Chapter 16 Chapter 16

The scene fell silent.

After a second of pause, the barrage of comments exploded.

【Who does he think he is! A plagiarist dares to challenge the instructor?!】

【Can't we just eliminate this kind of person? I don't even have the mood to watch anyone else!】

【Hee hee, I think it's pretty good. Is it the ungrateful assistant plagiarizing songs, or the boss exploiting and oppressing and then turning around to attack? Let's find out!】

【The evidence is right there, what else needs proving?! Who knows what shady dealings are going on!】

【Oh my! It hasn't even started yet, and there's already talk of shady loans! Or is it that you have no confidence in your master, that you think he can't even beat a trainee?】

……

Even before the challenge began, the internet was already in an uproar.

Jiang Mo sat in his chair, sweat beading on his palms.

Everyone was looking at him.

He knew he couldn't refuse the challenge.

So, suppressing his anger, he feigned nonchalance and said: "Although this is sudden, since Meng has said so, and must have prepared, I'm willing to accept the challenge."

His words implied that Meng YuanSheng was well-prepared, while he wasn't, making the challenge unfair.

There was a lot of discussion in the audience.

After all, how could impromptu creation compare to a work that had been carefully prepared and polished over a long period of time?

Many people were swayed by Jiang Mo, protesting that the challenge was unfair.

But Meng YuanSheng shook his head: "Since I proposed the challenge, the topic should be chosen by the teacher."

Jiang Mo was stunned, he could hardly believe his ears.

The audience was in an uproar.

What kind of challenge was this?

Wasn't he just handing victory to Jiang Mo?

Jiang Mo looked at Meng YuanSheng incredulously, but his expression was calm, revealing nothing.

This Meng YuanSheng felt utterly unfamiliar to him.

What is he trying to do?!

Yin HeFeng was also asking Gu XingShi this question.

"Gu, I know you want to clear Meng YuanSheng's name from the plagiarism rumors, but isn't this too risky?"

"Why do you say that?" Gu XingShi asked curiously.

Yin HeFeng: "...Isn't it obvious? Letting Jiang Mo choose the topic, what if he picks a song he's already prepared? Or are you using a reverse psychology tactic? Forcing Jiang Mo to give up choosing the topic?"

Gu XingShi smiled and shook his head: "I'm more afraid that he won't choose a topic!"

Yin HeFeng: "?"

Gu XingShi patted him on the shoulder, meaningfully saying: "Don't worry, brother Yin, the good show is just beginning!"

All eyes were on Jiang Mo.

However, Jiang Mo was still hesitating.

He knew that the most graceful way out was to give up choosing the topic and let someone else do it.

But he dared not.

This challenge was important to Meng YuanSheng, but it was equally important to him.

He had made his name through creation, but how much creative talent he actually had, no one knew except himself.

In public, any slip-up would be devastating to his career.

In comparison, although choosing the topic himself would also invite criticism, he could use a song that had never been published, which was the safest approach.

Moreover, he had been with Meng YuanSheng for so many years, only knowing that he could write lyrics, but never seeing him compose music.

If he wrote a terrible song, people would only laugh at him, and the matter of choosing the topic would be over.

Thinking of this, he said: "In that case, I'll just choose a random topic. We're in Dunhai City now, so let's use 'sea' as the topic."

The murmurs in the audience grew louder.

But Jiang Mo pretended not to hear: "Ten minutes of composing time, Meng, what do you think?"

Meng YuanSheng nodded decisively: "No problem, to increase the difficulty, why not write the lyrics as well?"

Jiang Mo's face stiffened slightly.

But this also proved that Meng YuanSheng really couldn't sing, probably wanting to save face through his lyric-writing skills.

Fortunately, he was prepared; the song he chose was one for which Meng YuanSheng had written the lyrics.

His heart settled, and he became more composed.

The two went to opposite sides of the stage, each with a camera following them, recording the entire creative process.

The audience had never seen live composition before, and were excited.

The host didn't drag it out, asking who would perform first.

Meng YuanSheng: "Please go first, Instructor Jiang."

Jiang Mo, now convinced that Meng YuanSheng couldn't compose, confidently picked up his guitar and sang a song.

It was a slightly melancholic love song.

The melody was gentle, the lyrics vivid, as if evoking a scene of a young couple quarreling by the sea, then reconciling in the sea breeze.

Shen Yu on the judges' panel nodded slightly.

The melody was passable, but the lyrics were as moving as ever.

Meng YuanSheng remained expressionless.

He remembered the lyrics he had written himself.

All these years, he had foolishly been Jiang Mo's ghostwriter, mistaking it for love.

