Even a Tied Dog Can Win

Lin Yuan was unaware of Zhao Jue's difficulties.

After recording his song, he had stopped paying much attention to the newcomer season on the music charts, focusing instead on another task set by the system:

[Achieve a rank within the top 25 in the next professional class exam]

This task was academic, making exam scores crucial. Thus, from the very next day, Lin Yuan switched to "top student mode".

Studying brought him joy.

Professional class exams were usually written and involved memorizing numerous concepts.

So, apart from attentively taking notes during class, Lin Yuan spent his free time engrossed in his course books.

Music composition primarily involved theory.

As days of rigorous studying went by, Lin Yuan's mind brimmed with terms like "Counterpoint and Fugue", "Harmony Explained", "Modern Composition Techniques", and "Orchestration".

Surprisingly, he didn't find it monotonous. In fact, Lin Yuan felt that each day was fulfilling.

One evening, after exhausting his mind with studies, he called out his friends Xia Fan and Jian Yi for a stroll around the campus track. As they walked, enjoying the cool evening breeze and casual conversation, Lin Yuan's phone vibrated.

The message read, "Newcomers Talent Season starts tomorrow. 'Life Like a Summer Flower' has been registered. Starlight walks with you!"

Newcomers Talent Season?

Lin Yuan exclaimed, "Is today the last day of October? Tomorrow is November?"

Indeed.

In his quest to earn another bronze treasure chest from the system, Lin Yuan had been so engrossed in his studies that he had forgotten about the newcomer season entirely.

"To be exact," Jian Yi said, "the Newcomers Talent Season begins just past midnight tonight!"

Xia Fan, probably because of his major, excitedly chipped in, "These days, our music department is buzzing about it, especially our vocal music division. Even our teachers talk about it during lessons. This year, our senior Sun YaoHuo from the vocal music department will debut. He even contacted the school, hoping fellow students would vote for him... You remember Sun YaoHuo, right? Before you switched majors, you collaborated with him."

Lin Yuan made a strange face, "I remember."

He had specifically asked Sun YaoHuo to keep his identity as the songwriter of "Life Like a Summer Flower" a secret.

Jian Yi glanced at Lin Yuan, sensing something amiss, then exchanged knowing glances with Xia Fan.

Both recalled how Lin Yuan had previously inquired about song releases, with Xia Fan even suggesting he sign up for this year's upcoming season...

It seemed Lin Yuan had not succeeded.

Given Lin Yuan's unmatched vocal talents but lackluster composition skills, it made sense. Plus, if he was confident, he wouldn't have been seeking advice anonymously.

However, to avoid making Lin Yuan feel bad, the two friends silently decided not to bring it up that evening.

Lin Yuan, unaware of his friends' thoughts, was secretly relieved they didn't probe further. After all, he wasn't good at lying, especially to close friends.

And so, the three returned to their dormitories, each lost in their thoughts.

...

The Newcomers Talent Season started right at midnight on November 1st. While Lin Yuan couldn't stay awake for it, given his intensive study routine and frail health, others eagerly awaited the moment.

Take, for instance, the night owls like Zhang Chen, a second-year music student from Qin state Art College.

At midnight, wearing his best headphones, Zhang Chen promptly opened his favorite app, "CloudSea Music", eager to discover the gems of this year's season.

"I hope this year won't disappoint me."

As a music major, Zhang Chen was a true audiophile. He owned four pairs of headphones, ranging in price from 1,500 to 10,000 yuan, all bought with money he earned from part-time jobs.

He began to listen to the songs recommended on the homepage.

To be honest, the recommended songs were quite good. After all, they were the top choices of major companies for newcomers aiming to climb the charts. Their quality was assured; otherwise, it would be a waste of resources.

But the problem was...

These songs were just... good.

For an audiophile like Zhang Chen, his ears were too discerning. Ordinary songs just didn't make the cut for him.

So, after listening to twenty-one songs consecutively, only three were added to his reserve playlist.

Zhang Chen's account had been active for ten years.

Under his account, he had two playlists.

The top one was for his cherished songs, and the bottom one was the reserve playlist.

Over a decade, he had accumulated only twelve songs in his cherished playlist. Each song was a masterpiece in his eyes, pieces he'd probably never delete. Every now and then, he'd revisit them, feeling as if he was hearing them for the first time.

The reserve playlist, on the other hand, was more fluid, frequently updated. These were songs he liked in the short term, but after listening to them repeatedly, he'd tire of them and remove them from the list.

After listening to a few more songs, Zhang Chen started to feel weary.

Yawning, he was about to turn in for the night when a fleeting song recommendation caught his eye. The recommendation read:

"To live as brilliantly as summer flowers, to die as gracefully as autumn leaves."

Undeniably, the sentence was beautiful.

So beautiful that Zhang Chen hesitated to click on the link for the song. He feared the song might not live up to the poetic allure of its recommendation.

But in the end, curiosity won. He clicked on the song titled "Life Like a Summer Flower."

