"Sir, the composition department is on the eighth floor. If you take the elevator next to us and turn right, you'll find the director's office. I've already informed the director, and she's waiting for you there."
Not long after, the receptionist girl hung up the phone and said to Su Yu with a smile.
"Thank you." Su Yu nodded and thanked the receptionist girl. Then, he walked towards the elevator she had pointed out.
"To be able to write songs at such a young age, how amazing..."
"He's so handsome, it's a waste for him not to sing and instead be a music producer behind the scenes..."
"Exactly, with this looks, just filming two short videos and singing a couple of songs would definitely make him famous."
Su Yu smiled wryly and shook his head at the discussion from the receptionist girl and her colleague behind him.
What do they mean by a waste? What does being handsome have to do with singing...
He took the elevator to the eighth floor.
What greeted his eyes was a neat arrangement of workstations.
There were quite a few spots, but not many people were visible.
Su Yu looked to his right, and an office was not far away. A nameplate for the Music Director was affixed to the door.
He knocked twice.
"Come in." A cool voice came from the office.
Su Yu pushed the door open.
The office was furnished simply, with a desk and a sofa next to it.
In the corner, there was a coffee machine and some shelves for documents.
Sitting at the desk was a woman in a professional suit, looking neat and capable. Based on her appearance, she should be around thirty years old.
Su Yu's gaze fell upon the work ID badge on her chest.
Composition Department Director: Zhao Yuan.
"Are you here to apply for a music producer position?" Zhao Yuan looked up, glanced at Su Yu, and gestured for him to sit down.
"That's right."
Su Yu smiled and nodded, sitting on the chair in front of the desk. He then took out his resume from his bag and handed it to Zhao Yuan.
"Su Yu, eighteen years old, a freshman in the composition department at Shuangqing Academy of Arts." Zhao Yuan flipped through Su Yu's resume, her brow furrowed slightly.
After reading it, she put down the resume, looked up at Su Yu, and asked, "Have you had any successful works before?"
"No..." Su Yu shook his head helplessly.
"I'm sorry, our company doesn't recruit newcomers." Zhao Yuan pushed the resume back to Su Yu expressionlessly.
A freshman, just starting university, probably wouldn't even know basic music theory.
Where would the company find so much spare money to support a novice who knew nothing?
"I brought a song, you can listen to it..." Su Yu had anticipated this outcome and wasn't flustered. He prepared to take out the USB drive containing "Later" from his bag.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Following that, a girl in her twenties entered, carrying a stack of documents.
The girl was startled to see Su Yu in the office. She then approached Zhao Yuan and said respectfully, "Director Zhao."
"How is it? Did the client approve it?" Zhao Yuan gestured for Su Yu to wait with her eyes, then turned to the girl and asked.
"No, they're still not satisfied." The girl shook her head with a bitter smile.
"They're not satisfied with this? Aren't their requirements too high?" Zhao Yuan frowned.
The girl also looked troubled. She thought for a moment and tentatively asked, "How about... we find a mid-level producer?"
"No, for a deal worth hundreds of thousands, mid-level producers wouldn't bother. Besides, that would disrupt the market and be unfair to our previous junior clients."
Zhao Yuan rejected the suggestion without hesitation.
If mid-level producers were to handle deals worth hundreds of thousands, and their previous junior clients found out, there would definitely be complaints.
A large company values its reputation the most. If its reputation is ruined, how can it conduct business in the future?
You get what you pay for. If the rules are broken, and word gets out, future clients might follow suit, deliberately finding junior producers and then causing trouble for the company.
"Then what should we do... The movie 'The Us of That Time' was originally scheduled to be released during the graduation season in June. Due to scheduling issues, it's been delayed for so long. The production team has been held up, and their expenses must have exceeded the budget. It's unlikely they'll agree to pay more."
The girl looked distressed. Normally, in such situations, either the client would pay more, and the company would arrange a more senior composer, or they would have to cancel the order.
"A'ru, are you sure our work meets the quality standards of a junior producer?" Zhao Yuan asked after some thought, looking up.
"Of course. I specifically asked Zhang Kun to do this song. He specializes in writing this kind of youthful, artistic songs." The girl named A'ru nodded.
Zhao Yuan's cool expression showed a hint of helplessness. Among the company's junior producers, Zhang Kun was considered one of the better ones, and his style was precisely this campus-youth genre.
If even his songs couldn't meet the client's requirements, then there was no other option but to find a mid-level producer.
"If it doesn't work out, then let's cancel the order..." Zhao Yuan sighed, rubbing her aching forehead.
"But, Director Zhao, our cancellation quota for this quarter is already full. If we cancel any more, the higher-ups will likely be very displeased. At that point, even you..."
Each department has a specific cancellation quota per quarter. If the quota is exceeded, the department head will be penalized by the company.
Currently, the composition department's quota has been used up. If it's exceeded, Zhao Yuan might have difficulty explaining to the company.
"It's alright, you can go for now. I'll handle it." Zhao Yuan exhaled and leaned back in her chair, waving A'ru away.
"Okay..." A'ru nodded and prepared to leave.
"Wait... can I interject?" Su Yu, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.
A'ru paused and looked at him with a puzzled expression.
When she came in earlier, she had noticed Su Yu but didn't ask anything further.
She simply assumed he was a newly signed singer at the company.
Given Su Yu's appearance, he was most suitable as a singer.
In this era where generic pop songs are prevalent, the demands on a singer's vocal ability are not high. As long as they look good, practice basic pitch and breath control, and then record in a studio where a sound engineer can fine-tune it, they can still release albums.
Zhao Yuan's cool expression remained unchanged, but her tone softened. "Su Yu, I didn't ask you to leave earlier because I intentionally wanted you to listen. In our industry, it's all about skill. Clients look at the work. The company won't spend money to support a novice who knows nothing."
She felt that although Su Yu was young, he didn't show the usual timidity of young people when facing her. Instead, he remained calm and composed throughout.
This was rare for a young person, so she didn't want to crush his confidence. She intentionally let him understand some of the industry's inner workings so that he would retreat.
A'ru, standing by, finally realized that Su Yu was here to interview as a music producer, and her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at him.
It was quite rare to see such a young music producer.
"I understand what you're saying, but as the director of the composition department at Xinghui Entertainment, you wouldn't judge someone by their appearance, would you?"
Su Yu deeply agreed with Zhao Yuan's words. The field of composition was very realistic; it was all about the work.
Others might not be able to produce anything good at this age, but Su Yu was different.
While he appeared to be a freshman, with his system, he was a veritable cheater!
Possessing the cultural and entertainment heritage of an entire world, his age and life experience were no longer issues.
A'ru, hearing Su Yu's words, immediately changed her expression.
Zhao Yuan's personality was famously cold within Xinghui Entertainment, and even the music producers under her were respectful of her.
Where did this young man get the confidence to speak to her like this?