Chapter 50

Yang Jingxing stood at the door and took a glance inside Room 306. It was a bit larger than the small classroom downstairs, with wallpaper, potted plants on the windowsill, and a very clean floor. However, there were many wires and sockets connected to microphones and speakers, winding through the chairs and benches. The classroom was also equipped with various instruments, including a yangqin, a drum set, a double-manual keyboard belonging to Qi Qingnuo, and a guzheng belonging to Gao Pianpian. On the blackboard at the back of the classroom, there was a large, colorful graffiti featuring cartoon images of the girls from Room 306, each with their respective instruments, drawn in a rather interesting way. It definitely wasn't drawn by Qi Qingnuo, otherwise her chest wouldn't have drowned out the double-manual keyboard. It also couldn't have been Guo Ling, as her fangs in the drawing had turned into vampire fangs. It might have been Wang Rui, as her image was the cutest, and her pipa was even drawn in the shape of a heart.

Qi Qingnuo said, "Come in, it's break time now."

Yang Jingxing replied, "You take the sheet music, let's go downstairs."

Qi Qingnuo asked, "Are you still holding a grudge?"

Yang Jingxing shook his head, "I like this rule, I don't want to break it myself."

Qi Qingnuo laughed, "Is it because the gravity here isn't strong enough?"

Yang Jingxing urged, "Hurry up, I can't control myself anymore."

Qi Qingnuo made a gesture from a model opera, "Hold on!"

After taking the sheet music, the two went to Li Yingzhen's small classroom downstairs to discuss. The piece, composed and arranged by Qi Qingnuo, was called "Clouds Disperse and Fog Clears," a name that matched the structure and content of the music.

Yang Jingxing didn't offer much criticism of Qi Qingnuo's melody, only providing some insights on arrangement and instrumentation. Instrumentation is a complex subject, typically taught in the third and fourth years of university, and Yang Jingxing only had a basic understanding, so he was just going with his gut feeling.

Yang Jingxing had a slightly deeper understanding of modulation compared to Qi Qingnuo. However, modulation for traditional Chinese instruments isn't that simple, especially for the flute, which requires considerable skill. Moreover, Yang Jingxing's research into the pentatonic scale wasn't deep enough, so he sometimes needed guidance from Qi Qingnuo.

This mutual learning and discussion process was beneficial for both Yang Jingxing and Qi Qingnuo. Qi Qingnuo benefited more, as she made many changes to the arrangement, including the structure, rhythm, melody, and instrumentation.

Finally, Qi Qingnuo felt that the work was complete: "That's it, that's it! I'll inform them, we'll have an extra practice tomorrow!" She took out her phone and exclaimed, "It's nine o'clock!" Unbeknownst to her, four hours had passed.

Yang Jingxing asked, "Do you want me to take you home?"

Qi Qingnuo shook her head, "No, there's still the subway... Oh, my stomach is really touching my back!"

Before parting, Qi Qingnuo said, "How about you change your gender temporarily and come to guide us?"

Yang Jingxing replied, "No need, I'm still an amateur."

Qi Qingnuo laughed, "If you were a girl, that would be great, sigh, what a pity."

Yang Jingxing saw through her, "Is it to make you stand out more?"

Qi Qingnuo was surprised, "Do I need to stand out?"

Yang Jingxing laughed, "To make you look petite."

Qi Qingnuo understood, "Oh, you like the 'little bird' type, don't you? Who wouldn't look petite standing next to you? I feel particularly cute and charming now."

Yang Jingxing asked, "Are you that hungry? Want to eat something first?"

Qi Qingnuo said, "No, I'll be smaller if I'm hungry!"

Qi Qingnuo didn't want Yang Jingxing to take her to the station and said goodbye directly. Yang Jingxing went to a barbecue shop first, where business was booming. The girl was busy inside and out, and when she saw Yang Jingxing, she was delighted, "I'll find you a seat... I think that table will be free soon."

Yang Jingxing said, "I'm not eating, you can keep the books."

