A Low Rank Female Goes Viral Across the Galaxy-Chapter 90: Formidable Rival

Three days passed.

On the Star Network, screen recordings of clips from *Interstellar Composer* had been replayed to death, a true feast for music lovers.

While there were plenty of duds, there were even more standouts.

The song *Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing* was even pushed to the number one spot on the trending charts.

If it hadn’t only been uploaded to the production team’s official app instead of the major platforms, it probably would have secured the top spot on the Federation’s August new song chart, leaving no room for anyone else.

Well, in reality, it was very likely that no one else stood a chance anyway.

Thanks to Jiang Qin’s popularity, He Zhuoqun and the two singers from Tianwen also blew up. After all, while Jiang Qin was on a show in the Empire, they were still in the Federation.

And this month, they had all released songs composed by Jiang Qin.

This was compounded by the fact that fans wanted to help boost the songs’ popularity.

As a result, all three songs currently had very high play counts.

However, some singers who disliked Jiang Qin also saw an opportunity. They immediately released new songs and deployed all sorts of paid commenters to generate hype.

After all, August was likely their only chance to break Jiang Qin’s streak of topping the charts!

Since she was participating in the show, she probably wouldn’t be back until the end of August, and during the show, she wasn’t allowed to use her Light Computer.

In other words, as long as none of the three songs—*Nameless People*, *Joy is enough*, and *Once You*—took first place, her chart-topping streak would be broken!

To get another streak, she would have to start all over again.

The very thought was thrilling, which was why the August music scene could only be described as a chaotic free-for-all.

***

Under the eager eyes of Interstellar People everywhere, the live broadcast of the second elimination round began.

It started with the familiar segment of drawing for performance order.

This time, Jiang Qin didn’t draw the first or last slot, but rather the 39th position.

This was a slot where the audience and judges were typically at their most fatigued.

But true gold fears no fire. A truly great song only needed an intro to capture everyone’s attention.

"First, let’s welcome our first singer to the stage, Miss Yue Ji!

She will be performing *Life Transfer*, a piece by the composer Mr. Park Junxi..."

’It’s that Mermaid singer...’ Jiang Qin perked up and listened intently.

BEEP BEEP BEEP—

The intro featured the sound of footsteps, the whirring of machinery, and the chatter of scientists.

Yue Ji appeared on stage wearing an Interstellar-style hospital gown.

With a sickly pallor on her face, she sang mournfully of the suffering of a terminally ill patient.

The second half, however, took on a bizarrely joyful tone, shifting into a dark, gothic style as the lyrics changed.

I can become him...

A young body, so mesmerizing.

Just listening to the song sent a chill down one’s spine.

After the song ended, Yue Ji, without a doubt, received a near-perfect score and vote count.

The dark, chilling melody was a perfect match for her ethereal, mournful, yet slightly piercing voice.

At that moment, every composer and singer had the same thought: ’A formidable rival!’

It was said that this Yue Ji wasn’t just a diva; she also possessed an incredibly sharp intuition for music.

If she felt any part of a song she was collaborating on didn’t suit her voice, she would make slight alterations.

And often, the modified piece would become an even better fit for her.

Thus, she and the composers she worked with elevated one another.

As a result, many composers were eager to collaborate with her, sending all sorts of musical scores to her door for her to choose from.

Jiang Qin had never underestimated the Empire.

Their arrogance was backed by genuine ability.

Whether in terms of Genes, resources, technology, people’s livelihood, political systems, or entertainment, they were leaders in the Interstellar community.

Even most of the medicinal agents on the market came from the Empire.

The latest formulas were reserved for Imperial citizens only. Those sold externally were divided into several tiers, with supply depending on the buyer’s power.

For example, the Mechanical Clan, the Elf Clan, and others among the Myriad Races could purchase the Empire’s second-tier, phased-out agents.

Lesser races could only buy third, fourth, or even fifth-tier ones.

The Federation was able to purchase the second-tier agents because its large population of Federation Beastmen was needed to fend off Alien Beasts in space.

But the Empire restricted the types of agents available.

It was like they were raising an enforcer; they were willing to share some of their obsolete goods with the Federation, but they were also afraid of letting the Federation grow too powerful.

So, they kept a tight grip on certain exclusive resources, ensuring that even if someone in the Federation developed a new product based on their technology, they couldn’t bypass the step of purchasing the raw materials from the Empire.

Unless the Federation one day became strong enough to invade the Empire, it would forever be at their mercy.

There was nothing to be done. After all, when the Federation was formed, its people had to colonize their home planets from scratch.

The resource mines and other assets in the Interstellar space had long since been divided up.

Developing the Federation to its current scale was already the result of their predecessors’ utmost efforts.

***

Finally, when it was the 35th contestant’s turn, Jiang Qin got up and went to the waiting area to prepare.

Today, she wore a sparkling, pure white spaghetti-strap mermaid dress, though she had a jacket draped over her shoulders before going on stage.

Even so, she was still dazzling.

At least, she was in Cang Hong’s eyes. In the darkness, she was the only one with a faint, glittering light about her.

After the two met up, Jiang Qin asked softly, "Are you ready? How are you feeling?"

"No problem," Cang Hong said confidently.

To prevent any mishaps, he had taken two Inhibitors and one Emotion Suppressor beforehand.

"That’s good."

Seeing that he truly wasn’t nervous—aside from blushing and looking a little flustered when facing her—Jiang Qin felt relieved.

’He’s just shy around females. Once he starts singing, he won’t have the mental capacity to worry about it.’

Contestants 37 and 38 went on stage one after the other.

"Next, let’s welcome our 39th performers, singer Mr. Cang Hong from the Federation and his partner, composer Miss Jiang Qin, with their song, *Chapter*!"

Jiang Qin naturally reached out and linked her arm with Cang Hong’s as they walked onto the stage.

The moment she drew close, Cang Hong’s face flushed crimson, and his heart pounded so violently it roared in his ears.

Noticing her partner’s breathing had become a little erratic, Jiang Qin quietly reassured him, "Don’t be nervous. Just do it like we did in rehearsal."

’No... it’s not the same.’

Cang Hong desperately tried to calm himself down.

He was screaming internally.

’Don’t panic! Don’t be shy! Don’t look down, and definitely don’t stutter!’

’I can get eliminated, but I can’t drag Miss Jiang Qin down! She’s so brilliant!’

The moment Cang Hong opened his mouth to sing, Jiang Qin was completely at ease.

She had already let go of his arm, and the two of them now stood in different positions on the stage.

Cang Hong’s stage outfit had been sent over by Jiang Qin: a black shirt with the top two buttons undone, accessorized with a silver chain.

He wore slim-fit dress pants and leather shoes, giving him a look that was both elegant and roguishly handsome.

Since they both had black hair, they looked like a perfect match. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Don’t let the dark clouds hide the blue of the sky

Don’t let fate turn back the oarless boat

Don’t let the long night fall upon your arms..."

As his gentle, pure voice rang out, everyone in the venue felt as if their souls were being cleansed.