This Star Only Wants More Money - Chapter 22

Translator: Diviner

“I’ll only be showcasing the accompaniment for this PK. The full performance will be revealed later. Stay tuned!”

On the other side of the screen, Xu Feng’s face displayed an expression of extreme shock as he stared intently at the opposing livestream. If he weren’t still holding his instrument, it looked like he would have stood up by now.

This move, this expression—Xu Feng had rehearsed it several times to ensure the best possible show effect.

At the same time, he added a hint of exaggeration and astonishment to his voice, “An original?!”

As soon as the exclamation left his lips, Xu Feng saw both livestreams erupt in a tidal wave of exclamation marks and “Huh?” in less than two seconds.

There was no fluff, no praise, just a wave of genuine shock from the audience.

The final PK round’s song choice was revealed to be Ding Henrun’s original piece!

Everyone had seen Xu Feng’s performance on “Tomorrow’s God of Song.” Even the casual viewers in the chat, who knew only a bit about the situation, and even the paid shills knew in their hearts that Ding Henrun wasn’t likely to beat Xu Feng with his own abilities.

People who appear on TV may vary in their talent, but all of them are the cream of the crop!

Xu Feng, who outshone all his competitors and could, without the show’s assistance, produce a well-loved original song, was an absolute favorite to win any talent show.

Defeating such an opponent would be incredibly challenging based on skill alone.

Ding Henrun, a person who didn’t even dare to show his face, clearly didn’t have a guaranteed win in his grasp.

But now, he claimed that the third song was his original?!

Everyone had subconsciously considered Ding Henrun the challenger and assumed he was inferior to Xu Feng, precisely because Xu Feng had an original song.

Everyone believed that Ding Henrun couldn’t win the second round, and in fact, he didn’t—because of this very reason.

But now, Ding Henrun also pulled out an original song.

And he did it in a contest centered around pride!

No wonder he had the confidence to let Xu Feng win with “Ugly Monster” after the first round. No wonder he let a sure-win song slip!

The ace was hidden all along.

“Whoa! Teacher Ding is so cool!”

“So that’s the plan! I was wondering why he allowed the opponent’s original song.”

“What’s the big deal if you play an original? Letting you win a point is nothing, especially since you’re not the only one who can create!”

“I was just here for the drama, but I never expected the PK to be so intense.”

“This is a battle of the gods… I suddenly feel it’s a shame. These two seem to have no real grudge. Why did it come to this?”

“In art, there’s no definitive ranking, especially among peers in the same field. It’s about showing who’s the best.”

“Unless something unexpected happens, Xu Feng is definitely done for.”

“Not necessarily. Xu Feng’s original is not only an original but also of high quality. Ding Henrun may not be able to produce something of a similar standard—what if his isn’t good enough?”

“I trust Ding Henrun. If he’s willing to reveal it in this setting, he must be confident enough to win.”

“Ahhh! I can’t wait to see Teacher Ding reveal his face after winning. He must be so handsome!”

“So he’s letting Xu Feng play the score first? This is about ending with a perfect victory.”

“Make sure to protect your copyrights!”

“…”

On the other side of the screen, Xu Feng estimated that he had done enough acting. He slightly restrained his expression and looked seriously at the sheet music handed to him.

If Ding Henrun’s livestream was already celebrating victory, then Xu Feng’s was a scene of despair.

If it weren’t for an original score, Xu Feng might have had a slim chance of winning in a head-to-head battle. But now, the other side’s advantage was too great. Even the most supportive fans, like Cheng Luan and Lin Shenghuan, knew that there wasn’t much suspense left in this PK.

Unless this original song was exceedingly bad.

Cheng Luan, ignoring the strands of hair falling over her ears, watched the screen with a look of slight regret. She had already begun organizing her words to quickly help Xu Feng maintain his composure after the PK results were announced.

The opponent was truly strong and well-prepared. Losing was not disgraceful.

She only wondered if Xu Feng, having just tasted great success, could recover from such a blow…

She glanced at the screen, where Xu Feng’s face showed seriousness as he looked at the sheet music. Her worries slightly diminished.

