The success of love you was like a pink tsunami.

After the tide receded, it left pearls scattered all over the beach.

Overnight, Tang Tang became the new darling of major variety shows and music festivals; her schedule was packed tighter than her old part-time shift rosters.

Jiang Cheng and Su Qing also took advantage of the studio's momentum to launch their own national tours. Every show was sold out, and their careers were flourishing across the board.

Consequently, the studio became empty.

Jiang Cheng was rehearsing at the stadium, Su Qing flew south for a music festival, and Tang Tang was whisked away by her management team for a magazine cover shoot.

Only Lu Zhixian was left alone.

He had treated himself to a larger, softer sofa, still in his exclusive spot by the window.

His legs were covered with a small hand-dyed tie-dye blanket Su Qing had brought back from Yunnan during her last tour, and in the thermos beside him, fresh first-harvest goji berries from Ningxia were steeping.

In the morning, he scrolled through Douyin to see what ridiculous entries had been updated in the "Tough Guy Finger-Heart Contest."

A crane operator a hundred meters in the air made a finger-heart at the camera, accompanied by the song "You Are the Most Beautiful Cloud in My Sky."

A guy who had just finished a bodybuilding competition, covered in olive oil, used his arm—which was thicker than Tang Tang's waist—to make a heart for himself backstage, his expression as solemn as if he were joining the Party.

Lu Zhixian watched with great interest, occasionally giving a like, looking every bit like an old cadre enjoying an early retirement.

In the afternoon, he browsed Bilibili, enjoying various "crackship" videos edited by "daughter fans"—pairings like "Voldemort and the sweetheart leader" or "Thanos and His Little Quilted Jacket." The creativity was off the charts.

Life was truly leisurely and comfortable.

Until a call from an unknown Jingzhou number shattered the peace.

Lu Zhixian swiped to answer, habitually pressing the speakerphone button as he continued scrolling through his phone.

"Hello, is this Teacher Lu, Lu Zhixian from Xian Dong Wo Xin Studio?" The voice on the other end was young, articulate, and carried a professional politeness.

"That's me. Who's calling?"

"Hello, Teacher Lu. This is Director Zhang Ji's studio. My name is Wang, and I'm Director Zhang's assistant."

Zhang Ji?

Lu Zhixian's finger stopped scrolling.

In the Dragon Country film industry, this name was a gold-standard brand.

In his thirty-year career, he had made fewer than ten films, but every single one had swept major awards both at home and abroad.

He was extremely low-profile and never accepted interviews, but his demands for his films reached a level of obsession, earning him the industry nickname "Madman Zhang."

What would a film giant at the top of the prestige hierarchy want with a pop music guy like him?

"Director Zhang, I've heard much about him." Lu Zhixian shifted his posture, propping his legs up on the coffee table.

Assistant Xiao Wang seemed surprised by his composure, pausing for a moment before continuing.

"It's like this, Teacher Lu. Director Zhang is preparing a new sci-fi film called under the starry sky, and he is currently looking for a suitable soundtrack producer."

"Director Zhang has heard your the former you and love you. He greatly admires your creative style and would like to formally invite you to handle the entire score for under the starry sky."

Now, that was strange.

A director of hardcore sci-fi admiring "love you"?

Lu Zhixian became a bit interested. "Oh? And what about the compensation?"

On the other end, Assistant Xiao Wang's voice took on a hint of unconcealed superiority.

"Considering this is your first time doing a film score, Teacher Lu, Director Zhang has specially offered the highest possible rate for a newcomer."

"Five million, after tax."

However, the scene he expected—Lu Zhixian being shocked, excited, or even incoherent—did not happen.

The phone was silent for a few seconds.

Then, Lu Zhixian's lazy voice drifted through.

"Five hundred?"

"..."

Assistant Xiao Wang was rendered speechless by those two words.

Five hundred? Are you treating me like a beggar? Even a taxi ride costs more than that!

He took a deep breath, wondering if he had dialed the wrong number.

"Teacher Lu, did you not hear me clearly? I said five million." He specifically emphasized the word "million."

"Oh," Lu Zhixian replied, still sounding listless. "Fine, I'll take the job."

This nonchalant attitude completely threw Assistant Xiao Wang for a loop.

