Chapter 093: Plagiarism?

Qin Han stopped there and looked at Lin Feng in confusion. “Brother-in-law, don’t tell me you and my sister have already broken up? Why do these lyrics sound like a breakup song?”

“Why do you have so many questions? Keep singing.” Lin Feng rolled his eyes at him.

He had never expected this guy to be so good at singing. When Qin Han finished one full rendition of “Ten Years,” it carried a flavor all its own. What surprised Lin Feng most was that, although it was Qin Han’s first time singing the song, every note stayed perfectly on pitch.

“What, have my vocals conquered you?” Qin Han said smugly.

“Just sing. If you can meet my standards, I’ll take you on a hugely popular domestic variety show the day after tomorrow,” Lin Feng said.

“Really?” Qin Han’s face lit up. His lifelong dream had been to become a superstar like his sister, Qin Ruolin. This time, he had secretly returned to the country to take part in The Voice of China in order to make a name for himself.

And if he could show his face on a well-known domestic variety show, that would no doubt be the best way to gain fame.

“Don’t worry. As long as your singing meets my standards, I’ll bring you on the show,” Lin Feng said solemnly.

“Deal!”

Qin Han cleared his throat and launched straight into the chorus.

Ten years ago
I did not know you, and you did not belong to me
We were still the same, accompanying strangers at our sides
Walking through streets that slowly grew familiar
Ten years later
We are friends, still able to greet each other
Only that kind of tenderness
Can never again find a reason for an embrace
Lovers, in the end, inevitably become friends
...

“How was it? Did I meet your standards?” Qin Han asked eagerly when he finished.

Lin Feng nodded. “So-so.”

“And the show?” Qin Han stared at him with anticipation.

“Well, you were still just a tiny bit short—but since you’re Ruolin’s brother, I’ll take you along,” Lin Feng said with a grand wave of his hand, as though he were doing him some enormous favor.

“That’s amazing! You really are my own brother-in-law!” Qin Han said, delighted.

Lin Feng smiled at him, while inwardly letting out a quiet sigh of relief.

At last, the guest vocalist had been found...

After washing up, the three of them went out together for breakfast.

Then they returned to the hotel and began practicing again. Since Qin Han had been confirmed as the second guest vocalist, Lin Feng no longer needed to book him a separate room.

The song Lin Feng had chosen for Lin Wen was “Encounter.” He had picked it because it suited her voice best. Lin Wen was not the type with a huge, explosive, powerhouse voice; her sound was clean and transparent, making her perfect for performing a delicate little song like “Encounter.”

Hearing the departure of winter
I awoke in some year, some month
I think I waited, I think I hoped
Yet the future cannot be arranged by reason
...

As Lin Wen was singing, Qin Han’s phone suddenly rang.

“Brother-in-law, it’s my sister.” Qin Han glanced at the caller ID and said to Lin Feng.

“Then answer it. Do I need a report for that?” Lin Feng said, pursing his lips.

“My sister’s definitely furious that I secretly ran back to the country, so if she wants to talk to you later, you have to say a few good things for me,” Qin Han said.

“Fine, just answer the phone already.” Lin Feng waved him off, a little impatient.

Only then did Qin Han carefully pick up the call.

“You took so long to answer. Have you done something guilty again?” came Qin Ruolin’s voice from the other end.

“No, I’m just practicing singing,” Qin Han replied with a smile.

“Still practicing this late? Since when have you worked so hard?” Qin Ruolin did not know that Qin Han had already returned to the country; it was the middle of the night in the United States.

“Sis, I’m back in the country.”

“What?! Didn’t you say you signed up for an advanced music course in the United States during the holiday? How did you end up back home again?” Qin Ruolin went on at once. “If you’re in the country, then the call you made to me was last night. Why were you calling me so late? Did you get into some kind of trouble? And do Mom and Dad still not know you’ve come back?”

Qin Ruolin was exceptionally sharp and immediately fired off a string of questions.

“Sis, don’t worry. I haven’t caused any trouble, and everything’s fine. I’m with my brother-in-law right now!” Qin Han replied.

