Chapter 23: Corrupting the Future

Chapter 23: Corrupting the Future

After listening to “Monotony”, Chen Feng rubbed his nose.

It seemed his earlier worries were unnecessary; talented people were really different. One song had been quietly taken, but she immediately came up with a new one on the same level.

No, compared to “Dullness” which turned from bitterness to high aspirations, “Monotony” seemed to reach another level entirely.

The lows were not so low, but when the mood lifted, it was perfectly on point.

“Monotony” was more upbeat, and the feelings in it were more subtle.

If “Dullness” was for those who felt lonely and unsuccessful in real life,

then “Monotony” was for those who seemed ordinary but were actually boring, always neither the best nor the worst.

“Dullness” could wake people up when they were desperate, while “Monotony” could reignite the fighting spirit of those who had lost their drive from numbness to reality.

After comparing both, Zhong Lei’s truly new song “Monotony” had a higher creative level.

But sadly, as the creator, Zhong Lei never sang this song in public or had a recorded version with her voice.

Only Lu Wei’s version of “Monotony” existed.

Zhong Lei was that straightforward: once she sold it to someone else, no matter the song’s quality, she just threw it away like trash.

This left people feeling a lasting regret for centuries, sighing whenever they thought about it.

Lu Wei was good, but compared to Zhong Lei, she was a bit less skilled.

In art, that slight gap would stretch over a thousand years from a small regret to an unbridgeable chasm.

People wished they could turn back time and have her perform it again.

Chen Feng didn’t understand all this; he only knew because a music legend from the 28th century had commented under “Monotony”.

That was terrifying.

Even though Chen Feng had secretly suppressed her, Zhong Lei had grown stronger, creating a masterpiece at her peak that lasted her whole life!

Chen Feng just wanted to say, this girl looked nice, and chatting with her felt ordinary, but why were the songs from her mind so amazing!

Setting aside the new “Monotony”, another thing made Chen Feng feel bad.

He realized “Night Has Grown Deep” still existed, and its composer was still Zhong Lei.

Also, “Night Has Grown Deep” was released before “Monotony”, just after “Dullness” by less than two months.

This meant that in this timeline’s future, Chen Feng still failed to sell “Night Has Grown Deep”, and Zhong Lei wrote it herself soon after. So he had the full musical score but couldn’t sell it.

Chen Feng thought this was ridiculous.

Why were you so absurd? Weren’t you still a beginner?

I only sang “Dullness” to you years earlier, so how were you evolving so fast?

I couldn’t keep up with your wild pace!

But after recalling the score of “Night Has Grown Deep”, it didn’t surprise him.

Unlike “Dullness” with its twelve instruments, “Night Has Grown Deep” was rock perfect for live shows with just four instruments.

Electric guitar, bass, drum set, and keyboard.

That was all.

These were very common instruments, which Zhong Lei probably already mastered, so after “Dullness” sparked her creativity, she quickly wrote the new rock song “Night Has Grown Deep”. That made sense, but an imposter like him wasn’t happy.

Chen Feng decided that after returning, he’d swallow his pride and beg Zheng Rou and Lu Wei for help, discounting the price heavily to sell “Night Has Grown Deep” fast and make a demo.

He couldn’t have learned it for nothing!

Oh no, he’d sing it to her first after going back!

Though Chen Feng knew his singing skills weren’t great, it didn’t matter whether Zhong Lei was already brewing ideas; she hadn’t sung it with him.

He’d hit her with the new song right to her face, catching her off guard!

She had so much inspiration in her head—she needed to hold it back and brew it again to make an even better song!

But this time, Chen Feng wouldn’t sell “Night Has Grown Deep” to Zhong Lei. Giving her another song might lead to her creating more and selling to others, and who knew what changes would happen.

Like now, Chen Feng didn’t know how Zhong Lei connected with Lu Wei so fast—was it through him?

For some reason, though he felt no guilt to anyone, he was a bit nervous.

You two are rivals! Having you mix together so early—what would my role be?

So, another tricky move: he planned to prevent that.

Namely, he’d copy “Monotony” and let Zhong Lei sing it herself later.

Chen Feng was really curious how things would change after this.

The biggest regret of that 28th-century music legend was not hearing Zhong Lei’s version of “Monotony.”

First, he pulled it out of nowhere, and now he quietly erased it.

That guy was going to be messed up!

On his first day after time travel, Chen Feng intensely listened to ten songs.

All from Zhong Lei again.

This time, including the new song “Monotony,” he planned to copy four of Zhong Lei’s songs.

Picking on someone familiar was better than harming others.

After all, she proved resilient—her songs only got better with more testing.

Chen Feng also wanted to squeeze out Zhong Lei’s potential by really going after her like plucking sheep wool to the end.

The sheep had thick wool and always grew new coats.

Most importantly, copying hers was safe!

Early the next morning, Chen Feng got up, washed up, and hummed “Dullness” on his way to the elevator.

As a trainee soldier, he had to wake at 6 AM daily for a 6:30 morning drill, finishing an hour of intense physical training before breakfast.

The elevator door opened, and Ding Hu’s square face was there.

In the trainee camp, instructors and trainees shared a huge building, with instructors in higher floors and trainees on lower levels.

“Chen Feng, good morning,” Ding Hu greeted.

Chen Feng forced a smile. “Good morning, Instructor.”

He didn’t want to talk, but Ding Hu was enthusiastic. “What you sang just now—that’s Master Zhong Lei’s ‘Dullness’.”

Chen Feng froze. “Huh? Master?”

Though there was nothing wrong with Ding Hu’s term, Chen Feng felt awkward.

He pictured Zhong Lei herself after singing “Dullness,” looking at him with admiration in her eyes.

Master, you need to act your stature!

Seeing Chen Feng’s reaction, Ding Hu looked puzzled. “Not true? Don’t you like her? Then why were you singing her debut song?”

Chen Feng nodded dumbly. “I like her, very much.”

Brother Hu knew his stuff; after just a few lines, he named the song, its singer, and that it was her debut.

A thousand years later, with endless music choices, Brother Hu still knew all about Zhong Lei.

He was definitely a loyal fan.

“You sing pretty well, at least not off-key.”

Bad luck today; Chen Feng didn’t want to chat, but with just the two in the elevator, Ding Hu wouldn’t stop.

“Thank you for the compliment, Instructor.” Chen Feng couldn’t stay silent, so he asked, “Instructor, what do you think of the lyrics and melody of ‘Dullness’?”

Ding Hu thought seriously for two seconds. “Coincidentally, the composer and lyricist were the same person, named like you. Rumors say that Chen Feng was Master Zhong Lei’s mentor, but I disagree. If he were that talented, why just one song? Personally, I think the song wouldn’t be good without Master Zhong Lei singing it. The guy just got lucky writing a decent song that Master Zhong Lei liked.”

Chen Feng thought, Oh god…

And please stop calling her Master all the time.