Chapter Ninety-Six: Uncle A

Liao Yuan's vision gradually cleared as a beam of light penetrated his eyes. He found a doctor in a white coat examining his pupils with a penlight.

He spoke up: "What are you doing?"

The doctor was startled, stepped back two paces, and exclaimed in surprise: "You're awake?"

Liao Yuan sat up and rubbed his temples: "What happened?"

"Yuan Ge, you suddenly fainted out of nowhere, and the ambulance just brought you to the hospital," Zhang Chao said worriedly from the side. "What's going on? Dr. Liang, what happened to my Yuan Ge?"

The doctor said, "I can't give a definitive conclusion on the specific cause for now. If it was a sudden syncope, it's highly likely a brain-related issue. We'll need a CT scan to take a look."

Liao Yuan got out of bed and put on his shoes, saying calmly, "I'm fine, President Zhang. I still have some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."

With that, he stood up, thanked the doctor, and walked out of the ward.

Zhang Chao didn't stop him. He watched Liao Yuan leave, then asked with a worried expression: "Dr. Liang, what do you think the problem is?"

"All signs of activity appear normal. A sudden fainting spell could be... a stroke?" The doctor pondered. "But based on what you just described, I don't think a stroke is very likely. There is, however, another possibility."

"What possibility?" Zhang Chao asked urgently.

The doctor said with a perfectly straight face: "Neurosensory hysterical capillary translocation turusitis syndrome."

Zhang Chao was instantly baffled: "What does that mean?"

"Short for: mental illness."

...

After returning from the hospital, Liao Yuan's mind was incomparably clear.

Zhang Chao's proposal had stirred the desires and true heart buried deep within his predecessor, yet to a soul that had weathered two lifetimes of rise and fall, it seemed utterly absurd and dull.

There are countless ways to achieve fame — why must one accept the one least liked?

Never mind how foolish it would be to proactively challenge and provoke one established master after another, like a jumping clown. In terms of pure skill, Liao Yuan admitted to himself that he couldn't yet compare with true great pianists.

Moreover, the scheduling could not be perfectly reconciled.

He not only had to participate in the One Emperor Four Kings Piano Competition, but also needed to safeguard Meiqi's path to debut as an idol. More importantly, once Meiqi successfully debuted, the road ahead would inevitably be fraught with hardship.

Liao Yuan had to plan ahead. As for mansions and villas, they were like passing clouds, forgotten in the blink of an eye.

After being discharged from the hospital, he immediately summoned Fu Xiaoci and moved up the equity transfer plan they had previously discussed.

At the Bureau of Industry and Commerce, Fu Xiaoci transferred the entire company's equity to Liao Yuan's name for the price of one yuan. She retained only 10% of the shares and served as the legal representative.

Even that 10% was something Liao Yuan had forced upon Fu Xiaoci.

To Liao Yuan, Fu Xiaoci was not merely an agent. Her elder brother Fu Yuntao's resources in the entertainment industry were absolutely worth that 10% stake. Rather than giving the 10% to Fu Xiaoci, it was more accurately a roundabout way of giving it to Fu Yuntao.

Meanwhile, Liao Yuan invested five million yuan to increase the registered capital share.

The amount of a company's registered capital is crucial to its standing. The size of the registered capital indicates, to a certain extent, whether the company is financially solid.

Beyond enabling the issuance of VAT invoices, handling bank payroll cards, and loan services, it also represents whether the company has the capability to undertake large projects.

Clients sometimes consider registered capital in their cooperation decisions, and it also affects the company's qualification rating. Some bidding opportunities cannot be pursued without a certain level of registered capital.

And the registered capital can be withdrawn at any time, though the purpose of use must be stated.

After completing the capital registration and equity transfer, Liao Yuan contacted an intermediary to lease a company address. After a simple screening process, he rented a space in Lujiazui at two hundred thousand yuan per month, totaling two million four hundred thousand yuan for the year, and used the remaining one million for simple renovations and office supplies. Subsequently, he commissioned a headhunting firm to recruit professional management and operations talent.

A week later, Fu Xiaoci received a message and arrived at the central office building near Lujiazui in the city center. Looking at the vast office space, she was too shocked to speak.

She ran to the front desk and saw the embossed characters reading "Little Yellow Fish Cultural Agency Co., Ltd.", and an immediate sense of grandeur washed over her.

Fu Xiaoci had never realized that Brother Liao was a man of action!

More importantly, where did he get all this money?

Fu Xiaoci racked her brain but couldn't figure that one out.

