Chapter One Hundred: The Trident

Xu Beihong’s heart was a turbulent sea, words failing him for a long while.

“President Liao is a versatile talent,” Tian Xingde smiled and said. “Not only is his writing ability exceptional, but his skill in composing lyrics and music is considered top-tier within the industry, especially with the song ‘Nobody’…”

As he spoke, Tian Xingde tapped away on his laptop, and soon, search results for “Nobody” appeared before everyone’s eyes.

“There are over fifteen million web search results, and this is just after one week since its release. News coverage has been nonstop!” Tian Xingde pointed to the video page’s search results. “See this? On Platform J, security guards in Korea, high school students in Thailand, maritime patrol officers, foreign blond men, and office workers in our country—all dancing to the choreography from ‘Nobody.’ People of different countries, skin colors, and ages are connected by one dance…”

“Heh, and this is only after one week. Although it benefits from official promotion by ‘Produce 101,’ the song is already showing signs of becoming a phenomenon…”

Under Tian Xingde’s explanation, everyone’s eyes grew brighter.

Even Liao Yuan drew in a sharp breath, stunned by his own accidental success.

When he was guiding the creation of “Nobody,” he knew it would be a hit, but never imagined it would sweep across Asia so quickly.

Then again, it made sense. Aside from being broadcast on Platform J and East Sea Satellite TV, more than a dozen other countries had rebroadcast it, reaching hundreds of millions of viewers—perhaps even double that upon closer investigation.

Moreover, Platform J had branches in Japan, Korea, Thailand, and beyond. The slogan of “Produce 101” to forge Asia’s strongest girl group was no empty boast. Even Korea, famed as the “Star-Making Factory of Asia,” dared not ignore such a massive flow of variety content.

By now, Xu Beihong was utterly speechless.

She looked at Liao Yuan’s face—too young to believe—and asked incredulously, “President Liao… you compose songs too?”

Not only did he know industry giants like Fu Yuntao and Zhang Yichi, but he was a multi-talented creator himself!

If he could compose, then writing scripts would be within reach as well. With a good script, how could investment be hard to secure?

Being able to write lyrics and music was even more extraordinary.

This was the fastest path to rapid rise, for songs spread quickly and popularity accumulated easily. With excellent lyrics and melodies, finding talented singers was no trouble.

In an instant, a vast, promising blueprint of the future unfolded before her.

Xu Beihong swallowed hard, studying Liao Yuan’s encyclopedia profile with mounting astonishment.

Regret surged in her heart like a tidal wave.

Truly, how short-sighted she had been!

Tian Xingde pushed up his glasses, brimming with confidence. “As long as President Liao continues to produce works like ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light’ and ‘Nobody,’ I’m confident we can develop Little Yellow Fish to rival Lemon Entertainment within three years!”

Liao Yuan nodded. “Works aren’t the problem. The key is talent. If we can sign some established singers, that would be even better…”

Finance Director Gu Shuilian’s eyes sparkled as she spoke up, “President Liao, the company’s balance is five million yuan. That’s only enough to sign some third-tier artists.”

Tian Xingde shook his head. “Why bother with professional artists? Since the boss wants to start from scratch, we’ll just scout for raw talent among amateurs!”

“Amateurs?” Everyone exchanged glances. Training amateurs was part of the plan, but the payoff took longer and was uncertain. If they could directly recruit established artists, it would be much easier. But the company’s current funds couldn’t support that.

“In the coming month, we’ll visit major schools to find promising students and try our luck.”

Tian Xingde added, “But the most important thing is the work itself. President Liao, aside from ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light,’ do you have any high-quality scripts on hand?”

“Scripts?” Liao Yuan felt a dull ache in his head but nodded, “Yes, I’ll write one tonight.”

“Tonight?” Everyone stared in disbelief.

Liao Yuan paused before explaining, “The outline is already done. I just need to flesh out some minor details.”

Relieved, they smiled. If he could write a complete script in one night, that would be truly extraordinary.

“In fact, President Liao’s ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light’ series is the best script we have. It’s just that Director Fu is busy with other projects and can’t start filming yet. Otherwise, with some of those characters, we could attract some excellent actors,” sighed Operations Director Yi Zheng.

Tian Xingde nodded, “Yes, ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light’ is a popular intellectual property with broad appeal. Its potential for explosive success in film and television adaptation is very high.”

“‘Ghost Blows Out the Light’ is a series, but Director Fu only signed the first part,” Liao Yuan explained. “I promised him that he would have priority in choosing the sequels.”

“I see,” Tian Xingde pondered. “President Liao, let’s put the ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light’ project on hold for now. Tomorrow, you hand me the new script, and Director Xu and I will start seeking investment.”

Xu Beihong hesitated. “Is that really feasible?”

She had another concern—as the PR director who had just returned from abroad, her industry contacts were limited, and she lacked confidence in reaching truly capable investors.

“I believe in President Liao’s ability!” Tian Xingde smiled. “As for resources, Director Liu will help. I’m a total novice in the entertainment world, but Director Liu is different. After all, you were Director Fu’s assistant. Since he sent you to assist President Fu, surely he’s willing to share resources?”

Liu Hai nodded. “Alright, I’ll organize the contact information for those famous directors shortly.”

At that moment, Liao Yuan began to view Tian Xingde differently.

This once obscure professional manager, whose source for finding Liu Hai was unknown, demonstrated meticulous thinking and clear logic—a rare leadership talent.

Of course, the annual salary was high—half a million yuan plus year-end performance bonuses.

“Of course, President Liao, if you have time, you could also try working as a talent scout. After all, we are an agency,” Tian Xingde said with a smile. “Once the script is ready, you can join Director Fu and Director Liu to visit major schools and try your luck, especially music academies. You’re an expert in this area. Just show off a little, and those students will see you as a lifeline. I trust your eye for talent.”

Liao Yuan was somewhat interested in playing the role of a talent scout and nodded. “We’ll try tomorrow.”

“Oh, by the way, doesn’t our company still lack a car?” Tian Xingde asked. “A car is the face of a company—especially for you, President Liao. When you go to select talents tomorrow, you must drive a good car.”

Liao Yuan cleared his throat and looked at Finance Director Gu Shuilian.

Gu Shuilian nervously said, “With only five million in the account, we can’t afford any good cars.”

“Then just use my car!” Fu Xiaoci pulled a key from her bag and slapped it on the conference table. “It’s not a luxury car, but it’s better than most.”

Everyone fixed their gaze on the car key, which bore a shining trident emblem, glimmering brilliantly.