When the chorus came, watching Liliya roar out the notes, Jiang Qin honestly wanted to stuff cotton in her ears.
It wasn't that she didn't respect her opponent—she just felt she had perhaps overestimated the Federation's music scene.
She had originally thought some songs on the charts were there thanks to backstage deals, but after hearing this song, she started to believe the chart-toppers were truly handpicked.
After enduring over three minutes, Liliya finally finished singing.
Jiang Qin secretly exhaled in relief.
If she kept listening, her irritation would've exploded through the roof.
"Judge, give me my score," Liliya panted, confidence plastered across her face.
She felt she had sung perfectly, full of power and intensity—unlike Jiang Qin, who couldn't hit high notes and only sang those sleepy tunes.
[Song highly similar to existing library tracks, multiple vocal flaws, theme off-topic. Final score: 55.]
[???]
[Hahaha…]
Not only was Liliya stunned, but the chat exploded with question marks and laughter.
[LOL, I don't even want to comment. If Liliya had gone first, maybe it would've been okay. But singing after Jiang Qin? The comparison is brutal.]
[I actually logged out and just came back.]
Many shared this opinion, which explained the live stream's viewer count plummeting by two to three million before slowly climbing back.
Of course, some blindly supported Liliya.
[The judge is biased! Liliya sang so well—how could she fail?]
[It's an AI brain, what does it know about music? How can it judge?]
[?? You guys weren't saying that before.]
[Anyway, I think the Neural Core Judge's score is wrong. Liliya is a top student at Dolun University—how could she lose to some uneducated female?]
[Though I don't understand music, I know what sounds good.]
[Setting aside their singing skills, Liliya's song is mostly a copy of tracks in the library. Can't you see that?]
[Jiang Qin's song, on the other hand, barely overlaps with the library at all.]
…
There were still many people who thought logically.
Jiang Qin felt she was almost cleared of suspicion, but that wasn't enough. She had to completely win over those still wavering.
There were no cameras in the university dorm, and she had indeed been alone in there for a few minutes.
Without concrete evidence, she could only prove her innocence with her talent.
Interstellar music styles differed greatly from Earth's.
Federation songs were like patchwork monsters, stitching together pleasing notes in random order.
That's why most songs had high repetition rates.
Empire songs were better, with clearer themes and deeper meaning, but like the Federation's, they leaned heavily into metallic, mechanical sounds.
So for the galaxy, Earth's music was basically a new genre.
The differences were easy to hear.
If Liliya couldn't produce songs in that style, she would definitely be questioned.
"Miss Liliya, do you also think the Neural Core Judge is unfair?"
Liliya's face darkened. No matter how uncomfortable she felt, she dared not agree.
To concede that would mean not just accusing Jiang Qin of cheating, but doubting the Neural Core itself—and the Federation government.
So she could only force a smile that didn't reach her eyes and say, "How could that be? The judge's scoring is obviously trustworthy."
Yet her hands kept fidgeting nervously.
Right now, she was angrily questioning whoever gave her those songs—how could they expect her to win with such trash?
And she threatened them: if she lost, she would have nothing left, so she'd drag them down with her.
"Since Miss Liliya accepts the verdict, let's begin the second round."
Although she wanted to stall, Liliya knew better than to say anything else—otherwise, the trolls below would attack her even more fiercely.
So she clenched her anger and nodded.
Compared to her initial smile, anyone could tell she was displeased.
But no one said a word. After all, most orc females in the galaxy were known for their bad tempers.
Domestic abuse was common among couples.
About eighty percent of the viewers in the live chat were male.
They understood females had fiery tempers, but the screen split to show the contrast.
Besides, from the chat, they'd learned Liliya was a D-level female, while Jiang Qin was C-level.
One looked fierce enough to eat people, the other pale and weak.
The scales in everyone's minds had already begun to tip.
[Second Round Theme: Love.]
Seeing this theme made not just Liliya smile, but Jiang Qin as well.
When it came to love songs, Earth's music library was incredibly rich!
Of course, interstellar beings also had love songs—their romantic lives were extremely colorful.
Liliya smiled because she believed whoever was backing her could at least dig up a song by a gold-level composer for this theme.
Both finished preparing in five minutes.
This time, Liliya went first.
She opened with a sweet, melodic voice.
To be fair, this song was better than her last, mainly because her voice suited it, and she even added some vocal fry.
After listening, quite a few people were charmed.
The lyrics were straightforward and cliché:
I love you, and him too, and even him him him~
Catchy and simple, much like those earworm pop songs popular on Earth. With some marketing and a well-edited video clip, it could be a minor hit for a while.
This was exactly what Jiang Qin did not want to see.
She intended to defeat her opponent with the same style and soak up all the traffic herself—not giving her rival even the slightest chance.
So she quickly recalled a once wildly popular song, one that could be heard on every street corner.
It even played in video games.
To be honest, although it was genuinely catchy, hearing it nonstop from morning till night had made Jiang Qin almost sick of it.
Still, after some time away, she couldn't help but hum along when she heard it again.
That song had enjoyed intermittent popularity for years—catching small waves of fame every few years.
Soon, the sweet, vocal-fry-infused song ended, and the judge awarded 86 points!
"Miss Jiang, it's your turn," Liliya said, smiling broadly despite Jiang Qin's score not surpassing her first song.
She understood the selling point of this song. Even if she lost, having such a perfectly fitting track was a win in itself.
With today's buzz, plus this song, graduating would likely be much easier for her.
As for the accusations against Jiang Qin, as long as she denied everything and the other side lacked proof, they couldn't touch her.
This matter would remain an unsolved mystery.
Meanwhile, she would ride Jiang Qin's coattails to fame—and pocket all the traffic.
ps: advance chapters come to my https://www.patreon.com/c/Seraphim777