Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
“Even the elderly are getting in on the action. Just how popular is our Bella.”
“You see, a bunch of trust-fund kids are inquiring about Bella’s details, ready to come knocking with marriage proposals? Are the youngsters really this bold these days?”
Mirabella hadn’t caught up with the news and was puzzled by their conversation.”Bella, come see, you’ve reached the trending topic again! I never expected Romeo to be such a romantic, dropping to one knee in front of everyone to propose with that big sparkling ring.”
Among the crowd, Romeo’s diamond ring stood out, singled out by an eagle-eyed netizen!
Mirabella saw a flood of comments on Louisa’s phone, all clamoring to claim her as their “daughter,”
“daughter-in-law,” “granddaughter.” Her own phone buzzed with messages from her roommate group.
Joyce. [Bella, is that you and Mr. McMillian in the viral ‘Couple in Coat’ photo? Mr. McMillian sure knows how to make a splash, taking you to a concert and proposing in front of everyone. So romantic!]
Kelly. [While the single folks take a hit, we send blessings your way, confetti.jpg]
Mya. [Is it true? Netizens used AI to reconstruct the couple’s faces, and it kinda looks like you, Bella, but not as gorgeous. And they’re already stunned! If you and Mr. McMillian ever tie the knot, the true beauty will rock the nation.]
Kelly. [Bella’s always been a stunner! I’d crush on her and I’m a girl!]
Joyce. [Same here.]
Mya. [Me too.]
On the other side, David, upon his manager’s advice, started a live stream.
The screen was awash with adoring fans, and as the viewer count skyrocketed, many were curious about the trending topic, eager to know whether Summer had lip-synced or plagiarized.
After repeated questions, David noticed the growing curiosity. Without a hint of celebrity ego, he spoke in his soothing, magnetic voice, “There’s chatter about Summer’s song, claiming it plagiarized previous eighteen hit tracks. Tonight, I’ll lay out for you if she plagiarized or not?”The viewership exploded as people kept commenting; they didn’t expect him to address this topic, reigniting interest in the matter.
“I’ll lay it out for you, tune everything to the same key, and we’ll compare right before your eyes. Then you’ll see if her song is a copy or not.”
The audience was surprised he’d spend the time and energy to prove Summer’s innocence. Soon, “David’s Music Breakdown” shot to the top of the trending searches.
“As you know, a song is made up of an intro, verses, chorus, bridge, and outro. Let’s break it down piece by piece and see how Summer’s song stacks up against the others.”
[That’s awesome!]
[I could listen to that voice all night.]
[I’m head over heels for you!]
[I’m a die-hard fan of Summer, here to cheer on you!]
The screen was a carnival of fan adoration.
David flicked off the tipping feature, “Guys, don’t waste your dough.”
With that simple line, his fans fell even harder for him, flooding the chat with [You’re such a sweetheart.]
[I love you even more now].
David faced the camera, earnest as ever, “In a moment, I’ll strip away the BPM, effects, riffs and all those musical frills until we’re left with just the melody, the harmonies and the bass parts.”
David got down to business, “Some folks reckon her intro’s a dead ringer for ‘Memory’, others say it’s spitting image of ‘The Last Season’, and some bring up ‘Dear John’. Let’s compare and see if they’re barking up the right tree.”
He took Summer’s intro and laid it alongside the intros of the songs mentioned by the fans.
The comments rolled in.
[Different vibes.]
[Now that I listen to it, it’s not quite the same.]
[Summer’s got talent to burn; no way she’s a copycat.][Sounds like someone’s just green with envy.]
[David’s got skills! He’s setting the record straight like a pro – first of his kind in the country!]
David paused the comparison, looked into the lens, and said, “Some say Summer just added a few instruments to ‘Valentine’s Day’, spicing up the tune, while others argue she only tweaked a few details from ‘Wish’, giving it a fresh twist but ultimately it’s just a rip-off. Some are adamant the arrangement’s the same, save for a few subtle changes. Let’s take a close listen to the melody of Summer’s song and see how it stacks up against these tracks.”
After another round of comparisons, he asked, “Sound similar?”
[Nope.”
[Absolutely no connection.]