“Brother-in-law? Which brother-in-law? Whose brother-in-law?” Qin Ruolin asked in confusion.

“Your brother-in-law, of course. Your boyfriend,” Qin Han said.

“My boyfriend?” Qin Ruolin fell silent for a moment, then cried out, “Do you mean Lin Feng?!”

“Yeah.” Qin Han looked bewildered. “Sis, do you have to be so excited? Aren’t you more at ease knowing I’m with my brother-in-law?”

Cough...

Qin Ruolin coughed as if something had gone down the wrong way. After a long pause, she said, “Is Lin Feng next to you right now?”

“Yeah.”

“Give him the phone.”

“Oh, okay...” Qin Han handed the phone to Lin Feng and lowered his voice. “Don’t forget what I told you before...”

Lin Feng nodded and took the phone.

“Lin Feng, what is going on? Why are you with Xiao Han?” Qin Ruolin asked.

“Well...” Lin Feng had originally intended to tell the truth, but Qin Han beside him kept making shushing gestures. So Lin Feng had no choice but to make something up. “Well, it was an accident. Yes, we ran into each other by chance...”

“An accident? What kind of accident?” Qin Ruolin clearly did not believe him. She threatened, “Lin Feng, if you dare lie to me, you’re dead!”

“All right, wait a moment...”

Lin Feng knew he could not fool Qin Ruolin, so he stood up, took the phone onto the balcony, and locked the door behind him.

“Qin Han doesn’t want me to say anything, but I think you should know.”

Lin Feng then recounted everything that had happened the previous night in full.

“That little brat really went and caused trouble again!” Qin Ruolin said angrily. “Give him the phone! Just see how I deal with him!”

“Don’t. I promised Qin Han I wouldn’t tell you. Anyway, everything’s fine now, so just pretend you don’t know. Besides, I’m watching him now, and I guarantee he won’t cause any more trouble,” Lin Feng said.

Qin Ruolin sighed softly. “That guy has been a troublemaker since he was little. Every time he gets into trouble, it’s always me, his sister, who has to step in. But there’s nothing I can do—he is my brother after all...”

“Alas, I’m filming a music video in Europe right now, and I won’t be back in the country until next week, so I’ll have to trouble you again this time...”

“It’s fine. Just focus on filming your music video. Qin Han is with me, so nothing will happen to him.”

“Mm, then let’s leave it at that for now. We’re about to start shooting here.”

“Okay, bye~!”

...

“Brother-in-law, you didn’t sell me out, did you?” Qin Han asked miserably when Lin Feng came back from the balcony.

“How could I? If I really had sold you out, how could your sister have let you off so easily?” Lin Feng said with a smile.

“Oh, right!” Qin Han was overjoyed. He draped an arm around Lin Feng’s shoulder. “You, brother-in-law, are the one I’ve chosen! You’re a lot better than that obnoxious Lu Qingfeng!”

“Lu Qingfeng? Who’s that?” Lin Feng asked in confusion.

“Him?” Qin Han curled his lip and said dismissively, “He’s like some giant, super-annoying fly. He’s been sticking to my sister since we were kids. Then for some reason I can’t understand, our old man verbally agreed to an engagement between him and my sister. After that, that guy started telling everyone that my sister was his fiancée. If not for you showing up, I bet our old man would still be forcing my sister to marry him now!”

“I see...” Lin Feng nodded. Qin Ruolin had already told him that her parents were trying to force her to marry someone she hated. It must have been this Lu Qingfeng.

“Brother, something bad has happened. Come take a look!” Lin Wen suddenly shouted at that moment.

“What happened?” Lin Feng asked, looking over at her in confusion.

“Zhou Ziqian posted an update on Weibo five minutes ago. He says your song ‘The Eyes That Smile’ is plagiarized!” Lin Wen said.

“What? Plagiarized?!” Lin Feng was stunned.

Could it be that this world also had a Lin Junjie? No, that couldn’t be right. That song of mine had already passed the copyright registry review.

...