Chapter 19 Song Title: "Laying My Cards on the Table, I'm a Tycoon

"With money, no need to check the price tags,"

"With money, I want to be a VIP,"

"Busty girls wanna kiss me,"

"Pop a bottle of champagne, everybody hush, do whatever I want, yeah,"

Li Zihan was bouncing and jumping around on stage.

This song was called "I Am Rich." It was a rap song whose lyrics were essentially all about flashy displays of wealth. Its popularity was not that high, but it was quite well-known in rap circles.

The small auditorium was not very big, but the speakers were powerful, and it was hard to escape the music even with your ears covered.

Lu Zhixing could only listen in silence, enduring the torment.

Although he intellectually respected every form of music, emotionally he found it very hard to appreciate or accept such nonsensically boisterous raps with such vulgar lyrics.

However, after listening to just a couple of lines, Lu Zhixing understood why Li Zihan could edge Liu Bo out of his spot.

Actually, Li Zihan's vocal condition was not bad; he could hit the high notes that needed to be hit, and combined with the nature of the song and his singing and hopping style, it was indeed very much in line with the tastes of talent shows, which likely awarded him extra points for such auditions.

Moreover, Li Zihan looked like someone who knew how to work the system, be it vote manipulation or chart battles, and he could bring substantial traffic and profit to the show.

As for people like Liu Bo, even though ordinary listeners might think he sang better and played the guitar well, from the perspective of capital, he was not willing to sign with a management company nor capable of driving fans to spend money, which obviously made his "value" much lesser compared to Li Zihan.

Soon, Li Zihan finished singing.

He struck what he thought was a cool pose on stage, complete with exaggerated panting, and lingered for a while before reluctantly stepping down.

Scattered applause came from the audience.

"A bunch of bumpkins who don't know how to appreciate anything. I sang and danced so well, why are there so few clapping for me," Li Zihan muttered to himself in a low voice.

Lu Zhixing silently facepalmed and did not quite know what to say for a moment.

It seemed the students of Jinghai University generally had a higher standard. Their musical aesthetics seemed to be intact and were not twisted by the overwhelming talent shows.

At that moment, Lu Zhixing suddenly had a whim and thought of redeeming a particular kind of song.

He went to the Points Mall in the game to redeem an artistic work, specifying the type as "song," with the keyword "money."

Lu Zhixing thought the rap song that Li Zihan sang, although related to money, was just too crass. Of course, it wasn't just this song; practically all the rap songs he had heard that were related to money had lyrics with one problem or another.

It could be said that it might have to do with the culture of that circle.

Thus, Lu Zhixing wondered what kind of song related to "money" he would get if he redeemed it from the Points Mall.

[Exchange successful!]

As the game system's notification appeared, Lu Zhixing saw the "Redeem Random Artistic Work" section refresh, and his purchase points increased from 50 to 60.

"So the price increases with each purchase?

"Alright, seems like I can't escape the trap of money-sucking games after all,"

The price of items in the Points Mall increasing with each purchase was a common practice in many games, and although Lu Zhixing was somewhat dissatisfied, he no longer had the spare energy to ponder these issues because a song's melody and lyrics were resonating in his mind and grew clearer and clearer.

First came the chorus, then the verses, and finally the details of the lyrics and the arrangement...

In short, the entire process felt as though he had created a song himself, except much faster.

Song name: "Let's Be Honest, I'm Rich."

"This..."

Lu Zhixing was a bit dumbfounded because the tune that flashed through his mind sounded a bit like a trivial pop song with a singing style that was humorous and joyful.

As for the lyrics, they seemed somewhat nonsensical.

At first listen, it was hard to associate this song with a "timeless classic produced by the system."

Of course, there was also a benefit: it was easy to sing.

Lu Zhixing now had the attached skill of being a "Campus Superstar," which meant his musical literacy and singing skills were comprehensively enhanced.

Moreover, the song in question was not a difficult piece to perform; the melody was simple, so the average listener could sing along after hearing it twice, which made it even easier for him.

Lu Zhixing had wanted to spend some points to exchange for another song, but after the price increase, he no longer had enough points.

"Forget it, this will do. As long as I sing casually and manage to join Liu Bo for the university's welcome party, it should be fine; I probably won't be rejected,"

...

Zhang Yiyang and Yan Wei from the Game Design Academy, who were in charge of recruiting, looked at Li Zihan who had just left the stage, their expressions complex.

Zhang Yiyang also had difficulty maintaining his composure: "Can I just say that song was really hard to listen to..."

Yan Wei sighed, "There's no helping it, this kind of style is the trend now, started by 'Campus Talent Show' these past few years. You might dislike this song, but this kind of performance is popular on stage, singing and dancing like that, most people really can't do it.

