"Young man, I admire your confidence, but confidence without strength is arrogance."
Zhao Yuan hadn't expected Su Yu to accuse her of judging him by his appearance.
She had to admit, she felt a bit of a good impression towards this bold young man, Su Yu.
"Whether it's arrogance or not, we'll only know after we try," Su Yu smiled.
"How do you want to try?" Zhao Yuan's interest was piqued.
"I overheard most of your conversation. Could you show me the movie's synopsis?"
Su Yu didn't rush to hand over the USB drive.
While the song "Hou Lai" was good, it might not be suitable for that particular movie.
He wanted to see the movie synopsis first to confirm.
"A Ru, give him the synopsis." Zhao Yuan glanced at A Ru beside her.
After speaking, she was a little surprised herself.
This young man's confidence seemed to have an effect on her, making her impulsively agree to his seemingly impertinent request.
A Ru was even more surprised internally. What was wrong with Manager Zhao today? Why was she patiently talking to a young man for so long?
Normally, she would have already sent him away.
However, despite her surprise, A Ru didn't pry.
She took out a stack of papers from the thick pile of documents.
"The first page is the movie's synopsis." Turning to the first page, she handed it to Su Yu.
"Thank you," Su Yu nodded at her with a smile.
Then he took the documents.
The movie was titled "Na Shi Hou De Wo Men," a youth romance film, primarily told from the female protagonist's perspective.
The opening scene described the seventeen-year-old female protagonist being bullied by thugs at the school gate, and the male protagonist staged a heroic rescue.
The two naturally got together afterward.
Seeing this opening, Su Yu could already guess the subsequent plot.
A typical opening for a youth romance film, it had that familiar feel.
As expected, the rest of the plot revolved around falling in love, breaking up, and getting back together.
Upon graduation, the female protagonist was to study abroad but didn't want to be separated from the male protagonist.
The male protagonist, deeply in love with her, wouldn't say it out loud. He deliberately argued with her and then had a supporting female character pretend to be his new girlfriend.
The female protagonist, disheartened, went abroad to study.
The story concluded ten years later.
The male protagonist received news of the female protagonist's wedding. After some preparation, he attended her wedding.
The two exchanged a knowing smile at the wedding, and mutually let go...
"This movie features popular star Du Jun, so expectations are high. Moreover, this type of film has been a hit in recent years, hence their stringent requirements for the theme song," A Ru said after seeing Su Yu finish reading.
"It's alright..." Su Yu smiled noncommittally.
As a youth romance film, this movie compiled all the cliched tropes. On Earth, it might be criticized as a bad film, but if this genre was just starting out in this world, it would be considered good since the tropes weren't overused yet.
However, it still lacked something.
For a youth romance film, how could it be without car crashes and abortions?
That was the essence.
"This movie was originally scheduled to be released during the graduation season, but due to the car crash and abortion content, it hasn't passed the review, which is why it's been delayed until now. Next week is the film's release date, so if we don't have a plan today, we'll have to cancel the order."
A Ru continued to explain, emphasizing the extreme urgency as the client needed a result promptly.
"Good heavens, it really has a car crash and abortion..."
Pity, it didn't pass the review.
Even so, this movie had the potential to become a massive hit.
After reading the synopsis, Su Yu felt even more confident.
The song "Hou Lai" could be a perfect fit for this film.
"Manager Zhao, I have a song here that might meet their requirements." Su Yu placed the USB drive containing the song on the table and handed it to Zhao Yuan.
Zhao Yuan did not take the USB drive.
She placed her hands flat on the desk, her index fingers tapping lightly on the surface, looking at Su Yu with a blank expression.
This young man, though appearing somewhat frail, had a "puppy" aura emanating from his very weakness.
If he were applying for a singer position, Zhao Yuan would have readily accepted.
But he was applying for a producer role, which made Zhao Yuan feel a sense of regret.
Su Yu did not avoid her gaze, maintaining eye contact with a smile.
"I'll give you one last chance," Zhao Yuan sighed after a moment.
Although she didn't believe Su Yu could write a good song, given the situation, it wouldn't hurt to listen.
For anyone else, she probably wouldn't have bothered.
But Su Yu gave her a feeling of effortless calm, an uncharacteristic composure for his age, as if everything was under his control.
Zhao Yuan had been in this industry for over a decade and had some reputation. She had seen plenty of new talent, but Su Yu's demeanor was something she had never encountered before.
This was perhaps why she repeatedly went against her own principles.
Taking the USB drive, Zhao Yuan inserted it into the computer.
Opening the folder for the "Hou Lai" song files, she found an audio file and a document.
"Hou Lai?"
The song title was simple and direct.
Let me see if you truly have the talent or just blind confidence.
Her patience was wearing thin. If the song's quality was poor, she might just kick Su Yu out on the spot.
She clicked on the audio file.
A melody, a blend of guitar, piano, and cello, began playing from the desktop speakers, unhurried and with a storytelling feel.
Then, a female hummed melody started.
This humming was a synthesized sound from the system. Though lacking emotion, the pitch was extremely accurate.
As the humming continued, Zhao Yuan's grip on the mouse slowly tightened.
Her eyes began to gleam.
She suddenly released the mouse, took out a leather case from a nearby drawer, opened it, and carefully took out a pair of headphones.
She quickly plugged them into the computer's audio jack.
Putting on the headphones, she then dragged the mouse to click on the lyrics document.
Her gaze swept over the lyrics, one hand on the mouse, the other index finger tapping rhythmically on the desk.
The director's office fell silent.
A Ru, standing beside them, gaped with disbelief as Zhao Yuan actually put on headphones.
It was worth noting that Zhao Yuan's sound system was worth over a hundred thousand, capable of showcasing the song's finer details.
However, while the speakers were good, some very subtle details couldn't be discerned, which was why Zhao Yuan also possessed a pair of headphones worth over half a million.
Normally, she wouldn't easily use her headphones even when listening to demos from entry-level producers.
She only brought them out when listening to demos from intermediate producers.
To think that a music piece produced by a newcomer like Su Yu would garner such attention from Zhao Yuan.
The song "Hou Lai" was relatively long.
It was over five minutes long.
Time slowly passed, and Zhao Yuan's eyes were now closed.
A Ru stood to the side, her gaze shifting between Zhao Yuan and Su Yu, her expression becoming increasingly peculiar.
Su Yu watched Zhao Yuan quietly. He knew that if she could listen to the entire song, the matter was practically settled.
"Phew... A Ru, get Zhou Xia Li to the recording studio!"
"Su Yu, you come with me!"
Zhao Yuan opened her eyes, placed the headphones on the desk, unplugged the USB drive, and stood up, walking out of the office.