Chapter 484: Chapter 482: Instrument Scoring

While it was chaotic outside, Jiang Qin’s life was peaceful and quiet.

After quietly practicing her instrument for a while, she drank a Special Level Nutrient Liquid and then went into the bathroom to wash up.

[Whoa, did you guys see that? Qin Bao is drinking Special Level Nutrient Liquid.]

[Don’t tell me she’s pregnant with her second child?]

[Probably. Pregnant women walk differently. I could tell at a glance.]

[That’s great! Baby Zhaozhao is getting a little brother or sister.]

[Qin Bao’s about to have a second kid. Can she send Zhaozhao over to my place to raise? I can wait until Zhaozhao is all grown up before I give him back!!]

[Get in line, person above.]

[Jiang Qin’s partners are really amazing. They don’t even care about the fetus’s aptitude and are providing Special Level Nutrient Liquid right from the start of the pregnancy.]

[With our Qin Bao’s Spiritual Power Level, she could get a quota for Special Level Nutrient Liquid even without any partners, okay?]

...

Jiang Qin had indeed taken her report to apply for a quota right after she found out she was pregnant.

Considering her contributions to the current Interstellar era and her collaboration with the hospital, it was safe to say she was not short on nutrient liquid at all.

Not to mention what her partners had procured through various channels.

They had enough to support her through the entire pregnancy, and even enough for two more after that.

That was why this time, she started drinking Special Level nutrient liquid before she even showed any signs of pregnancy.

With her first child, she had been inexperienced, and no one really knew what to expect. They only went for a check-up after she started showing symptoms. This time, Jiang Qin had been tracking her dates herself.

After all, she had planned this pregnancy.

In stark contrast to her daily routine, the occupants of the other Capsule Cabins were still causing a ruckus late into the night.

Some complained it was too stuffy, others demanded to spend a night in a luxury hotel and return the next day, and some even wanted their assistants to stay with them.

All sorts of problems made the staff members utterly miserable.

The netizens’ perfect image of these famous senior composers was also shattered.

Just as everyone was becoming deeply disappointed, the composer competition finally began.

The host announced the rules from the stage. "Our competition this time is primarily to test an audio device."

"Therefore, this competition has no theme, no genre, and no judges or audience."

"All you esteemed composers may now look at the machine behind me."

"This is a new testing instrument developed by our Mechanical Clan. From now on, your scores will be decided by it."

The competition rounds would be held once every three days.

There was no need to draw for performance order, no need to draw opponents, and certainly no need for voting.

Every three days, the performances would begin starting from Capsule Cabin No. 1, with the scores determined by the instrument on stage.

There would be five rounds in total, and the final ranking would be based on the total score.

As for selecting a singer, there was a machine in the studio that listed the names of all available singers and their recorded demos.

"Well then, I won’t disturb our esteemed composers any longer. If you have any needs, please contact the staff. Unless there’s an emergency, we hope you will not turn off your livestreams."

Jiang Qin didn’t know what criteria the testing instrument used for scoring, so after some thought, she decided to simply pick a singer she felt was right.

She needed to pick a singer because her own vocal range likely couldn’t convey the right feeling for the song.

She first sent the musical score to a staff member to have the copyright registered before contacting the singer.

The choice was mutual, so while waiting for a response, she did some vocal exercises.

Only after receiving a response from the singer did she send over the score and have them start practicing.

To be honest, she didn’t feel comfortable choosing an unfamiliar singer for a competition like this, so she picked someone she had worked with before.

As for whether giving them the score right away would make the livestream audience suspicious, she felt there was no need to worry.

’I was practicing music all day yesterday. Who’s to say when I got the inspiration?’

***

Over the next three days, the netizens were in a frenzy.

One moment they were in one livestream channel watching composers tear their hair out in frustration, and the next they were in another, watching composers confidently input their scores.

Then everyone would start discussing what kind of music they were actually composing.

Unfortunately, the singers’ practice sessions were not being livestreamed.

Finally, to everyone’s great anticipation, the third day arrived.

The program began at twelve noon.

The first to perform was Number One.

The singer chosen by Composer Number One was a top-tier star from the Empire. Jiang Qin had heard a few of his songs and knew he was quite talented.

In her eyes, his performance was excellent, possessing a very strong personal style.

The netizens in the livestream were also full of praise:

[Xiu’s voice hasn’t changed a bit in ten years. It’s still as captivating as ever.]

[This song is great too. It was clearly written for Xiu. They really are a long-time duo.]

[They all seem like such amazing composers and singers. Can you really pick a winner in a situation like this?]

[Everyone, look! Xiu’s finished singing, and the testing instrument is starting to score him!!]

Just as everyone was waiting with bated breath, a jaw-dropping score appeared on the testing instrument.

[??? 36 points?? Are they insane?!]

[What’s going on?? Is the instrument graded out of 40 points or something?]

[Don’t even bother. I already checked. The max score is 100.]

[It’s rigged!! What part of Xiu’s performance was bad?? How could it be 36 points? This is definitely rigged!!]

The netizens weren’t the only ones in shock.

All the composers in the venue and the singers waiting backstage were equally stunned.

That was Xiu and the composer Benn Neke!!

The two of them had once dominated the music scene for a full decade.

Whenever there was a competition or a chart, their ranking had never dropped out of the top three!

And now they couldn’t even get a passing grade?

The host from the Mechanical Clan walked onto the stage and explained to the crowd with a deadpan expression:

"Everyone, there’s no need to be so shocked, nor do you need to suspect that this competition is rigged."

"I can tell you with absolute certainty that it is not rigged!"

"We are holding this competition not to collect pleasant-sounding songs, but to conduct an audio test."

"Therefore, it makes no difference to my clan who takes first place."

With nothing to gain, there was no need to cheat.

The Mechanical Clan valued the results of this competition more than anyone.

After all, their goal wasn’t to crown a winner. Their goal was to collect music that could make this instrument produce a high score.

...

The ones who found this result hardest to accept were Xiu and Benn.

They had been glorious their entire lives, only to receive such a score. It was an absolute disgrace!

Just as the netizens said, they could have aged gracefully, but instead, they had lost all face because of this competition.

From now on, their reputations would be stained.

But no matter how much everyone refused to accept it, the Mechanical Clan stood by the result and was unwilling to conduct a retest.

"Our instrument is the latest model. It’s impossible for there to be a problem with it."

"We can only say that your audio did not meet the requirements to cause a fluctuation in it. However, this does not mean your song is not good."