Upon arriving at the release event location, the three of them entered the venue directly. Many reporters were already there. As soon as it hit nine o’clock, the host took the stage to give an opening speech. After a brief warm-up, the host invited the day’s star, Julie, onto the stage.
Julie was dressed formally today in a high-end gown, elegantly walking onto the stage. She bowed to the audience, “Thank you to all the media and fans for taking the time to attend my new song release event. As you all know, I have been learning for the past few years and haven’t released many new songs.
This song is a product of three years of hard work, a labor of love. The new song was released early yesterday morning on the XX platform, and judging by the current momentum, the response has been quite good. My years of effort have not been in vain.” As she spoke, her eyes turned red, and she pressed her thumb against her eyelid, eliciting sighs from the audience. Many fans discussed how difficult these years had been for her, and after expressing their sentiments, Julie continued, “Alright, enough of the chit-chat. Next, I will bring you my new song, ‘Snow Over the Cliff.'”
Unlike the sighs and tears from the audience, Thelma and her companions in the crowd wore cold expressions.
Phoenix sneered, “It’s a pity this girl isn’t acting.”
Mira added, “How can she have the audacity to sing so poorly?”
Although Thelma was angrier than anyone else at that moment, hearing her companions’ words brought her comfort. She had thought this was her battle alone, after all, the lyrics and music that Julie had plagiarized were hers. But Phoenix and Mira were still willing to stand by her side; she had known them for less than two months.
After Julie finished singing, she bowed to the audience again, and the crowd erupted into enthusiastic applause. However, amidst the applause, a loud voice asked, “Miss Julie, may I ask if this song is truly your original work?”
As soon as the question was asked, the venue fell silent, and everyone instinctively looked towards the source of the voice, which belonged to a slender, beautiful woman with an almost enchanting beauty and an alluring exotic charm.
Julie also looked at the woman, momentarily stunned, but quickly regained her composure and replied, “This is indeed my original work.”
Thelma held the microphone, which Phoenix had borrowed from a reporter they knew.
“Miss Julie, you say this is your original work, but unfortunately, the song you sang has already appeared on the same music platform a day earlier. What do you have to say about that?”
At this moment, a host interjected, “This reporter, today’s release event is about Miss Julie’s new song. Please refrain from bringing up other people’s songs here. Thank you.”
Thelma said, “Isn’t this question related to Miss Julie’s new song? When a new song is released, it should not only receive praise but also scrutiny, right?”
The reporter wanted to say more, but Julie raised her hand to stop her. She smiled and answered Thelma’s question, “You’re right. I must accept everyone’s scrutiny. I will respond to your question now: this song is my original work. As for why a similar version appeared online, I do not know. Of course, I will use legal means to protect my copyright. Do you have any other questions, reporter?”
Thelma said, “Miss Julie’s answer is quite confident.”
Julie replied, “Of course, as an original musician, I have my confidence.”
Original musician, Thelma found it laughable.
“You say you are the original of this song, so let me ask you, what is the song about?”
Julie confidently replied, “It’s about a poet who is unappreciated.”
Thelma asked again, “In the lyrics, there is a line that goes, ‘When we parted, you leaned by the shore, amidst the willows, tears filled my face. Today I return, the green-headed duck on the water, in the snowy scene, I see no red face.’ These two lines are very similar to a line from the Book of Songs: ‘In the past, I went, the willows swayed, now I come, the snow falls.’ I wonder if Miss Julie borrowed from the Book of Songs?”
Julie said, “Of course, I have been enriching myself over the years and even studied at university. I can recite every poem from the Book of Songs, especially this one.”
“Since that’s the case, I assume Miss Julie should be very familiar with this poem and won’t make a mistake?”
Julie confidently replied, “Absolutely no mistakes.”
Her determination and confidence immediately earned her enthusiastic applause from the audience, with many fans applauding their idol’s humility and courage in facing scrutiny.
Thelma smiled slightly and said, “Actually, you all got it wrong. I’m not a reporter; I’m the original creator of this song. That’s right, I am the original creator, not this Miss Julie.”
As soon as Thelma said this, the venue erupted in an uproar.