If he could regain his composure so quickly and grasp even the faintest sliver of hope, Xu Feng might not be so easily defeated.

While pondering, Xu Feng picked up his instrument, displaying an unprecedented level of focus as he began playing the accompaniment for “The Wind Rises.”

The first few notes flowed out, and at the same time, on the screen, the last glimmer of hope in Lin Shenghuan’s heart disappeared.

The sound of the strings…

It felt like a gentle breeze brushing past one’s ear.

Just from the mood and rhythm, it seemed like a breeze had arisen from nowhere, turning into a gale before finally dissipating into the unknown streets and alleys…

It was like recalling the most ordinary life of an ordinary person.

What a beautiful song. Just from the accompaniment alone, one could tell it was a good piece… Lin Shenghuan even felt an uncontrollable urge to hear the full version. But unfortunately, unfortunately, the song was not performed in the right setting.

When Lin Shenghuan started her career, she also rejected many “collaborations,” but she had never faced such a formidable opponent in the same field or suffered the blow of a work of such quality!

Who could resist not releasing such a piece? Who would deliberately hold back to target someone who had nothing to do with them?

It was a pity… Unless the original performance was abysmal, Xu Feng had no chance of winning.

Where on earth did the show team find such a Ding Henrun? Their attack was truly ruthless.

Hopefully, after this defeat, Xu Feng could bounce back stronger.

Xu Feng played beautifully, truly beautifully; the only reason he lost the PK was because the song wasn’t his.

Lin Shenghuan believed that even if Ding Henrun, the original composer, performed it, he could hardly surpass Xu Feng’s level.

It wasn’t a loss by fault!

When Xu Feng finished playing, and Ding Henrun began his performance, Lin Shenghuan was even more convinced of her thoughts—both had similar skill levels, but Xu Feng was disadvantaged due to his role as the non-original artist.

Who would have thought the final loss would come down to this…

Lin Shenghuan glanced at the barrage of expensive gifts filling up the opposite livestream, along with the bots prematurely celebrating victory, and the growing number of taunting comments aimed at Xu Feng. She sighed inwardly, considering her own situation.

Once again, she would be outshone by Xiao Yue. Should she team up with Xu Feng to form a “Revenge Alliance”?

Two minutes later, the performance ended, and the final round of voting began. Unsurprisingly, Ding Henrun took a commanding lead with an overwhelming number of votes, securing an undisputed victory in this PK.

“Yes!!!”

“We won! Haha, we’re the champions!”

“Boss is so generous; how much in gifts have you given?!”

“Unbelievable! I never thought we’d win this way; it’s so satisfying!”

“You guys keep celebrating; I’m heading over there to rub it in.”

“Didn’t Teacher Ding say he’d show his face if he won? Why hasn’t he done it yet? What’s he waiting for?”

“Hurry, hurry, reveal your face! I can’t wait!”

Amidst the intense discussion, about twenty seconds later, an unexpected announcement sounded in Xu Feng’s livestream room.

“Your bank card ending in xxxx has received a deposit of 80,000 yuan…”

The atmosphere in the PK room, which had been brimming with anticipation for a fall, suddenly froze.

Cheng Luan, who had been typing out a long string of comforting words in the chatbox, suddenly looked up, and her body instinctively rose from the sofa.

Xu Feng, who had appeared somewhat dejected, was now lazily reclining in his chair in his usual laid-back manner.

On the other side of the PK screen, the camera began to slowly pan upward, revealing more and more of Ding Henrun’s upper body, which had never been seen before by the audience.

First the clothes, then the neck…

Finally, a familiar face came into view!

It was Xu Feng’s face!

What was going on?!

What was happening??

Everyone in the livestream room, including those who supported Xu Feng, suddenly felt their brains short-circuit.

With a hint of mockery in his eyes, Xu Feng glanced at the viewers who had just been celebrating but were now dumbfounded. He pointed to himself with his index finger, and with a smile, said:

“I had no choice. Since someone specifically wanted me to lose, I couldn’t think of any other way but to handle it myself.”

“Because the only one who can defeat me… is myself.”