In the past two days, *The Wind Rises* has been continuously gaining traction across the internet, and Xu Nuo’s popurity has been steadily rising as well, with an even stronger upward trend.
The popurity points he used up in the st lottery had climbed back up to over 80,000.
Xu Nuo was somewhat looking forward to reaching 100,000. By then, he could use them to unlock the shop, and he was curious to see what kind of items it would offer.
The lottery function was just for fun—always giving him frivolous stuff like bck stockings. Sure, they were nice, but they weren’t particurly useful.
At 9 a.m., after tidying up, Xu Nuo took a cab to Haiyin Entertainment.
As expected of one of the top three giants in the entertainment industry, Haiyin owned an entire building.
Xu Nuo stepped into the lobby, where two attractive women sat at the reception desk.
After briefly expining his purpose, one of the receptionists told him to head straight to the 12th floor, where someone would meet him.
Xu Nuo thanked her and took a moment to observe the company’s environment. It seemed pretty decent.
The employees here appeared to be in good spirits, chatting and ughing with each other—a strong sense of camaraderie permeated the pce.
It was already 9:30, and there were still quite a few people trickling in through the entrance, holding buns, soy milk, and the like.
Xu Nuo thought to himself that this company was probably the right choice.
Generally speaking, a company like this wouldn’t be too bad.
In some trashy companies, the atmosphere was tense the moment you walked in, and they even had employees shouting slogans first thing in the morning—like some kind of pyramid scheme.
He took the elevator to the 12th floor, where a long-haired girl with gsses was already waiting by the doors.
“Hi, I’m here for an interview.”
“Oh, okay. Let’s head to the reception room. Mr. Qin will be there shortly,” the girl said, leading him to the room and even fetching him a gss of water.
“Did you bring your resume?”
“No.”
“Oh… Do you have a digital version then?”
“Nope.”
“…” The girl stared at him speechlessly for a while before turning and leaving the room.
Xu Nuo looked around. The reception room had gss walls, through which he could faintly see the office area.
It was almost 10 a.m., but there weren’t many people in the office. Plenty of computer screens were on, yet no one was around.
The desks were spacious, and the overall yout felt quite open.
Bored, he observed the office, not the least bit worried about the upcoming interview.
That’s just how fearless someone with a system could be.
A few minutes ter, a man wearing a dress shirt and sporting a rge belly walked in. The girl from earlier followed behind, looking visibly annoyed.
Xu Nuo stood up to greet him. “Mr. Qin, hello. I’m Xu Nuo.”
“Please, sit,” Mr. Qin said with a nod, leaning back in his chair.
The girl muttered under her breath, “What kind of person doesn’t even bring a resume?”
Mr. Qin didn’t respond. He tapped the table with his hand. “You were referred by Xiao Lin, right?”
At that, the girl beside him pursed her lips and turned her head aside.
Another nepotism hire.
“Yes,” Xu Nuo replied, sitting across from them. He could see both of their expressions clearly.
From the moment Mr. Qin walked in, he had adopted a rexed posture, slouching casually in his chair without even opening his eyes fully. It came off as disrespectful, and he hadn’t even bothered to introduce himself.
Clearly, he wasn’t taking this seriously.
The girl beside him—likely an assistant—looked a bit puffed up with indignation, probably thinking Xu Nuo was too arrogant for showing up to an interview empty-handed.
And when she heard he was recommended by someone, her expression even carried a hint of disdain.
“Tell me about yourself.”
“Xu Nuo, 22 years old, graduated from Modu Media University with a degree in broadcasting and hosting,” Xu Nuo kept it brief.
Mr. Qin nodded. “Why do you want to join our composition department?”
Xu Nuo froze for a moment. What was going on? Hadn’t Lin Wanqing told him anything about his situation? She’d recommended him, but it seemed like she’d only mentioned his name and nothing else.
No wonder people said she wasn’t good with words.
Her emotional intelligence was clearly cking.
He tested the waters. “The song *The Wind Rises*, which has been pretty popur recently, was written by me.”
