How to Ruin A Hobby

Many people didn't expect the after-effects of "Life Like Summer Flowers" to be so significant. On the first day itself, it had surpassed the radiant Yinhuo!

When everyone noticed this, there was a sudden buzz within the circle.

"Starlight is second?!"

"From obscurity to limelight overnight, is this Starlight's legendary comeback?"

"Guys, don't forget, the one in first place is an exception. If we round it off, "Life Like Summer Flowers" is practically this year's champion!"

"Rounding off? Seriously?"

"We don't even need to round off. You might have overlooked something. Although the one in the first place leads by a margin, the growth rate of Starlight's "Life Like Summer Flowers" seems to be higher. I believe everyone gets what this means."

A genius data analyst from a certain company commented with keen insight.

"What are you implying?"

"Just prepare your popcorn and seats. At the end of the month, we might witness a battle of titans. I initially thought this year was predictable."

"…"

At that time, Zeng Yi, the singer who was originally ranked second under the banner of Brilliant Silver Flame, was dining with his composer, Li Da.

Their meal was extravagant enough to max out two thousand credit cards.

The giant, intimidating red king crab on the table added a note to this meal:

A celebration banquet.

However, halfway through the meal, Zeng Yi received a call from his company informing him that "Aries" had been overtaken by the third-ranked song.

At that moment, the king crab in his bowl lost its allure.

Zeng Yi looked at Li Da, seemingly asking: "Where did my second place go? I was just there. Where did it vanish to?"

Li Da stayed silent, only taking out his phone and earphones to listen to "Life Like Summer Flowers".

To be honest, when the chart was first released, as the second-place holder, Li Da only bothered listening to the song ranked first. He didn't have the slightest interest in "Life Like Summer Flowers", which was in third.

Who would pay attention to something inferior?

After listening, with mixed emotions, Li Da not only downloaded the song but also glanced at the first-ranked song, his expression darkening: "All of them must go down!"

Meanwhile, at Starlight's company dormitory.

Sun Yaohuo, who had been monitoring the charts, of course, noticed the rise of "Life Like Summer Flowers" to the second place.

He jumped up in surprise, "Wow! I'm trending!"

It's no wonder that in the industry, tales of these song daddies are legendary. Many debuting artists jokingly say, "I would be willing to be a dog for a song daddy."

Turns out, with a competent song daddy, even a dog could be a hit if recorded in the studio!

Sun, who had always been eager to debut, was taken aback by his sudden rise. It felt like he had sleepwalked through the recording and singing process, yet unexpectedly ended up in the second spot, becoming one of the most dazzling new singers!

Sun pondered: What should I say to Lin the next time I meet him, do I drop all pretenses?

Meanwhile, at Qin state Art Academy.

Lin Yuan, who was unaware of most things, was reading in the library when he heard a pleasing system notification:

[Congratulations, your total reputation has surpassed 10,000!]

[Reward for breaking 10,000 reputation: 5 years of life!]

[Reward: Three Bronze Treasure Chests!]

[Reward: One Silver Treasure Chest!]

His reputation exceeded 10,000?

Lin Yuan glanced at the glowing words and checked his current status:

[Age: 19]

[Life Span: 27]

[Drawing: 45]

[Literature: 105]

[Music: 12580]

[Overall: 12730]

The reputation for drawing and literature remained unchanged.

The music category experienced a sudden surge, crossing ten thousand, no doubt due to the performance of "Life Like Summer Flowers."

The most important thing was:

His lifespan had increased by five years.

Lin Yuan now had a lifespan of 27 years. Though it was an increase of only five years, it allowed him a brief respite from the looming shadow of death.

Lin Yuan pondered and asked the system in his mind, "System, how much reputation is needed for the next life extension?"

The system replied, "The host's body suffers from a terminal condition which is theoretically incurable. To treat the host, the system utilized the highest level of medical technology in the universe to modify the host's physique. Therefore, the reputation requirement will only become steeper. To receive the system's treatment and extend your lifespan next time, the reputation requirement is…"

Lin Yuan interjected, "A hundred thousand?"

The system clarified, "No, it's one million."

Lin Yuan's expression darkened. He had a gut feeling from the system's long-winded explanation that increasing lifespan wasn't going to be easy, but he hadn't expected it to be this challenging.

It's too difficult.

Not even a hundred thousand?

A million?

He felt a tinge of anger, "Am I expected to release a hundred songs of 'Life Like Summer Flowers' caliber?"

"Don't worry," the system reassured. "'Life Like Summer Flowers' has only granted the host ten thousand reputation points so far. But as long as this song continues to attract new listeners in the future, your reputation will keep increasing. Theoretically, the speed of your reputation gain will accelerate. A million may seem much now, but it will be achieved in a blink."