The girl wiped her hands and took the two basic music theory books from Yang Jingxing, asking, "How much?"

Yang Jingxing said, "They're old books, I'll be going now, take your time reading."

The girl called out, "Hey... what's your name?"

"Yang Jingxing, it's on the books."

"I'm Fu Feirong!"

Yang Jingxing asked, "Aren't you called Fu Panpan?"

The girl was surprised, "You know?"

Yang Jingxing said, "I heard your sister-in-law and others call you that, and your brother's name is on the business license on the wall."

The girl laughed dryly, "Oh, that's my nickname from back home."

Yang Jingxing said, "Panpan sounds nice, see you later."

"Come often..."

Yang Jingxing went to eat at a different place and then returned home to continue studying the erhu. The erhu, in terms of tone, isn't particularly good, but it has a strong expressive power, especially in the mid to high range, possibly because it is close to the human voice, giving it a strong narrative quality. However, the erhu often evokes sadness, and the range of emotions it can express seems limited. Yang Jingxing felt that this wasn't just due to the instrument itself, but that there could be breakthroughs in composition and performance techniques.

However, at eleven o'clock, the doorbell rang, and the property management came, saying that a neighbor had complained about Yang Jingxing making noise late at night. Yang Jingxing quickly apologized and promised not to do it again. He had kept the windows and doors tightly closed, and the walls here were supposed to have good soundproofing. There was no choice, it seemed that the electronic keyboard and drum set couldn't be brought home.

On Friday morning, Yang Jingxing was about to seek advice from the school's erhu teacher when he received a call from An Xin, saying that Yu Xinting had fallen during a physical education class and it seemed quite serious. Yang Jingxing quickly ran to the parking lot to get his car and drove to the sports field.

Yu Xinting, An Xin, and two other girls were sitting on the steps resting. Seeing Yang Jingxing run over, Yu Xinting quickly stood up to confirm, "I'm fine." She even swung her arms forcefully.

Yang Jingxing asked An Xin, "Where did she fall?"

An Xin was a bit hesitant, "... her buttocks."

No wonder Yu Xinting had been squatting in a strange position earlier. Yang Jingxing scolded, "Why were the girls playing on the parallel bars... did you check her?"

"No."

Yang Jingxing was anxious, "Find a place to check her."

Yu Xinting was even more anxious, "No, I'm fine, no need to check, no need to check!"

An Xin said, "To the toilet... she can't even walk."

Yang Jingxing went out again, drove the car in, and had An Xin and Yu Xinting sit in the back seat. Yu Xinting indeed had difficulty walking, hobbling with An Xin's help.

Yang Jingxing drove the car to a secluded area behind the east side of the sports field, got out, and had An Xin help check Yu Xinting's injuries.

After a while, An Xin poked her head out and told Yang Jingxing, "Can't see anything, just a bit red on the left side."

Yang Jingxing got back in the car and asked, "Is everything else okay?"

Yu Xinting, kneeling on the back seat facing the rear, didn't look back at Yang Jingxing, "No, I landed on my buttocks first, it hurt a lot at first, but it's better now."

Yang Jingxing laughed, "Your buttocks are flattened."

Yu Xinting crossed her hands behind her back to cover her buttocks.

Yang Jingxing reminded her, "Hold on, I'm driving."

He dropped Yu Xinting off at her dormitory building and said, "If you can't walk by noon, An Xin, help her get some food, she'll be very hungry if she skips a meal."

Yu Xinting was very strong, "I can walk!"

Yang Jingxing laughed, "I'll ask the chef to cut some pork belly for you to replenish."

Yu Xinting was angry, "No more jokes!"

At lunchtime, Yu Xinting could walk, but she was still very careful when sitting down. She even remembered Yang Jingxing's apple.

Yang Jingxing asked, "Does it still hurt?"

Yu Xinting was embarrassed, "Not really, it's just a psychological effect."

An Xin picked out a piece of meat from the dish and gave it to Yu Xinting, "This is from the pork belly."

