After hanging up on Chen Mo, Lu Zhixian's mood wasn't particularly good, but it wasn't particularly bad either.

It was like walking down the street and having a Chihuahua bark at you twice; you couldn't exactly get down on all fours and bite back.

He opened the system panel.

[Host: Lu Zhixian]

[Skill: Intermediate Music Guidance Talent]

[Popularity Value: 23,581]

[Mall: Unlocked]

[Lucky Draw: Each draw costs 100,000 Popularity Value]

Looking at the 100,000 popularity needed for the lucky draw, Lu Zhixian's eyelid twitched.

What a rip-off.

However, with just over twenty thousand popularity, there really wasn't much he could do.

He was just about to close the panel when he saw the popularity value start jumping up as if it were on steroids.

[Popularity Value +120]

[Popularity Value +350]

[Popularity Value +88]

...

The numbers jumped faster and faster, almost blurring into a single image.

The word-of-mouth for 'dispelling sorrow' was still fermenting, and its popularity continued to climb, bringing him a steady stream of popularity.

In just a few minutes, that twenty-thousand-plus figure shot up like a rocket, breaking through the 100,000 mark.

And it was still rising!

Lu Zhixian's breath hitched.

He could do a draw!

He rubbed his hands together, his eyes burning with excitement as he thought: "Lucky Draw!"

[Would you like to consume 100,000 Popularity Value for one lucky draw?]

"Yes, yes, yes!"

A giant roulette wheel appeared in the center of the panel, covered in colorful slots.

Everything from "Bronze Treasure Chest" to "Diamond Treasure Chest" was there, though naturally, most of the slots were "Thank you for playing."

The wheel began to spin rapidly.

Lu Zhixian's heart rose into his throat along with it.

The pointer slowly slowed down, passing the "Diamond Treasure Chest," the "Gold Treasure Chest"... and finally, under Lu Zhixian's gaze, it came to a steady stop on a white slot.

[Congratulations Host, you have won 'Try Again'!]

Lu Zhixian: "..."

Fine, that's quite humane.

He pressed the draw button again.

The wheel spun once more.

[Congratulations Host, you have received a consolation prize: One bottle of Bawang Hair Growth Liquid.]

On the virtual panel, a bottle of green liquid appeared out of thin air.

Lu Zhixian's face turned just as green.

Gee, thanks! My hair is perfectly lush!

"Continue!"

[Congratulations Host, you have received a consolation prize: One case of Kang Shuai Fu Braised Beef Instant Noodles.]

“...”

[Congratulations Host, you have received a consolation prize: Socks the Host has worn (Original Flavor) ×1]

"Dammit! Do you have any manners?!" Lu Zhixian almost couldn't stop himself from shouting out a curse.

What kind of junk is this!

Watching his popularity value plummet, it was already about to drop below the final 100,000.

Lu Zhixian gritted his teeth and hardened his heart.

One last time! If nothing good drops, I'll... I'll... fine, I'm begging you, System Bro!

He practically roared: "Spin!"

The wheel spun frantically. This time, as if carrying the host's do-or-die determination, it burst with brilliant light!

The pointer eventually bypassed all the riff-raff and came to a stop amidst a radiant purple-gold glow.

[Ding! Congratulations Host, you have drawn a Diamond Treasure Chest!]

[Opening Treasure Chest...]

[Congratulations Host, you have unlocked the Earth Song Library: 'bubble'! Bonus: Full demo, one USB drive!]

It worked!

Lu Zhixian's tense nerves finally relaxed.

In the next second, another massive stream of information flooded his mind.

Unlike the heavy, weathered feel of 'dispelling sorrow', this was a song filled with tragic beauty and despair.

The melody was gorgeous and the emotions intense; the chorus, in particular, placed extremely high demands on the singer's vocal range and emotional explosiveness.

It's all just bubbles, a spark of fireworks for a moment.

All your promises are far too fragile.

And those beautiful bubbles, though a momentary spark.

All your promises, though far too fragile.

But love is like a bubble; if you can see through it, what is there to be sad about?

Lu Zhixian slowly opened his eyes, a hint of shock in his gaze.

This song... is a trump card.

But a problem came with it.

