Reborn Before His Release Date

After I posted my retirement announcement, everyone applauded.

Only Simons, my girlfriend Julia's rumored boyfriend and rising creative genius, objected.

In front of numerous reporters, he put on a show.

It's all a misunderstanding. Anthony is an indispensable talent. I sincerely hope he can return to the entertainment industry.

I turned off my phone, ignoring his proclamation.

In my past life, my work was identical to his original single.

Online users accused me of plagiarism and wished death upon my entire family.

Unwilling to accept this, I posted all my creative process, but it couldn't overcome the final publication time of the work.

His new song was published ten minutes earlier than mine.

Because of those ten minutes, netizens created death photo edits of me, and some even came to my house to throw paint.

Over several years, constant cyberbullying gave me depression.

My parents spent their entire fortune trying to clear my name, but were burned to death by crazed fans.

Finally, on the day his original song won an award, I leaped from a high-rise building.

Unexpectedly, when I opened my eyes again, I had been reborn on the day the new song was published.

"Your new song will be released on time at noon today."

"Don't be nervous. With the quality of this song, you'll definitely win Best Creator at this year's Music Awards!"

My agent Johnston patted my shoulder, and I gasped for air as if waking from a nightmare.

Looking at the familiar living room and the bewildered Johnston in front of me, I finally realized I had been reborn on the day of the new song's release.

"You've worked hard staying up late to write songs these past few days. I won't schedule any announcements for you. Get some good rest."

"Wait!"

I called out to Johnston, who had reached the door, my eyes fixed on the wall clock.

The second hand ticked forward. When the minute hand pointed to 10, I opened my phone and found Simons' Twitter.

Just like in my previous life, he posted a music website link with the caption: "Original solo single 'Sunshine in the Ruins' awaiting your listening."

Opening the link, a male voice flowed from my phone.

"What's going on? Isn't this your new song!"

Johnston stepped forward and grabbed my phone. "The melody, the lyricsthey're all the same. This is your original work. How could Simons publish it early!"

"Could it be someone from the recording studio who stole the song? Wait, I'll have someone investigate right now!"

I stopped Johnston. "Cancel the new song release with the company!"

In my past life, because I released the exact same single as Simons, I was branded a plagiarist.

To clear my name, I posted my creative process, but no one cared.

"Plagiarism is plagiarismdoing it but not daring to admit it!"

"Now you're even faking the process to prove yourself. That must have been exhausting to write, huh?"

"Plagiarists deserve to have their whole families die! Support Simons in defending his rights. Sue him until he's bankrupt!"

My agent Johnston and the recording studio teachers spoke up for me, but they were also cursed out by netizens.

At that time, my girlfriend Julia, who had won Best Actress, went live.

During the livestream, my girlfriend who had always refused to make our relationship public openly declared her love for Simons and strongly condemned my plagiarism.

In an instant, I was utterly devastated!

I had clearly played my new song for her in advance. To protect Simons, she actually backstabbed me, her legitimate boyfriend!

Following her lead, the fans' anger surged. They flooded my social media, cursing me endlessly.

Singers and actors I had worked with avoided me like the plague, eager to distance themselves from me.

If anyone didn't publicly condemn me, they would be attacked by masses of fans.

As they wished, I was blacklisted from the industry, expelled from the professional association, and even my previous awards were revoked.

Under public pressure, my management company terminated my contract.

From that point on, whenever Simons released a song, I would be dragged out and viciously cursed.

Netizens sent me funeral wreaths and created death photo edits. Some even came to my house to throw paint.

Years of cyberbullying gave me depression.

My parents spent their entire fortune trying to clear my name, but were burned to death by crazed fans.

On the day Simons' original song won the Music Award, I leaped from a high-rise building.

What I never expected was that when I opened my eyes again, I had been reborn.

Heaven gave me a chance to start over. This time, I had to figure out what was really going on.

"The company spent a fortune on this single. You can't just cancel it like that. I won't be able to explain this to the higher-ups!"

"How about thisI'll investigate the song theft, and you quickly write another song to turn in."

After Johnston left, I sat alone on the sofa thinking for a long time.

Simons was my girlfriend's childhood friend. They grew up together and had always been very close.

After graduating from a music academy abroad, Simons entered the entertainment industry through Julia's connections.

With the seasoned Julia as his backer, he signed directly with SKY Entertainment, the largest entertainment company in the country.

Right from his debut, he sang the theme song for an international director's film.

These were all privileges I, the legitimate boyfriend, had never enjoyed.

Because Julia treated him so well, I was always jealous and resentful.

But Julia said her family and Simons' family were old friends, and it would look bad if she didn't help him.

Not wanting to make things difficult for her, I turned a blind eye.

Little did I know that Simons had always been the one she desired but couldn't have in her youth.

My hands kept moving as I continued searching through Simons' Twitter for clues. Finally, I discovered something suspicious in a post from a month ago.

On August 26th, Simons posted a photo with the caption: Creative inspiration flowing.

I enlarged the photo and examined it carefully.

Suddenly, my head buzzed!

The draft paper on his desk showed the same creative thought process as mine.

Even the lyrics I had deleted were identical, word for word!

I wrote the lyrics based on my personal experiences. There was absolutely no possibility of plagiarism or borrowing.

Could it be that Simons, like me, had experienced that earthquake?

No, impossible!

Simons and Julia were both from the north. How could they have been living on that southern island?

But how else could I explain our identical manuscripts?

While I was racking my brain unable to figure this out, Johnston called again.

Unsurprisingly, there were no leads on the song theft.

I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Johnston was right. The company had spent big money promoting this new song. Besides Twitter trending topics, there were LED screen advertisements in major shopping districts. The upfront investment was at least several million.

To minimize the company's losses, I could only work harder to create another new song.

