Chapter 49

It was already late autumn, and the temperature in the morning was low. When Yang Jingxing arrived at school at seven, there were not many people on the road. He drove a bit fast, stirring up a trail of fallen leaves.

After breakfast, Yang Jingxing went to the library and listened to many erhu masterpieces. However, he couldn't find much about modern playing techniques and methods, only old classics.

At ten o'clock, it was the boys' physical education class. The PE teacher was serious, and the subject was parallel and horizontal bars. Boys from several departments were practicing hard, striving to complete the basic movements. It was painful, as they were already artists and still had to do this.

Soon, there would be an exam on moral cultivation and legal foundations, and the teacher said failing it would affect the final assessment. This wasn't an exaggeration; the music college had a rule that students with poor grades would be expelled in their first year, and there had already been precedents.

After the PE class, Yang Jingxing went to have lunch. Today, waiting for him were not only Yu Xinting and An Xin but also Qi Qingnuo. They still had a small stir-fry, and the three girls took a long time to decide on the dishes, while Yang Jingxing just followed their arrangements.

Yu Xinting was very happy because she had learned the electronic keyboard from Qi Qingnuo for a long time yesterday. Qi Qingnuo used a Yamaha dual-manual keyboard with a 25-key pedalboard, which had powerful functions and was very interesting to play.

Yang Jingxing said he also wanted to get one and asked Qi Qingnuo for advice. Qi Qingnuo said there was a new model with excellent functionality and compatibility, over 500 sound effects, and great performance. Just thinking about it made him feel great.

Yang Jingxing asked, "What about the price?"

Qi Qingnuo did a quick calculation: "It would cost about 200,000 RMB if fully equipped, and it's best to add an electric piano... If you want, I can take you there; it will be cheaper, but it will take one to two months to arrive."

Yang Jingxing thanked her.

After lunch, Yang Jingxing boldly called his father to request funds. Yang Chengyi didn't question it at all and said, "I'll give you 500,000 RMB; use it wisely."

Yang Jingxing felt embarrassed: "Is it too much trouble?"

Yang Chengyi scoffed: "You're not even close!"

In the afternoon, Yang Jingxing went to the modern department to seek advice from the most famous electronic keyboard master in the country, Cheng Hao. Cheng Hao was only in his thirties but had been famous for many years, participating in many international competitions and winning awards. He also composed and arranged his own works, making him a talented person. Unfortunately, the electronic keyboard scene in the country was not well-developed; parents preferred to have their children learn the piano, and even if they learned the electronic keyboard, it was to prepare for the piano.

However, modern electronic keyboards and pianos were already two different concepts. Although the sound quality of synthesizers was not as good as traditional instruments, the electronic keyboard's ability to mimic dozens or even hundreds of sounds was a powerful musical tool, and the feeling of being a one-person band was very satisfying.

Cheng Hao didn't expect a so-called piano genius and future hope of the composition world to come to him for advice on electronic organs. He quickly realized that Yang Jingxing's knowledge of electronic keyboards was still quite limited, mostly outdated information from books.

Cheng Hao had plenty of time and was very enthusiastic. He took Yang Jingxing to his classroom, showed him his equipment, gave a general explanation, and generously let Yang Jingxing try it out.

Once Yang Jingxing started playing, he couldn't stop, asking Cheng Hao questions as he played. After two hours, Yang Jingxing managed to play "Knowing the End of the World," using the pedalboard as a drum kit, his hands handling the bass and electric guitar, and the keyboard for harmonies. Although his playing level was poor, it felt great!

"Thank you, Teacher Cheng. Can I come to you for advice in the future?" Yang Jingxing was quite excited.

Cheng Hao nodded: "No wonder they say you're a genius. Come anytime... Here's my phone number."

Then, Yang Jingxing asked for advice on equipment, and Cheng Hao recommended a more professional electronic organ, an upgraded version of the one he used, and gave a rough price.

Yang Jingxing didn't have Qi Qingnuo's phone number, so he went to the North Building to find her. Sure enough, the door of Room 306 had a sign saying "No Boys Allowed!" Yang Jingxing waited outside and shouted loudly when the practice ended: "Great!"

The door opened, and Liu Siman rushed out: "You're really persistent!"

Qi Qingnuo followed: "You came just in time. Everyone is here."

Thus, Yang Jingxing met the three talented girls from Room 306 whom he hadn't seen yesterday. The drummer, Nian Qing, was only about 1.6 meters tall with shoulder-length hair. She was slim but had a long face with narrow eyes and thin lips.

The erhu player, Shao Fangjie, was about 1.65 meters tall and a bit overweight. She had a round face with a bit of a mustache and large eyes.

