Genius Club

Chapter 119: Chapter 114: Something Special

The smile vanished from Zhao Yingjun’s face.

She slowly straightened up, fixing her gaze on Lin Xian:

“Leave MX Company? So suddenly… do you have other plans? Joining another company perhaps?”

“Not exactly.”

Lin Xian answered indifferently:

“I mainly want to… go out and start a business of my own.”

“Have you thought it through?”

“Not yet.” Lin Xian shook his head, candidly:

“I am quite confused at the moment.”

“You know, a lot has happened during this period. I’ve indeed learned a lot and accumulated some capital. But… I have no clue how to proceed in the future or how to develop.”

“I admire that you’ve made such accomplishments in the business world at a young age. I want to be like you, so I’m considering… whether I should take this opportunity while I’m young and have some capital to start my own venture.”

“Of course, I’m not saying that I want to leave MX Company right now.”

Seeing that he had successfully piqued Zhao Yingjun’s interest, Lin Xian began to draw her in and out of the conversation:

“I feel that I’m still too naive, clueless about business and management. It wouldn’t be a wise choice to rashly start a business now.”

“I really want to learn more from you, acquire more skills. Starting a business isn’t urgent. However, I do think it’s necessary to have some preliminary planning and direction.”

“So, that’s also why I wanted to invite you to dinner. If you don’t mind… I would like to have a good chat with you this evening, talk it over and hear your thoughts, get some advice from you.”

…

Leaving MX Company was Lin Xian’s trump card against Zhao Yingjun.

It was Zhao Yingjun’s biggest concern.

Half of Rhine Cat’s various copyrights are in Lin Xian’s hands. If Lin Xian were to leave the company, the ownership issues of Rhine Cat might need to be discussed anew.

Moreover, it wasn’t just about the copyrights. Lin Xian’s various ingenious designs were the true value of Rhine Cat.

And…

The authorization for that miraculous chemical substance from Professor Xu Yun was also in Lin Xian’s hands.

He could revoke MX Company’s authorization at any time, and likewise, license it in bulk to other cosmetic companies. That was what currently made MX Company the big boss.

These two issues were, in fact, the ticking time bombs for MX Company, with the switch in Lin Xian’s hands.

These problems weren’t problems at all because Lin Xian was still a member of MX Company, and those two bombs would never explode.

But if one day Lin Xian really left MX Company… whether those two bombs would explode, and when, became issues that would have to be confronted.

Of course, Lin Xian didn’t want to leave MX Company.

He hadn’t seen the invitation from the Genius Club yet.

But without bringing this up to Zhao Yingjun… she probably wouldn’t go out to dinner with him.@@novelbin@@

As long as he could get Zhao Yingjun to agree to have dinner with him, then her schedule for tonight would change, and the course of history as it originally unfolded would also change.

If that shooting were to happen tonight, then Zhao Yingjun could easily evade it, and the history of her untimely demise could thus be rewritten.

“Hmm…”

Zhao Yingjun nodded thoughtfully:

“Your consideration is very sensible. If you’re thinking of starting a business or have some business plans, I can indeed share some experience with you… not really wisdom, more like lessons from setbacks.”

“But I’m sorry, Lin Xian.”

Zhao Yingjun sat back in the CEO chair:

“I can’t do this evening because I already have plans.”

She took out a document from the side.

It was the Rhine Cat information that Lin Xian had organized a few days ago, which Zhao Yingjun had said she would subsequently show to other composers:

“Tonight, I have an appointment with a top domestic music producer to discuss the Rhine Cat MV theme song.”

“Our appointment is quite late… because he has other dinner engagements to attend. I need to wait for him to finish that meal before I can meet with him to discuss this.”

“There’s no choice, as we are the ones asking for a favor. Being a little humble is unavoidable. This music producer is quite talented, although I think the chances of him agreeing to compose for a cartoon character are slim… I still think I should give it a shot.”

“Rhine Cat is the mascot of our company, your creation as well, so I definitely have a responsibility to it.”

“So… how about we meet tomorrow evening instead?”

She looked up, smiled, and looked at Lin Xian:

“I also have arrangements for tomorrow evening, but since you are one of my key players, I think your matter is more important. We can talk it over in detail tomorrow night.”

…

Tomorrow.

Lin Xian fell silent.

The arrangement Zhao Yingjun had mentioned was reasonable and natural.

Any normal person would gladly accept a reschedule for tomorrow night.

After all, it’s just a dinner to discuss future plans—why the rush for a day or two? It’s already quite nice for the boss lady to agree to go out with you alone.

But…

He couldn’t wait until tomorrow.

Lin Xian didn’t know the specific day of Zhao Yingjun’s death.

If it happened to be today, it would be too late for regrets tomorrow.

The book “Me and MX” made it very clear.

Zhao Yingjun “perished at midnight”, and she had just said that the music producer had other dinner plans tonight and would have to wait until after to meet with her…

No matter how you looked at it, it was too dangerous.

This was a risk Lin Xian could not take.

There are no endless chances for do-overs in the real world; things must be foolproof.

But…

The problem arose again.

If he insisted now that they must dine tonight! He must get Zhao Yingjun to cancel her meeting with the music producer!

