Chapter 184: 161 A Clown

Luo Li had no other choice.

He accepted the challenge, and what if he got lucky and managed to create something? If he succeeded, Lin Yun would drop the lawsuit, and he would have completely overcome this difficulty.

If he didn’t accept the challenge, once the police got involved, who knew how many issues they might uncover? He had no choice.

“So now, we just need an intermediary to set the question,” Luo Li agreed, and the crowd immediately became excited.

Lin Yun posted another Weibo update.

“Since it’s a live stream, why not let the audience in the live room decide the topic? The topic needs to be niche and detailed. We will search from top to bottom in the live room, select ten topics that meet the requirements, and then, randomly draw one to be the final topic for this challenge. How about that?”

This method was relatively fair, and Luo Li couldn’t say anything against it.

And so, the method of selecting the topic was decided.

Very soon.

With the cooperation of the live room audience and the reporters on site, a final topic was drawn.

“In April, the grass grows and the orioles fly, a young man strides forward with high spirits.”

Upon seeing this topic.

Lin Yun smiled.

No one knew better than her that after so many years of neglect, Luo Li was nothing but a scarecrow when it came to composing.

But. He had stolen many of her drafts.

And back then, when she was trapped in darkness, her songs’ tunes also leaned towards the dark side.

If it were a topic with a dark theme, maybe he could cobble together a line or two from her discarded drafts.

But with the current topic…

The former her, how could she have written about grass growing and orioles flying in April?

If she couldn’t, then Luo Li couldn’t either.

Luo Li was completely finished.

Lin Yun, on the other hand, looked relaxed.

What the former her couldn’t do didn’t mean the current her couldn’t.

In the presence of the media.

Lin Yun and Luo Li connected through video link.

Lin Yun looked at Luo Li, who was rigid all over, and couldn’t help but smile slightly, “Assistant Luo. Long time no see.”

Luo Li could only manage to squeeze out a smile.

Lin Yun’s smile became even more profound.

In the past, whenever she looked at Luo Li, she couldn’t help but apply a filter to him.

Even when what Luo Li did or said greatly affected her emotions, she would try hard to convince herself it was her own problem, that everything Luo Li did was for her own good.

But.

Without those filters.

When she looked at Luo Li again.

He was nothing more than a despicable and incompetent middle-aged man.

“So, let’s start the timer now. You have one hour.”

Someone started the time.

Luo Li gripped the pen, the sweat on his palms making the pen somewhat slippery.

Luo Li tried several times before he could hold the pen tightly.

Gazing at the blank sheet of paper on the table, his entire being was bewildered.

His mind, just like this sheet of paper, was blank, completely devoid of any idea what melody to match with this theme.

He tried hard to think.

But the tunes that surfaced in his mind were all those discarded by Lin Yun.

And his own stuff?

There was not a trace to be found.

But those.

Clearly could not be used here.

It was already deep autumn.

Yet, Luo Li’s forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat.

He looked up.

In the camera.

Lin Yun hadn’t started either, she was just smiling, calmly watching him.

Her expression seemed so helpless, so non-threatening.

But Luo Li shivered all over nonetheless.

He always felt that Lin Yun was mocking him mercilessly.

This woman, she dared to make such a bet, so she must be looking down on him, right?

She felt that she couldn’t even write the most ordinary piece of music, could she?

No!

Impossible.

He too graduated from a music academy as a highly talented student, even if he couldn’t surpass Lin Yun, was he really so incapable?

He could, he definitely could.

The sweat on Luo Li’s forehead became increasingly fine.

He tried hard to think of something.

But the harder he tried, the more his mind became a blank, and the pen in his hand could only scribble meaningless symbols on the paper.

Ye Bingtong watched Luo Li in this state, feeling an unbearable hatred.

She could see it now.

This Luo Li, he was nothing but a decorative pillow!

No, he didn’t even have the embroidery!

That she had actually believed this man had talent!

Every time she remembered how she treasured Lin Yun’s discarded drafts as treasures, Ye Bingtong felt immensely nauseous!

At this moment.

Ye Bingtong no longer thought about helping Luo Li, her mind raced, already thinking about how to extricate herself.

Plagiarism was Luo Li’s doing, the work was given to her by Luo Li, she too was a victim.

This excuse was flawless, wasn’t it?

Thinking this, Ye Bingtong finally managed to take a breath of relief.

As long as she got through this, Luo Li’s fate was no concern of hers.

Time passed, half an hour went by.

Yet the live stream viewers didn’t find it boring at all.

They happily watched Luo Li’s expressions.

“I’m dying of laughter, has Luo Li sweated out all his life’s sweat in this half hour?”

“He’s wasted so many tissues, I saw him use up a whole pack just for wiping sweat.”

“Case cracked. Luo Li’s sweating has used up too much paper, causing fewer trees and resulting in global environmental degradation. He’s the mastermind behind environmental decline, this is very serious, I suggest the UN gets involved.”

“I’m going to die laughing. All he needs to do is write a piece of music, but look at his hand, a thousand feints in one second.”

“As someone from a music major, I must say that these timed competitive tasks are indeed difficult, but you should still be able to write some melody. At worst, just the completion might not be high. But to cobble together a third-rate work isn’t hard; many can do it. If this ‘genius’ can’t even manage that, then he should really stop smearing the word ‘genius’.”

“It looks like Lin Yun hasn’t started writing either.”

“Feels like Lin Yun is enjoying Luo Li’s drama with us…”

“Haha, it’s really like that, she’s practically got ‘gossip’ written all over her face.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“I originally thought summer was the very aloof type, but now I think, she’s just too cute.”

As the audience enjoyed the show, the seconds and minutes ticked away.

Lin Yun started writing in the last ten minutes and put her pen down right when the time was up.

Clearly, the music score was already in her heart.

As for Luo Li…

His manuscript paper was scribbled over and over, completely indecipherable.

“Assistant Luo.” Lin Yun smiled, “These scribbles you’ve written, I can’t seem to understand them. Why not hum it for everyone?”

Luo Li’s lips trembled.

He wanted to say something, but only felt his head emptily horrifying, his whole body stiffening.

His head wasn’t struck, but it was filled with a buzzing noise.

One thought echoed in Luo Li’s mind.

He was finished.

His incompetence and mediocrity were now exposed in front of everyone.

Luo Li’s expression uncontrollably contorted.

As a top student in music, the reason he was only an assistant was because the Lin Family forcibly stripped away the bright future he could have had.

He had always told himself that.

But now.

Reality had slapped him harshly.

That slap told him.

He, Luo Li, from beginning to end, was just an ordinary and mediocre person.

Being able to walk a stretch of road with someone as dazzling as Lin Yun was already the highlight of his life.

Without Lin Yun…

He could only become a clown, a complete clown.

“Xiaoyun.” Luo Ping suddenly softened his tone, his voice tinged with a plea, “I was wrong.”