Looking at the only prize he managed to get, Chu Tian didn't know what to feel.
Am I disappointed? Well, I am for not drawing the novel I wanted, but I'm also surprised. Because this song is "Red Roses"! It's a song by Eason Chan from another world, a constant presence at the top of KTV song lists. Especially that one line in the lyrics that's almost universally known: 'What you can't get is always agitating, those favored by love are fearless.'
Seeing this song, waves of loss washed over Chu Tian's heart.
I can't go back... to the world I knew... I can't go back anymore. Sometimes I truly wish all this was just a dream. Acting silly and carefree every day, isn't it just a way to numb myself? Thinking of my friends from my previous life, the agents and assistants who were by my side all along, recalling the joyous moments when we'd all drink and sing together, thinking of the fans who stood by me through thick and thin below the stage... How could I not feel loss? How could I not feel nostalgic? Now, in a strange world, everything around me—friends, colleagues—feels like they're separated by a layer of glass, creating a natural sense of alienation. I try my best to hide my fear and loneliness, blundering around like a fool but with utmost care. I fear others might see through me, yet I'm also afraid of assimilating too quickly and losing myself. Thank goodness, at least there's an unreliable system in place, allowing me to see works familiar from my previous life, reminding me from time to time that I am a transmigrator, preventing me from losing myself. All in this world is like a great dream; life passes with several cool autumns. Like a dream, yet not a dream, the world is ever-changing. Why think too much?
"Eason Chan's song, huh? I've covered this song too. Never thought I'd encounter it here again."
Putting aside his thoughts, Chu Tian looked at the song. He opened his mouth as if to sing, but then closed it, resigning himself to hum the tune silently in his heart.
"Is happiness too heavy to bear?"
"Overused, nothing itches or hurts,"
"Eyes once passionate are now vacantly red and hollow,"
"Finally hollowed out, finally with a beginning but no end,"
...
"The red of a rose, dreams that bloom from wounds,"
"Held in the hand but slipping through the fingers,"
"Falling short again~"
"Sigh..."
With things as they are, there's nothing to fret about. Why not just make the best of it and live well? This song was written from a male perspective, but in my former life, women had sung it too; Zhang Bichen, for example, once covered it. As for me singing it, that's not happening, at least not anytime soon. Should I just stash it away? Or let Xu Qingqiu sing it?
He glanced at the empty office. Oh, right, she went to the recording studio for vocal practice.
"Forget it, let's wait a bit longer," Chu Tian muttered to himself.
Currently, my Reputation Points are still increasing. Though I don't know how many more times I'll have to draw to get the novel, I can only hope to get it before the points stop increasing. If not, getting a few more songs wouldn't be bad either. If there's a suitable one, I could give it to Xu Qingqiu to sing, and that would earn me another wave of Reputation Points. If I can't draw any... then it's very likely I'll need to modify this song and give it to her. As for selling it? Xu Qingqiu is so poor she's practically selling her blood. Salaries can't be paid, the appearance fee for recording shows hasn't been settled, and income from song royalties will take at least a month to come in. Where would she find the money to buy it? Sell it to someone else? Forget it. I don't want to invite trouble.
Shaking his head, Chu Tian stood up and looked around. It's just too boring sitting here. Maybe...?
「Fifteen minutes later.」
Chu Tian licked his ice cream while watching his Reputation Points continuously rise. Seeing them hit 500,000, he couldn't be bothered to wait any longer.
"Draw."
[Ding, no prize this time.]
...
[Ding, obtained Calmness Potion.]
[Ding, no prize this time.]
A five-draw and I only got one Calmness Potion? This thing's only worth 30,000 Reputation Points, so I just lost 470,000 in this one draw?
He had become accustomed to the system's deceptive nature by now; his face remained calm, showing not even a hint of anger. Of course, if you ignored the crushed ice cream cone in his hand, everything appeared serene.
"Fine. You're really something. Let's just drag this out then," Chu Tian muttered, gritting his teeth.
The rest of the time turned into a drawn-out tug of war with the system. Every time his points surpassed 500,000, he would do a five-draw. Don't ask why 500,000; it was because the accumulation stopped at 1,000,000, and he swore not to let the system earn even one more Reputation Point beyond that. Therefore, he would never let it exceed 1,000,000. He wouldn't consider drawing with less than 500,000 either. With a 20% chance of winning a prize, he feared he'd get nothing if he did fewer than five draws at a time. Don't doubt it; this damn system could definitely pull off such a stunt.
The standoff continued until almost the end of the workday, when the increase in Reputation Points began to slow down.
He tallied up his gains for the day: Wisdom Fruit x3, Calmness Potion x2, Refreshing Skin Water x1, Wound Patch x1, "In the World," and "Midnight Heading to Early Morning."
What is this stuff? Refreshing Skin Water? Do I really need to draw this from the system? Can't I just buy it at any cosmetics store on the street? And this Wound Patch, what the hell is that? An oversized Band-Aid? You've got to be kidding me! At least I got two works in the end. It wasn't all for nothing; better than nothing, right? Let's look at these works... hmm? "In the World"?
At the sight of these words, Chu Tian was momentarily stunned. His heart skipped a beat, thinking he had hit the jackpot. But then he realized he had overthought it.
I thought it was that super popular TV drama "A Lifelong Journey" from my previous life! Turns out it's "In the World." That startled me for a moment. What song is this, though? I don't seem to remember it. Could it be sung by some obscure singer? That shouldn't be the case, though.