Chapter 23

The next day at noon, during the lunch break, the school posted a list announcing the class programs selected for the joint New Year's cultural performance of the four schools. There were a total of seven programs, with Su Yuxi's piano solo listed first, and Class 3 (2) at the very bottom. This did not cause much of a stir in the school, as Cheng Xiaoyu's program had already been very late to be performed, and not many people knew about the incident where they were not allowed to perform due to the lack of instruments. Everyone was discussing how handsome Sun Zihao was and how beautiful Ji Yunyun was, and no one was gossiping about this low-profile combination.

However, Class 3 (2) was completely thrown into chaos. Li Liwei had been smiling all morning, as he had left yesterday after seeing Cheng Xiaoyu go on stage and then be forced off. He originally thought that Cheng Xiaoyu was making excuses, deliberately not preparing instruments so that he wouldn't have to perform. This way, even if he wasn't selected, he could say it was because he didn't bring the instruments. Li Liwei had even prepared his response last night, thinking of how to humiliate this overconfident fat guy, how to show mercy and demonstrate his magnanimity, and how Cheng Xiaoyu wouldn't dare to run naked. But Gu Manting entered the classroom and delivered a shocking message: Cheng Xiaoyu's program was selected.

Li Liwei suspected that Gu Manting might have made a mistake and hurried to check the school bulletin board. There, the program of Class 3 (2), Cheng Xiaoyu, Xia Shamo, and Chen Haoran, was clearly listed. Even if the class could be wrong, the names couldn't be wrong.

Li Liwei, feeling lost, ran to the student council to ask Ji Yunyun, the cultural affairs officer, who said, "My aunt personally gave the list of selected programs, so there's no mistake."

Li Liwei asked, "Didn't Cheng Xiaoyu and his group get forced off the stage yesterday because they didn't bring instruments?"

Ji Yunyun, who had left after dancing and didn't see what happened afterward, replied, "I'm not sure what happened." She didn't know about Li Liwei's bet with Cheng Xiaoyu and said indifferently, "Isn't it good that they made it? Who cares how they got in?"

Li Liwei scratched his usually well-kept hair and walked to the playground without paying attention to Ji Yunyun. He didn't dare to return to the classroom for the moment, as he really didn't want to face Cheng Xiaoyu's fat face. His mind was filled with thoughts of how Cheng Xiaoyu would force him to fulfill his promise and the dirty words he might use to insult him. He completely forgot about how he planned to teach this reckless fat guy a lesson last night, as he had been so happy that he ate a lot for dinner.

Li Liwei stood on the playground for a moment, feeling the pointing and whispering around him. At this moment, he regretted making the bet known to almost the entire school. Seeing that class was about to start, Li Liwei took a deep breath and walked toward the classroom. His heart was like being cut by a knife, and he considered skipping class to avoid the storm, but he thought his father would beat him if he found out. Shaking his head to abandon the unrealistic idea, he straightened his chest and held his breath, walking to his seat without looking around. A position that usually took him ten seconds to reach now seemed so long.

The storm of ridicule he expected did not come. Although everyone knew about the incident, most still sympathized with the relatively excellent class leader, and some even said that Cheng Xiaoyu's victory was unfair because no one saw their performance.

Cheng Xiaoyu had no desire for revenge against Li Liwei, even though he was a Scorpio. A lion wouldn't remember an ant that challenged him.

Li Liwei didn't realize that he had become insignificant. If he turned around, he would see that Cheng Xiaoyu didn't even look at him. He felt like sitting on pins and needles in his seat, but there were still two more classes before the end of the day. Li Liwei was afraid of the bell ringing for the first time, and he spent the entire class in fear. He had already decided that as soon as class was over, he would pretend to sleep on his desk. These ten minutes felt like the longest of his life.

When class ended, Li Liwei pretended to sleep on his desk, but his ears were alert to every sound around him. Any slight footsteps made him nervous, and the whispers and faint laughter around him seemed to be directed at him. When the bell rang for the next class, he pretended to just wake up, rubbing his red face.

