Carrie Thomas had to admit it.
"I'm only proficient in two or three of the instruments you mentioned, and only dabble in others. Although it was annoying how you played dumb, I should apologize for my previous sarcasm."
Lamely, Harrison Clark laughed. "It's nothing, I was just joking with you."
"No, for someone who can already ride a bicycle to pretend like they can't, that's quite tricky. You even fooled me, which only shows the gap between us is vast, or that I'm not skilled enough."
Harrison Clark was speechless.
If he didn't know better, he would almost believe Carrie Thomas's insinuations and start getting complacent.
Didn't see it coming, this dark-haired, big-eyed girl also betraying the revolution, speaking so sweetly.
Looking at the original songwriter of "Boring," Carrie Thomas, being awed by her own work, Harrison Clark had mixed feelings.
But then he thought, wouldn't that imply that in the next five years, Carrie Thomas has gone from only mastering two or three instruments, to a full-fledged master?
Come to think of it, you're the cooler one!
"Relinquish the superiority, let's keep doing our best," he responded modestly.
"I'll believe that when hell freezes over. Okay, we've saved a hundred thousand, but we're still fifty thousand short."
Carrie Thomas brought up the main matter again.
Harrison Clark thought about it, "I can throw in another fifty thousand. But since this is my song and I'm doing the arrangement, when it comes to royalties, I want 70%. And for the copyright of the version you sang, I'll take seventy percent too."
Carrie Thomas hesitated.
In reality, this left her at a slight disadvantage.
What if the song becomes a hit?
She would lose quite a lot in the future.
But she quickly realized, if this song really does become popular, would she be short of money?
Both she and Harrison Clark urgently needed this leap-frog opportunity.
Isn't he still the one helping her? Why the fuss?
"Deal!" She accepted without hesitation.
Upon settling this, a weight was lifted from Harrison Clark's chest.
Although giving up two hundred thousand, and even throwing in his last fifty thousand, he felt no regret, instead, he felt satisfaction and fulfillment.
He was even calculating, this was not just a one-off sale worth two hundred thousand, but a long-term investment.
As long as Carrie Thomas's path doesn't deviate too much from the alternate timeline, the profits from the seventy percent copyright he could recoup in the future are immeasurable.
An investment of only fifty thousand! It's a steal! A super steal!
But Carrie Thomas didn't see it this way.
She didn't think her performance was a valuable asset, the core of Harrison Clark's investment was the song "Boring".
So much so, that she only had to pay fifty thousand to get a 30% share of the profits, but she still felt like she owed Harrison Clark.
Carrie Thomas didn't understand why a stranger like him was being so nice to her.
"Harrison Clark, can I ask you something?"
"Shoot."
"You don't happen to be trying to hit on me, do you?"
Carrie Thomas asked with a full guard up.
Harrison Clark froze, wanting to tell her not to flatter herself.
"What do you mean? Have I gone crazy?" he played the fool.
"If that's not the case, then why are you writing songs for me? And singing for me? I suddenly feel like with your ability, it shouldn't be too bad if you write songs for others instead?"
There was no way for Harrison Clark to explain now, God, save me.
"You sure ask a lot. Stop flattering yourself, I may not have any plans of pursuing you. I wrote 'Boring' because I was inspired by getting to know you, don't say cheesy things like I wrote the song for you."
Only then did Carrie Thomas relax a bit, "That's good. Let me clarify in advance, I'm a firm believer in not getting married."
"Enough already, why are you so self-assured? On one hand, you despise being pursued, on the other hand, you think everyone in the world will fall in love with you, don't you get tired living like that?" Harrison Clark said impatiently.
Carrie Thomas was embarrassed by his comments, "Ahem, it's better to clarify things from the start than to become enemies later."
Harrison Clark was a bit irritated, can't we just sing and make some money? Can we stop with the romantic drama?
"I have two questions. Were we close before?"
Carrie Thomas thought about it and shook her head, "Not really."
"What about now, are we close?"
Carrie Thomas gave a fairly candid assessment, "I guess we're alright?"
Harrison Clark nodded, "Isn't that enough? Since we're not even close, how are we going to become enemies?"
"That's true, ha...haha..."
The conversation hit an awkward lull, signaling its end.
The next day was a weekend, and Harrison Clark was off work. He and Carrie Thomas decided to head to a law firm and sign their contract.
Like brothers meticulously dividing property, they clearly stated each other's responsibilities and rights in advance to avoid any future disputes.
Neither of them had a manager; they had to do everything themselves.
After signing the contract, Harrison gave Carrie the completed sheet music.
"I'll sing it through in its entirety first."
Harrison suggested while Carrie was looking at the sheet music.
"No, let me try to sing it using the sheet music. If there's any issue, you can guide me."
"Alright."
An hour later, Carrie Thomas finished.
At that moment, her eyes glittered intensely.
She finally got to know what the song "Boring" was like in its entirety.
It was like a foodie tasting a renowned chef's signature cuisine at a national banquet or a wine connoisseur savoring a top-notch Moutai aged for eighty years.
The satisfaction was beyond words!
From the beginning, she could sense the emotional reversal in the latter half of "Boring". She'd also been imagining and guessing what the reversal of the lyrics and rhythm might be.
Having seen the complete sheet music and sung through it upstairs with a heart full of reverence, everything clicked.
All she wanted to say was, Harrison Clark was spectacular!
This was perfection!
The suppressed and somber tones of the first half, contrasted with the passionate and defiant ambiance of the second half, formed a perfect juxtaposition. Whether it was the lyrics, rhythm, or emotional infusion, everything cohered flawlessly.
When singing the first half, one might feel so despondent that they'd shed tears. But when singing the latter half, the blood would gush, goosebumps would form, as if they wanted to see how high the sky is or how vast the universe is.
What was even more astonishing was that this was exactly what Carrie had vaguely figured out after pondering over it for several days.
She believed that the song's nuances were meant to be just this way, just as she'd guessed and expected in her heart!
Thus, even though she was prepared, her admiration for Harrison Clark was overwhelming, like a torrent that couldn't be stopped.
"What are you looking at me like that for?"
Carrie's gaze was making Harrison uncomfortable, insecurity stirring in his heart.
He was a bit flustered. Please, don't fall for me!
The thing that solidified Carrie's history was not a love song.
Historically, she'd never been infatuated with anyone.
If she fell for him, her future writings would either be about love or the lament of a broken heart. That would be the end.
"I realize I have underestimated you."
After a while, Carrie Thomas managed to say slowly.
"Enough of that. Sing."
Harrison Clark didn't want to prolong the conversation, urging her on.
Carrie took a deep breath, picked up her high-end guitar worth three thousand dollars and strummed its strings.
The melodic guitar sounds filled the room.
Harrison merely sensed that the same tune was altered as Carrie played the prelude.
From the very beginning, she'd firmly grasped the reversal and progression of emotions.
She started to sing.
A good while later, the melody and the lingering sound of her guitar notes gradually faded. The room was immersed in prolonged silence.
Carrie didn't utter a word; she was nervous. Harrison Clark's comments held significant meaning to her, considering that he was the composer.
Harrison stayed silent because he was taken aback.
Rattled.
Good God!
She did not need his guidance to sing. Just by reading the sheet music once, she could impart the desired feel to the song!
This time, it was truly a perfect recreation, identical to the rendition in the dream that had been passed down for thousands of years: "Boring"!
Every detail, every concealed breath adjustment, the pitch, accuracy, and emotion were flawless.
All Harrison wanted to say was, Carrie is truly talented!
Her talent was off the charts!
If this song doesn't gain popularity when released, it would be a travesty!