Chapter 96: So Long as You Desire It, So Long as I Have It

Rest assured, as long as you are willing, the company has plenty of directing coaches. They could turn even a bronze player into a king-level performer.

At the words, Lin Yu’s eyes lit up. Professional guidance? Why not say so sooner? If he had known, he would have agreed to this three hundred thousand without a second thought.

He had entered the industry in the first place to become famous, to stand alone at the summit. Development on multiple fronts was naturally a good thing, something that could help him realize his dream faster.

The collaboration with O&O Music had gone exceptionally well. Both the listening numbers and the promotional boost had achieved the effect Jia Yi had wanted, so the second song was naturally given priority for continued cooperation with them.

Last night, Lin Yu had fought on until three in the morning and kept winning steadily, not putting down his phone to sleep until he reached eighty stars.

Early that morning, Xiao Lin had gone out to negotiate the collaboration, and around noon she brought back the contract and handed it to Lin Yu, who signed in a daze.

Xiao Lin frowned at him, originally wanting to pull his ear and wake him up on the spot, but then she remembered that was Jia Yi’s specialty.

The two women exchanged a look. Jia Yi reached out directly and twisted his ear. Lin Yu jolted awake from the pain.

"Dammit... Boss, ow, ow, ow!"

"So now you know it hurts? When you sign contracts, you do not read a single word. When it is time to pay damages, your flesh will hurt even more."

"Aren’t you afraid of getting ripped off?"

Lin Yu flopped back onto the bed in a spread-eagle posture, wearing an utterly indifferent, let-it-all-burn expression.

"Oh, how could my dearest boss ever cheat me?"

"Besides, someone as musically gifted as I am is rare in this world. Boss, you wouldn’t want to lose talent like me, would you?"

"Unless... Boss, you do not love me anymore!"

The words came out in a spoiled, teasing tone, innocent to the speaker but suggestive to the listener. Xiao Lin, watching from the side, swept an ambiguous glance back and forth between the two of them. Jia Yi restrained herself from slapping him and merely pouted, too lazy to say another word.

Why was Lin Yu so certain Jia Yi would not set him up? Even in his past life, it had been precisely because he trusted women too much that he had ended up betrayed and lost his life.

It was all because of interests.

A relationship of interests was a delicate thing. If you could bring the other party enough benefit, and more than anyone else could, then even if you were shameless every day, the boss would still be reluctant to have you killed.

But if the benefit you could offer was not even as much as what a third party could casually provide, then the recipient, in pursuit of a better life, would plan at any moment to make you disappear from her world.

For Jia Yi, he belonged to the former. And the benefits he could bring would be continuous. Over the next four years, countless great songs would spring up like bamboo shoots after rain, and he could seize the publishing rights before those songs were ever released.

Then all the benefits those songs would bring in the future would belong to Lin Yu alone.

As long as he wished it, he could at any moment become the richest man in the world, and in the eyes of others, the most talented singer-songwriter.

As for whether Xiao Lin would cheat him? That was not even worth considering.

It was said that Xiao Lin’s ancestors had served the Jia family from generation to generation. As household stewards who had served the family through the ages, they understood the word loyalty better than anyone in the world.

As long as Jia Yi did not nod in agreement, Xiao Lin would never dare harbor a second heart.

One must not forget: when the master is well-off, the dog kept at home eats better too. When the master is not well-off, the dog too will face the fate of being cast aside and left to wander the streets.

Hearing Lin Yu compare herself to a dog, Xiao Lin curled her lips in exasperation. Did this brat even know how to speak? If he did not, he might as well donate his mouth.

Though it must be said that in ancient times, centuries ago, the chief steward of a high official’s household held a very high status. It was only later, as the times changed, that the duties of a steward were gradually divided among several professions, and the word steward slowly declined in status.

Because Jia Yi treated her well, Xiao Lin, loving the master, loved the dog as well, and did not take Lin Yu’s words too seriously.

Jia Yi shot Lin Yu a glare. "As a performer, you must always pay attention to your image."

Xiao Lin looked at Jia Yi with gratitude shining in her eyes. As expected of the young lady—she had saved a bit of face for her at a critical moment.

Lin Yu got up reluctantly. Xiao Lin had already arranged a private plane for three in the afternoon to fly to the set of the company’s newly invested drama for an audition.

On the other side, O&O Music, having received the electronic contract, also uploaded "Love Song" and "Flying Northward" at the fastest possible speed. As the first music platform to host "Flying Northward," they publicized it extravagantly; nearly the entire homepage was filled with promotional photos of Lin Yu and a live MV of "Flying Northward."

In addition, Xiao Lin’s Weibo account had also begun preparing promotional efforts.

"Flying northward—has your family been well? To all those who have drifted north to seek their fortune, you have worked hard. Singer A Yu performs with all his heart this song, 'Flying Northward,' dedicated to you who struggle so earnestly!"

The moment the song was put on the listening platforms, it reached a million clicks within half an hour, and the comment section surged past 999 plus.

"Dammit, this song made me cry my eyes out! I think of my great-grandma!"

"What kind of god-tier creator is this? He has written out all the deepest cries of the people who have gone north to seek work!"

"Help me, it is just too good! That sense of powerlessness and frustration in the voice sings the voice of most people who drift north!!"

"Wuwuwu, I feel so sorry for Dog Yu. Dog Yu must be suffering too, right? Go, Dog Yu!"

"I’m buying a ticket home to eat dinner tonight! Mom, wait for me! I miss you!!"

"Hey, upstairs, it seems like we’re from the same hometown. Want to go back together?"

"Nice, a giant blind date scene?!"

"..."

At three, the private plane did not require waiting; boarding led straight to takeoff. After a half-hour journey, it arrived at the hotel arranged by the production crew at three forty-five for a rest.

At four ten, after the meeting ended, Director Wu De followed Jia Yi to Lin Yu’s room. Along the way, he had already heard Jia Yi praise him countless times. Only upon seeing the real person did Wu De feel that some things truly could not be perfectly described in words.

Standing at one meter eighty, solidly built, and more handsome than most of the pretty boys in the entertainment industry, just his looks alone were enough to draw in a considerable audience for a male lead role.

Wu De could not understand it. With such a handsome artist hidden away and not made the male lead, but instead cast as a supporting role, what on earth was the boss thinking? Isn’t the current film and television industry exactly like this—good looks outweigh everything? Many major IP productions are all hiring handsome men and beautiful women, and the audience’s standards for film and television have quietly changed as well.

These days, watching the plot is not even as interesting as watching pretty women and handsome men.

Of course Wu De would never dare ask what the boss meant. The boss gave the money; he did the work. Besides, even for a supporting role in a major IP production, there were many traffic idols fighting for it.

In terms of fame and popularity, Lin Yu could not compare to most of the traffic stars coming to compete for auditions, so arranging him for such a supporting role already showed sufficient regard.

Moreover, the character’s setup suited Lin Yu’s handsome appearance perfectly. Later, with a little makeup to sketch out that fragile, sickly-yet-obsessive aura, he would sit in a wheelchair, say little, require only a convincing gaze, silently watch the female lead and male lead end up together, and add a bit of backstory memory for the character.