(Brain Storage Area)

Rental apartment.

Lu Zhixian lay paralyzed on the sofa, looking like a dried salted fish that had lost its dreams.

He swiped his phone open and tapped on his banking app.

One, two, three, four... four digits.

6,753.21 yuan.

This was his entire wealth in this world after paying this month's rent.

Damn it!

Three months after transmigrating, the start was already set to hell difficulty.

The original owner of this body was a music producer who had just been terminated by his company; he was dirt poor, yet his ambitions were higher than the heavens.

Now, all that pressure was on Lu Zhixian.

In his previous life, he was at least a somewhat famous music producer. Although not top-tier, he had a car and a house and lived a comfortable life.

As a result, he died from overwork and woke up in this hellhole.

A parallel world 90% similar to Earth, but where traffic and popularity came first.

"Next, let's use our warmest applause to welcome our new generation top star, Li Zhili! He's here to bring us his brand new single—'Monologue Under the Stars'!"

On the TV, the host roared with a voice like he was on steroids.

Lu Zhixian didn't even bother to lift his eyelids.

Here it comes, the daily 'ear torture' segment.

As expected, after a prelude that could only be described as noise pollution, that top star named Li Zhili, with his delicate face covered in smoky makeup, began.

He closed his eyes, brows furrowed, left hand clutching his heart, wearing a constipated expression as if to say, 'I've given my soul to this song.'

Then, he opened his mouth.

"The~ black~ness~ of~ the~ night~ seems~ end~less~"

The word "black" cracked immediately.

The word "less" nearly died on the spot.

The high notes wouldn't go up, the low notes wouldn't go down, and he spent the entire time jumping back and forth on the edge of being out of tune, his breath shaking as if he'd been run over by a tractor.

This wasn't singing.

It was an electric drill during renovations, it was a marmot screaming, it was clutching a rooster by its throat of destiny.

A car crash scene?

No, this was a multi-car pileup plus an explosion, the kind where even the fire department would shake their heads upon arrival.

Lu Zhixian expressionlessly picked up his phone and opened Weibo.

The top trending topic was #Zhili New Song God-Tier Live Performance#.

He clicked on it.

The comment section was bizarre, a veritable exhibition of confusing human behavior.

"[Sobbing] Oppa's sense of fragility is just too perfect. This vibrato, is it an angel crying?"

Lu Zhixian's inner thoughts: "No, it's Parkinson's at a disco."

"[Am I the only one who heard it? This style of singing is called 'emotion first.' Oppa did it on purpose to express the sense of struggle in the song! What do you haters know?!]"

Lu Zhixian's pupils quaked: Brilliant! Being 'out of tune' can be spun as 'emotion first.' It's a waste of talent that you guys didn't become lawyers.

"[The artistic quality of this song is too high; mortals can't understand it. Zhili, don't cry, we will always support you!]"

Lu Zhixian silently typed a reply: Indeed, I suggest sending it to the Louvre to be hung next to the Mona Lisa—one smiling, one screaming.

After thinking about it, he deleted the words.

Forget it, arguing with these fans is a waste of life.

He turned off the TV, and the world instantly became quiet.

Lu Zhixian let out a long sigh and buried his face in the sofa cushions.

The entertainment industry in this world was just like this.

Traffic rules, and capital runs rampant.

One after another, catchy songs piled high with industrial saccharine were touted as 'god-tier tracks.'

One after another, idols who didn't even have basic skills were hailed as 'superstar kings.'

It wasn't that there were no good works, but they were basically pushed down by traffic-driven songs and were essentially invisible.

When he first transmigrated, Lu Zhixian also had grand ambitions.

Isn't this a stage tailor-made for me?

I, a top-tier corporate slave from Earth, a man carrying the entire Earth's cultural library!

Being a copycat, wouldn't I reach the pinnacle of life in minutes?

Then, reality gave him a resounding slap in the face.

He discovered that besides transmigrating, he didn't seem to have brought any other cheats.

The music theory and arrangement skills from his previous life that were engraved in his DNA were completely forgotten, cleaner than his face.

He remembered the lyrics to 'dispelling sorrow,' able to recite 'one cup to the morning sun, one cup to the moonlight.'

But if you asked him to hum the tune?

Sorry, what he hummed was 'under the bridge in front of the gate, a group of ducks swam by.'

He remembered how awesome 'In the Name of the Father' was, remembered that line 'every one of us is guilty.'

