Chapter 96

On Saturday, January 6th, the dry cold wind that started blowing last night continued into the morning. Yang Jingxing left home after seven, and as he met the elderly neighbor descending the stairs to sell fried dough sticks, he invited her to get in his car for a ride. The old lady spoke in a heavy Puhai dialect, which Yang Jingxing could barely understand. She mentioned that two young people used to live in Yang Jingxing's apartment, causing a lot of noise, often returning home late at night with a group of people drinking and playing games, and bringing some questionable women. The old lady also knew that Yang Jingxing was a music college student, having heard it from his landlord. She then asked how long Yang Jingxing would be staying, to which he replied that it might be a few years. The old lady was pleased to hear this. She also mentioned that she didn't know who had reported Yang Jingxing for playing the erhu late at night and disturbing the peace.

At 8:15, after picking up Tao Meng, Yang Jingxing drove to the ski resort. Tao Meng brought a camera today, wanting to capture her heroic poses.

There was no need to hire a coach today. After changing into their ski gear and renting skis, they entered the ski area. It was great to arrive early, as there were no more than twenty people on the several hundred-meter-long ski slope.

Yang Jingxing took the camera and snapped a series of photos of Tao Meng practicing her posture on a gentle slope. When Tao Meng got tired, she came over to let Yang Jingxing take over, and even asked someone to take a group photo of them.

After taking enough photos, they stored the camera and skied for a while. Yang Jingxing took Tao Meng to the top, where the slope was steeper.

Looking down, Tao Meng was scared: "No way! What if I fall?"

Yang Jingxing said, "That would mean your skills aren't up to par yet."

Tao Meng, no longer afraid, said, "Let's go then."

Yang Jingxing counted, "One, two, three," and they both started down the slope. Tao Meng's posture was perfect, but Yang Jingxing seemed to glide effortlessly, still standing.

As they picked up speed, though not extremely fast, Tao Meng still let out a small scream. Yang Jingxing used his poles to accelerate, catching up to Tao Meng and waiting for her at the bottom of the slope.

After the slope, Tao Meng's speed gradually slowed, and she finally stopped in front of Yang Jingxing. She straightened up, looked back at the several hundred meters she had skied, and said, "If I had been more nervous, I might have fallen."

They went up again and skied two more times. By then, Tao Meng was exhausted and they decided to head back to the city. They went to their usual spot for lunch, and Tao Meng learned about Yang Jingxing's plans for the evening.

After some consideration, Tao Meng decided, "I want to go."

Yang Jingxing said, "It's not fun, and it's far."

Tao Meng insisted, "I want to go!" There was still a lot to find out.

So, after a brief shopping trip, they returned to the school at four. They reviewed "Feng Yu Tong Lu" in Room 402 again, and then Yang Jingxing called Yu Xinting.

They met at the school gate. Yu Xinting and An Xin each had a bouquet of flowers. After getting in the car, An Xin asked Yang Jingxing, "Should we drop her off first?"

Tao Meng said, "I'm going to the bar too... The flowers are beautiful, who are they for?"

Yu Xinting carefully held the bouquet and said, "For the singer at the bar, she's our friend."

Tao Meng asked, "Ran Jie and Fu Feirong?" She then asked Yang Jingxing, "Should we get some too?"

Yang Jingxing said, "Count you in."

Tao Meng took it seriously and asked, "How much?"

An Xin laughed, "No need."

Yu Xinting added, "It's cheap, only eighty yuan for so many."

Yang Jingxing asked Tao Meng, "Her braids are cute, right?"

Tao Meng looked back and confirmed, "They are pretty."

Yu Xinting tugged at her own braids.

They found a nice place for dinner, and the pot of stew they ordered was quite good. Yang Jingxing served each of the three girls a bowl, in a clockwise direction, starting with Yu Xinting, then An Xin, and finally Tao Meng.

There was about a month left until the holiday, and Tao Meng was preparing for her final exams. She was curious if the final exam for the piano department at the music college was as simple as playing two pieces. Yu Xinting explained that it wasn't, as there were several subjects that required written exams, including music theory, sight-singing, and ear training. There was also English, which Yu Xinting was particularly worried about.

When they arrived at the bar at seven, it was still relatively empty. Qi Qingnuo wasn't there yet, nor were Ran Jie and Fu Feirong. Yu Xinting was worried about where to hide the flowers, so Yang Jingxing asked Qi Dawei for help, and he placed them behind the bar.

Qi Dawei told Yang Jingxing, "The new song is great, and there are a lot of friends tonight."

Yang Jingxing introduced Tao Meng, and the four of them sat down, reserving seats for Qi Qingnuo and Wang Rui.

