From Skid Row to Superstardom: An Idol System Novel-Chapter 354: Is This Your Prince (2)?

└ Seriously, doesn’t anyone think the melody sounds familiar?

It was a tiny comment that quickly got drowned out by the rush of other comments, but it caught Grace’s eye immediately.

Did the short snippet of William’s song sound familiar?

A little bit, but she wasn’t an expert on music, so she didn’t really know.

If anything, what made Grace suspicious was William’s speed in making a song.

No matter how she thought about it, was it possible to make a song from scratch in 24 hours? 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Or was she falling for the production team’s editing magic?

They could have given William help behind the scenes or messed with the timeline a bit, and were now lying to boost his image.

Or was William really a genius, and her dislike of him was clouding her hatred?

Only time would tell, especially in comparison to the other two contestants who would be producing a song.

After glancing at the chat to make sure she hadn’t missed anything, Grace turned her attention back to the screen, where it had transitioned to the camera zooming in through the door to show another contestant, this time somebody easily recognizable.

Wearing light wash blue jeans and a white t-shirt that hugged his muscular body, his long blonde hair pulled back messily, and an unusually focused expression on his handsome face, it was the resident country boy.

With his large frame sitting on the floor with a guitar, a laptop, and a notepad to the side, Jamie presented the picture of a focused musician working hard on composing, especially as he strummed something before leaning down to scribble something in the notepad, causing a lock of hair to fall across his face.

Without any fanfare, the caption appeared on the screen.

[Producer 2: James Jones III]

As Jamie began strumming his guitar again, the catchy sound filled the background as the video transitioned to the cameraman’s point of view, showing them wandering around the door in a circle, and a new caption appeared.

— Production Team: [The producing contestant is working extra hard to make songs.]

— Production Team: [However...]

— Production Team: [We’re scared to interrupt. Not because the contestant is scary or can’t hear us. But because...]

The scene transitioned back to Jamie, who was playing the guitar more intently. His fingers had picked up speed and were basically flying over the fretboard, creating a chaotic melody that transitioned between genres and sounds.

From country to rock, from rock to soul, from soul to pop, and more, Jamie just played the guitar as if he were letting the notes lead him, all the while employing different techniques.

When he felt like he needed a beat, he would drum on the guitar’s body while still strumming the strings, or bend the strings in different ways to create a vibrato effect. Each time he changed the style of music he played, he incorporated new techniques that wowed the audience.

└ Whoa, I see why Ariel calls him a music genius. He really is the music genius of the show

└└ I’m happy you’re seeing the greatness of my kid, but don’t mention that name here.

└ I didn’t even know you could play the guitar like this. How much practice do you have to do to get this good?

└ What the heck? He doesn’t even need other instruments; he can do it all on the guitar

└ I’ve been taking guitar lessons for 10 years, and I didn’t even know you could do all that on the guitar. Am I cooked?

└└ *hand on shoulder* it’s time to give up fam

└ Am I the only one who likes to see the golden retriever’s serious expression?

└└🫦 No, I feel you. The hair-up-and-focused look does something to me. I just want to interrupt him

└└ Jamie! Please finger me like your guitar

└└└ Officer, this one right here.

It was as if the production team could read the comments, because their next caption agreed with them.

— Production Team: [The producing contestant is creating a masterpiece, and we don’t want to disturb him (TT_TT).]

As the production team began circling outside the door, the camera caught Jamie looking up as he stopped playing.

When he caught sight of the camera crew, that characteristically bright smile of his appeared on his face, completely wiping away the previous serious expression.

Waving happily with his blue eyes twinkling, Jamie hopped to his feet and went to open the door.

"Howdy, y’all. My turn for filming? Come on in."

└ My Shayla ~

└ Jamie, you look so handsome! Let’s continue to ditch the cowboy hat and wear tight-fitting things!

└ With one smile, the large blonde Viking has once again turned into a cutie patootie. I want to pinch his cheeks!

└└ I want to lick his veins and for him to get angry and then crush me with his muscular arms and then drink me like a protein shake so that I may become the sustenance that makes his muscles grow stronger. It’s my dream.

└└└ ayo?

└└└└ Don’t hit translate on the Portuguese comments. The Brazilians are a different breed!

As the production team began chatting with Jamie, he showed them what he had so far: his workflow of playing the guitar and snipping out usable parts for later refinement, his notes, and his plans.

While he wasn’t as far as William was, it was still a good amount done, and he even made a quick little looping jingle from scratch using the sound of footsteps, the door opening and closing, and a few chords played on his guitar, which wowed the production team even more.

After a fruitful meeting with Jamie and a promise to come back in a couple of days, the scene faded away into black.

And stayed that way for several seconds, causing the comments to begin filling up.

└ Is something wrong?

└ Broadcast delayed?

└ Did my TV break?

└ Isn’t the third producer Ariel? Don’t tell me he ran away cause he’s a fraud?

└└ He found out he couldn’t fake it anymore, so he ran off.

└ All that auramaxxing for nothing. What happened to ’Mr. I’m the villain. He’s a fraud

- fraud alert!

As people began slandering Ari, the scene eventually faded into one in which the production team was once again circling outside a doorway.

The lead production team member who was supposed to ask questions would go peek through the window in the door, flinch, and then scurry back to the cameraman as if they had seen something scary.

They would push another production crew member who would rush to the door, stare into the window, flinch, and scurry back.

After the viewers saw the scene repeat multiple times, they became quite curious as to what was happening.

└ What are they seeing?

└Show us!

└ What is he doing?

└ Why is he scaring the hoes?

└ Stop teasing us and show the weirdo!

As if they saw the comments, the caption appeared as the scene switched to a first-person point of view and slowly approached the doorway.

— Production Team: [The producing contestant is working extra hard to make songs.....I think?]

└ Lol!!! You think?

└ Seriously, what is he doing in there??

└ I’m so curious

— Production Team: [However...]

— Production Team: [We’re scared to interrupt because ...]

The scene cut to Ari screaming while hanging upside down, then climbing over random furniture, then perched on top of a table, and finally in a handstand, staring blankly into space before flopping onto his back, staring at the ceiling, and muttering in a strangely discordant language.

— Production Team: [The contestant is insane?]

└ Jumpscare!

└ What is wrong with him?

└ Why is he doing that?

└└ autism

└└└ Pfttttt! Why would you say that??

└└└└ because it’s true.

On screen, as a hand reached out to knock on the door, Ari sat straight up like a zombie, and his head turned to stare at the door before he blinked for several seconds.

When he finally realized that it was the production team, he hopped to his feet, quickly dusted himself off, and ran to open the laptop on the table and set things up before rushing to open the door with a bright smile.

— Ari: [Good morning!]

— Production Team: [It’s 7 pm.]

— Ari: [Oh. Well, happy Tuesday.]

— Production Team: [It’s Wednesday.]

— Ari: [Oh...]

After several slow blinks, Ari shrugged before smiling cheekily.

— Ari: [Cut. Cut. Miss PD, let’s cut that part out, okay? You’ll tell the PD to cut it out, right?]

He made scissors with his fingers before sending a worried look to the production team member.

— Production Team: [Of course. We only want to capture the song-creation portion, since that’s one of the main purposes of this mission. And we have too much footage to get through as it is.]

— Ariel: [Phew.]

As Ari relaxed, another caption showed up.

[We did not cut it out because we, as a production team, are determined to show you the truth.]

└ You believed them? These scammers.

└ pfttt! Betrayed once again by the production team.

└ Look at him pretending to be cheerful. You can never be Jamie!

└ Why is he pretending to be normal?

With a relieved sigh, Ari brought them in to show them what he was working on so far.