Chapter 0014: I Suspect Master Lin Is Still Holding a Lot Back!

"Master Lin Yi." Lin Youjia said with excitement.

Master Lin Yi?

Lin Hong was completely bewildered. This... he didn't seem to recall anyone by that name in the songwriting circle.

"He's the lyricist for 'Old Red Face' and 'When the Wind Rises'! He was even trending yesterday."

"Oh! It's him!" Once Lin Youjia mentioned that, Lin Hong remembered the figure.

"He writes in the ancient style. Is he good at writing songs like yours?"

"Why wouldn't he be? I hadn't even told him what type of song I wanted when he sent it over. According to my estimation, Master Lin Yi still has plenty of works in stock!"

"Really?" Hearing this, Lin Hong’s body jolted, and all his fatigue vanished.

Songs are the foundation of a singer's career. If a singer has good songs and can consistently release them, they will never be forgotten by the audience.

"Really, and Master Lin Yi even has a price point for his songs." At this point, Lin Youjia couldn't help but laugh. Master Lin Yi’s style was... unique, perhaps even eccentric.

"So, at what price did you buy the song?" Lin Hong asked.

"Five hundred thousand."

*Gasp!*

Lin Hong took a sharp breath, completely stunned.

Five hundred thousand for one song? That was the kind of treatment reserved for top-tier gold-medal lyricists! Was Lin Yi considered a top-tier gold-medal lyricist? Lin Hong was skeptical. Lin Yi had only written two songs, and those were sung by the lead actors of *Nirvana in Fire*. If they had been given to anyone else, would they have been as explosive? Probably not.

"Send them over for me to see." After a moment of hesitation, Lin Hong said.

"Alright."

Looking at the two songs, Lin Hong fell into deep thought. After a while, he said, "The price is a bit high."

"It is a bit high, but I feel like it was tailored for me. It suits me perfectly."

Hearing Lin Youjia say this, Lin Hong felt it wasn't his place to say more. It was a classic case of a willing buyer and a willing seller. Setting the price aside, the songs were, honestly, quite good.

"Fine, I'll talk to the company tomorrow and let them handle the operations."

"Great!"

...

Early the next morning, Lin Yi woke up and reached for his phone to see a pleasant notification: a bank transfer of one million yuan had been received.

If he could wake up to such a notification every day, Lin Yi would be quite satisfied. He got up in high spirits, washed up, and finished a bowl of millet porridge. He then messaged his lawyer, instructing him to register the copyrights for the songs "Waste" and "Lying." In his previous life, there were countless cases of plagiarism and pirated music; Lin Yi didn't want to be slapped with the label of a plagiarist. He had to be cautious.

His leg, which had suffered a minor fracture, was mostly healed after a few days of recovery, though walking normally was still a bit difficult. Returning to his bedroom, he contentedly settled into the life of a shut-in. Sitting in front of his computer, he searched for songs from his previous life and recorded all those that did not yet exist. After organizing the songs, he got back to writing.

*Rumble!*

Just as Lin Yi was preparing to go out for food, an unexpected guest arrived.

"Ta-da! Didn't expect that, did you? Your father is here to see you!" Niu Junjie walked in carrying a box, blinking incessantly, his expression seemingly saying, "Surprised? Unexpected, right?"

"I certainly didn't expect my son to bring food for his father. How filial! Truly my own son!" Lin Yi didn't lag behind in his retort, reaching out to pat Niu Junjie on the head. Trying to take advantage of him? Hah, not a chance!

Niu Junjie: ...

*Too hasty!* I miscalculated this time, Niu Junjie thought to himself, promising to pay back this loss with interest next time.

"How come you're here?" Lin Yi let—no, welcomed—Niu Junjie into his home and asked.

"Hey, I was bored at home, felt stuffy, so I came over." Niu Junjie walked to the refrigerator, took out the last bottle of milk, and drank it in large gulps, looking thoroughly satisfied. *Thank goodness you're still here!*

"Didn't you say you were going on a trip?" Lin Yi remembered him saying last night that he was going on a trip with some classmates.

"That's not for a while yet! I'll go after the college entrance exam results are out and I've filled out my applications."

"I thought you were going these few days," Lin Yi laughed.

"Is your leg almost better?" Niu Junjie observed Lin Yi's leg and asked.

"Yeah, probably fully healed in a few more days."

"Hey, how about you come with us on the trip? Zhang Siqi is going too, you know!" Niu Junjie gave Lin Yi a "you know what I mean" look.

"Not going, not interested," Lin Yi waved his hand in refusal. He didn't have much interest in traveling. Others looked at the scenery, but he mostly just looked at his own loneliness. Especially during summer vacation, tourist spots were packed so tight with people that you couldn't move—it really was just looking at "loneliness," or rather, a sea of heads!

"No way! Three years of being classmates, no need to be so heartless, right? I know you feel inferior when you face Zhang Siqi, but don't you have me? Don't worry, with me around, you'll definitely win the beauty's heart!" Niu Junjie patted his chest, guaranteeing it.

Lin Yi: ...

"I only have a good impression of her, it's not quite at the level of 'like' yet," Lin Yi explained. When he first started experiencing young love, he just happened to meet her, and the feelings naturally emerged.

"Oh, you don't need to explain. Don't I know your situation?"

Lin Yi: ... Forget it, he wouldn't explain. Let him think what he wanted. Lin Yi stopped arguing about whether his feelings for Zhang Siqi were just a "good impression" or "like." After all, in matters of the heart, those two words are often easily confused.

"The world is so big, you should go out and see more. It's settled, you're coming with us," Niu Junjie said firmly.

"I really don't want to go."

"You're hypocritical! You're petty! You're a fake gentleman!"

Lin Yi: ...

"Alright, enough arguing. After all, once summer vacation is over, we'll all go our separate ways. Just consider it a memento for our youth," Niu Junjie said with a touch of sadness. Three years of youth, just like that, had passed. There was so much he couldn't bear to leave behind, but nowhere to express it; he could only bury it in his heart and savor it alone in the dead of night.

Lin Yi didn't say anything more, which counted as his consent.

"Lin Yi, do you think we'll meet again after university? Will we still be able to get together and talk about the old days?" Niu Junjie choked up, wiping his reddened eyes. "Forget it, let's not talk about such sad topics, I'm already tearing up."

Lin Yi didn't answer his question. The common reality after starting university was that everyone had their own things to busy themselves with—some studying for certifications, some joining clubs, some addicted to games... Meeting up? It felt out of reach.

"Are you writing a novel?" Niu Junjie quickly pushed the sad emotions to the back of his mind, his gaze shifting to the computer.

"Yeah, just bored at home, wanted to find something to do."

"Let me see." Niu Junjie nudged Lin Yi aside and looked down at the screen. "'*Shadows of the Republic*'? It's not bad. Keep writing, I'll follow your story."

"By the way, which website are you publishing on?"

"Haven't published it yet, I'm planning to post it on Qidian."