Chapter 137: A Bright Future Ahead

A black Volkswagen Phideon sedan pulled up in front of the Central Plaza.

Liao Yuan stepped out of the car, tossed the keys to the newly hired assistant, Zhu Mingmei, and then motioned for his two bodyguards to walk toward the building's elevator bank.

Before he had even taken two steps, Liao Yuan turned back. Looking at the two bodyguards dressed in full suits and sunglasses, he frowned and asked, "Aren't you guys hot?"

The two bodyguards shook their heads. "Not hot at all. Thank you for your concern, Boss."

"Brother Yue, Brother Tao, rules are dead, but people are alive. It's summer right now. Dressing like this might look cool, but it absorbs too much heat and that's not good. Here, Brother Yue, go buy two sets of T-shirts and change into them, you and Brother Tao."

Liao Yuan added, "Charge it to the company account later."

Hearing this, bodyguard Wang Yue nodded. "Thank you, Boss."

With that, he glanced at his colleague Xing Tao and then broke into a brisk jog.

Xing Tao maintained a resolute expression. "Boss, it really isn't necessary. We're already used to it. As bodyguards, presence is everything! This suit of ours best projects that aura!"

Liao Yuan: "..."

Upon arriving at the company, a figure standing beside the reception desk immediately stepped forward. "Brother Yuan!"

Liao Yuan looked closely and smiled. "Xiao Peng, have you made up your mind?"

Xiao Peng said somewhat nervously, "I've made up my mind, Brother Yuan. I've been finishing up my resignation procedures at the radio station over the past few days. Fortunately, my position wasn't too crucial, so the personnel department was willing to let me go. I officially regained my freedom just yesterday afternoon."

"Good."

Liao Yuan nodded with a smile. "Come with me."

"Okay!"

Xiao Peng followed happily. By the time he finished completing his onboarding procedures with the human resources specialist, it was already nine o'clock.

In the conference room, Liao Yuan introduced Xiao Peng to the managers present. Finally, he pointed to Fu Xiaoci and said to Xiao Peng, "This is Fu Xiaoci, our company's vice president and also my manager. You two get acquainted. Xiao Peng will temporarily serve as my assistant for now. If there's anything you don't understand, you can consult Xiaoci."

"Hello, Sister Xiaoci," Xiao Peng said hurriedly.

Fu Xiaoci said sternly, "Call me President Fu."

"...President Fu," Xiao Peng quickly corrected himself.

Fu Xiaoci wore a look of utter satisfaction. "Mmm, that's more like it."

Liao Yuan smiled and turned his gaze to everyone in the room. "Alright, let's go over the work situation for the new week now."

General Manager Tian Xingde spoke up immediately, "President Liao, Song Bailing's debut album will go live on the three major music streaming platforms precisely at six o'clock this afternoon. The publicity and distribution campaigns were fully rolled out over the past two days, but judging from the current outlook, the reception can only be considered average."

"How so?" Liao Yuan asked.

Tian Xingde said earnestly, "This week, aside from Song Bailing, a total of three singers are releasing new albums on Caiyun. One is Zhao Ya, another is Jiang Churong, and the third is Zhou Tingting."

Liao Yuan paused. "Is the competition that intense, or is someone particularly special?"

Tian Xingde and the others were momentarily taken aback.

Xu Beihong explained, "Zhao Ya is a television and film soundtrack singer, so most of her works are theme songs for well-known movies and dramas. Her vocal technique is solid and her style is relatively fixed, but her popularity is only at the second or third tier. Jiang Churong is primarily an actress, not a professional singer, but because she has a massive fan base, virtually every song she releases commands a certain level of sales. Her popularity is a tier or two higher than Zhao Ya's, making her barely a top-tier second-line singer. Neither of these two is anything to fear. The only one of concern is Zhou Tingting..."

Tian Xingde smiled bitterly. "She is the undisputed queen of domestic talent shows. Ever since she shot to fame over a decade ago with *Super Girl*, she has been unstoppable, maintaining sky-high popularity. She is already a diva-tier singer, easily shifting fifty thousand digital albums in a single month. Most importantly, Zhou Tingting is an artist under Lemon Entertainment."

Liao Yuan pondered for a moment and asked, "So? Are we intimidated?"

"Not quite, just worried," Xu Beihong hesitated.

Liao Yuan smiled. "This is the era of digital music, not the physical record era of twenty-some years ago. Back then, a single record cost dozens of bucks, but what about now? A song costs just two yuan! You won't get ripped off, and you won't be fooled. For just two yuan, you're buying a song so good it'll make your ears pregnant..."

"???"

Everyone looked bewildered.

Fu Xiaoci burst into laughter. "That is indeed true. A song is only two bucks. Netizens casually chatting in a QQ group and grabbing a few red envelopes will have enough to buy the entire album!"

"Therefore, we shouldn't compare ourselves to others; we should only compare ourselves to ourselves."

Liao Yuan slowly continued, "Things aren't like they used to be. Digital music has matured far too much, and the sound quality is in no way inferior to physical records. In a country of 1.3 billion people, a large majority are online. Even the most garbage works find listeners and viewers, let alone these great songs of ours that make your ears pregnant? Good wine needs no bush; rest assured! This is an era rooted in strength! Even if you are a diva or a king of pop, if your strength is lacking, you will eventually be swallowed by the tides of this grand era. And as for newcomers, no matter how unknown they were previously, as long as they have a good song and a little bit of operation afterward, they can become overnight sensations even ordinary people!"

Everyone felt a surge of energy.

Tian Xingde smiled wryly. "I was overthinking it. My apologies; I've never ventured into this field before..."

"There's nothing to apologize for."

Liao Yuan waved his hand and said, "I know many of you here previously worked in professions completely unrelated to the entertainment industry, and I also know some of you are just giving it a try, treating this place as a safe haven until the timing is right and an opportunity arises to jump ship."

The entire conference room fell silent.

"But until you temporarily find your next stop and before you decide to leave, please take your work seriously. Understand all the industry knowledge, rules, and unspoken practices inside and out. No matter what industry you work in the future, I can guarantee that you will thank yourselves for what you learned here today."

Liao Yuan's words carried resounding weight, leaving everyone silent.

Indeed, some people present had simply regarded Little Yellow Croaker as a temporary resting place—a place to catch their breath before packing up and moving on.

After all, whether inside or outside the industry, Little Yellow Croaker was merely a weak and minor company, one that could practically be called a shell corporation.

At its inception, the company had essentially zero core business.

Most people were arranged here by headhunting firms, joining in a daze, knowing only that it was an entertainment company focused on new media and that the salary and benefits were decent.

However, after spending the last two weeks together, setting aside the thoughts of ordinary employees for a moment,

consider just Tian Xingde, Xu Beihong, Yi Zheng, Gu Shuilian, and the others. Because they were close to top management, they had gradually grasped the company's developmental trajectory over this period. After interacting deeply with Liao Yuan in particular, subtle psychological shifts had quietly taken place within each of them.

Right now, the company's primary focus was audio distribution, which at a glance seemed no different from many other new-media companies.

Yet, compared to other firms, Little Yellow Croaker boasted top-tier artists like Song Bailing and Liao Yuan.

Its potential had already been unmistakably revealed during this period.

Furthermore, Liao Yuan himself was versatile and accomplished in creation, with every single song leaving people in awe, and his screenwriting skills were likewise a cut above the rest.

Not to mention the connection through Fu Xiaoci's older brother, Fu Yuntao.

With all these circumstances combined, Little Yellow Croaker's future was quite literally a broad avenue paved with gold!

As long as one stayed on, the future was bound to be full of promise!