Being a gigolo was too much for him, so he had to become a music superstar.

"I'm not a child anymore. I know this competition isn't going to be easy. I've read all the comments online; some praise you, some criticize you." Lin Buyi frowned. "You read the comments?"

"I only watched a little bit."

"Watch less of it in the future."

"I know," Lin Qingxue nodded, "I just want to know how you are now."

Lin Buyi didn't speak, but Lin Qingxue held her phone and whispered, "If you don't tell me, I'll be even more worried."

These words made Lin Buyi's throat tighten; he always felt that not telling her was a way of protecting her.

But she sensed everything; she simply cooperated with him and didn't ask any questions.

She knew he was working hard and that he must have encountered a lot of troubles outside, but she didn't want to cause him any more trouble.

Lin Qingxue continued, "Brother, there's nothing I can do to help you right now. You'll have to figure out how to pay for the surgery, and you're the one shouldering all the household chores. Sometimes I feel pretty useless."

"Don't say that," Lin Buyi said, his tone becoming a little harsher.

Lin Qingxue looked at him, "But that's just how I feel."

The ward quieted down. The woman in the next bed was watching TV, her voice very low.

A nurse's cart passed by in the corridor, its wheels making a slight rolling sound as they rolled over the ground.

Lin Buyi looked at Lin Qingxue, who was only eighteen years old.

He should be studying at school, preparing for the college entrance examination, and discussing college, the future, and the people he likes with his classmates. Now he can only stay in the hospital ward with needles in his wrists, and he has to be careful even when eating an apple.

She said she was useless, which made Lin Buyi feel very bad.

He put down the fruit knife, looked at her seriously, and said, "Qingxue, you are not a burden."

Lin Qingxue's eyes flickered, and Lin Buyi said, "Your life is my reason to keep moving forward."

Lin Qingxue was stunned; Lin Buyi would never say such a thing.

He was a man of few words, and even less likely to open up about his thoughts, but now he felt he had to speak.

"I went to the competition for the money, and also for you, but not because you're a burden to me," he said, emphasizing each word. "It's because I want you to get better."

Lin Qingxue lowered her head, her eyes instantly reddening.

Afraid that Lin Buyi would see, she quickly picked up a piece of apple and stuffed it into her mouth, saying in a muffled voice, "Okay."

Lin Buyi didn't say anything more; some things were enough to say.

As he stepped out of the hospital building, the afternoon sun was a bit too bright. He stood by the flower bed for a while, squinting at the sky.

He still has a long way to go and is far from having enough money, but he must keep going.

For Lin Qingxue, and for himself, he wanted to win.

Win fair and square.

……

That same afternoon, Xue Xinghe received an anonymous package in the break room of his studio.

There was no sender information, and the outer packaging was a regular kraft paper document bag.

Inside was a printed document and a USB drive.

When Xue Xinghe opened the file bag and saw the title on the first page, his hand holding the coffee froze in mid-air.

Full Investigation Report on Falsified Evidence Regarding "Drowning Sorrow"

The agent, Lao Yu, leaned over for a look, his expression changing drastically. "Who sent it?"

"I don't know," Xue Xinghe put down his coffee and opened the file.

He examined it very carefully. The IP comparison report showed that Derek Mills' Spotify account registration IP was in this city and highly matched the network segment of the headquarters office area of ​​Brilliant Media.

Metadata analysis: The audio project for "Drowning Sorrow" was created six days ago, not three years ago as claimed.

Release timestamp explanation: The release date displayed on Spotify can be modified through specific distribution channels.

Account activity history: No other activities since registration, zero followers, zero interaction, only one song.

The analysis also includes a professional music theory analysis, pointing out that the arrangement logic of "Drowning Sorrow" shows signs of reverse reasoning, and the conclusion is very straightforward.

This song seems to have taken the framework of "Xiaochou" first, then modified it in reverse to create the so-called "original".

After reading the last page, Xue Xinghe put the document on the table without saying a word.

The break room was quiet. Old Yu, observing his expression, cautiously asked, "Xinghe, what do you plan to do with this material?"

Xue Xinghe stood up and walked around the room twice. He thought of himself seven years ago.

At that time, he was an ordinary person with no background, no team, and no money for marketing. He entered the national competition with a song he wrote himself.

Then the dirty water was poured over, and the dirty water that was poured over was even more disgusting smear material.

Some people bought marketing accounts to say that he had faked his academic credentials, some fabricated stories about his chaotic private life, and some even dug up photos of his family members and posted them online.

No one helped him back then; he had to shoulder the burden alone.

We got through it, but some things, once lost, can never be regained.

He knows all too well what it feels like for an ordinary person to be targeted by capital, even though you haven't done anything wrong.

But as long as the other party throws money at you, they can make you unable to explain yourself no matter how hard you try. Xue Xinghe stopped in his tracks.

"Old Yu," "Here."

"Get me in touch with Professor Zhao Weimin," Lao Yu hesitated for a moment, "The one from the Central Conservatory of Music?"

"Yes, the most authoritative one in China for melody identification. I need him to do a complete professional comparative analysis as soon as possible."

Old Yu looked at him, already guessing most of what he was up to. "What are you going to do?"

"Post on Weibo," Lao Yu's face darkened.

"Xinghe, you are now a mentor on 'Future Star,' and Lin Buyi is still under investigation. If you publicly stand up for him, the production team won't be happy."

"I don't care if the production team is happy or not," "But you have to consider the consequences! By posting this, you're essentially breaking ties with certain people at Tianhai Entertainment!"

Xue Xinghe turned to look at him, "Lin Buyi is someone I saved by using my special recommendation power."

Lao Yu remained silent, and Xue Xinghe continued, "I said in front of the national audience that protecting him was the best decision I've ever made in my life."

He picked up the documents on the table and slapped them down. "Someone's forging a song to ruin him. If I pretend I didn't see it, how am I supposed to survive in this industry?"

"But..." "No buts," Xue Xinghe said coldly.

"If you're a musician and you can just sit there drinking coffee while someone uses fake evidence to ruin an original singer, then you shouldn't be making music."

Old Yu sighed deeply; he knew Xue Xinghe all too well.

This man is usually easy to talk to, but once his bottom line is crossed, not even ten oxen could pull him back. "Okay," Lao Yu nodded, "I'll contact Professor Zhao, but you have to promise me one thing."

"Say it," "Before sending out the materials, have the legal department review them to prevent anyone from finding loopholes."

"Okay," "Also, don't name Wang Shaohui or Tianhai."

"I know," Xue Xinghe picked up his phone. "My goal is to expose false evidence, not to engage in verbal battles."

Three hours later, Professor Zhao Weimin provided his initial professional opinion.

The opinion is straightforward: the two songs have some similar melodies.

However, from the perspective of the overall creative logic, "Drowning Sorrow" is more like a product of disassembling and rearranging "Xiaochou". In other words, "Drowning Sorrow" is "piggybacking" on "Xiaochou" in reverse.