This was a standard female-lead song that required a female singer with top-tier vocal skills and a wide range to pull off.

He couldn't sing it himself, and Jiang Cheng's weathered, smoky voice was even less suitable.

Who should sing it?

While he was having a headache over it, his phone rang again. It was Jiang Cheng.

"Teacher Lu, look at Weibo! That composer named Chen Mo has posted a Weibo throwing shade at us!" Jiang Cheng's voice was frantic.

Lu Zhixian opened Weibo and sure enough, he saw a new hashtag on the hot search list: #Chen Mo Questions dispelling sorrow#.

Clicking in, he saw a Weibo post Chen Mo had made half an hour ago.

[Chen Mo V: In music, the most important things are originality and one's initial intentions. Drawing inspiration is fine, but you can't just copy. With the melodic progression being so similar, do you really think the audience is stupid? I advise certain newcomers to take things one step at a time; if you try to reach the top through crooked means, be careful you don't fall to your death. @Jiang Cheng]

He didn't mention Lu Zhixian directly, but tagged Jiang Cheng instead.

Truly malicious.

The comments section was already in an uproar.

[I support Teacher Chen Mo! I thought the chorus sounded familiar as soon as I heard it; turns out it's a copy!]

[Has the person above even heard 'People of Old' before trying to start something? I just listened to it, they're not even remotely related, okay?]

[Is Jiang Cheng going to crash right after getting popular? My heart aches for him.]

[Some people just can't stand to see others do well and start throwing mud.]

On the other end, Jiang Cheng asked, "Teacher Lu, what should we do? Should we respond? Issue a statement or something?"

"What statement?" Lu Zhixian's voice was very calm.

"If you jump out and start arguing with him now, you'll only blow up the hype further, which is exactly what he wants."

"Then... we just watch him slander us?"

"Don't worry." Lu Zhixian walked to the window, looking at the traffic outside.

"Come to my place now, I'll send you the address. Also, do you know any female singers in the industry with good vocal skills? Preferably... someone who's as down on their luck as you were."

Jiang Cheng was stunned for a moment: "A female singer? Down on her luck?"

He thought for a moment, and a figure popped into his head.

"There is... one named Su Qing. She used to be at the same company as me. She's incredibly talented with amazing high notes; she even won second place in the Youth Singing Competition."

"Later, she was blacklisted because she refused to sing the company's cheesy pop songs. She terminated her contract when it expired and is now apparently singing in bars. It's quite tragic."

Lu Zhixian's eyes lit up.

Amazing high notes?

What a coincidence.

"Find a way to contact her and set up a time. Tell her there's a good song and I want to talk about a collaboration."

"Okay, I'll get on it right away!"

...

Half an hour later, Jiang Cheng rushed to Lu Zhixian's rental apartment.

As soon as he entered, he saw Lu Zhixian sitting in front of the computer, tinkering with something.

"Teacher Lu, I've contacted Su Qing. She's free this afternoon; we're meeting at a cafe."

"Mm." Lu Zhixian nodded and tossed a USB drive to him. "Listen to this."

Jiang Cheng took the USB drive in confusion, plugged it into his laptop, and put on his headphones.

When the intro started, his expression changed.

The gorgeous yet slightly sorrowful piano sound instantly grabbed his ears.

When he heard the melody Lu Zhixian was humming, his entire body froze.

That building emotion, that melody wandering on the edge of despair, especially those scalp-tingling high notes in the chorus...

After the song finished, Jiang Cheng took off his headphones and didn't speak for a long time.

He looked at Lu Zhixian, his eyes filled not only with shock but also a light that was almost like worship.

"Teacher Lu... this... did you write this too?"

"Mm."

"If Su Qing sings this song..." Jiang Cheng could already imagine the scene.

"It's practically tailor-made for her!"

"So," Lu Zhixian leaned back in his chair and looked at him, "are you still worried about that guy named Chen?"

Jiang Cheng shook his head vigorously.

Worried?

Worried my ass!

In the face of such a trump-card-level song, all those petty characters are just paper tigers!

He only felt his blood boiling now.

Using one song, 'dispelling sorrow', to put Jiang Cheng on a pedestal, and then another, 'bubble', to make Su Qing soar.

