To be honest, even the foreman found the whole situation utterly absurd. Who could have imagined that shortly after construction began, a horde of Evolvers would inexplicably arrive, offering to work for free?
The foreman was dumbfounded. "What the hell is going on here?" he sputtered. "What are you talking about?"
But each Evolver wore a resolute expression, pounding their chest and declaring, "This is our mission!"
The foreman was stunned, completely unable to grasp their motivation. Still, he had little choice. How could he refuse free labor from these Evolvers?
After further communication, he finally understood the situation.
It turned out these Evolvers were simply fans who had spontaneously volunteered to help because the site was the venue for Robin's concert. The absurdity of it all left him speechless.
However, the foreman made a pact with them: he wouldn't reveal their identities. Gazing at the beautiful girl with long, light blue hair before him, he added, "Actually, it's not just here. Most other construction sites are probably facing the same thing!"
The foreman's explanation was full of holes. A quick visit to another construction site would immediately expose his lie. But who, besides a pedant, would actually bother to investigate such a flimsy claim? Robin certainly wouldn't. She never engaged in pointless arguments.
Still, Robin tilted her head slightly. "How did you know I was Robin?"
After all, she had gone to great lengths to disguise herself that day to avoid being mobbed by fans. She had removed her Halo and tucked it into her handbag, donned a sun hat and sunglasses, and even folded her feathered wings behind her ears, concealing them beneath her hair.
It was summer, so this was the best disguise she could manage. In winter, she could have added a face mask and a heavy coat, but even now, without her Halo and feathered ears, her recognizability had plummeted.
"Uh..." The foreman froze, stammering for a moment before finally sputtering, "Isn't it obvious? Your hair color is too striking. No one in their right mind would dye their hair such a bright color."
The excuse sounded plausible enough, but Robin wasn't fooled. She immediately realized they had recognized her as Robin first and then fabricated the reason.
She glanced at the construction workers moving with unnatural speed, wondering, "Are they Evolvers? Would the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations really hire Evolvers just to expedite the stadium's completion? That seems incredibly extravagant."
I need to work even harder, she resolved. This concert absolutely cannot fail!
As time passed, the rest of the team gradually gathered. Lü Heng and Chu Xingyu, the main organizers, arrived, along with Cheng Hui, who was in charge of the music, several composers, and the volunteer netizens "Shu Cat" and "Invincible Bro," who were handling miscellaneous tasks.
With the core team for the Robin Concert now assembled, introductions were made, WeChat contacts were exchanged, and a group chat was formed. It was time to get to work.
Robin first approached Cheng Hui. The eight composers present stared at her with intense, eager gazes. As industry professionals, they were well aware of Robin's extraordinary talent. As long as the songs weren't complete duds, her rendition would undoubtedly be breathtaking.
The more famous Robin's songs became, the more recognition the composers would naturally receive. This project would undoubtedly pave the way for smoother career paths for them.
That's why, in just half a day, the four composers Cheng Hui had originally hired had doubled to eight. Beyond those eight, several others were still hurrying to join, delayed by the distance.
"Miss Robin, do you have any specific requirements for the songs?"
"What genre are you looking for? Classical? Pop? Country? Electronic?"
"Should they all be in Chinese? I've heard your English covers. We could even write an original English song for you!"
The composers bombarded Robin with questions about their creative parameters, each eager to contribute. But Robin had only one requirement: to create the highest-quality songs possible. That was all.
However, she stopped the composer who had asked about writing an English song and led them aside for a private conversation.
The young woman appeared to be in her early twenties, dressed in a sharp business suit with a pencil skirt and sheer black stockings. But Robin found nothing particularly alluring about her; she couldn't compare to Robin herself. If I wanted to see something truly captivating, Robin thought, I could simply look in the mirror when no one's around.
Robin was more concerned about whether the woman felt hot in such an outfit. She'd also heard that black stockings made feet smell particularly bad, and she wondered if that was true.
Robin cut off her train of thought and said, "Actually, I do have a small request. I can hum a melody for you. Would you be willing to try... turning it into a complete song?"
Without waiting for a response, Robin began humming a simple tune: "En~en~en~enhe~enen~~~"
It was the background music from "If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking." Though wordless and just a simple hum, the composer before Robin was quickly captivated.
Beautiful! Truly beautiful!
Whether it was the inherent quality of the melody or the charm of Robin's voice, the composer couldn't tell. Regardless, she mentally gave it the highest praise.
As the song ended, Tong Guoguo, the composer, fell into deep thought. "I... perhaps I could give it a try!"
In truth, when she accepted this assignment, Tong Guoguo knew her workload would likely be far heavier than that of her peers.
The reason was simple: Tong Guoguo understood that Robin wasn't merely asking her to compose a song based on her melody. Instead, she was tasked with recreating the very song that existed in Robin's heart.
This meant that any composition that didn't meet the client's exact specifications would likely face endless revisions. Yet recreating a song that existed only in someone else's imagination was like trying to paint a vibrant shade of black—an impossible feat.
Still, Tong Guoguo resolutely accepted the challenge. Not purely for the money, but because success would bring rewards far greater than those of other composers: the friendship of the superstar singer Robin.
This was a high-stakes gamble, my friend.