141. Conspiracy

Ji Fanxing snapped out of her deep contemplation, unexpectedly locking eyes with a pair of profound pupils.

Chu Hao had appeared across from her at some point, his tall and sturdy figure blocking out a significant portion of the light, making his sharp and stern facial features even more prominent.

"Why are you here?" Ji Fanxing asked instinctively, a trace of confusion in her tone.

She remembered that Chu Hao had previously declined Fang Zhijing's invitation.

Chu Hao shifted his gaze away rather awkwardly, offering a light cough. "My mom somehow managed to get an invitation and insisted on shoving it at me."

"Oh." Ji Fanxing smiled in sudden understanding and patted Chu Hao on the shoulder. "You've come at just the right time. I have a song here, are you interested?"

At the mere mention of music, Chu Hao, who had been somewhat distracted just moments before, instantly snapped into focus and asked with keen interest, "What kind of song?"

"A song that suits you very well, but it doesn't have any rap elements. Will you sing it?"

"Sing it!"

...

On the internet, as the first week's audition of the exchange meeting drew closer day by day, discussions surrounding Ji Fanxing grew increasingly fierce and never ceased.

However, Ji Fanxing, sitting right at the epicenter of the public opinion storm, seemed to have vanished completely. She posted no further statements and stopped live-streaming altogether.

Even when Zhao De and Yuan Bingbing officially announced their collaboration, she showed no reaction whatsoever.

[Damn it, could Ji Fanxing be scared and gone into hiding?]

[Writing a song in four days to defeat Zhao De and Yuan Bingbing was bound to be way too difficult.]

[But didn't she write a song on the spot before? That song "Invisible Wings" was super amazing.]

[“Invisible Wings” is a complete pop song. According to the bet, she can only use pop songs with traditional Chinese style elements.]

[Haha, that person Ji Fanxing probably can't even name all the traditional musical instruments!]

[She probably really thought she could win just by scratching out a few erhu melodies.]

[Chances are she really is going to play the erhu at the audition, only to realize those erhu melodies haven't even been uploaded yet.]

[Too funny! While everyone else is singing, she's playing the erhu. I can already picture Ji Fanxing making a fool of herself at the audition!]

[Making a fool of herself is hard to say. I watched the live stream that day, and aside from not being pop music, those tunes were genuinely pleasant to listen to.]

[So that live stream was just testing the waters to see if the audience liked them? What a deep strategy...]

Just as everyone was convinced that Ji Fanxing was actually going to play the erhu at the audition,

Gu Huaiyuan posted a microblog in his capacity as the president of the National Music Association.

@Gu Huaiyuan: Thank you, Ms. Ji Fanxing, for your unconditional donation of the erhu music scores...

The decline of the erhu is due to a lack of understanding, respect, and transmission.

As the president of the National Music Association, I call upon all sectors of society to work together to re-examine and cherish our cultural heritage.

We hereby declare that the copyrights to these compositions are completely open; anyone is free to use and adapt them...

Attachments: "Moon Reflections on the Erquan Spring", "Listening to the Pines", "Zhaojun Crossing the Frontier", "Horse Racing"...

As soon as this microblog was published, it immediately caused a massive uproar.

[Holy shit! These compositions are all free and open to the public!? Is this for real?!]

[Even the adaptation rights are open! The National Music Association is way too generous this time!]

[I just went to listen, and every single piece is full of artistic conception, as if it can transport you to a completely new world. So this is what the erhu sounds like? How beautiful.]

[Free sheet music is music not to be learned in vain. I'm going out to buy an erhu right now; maybe I can even make a living with it later on.]

[Just how many hundreds of millions did Ji Fanxing give up with this move!]

[God Ji did this purely to promote the erhu instrument! These are all our cultural history; how could anyone be completely clueless about them?]

[To think I even mocked Ji Fanxing earlier, I was so superficial! Ji Fanxing, I'm sorry!]

[Based on this action alone, I won't look down on Ji Fanxing even if she loses.]

The original skepticism and mockery on the internet were almost entirely reversed.

Zhao De scrolled through his phone, his brow tightly furrowed. The comments beneath Gu Huaiyuan's microblog post were almost entirely praises for Ji Fanxing.

"Teacher, look at her..." Zhao De handed his phone to Qu Feiyang, his face full of reluctance. "What is the meaning of this? Is she deliberately buying herself a good reputation?"

Qu Feiyang took the phone, read through the comments one by one, and a sneer of disdain curled the corner of his lips.

"This is retreating in order to advance, playing hard to get," Qu Feiyang said, handing the phone back to Zhao De with a resolute tone.

Zhao De was stunned. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it. Now that she has made all these scores public for free and everyone is praising her, what if she ends up losing..."

Qu Feiyang paused for a moment. "If she loses, what will the netizens think?"

Following his train of thought, Zhao De came to a sudden realization. "They'll feel sorry for Ji Fanxing, and they'll think I bullied her by pulling rank as a senior! My victory won't be honorable!"

"Exactly!" Qu Feiyang nodded.

"She's leaving herself a safety net. Even if she loses in the end, she can still win sympathy and claim that she lost the match purely for the sake of promoting traditional national music.

This way, not only does she avoid fulfilling the bet, but she also reaps a massive wave of fans and fame!"

Zhao De broke out in a cold sweat listening to this. Why hadn't he thought of that angle?

"Then... what do we do?" Zhao De panicked.

"The netizens have all been fooled by her now; they all think she's a good person, and her popularity is so high. What if those netizens lose their minds and deliberately stuff the ballot boxes for Ji Fanxing..."

"What are you panicking about!" Qu Feiyang unhurriedly poured himself a cup of tea, took a slow, leisurely sip, and a flash of malice crossed his eyes.

"Since she wants to play, we'll play along with her."

Zhao De stared at him blankly, failing to understand his meaning.

Qu Feiyang set down his tea cup and a cold smirk played on his lips. "Aren't you worried that netizens will rig the votes for her? Then let them rig it!"

Zhao De was even more puzzled. "Let them rig it? Won't that mean we..."

"Fool!" Qu Feiyang glared at him with frustration. "Think about it. What happens when someone whom everyone holds to a very high moral standard is exposed for rigging votes?"

Thinking it over carefully, Zhao De immediately grasped Qu Feiyang's intention, and he couldn't help but shiver. This tactic of the teacher's... was simply too ruthless!

"By then, we won't even need to lift a finger; the netizens will tear her to shreds!

What qualifications does someone who stops at nothing to win have to talk about sentiment?"

Zhao De was utterly convinced, his admiration for Qu Feiyang flowing endlessly like a great river.

"Teacher is brilliant!"

Qu Feiyang smiled smugly. "Leave this matter to me. You just need to focus on preparing for the competition."

"Yes!" Zhao De nodded vigorously, the hatred in his heart toward Ji Fanxing growing even more intense.

He wanted to see what face Ji Fanxing would have left to stand on that stage when the time came!

Meanwhile, Ji Fanxing remained completely oblivious to all of this.

Having gained previous collaborative experience with Chu Hao, she simply went over the musical score with him and ran through the song once in front of the students.

Deeply shaken by the song, the students threw themselves wholeheartedly into the rehearsals.

They vowed to present this piece to absolute perfection.

Through their concerted efforts, the scheduled plan proceeded exceptionally smoothly, right up until four days later when the first week's music audition of the "National Music Exchange Conference" officially began.