Chapter 2: Got it! _2

The air suddenly fell silent for ten seconds.

“Oh. Good evening.”

Carrie Thomas’ tone was flat and emotionless, like a robot.

Harrison Clark was somewhat satisfied with this, at least both sides had a rare and proper conversation for the first time.

Having taken the crucial first step, he wanted to strike while the iron was hot, so Harrison asked again, “By the way, where are you going so late at night?”

Carrie was first taken aback, then suddenly her expression turned cold like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She stiffly said, “It’s none of your business.”

She even rolled her eyes fiercely, pouted, and went on her way.

The conversation was even more awkward than this morning.

Harrison stood there, dumbfounded.

Something seemed off, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

A few minutes passed before Harrison could catch his breath.

Returning to his room, he was still puzzled.

Meanwhile, after leaving her house, Carrie Thomas took a taxi to an upscale bar in downtown Oxfordshire.

Because of her dropping out, she had a falling out with her family.

This meant that, starting now, she had to learn to survive on her own.

So she found a job as a resident singer in a bar.

She didn’t like this job at all.

As a conservatory-trained musician, she was very proud and looked down on being a bar singer, considering it a disgrace. However, life had to go on. Even though she despised it, she had to accept this job with a pinched nose.

So when Harrison asked her where she was going earlier, it actually touched upon her inner pain.

Even though his expression was serious, she felt as if he had seen through her job and his smile carried a hint of sarcasm and ridicule.

He was deliberately mocking her for doing something immoral by going out late and returning early.

That’s why Carrie had such a strong reaction and even continued to be upset on her way in the car.

This series of psychological activities in Carrie’s mind were, of course, something Harrison couldn’t know or even imagine.

The plan to cling onto powerful figures had just started and suffered a crushing defeat, which left Harrison feeling rather disheartened.

Carrie Thomas was too capricious, unpredictable, and even more reclusive than him. It was extremely difficult to deal with her, making him feel like there was no way to get through to her.

“Should I just give up?”

Harrison mused with some regret.

She’s one of the top hundred artists in the history of one thousand years!

Although the entertainment industry today is thriving with numerous stars and celebrities, it’s all useless.

In the first fifty years of the 21st century, there were countless actors, singers, composers, directors, painters, and writers both inside and outside China. However, only Carrie Thomas and a few others could be ranked among the top hundred in the thousand-year history of art!

What a great achievement that was.

There were one or two who had not yet been born, and Harrison couldn’t possibly approach their parents in advance.

Even if he could, by the time these people achieved their accomplishments, he’d probably be in his seventies or eighties.

There were also several who had been famous for a long time already, but while Harrison knew them, they didn’t know him, and he didn’t have a chance to get close to them.

There were also a few struggling painters who were easy to approach.

But you know how it is with painters – they remain unknown while alive and only gain recognition after death.

For example, one painter Harrison knew achieved artistic recognition from the public three hundred years after his death.

Neither Harrison nor the painter himself could wait three hundred years.

So, after much consideration, the only one with any real potential value was Carrie Thomas.

Harrison couldn’t help but regret not being more diligent in his past life and copying something more valuable back then. If he had, he would already have a plan in place and wouldn’t be in this situation now.

Unfortunately, there is no medicine for regret in the world. Who would have thought that being a slacker in a dream could lead to a lifetime of regrets?

“They say that the difference between a genius and a madman is just a fine line. It’s not too strange for Carrie Thomas to have some unique aspects to her personality, considering her achievements, right?”

With this in mind, he shrugged his shoulders and decided to let it be, and plan for the long run.

If the direct approach doesn’t work, try a different approach – outflank the problem.

Harrison tossed and turned, unable to sleep that night.

After careful consideration, he gradually came up with a new plan.

He decided to forcefully copy songs.

Since he had wasted a whole year in his dreams, indulging in play and entertainment all day long, he had seen quite a lot of TV, movies, novels, games, and songs. Why not make the best use of them?

Focusing only on clinging to powerful figures was a mistake. He needed to exploit his own strengths.

First, I need to become strong myself, and then let the big shots in the fledgling stage actively embrace me!

The works I’ve experienced in my dreams are my advantages!

So, what do I plagiarize?

Movies and television shows are too large in scale, making it difficult to monetize.

Novels?

There are too many words; I only vaguely remember the general plots of most, and I can’t recite them even if I try.

Write a novel based on vague plotlines?

Don’t joke around. Writing so many words is exhausting, and there is no guarantee that it’ll be a hit in this time and age. The input-to-output ratio is too low.

Besides, my writing is so bad it hurts my eyes to read it.

Harrison Clark has self-awareness; at least for now, he’s not up to the task.

The same goes for scripts.

As for developing games, that’s even more absurd; the investment is not small, and with current technology levels, it’s not possible to develop those high-end games he once played.

So, taking into account various factors, the simplest and easiest way to make money is to plagiarize songs.

It’s just a pity that Harrison Clark has no artistic background; he has never learned music before,

Even though he’s listened to those songs many times, he can barely recall some melodies now, humming them intermittently and off-tune.

But he has to give it a try.

Harrison Clark sets up a plan, digging deep into his memories for the most prominent songs while learning basic music theory and attempting to restore the song melodies as much as possible with the simplest tunes.

Of course, this process is challenging, but at least he has some vague song ideas in his head, unlike ordinary people who have none.

There is another advantage to plagiarizing songs.

After all, Carrie Thomas lives upstairs.

Now you are still strangers, so it’s challenging to approach each other.

But if you become comrades with the same goals, you won’t be so ruthless, right?

You both live upstairs and downstairs, and can learn and progress together. Isn’t that wonderful?

Harrison Clark just couldn’t sleep; he jumped out of bed, turned on the computer, and began typing frantically.

He decided to write down the most critical lyrics from his most memorable songs, humming them a few times to avoid forgetting them later.

After ten minutes, he looked at the seven or eight lines of lyrics in front of him and froze.

How did I end up plagiarizing her song unknowingly?

The song’s title: “Boring.”

This is one of Carrie Thomas’s early works.

Both the lyrics and the tune are immature, but her enchanting voice and perfect emotional outbursts make the song very touching.

The song’s creative level is not high, and its influence comes from the singer’s excellent performance.

The first time Harrison Clark heard the song, he felt as if the loneliness and solitude of being an ordinary person in real life was sung. He was deeply moved.

Unexpectedly, after more than half a year, the first song he thinks of is “Boring.”

Is it really a good idea to plagiarize Carrie Thomas’s song first?

Would that be going too far?

What if she’s already written it, but hasn’t published it yet?

Hold on!

If she hasn’t written it yet but will in the future, does that mean this song represents her mood during a certain period?

If I write it and let her sing it, she should feel like we have a special connection, right?

Will she consider me her confidant?

When she sings my song and becomes popular, should she be grateful to me or hate me?

Honestly, she should hate me, but who told you to treat me with cold indifference so often?

Moreover, she seems to have just moved in, so she probably hasn’t been out of school long.

Now she goes out at night and comes back in the morning.

She doesn’t look like someone who enjoys clubbing, so considering her background, is she a resident singer at a bar?

After singing at the bar for a while, did she grow tired of life and then write “Boring” with the bar as the backdrop?

So, she hasn’t written the song yet!

Harrison Clark racked his brain, using detective-level reasoning powers, frantically analyzing the situation, and accurately guessed many things just by chance.

So I’ll start writing now and show her in a few days!