Chapter 84

Peyi Chen placed a beautiful postcard under the glass on her desk. It was a lovely card depicting a little girl standing under a eave hung with wind chimes, gazing at a deep blue starry sky. Actually, compared to the picture on the postcard, she preferred the beautiful penmanship on the back and the gentle statement: "If you are well, it is a sunny day." This phrase, originally from Bai Luomei's 2012 book "If You Are Well, It Is a Sunny Day—The Biography of Lin Huiyin," had not yet been written in this timeline, so it had not been overused in personal profiles and signatures. It could be considered Cheng Xiaoyu's original creation.

Because of this phrase, she wanted to know who had sent the flowers, but there was no signature on the card, and she had no idea who had placed the flowers on her bedside. Moreover, the meanings of the flowers were all blessings, not expressions of love.

Now, she was sitting at her desk in the dormitory, reading "A History of Western Music." When she was admitted to the drama school, she had applied for both the opera and violin programs, and was admitted as the top student in both.

Both programs wanted to admit her, and the dispute even reached the principal's office.

The String Department said that Peyi Chen was a once-in-a-century talent in China.

The Opera Department said that Peyi Chen could help the school win the Plum Blossom Award.

The String Department said that Peyi Chen's violin performance skills were almost at the master level.

The Opera Department said that with Peyi Chen, their college could win another Plum Blossom Award.

The String Department said that the Opera Department already had many talents and should not compete with a small department for a future master.

The Opera Department said that they had many people, but few Plum Blossom Awards.

Then, the admissions office of the Opera Department and the head of the String Department got into a fight.

Finally, Yu Shiwen, the head of the Cheng School and Jiang Lan's teacher, decided to take Peyi Chen as her last disciple, ending the endless dispute.

To the teachers, this was a competition for a future master; to the students, it was a competition for the future school beauty.

Although Peyi Chen entered the Opera Department, she also chose to audit the violin program. Although it was tiring, she felt that she could not give up either opera or the violin.

On the day of the retest, many departments in the school did not have classes, so she quietly sat in the dormitory reading.

Around 10 o'clock, Jiang Muhan, a senior in music and dance, rushed into the dormitory, pulling Peyi Chen and gasping, "Chenchen, do you know that the rich kid who hit you is applying to the drama school?"

Peyi Chen's hand trembled, and she asked nervously, "Who?"

Jiang Muhan, not noticing Peyi Chen's emotional fluctuations, said, "The fat guy who hit you in the Ferrari, Cheng Xiaoyu!"

Peyi Chen concealed her complex emotions, straightened the "A History of Western Music" that she had knocked askew, and said softly, "Of course he can apply to the drama school. There's nothing strange about that, right?"

Although Jiang Muhan felt that something was off with Peyi Chen, she thought she was still under the shadow of the accident. After her recovery, she never mentioned anything related to the accident, not even the name of the person who hit her, which her roommates had to inform her about.

When her roommates discussed the incident with her, she only said that she considered it a common accident and not worth discussing, as if the person who had struggled on the brink of death for over twenty hours was not her.

Jiang Muhan asked in surprise, "You really don't hate him at all?"

Peyi Chen did not look at Jiang Muhan, just shook her head while staring at the book on the table, "What's there to hate? I should even thank him. If his family hadn't compensated so much, I... there's nothing else to say. You didn't come up here just to tell me he's applying to the drama school, did you?"

Jiang Muhan knew that Peyi Chen's family was not well-off, but she could not understand why Peyi Chen was so forgiving and showed no curiosity. She pulled Peyi Chen up and said, "Class President Zhang Shaofeng is leading a group of people to the exam site with a banner, and they are arguing with the student council! More and more people are gathering there, and it looks like something big is about to happen."

Peyi Chen became a bit nervous and quickly stood up, "How can they do that?"

Jiang Muhan pulled Peyi Chen out of the dormitory and said, "It's said that someone posted online yesterday, claiming that Cheng Xiaoyu bribed the examiners to cheat! Of course, the ones causing the most trouble are still your admirers."

Peyi Chen frowned, determined to stop them from continuing. She had already made one mistake and did not want to make another.

As Peyi Chen walked towards the music department, He Mingzhe hesitated outside the piano department head's office with a stack of documents. He took out his phone, checked the alarm he had set, and thought of Duanmulin Sha's fair neck and swan-like pride. He no longer hesitated, gathered his courage, and knocked on the door.

The head of the piano department, Li Yunling, was also He Mingzhe's teacher. When He Mingzhe entered, Li Yunling was in her fifties, with hair that was more white than black, looking rather stern and lacking in warmth. She was wearing glasses and reading a lesson plan.

He Mingzhe entered the office, left the door slightly ajar, and called out, "Teacher."

Li Yunling looked up and saw He Mingzhe, smiled kindly, and said, "What's up? What do you need?"

He Mingzhe suppressed his nervousness and said, "Last week, the school invited Professor Qian to give a lecture in the piano department, and the students' response was very good. We hope to have a master come to talk to us, the future performers, about performance experience or working with major symphony orchestras, either once a month or every two weeks."

Li Yunling pondered for a few seconds and said, "That's a good idea, but it's not easy to invite those masters!"

He Mingzhe said, "We can invite them in the name of the student council, with the school's support. I wonder if this approach is feasible."

Li Yunling thought for a moment and said, "It's not impossible. I'll talk to the principal about it."

At this moment, He Mingzhe's phone alarm went off. His eyes started to wander, and his adrenaline was pumping. He didn't know whether to turn off the alarm or follow his plan and answer the call.

Seeing He Mingzhe's dilemma, Li Yunling said, "You can take the call first."

He Mingzhe, feeling relieved, took out his phone, turned off the alarm, and pressed it to his cheek, pretending to talk to someone, "What's up, President?" Then he controlled the rhythm, saying "Hmm!" and "Ah!" and "No way!" before hanging up.

Li Yunling didn't look at him and continued reading the lesson plan.

He Mingzhe, trying to calm his racing heart, said, "Teacher, something big has happened in our department!"

Li Yunling raised her head and frowned, "What happened?"

"President Tong just called me. The rich kid who hit Peyi Chen last year is applying to our school this time. It's said that he has a suspicion of cheating, and many students are causing a disturbance at the exam site!"

Li Yunling put down her pen and said, "What nonsense. Can't the student council handle it? Isn't Professor Kong at the exam site?"

He Mingzhe, now in a difficult position, had to persuade Li Yunling to intervene or risk all his efforts. "It's mainly because that rich kid was scheduled to take the preliminary test last, and he played the simplest pieces: E-flat minor, BWV853, Op.10 No.9 F minor, and Op.25 No.1. Passing such simple pieces has caused many students to be dissatisfied. Now, over a hundred people are gathered outside the exam site, saying that the school is corrupt and engaging in backroom deals. Many parents have seen this, and it's very bad for our department's reputation."