She was stationed there by Liao Yuan's arrangement, tasked with screening the professional management and operations talent submitted by the headhunting firm. As a female streamer who had almost never navigated the professional workplace, Fu Xiaoci felt anxious for the first time.

So she called her brother Fu Yuntao to seek advice.

Fu Yuntao wasn't the least bit surprised that Liao Yuan had struck out on his own. He was merely a little surprised that Liao Yuan had accepted his sister's company. After asking Fu Xiaoci for some details, Fu Yuntao dispatched his assistant Liu Hai to help Fu Xiaoci screen the candidates.

The selection of talent required professionalism.

Little Yellow Fish was a cultural agency and entertainment company. It was worth noting that an agency company was not a media company.

But a media company encompasses an agency company.

Media is a very broad category — a domain. It serves as a medium, including books, news, and various forms of publicity.

An agency company, on the other hand, is more specific: it's an organization that discovers artists and nurtures them. It's more commercialized and entertainment-oriented than a media company.

Simply put, this was a company built for discovering new talent and cultivating artists. The talent recruited also leaned toward the agency side. If they could find a well-known agent in the industry, even better.

As for connections and resources, those would need to be bridged by Fu Yuntao and developed gradually.

Liu Hai, Fu Yuntao's assistant, was well-traveled, knowledgeable, and quite well-connected in the industry. He was the perfect person to assist Fu Xiaoci.

Meanwhile, Liao Yuan headed alone to the Mercedes-Benz Cultural Center to participate in a new round of the piano competition.

...

"In this year's competition, Uncle A's popularity ranks in the top ten even across all three major divisions. It's a done deal that Uncle A will break into the top one hundred this time."

Liang Qingquan, the person in charge of the Southern Division at the Mercedes-Benz Cultural Center, accompanied a woman with long, flowing hair, smiling eagerly: "Ever since the last round of competition ended, Uncle A's popularity has truly exploded. After the music video for 'Castle in the Sky' went online, it surpassed a million views on Station J within a single day, with countless tips. He really is a rare pianist. Miss Lin, are you interested in Uncle A as well?"

Lin Weiyin paused in her steps and asked, "What's his real name?"

"Real name?" Liang Qingquan was taken aback, then smiled: "Everyone calls him Uncle A, or God A. As for his real name, even I haven't received any concrete information. Station J has strict protective measures in that regard."

Lin Weiyin nodded: "I watched his performance videos. I just felt that his fingering technique looked somewhat familiar. Maybe I'm overthinking it."

Liang Qingquan laughed heartily, then led Lin Weiyin toward the guest seating area: "Miss Lin, the competition is about to start. I still have some work matters to handle. If you need anything, just let the on-site staff know."

Lin Weiyin nodded: "Alright, thank you, Mr. Liang."

After Liang Qingquan left, Lin Weiyin surveyed the scene inside the cultural center.

Behind her were thousands of seats, with audience members filing in one by one according to their tickets.

On stage, a piano was shrouded in a black cloth, resting quietly there.

In recent days, a certain melody had suddenly exploded in popularity both online and offline. Lin Weiyin had also had the pleasure of hearing it. Like many of her peers, upon first listen she didn't understand the meaning within the music, but upon hearing it again, she found herself already inside the story. She immersed herself in the piece, savoring the faint stirring of melancholy that touched her heart.

Afterward, Lin Weiyin looked up the specific information about the piece.

This piano composition originated from the One Emperor Four Kings Piano Competition. The composer was Uncle A, and the title was "Castle in the Sky."

After listening to several of Uncle A's works in succession, Lin Weiyin suddenly developed an interest in popular music. Most importantly, for reasons she couldn't explain, she felt a strange sense of familiarity with the composer.

So today, the great pianist Lin Weiyin had come to the competition venue in person — first, to soak in the atmosphere and enjoy the music, and second, to confirm the speculation in her heart.

Yet, markedly different from the elegance of classical music, the live performance of popular music was filled with chaos and clamor, resembling a grand singer's concert.

This made Lin Weiyin slightly uncomfortable.

After all, when she had participated in the Chopin International Piano Competition back then, there were few people around, not a single extra audience member. Everyone breathed softly, afraid of disturbing the pianists' performance.

Compared to the One Emperor Four Kings Piano Competition, the difference between the two was plain to see.

No wonder classical pianists sneered at the One Emperor Four Kings Competition.

...

The competition was about to begin.

The contestants filed in one by one, with cameras giving each of them close-ups.

When Uncle A, wearing a white mask with gold foil accents, appeared on the big screen, the entire venue erupted in thunderous cheers. The decibel level of his fans' screams was more than half higher than that of any other contestant.

"Uncle A!"

"Uncle A!"

"Uncle A!"

...