That would seem too deliberate, a discerning person could tell something was amiss.

If the news tomorrow morning reported a shooting on the route Zhao Yingjun had to take home…

When combining these two events, it was hard not to arouse Zhao Yingjun’s suspicion.

Given that Zhao Yingjun’s and the Genius Club’s stance, motives, and whether they were good or bad were unclear, this was a risk Lin Xian also couldn’t take.

Necessary.

I need to think of a perfect solution.

“Not only to prevent Zhao Yingjun from meeting the music producer tonight but also to have dinner with me tomorrow evening.”

That way, it would be tantamount to directly changing Zhao Yingjun’s schedule for two days, and there’s a very high chance that it would allow her to avoid the shooting altogether.

Moreover, having dinner tomorrow evening was her own suggestion, which naturally wouldn’t raise any suspicion.

Hmm.

This is a very good idea, a win-win.

“Sure,”

Lin Xian happily agreed:

“Then I’ll reserve a spot tomorrow and send you the address.”

“Just send it to my driver.”

“President Zhao, you mentioned earlier that the music producer you’re meeting tonight… Is he not very interested in writing the theme song for Rhein Cat either?”

Lin Xian began to change the subject.

“Yes.”

Zhao Yingjun nodded:

“We had a brief interaction in the preliminary stages, and indeed he doesn’t seem very interested, but I will strive to secure his interest tonight.”

“Actually, it really bothers me that Rhein Cat is looked down upon like this, being its designer,” Lin Xian said:

“So how about we stop looking for those composers and figure it out ourselves?”

Zhao Yingjun raised her head to look at Lin Xian:

“What do you propose?”

“I’ll write the theme song for Rhein Cat,” Lin Xian confidently stated.

…

Zhao Yingjun squinted at Lin Xian.

“Psst—”

Ultimately, she couldn’t help laughing out loud, wiping the corner of her mouth:

“Sorry, but I think you should forget about that idea. It’s not that I don’t trust you, Lin Xian…”

She flicked her hair:

“We must admit, composing is indeed a field with significant barriers, a very specialized matter.”

“I really do recognize your talent, but each trade has its master, and one field is as different from another as one mountain from the next. Don’t worry, I won’t fail your cat. I will definitely find it a top-tier composer.”

“Ahem.”

Lin Xian coughed twice, seriously saying:

“Actually, it’s not like I’m talking nonsense, I did teach myself the guitar during college.”

“Only self-taught?”

“But I’ve really written a piece of music that I feel is quite fitting for Rhein Cat. Plus, while I was designing Rhein Cat, I also filled in the lyrics along the way, thinking there was no need to show it to you all,” Lin Xian lied, but his acting was on point, and his mysterious confidence was rather persuasive.

“Oh?”

Zhao Yingjun blinked:

“You’ve filled in the lyrics too?”

“Yes.”

“Really now…” Zhao Yingjun shifted her position, revealing an incredulous smile:

“Well then, since you’re so intent on showcasing your work, why don’t you grab a guitar from the warehouse and perform it for us right now?”

“Certainly, why not.”

Lin Xian had already thought through his response.

A few minutes later.

The logistics staff brought Lin Xian a guitar from the warehouse.

Lin Xian sat on the couch, tuning the guitar on the spot, and under Zhao Yingjun’s skeptical gaze, he strummed the most basic chord:

“Then I’ll begin.”

…

Of course, Lin Xian couldn’t compose music.

His guitar skills were only beginner level.

But playing the chord progression 53231323 was no problem, and the F barre chord was also quite familiar to him, so basic strumming and singing were definitely no issue… since playing the guitar and singing is usually more about singing than playing.

The real difficulty lies in fingerstyle guitar playing, which is hard to learn through self-study alone.

Lin Xian’s confidence didn’t stem from his beginner guitar skills.

It was derived from the “mental contamination” he experienced in The First Dreamland.

In The First Dreamland, the toy store on the square was a place Lin Xian frequented not long ago.

He nearly pilfered all the Rhein Cat designs there already.

Rhein Cat became very popular in the future.

A whole shelf was dedicated to Rhein Cat merchandise, next to which the speakers played the incredibly catchy “Rhein Cat Theme Song.”

He was all too familiar with that song.

Especially in recent times, he’d been practically living in the toy store in the dream, seeking inspiration and visually scanning the Rhine Cat Dolls.

Back then… the loudspeakers on both sides of the shelf played the “Rhein Cat Theme Song” over and over again, looping the single track until Lin Xian felt his mind was tainted.

But he couldn’t deny that the song was indeed catchy and brainwashing.

Once Lin Xian got used to the melody… he would often hum it involuntarily afterwards, simple and catchy, easy to remember.

After being mentally tainted, he couldn’t forget it even if he wanted to.

It reached the same level as the notorious refrain “My dear sister by the boat’s prow, my brother walking along the shore.”

So.

Under Zhao Yingjun’s watchful eye, Lin Xian performed this freshly remembered catchy song.

After playing and singing the song once through, Lin Xian put down the guitar, looking at Zhao Yingjun:

“Well, what do you think?”