Chapter 10: Reporting to the Composition Department at Star Orange Entertainment

"Hello, may I speak with Mr. Su Chen?"
"This is HR from Star Orange Entertainment. I'm calling today to inform you that you've passed our composer interview! When would you be available to complete your onboarding?"

The next morning, Su Chen received a call from the entertainment company. After a brief conversation, they agreed that he would start work the following Monday.

It was Friday, so there were still two days left—just enough time for him to organize some of the songs in his mind.

That morning, he tidied up his computer desk and turned it into a writing desk. Now he sat there, holding a gel pen in his hand. An open notebook lay before him, with over a dozen pages already filled, each covered in musical notation.

A good memory is no match for a diligent pen!
Writing things down made them easier to organize, and it brought a sense of reassurance.

Ever since his voice recovered the previous night, it had shaken him deeply. He had originally planned to enter the industry as a composer and then look for opportunities to see if there was any hope of treating his voice.

But an unexpected, dream-like recovery forced him to reconsider his plan.

After much deliberation, he decided to begin as a composer.

If he wanted to debut as an artist, it would have to be through a talent show or company backing. Yet in this world—Blue Star—there were hardly any talent shows. Aside from "Happy Boys," there were only variety programs like "Mango Home Base." Entertainment companies never acted without certainty. Before he could prove his worth, no one would pay him any attention. Moreover, if the company did even a little digging into his past, his prospects would dim immediately.

It was better to establish some reputation as a top composer first.

For the next two days, he stayed holed up in his room, "creating." During that time, Tang Jiayi came by several times, and it took quite a bit of persuasion to send her away each time, which left Su Chen with a headache.

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Monday, at Star Orange Entertainment.

Guided remotely by HR, Su Chen made his way to the company’s entrance on the nineteenth floor.

"You must be Mr. Su Chen. Please follow me."

Su Chen trailed behind the young HR woman, crossing an open office area until they stopped in front of an office in a separate section.

The company was large, occupying the entire nineteenth floor of the building. The workspace had plenty of desks, though most were empty at the moment. Apart from the main area, two zones on either side were sectioned off with security doors—likely for confidential work.

They were now at one of those independent sections.

*Knock, knock, knock!*

HR gently tapped on the door, and a voice soon called from within.

"Come in."

Inside the modest office sat a middle-aged man with slicked-back hair, his temples flecked with grey.

"Director Kong, I’ve brought your new hire—Su Chen!"

"Su Chen, this is Director Kong, head of the composition department."

The middle-aged man stood up with a hearty laugh.

"Su, welcome!"

"I’ve seen the pieces you submitted for your interview. Not bad! Work hard!"

Su Chen smiled and greeted Director Kong.

The man was Kong Qishui, the composition department’s director.

After HR left, Kong Qishui didn’t linger in conversation. Instead, he made a phone call. Soon after, a young man arrived, appearing only a few years older than Su Chen.

"Xiao Chen, this is your new colleague Su Chen in the composition department. Show him around and then take him to meet Old Liu!"

This young man, Chen Yang, worked as a composer in the second group. He led Su Chen down the corridor to a cluster of desks.

This section had fewer desks than the main area, but nearly all were occupied, with only two or three seats free.

"That was our department director, Kong Qishui. He rarely manages day-to-day affairs—only major projects. Usually, he just reviews reports and monitors the department’s overall performance."

"Our composition department is divided into two groups, each with its own leader."

"I’ll introduce you to Group Two’s leader, Liu Wenxiong. We all call him Old Liu."

As they walked, Chen Yang continued his enthusiastic explanations.

"You probably noticed when you arrived: we have two separate areas. That side is the artist department and recording studio. This side is the composition department—and this is Group Two’s section."

As they passed by, colleagues eyed Su Chen with curiosity. Once he was out of earshot, whispers began to circulate.

"Looks like Old Liu is really desperate now, hiring such a young guy."

"He looks like a college kid. What good is someone that green?"

"Who knows? Desperate times, desperate measures."

"With the company in this state, hiring anyone won’t help—unless we get another hit composer."

"But if someone was that talented, would they really come here?"

"Still, the kid’s good-looking—more like a celebrity than a composer!"

"You’re right about that…"

Creative work relied on inspiration. When assignments came, people might scratch their heads in frustration, but when there was nothing to do, it was quite relaxed.

Su Chen’s senses were now extraordinarily sharp; every whispered comment reached his ears, but he didn’t take offense. It only confirmed what he’d noticed earlier—the company’s situation was not great. He’d already suspected as much when he saw the nearly empty open office on his way in.

Liu Wenxiong’s office was a small cubicle beside the workspace.

Su Chen had met him during his interview—a stern-looking man, older than Director Kong, with a receding hairline and a face set in perpetual worry.

He rarely smiled, always seeming deeply troubled.

After a brief introduction, Chen Yang led Su Chen back to the workspace.

"You can sit here for now. If you’d come a few days earlier, we wouldn’t have had a desk for you. Now, a few seats have just opened up."

Su Chen took his seat, tidied the desk, and sat there, uncertain what to do next.

Just then, a head popped up from the next desk—a plain-looking woman in her thirties.

"Hello, I’m Dong Xiaojie from Group Two."

Su Chen smiled. "I’m Su Chen."

"Feel free to rest here and get to know the place. No one will have time for you right now!"

She looked at him with curiosity. "Which company were you with before? You seem so young!"

Su Chen replied with a smile, "I haven’t worked anywhere else. I just graduated this year."

"Which school?"

"Jiangcheng Academy of the Arts."

"So you’re formally trained," Dong Xiaojie said, her expression confirming her suspicions. Then she offered some polite conversation.

"You look so young—and so handsome! Like a star!"

Su Chen shook his head with a smile, understanding what she meant. In this industry, people didn’t think much of formal training. The most outstanding creators were either self-taught or amateurs who’d switched careers.

"Don’t worry. Just get used to things, watch and learn. Experience will come in time. We all go through this process."

After a bit of small talk, seeing that Su Chen wasn’t much in the mood for chatting, Dong Xiaojie turned back to her dramas.