Yu Xinting was upset, "You're ganging up on me!"

Yang Jingxing said, "Ganging up to care for you, isn't that good?"

Just then, a group of people from Room 306 came over, about seven or eight of them. Liu Siman noticed Yang Jingxing and jumped over, "Handsome guy, I lost my meal card, can I borrow yours?"

Yang Jingxing took it out, "Here."

Liu Siman didn't take it and said to her companions, "This kid is easy to fool."

He Peiyuan condemned, "How vicious, you don't even spare the boys."

Liu Siman grabbed Yang Jingxing's wallet, "Let me see, there's something! Two!"

"What, what?" He Peiyuan was like a cat smelling something fishy.

Liu Siman showed Yang Jingxing's wallet to her companions, looking at the big headshots of Liu Miao and Xia Xue. Wang Rui exclaimed, "Oh, I misjudged you, Yang Jingxing! Beautiful, beautiful."

Qi Qingnuo asked, "Ladies, don't you need to eat?"

After Room 306 left, Yu Xinting was also interested, "I want to see too."

Yang Jingxing was happy and said, "Finally, a chance to show off."

Yu Xinting held Yang Jingxing's wallet with both hands, looking at it seriously, and An Xin also leaned over to peek. Yu Xinting giggled, "They're nice."

An Xin was unimpressed, "Big headshots, you can take them too."

The people from Room 306 sat down near Yang Jingxing. Qi Qingnuo said to Yang Jingxing, "Do you have time this afternoon? Come over, we're all good sisters."

Cai Fuxuan said mysteriously, "I heard you were up all night last night, and Liu Siman wants to challenge you."

Qi Qingnuo said, "He bought a guitar, it's your turn next."

Yang Jingxing said, "I don't have the courage."

Qi Qingnuo said, "For the sake of art, changing your gender is glorious!" She asked Yu Xinting, "Temporary, no objections, right?"

Yu Xinting was confused, "I have no objections."

Qi Qingnuo said, "Eat quickly, let's go!"

So at one o'clock in the afternoon, Yang Jingxing stepped into the territory of Room 306 for the first time. He had a sight-singing and ear training class at one-thirty, so he only listened to the new version of "Clouds Disperse and Fog Clears" once, feeling that it was indeed much better than before. Although it still wasn't perfect, he couldn't come up with any valuable suggestions at the moment.

After exchanging some ideas about the erhu with Liu Siman, Yang Jingxing spent ten minutes learning about the guzheng from Gao Pianpian. Gao Pianpian wasn't as outgoing as Liu Siman and her companions, appearing quite introverted. She explained some guzheng playing techniques to Yang Jingxing, but her explanations were a bit disorganized. However, Yang Jingxing still gained something from it and said, "I think in this piece, we can work on the rhythm, sacrificing some smoothness, making the notes shorter but more forceful, and try not to vibrate."

This wasn't difficult, and Gao Pianpian tried it. Yang Jingxing said it was still too vibrated and the notes were too long. Gao Pianpian, determined, pressed her left hand down completely, making the notes shorter.

Yang Jingxing laughed, "This is good."

Qi Qingnuo asked, "Pianpian, what do you think?"

Gao Pianpian had no objections, "I'll follow your lead, considering the overall effect."

Liu Siman, whether sarcastically or praising Yang Jingxing, said, "Amateurs are good at this, daring to think and act."

Yang Jingxing said, "Wait for me, I'll be an expert soon." He then said to Yu Xinting, "Stay here and learn from Nian Qing, I bought a drum, we'll learn together later."

Yu Xinting nodded, "Okay."

Nian Qing said, "I'll definitely train you as my successor."

Yu Xinting quickly said, "I can't, I'll just watch, it's nice to look at."

Wang Rui said, "How can you say you can't! In Room 306, we never say we can't! You're with Yang Jingxing, don't embarrass him!"

Yu Xinting felt this was a big deal and said, "Then I won't watch, I'll practice the piano."