But if you asked him to write down the score?

He could draw a Peppa Pig for you on the spot.

Possessing a mountain of treasure, yet forgetting the password to the door.

This feeling was more uncomfortable than being constipated for a month.

Since he couldn't be a copycat, he could only rely on the original owner's skills to find a job.

But the original owner's mediocre skills couldn't even make a sound in the hyper-competitive Jingzhou.

Being terminated was his only inevitable end.

“Damn! This is such a scam!”

Lu Zhixian irritably scratched his hair and sat up from the sofa.

28 years old.

No money, no career, no future.

A balance of over 6,000.

Was he really going to rely on this face that was handsome enough to offend gods and men to be a kept man?

It wasn't impossible... Pfft!

He, Lu Zhixian, a dignified seven-foot man, would rather starve! Jump from here! And absolutely never live off a woman!

...Unless the rich lady gave really too much.

Just as his mind was wandering and his life seemed bleak—

[Ding!]

An extremely abrupt notification sound, similar to a microwave finishing its heating, rang in his mind.

Lu Zhixian was stunned.

Auditory hallucination?

Has the pressure been too much lately, and he's starting to show symptoms of neurasthenia?

[Detected host's strong resentment of 'I could do better' and extreme disdain for the current world's entertainment level...]

[Entertainment Heavenly King System officially activated!]

[Binding host... Binding successful!]

[Hello, Host Lu Zhixian.]

A series of mechanical electronic voices reported in his head without any emotion.

At the same time, a light blue, high-tech semi-transparent panel floated before his eyes.

Lu Zhixian: "..."

He blinked slowly.

And blinked again.

Holy crap!

A system?!

The golden finger that's three months late?!

If you didn't come any later, your host was going to apply to be a male model at a club, hey!

Lu Zhixian was so excited he almost bounced off the sofa, the corners of his mouth curling up wildly, harder to suppress than an AK's recoil.

"System? Bro? My dear brother!" he tentatively called out in his heart.

The system did not respond to his enthusiasm, maintaining its businesslike AI tone.

[Detected first-time activation by host. A Newbie Gift Pack has been issued. Open immediately?]

"Open! Must open! Open it now!"

Inquiring after one's well-being is not as good as sending a huge sum of money!

Lu Zhixian rubbed his hands, eyes shining like a gambler waiting for the jackpot.

[Opening Newbie Gift Pack...]

[Congratulations Host, you have obtained 'Intermediate Music Guidance Talent' Trial Card (24 hours) ×1!]

[Congratulations Host, you have unlocked the Earth Song Library: 'dispelling sorrow'! Includes full demo, one USB drive.]

Two golden lights flashed across the virtual panel.

The next second, a massive and pure stream of information instantly flooded Lu Zhixian's mind!

It was 'dispelling sorrow'.

Not the fuzzy lyrics and melody in his memory.

But a complete, flawless musical score with detailed arrangement, instrumentation, chord progressions, and emotional processing!

Every note was clearly imprinted in his brain.

A USB drive had also appeared in his hand.

At the same time, that [Intermediate Music Guidance Talent] trial card also turned into a stream of light and merged into his body.

In an instant, those once familiar yet strange music theory concepts came rushing in like a bursting dam!

Arpeggios, counterpoint, polyphony, intervals, rhythm...

Everything was back!

No, it was more exaggerated than just being back!

He felt that his understanding of music had improved by more than one level!

Before, he was an excellent craftsman.

But now, he seemed to have become an artist splashing inspiration!

Lu Zhixian slowly closed his eyes, his fingers unconsciously playing in the air.

The melody of 'dispelling sorrow' flowed slowly at his fingertips, in his mind, and in the depths of his soul.

One cup to the morning sun, one cup to the moonlight.

One cup to the hometown, one cup to the distance.

...

One cup to tomorrow, one cup to the past.

...

The soberest people are the most absurd.

This song...

Lu Zhixian opened his eyes, which were filled with unprecedented brightness and sharpness.

He slowly let out a breath, and the gloom that had been suppressed in his chest for three months was swept away.

He turned his head and looked at the TV he had turned off.

In his mind was Li Zhili's face with smoky makeup and his disastrous singing skills.

The corners of Lu Zhixian's mouth hooked into an arc.

New generation top star? God-tier live performance?

Just wait.

Your Daddy Lu is here to bring some intensity to this lifeless music scene.