44: Chapter 44 Another SS-rank

Pengcheng, Penguin Hotel, Suite 1301.

Sunlight pierced through the gap in the curtains, cutting a patch of light onto the carpet.

Xu Qingya pushed off the quilt and got out of bed.

As soon as her feet touched the floor, her knees went weak, and she almost knelt down.

She braced herself against the nightstand with one hand, waiting a few seconds to steady herself before walking into the bathroom.

She turned on the faucet, splashed water on her face, and looked up at the mirror above the sink.

The person in the mirror had tight skin, glowing with a layer of moist radiance.

The faint dry lines at the corners of her eyes, left from years of rushing to appointments, had completely vanished.

Although red marks from last night still lingered on her collarbone and neck, the deep-seated fatigue that had accumulated over the years was swept away.

In its place was a lightness that seemed to emanate from her very bones.

"Have you seen enough?"

A voice came from the bathroom doorway.

Jiang Fan leaned against the doorframe, shirtless.

The muscle lines on his waist and abdomen were well-defined under the overhead light.

Xu Qingya turned around, staring at him with a complex expression.

"What did you do to me?"

Jiang Fan walked over, bracing his hands on the edge of the sink, boxing her in his arms.

"Maybe I come with built-in beauty effects."

Xu Qingya bit her lip, but before she could speak, Jiang Fan lowered his head and kissed her.

— — — — — —

12:00 PM.

Li Cheng knocked on the suite door.

He held a folder in his hand, and with two massive dark circles under his eyes, it was clear he had pulled an all-nighter.

As soon as he entered, his footsteps halted.

Xu Qingya was already dressed, sitting on the sofa drinking black coffee.

She wore gold-rimmed non-prescription glasses, which hid the lingering look of passion in her eyes.

Li Cheng's eyelids twitched, and he forcibly shifted his gaze, pretending to be blind.

"The program team moves fast." Li Cheng slapped the folder on the coffee table and pulled up a chair to sit.

"Times Media has filled the gap left by Hua Xingyu. The new list of judges was just announced."

Xu Qingya put down her coffee cup. "Who?"

"Su Yuyan."

Hearing this name, Xu Qingya frowned.

Jiang Fan flipped open the folder.

The first page was a photograph.

The woman was wearing a wine-red slip dress, with a tear mole at the corner of her eye, her smile exuding a seductive charm.

She was the industry-recognized "Siren Diva," Su Yuyan.

In terms of seniority and popularity, she was on par with Xu Qingya.

However, the two had completely opposite career paths and had fought over resources several times at various awards ceremonies.

"That's not all." Li Cheng pointed to the small print below the information. "The format for the finals has changed. It's been changed to real-time voting across the entire network. Everyone gets three votes. The judges are only responsible for commentary."

Li Cheng lit a cigarette and took a puff.

"Shenghai Entertainment has fallen, and Lu Ming is finished. Times Media has spent a fortune this time, buying over a dozen marketing accounts to build momentum for Zhao Tianyu overnight, just waiting for the finals to broadcast tonight."

Li Cheng pointed at Su Yuyan's photo.

"She is a catfish released by Times Media. She is responsible for setting the tone at the judges' table. As long as Zhao Tianyu doesn't mess up his live performance, Su Yuyan will definitely use the most flowery language to praise him to the heavens. With network-wide voting, the audience is easily guided by professional judges."

Li Cheng stubbed out his cigarette, his gaze fixed on Jiang Fan.

"Have you decided on your song? With network-wide voting, it's all about live appeal. Your previous songs, while good, were all slow, which puts you at a disadvantage on a competitive stage."

"It's settled." Jiang Fan stood up.

With a thought.

[system store activated]

Jiang Fan entered criteria into the search bar: Dimensional reduction strike, dominant, explosive.

A row of golden song titles appeared on his retina.

He scrolled past several heavy metal rock songs, his gaze finally locking onto a name in the center of the list.

"nocturne."

In the Mandopop scene of the original planet, this song was a truly dominant monster.

"When the nocturne plays, go up to receive the award" was no joke; it was absolute crushing power.

By perfectly blending classical piano with pop rap, the catchiness of the melody and the avant-garde nature of the Arrangement were enough to crush this world's pop music into the dirt.

[Redemption price: 200 Lifespan Value]

[Redeem?]

"Redeem."

[Deducted 200 Lifespan Value, remaining Lifespan Value: 9600 points]

Massive memories of the Arrangement, chord progressions, and advanced classical piano playing techniques flooded into his brain instantly.

Jiang Fan leaned back on the sofa, closed his eyes, and digested this massive flow of information.

His fingers tapped the beat unconsciously on his lap.

Ten minutes later, he opened his eyes, picked up the paper and pen on the table, and began to write down the sheet music at high speed.

The tip of the pen rubbed against the paper, making a rustling sound.

The speed was extremely fast, without any hesitation or pause for thought.

Li Cheng leaned over to take a look.

The paper was full of staff notation, dense notes, and complex Arrangement structures.

"This..." Li Cheng stared at the score, his pupils shrinking. "Piano, guitar, cello, all stuffed into one song? I've never seen this kind of Arrangement."

"You'll see it tonight."

Jiang Fan drew the final rest and handed the pages over.

"Go contact the band for rehearsal. This song requires piano, guitar, bass, drums, and a cello."

Li Cheng took the score, his hand trembling slightly.

"Piano plus cello? Are you sure you want to go to such lengths on a talent show stage?"

"Just do it." Jiang Fan picked up his jacket and put it on. "Let's go, to the venue for rehearsal."

2:00 PM.

Backstage at the Pengcheng Satellite TV broadcast building.

Jiang Fan pushed open the door to his private lounge.

In the hallway, several staff members were pushing a row of clothing racks filled with haute couture gowns as they hurried past.

Leading them was a woman in a sharp, professional suit.

Su Yuyan.

The surrounding staff stepped aside one after another, lowering their heads to greet her.

"Hello, Teacher Su."

"Hello, Sister Yan."

Su Yuyan didn't even give them a glance; she stopped and swept her gaze over Jiang Fan, a smile curling at the corner of her mouth.

"Jiang Fan, right?" Su Yuyan walked over, her high heels clicking on the tiles.

She carried a strong scent of rose perfume.

Before she even got close, that scent had already preemptively invaded the entire hallway.

"'lonely warrior' was sung well."

She paused, her gaze scanning Jiang Fan up and down.

"But that song became popular because of social sentiment. The finals are about hard power."

She raised the data card in her hand and tapped Jiang Fan's chest lightly with the corner of the card.

"Little security guard, having gained so much traffic, don't trip and die at the final step."

Jiang Fan looked down at the spot she had tapped, then looked back up at her.

A line of golden text, visible only to him, appeared above Su Yuyan's head.

[Target: Su Yuyan]

[Height: 167cm]

[Weight: 49kg]

[Beauty: 9.0 points]

[Compatibility: SS]

Jiang Fan's heart leaped a few times.

Same SS-rank as Xu Qingya.

Is this system targeting the divas of the entertainment industry?

Su Yuyan turned and left, her skirt tracing a sexy arc in the air.

Jiang Fan watched Su Yuyan's retreating back.

"Brother Li." Jiang Fan withdrew his gaze and pushed open the door to the lounge.

"What?"

"Tell the band to start rehearsals in half an hour."