Chapter 117: Traveling Thousands of Miles Only to Hit a Stone Wall

It was snowing.

This was the first snowfall since the beginning of winter, and the first that Lin Chuan had witnessed since arriving in this world.

The flakes were light and sparse. Lin Chuan stood before the window, his face devoid of expression. Behind him, Uncle Gao sat at his desk, shaking his head. "Xiao Chuan, you have to understand, the commercial performance the day after tomorrow is significant. It’s not like the small gigs we’ve done in the past... I simply cannot get Xia Tian and Chu Fei on stage."

Lin Chuan turned around, a faint smile on his lips. "Uncle Gao, if you put it that way, then I shouldn't be qualified to take the stage either, seeing as I’ve only just debuted."

As soon as these words left his mouth, the smile on Uncle Gao's face stiffened. He could hear the underlying threat. They were just a pair of rookie performers—no fame to speak of, and no original songs of their own. What was their relationship to Lin Chuan that he would go so far as to burn bridges over them? Until now, Lin Chuan had always been easygoing; as long as his bottom line wasn't crossed, everything was negotiable. What had happened? Uncle Gao was bewildered.

He hurriedly stood up from his chair, walked to the window, and said with a smile, "Xiao Chuan, don't be impulsive. You know what kind of man I am. Besides, Xia Tian and Chu Fei are our company's artists. If there were an opportunity to make them famous, would I really be against it? But..."

"Uncle Gao, don't beat around the bush. I don't want to make things difficult for you. To the company, this performance might just be a publicity stunt, and for me personally, it isn't particularly critical—but for Xia Tian and the others, it means everything." Lin Chuan sighed softly.

Ever since he heard about Xia Tian's situation at the KTV that night, Lin Chuan had promised to help them. But over the last ten days, he had been so busy with his own affairs that the matter had slipped his mind. It wasn't until Uncle Gao notified him about the upcoming performance that he remembered his promise. Hence, the scene unfolding now.

Uncle Gao frowned. He could not afford to offend Lin Chuan, not now. Setting aside their personal relationship, Lin Chuan’s value to the company was self-evident. If not for him, how could the company have grown to what it was today? Commercial offers poured in, and once-arrogant record labels were now lining up to produce Lin Chuan's albums. Without him, Tiandi Culture would never have reached these heights; it was questionable whether the company would even still exist.

Gao Mingyuan was not an ungrateful man, nor was he one to discard the worker once the harvest was in—especially when he lacked the capital to do so. Everything depended on Lin Chuan’s name to sustain the company. Still, this situation put Gao Mingyuan in a bind. The organizers had requested Lin Chuan specifically, and there was only one slot available. If Gao forced "Power Boys" onto the stage, regardless of how the organizers reacted, it just wasn't the right way to do things.

Lin Chuan understood this, which was why he remained calm, looking for a solution with Uncle Gao. The office fell silent, save for the sound of their breathing. Outside, the snow continued to drift down, casting a silver veil over the distance. Below, vehicles crawled along the streets, and pedestrians on the sidewalk huddled into their coats, heads bowed, walking quickly.

Just as Lin Chuan was watching the scenery, Uncle Gao finally spoke.

"How about this? There is only one way to get them on stage, but..." Uncle Gao hesitated at the end.

Lin Chuan raised an eyebrow, his face brightening. "But what? Tell me what you need."

Uncle Gao sighed with a helpless smile. "They would have to perform with you on stage, and... they would need to sing a new song. That is the only way to convince the organizers."

Lin Chuan smiled at the news. Sharing the stage was fine; he had felt a bit lonely performing solo anyway. As for a new song, while it might be a monumental task for anyone else to write one in two days, for Lin Chuan, it was a piece of cake. He only needed to search his mind to find dozens, even hundreds of songs.

The only real trouble was having Xia Tian and Chu Fei master the new song in just two days. Mastering a song and merely being able to sing it were two different things. Anyone could memorize lyrics after hearing them a few dozen times, but what about the soul of the performance? This wasn't a casual sing-along; they were going to face tens of thousands, perhaps millions, of viewers. Without emotional depth, they would be no different from amateur singers or hobbyists.

Furthermore, the biggest hurdle was chemistry. As Uncle Gao said, they would be occupying Lin Chuan’s slot, meaning the three of them had to perform together. It was easy to say, but difficult to execute. Three people performing one song required a level of synergy that allowed them to truly blend. Xia Tian and Chu Fei were already a duo, so their rapport was perfect, but adding Lin Chuan to the mix changed the dynamic. Still, since he had secured the opportunity, Lin Chuan decided to take it one step at a time.

"Xiao Chuan, maybe we should forget it. The time is too tight. Even with your talent, this is a near-impossible task. Let’s do what I suggested—Xia Tian needs money for his father’s medical treatment, right? I’ll just pay it out of my own pocket. Why go through all this trouble?" Uncle Gao asked, clearly worried.

"Haha, Uncle Gao, if I could just give him the money, I would have done it already, wouldn't I? Xia Tian is in a tough spot, but he has his pride. He won't take money for nothing... besides, singing is his dream." Lin Chuan shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Sigh, I don't understand you young people. You refuse to take the easy path and insist on trekking thousands of miles just to hit a brick wall. Xia Tian is the same, so stubborn..." Uncle Gao chuckled and muttered to himself.

Hearing this, Lin Chuan burst into a laugh. "Uncle Gao, aren't you the same? You had a stable job at the television station, yet you insisted on coming to the capital to start a company. I bet you hit quite a few walls back then, didn't you?"

Uncle Gao’s face flushed as he playfully struck Lin Chuan. "You brat, teasing your Uncle Gao... but that is exactly why I like Xia Tian's character. He’s just like I was when I was young. It’s a pity I had to rely on myself back then, but they are lucky—they met you."