Chapter 331 - 248: It’s Pop Music Time

Chapter 331: Chapter 248: It’s Pop Music Time

"I’m back! Mwahahaha! I’m back!"

Inside a dormitory at Repin Academy, Galina’s wild, devil-may-care laughter echoed.

She laughed as she wandered the hallway like an enthusiastic, oversized Golden Hair.

Whenever she saw someone, she would excitedly pounce on them for a hug, then grab their shoulders and shake them vigorously.

While shaking them, she continued to repeatedly declare that she was back.

If any of her secret admirers were to see this, they would probably be heartbroken on the spot.

Miss Galina wasn’t a gentle, reserved lady after all?

It sounded strange. This unconventional "genius girl"—whose talent for the Fireball Technique was so immense that if all of it in the world were gathered, she alone would possess more than the total, leaving everyone else in debt—was known at the academy for her might, not her charm. Yet, to the outside world, she had somehow left the impression of a proper lady.

This was mainly thanks to her timid performance on the stage of "Feilin’s Best Songs."

It wasn’t that she was intentionally trying to act that way; she had simply never been on such a grand stage before and was so nervous she had almost thrown up backstage, leaving her with no energy to reveal her true nature.

In any case, as luck would have it, Galina’s on-air demeanor had stirred the protective instincts of many viewers.

Combined with her youthful, beautiful image, energetic singing, status as a student, and her family’s rich artistic background, she successfully won over a group of loyal fans.

This group of fans had bought piles and piles of Tyrannosaurus Machines to vote her into the revival bracket.

But for every person who liked her, there was another who hated her.

There was no shortage of criticism, and even verbal abuse, directed at Galina online.

They called her fake, said her songs were low-class and tasteless, her vocal skills were poor, her compositions lacked artistic sense, and her lyrics were shallow, among other things.

However, a positive mindset was definitely one of Galina’s strengths.

She never took such comments to heart; sometimes, she would even read the hate comments while eating her meals.

"I’m back!"

Galina kicked open the door to her dorm room.

Inside, Uffie was lying on her bed, her eyes lifeless.

The "Golden Hair," Galina, was about to pounce on her for a hug but was stopped by Uffie’s listless gaze.

"What’s wrong with you?"

"How am I supposed to design the battle where the Human Alliance Army defends Eagle’s Nest City against the Devil Legion..."

Galina froze, not understanding a word. ’Nine times out of ten, it’s about a game again.’

As expected of her best friend, Uffie, she could effortlessly talk about things Galina couldn’t comprehend at all.

But she was used to it. Uffie had been like this ever since she started working for the Zog Group.

"I’m sure you can figure it out. Why don’t you take a break to clear your head and relax a bit?"

Galina pulled a ticket out of her pocket.

"Ta-da! It’s a ticket to the live recording of the Feilin’s Best Songs revival round. Come be part of my support group!"

This ticket wasn’t even a complimentary one from the Zog Group; Galina had paid for it out of her own pocket.

The tickets provided by the show’s production team were for the official friends-and-family section, which meant they couldn’t vote and were only there to cheer.

So, she had done everything she could to get some regular audience tickets, adding an extra layer of security for her revival performance.

"The revival round? But aren’t you already back?" Uffie asked.

"Yeah, but to get into the grand finale, I still have to win the revival round," Galina explained.

It sounded like a very unfair system. How could an eliminated contestant go straight to the finals just by winning the revival round?

But for a variety show, what mattered was the dramatic effect. Fairness was less important than satisfying the audience’s lingering regrets over their favorite contestants.

"Sounds like you’re pretty confident about making it to the finals, huh?"

Uffie envied how Galina always seemed so full of confidence, no matter the situation.

She didn’t have that kind of self-assurance. Right now, Uffie was doubting her ability to finish the campaign level design for Red Alert.

This new thing called a "real-time strategy game" was far more complex than any game she had worked on before.

"Of course!"

Galina puffed out her chest proudly.

"It’s more than just confidence. I’ve been preparing the song for the revival round for a full two months. It’s my best work yet. Just getting into the finals will be a piece of cake..."

...

Reality, however, was not quite so easy.

On the day of the revival round, the recording was nearing its end. The last contestant had just finished their performance, a song full of operatic flair.

Galina waited nervously in the contestants’ room, anticipating the final vote count for this singer.

The top two contestants from the revival round would advance to the finals; the rest would be eliminated.

A complete waste of effort.

Of course, it wasn’t a total waste. One more performance on stage meant more exposure, which could lead to more fans, which in turn meant more income.

But in Galina’s eyes, if she didn’t make it to the finals, it was all for nothing.

She clasped her hands tightly together, praying silently.

’I don’t know if the Magic Goddess handles this sort of thing, but there’s no other god to pray to right now, so... please, Goddess, grant me your blessing...’

The current situation was this: she had 385 votes, putting her in second place. Whether she made it to the finals depended on the number of votes this last contestant received.

The operatic piece was a bit traditional, not the type of music the live audience usually favored.

But the contestant’s singing was just too good.

He displayed astonishing vocal prowess.

Throughout the song, there were vocal runs, high notes, an exaggerated vocal range, and incredibly long phrases that made you feel breathless just listening to them.

And yet, you couldn’t even hear him take a breath.

’How did he do that?’

’He must be a professional singer who’s had formal training since childhood.’

Galina herself didn’t particularly like this kind of song; it didn’t feel much different from the classic opera pieces of the past.

As the descendant of an artistic family who had been immersed in and listened to countless operas since childhood, she could easily tell which predecessors this contestant’s song had "learned" from.