Rushing into my studio and picking up my long-absent guitar, my hands trembled involuntarily.

This time, let me become Nemesis and write about the injustice I suffered in my past life.

I didn't believe Simons could have the same rebirth experience as me!

In two days, I finally finished writing the lyrics and melody for the new song after staying up all night.

Using another spare phone, I recorded a simple demo and immediately sent it to Johnston.

After listening, Johnston excitedly sent five emojis.

"Rock? Anthony, you're a musical genius! How many more surprises do you have that I don't know about?"

Before I could reply, Johnston sent a voice message: "I've booked the recording studio. I'll pick you up in an hour."

When we left the recording studio, the sky was gradually brightening.

Johnston loosened his shoulders. "Christmas break is coming up soon. Your song will probably be released around January 3rd. What do you think?"

I didn't rush to reply to Johnston. Instead, I asked about Simons' recent situation.

"I have a friend at SKY Entertainment. He said Simons hasn't been to the company lately. No one knows what he's up to."

After releasing a new song, he should have been touring the country for promotions, but there wasn't any activity from him. It was too strange.

To avoid any more accidents, it was good to observe ahead of time.

I took a deep breath and agreed to the company's proposal to delay the release.

After returning home, I finally got the most restful sleep since my rebirth.

I was awakened again by Johnston's knocking.

"Anthony, this is bad!"

"Simons released another song, and it's... identical to the new song you recorded early this morning!"

Johnston's words were like a heavy blow, crushing all the courage I had built up since my rebirth.

Why couldn't I change any of this even with a second chance!

Did this mean I could never make music again? Would I have to live forever in Simons' shadow?

To avoid unnecessary trouble, this time I had left my regular phone on the balcony and hadn't used the computer to arrange the music.

How did Simons know about my original song!

On Twitter, Simons, who had released two original singles in succession, trended for three consecutive days.

The top two spots on all major music charts were Simons' singles.

His popularity even overshadowed a superstar whose secret marriage had been exposed.

Some fans asked him in the comments under the new song link why he had changed his style.

"My previous new song was plagiarized by someone. Fortunately, I changed the timing and released it early, otherwise I wouldn't be able to clear my name even if I was right.

This new song is a warning to those who steal other people's work. Talent is a creative artist's foundation, and I'm someone you'll never be able to catch up to!"

His domineering declaration caused an uproar on social media.

Following the company's previous new song announcement, some people found my Twitter and kept posting comments.

"Simons' plagiarist must be you, right? Didn't you say you were releasing a song? It's been so longwhere's your new song?"

"And you call yourself an excellent creative artist. Your previous albums must have been ghostwritten too, right?"

In this life, I hadn't released a song, yet I was still branded a plagiarist by Simons.

But without solid evidence, my fans weren't pushovers. How could they let me be slandered?

They argued fiercely with those clamoring netizens in the comments section.

Simons was a newly debuted artist with mostly casual fans and very few loyal followers.

During this controversy, Simons' reputation fell instead of rising.

At this point, Julia couldn't sit still.

"You must come to Simons' celebration party tomorrow!"

Julia's tone was harsh. I laughed bitterly. "Why should I!"

"You have the nerve to ask why! Your fans are cyberbullying Simons. He's been drowning himself in alcohol these past two days!"

"If you still want to be my boyfriend, you must come to the celebration party tomorrow to dispel the rumors!"

Simons plagiarized my songs and still wanted me to celebrate with him. Even with ten thousand grievances, I could only grit my teeth and endure.

Because I still needed to uncover the secret about Simons.

On the day of the celebration party, Julia held Simons' arm, surrounded by people.

"Simons' two originals broke records directly. They've been at number one for a week already!"

"Our Simons' ballads bring people to tears. Who would have thought his rock could be so soul-stirring? He's truly a creative genius!"

The staff around him glanced at me.

"Unlike some people who carry the title of genius but engage in theft."

I looked down and smiled. "Simons really is a rare talent. Since that's the case, can you tell us why you used a minor key for your first original?"

Simons didn't rush to answer. Instead, he exchanged a glance with Julia.

"Anthony, that's enough! Simons graciously invited you to his celebration party, not for you to cause trouble!"

Julia's face flushed red as she defended Simons. In that instant, I had an epiphanyshe must know the truth too.

"Aren't you supposed to be a creative genius? Why can't you even explain the reason!"

Simons pushed Julia aside:

"There's nothing I can't say. Major keys are cheerful, minor keys are sad and gentle.

If you play 'Sunshine in the Ruins' at 0.75 speed, you'll discover this isn't actually a cheerful song at all. Of course a minor key better fits the song's true meaning."

My heart pounded wildly. Simons' songwriting thoughts were identical to mine.

Especially the 0.75 speed playbackthis was a hidden easter egg I had placed in the song. How could he even know about this?

I felt darkness before my eyes.

"Thank you for the explanation. I have something to attend to. I'm leaving."

As soon as I walked out of the private room, Julia chased after me.

"What was the point of that! In front of all those people, did you have to embarrass Simons?"

I was thoroughly disappointed in Julia and didn't want to get entangled with her anymore.

"Let's break up!"

"I'm retiring from the industry and going back home. I wish you and Simons all the best!"

"What are you doing now! If you go home, what can you do? Move bricks with your incompetent father?"

Julia sneered. "Can your father afford your contract termination fee?"

I smiled indifferently and left decisively.

Julia didn't know I was a genuine second-generation rich kid.

My dad was indeed a contractor over a decade ago, but he caught the right timing and was now a nationally renowned real estate developer.

The astronomical termination fee was nothing more than selling a few fewer properties to my dad.

Without making music, I could still go home and inherit the family business.

I wanted to see how Simons could continue being a rising creative genius without me creating anything!