Chapter 9: Best Way To Hate A Song

Many people didn't expect that "Life Like Summer Flowers" would have such a strong impact. It actually overtook Dazzling Silverfire on the very first day!

When everyone noticed this, the entertainment industry buzzed with excitement.

"Starlight is in second place?!"

"After several years of underperforming, is this the legendary comeback for Starlight?"

"Everyone, don't forget, the first place is a special case. If we round it off, 'Life Like Summer Flowers' is essentially this year's champion!"

"Do we even need to round it off? Moreover, there's something you all might not have noticed. Although the first place is far ahead, the rate of increase in downloads for 'Life Like Summer Flowers' seems to be even higher. You all know what that means."

A data genius from a certain company was closely observing.

"What do you mean?"

"In any case, get your small chairs and some sunflower seeds ready. There might be a chance to witness an epic battle at the end of the month. It's interesting, as we thought that Sahara would easily dominate this year."

At that moment, Zeng Li, the singer from Dazzling Silverfire, was having dinner with his composer, Li Yang.

This meal was enough to max out two credit cards.

The oversized King Crab on the table had its pincers and claws raised, showcasing its former glory, and was served with a special note: Celebration Banquet.

But as they savored their meal, Zeng Li's phone buzzed. It was the company, and they delivered the news that "Aries" had slipped from third place.

Suddenly, the King Crab in the bowl lost its appeal.

Zeng Li turned to Li Yang, puzzled, almost as if he were saying, "I had second place just a moment ago. Where did it vanish to?"

Li Yang fell into silence, retrieving his phone and earphones. He decided to give "Life Like Summer Flowers" a listen. As the song played, a whirlwind of emotions swept over him, and he couldn't resist downloading it.

Admittedly, Li Yang had a touch of arrogance. When the Newcomer Rankings were unveiled, he, being the second-place artist, only bothered with the top-ranked song. The third-ranked "Life Like Summer Flowers" didn't pique his curiosity at all.

After all, who would bother with someone beneath their own rank?

But as he listened, Li Yang's demeanor transformed. He gazed at the song occupying the first spot on the Newcomer Rankings, and his expression suddenly turned resolute. "You're in for some competition!"

...

Meanwhile, in the dormitories at Starlight Entertainment.

Sun Yaohuo, who had been watching the chart all day long, was the first to notice that "Life Like Summer Flowers" had surged to the second place on the chart.

He suddenly stood up and exclaimed, "I'm famous!"

No wonder the industry has always had legends about various Music Daddies, and even many debut singers half-jokingly say, "I'm willing to be a dog for Music Dad."

"It turns out that when you encounter a brilliant Music Dad, even tying a dog in the recording studio can make it famous!"

Sun Yaohuo had longed for his big break, and he had been brought in by his agent to record a song, not having much say in the matter. But he had inexplicably surged to second place in the Newcomer Chart, becoming one of the most prominent new artists of the season!

Here's a fill-in-the-blank question for you:

Sun Yaohuo pondered: How should he greet Junior Lin the next time they meet if he were to set aside his so-called pride?

...

At the same time, over at Qin Prefecture Art Academy.

Lin Yuan, completely oblivious to everything around him, sat in the library, engrossed in a book. Then, he was pleasantly surprised by a clear and melodious system notification:

[Congratulations to the host for breaking 10,000 total reputation points!]

[Reputation Points over 10,000 reward: Five years of life!]

[Reputation Points over 10,000 reward: Three bronze treasure chests!]

[Reputation Points over 10,000 reward: One silver treasure chest!]

Had his prestige exceeded 10,000?

Lin Yuan looked up at the four lines of glowing text, and a thought crossed his mind. He checked his current data:

[Age: 19]

[Life Expectancy: 27]

[Painting: 45"]

[Literature: 105]

[Music: 12,580]

[Comprehensive: 12,730]

The scores for painting and literature remained the same. But, when it came to music, they had a big boost, going over 10,000. This was probably because of how well "Life Like Summer Flowers" did.

The most significant news was:

His expected lifespan had gone up by five years.

At this point, Lin Yuan's lifespan had reached twenty-seven years. Although he had only gained an additional five years of life, it was enough to temporarily lift the threat of death.

Lin Yuan asked in his mind, "System, how much reputation do I need to increase my lifespan next time?"

The system replied, [The host's body suffers from a terminal illness that is theoretically incurable. In order to treat the host, the system employs the highest-level medical technology in the universe to modify the host's constitution. Therefore, the reputation requirement will only increase. The next time the host wants to extend their life through the system, it will require...]

Lin Yuan asked, "100,000 reputation points?"

The system responded, [No, it's one million.]

Lin Yuan's face darkened. He had a vague idea that the reputation requirement for increasing lifespan would be high, but he didn't expect it to be this high. It was too difficult. Even 100,000 wouldn't work, and they dared to ask for a million!

Lin Yuan felt a bit annoyed. "Do I need to release a hundred songs on the same level as 'Life Like Summer Flowers'?"