A little while later, Wang Rui arrived, first admiring Yu Xinting's braids before greeting Tao Meng. She then asked Yang Jingxing, "Did Qi Qingnuo have a good time last night?"

Yang Jingxing laughed, "Too bad you didn't come."

Wang Rui regretted, "I heard from Liu Siman, they'll be here soon... How did it go?"

Yang Jingxing sang, "He rejected you, he rejected me, but she is passionate like fire, her name is Qi Qingnuo."

Wang Rui clapped and laughed, "Peng Yawei and his gang, they never give up, they'll sing it again tonight."

Tao Meng was interested, "What song?"

Yang Jingxing explained, "At last night's composition department performance, someone sang a love song to Qi Qingnuo."

Tao Meng laughed, "So bold!"

An Xin described, "A group of people sang it, called 'The Passionate Ice Beauty,' and they all learned it."

Wang Rui added, "Passionate? More like sexy and fiery!"

Tao Meng asked, "Who wrote the song?"

Wang Rui laughed, "Qi Qingnuo, she has more admirers than He Peiyuan. If they started lining up from her first year, it would be more than a dozen... Peng Yawei is really persistent, good for him."

Tao Meng hesitated, "She does have a good figure."

Wang Rui chuckled. Yu Xinting analyzed, "Maybe they like her talent."

An Xin laughed, "Sensitive and sexy."

Tao Meng chuckled and glanced at Yang Jingxing.

Wang Rui remembered and asked Yang Jingxing, "You were first, are you treating everyone tonight?"

Yang Jingxing said, "Not as impressive as Qi Qingnuo, let her treat."

Tao Meng asked, "What first?"

Yang Jingxing said, "A ranking from the performance, it doesn't mean much."

Wang Rui disagreed, "What do you mean it doesn't mean much? If you were always first, the three major orchestras would be fighting for you!"

Tao Meng asked, "Which three orchestras?"

Wang Rui said, "Puhai Symphony Orchestra, Puhai Philharmonic Orchestra, and Puhai Chorus."

...

A little while later, Qi Qingnuo and Nian Qing arrived. Qi Qingnuo was surprised to see Tao Meng, "What a rare guest, welcome, welcome."

Tao Meng praised, "Your place has a nice atmosphere."

Qi Qingnuo told Yang Jingxing, "Old Dry Mom might come, not my fault, blame my dad."

Tao Meng added, "I read the lyrics, your mom is very talented."

Qi Qingnuo laughed, "You'll tell her yourself later."

After Qi Qingnuo made a phone call, Shao Fangjie and Chai Litian arrived with their instruments. Gradually, Gao Pianpian, Liu Siman, and others also came, all bringing their instruments. By 7:30, all the members of Room 306 except Cai Fuxuan and Yu Feifei had arrived, and Fu Feirong and Ran Jie were also preparing. It was going to be a lively night.

About a dozen people sat at two large tables, and the main topic of conversation was "The Passionate Ice Beauty." Each new arrival would join in the discussion. Qi Qingnuo didn't resist, allowing all the teasing and admiration.

They also surrounded Yu Xinting's braids, with Wang Rui pulling and styling them into various shapes. Yu Xinting didn't resist much.

Tao Meng laughed along, feeling a bit warm, and took off her coat, placing it behind Yang Jingxing.

Yang Jingxing saw Gan Kaicheng and two others approaching, so he stood up to greet them. The other two were from Hongxing Company, one was Gan Kaicheng's deputy, and the other was the head of the planning department, both in their forties.

Tao Meng also came to shake hands with Gan Kaicheng, "Hello, nice to see you again."

Gan Kaicheng smiled and then got straight to the point, "David said the new song is great, can I see it?"

Yang Jingxing said, "I didn't bring the sheet music, but Ran Jie and the others will be singing it later."

Qi Qingnuo asked, "Shall I get a copy?"

Gan Kaicheng agreed, "Quickly." He glanced at the group of girls and sat down at a small table with his colleagues.

Tao Meng told Yang Jingxing, "You talk, I'll go over there."

So, Yang Jingxing sat with Gan Kaicheng.

Gan Kaicheng's two colleagues first praised Yang Jingxing's previous song "Xia Guang," providing various data, including website downloads and radio plays. Although it was released at the end of the year, it managed to rank in the top fifty for the entire year of 2006. For just the month of December, it ranked in the top ten.

For a new song by a newcomer, this was an impressive achievement, even though it benefited from Duan Liying's popularity. The company hadn't heavily promoted it. The head of the planning department said, "We all see great potential in you."

Yang Jingxing thanked them.

