C11 (1)
With a thunderous crash, Lin Haoyu felt his world spin out of control. The ground quaked, mountains trembled, buildings collapsed, and the sky seemed to split apart.
"Damn! Do you really think writing a song is that easy? Forget the melody; even getting the lyrics right, ones I know like the back of my hand, isn't simple."
Lin Haoyu rolled his eyes, crossed his arms, and let out a sarcastic chuckle.
"Heh, you've got to be joking. I'm not even a music student."
When it came time to apply for universities, Lin Haoyu had ambitiously listed Harvard and MIT, with Tsinghua University as his third choice.
Thankfully, Lin Haoyu's high school performance was commendable, so he didn't disappoint his teachers, classmates, or his parents' hard work and expectations.
Ever wonder why Lin Haoyu was up late at night studying? Or why he was the most attentive student in class, never dozing off? That's right, he was hooked on a novel titled 'Star System Seizes Host'.
Ultimately, he was accepted into an ordinary financial school in Flitrora.
"The host may abandon a mission, but will be penalized with luck points. Your current luck points stand at 80; 100 is the maximum, 0 the minimum," the system informed him.
Lin Haoyu was momentarily taken aback, then skeptically opened the system's statistics panel to check.
"So there is such a thing as luck points. How come I've never noticed them before?"
The system remained silent, perhaps out of a sense of guilt.
Not dwelling on it, Lin Haoyu sighed, pondering the repercussions of losing luck points, and a shiver ran through him.
"Holy shit, if my luck points drop to the lowest, am I going to get crushed by a plane?"
As Lin Haoyu stepped forward, the TV station building behind him crumbled to the ground. A sixteen-wheeler roared past him, firecrackers exploded nearby, and overhead, a Boeing 747 was ominously descending towards him.
Visualizing this scenario, Lin Haoyu gulped nervously.
"System, I accept the mission."
"Congratulations, host, on accepting the mission: Release your first song. As this is your first side mission, you are rewarded with a lottery draw opportunity."
Ding! As expected, Lin Haoyu's eyes sparkled with excitement.
The system had surprisingly granted him a lottery draw today. It looked like those 80 luck points were really doing their job!
Lin Haoyu let out a chuckle as he dusted off the old radio he'd kept for years—a vintage model from '98—tuning into the Flitrora city station.
"Initiate the lottery draw!"
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for utilizing a standard lottery opportunity!"
This time, the system delivered exactly what Lin Haoyu needed most.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for winning: the song 'Childhood' + five beginner singing skill books."
Lin Haoyu was momentarily dumbfounded. This was a jackpot of a draw!
Without any prompt from Lin Haoyu, the system automatically applied all the items, and the song 'Childhood' instilled in him the confidence to pursue a career in music.
Meanwhile, the radio station was announcing tomorrow's program schedule:
"Welcome to Flitrora Radio FM... I'm your host, Xie Chengyun."
"Huh?"
Lin Haoyu, ever alert, jolted and moved closer to the radio, cranking up the volume.
Xie Chengyun was a name he faintly remembered.
During his interview, among the three judges, Xie Chengyun was the least noticeable. Yet, in reality, he was a leading force at the station.
"Starting tomorrow, from 1 PM to 3 PM, the show 'Talks of the Hundred Schools' previously hosted by Wang Zeteng will be replaced with 'Happy Crosstalk' hosted by Zuo Qiushu. And from 10 PM to midnight, 'Emotional Express' hosted by Kang Biqin will be taken over by a mysterious newcomer with 'After Midnight.' Stay tuned!"
Lin Haoyu smiled to himself. This was quite intriguing. They had shrouded him in mystery to pique the audience's curiosity. Jian Yang had certainly put in a great deal of effort.
But his immediate priority was something else. Lin Haoyu was eager to seize this moment to record his first song and release it without delay.
The moon shone brightly outside the window, but Lin Haoyu didn't have the luxury of stargazing like he did last time.
"System, remind me at ten o'clock. I'm curious to see how Kang Biqin's show turns out."
With that, Lin Haoyu quickly donned his low-quality headphones and started recording his first song, "Childhood," on his phone.
"System, this song is really good, but I'm worried I can't do it justice."
He listened to it several times, torn with indecision. He was well aware of his own vocal abilities.
"Ding! Host, don't sell yourself short. It could lower your luck points..."
"Stop! I got it. I'll give it another shot."
Lin Haoyu was all too familiar with the system's threats, yet he was still at a loss.
Clearing his throat, he began to sing with a voice that was melodious, powerful, and crisp:
"By the pond, cicadas call out the summer; on the swings by the playground, only butterflies alight; on the blackboard, the teacher's chalk keeps scribbling away..."
As he sang "Childhood," Lin Haoyu found himself transported back to those carefree days.
Finishing the song, he couldn't help but laugh, feeling somewhat more foolish.
"Holy smokes, system, this singing skill book is incredibly useful!"
Lin Haoyu listened to his recording with excitement, unabashedly admiring his own vocal performance.
He uploaded the song without any edits or voice tuning, using only the guitar accompaniment provided by the system to complement his vocals.
"Upload!"
"There, all set!"
Chuckling to himself, Lin Haoyu had an idea and extended his hand toward the system.
"Hey, I remember there should be a reward for completing the side mission, right?"
He gestured to the system, as if asking for his prize.
The system responded icily.
"Ding! Host, you mustn't be so unreliable. The system never promised a reward for this task."
The smile on Lin Haoyu's face suddenly froze.
At last, the clock struck ten, and the radio station started airing the final episode of the show hosted by Kang Biqin.
"Thank you for listening to Flitrora radio. I'm your host, Kang Biqin."