[No need to worry,] the system explained. [Currently, 'Life Like Summer Flowers' has provided the host with just over ten thousand reputation points. But that doesn't mean it can only provide that much reputation. In the future, as long as the song continues to attract new listeners, the host's reputation will continuously increase. Theoretically, the host's reputation will increase faster, and one million might seem like a lot, but it's actually just a blink of an eye.]

Lin Yuan blinked forcefully, and the system nearly froze, saying, [...]

Lin Yuan "heh-heh" in his mind and reluctantly accepted this fact. He had an idea that as long as he continued to produce more works and Xianyu's reputation grew larger, continuously attracting attention, his reputation would naturally increase. Of course, this required him to work hard to create new works and earn more reputation.

Thinking about this, Lin Yuan looked with anticipation at the four chests in his inventory. He wondered what good things he might get from them.

Lin Yuan made a quick choice and decided to open two of the bronze chests. But when it came to the third one, he opted to keep it a mystery for now.

[Bronze Chest opened: Acquired the song "Big Fish"]

[Bronze Chest opened: Acquired the song "Flammable and Explosive"]

It seemed like the system knew that in Qin Prefecture, the "Land of Music," music-related rewards held the highest value. Therefore, most of the items found in bronze chests were related to music.

"Let's open the silver chest as well," Lin Yuan said.

Immediately, a bright light flashed before Lin Yuan's eyes.

[Silver Chest opened: Acquired the piano composition "Dream Wedding"]

A silver chest opening with a five-dollar special effect?

However, this reward was indeed good, as it was the composition "Dream Wedding"! The value of this piano composition was much higher than that of a song, considering it was one of the top works composed by Paul De Senneville for Richard Clayderman, a classic piece that countless people on Earth had heard.

No wonder it was placed in a silver chest. If he finds an opportunity to release this widely-loved piano composition, it should significantly boost his reputation, right? Lin Yuan thought with anticipation.

However, he couldn't be hasty about the release. Just like the success of "Life Like Summer Flowers," it required the support of the Starlight platform. Without a good platform or opportunity, the efficiency of gaining reputation might be compromised.

With this in mind, Lin Yuan suddenly had a question: "If I don't publicly reveal my real-world identity when releasing works, will it affect the reputation gain?"

[No,] the system replied. It seemed that the system was too lazy to type and directly responded in its emotionless mechanical voice into Lin Yuan's mind, [As an identity like 'Xianyu,' you are the focal point. Whether you are in the foreground or behind the scenes doesn't matter.]

"Understood."

It resembled the way he described 'a friend' when talking to Jianyi and Xiafan, but, in the end, it turned out he was talking about himself. As long as the main point was right, the details didn't matter.

Lin Yuan asked another question, "What are the specific criteria for forming a reputation?"

The system explained, "Reputation comes from the audience's recognition of the work. Because they genuinely appreciate 'Life Like Summer Flowers,' this appreciation is converted into reputation. The specific amount of reputation gained depends on the extent of the audience's love for the work."

"Okay."

Lin Yuan was savoring the newfound perks of having a good reputation. It struck him that he was now valuing it more than before. These reputation rewards seemed more alluring than the arduous task completions.

Nevertheless, he wasn't about to be choosy; even a modest reward, like a single bronze treasure chest, would do. As for the upcoming exam-related task, he knew he had to put in the effort.

Right at that moment, Lin Yuan's phone rang unexpectedly. He quickly checked it and saw a message from his class group.

Huang, our professor for the major courses, posted a message to our class group with some important updates from the department.

He said, "Hello, everyone! The department has given us an important update.

Our major exam is coming up on November 15th! Additionally, we've got a new assignment for next week related to music appreciation.

Have you all heard the song 'Life Like Summer Flowers'? Please make sure to listen to it and analyze why it's become so popular from a compositional perspective.

Keep in mind that this could be part of the upcoming exam!"

The group's response was immediate and filled with mixed feelings.

[]: "Oh no, not again..."

[]: "Professor, really?"

[]: "But I love that song!"

[]: "So, we're going from loving a song to hating it again?"

[]: "Well, I guess I can officially say I no longer like 'Life Like Summer Flowers' in advance."

A lot of students really liked the song "Life Like Summer Flowers." But as Lu Xun once said, "If you want music students to hate a song, just make it their homework."

However, Lin Yuan was fine with it. His classmates had already given him the reputation points needed, so the system couldn't take that away, right? Whether they'd still enjoy "Life Like Summer Flowers" down the road didn't bother Lin Yuan. He had more songs lined up, and he felt confident about the upcoming exam since the system not only gave him the song but also extra study materials.

[]: "What's the song for the assignment?"

The group chat exploded with messages, accumulating 99+ notifications in a flash. Some students, dealing with slow phones, didn't want to go upstairs to get a better signal, so they resorted to asking in the chat.

[]: "'Life Like Summer Flowers,' don't ask that again!"

The class leader's response had a touch of irritation that you could sense even through the screen. To drive the point home, they added, "I now hate Xianyu!"

[]: "Agreed!"

[]: "Agreed!"

[]: "Agreed!"

The whole class seemed to be in complete harmony.

Lin Yuan typed a series of dots to break their successive agreements, feeling like they were fixating too much on this. But then he shrugged it off. They had their issues with Xianyu, but what does that have to do with him?