Lin Yuan blinked exaggeratedly.

The system almost glitched, "…"

Lin Yuan chuckled inwardly but slowly came to accept the truth. An idea formed: the more works he produces in the future and the bigger his alias, Xian Yu, becomes, the more reputation he will naturally amass. This, of course, requires continuous effort and release of new works.

With that thought, Lin Yuan looked expectantly at the four treasure chests in his inventory. He wondered what treasures he might unearth.

Without hesitation, he opened two bronze treasure chests first. As for the third bronze chest, he decided to leave it for now, maintaining the suspense.

[Bronze Treasure Chest Opened: Received the song "Big Fish"]

[Bronze Treasure Chest Opened: Received the song "Super Explosive"]

It seemed the system recognized the high value of music-related rewards in Qin state, the "Land of Music". Thus, the items from the bronze chests were primarily music-related.

"Open the silver chest," Lin Yuan instructed.

A flash of light momentarily blinded him:

[Silver Treasure Chest Opened: Received the piano piece "Dream Wedding"]

A flashy effect for a silver chest?

However, the reward was indeed exceptional. It was "Dream Wedding"!

This piano piece was more valuable than any song. After all, it's a classic known to many, one of the signature pieces of the famous pianist Richard Clayderman from his previous life!

No wonder it was in a silver chest.

If he seized the opportunity to release this universally beloved piano piece, he should earn a significant amount of reputation, right?

Lin Yuan thought with anticipation.

However, he knew he couldn't rush its release.

Just like the success of "Life Like Summer Flowers" which hinged on the platform and resources of Starlight, without a proper platform or opportunity, the efficiency of gaining reputation might be compromised.

With that in mind, Lin Yuan posed another question, "If I don't publicly reveal my real identity when releasing works, will my reputation acquisition be discounted?"

"No."

The system, seemingly too lazy to elaborate, replied in an emotionless mechanized voice, "The alias 'Xian Yu' inherently points to the host. Whether the host is in the limelight or behind the scenes, it doesn't matter."

Understood.

It's like the descriptor "best friend of Jian Yi and Xia Fan", as long as it points towards him, it's fine.

Sounds a bit Lovecraftian?

Lin Yuan inquired further, "What are the specific criteria for forming reputation?"

The system elucidated, "Reputation stems from the audience's recognition of a work. Their genuine appreciation for 'Life Like Summer Flowers' translates to reputation. The amount of reputation depends on the degree of their admiration for the work."

"I see." Lin Yuan nodded internally, preparing for his next move.

For the first time, Lin Yuan tasted the benefits of reputation. Naturally, he began to prioritize this newfound advantage over grueling tasks. The rewards of reputation were indeed the sweetest.

However,

No matter how small a mosquito is, it's still meat.

Lin Yuan wouldn't disregard a reward just because it was a mere bronze treasure chest. As for the exam-related task, he had to give his best.

Just then,

His phone buzzed.

When he checked, he found he'd been mentioned in a group chat for his class.

It was from their course-in-charge, Teacher Huang, "Dear students, for next week's music appreciation assignment, I'm adding a major topic! I assume you all are familiar with the song 'Life Like Summer Flowers'. Please prepare in advance. Analyze the reasons for the song's success from a composition perspective. Highlight the main points! I predict this will come up in our departmental exams."

Immediately, the chat was flooded with laments.

"No way…"

"Teacher…"

"This is my recent favorite song…"

"So, this is the journey from loving a song to getting sick of it?"

"Guys, I'm officially declaring that I don't like 'Life Like Summer Flowers' anymore."

A significant number of students seemed to like the song.

But as the famous writer Lu Xun once said:

The best way to ruin a song for music students is to make it their homework.

However, Lin Yuan was thrilled.

His classmates had already contributed all the reputation they could for the song, and he doubted the system would deduct it. Whether they would still like "Life Like Summer Flowers" in the future was none of Lin Yuan's concern.

After all, he had other songs up his sleeve.

Plus, if the song was going to be an exam topic, Lin Yuan was confident. The system not only provided songs but also similar reference materials.

"Which song is the homework?"

The chat notifications piled up rapidly, reaching 99+ within moments.

Some latecomers, experiencing lag on their phones but too lazy to scroll up, typed in asking their classmates.

"'Life Like Summer Flowers'. Ask again and perish!"

The class president's reply was brimming with resentment. He even added, "I hate Xian Yu!"

"Same here!"

"Me too!"

"And me!"

The class seemed united in their sentiment.

Lin Yuan responded with an ellipsis, effectively breaking the rhythm, feeling somewhat targeted. But then he relaxed—

Everyone despised Xian Yu.

What did that have to do with him, Lin Yuan?