Chapter Ninety-Four: Purchase Limit

After the latest episode of Creation 101 aired, Liao Yuan decided it was time to move.

He still seemed to retain some of the instincts from his past life. Perhaps everyone had a sixth sense, and his happened to be unusually sharp. On the way home, he could clearly tell that someone was tailing him with a camera. On top of that, calls from Xiao Peng, Chen Muen, and the others put him on guard again.

He opened Weibo and saw that the real-time trending list was filled with names like Nobody, Miracle Girls, and Liao Meiqi. And at ninth place on the hot search chart, the words #NobodyNameless# were so glaring that they stung his eyes.

When he had been teaching Yan Ninan Nobody, the word Nameless had only been a casual pseudonym he mentioned offhand. He had never imagined that the program team would go so far as to print those two words with solemn righteousness beneath the credit for lyricist and composer.

Now, by opening the Nameless hot search, one could clearly see rumors and revelations from every direction. Every clue pointed straight to Liao Yuan as the true identity of Nameless.

What made it even more infuriating was that Weibo’s official account had actually linked the words Nameless and streamer A-Yuan together.

When netizens searched for Nameless, the very first user that popped up was streamer A-Yuan’s Weibo account.

At this point, even if he jumped into the Yellow River, he would never wash himself clean.

Liao Yuan sighed.

When he returned to his residence that evening, he saw a few suspicious figures lingering in the corridor. From a distance, he studied them for a moment and felt they did not seem like Han Yu’s delusional fans. But in order to avoid being pelted with eggs, he still backed away, turned around, and left without hesitation. Then he asked Fu Xiaoci, Xiao Peng, and the others to help him look for a new place.

After all, he did have some savings now.

The 600,000-yuan monthly copyright fee for Ghost Blows Out the Lamp from Donghai Radio Station had already been settled for two months.

The videos he had uploaded on the platform had also brought in seventy to eighty thousand yuan a month in tips.

Added to the seven million yuan from the film and television rights for Ghost Blows Out the Lamp, Liao Yuan could now be considered fairly well off, even by Donghai City standards.

Of course, the higher the income, the higher the taxes. Out of a total income of more than eight million yuan, only a little over five million yuan ultimately remained in Liao Yuan’s hands.

Five million yuan...

If he calculated carefully, it was still enough to buy a finely renovated apartment of more than a hundred square meters in the suburbs, close to a subway station.

Unfortunately, Liao Yuan was not a local resident of Donghai, and he had not paid taxes for the required number of consecutive months. Even if he had the money to buy, he was still forced under the purchase restrictions.

Xiao Peng, Fu Xiaoci, and the others were likewise at a loss.

Liao Yuan could only feel helpless.

It looked as though he had made a great deal of money, but after careful reckoning, it still was not enough to buy even a home in the city center. After all, housing prices in and around Donghai’s J.A. District had already reached around 100,000 yuan per square meter, and many hot neighborhoods were places where money alone could not secure a property.

Liao Yuan’s five million in savings would barely cover a down payment.

And even then, because he had not paid taxes continuously for thirty months, he had lost his eligibility to buy.

Under such circumstances, Liao Yuan could only rent through an agency while staying at a hotel in the meantime.

Soon, the news reached Zhang Chao, who found it rather unbelievable. “You still haven’t joined the Music Association?”

Liao Yuan frowned. “I actually forgot about that.”

Zhang Chao laughed. “Once you join the Music Association, you’ll meet Donghai City’s talent introduction requirements. Tell Madam Ji Shilian about it, and she’ll help you handle everything. Purchase restrictions are for ordinary people. As for elite talents in every field, the Donghai municipal government has always welcomed them with open arms.”

Liao Yuan was a little surprised. “Joining the Music Association has that kind of benefit?”

In his past life, the Donghai municipal government had also issued talent introduction policies for eighteen industries. However, those industries were mostly rare, lofty-sounding fields such as cosmic origins and astronomical observation, photonic science and technology, life sciences and biomedicine, and the like. He had never heard of anyone being able to settle in Donghai simply because they played the piano well.

“Of course!” Zhang Chao stroked his chin and said with great confidence, “The power of music is vast. Especially for those internationally renowned master pianists, every country in the world rushes to treat them with respect. Music can soothe wounded hearts, and it can also inspire the courage of the weak to rise higher. Whether in wartime or in peacetime, music holds a very important place in people’s hearts...”

As Liao Yuan listened to Zhang Chao’s animated speech, he wore a strange expression.

The people of this world seemed to pursue spiritual fulfillment with unprecedented fervor.

Everyone seemed to carry within them an ideal spiritual world, one that had to be built note by note. Even if they lacked food and clothing, as long as music existed, each and every one of them could become an elegant gentleman.

Liao Yuan shook his head, and to his own surprise, felt a trace of fear.

They were all insane...

No wonder that in this world, once the piano was born, it could sweep through households across nations and shine in full glory.

Even now, its popularity had never faded.

...

The Donghai Music Association was located on West Yan'an Road in the CN District. The scenery here was beautiful, and the architectural style had been preserved from decades ago. It was one of Donghai City’s key protected cultural heritage sites.

When Zhang Chao and Liao Yuan arrived, they were personally received by Ji Shilian, the chairwoman of the Piano Professional Committee.

After inviting the two guests to sit, Ji Shilian only nodded slightly when facing Zhang Chao, unsmiling and rather cool.

But when she looked at Liao Yuan, her expression softened into warmth. “Mr. Liao, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. I had thought you might have forgotten about this, but I never imagined that today you would surprise me instead.”

“I’m sorry, Teacher Ji. I’ve really been rather busy with work lately,” Liao Yuan said with apology. “I hope you won’t hold it against me.”

By referring to himself as a student, Liao Yuan pleased Ji Shilian greatly. She smiled and said, “Since our last parting aboard the Costa, I’ve never forgotten those pieces of yours. Your performance of Liszt’s The Bell on the ship was truly dazzling. Now all the teachers in the Donghai City Music Association have long admired you. They’re all very eager to hear you play The Bell again.”

“You flatter me far too much, Teacher Ji. I am not worthy of such praise,” Liao Yuan said humbly. “I’m just a fledgling who knows no fear. I was making a fool of myself.”

“Don’t be too modest. Excessive humility is just pride in disguise,” Ji Shilian said with a laugh. “Since that day, Lin Weiyin has come to see me twice. She played Summer twice in a row, and the fullness of her emotion, the precision of her control over detail, was truly astonishing. The students here are very fond of that piece, and I have publicly praised you many times in class. You are already quite famous in my lectures.”

Liao Yuan was flattered beyond measure.

Aside from serving as chairwoman of the Donghai City Music Association’s Piano Professional Committee, Ji Shilian was also the vice president and visiting professor of Donghai Music University. Her seniority and status in the field were exceptionally high. Her praise was an enormous honor for Liao Yuan.

After a bit more conversation, Ji Shilian personally led Liao Yuan through the membership procedures.

During that time, she also extended an invitation for him to visit Donghai Music University and share with the students his creative insights into Summer. She further asked him to demonstrate Liszt’s The Bell during the break between classes.

Since he needed a favor from her, and after discussing it with Zhang Chao and confirming that Music Association membership did indeed qualify him to buy a home, Liao Yuan agreed.