And the three-string master, He Peiyuan, introduced herself as such. She had her hair up with a bunch of hair clips. Her face and features were beautiful, she was about 1.7 meters tall, had a long neck, and narrow shoulders.

There were eleven girls in total, no wonder they were going to perform on Singles' Day. With so many people, Yang Jingxing didn't bother with compliments and went straight to the point with Qi Qingnuo: "Give me that person's phone number, and I'll go find him myself." Qi Qingnuo had mentioned that a person who dealt in musical instruments was a friend of her father, and buying from him would be more genuine.

Qi Qingnuo said: "So eager? If you go alone... I'll go with you; we're almost done."

He Peiyuan shouted: "Dismissed!" and ordered Yang Jingxing: "Leave your phone number!"

Yang Jingxing felt honored and gave his phone number. Four girls wrote it down: He Peiyuan, Qi Qingnuo, Liu Siman, and Cai Fuxuan.

He Peiyuan reassured Yang Jingxing: "Don't misunderstand, I just like collecting handsome guys' phone numbers, nothing else."

Yang Jingxing felt disappointed: "I was excited for nothing."

Cai Litian hit He Peiyuan's head with a flute: "She has collected hundreds already; think about when it will be your turn."

He Peiyuan threatened: "I'll collect your man's number too."

Cai Litian wasn't afraid: "Then help me find one first."

Wang Rui earnestly said: "At least he's a junior; can you be a bit more ladylike? Let him stay innocent a bit longer."

Qi Qingnuo told Yang Jingxing: "Do you think the 'No Boys Allowed' sign is for your benefit? They're all fierce women."

Yang Jingxing didn't dare to provoke them and said: "I'll wait for you downstairs."

Qi Qingnuo said: "Five minutes."

In less than five minutes, Qi Qingnuo was ready. They walked towards the school gate, and Yang Jingxing asked about the destination, considering whether to drive.

Qi Qingnuo said: "Drive, and drop me off on the way home."

Yang Jingxing said: "Sure, even if it's far."

In the car, Qi Qingnuo noticed the erhu on the back seat and suspected Yang Jingxing: "You're not trying to infiltrate our group, are you? Let me tell you, it's impossible!"

Yang Jingxing said: "I don't want to be a woman."

Qi Qingnuo threatened: "What's wrong with being a woman? Want me to have Uncle Chen cut you?"

Yang Jingxing laughed: "I apologize."

Qi Qingnuo said: "We'll definitely make money from you. I'm saying it upfront, so don't blame us later."

Yang Jingxing said: "You, aren't you helping me?"

Qi Qingnuo said: "Uncle Chen is a friend of my father's; my father's instruments were all imported by him."

Yang Jingxing asked: "A family business? Who's your father?"

Qi Qingnuo said: "Qi Dawei."

Yang Jingxing was surprised: "The City God Band! Tell your father, I'm his fan!" The City God Band was a top extreme rock band in the 1990s, one of the best in the country. Qi Dawei, nicknamed David, was the band's guitarist and founder, and one of the representatives of Chinese rock.

Qi Qingnuo was indifferent: "Your era was when they were already famous."

Yang Jingxing sang, singing the City God Band's representative work "Who Understands, Who Doesn't," but not as passionately as the original.

Qi Qingnuo laughed: "Too bad."

Yang Jingxing didn't mind: "Why didn't you learn guitar?"

Qi Qingnuo said: "Who said I didn't? I'll show you if you have the chance."

Yang Jingxing said: "I'll find you to learn if I have the chance."

Qi Qingnuo asked: "Do you want to learn everything? Do you really think you're a genius?"

Yang Jingxing was angry: "Even if I'm a fool, I have the right!"

Qi Qingnuo asked: "Yu Xinting said you refused to go to America?"

Yang Jingxing cursed: "She's a big mouth."

Qi Qingnuo said: "She idolizes you."

Yang Jingxing asked: "How much does a drum set cost?"

Qi Qingnuo said: "There are thousands of RMB ones and tens of thousands of RMB ones. Nian Qing's DW set costs about 40,000 RMB, which is pretty good."

Yang Jingxing said: "She plays pretty well."

Qi Qingnuo was proud: "Room 306 is the best!"

Yang Jingxing asked: "How long does it take to learn drums?"

"It takes one to two years to get started, unless you're a genius!" Qi Qingnuo's tone was exaggerated, clearly mocking Yang Jingxing.

Yang Jingxing sighed: "Even geniuses can't learn everything in a lifetime."

Qi Qingnuo asked: "When did you start learning composition?"

