Yang Chaoyue approached the large box, though "box" was just a general term. It was actually a curtained doorway. Pulling the curtain aside, she saw Ye Huanqiu seated in a chair.
This was their first meeting.
Yang Chaoyue stepped forward and greeted him cheerfully, "Hi, I'm Yang Chaoyue. You can call me Chaoyue. What's your name?"
Her outgoing personality meant she felt no awkwardness during their initial encounter.
Ye Huanqiu stood to return the greeting. "Hello, I'm One Leaf Knows Autumn, one of the creators participating in this event. My surname is Ye, so you can call me Ah Ye."
He wasn't a celebrity and saw no need to reveal his real name.
Yang Chaoyue nodded. "Ah Ye, got it. You must know about me, right?"
"Of course," Ye Huanqiu replied. The Koi Queen. Her debut had sparked outrage across social media, with countless outlets relentlessly criticizing her singing, dancing, and overall lack of talent. They claimed she relied solely on her looks and luck to break into the entertainment industry, calling it an insult to the profession.
Even during those years of widespread online criticism, she had weathered the storm and was now thriving.
Yang Chaoyue spoke softly, "Don't you think this is... bad luck? I should warn you, my skills aren't great. I can only do my best; beyond that, I can't promise any miracles."
She expected a resigned or bitter smile, but when she looked up, she met Ye Huanqiu's starlit eyes. Through his unfashionable glasses, his gaze pierced straight into her heart.
His expression was warm and gentle, radiating optimism with no trace of disappointment.
"I believe a songwriter's first duty is to believe in their own work. The second is to tailor a song perfectly suited to the artist, rather than complaining about limitations. If you trust me, Chaoyue, I'm confident I can create the perfect song for you, one that will outshine anyone else's."
Ye Huanqiu's unwavering confidence, both in his words and demeanor, was unlike anything Yang Chaoyue had encountered in her years in the entertainment industry.
"I trust you," she replied with a smile.
With all the singers having now met their songwriters, it was time to reveal their identities to the audience.
The square boxes had no floors, so steel cables descended from above, hooked onto their tops, and slowly lifted them upward.
One by one, the songwriters were revealed to the audience.
The crowd's reaction wasn't nearly as fervent as it had been for the celebrity singers. Songwriters typically work behind the scenes, only stepping into the public eye once they reach Platinum-tier status—the level required to serve as judges on music shows.
However, one thing remained consistent: gasps of admiration for the handsome and beautiful.
Earlier, the girl who had caught Ye Huanqiu's attention was named Zhao Ziyun. She had arrived with her senior brother, Sui Gu, and Chen Yihan, who had also won the same plush toy.
Li Yuanjie found himself grouped with Gou Bing and Zhang Yanzhuo.
His expression darkened. Though Li Yuanjie was arrogant and self-assured, he wasn't deaf. Zhang Yanzhuo's performance made writing a song for him feel like a complete waste of talent.
Fortunately, a quick glance to the far left of the stage revealed that Yang Chaoyue had joined that cocky brat's team. With her presence, that guy was doomed to finish last.
Before Li Yuanjie could even make an effort, his opponent had already "collapsed."
Li Yuanjie's initial resentment toward the show's producers had significantly diminished. That attention-seeking clown should have been eliminated in the first round, he thought. How dare a cheap showman like that compete on the same stage as me?
Wang Ziqiang and Meng Yan took the stage to introduce the contestants one by one. Li Yuanjie received only lukewarm applause, but he didn't care. He was confident that once the competition began, he would impress everyone and make them sit up and take notice.
When Zhao Ziyun and Sui Gu were introduced, the cheers for Zhao Ziyun rivaled those for minor celebrities.
An audience member who recognized her immediately began excitedly informing those around him: "That's Zhao Ziyun, the renowned prodigy! She's the only female disciple of the Opera Association's chairman and used to perform on the Chinese Opera Channel of United Broadcasting Station. You can look it up online if you don't believe me! I was devastated when I heard she retired a few years ago—I never imagined she'd become a songwriter!"
"She's beautiful, composes her own music, sings like an angel, and has impeccable opera skills. She's practically perfect!"
"I hereby declare the formation of the Zhao Ziyun Fan Guard! Who's joining?!"
The audience buzzed with excitement, their animated discussions highlighting Zhao Ziyun's soaring popularity.
Finally, when it came to introducing Ye Huanqiu's group, the hosts hadn't even spoken before the audience erupted in laughter.
"Yang Chaoyue, the girl who can't sing or dance? She's doomed! The show's rigging is so obvious!"
"Exactly! And why is Ye Huanqiu all alone in Group Eight? Are they not even pretending to play fair anymore?"
Suddenly, a spectator exclaimed, "Wait a minute! I remember seeing a lone black silhouette on the official Weibo poster. Could that be One Leaf Knows Autumn?"
"One Leaf Knows Autumn? Who's that?"
"Have you heard of 'Blooming Life'?"
"'I'm about to live my blooming life...' Yeah, I got that song pushed to me on Doukuai the other night. So he's the songwriter? He looks so young... and his clothes are so cheap. Definitely bargain-bin stuff."
The audience's chatter about Yang Chaoyue and Ye Huanqiu rivaled the earlier buzz about Zhao Ziyun's group, but the tone was markedly different.
Some reveled in schadenfreude, convinced that whichever group Yang Chaoyue joined was guaranteed to finish last in the live performance.
Others focused on Ye Huanqiu's identity as "One Leaf Knows Autumn." How could someone in their early twenties write such an inspiring anthem?
With his unfashionable glasses and cheap, thrift-store clothes, his only redeeming quality was his neat appearance, earning him a few points for first impressions.
"This guy's the real deal! Everyone's heard 'Blooming Life' on Doukuai, right? I'm telling you, the moment I finished listening, I put it on repeat. I hardly ever drink, but that night, I downed a whole bottle of Wusu and didn't even feel a buzz!"
Wang Ziqiang's boast about his alcohol tolerance was met with a chorus of derisive boos.
One bottle of beer? What's there to brag about!
At that moment, the director signaled the sound team to play "Blooming Life." As the familiar opening chords rang out, nearly everyone instinctively turned their gaze to the large screen, where the viral Doukuai video of the song's performance began to replay.
The song's quality was undeniable. Combined with the dimly lit bar's atmosphere, it depicted a working-class "Corporate Slave" screaming his hopes and prayers to the world, pouring his heart and soul into every note.
Li Yuanjie's expression was priceless. As someone who prided himself on his musical judgment, he recognized that the song's caliber rivaled even his own legendary teacher's peak compositions.
Now, with his teacher growing older, his creative powers had waned. It had been years since he had released a truly world-renowned masterpiece.
Li Yuanjie glanced incredulously at Ye Huanqiu. How could this kid have written such a song?
In truth, Li Yuanjie's guess was spot-on. Ye Huanqiu wasn't the original composer. The song had been penned years ago by a legendary figure who once dominated half of the music industry on a parallel Earth.
In this world, however, Ye Huanqiu was the sole heir to Earth's cultural and entertainment legacy.
Li Yuanjie wanted to flip the table and unleash his fury, but such baseless accusations would be futile and risk making him look like a jealous, spiteful fool.
The show would continue, and he still needed to write a song for Yang Chaoyue. If Ye Huanqiu failed to produce a top-tier track, Li Yuanjie would have plenty of time to kick him when he was down.