“Tired, let it all end. I feel like the special grand prize is just there to make me envious, just like those blind boxes that claim you can win the latest Apple product—what a joke, you can never actually get it.” Eric Carter sighed.

　　[If the special grand prize could be easily obtained, would it still be a grand prize?] The system responded: [Things that are too easy to get won’t be cherished or bring surprise.]

　　“I’m different. Even if I get a grand prize easily, I’d still be thrilled. If I could draw the talents of Paganini, Beethoven, Liszt, or Vitas, I’d be the sun, I’d be the night itself.”

　　Whether it’s cherished or not doesn’t matter; what matters is becoming stronger. When it comes to the key points, the system goes silent, but Eric Carter still learned some useful information: it is possible to win the special grand prize, just with extremely low odds. That’s good news.

　　“Despairing Voice…” Eric Carter studied it carefully.

　　The results made him overjoyed; it seemed even more powerful than the perfect singing voice he drew earlier. When fully focused, he could sing a song of utter despair.

　　Idioms like “heart-wrenching” and “as if cut by a knife” describe sorrow, but the voice of despair lets people feel an even deeper level of hopelessness.

　　To give a vivid example from the movie “The Mist”: at the end, the car runs out of gas and everyone knows they’ll be eaten by monsters in the mist. To die with dignity, they decide to shoot themselves. The son, Billy, is too young and scared to do it, so David tearfully shoots his son.

　　There aren’t enough bullets, so one person will be left. That person is the one with courage. When David gets out of the car to look for a way to die, the army arrives, the monsters are wiped out, and the town is saved… The male lead David’s sobbing wail is true despair!

　　“‘As if telling and weeping’ can describe a sorrowful singing voice, but possessing the Despairing Voice lets people truly experience that kind of hopelessness. The essence of a song is to convey emotion and meaning—this reward is almost equivalent to a special grand prize.” Eric Carter calculated. Just when things seemed bleak, a new skill appeared in the second round, giving him confidence. Even if a new surprise guest picks him, he should still be able to win.

　　There were two days left before the show’s recording began. During this time, he needed to practice the Despairing Voice well. Eric Carter received a pinned message on WeChat from his friend, Disciple of Big Cat: [Brother Jiu, try to keep up with three meals a day. Don’t let your body give out before the truth comes to light.]

　　Should he reply?

　　It wouldn’t be good to keep people worried.

　　“The original self didn’t have the mood before, or maybe didn’t know how to face others, so he never replied to messages.” Eric Carter thought for a moment and decided to reply: [Okay.]

　　The original self’s exchanges with Disciple of Big Cat were always this cold.

　　The reply came almost instantly: [Brother Jiu, take care of yourself. The more popular you get, the more controversy there will be. As for the attacks online, it’s best if we can just ignore them.]

　　The concern was obvious. It had to be said, these words came too late. The last comment the original self saw before committing suicide was: [This guy is so disgusting, why doesn’t he just die? So gross, just a waste of air and land.]

　　“It’s great how people online don’t have to take responsibility since they’re not using real names.”

　　Eric Carter continued practicing and ordered a casual dinner delivery, not spicy this time. No matter how much he loved spicy food, he had to let his stomach recover. Even if his stomach could handle it, his rear end couldn’t.

　　One more spicy meal and he’d complete [Eat Spicy Food *10, 3 Character Coins]. No need to rush, stay classy—it’s just within reach.

Chapter 13: Another Rehearsal

　　In the second episode of “I Really Am a Singer,” Eric Carter faced the song selection rule: [Songs performed on stage (not by oneself)]. In other words, he had to sing a song that another contestant had already performed.

　　It was brutal—on the same stage, with such high standards set before, comparisons were inevitable. The song Eric Carter had to sing was “Deserted Island,” performed by Henry Reed in the previous episode. His song selection logic was similar to that of Japanese singers: “Deserted Island” was simple to perform and required almost no technique.

　　“In terms of arrangement, I’d like the piano to be a bit brighter,” Eric Carter requested. After thinking for a moment, Brian Cooper began working on the basic arrangement.

　　“Deserted Island” is a sad love song. Although its main melody isn’t the common G major triad 5-7-2 or D major seventh 2-4-6-1, it still doesn’t escape the shackles of love songs.

　　If you’ve seen the “Deserted Island” MV, you’d know it tells the story of a couple who meet again in a foreign country after breaking up. At Eric Carter’s request, Brian Cooper changed the chords to the classic Canon progression: C–G–Am–Em–F–C–F/Dm–G, originating from the 17th-century German composer Pachelbel’s Canon in D. The world only started to differ from Earth in the 19th century; before that, there wasn’t much difference.

　　Songs like “Good-Hearted Breakup” and “K Song King” from Earth also use this chord progression. You can tell it’s the universal love song chord. The melody isn’t overwhelmingly sad. Once the arrangement was set, Eric Carter began the first rehearsal.

　　[Round and round, we meet and part again,

　　Everyone knows you’re in the south, I’m in the north.

　　Only when I look back do I realize I’m the only one who can’t let go,

　　I shouldn’t expect

　　To be in your life from now on…]

　　While resting at the hotel, Eric Carter also took time to practice the song. At least he had memorized the lyrics and wouldn’t forget them.

　　Brian Cooper, wearing headphones, listened in on the recording and heard everything clearly. After the performance, he applauded. There weren’t any complicated techniques, but it was full of emotion, expressing the sadness of a breakup.