Yang Jingxing laughed, "You're already one of them, I have no face left, help me save some face."

Qi Qingnuo said, "Right, the drum set he ordered is better than this one, don't waste it."

Yang Jingxing said, "I said, you can do it."

Yu Xinting was skeptical, "Really?"

"Of course."

Yu Xinting laughed, "I'll try, don't blame me if I can't."

Qi Qingnuo said, "Welcome, welcome!"

After finishing his class in the new teaching building, Yang Jingxing went back to Room 306. Hey, Yu Xinting was really practicing the drums. The most important thing about drums is rhythm. In many bands, the drummer is the rhythm center. A drummer might not be very skilled in some specific techniques, but as long as they have a good sense of rhythm, they can still play brilliantly.

Actually, the most important thing in music is rhythm. Without rhythm, there is no music, and the scales, harmonies, and melodies are not essential. A snare drum, when played by an amateur, can sound terrible, but with rhythm, it can transform the mundane into the extraordinary.

Yang Jingxing had already noticed Yu Xinting's innate sense of rhythm when she played video games. Her small body moved with explosive power. Most importantly, Yu Xinting was happy when she played the drums, even though she was a bit out of breath from the effort, her focused face still had a hidden smile.

Yu Xinting didn't even notice Yang Jingxing had arrived, still practicing the rhythm exercises following Qi Qingnuo's lead, her bangs damp with sweat. As a beginner, her hands were actually performing quite well, though she couldn't roll the sticks quickly, her basic movements were smooth and even, possibly due to her experience with video games. What was clearly amateurish was her footwork, which was very strenuous, and she couldn't manage any double or triple strokes, making the double bass drum a mere decoration.

After the practice, Yang Jingxing clapped. Yu Xinting was embarrassed, crossing the drumsticks in front of her face to hide it.

Wang Rui said, "Impressive! She's already learned six or seven rhythm patterns."

Yu Xinting giggled to Yang Jingxing, "I've taken up a lot of their time."

Liu Siman said, "Time is for playing, as long as you're having fun."

Yu Xinting made room, "You do your thing."

The "thing" was to have Yang Jingxing listen to "Clouds Disperse and Fog Clears" again to see if he could offer any more valuable suggestions that Qi Qingnuo would adopt. From yesterday's discussion to now, Yang Jingxing had given many suggestions, but Qi Qingnuo had only used half of them. For Room 306 to play her own music, Yang Jingxing didn't have much say.

Actually, everyone would offer their opinions during the discussions. Although their overall understanding might not be as deep as Qi Qingnuo's, she would take everyone's opinions seriously, explaining whether they were feasible and why. The atmosphere in Room 306 was really good, no wonder Yu Xinting liked it here.

The next day was Singles' Day, and the girls from Room 306 had agreed to practice for a while in the morning, hoping to put on a stunning performance in the evening.

In the evening, Yang Jingxing received a call from Tao Meng. They asked each other what they had been up to that week. Finally, Tao Meng had a difficult request, "Grandma wants to visit your school."

Yang Jingxing said, "Welcome, but it has to be Sunday, I have something tomorrow."

Tao Meng asked, "What?"

Yang Jingxing said, "A friend is having a concert, I need to support them."

After finding out what kind of concert it was, Tao Meng decided not to bring her grandmother, and was curious, "People still learn the erhu and sanxian these days?"

Yang Jingxing said, "Chinese traditional music is profound and rich, it must be passed down and developed."

Tao Meng asked, "What about next Wednesday?"

Yang Jingxing asked, "Are you free?"

Tao Meng said, "I should be."

Yang Jingxing said, "That's good."

Tao Meng found it a bit troublesome, "We need to buy a gift."

Yang Jingxing said, "Not necessary."

"How can that be? Have you bought it?"

"I'll just buy a cake."

Tao Meng said, "That's not good, how about we pick something out together?"

Yang Jingxing laughed, "You buy it, and write my name on it."

Tao Meng said, "That's weird, let's buy separately, on Sunday."

Yang Jingxing agreed.