Chapter 12

After practicing for more than two hours, Cheng Xiaoyu checked his watch and decided to go home for the day. He had spent a lot of time looking for a practice room, and it was already almost half past six. He planned to practice for at least four hours every day starting from tomorrow.

Cheng Xiaoyu picked up his backpack and left the practice room. He found the middle-aged man who managed the practice rooms at the entrance of the building, paid him, and booked a time slot for the next afternoon. Afraid that the room he used today would be occupied tomorrow afternoon, Cheng Xiaoyu prepaid 200 yuan and asked the man to start charging from 1 PM. The money was nothing to him. Aunt Zhou had given him 5,000 yuan in cash that morning and returned his credit card with a 500,000 yuan limit, which he had left behind. It was an additional card that would be automatically repaid upon expiration.

Cheng Xiaoyu walked out of the Fudan University Art Department's practice room. It was the time when Fudan's top students were heading to the cafeteria for dinner. He suddenly felt very hungry and quickened his pace toward the school gate. While in the taxi, Aunt Zhou called to ask why he hadn't come home yet. Cheng Xiaoyu didn't explain much, saying he had participated in a club activity and would be coming home late from now on.

The taxi couldn't enter the Yuehu Mountain Villa complex, so the neighborhood provided golf carts to transport people to their villas, driven by black security guards. When Cheng Xiaoyu arrived home, Jiao San was still waiting at the door. Taking his backpack, Jiao San said, "Young Master, Mr. and Mrs. Cheng and Miss are waiting for you to have dinner." Cheng Xiaoyu was a bit surprised and quickened his pace toward the dining room.

As he passed the practice room, Su Yuxi was practicing inside. Cheng Xiaoyu could faintly hear the piano, but couldn't identify the piece. However, the sight of her slender hands dancing in the air, like a lotus blooming by the pond, was truly beautiful. Cheng Xiaoyu didn't dare to look for long and hurried to the dining room.

After dinner, Su Yuxi returned to the practice room to continue practicing. Cheng Xiaoyu went back to his bedroom, planning to review his lessons and study traditional Chinese characters. Aunt Zhou came up to ask why he came home so late. Cheng Xiaoyu said he had really participated in a music club activity and would be coming home late from now on. Aunt Zhou, unlike Ji Xin, wasn't easily fooled, but didn't expose him. She only said that in the future, Wang Huasheng would pick up Su Yuxi from the company and then go to the school to pick up Cheng Xiaoyu. Cheng Xiaoyu tried to refuse a few times, but seeing that Aunt Zhou wouldn't change her mind, he gave up.

His driver's license was still at the traffic police station, so driving himself was out of the question for now. Aunt Zhou also asked Cheng Xiaoyu what kind of piano he wanted. Cheng Xiaoyu explained his thoughts: he didn't just want a practice room; he wanted a simple recording studio. Aunt Zhou agreed that as long as Cheng Xiaoyu wasn't the last in his final exams, he could set up his own practice room.

With Wang Ou, the school's unofficial paparazzi, around, time passed more easily. Wang Ou would drag Cheng Xiaoyu to the bathroom even if he didn't need to go. Cheng Xiaoyu focused on his classes, diligently taking notes and studying traditional Chinese characters. After school, he went directly to the Fudan University Music Department's practice room to practice the piano. Occasionally, he would go to the small auditorium to play the accompaniment for Ji Xin's choir. However, he never ran into Professor Hu, Ji Xin's teacher, at Fudan University. Life passed quietly, without any school bullies or popular girls, which was a bit disappointing for Cheng Xiaoyu.

Time flew by, and it was already mid-December, with New Year's Day just around the corner.

After school, the homeroom teacher, Mr. Wang Wei, asked the class to stay for a class meeting. The old scholar called for silence and then slowly addressed the students, who were eager to go home: "This New Year's cultural performance is organized by the city education commission, and our school, along with Shanghai High School, Gezhi Private School, and Fengxian Girls' High School, will jointly host it in the Fudan University auditorium. The school requires each class to submit a performance, which will be selected by Teacher Ji Xin. Now, let's brainstorm and decide what our class will perform!"

The class immediately burst into discussion. Before any consensus was reached, Chen Haoran, the top student in the class and the grade, raised his hand and said, "Mr. Wang, I have a tutoring class and will be late. Can I leave early?" Mr. Wang, who always favored top students, waved him off. Immediately, a sea of hands rose. For high school seniors, a cultural performance couldn't compare to the importance of the college entrance exam. While you were practicing, others could do more exercises and potentially score higher. Besides, there was no guarantee that the performance would be selected.

Mr. Wang understood the students' thoughts and said, "Alright, everyone can go, but the class committee members and Cheng Xiaoyu, stay behind. You are our class's only music specialist, so help us come up with ideas." The students without positions quickly dispersed. Mr. Wang picked up his lesson plan and said to the class president, Li Liwei, "Organize the class committee to come up with a plan today and tell me tomorrow." He then left the classroom with his lesson plan and thermos.

Li Liwei gathered about seven committee members. Most of the high-achievers sat in the front, while Cheng Xiaoyu sat far in the back. Li Liwei called Cheng Xiaoyu to sit in the front and said, "Everyone can share their ideas." Li Liwei, with his sharp brows and bright eyes, was quite handsome, ranking in the top 20 of the grade. He was also the vice president of the student council and the small forward of the school basketball team, a typical prince charming in many girls' eyes.

