Chapter 61: Disdain to Plagiarize
The stream was unusually quiet, with only the bullet comments scrolling rapidly.
[Karina’s spirit was completely crushed by that performance.]
[Who wouldn’t break under this kind of competition? Seriously, I’d only heard of this new streamer before, but this is my first time watching her live. Her talent is on another level!]
[Compared to her, Karina’s songs are just child’s play. They can’t even hold a candle to hers.]
[She handled so many different styles of music, one after another, and mastered them all so well. It’s incredible.]
[And they’re all original songs! Can you even imagine? Creating so many works in such a short time... she’s a goddess.]
Every single one of Karina’s fans felt like they’d just been slapped across the face, but they still tried to argue.
[So what? That doesn’t erase the fact that her previous song was plagiarized from our Nana.]
That comment made the other viewers in the stream laugh out loud.
[Are you guys okay? With Teacher Sue’s level of skill, any single one of her songs is a masterpiece. The idea that she’d need to plagiarize Karina is a complete joke.]
The hype surrounding this livestream battle was immense.
Tons of people from all over StarNet had flocked to see the spectacle, flooding the stream with casual viewers.
Unlike dedicated fans, they had no allegiance. They just went with their own preferences, and they certainly had ears to tell who sang well and who didn’t.
As their numbers swelled, Sophie Wexler’s victories in the subsequent rounds became absolutely overwhelming.
She looked up at Karina’s incredibly ugly expression and asked coolly, "Our time isn’t up yet, so..." Her voice paused for a beat. "Are you going to concede?"
Karina’s breathing was ragged, her chest heaving violently. She glared at the stream screen with pure hatred, gritting her teeth.
"I... concede." The words seemed to be squeezed from her lips, each one feeling like a stinging slap to her own face.
Karina knew. ’It’s over for me!’
After what happened today, whenever people saw her, they would inevitably be reminded of this minor streamer. The rest of her career would be lived in her shadow.
Sophie Wexler ignored her resentful glare and stated calmly, "I’ve won."
The moment she spoke, the bullet comments erupted with cheers and praise.
This was a competition they had followed from start to finish. For Sophie Wexler’s supporters, her victory felt like their own, and they were ecstatic.
The gift effects on the screen popped up one after another in a dazzling display.
She was heard saying slowly, "The purpose of today’s stream was simply to let everyone know that I would not plagiarize, nor would I ever stoop to it."
[That’s our Teacher Sue!]
["I would not plagiarize, nor would I ever stoop to it!"]
How could someone who can create so many high-quality songs, who is so versatile and can master any style, possibly resort to plagiarism?
[Karina’s platform made it sound so convincing. At first, I actually believed the news on StarNet. I really thought some desperate new streamer was trying to get famous by plagiarizing Karina. Looking at it now, that’s just impossible.]
[So why did Karina accuse her of plagiarism? The two songs were so similar.]
Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in everyone’s minds.
[You guys, do you think there’s another possibility? That Karina plagiarized Sue Shiver?]
Sophie Wexler paid no mind to the various discussions happening in the stream.
Her goal for streaming was to prove her innocence. Now that her objective was achieved, there was no need to stay any longer.
"Thank you all for your support. That’s all for today’s stream. Goodbye."
[AHHH, it’s over already? Nooo, I just got here! I want to hear more!]
[Teacher Sue, after you leave the joint stream, can you start one on your own platform? We haven’t had enough!]
[Teacher Sue, come back!]
No matter how much the viewers wailed, Sophie Wexler closed the stream.
Then she let out a long sigh of relief, her whole body relaxing.
Although she was very confident in her music, she hadn’t dared to relax until the dust had settled. Only now did she feel the exhaustion.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Sophie Wexler looked up, puzzled. ’Who could that be?’
She walked over and opened the door to find a cold, handsome face before her. "Cillian Forrest?"
"Do you need something?"
Cillian Forrest reached out and placed a cup in her hand. "Have a drink. Singing for so long without getting tired... Are you trying to ruin your voice?"
After speaking, he walked into Sophie Wexler’s room as if he owned the place, his movements familiarly casual.
Sophie Wexler stared at the cup in her hand, blinking a couple of times before closing the door and returning to her room.
"You knew?"
She didn’t finish the sentence, but they both knew what she was talking about.
"Everyone from the Seventh Legion went to the stream to support you. It’s only normal that I’d know," Cillian Forrest said unhurriedly.
Sophie Wexler nodded. "That’s true."
The whole affair had blown up. It would be stranger if he didn’t know.
With that, Sophie Wexler lifted the cup and took a sip. Her eyes lit up, and she looked at Cillian Forrest with pleasant surprise.
Singing for so long had indeed taken a toll on her throat. It had been feeling a bit sore, but after drinking from the cup, a cool sensation instantly washed over it, noticeably soothing the scratchy, stinging feeling.
"A potion," Cillian Forrest answered succinctly.
"Do you have any more?" Sophie Wexler took another sip and continued, "I can buy it from you."
’I can’t believe the Galaxy even has potions like this. For someone like me who uses their voice constantly, this is a godsend.’
Seeing her expectant look, Cillian Forrest felt a desire to tease her. "I brought it from the Capital Planet. There’s no more."
"There’s no more?" Even Sophie Wexler’s tone was tinged with disappointment.
Seeing this, Cillian Forrest’s gaze flickered. He was just about to say that he could get more for her if she wanted, but before he could speak, Sophie Wexler waved her hand. "If there’s no more, then forget it."
’Since it’s from the Capital Planet, it must not be easy to get. Besides, I can just rest my voice to feel better. It’s fine whether I have it or not.’
Then, a thought occurred to her, and a sly smile appeared in her beautiful eyes. "You were just watching my stream."
It was a statement, not a question.
Cillian Forrest: "..."
"So you’re a fan of mine, too," Sophie Wexler said, genuinely surprised that someone like Cillian Forrest would enjoy listening to music.
As she spoke, she took out her communicator. "What’s your account name? I’ll give you a follow."
"I have a lot of fans now, you know. But since you’re one of us, I’ll let you have the inside track."
After saying that, she opened her search page and looked up, staring at Cillian Forrest.
Cillian Forrest: "..."
His eyes flickered slightly as he pursed his lips. "I don’t watch much. You don’t need to go through the trouble of following me."
Sophie Wexler replied, "It’s no trouble. Just takes a second."