Chapter 23: Tomorrow Will Be Better

Unfortunately, Dong Haoning found absolutely nothing on the StarNet.

As it happened, those who had heard Jiang Qin sing at the bar on the first day were all silently lurking in her livestream, far too busy to browse the web. More importantly, no one was foolish enough to post about it and expose the secret; those who realized Jiang Qin’s uniqueness early on were not stupid. Everyone wanted to keep the opportunity to purify their energy for the mere price of a bar entrance fee to themselves. Under this tacit agreement of privacy, everyone kept their mouths shut, not letting a single word slip.

Of course, even if they had spoken, few would have believed them. If listening to songs could solve the problem of riotous energy levels, what would a millennium of interstellar research count for?

Dong Haoning felt the same way. If he had truly been purified by one percent just from listening to a little female’s song, wouldn't all the efforts of the Interstellar Alliance over these years become a joke? He pondered it and wondered if he had simply misread the gauge that morning, or if his eyes had deceived him. Perhaps it was a phantom number that had corrected itself after a while.

Granted, these reasons were quite far-fetched, but compared to the absurdity of songs possessing purifying properties, they seemed more plausible. Unable to make sense of it, he hurried back to Jiang Qin’s livestream. Whether it was true or not, one more experiment would tell.

***

At that moment, Jiang Qin was singing her fourth song. The request this time was for a nursery rhyme.

True to form, it was another difficult theme. The interstellar world had nursery rhymes, but they were purely instrumental, designed as lullabies. To this day, there were none with lyrics. The challenge posed to Jiang Qin was to provide one that had lyrics and was suitable for lulling children to sleep. This刁难 (dilemma/teasing) actually made Jiang Qin laugh. Did they have any idea how many nursery rhymes were in Earth’s repertoire? She was suffering from a choice overload.

Considering the monotonous childhoods of interstellar citizens—devoid of many things, filled only with high-tech gadgets and robotic nannies—Jiang Qin chose a simple one. She sat on the sofa and began to strum her guitar.

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are,
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky..."

Indeed, it was the classic nursery rhyme, "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." Jiang Qin finished it without any difficulty.

[Wow, compared to the previous songs, this one feels so childish.]
[If a nursery rhyme were too difficult, who would it be for? Adults? Then why call it a nursery rhyme?]
[Exactly, this song is quite lovely, simple, and very interesting.]
[Hehe, I’m going to set up a starry sky simulation room for my cub tonight and sing this to him.]

"Alright, next one."

Although many people had rallied others to flood the chat and prevent Jiang Qin from singing such difficult themes, the number of paid trolls was too high. Everyone could only keep posting and hope for luck, thinking perhaps she would happen to screenshot one of their comments.

It actually worked; this time, Jiang Qin picked a comment asking her to sing whatever she wanted.

"Since it’s whatever I want, let’s go with 'Tomorrow Will Be Better.'"

Just hearing the title, everyone understood the meaning, and hearts instantly warmed. In an era where the environment was so harsh, the sentiment that "tomorrow will be better" was a wish everyone longed for.

"Gently wake up the sleeping soul,
Slowly open your eyes,
Look at the busy world,
To see if it is still spinning in loneliness."

The ethereal, sweet voice drifted into the hearts of everyone in the livestream. Lan Yuyan closed his eyes and listened silently. He hadn't sent a single message; he had simply remained in the stream, listening. As the director of the Composition Department, he focused more on the quality of the music itself. Jiang Qin’s songs each had a different style, but without exception, they were filled with profound emotion—a stark contrast to the hollow tracks on the market.

It was a pity she had rejected his invitation. If he could poach her for the Tianwen Entertainment Company, he was confident he could revitalize the current Composition Department. He wondered what kind of compensation that little bar was giving her to keep her so securely. However, Lan Yuyan was not prepared to give up; he would wait until her contract with the Moonlight Bar expired if he had to.

Actually, there was a shortcut. He currently had no female master; if he could become her partner... But a C-grade female could not soothe him. He had to consider whether living longer was more important, or if his career was.

Jiang Qin didn't know that someone was plotting to use a "handsome guy trap" to poach her. At that moment, she only felt that her mood had calmed significantly. In her entire spiritual sea, she could almost smell the fragrance of green grass.

"Let our smiles,
Be filled with the pride of youth,
Offering sincere prayers for tomorrow..."

[I really hope that one day, our graduation won't be a life-and-death separation, but a journey toward a future.]
[Seeing my cub’s carefree appearance every day, I really wish she would never grow up.]
[I hope the interstellar world can truly have a day of peace.]
[Sigh, I wonder where the beast tide will appear this year.]

Every year, the interstellar world suffered two beast tides, and the timing was only approximate, never precise. These beasts arrived suddenly. The teleportation black holes could appear on any planet—even the main capital planet was not exempt. However, high-grade planets generally had better defenses and were easier to handle. There were even various subsidies after the fighting ended, which was why everyone wanted to become a citizen of a high-grade planet.

In places like barren planets, besides the central city which had weapons and guards, people living on the outskirts could only rely on themselves to survive. To fight the beasts together, everyone would unite to kill them. All conflicts were set aside until the beast tide passed. Jiang Qin had also experienced many beast tides, and the brutality of them was shocking.

***

The comments in the livestream became increasingly friendly. Even those who had blindly followed the trend to hate on Jiang Qin were gradually moved. This was not what Jiang Rumeng wanted to see. However, she was not one to act rashly; she simply darkened her eyes and continued to observe.

As for Lilia, she was currently on a call, questioning the person behind the scenes who had advised her to frame Jiang Qin.

"Didn't you say you could definitely ruin her reputation and that no one would believe what she said? Why did you make me use such trashy songs to make a fool of myself???"

The man on the other end of the line frowned. "Miss Lilia, that was the work of a Golden Composer. It is not trash; it is something our boss bought for a high price."

Lilia laughed sarcastically. "Is a piece composed by a Golden Composer actually inferior to a female from a barren planet? Was that rank bought with money?"

The man's eyes sharpened as he warned, "Miss Lilia, please watch your words. Even if you are a female, you cannot slander a Golden Composer out of thin air!"

"Heh, it wasn't like this when you paid me to frame Jiang Qin, was it? If I can frame Jiang Qin, why can't I frame a loser like him?"