However, no one was willing to give the class president face when it came to the cultural performance. The committee members remained silent, afraid of being chosen. Gu Manting, the study committee member and Chinese class representative, broke the silence, saying, "Shouldn't Xia Shamo decide? She is the cultural committee member, right?" Everyone turned to look at a tall, slim girl with curly hair and black-rimmed glasses.

Cheng Xiaoyu also looked in her direction. Xia Shamo, with her fair and pure skin, blushed and said, "I don't have any ideas yet!" Everyone immediately looked worried. Someone suggested that the sports committee member, Huang Liang, perform martial arts. Huang Liang, the only 7th-degree martial arts student in Fudan High School, quickly said, "I have a tendon injury in my right leg and can't do any sports right now."

Another suggested that Gu Manting sing a duet with the class president, Li Liwei, since her singing was good. Gu Manting immediately turned serious and said to the hygiene committee member, Li Jun, and the vice class president, Wang Jie, "Why don't you two perform a comedy sketch?" The room erupted into chaos.

Seeing the class meeting about to fall apart, Li Liwei loudly said, "Quiet! How about Xia Shamo performs on the guzheng? Her performance last year was well-received, right?" Everyone agreed.

Xia Shamo pushed her glasses up and said softly, "Every school activity, I perform on the guzheng. Isn't that a bit perfunctory?"

Li Liwei frowned and looked at Cheng Xiaoyu, "Hey, what instrument do you play?"

Cheng Xiaoyu, annoyed but unwilling to argue, said, "Piano."

Li Liwei smiled, "How about you two perform together? Piano and guzheng, a blend of Eastern and Western music. What do you think?" Everyone applauded.

Xia Shamo turned to look at Cheng Xiaoyu and said, "But I don't know how to arrange the music."

Cheng Xiaoyu, not one to be pushed around, replied, "No problem. Just get me a grand piano to the school first."

Li Liwei, surprised by Cheng Xiaoyu's unexpected response, was taken aback. He said, "Cheng Xiaoyu, I don't have the right to criticize you, but how many points have you cost our class over the past two months? If it weren't for your behavior, our class wouldn't always be last in the monthly evaluations, and we wouldn't have to do school cleaning every time. Now, when we ask you to contribute to the class, you're hesitating."

Cheng Xiaoyu, who had forgotten about this, realized that his poor relationships might be partly due to this. He felt his resolve weaken. If he caused a scene, he might be isolated in the class. Knowing he had no choice, he stood up and said, "Alright, I'll participate in the performance. I'll follow your arrangements." He then returned to his seat to get his backpack and leave. He wasn't afraid of being isolated, but he didn't want to owe anyone anything. The points deducted were his responsibility, and he had caused the class to be punished, so he wanted to make amends.

Li Liwei, seeing Cheng Xiaoyu back down, looked down on him even more and mocked, "Don't worry, no one expects you to pass the school selection. How can your piano skills compare to Su Yuxi's?"

Cheng Xiaoyu turned around and smiled, "Whether I pass or not isn't up to you. Besides, will you pay me if I pass?"

Li Liwei, whose father was the vice principal, didn't take Cheng Xiaoyu seriously. He knew Cheng Xiaoyu had entered the school through connections and that his piano skills weren't necessarily high. The school would only select one piano performance, and Su Yuxi was a guaranteed performer. He coldly said, "Let's not talk about money. If you pass the selection, I'll run naked around the playground three times. If you don't, you'll do the same."

Cheng Xiaoyu smiled, "Don't regret it."

Li Liwei chuckled, "You agreed to this. Don't tell your parents I bullied you. Xia Shamo, cooperate with Cheng Xiaoyu and see what surprise he can bring to our class." He didn't care if Xia Shamo agreed.

Cheng Xiaoyu, not wanting to argue further, picked up his backpack and left through the back door of the classroom, hearing mocking laughter behind him. In Li Liwei's eyes, Cheng Xiaoyu was a brainless rich kid who should just be a background figure for the top students. If he dared to struggle, Li Liwei wouldn't mind humiliating him. Life's main characters should be people like him—handsome, academically excellent, and from a wealthy family. For those who performed poorly, Li Liwei always felt intellectually superior. Seeing Cheng Xiaoyu leave, he smiled at the others and said, "We won't really make Cheng Xiaoyu run naked. We just want him to learn his lesson and not cause more trouble for the class." Everyone was impressed by Li Liwei's magnanimity, but no one noticed the disdain in his smile.

The class committee meeting ended with a satisfactory result. Li Liwei invited Gu Manting to a coffee shop outside the school to study together. The coffee shop, called "Romance and Sugar," was a popular spot for hidden couples. It was always crowded after school, and those who couldn't get a seat had to go to the nearby McDonald's. The class committee members dispersed, and the classroom was left with Xia Shamo, the cultural committee member, slowly packing her bag. No one cared about her feelings.

We all play minor roles in others' lives. Some shine brightly and leave a lasting impression, while others go unnoticed even when standing right in front of you. Some are mere foils, stepping stones for the successful, the leftovers of their brilliant lives. But life isn't a movie, and who would willingly be the antagonist?

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We all play minor roles in others' lives. Some shine brightly and leave a lasting impression, while others go unnoticed even when standing right in front of you. Some are mere foils, stepping stones for the successful, the leftovers of their brilliant lives. But life isn't a movie, and who would willingly be the antagonist?

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