Tokyo: Love Begins with Controlling the Rich Girl

"Huh?!"

"Shut up and watch."

Shimada Sho ignored the exclamations in his mind and moved the fingers, wrists, and shoulders of this body.

Soft, but a bit firmer than the young lady's.

After all, he's my idol who practices dancing every day.

He cleared his throat and tried humming a scale.

The system's singing skills were activated instantly, and the moment the voice flowed from his throat, even he was stunned.

Perfect singing skills, coupled with the already perfectly developed voice of Chizuru Amami.

The melodious singing flowed out, like heavenly music.

With this kind of voice, how could you possibly fail to advance?

As Shimada Sho pondered, the door to the lounge was pushed open again.

"There are only ten minutes left, Mr. Amami, let's decide on the song!"

The bald music producer returned and anxiously urged everyone to hurry up as soon as he entered.

“No problem,” Shimada Sho replied calmly.

Chapter Sixty-Eight: A Song About Dreams

Singing requires a voice that can move people and sufficiently professional singing skills.

In terms of voice, Chizuru Amami completely satisfies.

And coincidentally, Shimada Sho also possesses professional-level singing skills.

The combination of these two elements perfectly suits the performance requirements of this music competition.

All he needs to do is go on stage and sing a song to win everyone's approval.

This is not difficult.

Even though he wasn't a professional singer, he had at least listened to quite a few Japanese songs in his previous life.

He can sing any song, no matter what.

But when he confidently agreed to meet the music producer who had come to visit, and invited him in to ask to sing a familiar Japanese song, the producer's response left him stunned.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Amami, but due to the restrictions imposed by your mother's side, I'm afraid I can't sing this song for the time being."

Jing Yeyuan, a middle-aged man with a bald head, also addresses the seventeen-year-old "Tianhai Qianhe" as his teacher.

His tone was respectful, making people feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.

However, what he said made it difficult for Shimada Sho to be happy.

It's one of the few Japanese songs I know how to sing, and you're telling me I can't sing it?

"Mom should have already taken back all the copyrights..." The dejected voice of Amami Chizuru echoed in Shimada Sho's mind.

Shimada Sho asked, "What do you mean?"

He asked Jingyeyuan.

The other party quickly explained apologetically, "You are signed with your mother's entertainment company, and all your film and music copyrights are with them. They have already notified you that they are revoking all authorizations granted to you."

"Does that mean I can't sing anything?"

Jing Yeyuan shook his head. "You can sing any of the songs we've authorized, or if there's anything you'd like to sing, we can help you get in touch right now, but it has to be done as soon as possible, because if we wait any longer, it won't be enough time to get it reported."

"I see." Shimada Sho understood.

It's nothing more than that Chizuru Amami took it upon herself to participate in the program, challenging her mother's authority.

So they revoked all the copyrights as a form of suppression.

This kind of thing wouldn't normally cause any problems.

But now that Chizuru Amami is going to participate in the competition, the copyrights to all the songs she is good at have been revoked.

With already poor singing skills, and further limitations imposed on her, the consequences were predictable.

"So your current situation is that you have no songs to sing?" After clarifying the situation, Shimada Sho calmly analyzed the situation.

"Hmm." Tenkai Chizuru said with a hint of guilt, "I'm not good at singing other people's songs because my mother always arranged the songs for me when I was little. I've never sung them myself. Now I'm afraid I'll be dragging you down, System Master..."

Shimada Sho remained silent.

He then recalled the description of Chizuru Amami in the property viewer.

Sent into the entertainment industry by her mother at a young age, she grew up under countless cameras and harsh gazes, and can no longer distinguish which expression is her own.

It seems that not only her facial expressions, but even her singing is beyond her control.

"Mr. Jingye Yuan," Shimada Sho looked up at the music producer waiting at the door, "what songs can the production team provide?"

“Uh…” Jingyeyuan clearly did not expect that Tianhai Qianzhe would ask for details so calmly.

After a moment of surprise, he quickly took out his tablet and brought up the music library. "This is all the tracks we have authorized for this season, about forty in total, covering various styles such as pop, rock, and folk."

Shimada Sho took the tablet and quickly browsed through it.

There are many songs, but they are all classic tracks that have been famous for a long time.

Each song is extremely popular, which also means that each song will be compared with the original version.

An idol singer who is being questioned by the entire internet, singing other people's hit songs?

It's easy to imagine the ridicule and sarcasm that will follow.

“These songs…” Shimada Sho said cautiously, “I might not be very good at them.”

Jing Yeyuan looked troubled. "We've considered that too, but your mother's attitude towards your own song is very firm. We've tried to communicate with her several times without success. If it really doesn't work out... do you think we should postpone your performance?"

"Hmm?" Shimada Sho keenly noticed something.

The other person gave an apologetic smile and said sincerely, "I recommended you, and I feel it's necessary to tell you that one of the judges on stage today has a good relationship with your mother. He previously said that he would strictly evaluate idol groups and the like. Also..."

