Volume One, Chapter 73: An Earth-Shattering Scandal

Even those who had been relentlessly criticizing Jiang Yu during this period had to admit his brilliance. The combination of this melody and these lyrics was simply extraordinary.

Meanwhile, the live streaming platform’s statistics kept breaking new records.

In the contestant waiting area, all the participants were stunned, gazing blankly at the radiant figure on stage. No one expected that, after all the vitriol hurled at him, Jiang Yu would still be able to command the entire stage. It was as if he was born to stand there.

At that moment, Wang Linkai’s expression was dazed. “Impossible… How can this be happening?” In his heart, Jiang Yu was supposed to be on the verge of falling into the abyss, yet unexpectedly, he leaped right out of it.

Guo Qiang and Liu Bin, who had been mocking him endlessly, now saw Wang Linkai’s reaction and realized he wasn’t listening anymore. Wasting their breath, they stopped with the sarcastic comments and refocused their attention on the show.

“Brother Yu is incredible!” Liu Bin exclaimed with excitement.

Guo Qiang nodded with admiration, seriously watching the dazzling figure on stage.

On stage, Jiang Yu fixed his piercing gaze on Xu Kun.

“Few are truly lucky.
If you try to block me, you’ll know why.
I pour ten times the effort to stand out,
Can ordinary people match my controversial fame?
You call me ostentatious—exaggeration is born from fear.
…”

He repeated the chorus once more.

Now, the song reached its most intense climax!

Jiang Yu grabbed the microphone with both hands, bent slightly at the waist, his body slowly lowering, maximizing his breath and presence.

“Don’t just stare at the ceiling—look at me!”

His voice, raised to its highest pitch, reverberated throughout the venue. The cameras zoomed in; veins bulged on his forehead and neck.

“I may not be your cup of tea, but drink deeply anyway.

Don’t forget that someone is shouting hoarse for you.”

At this point, Jiang Yu drew in a breath and unleashed his voice with all his might, becoming nearly hysterical.

“Ah…!”

He poured every ounce of strength into his performance, venting his dissatisfaction on this stage.

His voice echoed through the entire hall.

The audience, unable to resist the infectious, desperate shout, erupted into the most enthusiastic applause.

The atmosphere soared to unprecedented heights.

The barrage of comments filled the screen in an instant.

“My god, I’ve got goosebumps—this is Jiang Yu’s true strength!”

“He’s back! Who said Jiang Yu was washed up? This is what it means to be awesome!”

“High energy all the way—who can match that scream and singing technique?”

“So what if he sings well, it doesn’t change the fact he got a spot without qualifying.”

“Exactly—playing favorites, still has the nerve to sing?”

“Say what you will, I just love Jiang Yu. To blow up a song like this—it’s unreal!”

“Fan above, how much did you pay? I want in on this cash, give me a lead.”

Fans and haters began to argue, and for a while, the internet was ablaze.

Just then, a hater suddenly commented: “Isn’t Jiang Yu supposed to be great at originals? Why is he using Xu Kun’s song? Isn’t that proof he’s out of ideas?”

Fans were instantly silenced.

In truth, this was a question that lingered in their minds as well.

Why did Jiang Yu suddenly use someone else’s lyrics—and Xu Kun’s at that?

Many began to ask in the comments.

Yet, in the next moment, Jiang Yu answered their doubts.

On stage, after finishing his song, Jiang Yu wiped sweat from his brow and looked toward the four mentors.

Song Changying and Chen Tong exchanged a tacit glance, refraining from speaking first.

Jiang Yu looked at Xu Kun. “Mr. Xu, have you learned how to sing this song?”

Xu Kun’s face turned sour at the question.

This was live broadcast; everyone heard Jiang Yu’s song.

???

A string of question marks floated across the screen.

“What does he mean? Is he mocking Xu Kun, saying his new song isn’t as good?”

“Disgusting. No matter how well he sings, the lyrics belong to our idol!”

“Crazy fans are terrifying—clearly something’s up. Can’t you use your brains?”

“What are you saying? What hidden story? Our idol released it first!”

“Exactly!”

On stage, Xu Kun looked at Jiang Yu, his expression ugly.

“Jiang Yu, what are you trying to say?”

Jiang Yu shook his head. “I have nothing more to say. What I wanted to express, I already did. Have you learned how to sing this song?”

“I should ask you: why did you adapt my song without my consent? That’s infringement, do you know? I could sue you!” Xu Kun gritted his teeth at Jiang Yu.

No matter how well you sing, the lyrics were sung by me and already registered. Once approved, the copyright is mine!

Jiang Yu’s actions constituted infringement!

“Infringement?”

Jiang Yu couldn’t help but laugh. First a soft chuckle, then a loud one, then wild laughter.

His laughter stunned the crowd.

Xu Kun looked bewildered, then felt deeply insulted. “Why are you laughing?”

After laughing, Jiang Yu pulled a folded paper from his pocket.

On it, several large letters were clearly written.

‘Copyright Registration Certificate’

When the system maxed out his skill trees and rewards, all his works were already registered for copyright.

Anyone stealing his songs was courting disaster!

“I laugh because you accuse me of infringement. Am I infringing on my own rights? I wrote this song two months ago, and at that time, I registered its copyright.”

“In fact, I should pursue you—adapting my song without authorization!” Jiang Yu’s gaze sharpened. “Also, I want to ask: only my closest friends knew these lyrics. Where did you get them?”

“Xu Kun, do you have anything else to say?”

“No, impossible—this can’t be true!” Xu Kun’s face turned ashen.

He never imagined Jiang Yu would have registered the copyright, and so early.

The audience in the hall was shocked by the revelation.

“My god, what a bombshell!”

“So, it’s not Jiang Yu using Xu Kun’s lyrics, but Xu Kun stole Jiang Yu’s lyrics and claimed the song as his own? That’s shameless!”

“A sensational twist—this show is too exciting!”

“Xu Kun, explain yourself. How did you get Jiang Yu’s lyrics? What’s your method?”

Confronted by everyone’s questions, Xu Kun’s face was pale.

“I meant—the lyrics were given to me by the company. I composed the melody for this song.”

To protect himself now, he could only shift blame onto the company.

“Whoa, changing the tune now? Keep insisting!”

“So that’s it. Didn’t you hear? He didn’t say he wrote the lyrics, only the melody. Just a slip of the tongue. It’s fine, we’ll always support him!”

“Crazy fans are disgusting!”

Facing so much criticism, Xu Kun couldn’t respond, secretly regretting ever agreeing to the company’s request.

Jiang Yu’s lips curled in a faint smile. “I’ve already called the police. Let the authorities handle this. I trust they’ll give me a fair answer.”

“You took the lyrics, didn’t bother with the melody, so I’ll use this tune and dedicate another song to you.”

“Director Yan, is that alright?”