze toward Su Chen subtly changed. If before they had assumed Su Chen's success was merely luck, an occasional stroke of genius, then what did this song signify?

After calming his emotions, he listened to the second song, "Boundless Seas and Skies."

"I once doubted myself, walking in the desert,
Never reaping, no matter what dream I sowed.
Just as I spread my wings, the wind turned silent,
Accustomed to pain—is that a kind of gain?"

The song was deeply motivational, as though revealing the truth of life—the harsh reality of achieving nothing, enduring the skeptical looks of friends and family. The moving confession poured out gently through music.

"To the indifferent,
Thank you for once looking down on me,
So I never bow my head, living with more brilliance..."

He seemed to see a young person, battered by countless setbacks and the ruthless blows of reality, yet persisting on the path of dreams. Inspirational and touching!

His own life had been smooth, with few hardships. Yet he could still feel the immense power within this song. It was a song that allowed listeners to project their own emotions—once you did, it felt as though the entire song was singing the story of your life.

Another rare masterpiece!

Today's two songs were of even higher quality than "White Fox," resonating more easily with listeners. If these songs were released... and both were written by Su Chen? The standard and the output—could it really be this high?

"This song... did you also write it recently?" Kong Qishui looked at Su Chen with anticipation.

Su Chen nodded slightly, holding nothing back. This was his intention—to prove his worth, and to test the other's limits.

"Whoo!" Kong Qishui let out a long breath, his gaze toward Su Chen burning with excitement.

"So, in just one week, you wrote three songs?"

"No, 'White Fox' was composed earlier, so in one week, you produced two high-quality songs?"

Su Chen responded calmly, "Yes, both were completed this week."

Kong Qishui's face lit up with delight.

If... if this standard could be sustained, Su Chen becoming a gold-level composer was almost certain. He could vouch for this with his professional experience. Was the company about to welcome another gold-level composer? The thought reminded him of Su Chen's inquiry a week prior, about advancing to silver and gold-level composer status. At the time, Wang Yan and the others had found it amusing, thinking the young man was somewhat arrogant. Now, it seemed their judgment had been a bit too hasty. The realization made his old face flush.

"What about the issue with Wu Di?" Su Chen asked steadily.

Kong Qishui replied firmly, "Don't worry about Wu Di; there's nothing to worry about! She relies on bringing in some money for the company, but she's gotten carried away. This sort of thing has happened before! I'll handle it—you don't need to concern yourself."

Su Chen was pleased to hear this. This was exactly the effect he wanted. Facts proved that truth always stands on the side of value.

Kong Qishui's thoughts were straightforward. A composer with the potential for gold-level status was far more valuable than any artist, even one currently making money for the company. With a prolific gold-level composer in place, the company could cultivate a new batch of artists anytime. That scenario alone was thrilling to imagine.

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General Manager Wang Yan listened to the two songs, sitting in his chair, his emotions stirred. These two were masterpieces, even better than "White Fox," surpassing Lao Jie’s previous works as well.

The most crucial point was that Su Chen had created them—Star Orange Entertainment’s new talent. And according to Kong Qishui, both were completed within a week.

"Su Chen, you are truly a genius," Wang Yan remarked with more restraint than Kong Qishui, but he could not help but praise him. This time, his compliment was sincere. Given the quality of these songs, calling Su Chen a genius was no exaggeration. Regardless of whether he would produce consistently in the future, the quality of these few songs alone was unmatched—some people could never achieve this in a lifetime. Among them were even silver and gold-level composers, whose songs had once made the Newcomer and Storm charts.

Su Chen shook his head. "Mr. Wang, I intend to use these two songs to compete in the charts!"

Wang Yan smiled at this. "Last time, you asked about advancing to silver and gold-level composer status. I thought it would take longer, but I didn’t expect you to have new works so soon. Of course, charting is a good idea—the company will fully support you!"

If Su Chen advanced, it would be good for the company as well. Pausing, Wang Yan asked, "Do you have any thoughts about how to approach charting?"

Without hesitation, Su Chen replied, "I plan to let Luo Jiaxing and Qu An'an sing, and first target the August Newcomer Chart!"

Hearing this, Wang Yan, along with Kong Qishui and Liu Wenxiong, frowned.

"Luo Jiaxing? Qu An'an?" Wang Yan looked at him in confusion, and Liu Wenxiong tentatively asked, "Trainees?"

He seemed to recall these names.

"Trainees?"

"If they’re trainees, they can only compete on the Newcomer Chart."

After a brief silence, Wang Yan broke the tension. "Would you like to hear my suggestion?"

Su Chen had no choice but to nod slightly.

"Given the quality of these two songs, you could easily try the Storm Chart. So my suggestion is to let the company’s established artists perform them and go straight for the Storm Chart. The company will invest all promotional resources. There’s a good chance! If you make it onto the Storm Chart, it will greatly benefit your advancement!"

Seeing Su Chen remain silent, Wang Yan continued, "I have two candidates in mind—see what you think."

"One is Wu Di, the other is Zheng Chengjin. Both are leading debut singers for the company. By the way, you should have heard Wu Di’s voice during the casting for 'White Fox.' You can also arrange to listen to Zheng Chengjin’s voice later—he’s particularly good with high notes. What do you think?"

At the mention of Wu Di, Su Chen replied coolly, "Anyone is fine—except Wu Di!"

...

P.S.: "Boundless Seas and Skies" original singer: Shin Band, lyrics: Yao Ruolong, music: Hun Lim, Jun Young Choi