Just how many cards was this man named Lu Zhixian still hiding?

...

In the afternoon, at a cafe in the west of the city.

Lu Zhixian and Jiang Cheng met Su Qing.

She was wearing a simple white T-shirt and jeans, with no makeup. She looked a bit haggard, and there was a hint of wariness and aloofness in her eyes.

The experience of being blacklisted for years had smoothed away most of her sharp edges.

After brief pleasantries, Lu Zhixian didn't waste any breath and handed over the headphones directly.

"Miss Su, listen to the song first."

Su Qing hesitated for a moment but took them and put them on.

A minute later, she sat up straight.

Three minutes later, her hand unconsciously tightened around her cup.

When the entire demo finished playing, she took off the headphones, her eyes already red.

Those lyrics, that melody—every line felt like it was sung straight into her heart.

Beautiful bubbles, though a momentary spark.

Wasn't this her? She had once been briefly brilliant like a firework, only to fall rapidly and return to silence.

"What is the name... of this song?" Her voice was a bit raspy.

"'bubble'." Lu Zhixian replied. "Lyrics and music by Lu Zhixian."

Su Qing looked up and gave Lu Zhixian a deep look.

"I'll sing it," she said. No negotiating terms, no asking about the cut—just those three words.

She knew this was her only chance.

...

The recording studio was the same one as last time.

Su Qing stood before the microphone, took a deep breath, and began her first trial run.

Her vocal quality was indeed top-tier, her high notes clear and penetrating, but perhaps because she hadn't been in a studio for too long, her breathing was a bit unsteady and her emotions were a bit restrained.

"Stop." Lu Zhixian pressed the pause button behind the mixing console.

He didn't criticize her.

"This song isn't about technique; it's about a sense of being broken. Imagine a crystal ball you've cherished for a long time; you thought it was indestructible, but then it shatters into pieces right in front of you. What you need to sing is the feeling of that exact moment."

Su Qing closed her eyes and was silent for a few seconds. When she opened them again, her gaze was completely different.

"Again."

This time, her singing had a soul.

That complex range of emotions—from hope to despair, and then a hint of self-mockery and liberation born from that despair—was performed by her to the fullest.

Especially in the chorus.

Jiang Cheng listened from the side, his heart pounding.

Too strong.

This woman was born to stand on a stage.

The recording continued late into the night.

When the final take was finished, Su Qing walked out of the recording booth, her face pale as if all her strength had been drained.

Lu Zhixian played the final version once.

Perfect tone, extreme emotion, plus a string solo he added as a finishing touch, elevated the song's artistry to another level.

[Ding! S-rank quality song 'bubble' detected as complete. Publish immediately?]

Done.

Lu Zhixian saved the file, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

He turned to Jiang Cheng and Su Qing and said, "Alright, it's done. Everyone go back and get some rest."

"Teacher Lu, the matter on Weibo..." Jiang Cheng was still a bit uneasy.

"Oh, that."

Lu Zhixian took out his phone and logged into his Weibo account that hadn't been used in forever.

First, he changed his nickname from "Strings Move My Heart" to his real name—Lu Zhixian.

Then, he applied for musician certification, with the info: Lyricist and Composer.

After doing all this, he edited a new Weibo post and tagged Chen Mo directly.

[Lu Zhixian V: I heard someone was looking for me? Sorry, I've been a bit busy lately. As for plagiarism, I don't have that habit. Oh, by the way, a new song is coming soon; everyone get your ears ready. @Chen Mo V]

No long-winded explanations, no angry rebukes.

Between the lines, there was an almost arrogant confidence.

After posting, he pocketed his phone and gave a cool wave.

"Wrapping up!"

And on the internet, because of this Weibo post, things completely exploded.

[Holy crap! The man himself has stepped up! This is so bold!]

["No time," "Don't have that habit"—that's a total burn, hahahaha!]

[The meaning is: Who do you think you are? Are you even worth me copying?]

[Why do I feel like a huge battle is about to start? I've already got my popcorn ready!]

[Just for this attitude, I'm a fan now! Waiting for the new song to slap some faces!]

In just a few minutes, Lu Zhixian's Weibo follower count raced from double digits toward five digits.

The contest between the two of them had officially begun.