Stolen Beats, Revenge Remix

After dropping out of the EDM competition, I trashed my recording studio.

My “bestie” Betty Rose couldn’t sit still, tagging me on Instagram every single day.

“Margaret, come back to the competition. Even limited talent deserves a chance. Your light shouldn't be hidden in my shadow!”

My boyfriend Leon kept calling, demanding I return and apologize to Betty.

I blocked both of those bitches without hesitation.

In my past life, Betty stole every EDM track I made, releasing them as her own.

Everyone called me a plagiarist while Betty became a famous DJ with millions of followers.

The scandal destroyed my parents, and they died of an overdose.

On my way to court, I was shot and killed by one of Betty's crazed fans.

When I opened my eyes, I was back to the day Betty convinced me to enter this competition.

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1

"I've barely slept for the past two weeks preparing for this competition, just grinding away in the studio, searching for inspiration."

"I just finished a demo for the preliminary round this morning. Since Mixmag is here for an interview, I thought I'd give you all a sneak peek."

Betty’s cloying California sweetheart accent echoed in my ears from the Twitch livestream.

A shiver ran down my spine as I snapped back to reality, away from the searing pain of a bullet tearing through my chest. I looked around, stunned and disoriented.

When the drop I had poured my heart and soul into creating blared from Betty’s MacBook, I almost couldn't catch my breath.

I was sure of it. I had been reborn, sent back to the start of the competition that had ruined my life!

"This is fire! An absolute masterpiece!"

"Totally Betty's signature style—psychedelic and ethereal. That lead synth in the middle? Pure genius! It’s like the God of EDM is showing off!"

"Eargasm! I’m calling it, the competition’s over. Betty is the champion!"

On the large screen of the livestream, the Twitch comment section was scrolling frantically. The number of online viewers had already surpassed one million.

Both online and off, everyone was showering Betty with praise.

But no one knew that the track, from beginning to end, every single beat, was my original work.

That iconic bass line, in particular, was the final version I settled on only after burning out two synthesizers and going through countless rounds of debugging and polishing.

Now, just as it had in the nightmares of my past life, it had inexplicably become a showpiece for Betty.

"Margaret, where's your piece?"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Betty made a show of calling my name.

"Hey, sweetie, the reporters are here. Hurry up and show them what you've got! This is a great chance to get more followers!"

The comments section was filled with praise for Betty's beauty and kindness, impressed that she'd help a competitor even during a competition.

Some of Betty's fans with good memories recognized me and immediately started firing shots in the comments section.

"Isn't that Margaret Chen, the one who's copied Betty several times? Betty, are you stupid? Why are you helping this copycat!"

"Pfft, it really is that idiot! When other people plagiarize, they at least change the key. She just straight-up copies and pastes Betty's released songs every time. Does she really think changing the filename makes it her own?"

"I heard Margaret was Betty's roommate at Berklee College of Music! I swear, she must be obsessed with copying her bestie!"