Chapter 108: Chapter 108: No Theme

“No, this is impossible…”

Karl kept shaking his head in denial, but all he could manage was that single word, repeated over and over.

Jiang Qin didn’t need to watch any longer to know. ’This man is finished.’

’In his current state, he probably won’t be able to compete in the finals. He’ll most likely withdraw from the show.’

All the composers fell silent.

Jones was thinking about the show three years ago; he had lost to Karl because of the vote count.

The champion and the runner-up are not the same.

All the glory goes to the champion. All that’s left for the runner-up is regret!

If Karl had started faking the vote count three years ago, then what did all his hard work amount to?

Three years ago, his score was clearly 0.8 points higher than Karl’s!

Just because of the difference in votes, he was forced into second place and missed out on the championship.

For the past three years, people had constantly compared him to Karl, all because Karl had more seniority and had won multiple championships.

When people mentioned composers from the Empire, everyone thought of Karl. But as for him, Jones, he was considered to be on the same level as that female composer from Finland.

And now he was being told that he might have been the rightful winner three years ago?

How could he not be filled with hatred?

Finland and the other two composers from the Empire were also quietly resentful.

The most obvious sign of this was that no one was paying any attention to Karl, who looked as if his entire world had shattered.

Instead, they all sat silently in their seats, listening to the host announce the rankings.

First place, without a doubt, was confirmed to be Jiang Qin. Second was Jones. Third was originally Karl.

But that spot was now occupied by the fourth-place composer from the Mechanical Clan, Amos.

Fifth was Finland.

Sixth was Hai Ning, seventh was Rister, eighth was Ize, ninth was Yi Lin, and tenth was Karl.

As expected, the Elf Clan’s ritual chant was too niche, receiving very few votes.

***

Once the storm had passed, the show got back on track.

The host announced the theme for the finals: “There is no theme for the finals.

This time, all composers can freely choose their own musical style and are also free to invite any singer they wish to partner with.

The next episode of the show will air in five days at 7:00 PM.”

The finals were finally here.

Just like in previous years, this final round was all about giving it everything you’ve got.

There were no more restrictions.

“And with that, today’s show comes to an end. We’d like to thank…”

“We’ll see you again in five days!” the two hosts said, rattling off their thank-yous.

***

On the way back to her residence, the first person Jiang Qin ran into was Fu Jie.

She saw him smiling brightly as he said, “Miss Jiang, if your song for the finals is a good fit for me, please consider me~

No matter how difficult the piece, I’m willing to try it and practice it.”

Jiang Qin returned his smile. “Alright, if it’s a good fit.”

“Then I won’t disturb you any longer, Miss Jiang. Let’s meet up again back in the Federation.”

“Mm.”

After pitching himself, Fu Jie left without lingering.

Next, Jiang Qin ran into Yue Ji. She didn’t offer her services, however, only smiling and saying, “Miss Jiang, it seems we’ll be rivals again in the next round.”

“Then congratulations in advance, Miss Yue.”

“Hmph. I hope you’ll bring your A-game and go all out, Miss Jiang. Otherwise, I’ll be very bored~”

After Yue Ji left, Jiang Qin happened upon the few remaining singers from the Federation.

They all came to pitch themselves.

After all, it was the finals, and plenty of people wanted a chance to perform. However, she didn’t agree to any of them, only saying she would consider them if the song was a good fit.

They didn’t pester her either.

She hadn’t even composed the piece yet, after all. Who knew if it would be a good fit for them? Pestering her would be pointless.

Because she had to exchange a few pleasantries with them, a walk that normally took only a few minutes ended up taking her nearly an hour.

When she got back to Unit 100, she saw Cang Hong waiting by the door, just as she’d expected.

’I knew it. Everyone else came by. It wouldn’t make sense for Cang Hong, who I had such a good collaboration with, not to show up.’

“Have you been waiting long?”

Cang Hong’s ears were slightly red as he shook his head. “No, I actually just got back myself.”

Whenever he got shy, his peach blossom eyes seemed to glisten as if wet, making them look exceptionally radiant.

If she didn’t know that was just how he looked, Jiang Qin would have mistaken it for a look of deep affection.

But she knew some people were just born with that kind of look—the type who could look at a dog with soulful affection.

She asked, “Are you also here to volunteer yourself?”

Cang Hong pursed his lips into a small smile. Though a little embarrassed, he nodded in acknowledgment.

“Yes, I also wanted to put myself forward.”

“If you need a partner, Miss Jiang, I hope you’ll consider me. I… I really enjoy performing on stage with you.”

Jiang Qin readily agreed, “If the need arises, I’ll come find you.”

In her eyes, Cang Hong was no different from the others.

Although they had a pleasant collaboration and she considered him a friend, her first consideration was definitely whether the song was a good fit, not their friendship.

After all, her friendship with Cang Hong wasn’t nearly strong enough for her to go out of her way to choose a piece specifically suited to him.

So, she truly didn’t know if she would need him or not.

Because she hadn’t yet decided what to compose for the finals to give her the best chance of winning the championship.

To win votes, she would have to consider a style with broad appeal, not just something that sounded good.

She also had to consider the song’s difficulty. Since it was the finals, it would be best to choose a song that could show off some technical skill.

Noticing Jiang Qin had started to space out, Cang Hong quickly said his goodbyes.

“Well, I won’t keep you from your rest. Good luck in the finals!”

“Hm? Oh, okay…” Her train of thought interrupted, Jiang Qin felt a little embarrassed.

’Spacing out before the other person has even left is a bit rude.’

’If it had been another singer, they probably would have suspected she was trying to ignore them. Thankfully, Cang Hong wasn’t that type of person.’

***

After returning to her room, Jiang Qin didn’t rush to browse the system’s store. Instead, she sat by the floor-to-ceiling window and watched the scenery outside for a while.

Ever since arriving in the Empire, she had been so busy that she hadn’t even had the leisure to take a proper look at the city.

But it was almost over.

Five more days.

’I wonder if the new bar on the Main Star is done with renovations. And Uncle You Wei, is he still busy working out of town?’

’And my old customers.’

Although it hadn’t been long since she was reborn, her life was much more fulfilling than her previous one.

And now, she rarely thought about her previous life anymore.

Her mind was mostly filled with the people she had met since her rebirth and memories from her first life.

That feeling of being detached from this world was also fading. It seemed she had formed new attachments in this world.

She no longer felt anxious about the bit of familial affection she had, no longer constantly afraid that she would lose her sense of purpose if she lost that anchor.

’So, that’s how it is. People really need to have dreams, goals for the future, and hope. That’s what gives them the drive to keep moving forward.’

Jiang Qin didn’t dwell on these thoughts for long before she started contemplating her song for the next round.

Because she only allowed herself to waste a few slivers of time on such melancholy, treating it as a dash of flavor for her new life.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep