Chapter 61: Go to Your Hotel
Sitting in the ride-share car, Shen Xi stared at her phone screen, where Director Chen’s message was still displayed.
The whole mess started when a video of her rehearsal performance was uploaded to a short-video platform. Soon after, a well-known musician accused her of plagiarizing his melody and even sent a legal notice to Su City TV.
At first, netizens were excited to hear the full version of her song and flooded the comments with praise.
But as soon as the plagiarism accusation dropped, a wave of anonymous accounts and die-hard fans of that musician started stirring things up.
"I can't believe I thought this song was good. Turns out it was stolen? Disgusting!"
"Get out of the music industry! Plagiarists don’t deserve to be singers!"
Public opinion flipped instantly. Doubts and criticism flooded every corner of the internet.
That’s just how things worked online. A leaked original song going viral couldn’t compare to the level of attention a plagiarism scandal would bring.
Countless netizens, who just wanted to watch the drama unfold, didn’t care about the truth. All they cared about was the excitement of a plot twist.
Shen Xi chuckled softly, feeling completely at ease.
Plagiarism? Please. This is a ‘special product’ I brought from previous Earth. This world doesn’t even have this song, who exactly am I copying?
She was all too familiar with this kind of plot. Getting completely trashed by the internet was practically a standard package for a villainess character.
But she hadn’t even gotten famous yet and was already being targeted? If someone wasn’t behind this, no one would believe it.
Based on the angle of the video…
"Lin Yueyue, so it was you again."
But the female lead didn’t have that much influence. This was definitely Shi Jingyan’s doing as well.
Shen Xi had long expected the male and female leads wouldn’t let her off easily, but she hadn’t thought they’d move so fast, or that their methods would be this cheap. Trying to crush her before the competition even started?
………………………………………………
Director Chen’s Office.
"This has become a big issue, and the network’s executives are paying close attention to it. We believe you’re not that kind of person, but the show is about to air…"
Director Chen sighed, his tone full of helplessness. The safest option for the production team was to cut her out entirely. But considering she might be President Fang’s ‘special someone’…
"Do you have any other original songs? Or maybe switch to the cover category? Changing songs could help avoid controversy for now."
Although the special guest singer wasn’t required to perform an original song, it was an unwritten rule to showcase their abilities, proving why they deserved a spot in the semi-finals.
For Shen Xi, the songs from this world weren’t nearly as familiar as the classics from her past life.
Her expression remained calm, her voice steady.
"I don’t have a second original song ready, but I can write one today."
Director Chen’s eyes widened in shock when he heard her words.
"Young lady, this isn’t something you can joke about. The show is about to air, and we’re running out of time. Are you really confident you can write a high-quality original song in such a short time?"
Shen Xi nodded calmly.
"If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t have said it. Besides, this song will be even better than the last one."
……………………………………
Back at the hotel, things took an even more frustrating turn.
Lin Yueyue had moved into the room right next door! And of course, she wasn’t alone. She had brought the male lead, Shi Jingyan, with her.
She probably found out where Shen Xi was staying after stealing her room card earlier.
"Wait… don’t tell me they’re planning to do that in the room again?!"
Lin Yueyue knew how much the original Shen Xi loved Shi Jingyan. She was doing this on purpose. She wanted the original Shen Xi to hear the man she loved most enjoying himself with another woman.
If it were the original Shen Xi, she’d probably die from heartbreak.
But this Shen Xi? Oh, she really did feel like going crazy, she had the sudden urge to commit arson and murder.
Of course, she was just thinking about it. She had no intention of following in the original’s footsteps and becoming a prisoner.
Life was good, okay? There were still so many fun things to do and delicious food to eat.
Still, it looked like her poor, innocent "little virgin" ears were about to be violated again…
Shen Xi lay on the hotel room desk, staring at the sheets of paper in front of her, densely packed with handwritten lyrics.
After all, this was Ai Ya Ai Ya, BY2’s debut hit from her past life, she knew it by heart.
Her gaze shifted to the blank sheet of staff notation next to it.
"But this damn sheet music… it’s still giving me a headache."
She wasn’t a professional music producer. Even though she had gone through some intensive training, writing out the notes properly was still a struggle for her under these conditions.
Just then, a message popped up on her phone. It was from Gu Hanling.
[Finished work. Heading to your hotel.]
Her eyelid twitched. She had only said it casually earlier, who knew this man would actually show up the same day?
Then, a thought struck her.
If things went as expected, the room next door would be very lively tonight. Having an extra person to witness the drama and eavesdrop with her? Oh, she was definitely looking forward to Gu Hanling’s awkward reaction.
Her eyes curved into a mischievous smile as she quickly typed a reply.
[Welcome, welcome.]
After sending the message, Shen Xi took a deep breath, calming herself down.
"No need to panic, no need to panic. Time to write the melody!"
She closed her eyes, letting the song’s tune replay in her mind. Her fingers instinctively tapped along to the rhythm.
"The verse goes like this…"
She picked up a pen and started jotting down the notes on the staff paper. Her movements were a bit clumsy at first, but her focus grew sharper with each stroke.
Minute by minute, time ticked away. And yet… damn it, this still isn’t working!
With a defeated sigh, Shen Xi collapsed onto the desk like a puddle of slime, completely drained.
Knock, knock.
A sudden knock at the door made her lift her head. She lazily glanced at it, mumbling to herself,
"Could it be Gu Hanling? My so-called husband? He got here this fast just to sleep?"
She peeked out the window, the summer afternoon sun was blazing, making everything feel unbearably hot.
"Isn’t it way too early for this…?"
With no choice, she dragged herself up from the chair and shuffled toward the door.
"Da—"
"Yufei?"
The moment she opened the door, Shen Xi froze.
The person outside was bundled up tightly. A baseball cap pulled low, a mask covering most of his face.
But those unmistakable smiling eyes gave him away instantly.
"Da... Yufei? Is that some new nickname for me?"
Hearing her call him that, An Yufei paused for a second, then pulled down his mask, revealing a bright, handsome face with a playful smirk. A hint of embarrassment flashed across Shen Xi’s face. She coughed lightly.
"What are you doing here?"
"I heard you ran into some trouble."
An Yufei raised an eyebrow, still smiling.
"Aren’t you going to invite me in?"
"Uh…"
Shen Xi hesitated.
Leaving An Yufei standing in the hallway definitely wasn’t a good idea. If the paparazzi caught this, tomorrow’s headlines would probably be:
[Scandal! Plagiarizing Singer Secretly Meets Top Idol in Hotel!]
But if she let him in… she had no idea when Gu Hanling would arrive. If they ran into each other, wouldn’t that make things even more awkward?
Her mind raced, weighing her options. In the end, she stepped aside and gestured for him to enter.
"Alright, come in. Can’t have a big celebrity like you waiting at the door."