Chapter 73: Announcing the Mysterious Composer

Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Announcing the Mysterious Composer

Just as netizens were reeling from the power of Sienna Everett’s connections, they suddenly discovered that Wyatt Everett had reposted her X post with a comment: "Unconditional support for Sienna! I’ve already bought 100 copies of Orion Hawthorne’s new EP."

The online onlookers: ??!!!

WTF???

Wyatt Everett?!

He wasn’t supporting his own brother, Dustin Everett, and was buying Orion Hawthorne’s new music instead?

Wait!

The main point of Wyatt Everett’s post was his unconditional support for Sienna Everett; buying Orion Hawthorne’s new music was just secondary.

So... had he finally realized his sister’s worth?

Was he trying everything he could to win Sienna Everett back?

Sienna Everett saw that Wyatt Everett had reposted her X post, but she coolly ignored it.

Dustin Everett, however, was furious.

’My third brother must have lost his mind, obsessed with nothing but begging Sienna Everett for forgiveness.’

’He’d even do something like supporting Orion Hawthorne—my rival! Isn’t this just making me a laughingstock?!’

And Wyatt Everett’s purchase of Orion Hawthorne’s new music did indeed stir up considerable discussion online.

As time passed, netizens who had listened to both artists’ new releases couldn’t help but start discussing their quality.

["I’m floored, how are Orion Hawthorne’s new songs so good this time? Is he using a cheat code or something? Holy shit?"]

["I bought Dustin Everett’s new album too. The songs are good, but by comparison, Orion Hawthorne’s are more stunning."]

["Tsk, it seems Dustin Everett really can’t manage without SG. His last album, the one that won him the Most Popular Male Artist award, had SG helping with the composition. This time, without SG, he can’t even come up with a single stunning new song."]

["The commenters above must be paid shills! Our Dustin’s songs are great too!"]

However, through online word-of-mouth, the buzz around Orion Hawthorne’s new songs quickly grew.

#OrionHawthorneNewMusicIsFire, #BlackFaithGodTier, and #ShapeOfLightIsSalvation—these hashtags shot up the trending topics one after another.

The hashtag #DustinEverettSoundsBad was also pushed onto the trending list by netizens.

The contrast was stark.

Some netizens who hadn’t bought the new songs yet saw everyone online raving about them—citing a 95% approval rating—and couldn’t resist buying them for a listen.

After all, at three dollars a song, or nine for all three, it wasn’t expensive.

And once they bought it, they discovered it wasn’t just hype from paid shills—the songs were just that damn good.

The remaining 5% of negative reviews had to be from haters!

Some netizens who had already bought the songs couldn’t resist buying a few more copies to share with friends, insisting they had to listen. This year’s biggest hit was bound to come from this EP!

Of course, what people online were most curious about was who had written such incredible songs.

["@OrionHawthorne, bro, we’re begging you, announce the composer!"]

Netizens, who were dying to know the composer’s identity, inadvertently discovered that the number of copies Orion Hawthorne’s new music had sold had surpassed Dustin Everett’s!

Dustin Everett’s new album: 800,000 copies sold.

Orion Hawthorne’s new EP: 810,000 copies sold.

He had pulled ahead!

And the gap was continuing to widen at a rapid pace!

It was obvious that sales for Dustin Everett’s new album were stalling, while Orion Hawthorne’s were still skyrocketing.

["Just refreshed, Orion Hawthorne is already at 1,150,000 copies sold. The numbers are climbing so fast!"]

["But in terms of revenue, Dustin Everett is still ahead. His album is $30, while Orion Hawthorne’s is only $9. The difference is too big."]

["Maybe I’m just imagining things, but I feel like the style of Orion Hawthorne’s new songs is a little bit like SG’s."]

["Ahhh! YES! Let me hug the poster above! I had the same feeling! It’s so much like SG’s style!"]

As Dustin Everett watched more and more people buy Orion Hawthorne’s new music, his brow furrowed and his expression grew grim.

Although his revenue was still higher for the moment, he knew that if this continued, it was only a matter of time before Orion Hawthorne caught up.

That #DustinEverettSoundsBad hashtag, in particular, was still on the trending list—a complete eyesore.

Dustin Everett was keeping a close eye on the comments and noticed people saying that the style of Orion Hawthorne’s new songs was a bit like SG’s.

Dustin Everett was full of contempt. ’Any random schmo can sound like SG now? Don’t make me laugh!’ ℯℯ𝑙.

But as he scrolled through the comments, he saw it wasn’t just one person saying it—it was a lot of people.

Though still scornful, Dustin Everett couldn’t resist going to a pirate website to listen to Orion Hawthorne’s new songs for free.

After listening to just one song, he was sure of it. It really did sound like SG’s style!

’Heh,’ he thought. ’How dare he imitate my esteemed mentor, SG!’

Dustin Everett was already incensed that Orion Hawthorne’s new music was getting such rave reviews. Now that he’d found this angle of attack, he was determined to exploit it.

He immediately posted a new message on X, rebuking him:

["Dustin Everett ✓: I hear someone’s been imitating my esteemed mentor, SG. Heh. All I can say is, it’s a pathetic imitation.

If this kind of music can be praised as ’good,’ then it’s a truly sad day for the music industry.

Let me just say this: you can’t get far with mindless imitation! Many have tried to copy SG, but no one can ever become SG!

SG is, and always will be, the mentor I respect most!"]

Dustin Everett posted this message in his capacity as SG’s "disciple," and its self-righteous tone instantly captured widespread attention online.

His fans, in particular, were moved to tears.

["SOB, our Dustin put it so well! Through everything, you’re still the same guy who’s passionate about music!"]

["SG is our Dustin’s master! Some people are just disgustingly desperate for attention, thinking they can get it by imitating SG!"]

["Just a casual listener speaking, I heard Orion Hawthorne’s new songs were good and was going to check them out, but after seeing Dustin Everett’s post, I’ve completely lost interest."]

["Not buying +1!"]

["@OrionHawthorne, PISS OFF! Stop with the imitation! Our Dustin is SG’s real disciple!"]

The hashtag #DustinEverettDenouncesSGImitator quickly shot to the top of the trending list.

Seeing the praise in the comment section, Dustin Everett smiled with satisfaction.

’This is more like it,’ he thought. ’Why buy Orion Hawthorne’s music? Buying mine should be enough for everyone.’

But in the next second, the smile on Dustin Everett’s face froze.

He had just seen that Orion Hawthorne had made a special post on X to formally announce the composer’s information.

It was a single, powerful line of text:

["For the three songs *Black Faith*, *Youthful Wanderer*, and *Shape of Light*—Composer: SG; Arranger: SG."]