Qi Qingnuo brought the sheet music and placed it in front of Gan Kaicheng, "This is the round version, and this is the one Fu Feirong sings."

Gan Kaicheng and his deputy each took a copy, exchanged them after a few minutes, and remained silent. Gan Kaicheng put down the sheet music for "Shao Nv" after looking at two pages and asked Yang Jingxing, "Where's your singer, can she come over?"

Yang Jingxing said, "She's getting ready, should be soon."

The head of the planning department was curious, "Why did you find your own singer?"

Yang Jingxing looked at Qi Qingnuo and smiled, "She suggested it, said it would be more pure."

Qi Qingnuo denied, "I didn't tell you to find a singer... Hey, did you bring your trumpet?"

Yang Jingxing shook his head, "No."

Gan Kaicheng's deputy was interested, "You play the trumpet?"

Yang Jingxing said, "I just started."

Gan Kaicheng picked up the sheet music again, shook it slightly, and asked Yang Jingxing, "Should we discuss this now or later?"

Yang Jingxing said, "Later, let's see the performance first."

A little while later, Ran Jie called Yang Jingxing over and introduced him to a few friends. Four people, three men and one woman, all musicians, but relatively unknown. One man in his thirties had a record deal, but the others were freelancers. Yang Jingxing respected them as seniors.

Then, Qi Dawei introduced Yang Jingxing to the pipa player and two other friends. The pipa player was a man in his forties and a good friend of Qi Dawei. He had already seen the sheet music for "Finger Stream" and asked Yang Jingxing how long he had been playing the pipa. Many composers with a passion for traditional Chinese music often include instruments like the erhu, pipa, and guzheng in their compositions, but the performers often find the composers lack basic understanding of the instruments, leading to frustrating situations.

Qi Qingnuo's mother arrived a bit later, also bringing friends. Yang Jingxing greeted her like a savior, "Sister-in-law, you're here, I've been waiting for your approval."

Qi Qingnuo's mother smiled, "Good, very good, I've been busy these days. I listened to Nuo Nuo's recording yesterday, it's really great!"

By 8:00, the bar was packed, with many people standing. After greeting everyone, Yang Jingxing returned to Tao Meng and the others. Qi Qingnuo was organizing the 306 members to prepare the opening act, and asked Yang Jingxing, "Are you free? Cai Fuxuan isn't here, I'll take her place, you take mine."

Tao Meng was generous, "Go ahead."

The stage was small, and with ten people on it, it was quite crowded. Gao Pianpian had to place her guzheng to the side, and Chai Litian, Shao Fangjie, and Liu Siman were standing.

Qi Qingnuo hung her guitar and acted as the host, "Thank you all for coming tonight. We present a traditional Chinese music version of 'Rainy Sun' as the opening act for Ran Jie and Pan Pan's concert. I hope you enjoy it... By the way, the composer of this piece is the same person who wrote the new song for Ran Jie and Pan Pan tonight, Yang Jingxing, he's here."

Yang Jingxing wasn't as popular as Qi Qingnuo, and no one gave him much attention. Tao Meng and Yu Xinting left their seats and stood by the wall for a better view.

The prelude was a brass ensemble simulated by a double keyboard, setting a grand scene, which contrasted sharply with the erhu and sanxian that followed, creating a powerful impact... This was a completely different feeling from the orchestral version from last night.

Unlike the orchestral version, Qi Qingnuo deliberately arranged the music so that each instrument took turns being the main focus. With only a few people and a few instruments, it was impossible to create a grand atmosphere, but this approach had an unexpected effect.

In the blend of traditional and modern Chinese music, the audience's attention shifted from Yang Jingxing to Liu Siman and the others, then to Wang Rui, and then to Chai Litian and He Peiyuan... Tao Meng watched intently.

The girls were very comfortable on the small stage, each playing with dedication. After the performance, the nearly a hundred people in the bar cheered and clapped loudly, and as expected, asked for another song.

So, they played another, not "Contra" this time, but a song adaptation with a simple but clear arrangement. Yang Jingxing hadn't practiced with the group, but he managed to get by.

Although people kept asking for more, Qi Qingnuo refused and led the applause for Ran Jie to take the stage. The 306 girls packed up their instruments and sat down to enjoy the show.

Tao Meng said seriously, "I like your performance, it's really good."

Wang Rui chuckled, "You mean you like the songs he wrote?"

Tao Meng shook her head, "No, he plays better than you."

Qi Qingnuo asked, "Are you going to play with her later?"

Tao Meng looked at Yang Jingxing, who said, "I didn't bring my trumpet."

Wang Rui said, "Use mine, you're so good at improvising."

Tao Meng asked, "Can you do it?"

Yang Jingxing said, "As long as you