He hesitated for a moment, then noticed that Shimada Sho was staring at him intently, clearly waiting for what would happen next.

So he lowered his voice and added, "You may not know this, but your mother's company has also sent a contestant. She's a professional singer who debuted at last year's Kohaku Uta Gassen. She's probably here specifically for you."

Upon hearing this, Shimada Sho narrowed his eyes.

Good guy.

They reclaimed the copyright, sent people to benchmark against it, and there are still people waiting on the judging panel.

This is going to torture Chizuru Amami to death, forcing her to obediently go back to being a puppet.

“I should have thought of that…” Chizuru’s voice sounded deeply weary in my mind, “Mom never allows me to make my own decisions. She must be very angry that I ran away this time.”

Shimada Sho didn't respond to that.

He paced back and forth, his thoughts racing.

Tenkai Chizuru has an excellent voice, which is a physical advantage.

She also has professional-level singing skills, which is a guarantee of technical expertise.

When you combine the two, what song you sing isn't important; what matters is whether you can sing it into people's hearts.

"Chizuru." He changed the name in his mind, no longer using the cold tone of "this system."

The voice in my head clearly paused for a moment, "...Huh?"

Have you ever thought about what you really want to sing?

"..."

silence.

Tenkai Chizuru suddenly fell silent.

Shimada Sho didn't urge him and turned around to sit back on the sofa.

The performer on stage had already finished singing a song, and the sound went out during the intermission.

The only sound in the lounge was the hum of the air conditioner.

"When I was little... I really wanted to be an idol." Chizuru's voice finally rang out, as softly as if afraid of disturbing the air.

Shimada Sho did not respond, but listened attentively.

"Because I love to sing, I dream of one day standing on a big stage and bringing laughter to the audience with my singing."

"But later..." Her voice trailed off, as if she had reverted to that timid version of the idol, "My mother said that if I wanted popularity, I had to cater to the market's positioning, what songs I should sing, what style I should showcase... The songs and melodies I wrote weren't suitable for the market... She also said..."

Tenkai Chizuru suddenly stopped.

Shimada Sho waited a few seconds, then asked, "What did she say?"

"...She said that I don't need to have my own ideas, I just need to be a good 'Tenkai Chizuru'."

The girl's voice was as calm as if she were narrating someone else's story.

But Shimada Sho could hear the despair beneath that calm.

A person who loves to sing has been deprived of the right to express themselves through music.

Even the name "Tenkai Chizuru" has become a product label.

“Dreams…” Shimada Sho savored the meaning of this word.

"I'm sorry." The girl's somber apology echoed in my mind. "I'm so useless, I don't even know what song I want to sing."

"Don't apologize," Shimada Sho interrupted her.

He stood up and walked up to Jing Yeyuan, calmly asking, "Excuse me, can the production team obtain the copyrights to overseas songs?"

"Overseas?" Jing Yeyuan was taken aback. "Which one?"

Shimada Sho didn't answer immediately, but instead asked in his heart, "Do you want to know what your dream is?"

"Dream?" Tenkai Chizuru's voice was completely bewildered.

Shimada Sho didn't expect her to give an answer, and simply looked up and told her the song title.

“An Eastern melody, I’ll give it a try.” Upon hearing this, Jing Yeyuan did not give a definite answer.

But this is more about leaving yourself some room for maneuver.

Music copyrights are not difficult to obtain unless there is deliberate targeting.

"Thank you for your help, producer." After saying that, Shimada Sho turned around and sat back down in front of the makeup mirror.

The contestant who just came on stage has already started singing, and after he finishes, it will be Amami Chizuru's turn to perform.

Before we begin, let's get ready with makeup!

Chapter Sixty-Nine: If Dreams Had Never Fallen Off a Cliff

Backstage at the program, in the dressing room.

"Tenkai Chizuru" sat in front of the makeup mirror, while the makeup artist behind him was busy touching up his makeup.

Shimada Sho let them do as they pleased, his mind replaying the melody and lyrics of that song over and over again.

With the professional-level singing skills rewarded by the system, plus Tenkai Chizuru's naturally beautiful voice, the hardware is more than enough.

But singing is never just about physical attributes.

"Teacher Tianhai, it's your turn to get ready." A staff member poked their head in.

Shimada Sho stood up, her skirt cascading down, the light blue fabric shimmering softly under the lamplight.

He walked to the side stage waiting area and looked at the stage through the gap in the curtain.

The lights were dazzling, the audience seats were packed with people, and the judges' seats had four serious faces.

Sitting on the far right was a woman in her forties, with short hair, exquisite makeup, and a barely perceptible cold smile on her lips.

The mother's person.

"Chizuru, are you scared?" Shimada Sho asked in his heart.

"A little," Tenkai Chizuru honestly admitted, but quickly added, "But the system seems quite reliable."

She had recovered from her earlier gloomy mood.