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Thanks to Jiang Suihua, Jiang Yichen had learned quite a few vocal techniques since childhood. He had loved the piano as a child, hoping to become a great pianist one day. However, this passion gradually faded under the monotonous daily training. From fervent love to apathy… perhaps it was simply a lack of passion.
Jiang Yichen sat down at the white grand piano, a campus volunteer setting up a microphone beside him. As he walked from backstage onto the stage, he had already decided on the song he would play and sing: “An Unspeakable Secret.” He had loved this song in his previous life and had practiced it extensively.
*Ding…*
Jiang Yichen gently struck the first note. The melodious and lyrical prelude began to resonate across the campus. Many students tapped their feet to the rhythm. Slowly, they realized that this piece… they had never heard it before.
“Cold coffee leaves the coaster, the emotions I suppressed linger far behind,” he sang. “The desperate attempt to reclaim the past, still clearly visible on my face. The most beautiful thing isn’t the rainy day, but the eaves where we once sheltered together from the rain…”
The students below frowned deeper with each line, some teachers also showing puzzled expressions. If they weren’t mistaken, this song… was original?
“Whoa!? That’s Lao Jiang?” Zhang Wei exclaimed, his face full of surprise.
“Is… is it?” Shen An said uncertainly.
“Should we still record this?” Zheng Mingcheng looked doubtful, questioning everything he knew. They had originally intended to capture their roommate’s embarrassing moment, but it had unexpectedly turned into a shining highlight.
“Record! Of course, we should record!” Zhang Wei pointed at the figure playing the piano on stage. “That’s my son up there playing, how can I not record this!”
Shen An: “Makes sense.”
Zheng Mingcheng: “1…”
“I’m going, Lingling, your student is amazing!” Lin Yao applauded. Though she had only heard a few lines, the song… was quite good.
Qin Ling didn’t respond, only listening quietly. The song… did sound quite good.
“You said letting go of love gradually will lead to a further path, why bother changing the time that has already passed?” Jiang Yichen sang. “You use your fingertips to stop me from saying goodbye, imagining you’re beside me before completely losing you. You said letting go of love gradually will lead to a further path, perhaps fate’s signature only allows us to meet. Only allows us to be in love this autumn. After the falling leaves, I discovered these fragments of happiness, how am I supposed to pick them up…”
After a long time, the song ended. Thunderous applause erupted from the audience. Jiang Yichen calmly stood up, walked to the center of the stage, and bowed slightly. He came lightly, and he left lightly, without a trace. This calm demeanor captivated many female students present.
“Wow! Lingling, you’ve found a treasure! Your student sings so beautifully!” Lin Yao praised.
“It’s alright.”
“No, can you stop talking like that? I feel like your student is learning to speak from you.” Lin Yao initially didn’t think much of it, but after watching Jiang Yichen’s interview on stage, she suddenly felt… a sense of incongruity.
Qin Ling twitched her eyes. Perhaps she should have Jiang Yichen hand-copy several more scores?
“My old Jiang…” Zhang Wei looked at the other two in the dorm, puzzled and asked, “Is he usually like this?”
Shen An: “He doesn’t seem to be.”
Zheng Mingcheng: “Remove the ‘seems’. This act… is so cool.”
Zhang Wei said enviously, “It makes me feel so passionate. I also want to go up there and act cool.”
Shen An laughed: “Haha, you go up there? I guess your legs will be shaking.”
“What are you talking about, little South Liang!” Zhang Wei retorted.
“Haha,” Shen An looked thoughtful, “If I’m not mistaken, it was you who pushed Lao Jiang up there.”
“Then he should thank me properly!” Zhang Wei patted his chest. We Eternal Tribulation players are like this – his reaction to the light shining on him was an instant reflex. Without a 4500-point Asura level, it’s completely impossible to do.
Jiang Yichen walked off the stage, immediately encountering several senior students wanting his WeChat contact information.
“Junior, your singing is beautiful. I’m a vocal major in my third year. Are you free to practice singing together sometime?”
“Junior, I’m a piano major in my third year. You’re also a piano major, right? Are you free to practice piano together sometime?”
“Junior, your song just now was so beautiful. Is it an original? I’m a composition major in my third year. Do you want to add me on WeChat and chat?”
Jiang Yichen looked at the several senior sisters approaching him, and indifferently waved his hand: “No time.”
You know what? It really is. Qin Ling’s style of speaking is really quite cool. Jiang Yichen decided to maintain this aloof persona. He politely declined the kindness of the senior students and returned to his class.
“Jiang Yichen, I never expected you to sing so beautifully!”
“It’s alright, average.”
“Jiang Yichen, you’ve had vocal training, right?”
“Yes.”
“Jiang Yichen…”
“Mmm-hmm”
Jiang Yichen was surrounded three layers deep by his classmates. Zhang Wei, Shen An, and Zheng Mingcheng stood outside the circle, frowning at Jiang Yichen’s aloof demeanor.
After a long time, the crowd dispersed. The freshmen welcome party came to a close.
“Lao Jiang, what are we having for dinner later?” Zhang Wei asked.
“Anything is fine.”
“Hot pot?”
“Okay.”
Jiang Yichen replied. Zhang Wei’s face darkened, he cracked his knuckles: “You little rascal, that’s enough.”
Shen An echoed: “Exactly! You can act cool in front of outsiders, but you want to act cool in front of us too?”
Zheng Mingcheng: “Do you really think we don’t know what you are really like?”
Jiang Yichen lightly waved his hand: “What are you talking about? I don’t understand. Isn’t this how I usually am?”
Zhang Wei hooked Jiang Yichen’s neck: “Do you believe we’ll beat you up when we get back?”
Shen An excitedly said: “I agree, I agree. I still have some wigs, and dresses. Let’s do it, anyway, when the lights are off, it’s the same.”
“Whoa.” Jiang Yichen was stunned, “Three foster fathers, how about we have dry pot later?”
Zhang Wei: “That’s more like it.”
Shen An: “Hot pot.”
Zheng Mingcheng: “I think chicken pot is better.”
After a game of rock-paper-scissors, everyone headed towards the small cafeteria.
After dinner, Jiang Yichen received a message from his older sister.
[Jiang Suihua: Wow, Xiao Yi, I didn’t even know you could write songs.]
[Jiang Yichen: No, no.]
[Jiang Suihua: Want to go out and play this weekend?]
[Jiang Yichen: No, I have something to do this weekend.]
Jiang Yichen did want to go out and play, but he still had scores to copy, and more importantly… he hadn’t practiced much, only going to the practice room for a while last night. He planned to go to the practice room again this weekend to practice properly. If he played badly again next time Qin Ling heard him, she might rip his scalp off.
[Jiang Suihua: Okay then.]
[Jiang Yichen: Mmm-hmm]
After replying to his sister’s WeChat message, Jiang Yichen went to his computer desk and opened his music production software.