[They were never alike to begin with, no clue why there’s so much hate online!]
[Now that David’s stepped in, let’s see who dares to cry ‘copycat’ at Summer!]
[Summer never copied, period.]
David then addressed the unseen audience, “Let’s dig into the song’s rhythm. You all know about quarter beats, half beats, three-quarter beats, and so on. Let’s tune into her rhythm.”
David gave a live demonstration. While the audience was virtually drooling over the performance, they became more convinced of Summer’s originality, noting no resemblance to those other eighteen songs.
David approached the issue from several angles, systematically clearing Summer of any suspicion.
“Finally, let’s vibe with the style of this track, what you might call its genre. This song was released by Summer two years back, and throughout it, you can hear her aesthetic, her spirit – the whole shebangthat’s uniquely Summer. Compare it with the rest and see if you can spot any copycat business,” David instructed everyone to listen closely, once and again.
The screen lit up with comments:
[Summer’s tune is just way catchier.]
[After all is said and done, I’d like to see those haters talk their way out of this one!]
[Ms. Kiki did the right thing suing ’em, gotta make ’em pay!]
[To all the doubters, take a good listen to David’s expert breakdown. You claim Summer’s a copycat;
now where’s your proof?]
Dave watched as everyone seemed to be swayed by Summer’s talent. With a gentle voice, he said, “You know, if you really want to figure out if the two songs are different, don’t just rely on how they feel.
Listen for the nuances in the instruments – like the quiver of guitar strings or the hum of piano keys.
And pay attention to Summer’s breath control and singing technique. Hand on heart, she’s better than me.”
The crowd didn’t expect David to affirm Summer so positively, and their comments started pouring in.
[You sing great too!]s [Love you!]
[You’ll always be number one in my heart!]
[Thanks for backing Summer. On behalf of all her fans, we appreciate you.]
[Thanks for spending so much time tonight clearing things up for Summer.]
David’s agent hadn’t expected that by sending him to interact with the fans, David would end up dedicating his whole evening to vouching for Summer. But the buzz from the night reignited their fame, and the agent found some solace in that.
Mirabella was chatting with her roommates when Joyce dropped a screenshot into their group chat, showing the trending topic.
[Bella, your brother’s really got your back, spending his whole evening clearing things up for you.]
[The thing is, he did it from such a professional standpoint. Everyone believes him. They’re totally won over.][What kind of celestial siblings are you two? One saves the brother’s show; the other clears the sister’s name.]
Had it not been for Kelly spilling the beans, Joyce and Mya wouldn’t have even known their roommate was also Summer!
They were floored. This girl had been full of surprises since the day they met her.
Meanwhile, across the ocean in an upscale club’s private room.
A group of young elites were enjoying their night when the door swung open, revealing a figure that instantly tamed the rowdy crowd.
“Hans.”
“Hans, what brings you here? Sean, Hans is here.”
“Hans, if you’re looking for Sean, we’ll get out of your way. We’ll leave you two to it, Sean.”
The man lounging on the sofa, Sean, flashed a devilish grin as he watched his friends scatter, leaving him alone with Hans in the end.
“To what do I owe the pleasure, Hans?” Sean, always brash, toned it down a notch in Hans’ presence, but his irreverent demeanor still earned a frown from Hans.
“New Year’s coming up. I don’t care how busy you are. If you’re not around for the holiday, you’ll wish you were. Understand?” Hans placed an object in front of Sean, “This is a present from Bella. Don’t you dare show up empty-handed.”
Sean chuckled, not expecting the usually stoic and workaholic Hans to make a personal appearance, let alone deliver a gift on behalf of his sister.On the table lay a rolled-up piece of paper – a painting, perhaps?
As Hans prepared to leave, his sharp gaze caught the sight of an ashtray brimming with cigarette butts and a table littered with empty bottles. His voice took on a chilly edge, “During the holiday, I expect you to be free of any scent of alcohol or smoke.”
“Leaving so soon, Hans?” Sean called out after him, and at that moment, the club manager crept in, trembling.
“Mr. Sean Collins, I couldn’t stop Mr. Hans Collins when he suddenly showed up. I couldn’t hold him back.”