Thankfully, he wouldn't do such foolish things anymore.

He closed his eyes, completely discarding the last vestiges of weakness in his heart.

Opening them again,

He saw the stage before him as vast, the world seeming transformed.

The host gestured for him to sing, and he calmly said: "I haven't been learning instruments for long, my playing is a bit rusty. Could an instructor help me play?"

【Has he gone crazy? Can write songs but can't play instruments?】

【What's the big deal? There have been singers like that before. Besides, he's not saying he can't, just that he hasn't been learning long. Is this something to argue about?】

【I don't believe it anyway. Maybe the song is terrible and he can't even bring himself to play it!】

As the audience debated, Shen Yu raised his hand: "I can play for you."

Everyone was surprised.

But Shen Yu had already walked onto the stage.

He had also seen the online rumors.

Plagiarism was Shen Yu's Achilles' heel.

And when Jiang Mo knew that he and Gu XingShi had a good relationship, he worriedly reminded him that Gu was naive, and Meng YuanSheng might have deliberately deceived him to get on "Boy Group Training Camp."

Although judging from his brief interactions with Meng YuanSheng, he didn't think he was that kind of person, he subconsciously kept his distance.

However, seeing Meng YuanSheng's performance on stage today, the scales in his heart were slowly tilting towards him.

Moreover, he was also curious about how the song written by the man Jiang Mo called "ignorant of music theory" and "habitual plagiarist" would sound.

Meng YuanSheng handed the paper with the lyrics and melody to Shen Yu.

Shen Yu was shocked by the lyrics, looking at Meng YuanSheng with a complex expression, then completely immersing himself in the music, only snapping back to reality when the host reminded him.

But he didn't start playing immediately, instead signaling to an assistant to fetch his guitar.

His fans in the audience were immediately excited.

Bai Ran also looked at Meng YuanSheng on stage with a complex expression.

A young fan beside her couldn't help but ask: "Sister, why are you all so excited that Shen Yu went to get his guitar?"

Bai Ran pursed her lips and said: "Shen's guitar is his 'wife'. He won't use that guitar to play songs he thinks are plagiarized or bad."

Bai Ran had also seen the online comments.

She didn't expect that the trainee she had casually photographed would later cause such a storm.

After the plagiarism rumors fermented, Bai Ran wanted to delete those photos.

But they were just too beautiful.

She couldn't bear to.

But now she found that she didn't have to delete them.

Many people knew about Shen Yu's habit.

The internet, which had been relatively calm, was once again abuzz.

【Is this song really that good? To make Shen Yu violate his principles and use his 'wife' to play it?】

【Where's the violation of principles? Maybe Meng YuanSheng didn't plagiarize at all?】

【Am I the only one who noticed that Jiang Mo claims to be Shen Yu's good friend, but for all these years Shen Yu seems to have never used his 'wife' to play his songs, but Meng YuanSheng's first song has it brought out? Tsk tsk~】

【You ponder, you carefully consider...】

On stage,

Jiang Mo could barely maintain his smile, his fingernails digging into his palms to prevent himself from showing a contorted expression.

Shen Yu, however, nonchalantly discussed the lyrics' details with Meng YuanSheng, occasionally breaking into surprised smiles, making the audience even more curious and anxious.

Thankfully, the assistant quickly brought the guitar.

Shen Yu tuned the instrument and nodded to Meng YuanSheng.

As the prelude began, the audience gradually fell silent.

It was a rock song.

The lyrics were crude but full of power, a person dragged into the depths of despair, struggling for survival amidst anger and resentment.

From the first note, it captivated everyone's hearts.

And Meng YuanSheng's clear voice used no technique. He held the microphone, as if screaming with his soul.

He thought of the days and nights Jiang Mo had spent using love as a weapon to control him.

He thought of himself like a rat in a gutter, enviously watching performers loved by the public on stage.

He thought of the hand that pulled him out of the darkness that night.

He thought of Gu XingShi, who had given him the best contract, the best opportunity, and always stood firmly behind him, believing in him.

Despair broke.

Sunlight fell on the sea.

……

The song ended.

But the audience seemed to be still immersed in it, unwilling to leave.

Bai Ran wiped away her tears, then raised her camera and frantically took pictures of Meng YuanSheng on stage.

She had a feeling that a new star was rising.

Meng YuanSheng put down the microphone and turned to look at Jiang Mo, whose expression was unsightly.

His eyes no longer held hesitation, self-deprecation, or weakness.

A phoenix reborn from ashes.

He told Jiang Mo with his eyes.

I will win!

I will win gloriously!

And I will smash all your slander in your face!