Chapter 7

On November 10th, in the grand auditorium of Dongguk University, over a thousand seats were filled to capacity.

Today was Dongguk University's Music Exchange Festival. The university had international students and exchange students from over 20 countries around the world. Some of these students might indeed be talented, but they also brought a variety of issues and antics.

As a form of self-entertainment, after all, none of them were professionals. Truly professional music or dance students wouldn't come to study in Korea; the music programs in the UK, Italy, and the US were far superior to those in Korea.

The hosts for today were two pairs of handsome men and beautiful women, just like in the previous life. Among the four hosts were Joo Ji-hyun, who had already gained some fame in the television industry in Korea, two handsome men from Taiwan and Brazil, and a beautiful woman from India.

Just like in the previous life, the opening act was a high-energy song and dance performance. Since one of the members of the already-debuting group HOT, An Ji-hyun, was a student at Dongguk University, they were chosen to open the show, which also subtly emphasized Korea's dominance in the music scene.

Sure enough, the performances by the amateur exchange and international students from various countries paled in comparison to HOT. Zheng Rongxuan couldn't help but feel disdain for the Korean organizers' intentions. If they had real talent, they wouldn't have let a debut group perform; they would have stuck to amateurs.

In his previous life, Zheng Rongxuan had also performed at this music exchange festival, but he had chosen an older song that didn't attract much attention.

After a black beauty from Africa sang a Korean song, Joo Ji-hyun announced the next act. A piano was wheeled onto the stage, and Jiang Yan and a senior Chinese exchange student, Hu Chunni, walked up. The two young and beautiful Chinese women immediately drew a round of enthusiastic applause from the audience. After all, beautiful women always brighten the mood, even if it's just to look at them.

Unlike in his previous life, this time, at Zheng Rongxuan's suggestion, Jiang Yan found a senior who could play the cello. They performed "Summer" by the modern Japanese piano master Joe Hisaishi. The simple, lively, and soulful melody instantly gave the audience a sense of comfort. Since the piece had only been around for a little over a year, many people hadn't heard it before.

"What's this piece? I've never heard of it before."

"I'm not sure either. Maybe it's an obscure piece from China."

"Impossible. A piece this beautiful would have been known worldwide if it were from China. Could it be their original composition?"

"It's from a Japanese film, 'Kikujiro no Natsu,' released last year. The piece was composed by the Japanese piano master Joe Hisaishi. I didn't expect it to have reached China so quickly. It seems China's reform and opening-up are truly aligning with the world."

The two women performed exceptionally well. Although a few notes were slightly off, the audience, mostly ordinary students, didn't notice. Even the music professors at Dongguk University were quite satisfied with their performance and believed the two Chinese girls had potential in music.

Zheng Rongxuan stood at the backstage exit, quietly listening to the beautiful duet from the stage. Looking at the audience, who were attentively listening to the music, he smiled. "Surprised, aren't you? Wait until you see what else we have in store for you, Chinese style."

"Zheng Rongxuan, please get ready. It's almost your turn," a student in charge of the event whispered to him.

Zheng Rongxuan nodded and watched as Jiang Yan and Hu Chunni finished their performance and bowed to the audience. As they bent down, the audience erupted into applause, whistles, and compliments.

To Zheng Rongxuan's surprise, a professor in the front row stood up, excited and pleased, and said to the two girls, "Your performance was excellent. I've never seen such musical talent in Chinese students before. Are you interested in transferring to the music department?"

He spoke quickly, and Jiang Yan didn't understand. She looked at Hu Chunni with a puzzled expression. Hu Chunni quietly explained in Chinese and asked Jiang Yan's opinion, recognizing her exceptional piano skills.

From a distance, Zheng Rongxuan couldn't hear their conversation clearly. After a moment, as the applause continued, Jiang Yan nodded, and Hu Chunni bowed to the waiting professor and said, "Thank you, Professor Kim. If the school allows it, we would be willing to take your music classes."

Professor Kim was very pleased with their response and replied with a smile, "Come to my office tomorrow, and I'll take care of the rest."

"Thank you, Professor Kim, and thank you to the school leadership and all the students!" The two bowed again and then left the stage.

Joo Ji-hyun walked back onto the stage, microphone in hand, and addressed the thousand-strong audience, "Thank you, Jiang Yan and Hu Chunni, for your performance. That 'Summer' was truly beautiful; I almost felt like dancing. Next up is Zheng Rongxuan, a first-year Chinese student from the Department of Computer Engineering. He will perform an original song. I'm curious to hear it, so let's all enjoy it together."

Zheng Rongxuan, dressed in a casual suit, walked onto the stage. His tall, athletic build and sunny smile immediately drew cheers from the female students. Walking to the center of the stage, he placed the microphone to his lips and said with a smile, "Good evening, everyone. I recently wrote a song for my new book. This is my first time performing it, so please be kind if there are any mistakes. 'I Believe' is dedicated to all the students who are running on the path of love."

As Zheng Rongxuan bowed again and sat down at the piano, placing the microphone on the stand, the audience, especially the teachers and students who had been there for over a year, were eagerly anticipating his performance. The performances by Chinese students in previous years had been average, but this year showed promise, especially the performance by Jiang Yan and Hu Chunni, which was nearly flawless and particularly appealing to the young audience who enjoyed lively and passionate music. [This book is now signed, please feel free to add it to your collection! Requesting recommendations!]

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