"I'm actually a bit envious of the School of Music. Regardless of whether Li Zihan sang well or not, we can't even find someone at his level in our academy."

After a few more acts, it was finally Liu Bo's turn to perform.

The previous several acts had been pretty mediocre, failing to arouse much competition, and were mostly claimed by their own faculties.

Apart from a few outstanding acts that drew contention, most were kept within the originating faculty.

Of course, there were some acts of such questionable quality that even their own faculties weren't too eager to claim them. They would be put on hold until the faculties realized they were short on acts for the evening and needed to fill spots, or they might be adapted by senior students later on.

Having watched several mediocre acts in a row, everyone at the venue was quite sleepy until Liu Bo's turn arrived, which made everyone sit up and take notice.

Liu Bo, with his guitar, performed a folk song by singing and playing himself, which immediately drew contention from several schools aside from the School of Music.

His goal had been clear from the start, so he decisively joined his own academy, which was the Game Design Academy.

Zhang Yiyang and Yan Wei were extremely excited by this mutual pursuit and instantly felt triumphant, even raising their voices a bit when they spoke.

Liu Bo came down from the stage, and next up was Lu Zhixing.

As they brushed past each other, Lu nonchalantly grabbed his guitar.

"I'm going to borrow your guitar."

"Huh? Lu, you can play the guitar?" Liu Bo was utterly confused. He often played the guitar in the dorm, but Lu had never shown any interest, so he assumed Lu was like the other two roommates who knew nothing about guitars.

Now, suddenly taking his guitar to the stage, what was this all about?

Upon reaching the stage, Lu Zhixing gave a brief self-introduction.

Apart from Zhang Yiyang and Yan Wei, not many people paid attention, which was quite normal. For most of the sophomores there to scout for talent, aside from those prodigies from the Music College, School of Dance, School of Performance, etc., only those from their own academies were worth noticing.

The Game Design Academy was also considered a weaker faculty, and having a Liu Bo had already been quite a rarity. It would be unreasonable to expect two SSRs to appear in a row.

Moreover, probably because it was close to mealtime, many people in the audience started to get distracted, bowing their heads and scrolling through their phones.

Lu Zhixing didn't mind. He adjusted the microphone a bit higher and lightly strummed the guitar strings, checking everything was in order, before speaking into the microphone.

"This song is called…

"'Laying It Out, I Am Rich.'"

…

Hearing this title, many people in the audience started whispering to each other.

"Huh, doesn't seem like I've heard this song before."

"Is it an obscure song?"

"It's risky to sing obscure songs, but it's commendable courage."

"No, wait, I can't find it on music apps! Could it be… original?"

At first, many thought it was an obscure song, which had already surprised them.

After all, for such occasions, it is better to sing popular songs that the audience is familiar with. Because obscure songs aren't popular, many people at the scene might not have heard them, and the performance might not be received well.

Popular songs are well-known and, if sung well, can better showcase a singer's vocal talent.

But a quick search revealed that this wasn't some obscure song at all; it couldn't be found anywhere online.

It turned out to be an original song!

Now that was interesting.

Singing original songs in such a setting took a lot of courage. What kind of credible original songs could students write? If it wasn't good, it would only hold them back, not even showing off their singing skills, and that would be a complete mess.

So, while there was anticipation, people also had a tinge of worry for this young man.

Zhang Yiyang and Yan Wei were even more anxious, as they were hoping that the Game Design Academy could produce some promising students to ease the pressure when they were arranging the program lineup.

With a cheerful strumming of the guitar, Lu Zhixing began to sing with ease.

"Though I'm only seventeen this year

"The struggle felt too late

"Because fortune fell from the sky

"Inheriting a massive inheritance

"I wanted to blend in with you as an ordinary person

"But that only led to distance

"So, might as well be upfront

"Actually, I'm quite wealthy!"

Many in the audience couldn't help but laugh, finding the lyrics narratively engaging and relatable!

Lu Zhixing's enunciation was very clear; even without subtitles, everyone could clearly understand what he was singing:

A 17-year-old rich second generation, apparently initially interacting with those around him as an ordinary person, but this only led to their alienation. So, after inheriting a colossal fortune, he decides to be upfront with the people around him: No more pretending, I am rich!

Although the melody of the lyrics didn't sound particularly special at first, a bit like a pop song, it was surprisingly catchy, and most people could hum along naturally as soon as they got into the tune.

And this "rich second-generation start" made many people subconsciously look forward to what was coming next.

"The life of the wealthy is tasteless

"Becomes very simple

"Eat, drink and be merry with all your might

"Yet you can't spend it all

"I want egg pancakes soaked in instant noodles

"And peel a couple of garlic cloves

"I want a big bowl of wide noodles with extra meat

"Bowl after bowl!"