Chapter 21: The Internet Singing Sensation Goes Mainstream

Lin Qianfan had anticipated his grandfather asking this, so he immediately replied, "It’s a bonus, Grandpa. I won first place in a competition, and this is the reward from the school."

His grandfather stared at him, his expression still somewhat stern. "Can a competition bonus really be this much?"

"Yes, the school even said they’d reward me with school supplies," Lin Qianfan rambled, his mind racing to change the subject.

His grandmother emerged from the kitchen, wiping the water from her hands. "Old man, the child took first place; what’s wrong with them giving him a nice reward? Stop guessing."

"Don't you go shielding him," his grandfather huffed. He set down his knife and reached over to open one of the bags.

Lin Qianfan hurried over. "I picked these out specifically. I know you two will love them."

"Milk for calcium, and mooncakes for a snack—Grandma likes sweets, so these are perfect."

His grandfather sifted through the items and glanced at the other bag. "What’s this?"

"Clothes. One for you and one for Grandma," Lin Qianfan said with a smile.

His grandfather gave a cold snort, while his grandmother happily picked up the clothes to inspect them. "Oh my, these are actually quite nice. Old man, stop being so suspicious."

His grandfather stared at Lin Qianfan, seemingly wanting to say more, but eventually only muttered, "I suppose you've got some talent."

Lin Qianfan breathed a sigh of relief and handed the bag of food to his grandmother. "Grandma, this is the food. See if you like it?"

His grandmother smiled as she took it. "You, it’s rare to see you being this filial."

As his grandfather whittled a piece of wood, he grumbled, "Winning first place is fine, but don't go spending money so lavishly."

Lin Qianfan scratched his head. "I know, Grandpa. I’ll buy less next time."

The next day, while Lin Qianfan was still asleep in bed, his phone suddenly rang. He fumbled for it and saw it was a call from Lanxing Studio.

"Hello, Mr. Lin? The song has been released. Do you have a moment to take a look?"

Lin Qianfan woke up instantly and sat up. "How is the performance?"

The person on the other end couldn't hide their excitement. "It’s fantastic! It’s been live for half a day and has already passed one hundred thousand clicks!"

Lin Qianfan’s heart skipped a beat. "That fast?"

"Yes, and the feedback in the comments section is great, too. Everyone is praising the lyrics."

Lin Qianfan opened his phone, found Lanxing Studio’s account, and sure enough, saw the newly released song. The play count was skyrocketing, and the comments were universally positive.

"These lyrics are absolutely brilliant!"

"It’s been so long since I’ve heard such a touching song. Who is the lyricist? I want to be a fan!"

Lin Qianfan looked at these comments, feeling a bit floaty, but he quickly calmed himself down.

"Congratulations. Looks like you guys made a fortune this time."

The other person laughed. "It’s all thanks to your lyrics, Mr. Lin. We’ll definitely collaborate again if there’s an opportunity."

"Sure, contact me if you need anything else." Lin Qianfan hung up, already beginning to plot his next move.

Meanwhile, another company, Xunmeng Studio, which had also used lyrics written by Lin Qianfan, was not so lucky. The song they released had a lukewarm reception, and there were even quite a few complaints in the comments.

"This composition is trash; it completely fails the lyrics."

"The lyrics are good, but what is this singing?"

The producer, looking grim, slammed his hand on the desk. "Who wrote this melody? Get someone else, quickly!"

The assistant beside him said cautiously, "But we didn't contact Mr. Lin before—we wrote it ourselves."

The producer glared at him. "Contact him immediately! You must find Mr. Lin!"

The assistant nodded. "Right, I’ll try that now."

At this moment, Lin Qianfan was already on his way back to school, his phone left at home. Recalling the rumors and gossip at school from the previous week, he had gone to the bank and opened a new card to prove he had money. The staff processed it skillfully, and he soon had the card in hand. Since the payment for the lyrics was a large sum, he withdrew five thousand yuan to put into the new card to avoid unnecessary trouble.

After returning to school, Lin Qianfan went to see the principal.

"Principal, didn't you say the school supports student entrepreneurship? I have some ideas and wanted to chat with you about them."

The principal looked up at him. "Go ahead, what’s the idea?"

"I want to start a campus e-commerce platform, specifically selling things students need, like books, stationery, clothes, and so on."

The principal frowned. "What kind of support can the school provide for something like this?"

"Principal, I don't need money from the school. I just need a space and some help with promotion."

The principal listened and was silent for a moment. "That might be worth a try, but you need to come up with a viable plan first."

"No problem, I’ll prepare it as soon as possible," Lin Qianfan said with a smile.

As he left the principal's office, Lin Qianfan already had a rough outline in his mind.

"Alright, it’s settled then." The principal nodded, signaling that Lin Qianfan could go.

Lin Qianfan turned and left, his brain rapidly calculating. Now that the plan was approved, it was time to implement the details. He went to the dorm to find Yongpan and the others to hold a quick meeting.

"Guys, the principal agreed. We can start the e-commerce platform," Lin Qianfan said as soon as he entered.

"Really? What support is the school giving us?" Yongpan turned away from his computer, crossing his arms on the desk.

"Space and promotion." Lin Qianfan pulled out his notebook and briefly repeated his conversation with the principal.

Another roommate, Dawei, was surprised. "Does that mean we don't have to cram in this dorm to do it?"

"Exactly," Lin Qianfan nodded. "But this dorm is too basic, and our computers can’t handle the workload. Next, I need to apply for a classroom, and we’ll need to buy some new computers."

Yongpan frowned. "Buy new computers? Qianfan, that’s not a small amount of money, is it?"

"It is, but it’s necessary." Lin Qianfan tapped the table. "We’re currently tied hand and foot. These broken computers in the dorm freeze just trying to load a webpage; how are we supposed to run a project? The money has to be spent."

"That may be so, but do you have enough money?" Yongpan continued to press.

"Don't worry, I have it under control," Lin Qianfan replied nonchalantly. He didn't want to explain too much about selling the lyrics, lest it lead to complications.

Early the next morning, Lin Qianfan knocked on the principal’s door again.

"Principal, there’s an issue I need to discuss with you."

"Speak," the principal said, setting down his documents.

"The computers in the dorm aren't powerful enough to run development software. Could I apply for an empty classroom to set up a few new computers?"

The principal pondered for a moment. "The school does have a few vacant classrooms, but the school probably doesn't have the budget for computers."

Lin Qianfan nodded. "The classroom is enough; I’ll take care of the computers myself."

The principal looked at him, clearly surprised by his confidence, but didn't ask further. "Fine, go apply at the General Affairs Office yourself."

Leaving the office, Lin Qianfan headed straight for the General Affairs Office. The director looked him over and spoke in a flat tone, "We do have an empty classroom, but you’ll have to clean it out and tidy it up yourself."

"No problem. Where is the classroom?" Lin Qianfan asked excitedly.