Chapter 120: Martial Movement Concluded (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

The video ended.

The storm belonging to this song, and to Jiabei, was only just beginning.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, the listeners and fans exploded.

It wasn't the full version.

It was another cut-off version.

Yes, "another."

Those who finished the song were driven to the brink of madness; having it happen once wasn't enough, so it had to happen again. They were getting addicted to being left dangling.

It was pure torture.

A new storm had arrived.

Li He’s new song had moved many to tears, but his mid-song cut-off had angered even more people—especially those who had just been crying.

"Teacher Jiabei, I was wrong! Please, I beg you, release the full version!"

"Did Teacher Jiabei not finish singing, or did the show production team edit it to cut it off intentionally?"

"I was having such a moving moment, and then the video ended. I almost choked on my own breath."

"It sounds great, sure, but it's a bit hard on my phone screen."

"I have to ask: are you being serious with this editing?"

"You don't leave a cliffhanger like that!"

"Is this song the 'gift' Teacher Jiabei mentioned? If so, I’d rather not have it!"

"..."

Many netizens were on the verge of a breakdown. "Southern Girl" wasn't just about a girl from the South; it was about that elusive, haunting figure in one’s memories that one dare not revisit.

What was even more frustrating was the lack of a follow-up.

Teacher Jiabei was truly talented at writing and singing, but the production team was even more "talented" at editing.

The video didn't make it clear whether Jiabei hadn't finished the song or if the production team had intentionally cut it to drive engagement.

There were two schools of thought online.

One was that Jiabei hadn't finished singing; the other was that the show crew was lazy and did a hack job.

The two sides argued endlessly, neither able to convince the other.

Just like that, amidst the controversy, the show aired.

Once the episode was broadcast, the internet exploded even more violently.

"Holy crap, I didn't know He Luoluo and Teacher Jiabei were this close. Is Old Li being serious?"

"He Luoluo has officially claimed the 'Consort' position."

"Did you see the way He Luoluo looked at Teacher Jiabei? That look wasn't right! What's going on?"

"That scoundrel actually has a decent face, only a tiny bit less handsome than Teacher Jiabei."

"So 'Southern Girl' really was inspired by Xiang Li."

"Improvising on the spot and singing it right away..."

"..."

The show continued as scheduled. When the musical segment finished, the audience still didn't get the second half they were hoping for.

They were furious.

It wasn't the production team's intentional cutting; Jiabei had only sung that much to begin with.

Especially after singing that truncated segment, Jiabei proceeded to eat his braised sea bass with such relish that the other guests were left feeling stifled and resentful.

Xie Shun spent the entire meal tapping his chopsticks loudly, making no attempt to hide his dissatisfaction.

After watching the episode, the audience felt even more stifled and depressed.

Jiabei's excuse for not singing the full version was quite thorough: "Improvised on the spot; lacked the ability to write the full version."

Since he admitted to lacking the ability, what were the netizens supposed to do?

If they lashed out, there was nowhere to aim. If they didn't, they would just choke on their frustration.

Li He, being keenly aware of the audience's mood, posted a short video he had prepared half an hour after the show aired.

The content of the video was simple, consisting of only a few lines:

"I will write the second half of 'Southern Girl' and share it with everyone as soon as possible. However, as you all know, September is almost here, and I don't have much time left to write songs. I cannot guarantee when I will be able to finish it..."

Ding Zhong, who followed Jiabei on a burner account, received the notification immediately.

After reading it, his face turned green.

"What is he implying? He can't write the second half, so he blames me? What does that have to do with me?" Ding Zhong was suffocating with indignation.

How did everything manage to circle back to him?

Originally, it wasn't a big deal. Even if "Southern Girl" was incomplete, while the netizens were angry, they wouldn't have targeted Ding Zhong.

But with Li He's video, the implication changed.

"Look at this. What does he mean? What does Jiabei mean?" Ding Zhong's hands were trembling. He had finally managed to drop off the trending topics; he didn't want to get cursed back onto them.

A friend of Ding Zhong’s said, "Jiabei's meaning is simple. He's saying he doesn't have time to write 'Southern Girl' because the September Song Battle is coming... He's passing the buck to you."

"Who did I offend?" The thirty-something-year-old Ding Zhong was on the verge of tears. "I accepted the blame for that song 'The Ordinary Road' last time. Even though I didn't understand what I did wrong, I accepted it."

"This 'Southern Girl' has absolutely nothing to do with me. I didn't force him to write it, nor did I stop him from writing it."

His friend sighed, "Jiabei is too devious. You can't outplay him."

"Should I post a video to clarify?" Ding Zhong’s eyes lit up.

If Jiabei could do it, so could he. It wasn't as if he didn't know how to play dirty.

"It's useless," his friend replied. "The more you explain, the worse it looks. The audience and netizens only know that Jiabei doesn't have time to complete 'Southern Girl' because of you. No matter how much you explain, you can't change that fact."

Although Li He was steering the netizens' anger toward Ding Zhong, both excuses pointed back to the September Song Battle.

And the battle was something Ding Zhong had initiated.

That was the fact. No matter how Ding Zhong explained it, the fact remained.

"So I have to be the scapegoat for Jiabei and accept a tarnished reputation for no reason?" Ding Zhong felt hopeless.

"Just mourn your luck! It'll be over once September passes."

***

On the other side.

After posting the short video, Li He didn't bother following up on the aftermath.

Two weeks of August had already passed, leaving only half a month until the September Song Battle.

Not much time left.

Except for Han Feng, who was practicing "Ten Years," Li He hadn't prepared the songs for the others yet.

For the next two days, he needed to finish "Martial Universe" and focus on preparing for the September battle.

At exactly 8:00 PM that night, Li He stared at the author's backend on the reading website. He was debating whether to follow the ending of "Battle Through the Heavens" and just kill off Lin Dong, or have him perish alongside the Evil Emperor.

However.

When Li He prepared to make the edit, he hesitated.

If Lin Dong ended up like Xiao Yan, then the "Big Boss" and the "Great God" authors would be permanently linked, which was not the result Li He wanted to see.

A Big Boss is a Big Boss; he has nothing to do with a Great God.

Just like that, Li He sat in front of the computer for half an hour.

Finally, he abandoned the idea of killing off Lin Dong.

Instead, he chose to kill off Lin Yan and Little Marten, as well as Lin Dong's two wives and his sister, Qing Tan.

"That’s much more perfect." Li He was very satisfied with the revised ending.

Not only did it avoid the outcome of clashing with Xiao Yan, but it would also harvest negative emotion points on a much larger scale.

Li He felt he was getting smarter by the day.

He suddenly sighed softly, as if sighing made him feel more at ease.

He didn't really want to change the ending, but he had no choice; the damn "Moth" system forced his hand.

His eyes flickered.

Li He decided to be impulsive. For the second book by the "Great God" and the "Big Boss," he wouldn't modify the plot at all—he would copy it completely.

The next day, Li He sent a message to his editor, Wang Ke, telling him that "Martial Universe" would be finished today.

"Finishing today? Isn't that a bit too fast?" Wang Ke knew the Big Boss intended to finish the book, but now that the day had arrived, he found it hard to accept.

Knowing he couldn't persuade the Big Boss, Wang Ke stopped trying.

At 8:30 PM, the final battle of "Martial Universe" was officially published.

—

PS: Published first, edited later. Please point out any errors.