Yang Jingxing said: "In my senior year of high school."

"Progress is quite fast. What are your plans? What path are you taking?"

Yang Jingxing said: "I don't have as good a plan as you."

Qi Qingnuo was humble: "What plan? No goals. Now I can still play with a few friends, but I don't know what to do after graduation."

Yang Jingxing asked: "Aren't you planning to go long-term?"

Qi Qingnuo said: "Long-term? We're already struggling."

Yang Jingxing flattered: "You're doing great."

Qi Qingnuo shook her head: "Bottleneck, bottleneck. We've been a group for two years, but we haven't broken through... It feels like we're always in a muddle."

Yang Jingxing boldly suggested: "I think you should find a breakthrough in playing techniques and the expansion of traditional Chinese music harmonies... It's quite narrow now."

Qi Qingnuo didn't mind and was very interested: "How so?"

Yang Jingxing didn't care if he could buy the instruments and said: "For example, in the middle part of the piece you practiced today, Liu Siman and Shao Fangjie could play separately, and the theme doesn't match the electronic keyboard well."

Qi Qingnuo said: "I know that, but the key is how to coordinate."

Yang Jingxing looked around, found a place to park by the roadside, took the erhu from the back seat, and sat on the hood to play. He played the theme of Qi Qingnuo's piece using string-changing and sliding techniques, with a large degree of pitch change. Although it was still immature, the effect was quite different from Liu Siman's.

Yang Jingxing said: "This makes it more intense... It's just a preliminary experiment and needs improvement."

Qi Qingnuo agreed: "It does feel better."

Yang Jingxing continued: "At this point, Cai Litian should join in. She plays very well, but the embellishments must be added, and it's best to have a modulation. Cai Fuxuan always overshadows the others..."

Qi Qingnuo was a bit excited: "Play it from the beginning, okay?"

Yang Jingxing said: "I'll try, don't laugh at me."

Qi Qingnuo said: "Fifty steps laugh at a hundred steps!"

So, Yang Jingxing played while explaining: "I think the best part of the whole piece is the prelude, which is harmonious... At this point, using a yangqin for the transition might be better... The ending with a guzheng is very good, but you might be considering the coordination with the beginning. If it were me, I'd go for a big contrast..."

Qi Qingnuo listened carefully. Not only she, but passersby also stopped to watch. Times change fast; who would have thought someone would drive a car to perform on the street? And with such a beautiful girl!

After Yang Jingxing finished, he said: "I'm not good enough, but it's the feeling."

A man in his forties or fifties who had been watching for a while said: "Not bad... Are you street performers?"

Yang Jingxing quickly said: "Yes, please give us some money, support us."

The man rolled his eyes: "I'll support you! I'm poorer than you!"

Qi Qingnuo was bored and leaned closer to Yang Jingxing, pretending to be pitiful: "No money for food, my stomach is touching my back."

The man looked at Qi Qingnuo, and his smile was hard to interpret, whether it was embarrassment or something else: "Your stomach is touching your back." Qi Qingnuo was wearing a loose shirt, but her figure was still quite impressive.

Yang Jingxing said: "Let's go, find a place with more kind people."

After getting back in the car, the two laughed for a while. Qi Qingnuo became serious first: "Do you think the structure is too simple?"

Yang Jingxing said: "Simplicity isn't bad, but the middle and ending parts are a bit messy. You might be trying to balance everyone's contributions."

Qi Qingnuo said: "Do you think it's easy for me?"

Yang Jingxing said: "The main role can be rotated."

Qi Qingnuo said: "Let's take care of your business first."

Qi Qingnuo's Uncle Chen was a man in his forties with a shop, but he mainly sold low-end equipment. Once he knew Yang Jingxing was a big customer, he warmly welcomed him and promised to give him the same price as Qi Qingnuo.

Yang Jingxing ordered an electronic keyboard, an electric piano, an electric guitar with effects and an amplifier, a drum set with accessories, and a MIDI keyboard. Uncle Chen quoted a total of 320,000 RMB, insisting he wasn't making any profit. Yang Jingxing paid a deposit and agreed to pick up the goods in a month at the latest, or in half a month at the earliest.

After leaving, Qi Qingnuo asked if Yang Jingxing was forming a band. Yang Jingxing said he was learning everything and added: "Yu Xinting likes drums; let her try and see how it goes."

Qi Qingnuo asked: "How did you meet?"

"Exam buddies."

Qi Qingnuo didn't believe him: "You still have exams."

Originally, he was supposed to drop Qi Qingnuo off at home, but she wanted to continue discussing art and went back to school, heading straight for Room 306.

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