"There's another song! Quick, listen to the other one!"
After the excellence of the first song, Li Chunhua was now completely intrigued, as excited as if she had discovered a hidden treasure.
Xu Qingqiu gave her a speechless look but still clicked on the next song.
"This song is called 'Morning bound for midnight'—what does that mean?"
"What does it matter what it means? Just listen to it, won't you?"
Alright, let's listen then.
The song began with a rhythmically strong intro, and all three of them couldn't help but sway their bodies in unison.
"Stardust of the night, a night that never dims."
As soon as the first line played, Xu Qingqiu's eyes widened in surprise.
"Wow, this chant is so evocative!"
"Quiet, let's keep listening."
Li Chunhua shot her an impatient look, then stared intently at the computer screen, more focused than she ever was in school.
"Morning bound for midnight,"
"The season we're destined to embrace."
"Making us as wild as lovers,"
"An untamed field, no borders drawn,"
...
"Each dawn once as dark as the night,"
"Barring every dream, sealing every door,"
"Now, endless possibilities can freely bloom."
This song...
Initially, everyone thought it was a lively, upbeat tune, but as the singing continued, they gradually realized something was different.
Is this an inspirational song?
But what do these lyrics mean?
Xu Qingqiu fell into contemplation, while the two beside her were also at a loss for words. Beyond Xu Qingqiu, only Sister Hua, among those present, had even a slight understanding of music, and it wasn't much.
"Once true as love, yet success slipped away at the brink,"
"Once mistook every predator's feigned sincerity,"
"Finally grown, this is youth."
Gradually, as the song progressed, her gaze grew brighter and brighter.
Regret... strength... resilience... bravery...
Xu Qingqiu savored the meanings hidden within the song, completely immersed.
"I want to sing this song too!"
"No way!"
Sister Hua rejected her outright without a second thought.
According to the competition format, the first performance had two rounds, and she had already prepared two songs for Xu Qingqiu. Changing one was feasible, but swapping both? Impossible.
She wouldn't agree, no matter what.
"Awww, Sister Hua~~, I really, really like it~"
"I said no, and I mean no! Don't push your luck! One song is enough for you to practice. Can you even handle two?"
"I can handle it! I swear!"
Xu Qingqiu was determined to sing both songs, employing all her charms and coquettish wiles.
Seeing her holding up three fingers, pouting, and looking utterly pitiful, Li Chunhua momentarily softened but still shook her head firmly.
"No. Focus on singing the first one well, then we'll talk."
Realizing her pleas weren't working, Xu Qingqiu's eyes darted around playfully before she smirked and said, "Then how about this? I'll prepare both songs. If there are no issues later, we'll swap both. If it doesn't work out, we'll just swap one. Is that okay, Sister Hua?"
"Sister Hua~~ Is that okay?"
"Alright, alright, we'll decide when the time comes. But you absolutely cannot stay up late practicing, do you hear me? If you ruin your voice, you won't be able to sing a single song!"
"Haha, thanks, Sister Hua! I got it!"
Having gotten her way, she instantly transformed into a joyful sprite, hopping and skipping on the spot.
「…」
Meanwhile, Chu Tian, sporting dark circles under his eyes, lay sprawled over his desk in utter despair, completely spent.
Last night, he had engaged in a tug-of-war with the system, constantly checking his Reputation Points, ready to use them for the lottery draw as soon as they exceeded five hundred thousand. He was determined to adhere to the goal he had set for himself: never let the system earn an extra Reputation Point from him.
As a result, he had unwittingly stayed up until three in the morning and then woken up early again; he still hadn't recovered.
Eventually, as time passed, the growth of his Reputation Points slowed.
His gains during this period, however, were not insubstantial:
[Reattachment ointment]*2, [Hemostatic Powder]*1, [Sea Blue Essence]*1, [Level One Musicality]*1, [Refreshing Skin Water]*3, and the song "Light Years Away."
Other than the song, everything else was a bunch of inexplicable items.
Luckily, the [Sea Blue Essence] was an unexpected surprise. After all, one of them costs thirty-six thousand, right? That's tens of thousands! And you usually have to wait half a month to buy it.
But when he opened the store, he saw the price of [Sea Blue Essence], originally 36,000, had already changed to 72,000.
Damn! Do they raise the price even on lottery winnings?
Despite his irritation, what could he do?
And as for this [Level One Musicality], what use is it to me?
For someone who had never studied music and was tone-deaf, it might be decent. But anyone with even a sliver of talent would possess some degree of musicality, wouldn't they? For him, this skill was truly like chicken ribs: it took up space if he didn't use it, but honestly, it wasn't very useful even if he did.
Whatever. At least I got a song. Better than nothing, I guess.
Right now, the increase in Reputation Points was very slow. An explosive surge will only happen if Xu Qingqiu stays super popular, or if "The Sound of Nature" breaks into new circles or something.
Before he knew it, the day of the show's recording arrived.
The same MPV, the same routine; a segment in the vehicle still needed to be recorded.
This time, the show's crew was prepared. Staff and makeup artists had come to the company early to do Xu Qingqiu's makeup.
Because Zhou Yiyi was back, Chu Tian, the unreliable fellow, was finally forgotten, left unattended in a corner.
He was quite happy about this. Who'd want to go out in this sweltering heat anyway? Are they crazy?
It wasn't long before everything inside was ready. Zhouzhou led Xu Qingqiu out, speaking as they walked.
"Teacher Xu, we'll start recording as soon as we go downstairs. Just act as you did before. You've seen the script for our conversation on the road; please answer according to what we agreed upon."
Xu Qingqiu nodded from time to time. Li Chunhua and Yiyi followed behind, laden with bags big and small, carrying everything needed for the segment.
Just as they neared the door, she suddenly stopped for some unknown reason. She looked towards Chu Tian and saw him laughing and chatting animatedly with a female colleague, who was practically doubled over with laughter.
"That Chu Tian? You come along too."
"Huh? Are you calling me? What's up?"
Li Chunhua looked at Xu Qingqiu, puzzled. She opened her mouth as if to say something but held it back.
However, Zhouzhou, standing nearby, seemed to recall something and stood there awkwardly, unsure whether to proceed or wait.
Why him again? Why is she asking for him? I find him so annoying... but he seems to have gotten more handsome. And he can actually talk now? So, he pretended to be mute with me last time? Was it because my voice isn't nice? Maybe it's his low self-esteem? He must have been through something... Ah, my heart aches for him…
Xu Qingqiu, unaware of the whirlwind of thoughts in the young woman beside her, was simply irked by Chu Tian's leisurely attitude and his daily flirting with female colleagues. He should come along, too, she thought, wanting to disrupt his fun.
"Yes, you come along."
"But why should I go? I..."
"I'm the boss."
"…"