The man across from him suddenly opened his eyes wide.
Xu Nuo observed him closely and realized he’d misunderstood. The guy wasn’t looking down on him—his eyes were just small, so it was hard to tell when they were open.
“You wrote it?” Mr. Qin straightened up, resting his arms on the table and leaning forward, his gaze intense as he stared at Xu Nuo.
Xu Nuo nodded.
The girl beside him immediately pulled out her phone to search. After a moment, she whispered, “Mr. Qin, the copyright is registered under ‘Nuo Yan.' (Promise)"
“That’s my stage name.”
Mr. Qin looked thoughtful, his eyes narrowing into slits as he sized Xu Nuo up carefully.
“Honestly, with your looks, you could try being an artist. It wouldn’t be hard for you to get famous.”
The girl nodded in agreement.
In the entertainment industry, artists made more money and gained fame more easily than composers.
Xu Nuo could tell what they were thinking. Mr. Qin probably figured one song didn’t prove his talent—anyone could get lucky once in a while.
“Mr. Qin, I’ve written another song. Would you two be interested in hearing it?” Xu Nuo smiled, unbothered by their attitudes.
“Oh, another song?” Mr. Qin perked up, sitting up a bit straighter and gesturing for him to go ahead, clearly eager to listen.
Xu Nuo cleared his throat. “I’ll just sing a short part.”
“Sure.”
“
*If we meet again and can’t cry with red eyes,*
*Can we still blush with red faces?*
*…*
*We need to owe each other,*
*We need to stay tangled even after breaking apart.*
”
The meeting room fell silent.
“That’s it?” Mr. Qin opened his eyes, sounding a little unsatisfied.
Xu Nuo chuckled. “I’m not great at singing, so I’ll spare you the embarrassment.”
To his surprise, both of them nodded in unison.
Damn, was his singing really that bad? Xu Nuo’s mouth twitched.
“This song feels simir to *The Wind Rises*—youth, regret, nostalgia. It fits the graduation season vibe perfectly,” Mr. Qin said, his tone growing excited as he gave a professional critique.
“It’d suit Xiao Lin’s style well.”
The girl whispered, “The song’s really good.”
“Is the copyright for this one yours too?”
“Yes.”
Mr. Qin stood up and extended his hand. “Let me introduce myself. I’m Qin Bangyan, director of the composition department.”
Xu Nuo knew this meant he’d earned Qin Bangyan’s approval. The man hadn’t introduced himself earlier—not even his surname, which Xu Nuo only learned from the girl.
He shook Qin’s hand, and the girl extended hers as well. “I’m Zhao Yuan, Mr. Qin’s assistant.”
The three of them sat back down.
Xu Nuo couldn’t help but sigh at how pragmatic the world was. Even the pin water had been swapped for tea now.
“Xiao Yuan, ask Lin Wanqing if she wants this song,” Qin Bangyan said.
Zhao Yuan stepped out to make the call, while Qin Bangyan eagerly asked Xu Nuo if he had a demo for the song.
Xu Nuo pulled out his phone and pyed a segment for him.
Qin Bangyan closed his eyes, swaying to the rhythm and humming along softly.
When Lin Wanqing walked in, she was greeted by a bizarre scene: Xu Nuo sitting there with a wry smile, while the chubby Qin Bangyan twisted his body to the beat.
She couldn’t help but ugh. “Mr. Qin, what are you doing?”
“Ahem.” Qin Bangyan opened his eyes and awkwardly rubbed his belly. “Xiao Xu has a song here. What do you think of it?”
“I’ve heard it before.”
Qin Bangyan shot her a look. “Then why didn’t you say so earlier?!”
“You didn’t ask.”
“…” Qin Bangyan waved a hand helplessly. This girl really didn’t know how to communicate. When recommending someone, you’ve got to give details! He’d assumed Xu Nuo was just another nepotism hire. Good thing he hadn’t given him the cold shoulder, or he might’ve let a talent slip away.
(End of chapter)