The music suddenly surged.

A mysterious hum, seemingly from a foreign land, echoed crisply through his high-quality headphones.

It's hard to describe the sensation.

It was as if a wave had crashed upon him, instantly rejuvenating his fatigued auditory senses. Holding his breath, Zhang Chen attentively listened as the main chorus began:

"How long I've slumbered in the dark,

I can't quite discern.

How much pain it takes,

To open one's eyes in return.

From afar I've come,

Happening upon you here.

Lost in the charms of the mortal realm,

For her, I know no fear..."

A blend of melancholy, regret, hope, and longing interwove with the melody, creating a profound emotional tapestry.

Zhang Chen's breathing steadied, but underneath that calm facade, a tumultuous emotion brewed. It intensified as the music's pace subtly picked up, the chorus echoing in a hauntingly tranquil manner:

"I am the brilliance of this moment,

A fleeting flame across the sky.

For you, I come recklessly, seeing,

Fading, never to return, oh why?

Here I am,

Right here, I stand,

Brief as a startled swan,

Radiant as a summer's dawn..."

Zhang Chen listened, utterly entranced.

The song painted a vivid picture of life's ephemeral beauty and inevitable decline. It evoked reflections on human connections and our fleeting existence in this vast universe.

At this very moment,

He felt a rush of emotion welling up, his throat tightening. Unexpectedly, he choked up under his covers in the middle of the night. What this song reminded him of was an old friend.

Just like him.

His friend was also a fervent music lover.

They had once taken summer jobs together, saving up to splurge on high-quality headphones, and shared countless intoxicated moments engrossed in the classics.

However, sadly,

While he was admitted to Qin state's top art academy, his friend couldn't make the cut due to insufficient scores. The dream of pursuing music faded, and their paths gradually diverged.

Could it be that if you don't keep in touch over time,

Friendship simply fades away?

Tears blurred Zhang Chen's eyes as memories and reflections consumed him. As the music gently faded:

"Along the path there's spring's glow,

And thorns that prick and pain.

Brief as a fleeting bird's shadow,

Radiant as summer's bloom in the lane.

In a world where we can't stay for long..."

Indeed, in a world where we can't linger forever, why not shine brightly like summer flowers? For this one life, may you find it fulfilling.

"Download."

While the song could be listened to three times for free, Zhang Chen didn't wish to hear it as a mere trial anymore. Wiping away his tears, he directly clicked to download the song.

The uniform price for downloading a song:

Just one yuan.

After downloading, a smile tugged at the corner of Zhang Chen's mouth. Surprisingly, he added "Life Like a Summer Flower" to his cherished playlist – a list that hadn't seen a new addition for three years. Today, it welcomed a new song.

Then, Zhang Chen checked the song details.

When he saw the name listed under the 'Performed by' column, he was momentarily stunned. "It's sung by our school's alumni, Sun Yao Huo?"

Lately, discussions about the Newcomers Talent Season had been buzzing around the campus, and Sun Yao Huo's name had been frequently mentioned.

However, what Zhang Chen was most curious about wasn't the singer but the songwriter, especially the composer. And there, in the column for song and lyrics writer, he saw a single name:

"Xian Yu."

Who was Xian Yu?

It must be a pseudonym.

Zhang Chen mentally noted the name, intending to follow it. Finally, he opened his chat app, clicked on a name he hadn't contacted in ages, and shared the song "Life Like a Summer Flower."

No need for words.

Words were too pale.

Zhang Chen believed that once the person heard the song, they'd understand. After all, music was their best medium of communication.

Soon after,

Zhang Chen thought about sharing the song in his class group, wanting everyone to appreciate it. But when he opened the group chat, he was greeted with laughter.

The advent of Newcomers Talent Season,

And the nocturnal classmates were already fired up. Since they were all studying music, the discussion was unsurprisingly centered on the recent releases:

[Little Bei]: "Damn! Sun Yao Huo senior is smashing it!"

[Lan Lan]: "To live as brilliantly as summer flowers, to die as gracefully as autumn leaves! He's gonna be huge this season."

[Hua Hua]: "You guys talking about Sun Yao Huo's song? Is it that good? I'll give it a listen."

[Gentle Strike]: "'Life Like a Summer Flower' moved me to tears. While Sun Yao Huo is indeed talented, the real genius is the songwriter!"

[Dog Travels Thousand Miles]: ""Indeed! Worthy of the title 'Song Maestro'! Senior Sun Yao Huo has truly hitched a ride on a god-tier talent and soared!"

[Music Dept's Huang Liang]: "Mark my words. When the New Talent charts open tomorrow, 'Life Like a Summer Flower' will cause chaos!"

...

[Hua Hua]: "Just finished the song, I'm blown away! The songwriter is on another level! Also, did you guys notice? Both the lyrics and the composition were done by the same person! With such a songwriter, even if they had a dog singing in the studio, it would still be a hit."