This was a Zhang Ji film! This was a five-million-yuan fee! An opportunity that countless famous soundtrack masters would fight tooth and nail for, and all he gave was an "oh"? A "fine"?

He felt his professional integrity had been insulted.

"Teacher Lu!" Assistant Xiao Wang's tone turned serious.

"I must remind you that Director Zhang's requirements for the score are notoriously high.

The timeline for this project is also very tight; there are only two weeks from signing to submission.

Furthermore, Director Zhang stated clearly that he doesn't want assembly-line, canned music. What he wants is a sound where you can hear the heartbeat of the universe."

He paused, adding a final blow: "Before you, we approached three award-winning soundtrack masters, but none of their works satisfied Director Zhang."

The implication was: we're looking for you because we think highly of you, so don't be ungrateful.

"It's fine," Lu Zhixian chuckled.

"Tell Director Zhang to put his heart back in his chest."

"And while you're at it, ask him if I should charge extra if the score is so good that it accidentally steals the film's thunder?"

"Beep... beep... beep..."

Listening to the busy signal, Assistant Xiao Wang stood frozen in a daze, phone still in hand.

Arrogant.

Utterly arrogant.

This kid was even crazier than their own "Madman Zhang"!

...

Somehow, the news leaked out.

Perhaps the teams of those rejected international masters were disgruntled, or perhaps someone in Zhang Ji's studio had a loose tongue.

In any case, the news that Lu Zhixian was going to score under the starry sky quickly spread through the domestic soundtrack community.

In an industry-insider forum that was almost closed to the public, this topic was immediately pushed to the top of the trending list.

"Did you hear? For his new film, Madman Zhang found a songwriter to do the score."

"Which one? The producer of 'love you'? Does he even know what an epic feel is?"

"LMAO, I bet fifty cents he won't even pass the demo stage. The complexity of the score for a Madman Zhang film is comparable to a symphony; it's not something he can handle by strumming a guitar a few times."

"I heard there's a penalty clause in the contract. If he can't submit in two weeks or if the draft is rejected, he has to pay three million in liquidated damages. This kid is probably going to lose all the money he made from 'love you'."

"Waiting to see the biggest joke of the year +1. That music critic from last time was premature; this is the real deal."

Several long-established big shots in the industry, though they didn't speak out publicly, all turned up their noses at the matter in private.

In the eyes of these "academics," a pop music producer with a "wild" background like Lu Zhixian trying his hand at film scoring—especially for a Zhang Ji film—was simply showing off his meager skills before a master, inviting humiliation.

Weihai Building, top floor.

Inside Zhang Ji's studio, smoke swirled in the air.

The director, over fifty with graying hair, was staring intently at the raw footage on the screen, which had no special effects added yet.

Assistant Xiao Wang knocked and entered, carefully placing a cup of coffee by his hand.

"Director, I've contacted Lu Zhixian's side."

"What did he say?" Zhang Ji's gaze didn't leave the screen.

Assistant Xiao Wang hesitated but decided to relay the words verbatim, even vividly mimicking Lu Zhixian's lazy and punchable tone.

"He said... for you to put your heart back in your chest."

"He also asked... if the score is too good and steals the film's thunder, whether he should get extra pay."

After speaking, he was ready to face the director's thunderous rage.

However, Zhang Ji simply paused the video.

He turned his chair around, and instead of being angry, he actually laughed.

That smile made Assistant Xiao Wang's skin crawl.

"Interesting."

Zhang Ji stubbed out the cigarette butt in his hand.

"This kid is even more arrogant than the rumors."

"I'll see what kind of surprise he can give me."

Back at the studio.

Lu Zhixian hung up, tossed his phone aside, and stretched, his joints popping and cracking.

Five million, two weeks.

For anyone else, they'd probably be scouring the world for information right now, studying Zhang Ji's past film styles, and preparing to work themselves to death in seclusion.

But he wasn't in a hurry.

He picked up his thermos, took a sip of the perfectly steeped goji water, and then, with a thought, opened the long-unseen system interface that only he could see.

On the screen, due to the phenomenal success of "love you" and the subsequent viral "tough guy heart" and "sweetheart leader" events, his accumulated popularity points had become an astronomical figure that made even him dizzy.

A long string of zeros, a sight for sore eyes.

He stroked his chin, looking at the numbers and muttering to himself.

"With this many popularity points..."

"It seems... I can play for high stakes now."