Wang Ou was overjoyed because he would become the first tycoon in the school forum. The forum was already in an uproar, with posts about the selection process dominating the page. The main issue was that no one saw Cheng Xiaoyu's performance. Some even speculated that Cheng Xiaoyu deliberately delayed his performance to the end so that no one could judge its quality, and then bribed Teacher Ji. The supporters of Teacher Ji were furious in the comments. Others said that Cheng Xiaoyu had piggybacked on Xia Shamo and Chen Haoran to get through, and analyzed the reasonableness of this theory in detail.

Wang Ou also posted, "According to an insider, Teacher Ji went to the practice venue with Cheng and the other two and was convinced by Cheng's powerful performance, deciding on the spot to select the program." However, the comments were full of boos, and seeing Wang Ou's low points, people were even more angry, knowing that he was the insider. The post quickly turned into a barrage of insults, but no one believed that this was the closest to the truth.

None of this had anything to do with Cheng Xiaoyu. He didn't care whether Li Liwei would fulfill his bet or how many points Wang Ou had gained in the forum. He brought new sheet music today, planning to practice in the evening. Although the song was relatively simple, it was a duet, and he had confidence in Xia Shamo but not in himself.

After school, Li Liwei fled the classroom like a dog with its tail between its legs, a time when he usually showed affection with Gu Manting in the classroom.

Cheng Xiaoyu packed his bag and walked with Xia Shamo, following Chen Haoran. Once they left the school, Chen Haoran's pace slowed until the three of them walked side by side.

At the Lights Forest, Cheng Xiaoyu took out the new song's sheet music and gave it to the other two. Chen Haoran looked at the sheet music and frowned, saying, "This song is too simple, isn't it?"

Cheng Xiaoyu replied, "The quality of a song cannot be measured by its difficulty. I think this will have an unexpected effect when paired with the previous songs. From complex to simple, from passionate to calm, all are beautiful songs, and we shouldn't easily divide them into good and bad."

Chen Haoran didn't argue but said, "Let's try it out and see the effect. If I think it's not suitable, I'll refuse." Cheng Xiaoyu wasn't worried at all; he had carefully chosen the song, so how could it be bad?

Xia Shamo, who usually followed Cheng Xiaoyu's lead, asked, "Is this a duet? Who will sing the male part?"

Cheng Xiaoyu smiled and said, "Of course, it's me."

Xia Shamo, surprisingly, also smiled, "I've been wanting to hear you sing, but I never had the courage to ask."

Huang Yong chimed in, "Oh, you can sing too? I'll have to listen carefully." He was well aware of Cheng Xiaoyu's status in the band and his musical skills, as Cheng Xiaoyu usually guided the other two, and he himself had asked Cheng Xiaoyu about guitar techniques, finding the answers very helpful.

Cheng Xiaoyu felt a bit awkward and said, "Don't expect too much. I'm just a theorist, I know a lot of principles but haven't practiced much. But I believe I'll get better." He then walked to the electronic keyboard and started playing the introduction.

A gentle, clear melody floated in the basement, and it was impressive that Cheng Xiaoyu could play such a beautiful tune on this old electronic keyboard. Since the basement had no sound system, even bringing a synthesizer wouldn't help, so Cheng Xiaoyu had to make do with what he had, but this didn't affect the practice much.

Although it was a duet, Cheng Xiaoyu's part was not extensive. The main challenge was in the female part, which was why he had the courage to sing.

Huang Yong, Chen Haoran, and Xia Shamo were surprised by Cheng Xiaoyu's average singing. They had expected a revelation, but the result was unexpected. Huang Yong and Xia Shamo politely clapped, and Cheng Xiaoyu, knowing his limitations, laughed and said, "I'll practice more. My voice isn't particularly suitable for this song, it's not bright enough, but I'll just be a supporting role, making SUMMER's voice sound even better."

Xia Shamo, who was used to being called SUMMER, softly said, "It's still good, clear pronunciation, steady voice, and good breath control."

Cheng Xiaoyu knew this was encouragement and turned to Chen Haoran, saying, "Let's practice."

When Cheng Xiaoyu started the introduction, the drumbeat joined in, and Xia Shamo's clear, warm voice slowly drifted in, painting a beautiful picture before Huang Yong. He felt like holding a steaming cup of tea, through which he could see the green leaves swirling inside the clear glass. Through the leaves, he saw the floating wind, the fishing boats at dusk, the bright moon, and endless nostalgia.

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