Bab 79: Original Song
No matter what, Miaoyi had no intention of meddling in other people's affairs or their games. It was their own business, after all. However, she had one condition - no one should dare to cross her path.
"A bunch of students, so young and already playing these 'political' games. How extraordinary," Miaoyi inwardly commented, finding it amusing and ridiculous.
Soon, accompanied by Nuo Yun, Tang Miaoyi returned to the school premises. She proudly displayed her school badge to the students guarding the entrance before making her way inside. With a parting nod to Nuo Yun, they separated and returned to their respective classes.
"Until we meet again."
"Goodbye."
- - - - - - - - - -
Upon entering her classroom, Miaoyi spotted the familiar figure of Qiuying in her seat. She waved a hand and settled into her own seat.
"Well, well, you actually didn't sleep in?" Qiuying exaggeratedly exclaimed upon seeing Miaoyi coming to school alone. "Tang Miaoyi, have you finally changed?"
"Hey, hey, hey, Qiuying, that's going too far. Do I look like that kind of person?" Miaoyi glanced unhappily at Qiuying, put her backpack in order, and sighed lightly. "You can't be like this. This kind of talk is making me depressed. In order for you to regain my trust, you'll have to kiss me."
"..."
Ignoring the comment, An Qiuying turned her head and acted as if she hadn't heard anything, beginning to organize her completed assignments.
"Oh, by the way, when do you want to practice for the auditions?" After a couple of jokes, Miaoyi didn't continue the small talk and directly asked about the selection process for the school anniversary performance.
"I have time after the second period," Qiuying answered, flipping a strand of hair hanging in front of her face. "Also, when I went shopping with Yun Jie earlier, I rented a guitar..."
"I see," Miaoyi nodded in understanding.
"Are you really sure you won't participate?" Qiuying couldn't help but ask again, her voice soft and somewhat weak. "I just feel like if you're not there with me, I won't have much confidence."
"Oh, don't worry about it. With you leading the way, there's nothing to be concerned about," Miaoyi wasn't worried about the selection like Qiuying was, as she gave her an encouraging smile. "Rest assured, you're Jing Qiuhua, a rising star with a legion of fans, and you're even under East Records now."
"Okay then..." Qiuying could only nod gently.
Next came the time to collect assignments.
The class monitor, Mr. Lin Ruofang, had taken a leave of absence to participate in "Street Dance of China," so Miaoyi took it upon herself to collect the assignments. She went to each class representative, gathered the assignments from various subjects, and sorted and organized them on her own desk, completing the task.
Then came the self-study period...
The first period was Chinese class, and it continued until the second period when Qiuying finally left the classroom with her guitar to practice for the auditions.
After contemplating for a moment, Miaoyi couldn't help but follow along, intending to help her figure out the music and chords she had written.
And Qiuying was by no means a professional guitar player; she mainly just knew chords, but her practice session went much smoother with Miaoyi to assist.
The rest of the day went smoothly. Even the dreaded third-period test passed by quickly. After returning home, Qiuying spent all her time practicing.
...Which meant she wasn't making food...
Miaoyi was finally able to order her beloved takeout meal.
- - - - - - - - - -
Quickly, Thursday became Friday, and the day of the auditions had arrived. Their classes that day went even quicker than before; by the time they knew it, it was their lunch period.
The auditions were starting.
Miaoyi followed Qiuying out of the classroom after the bell rang, and towards the designated area. Once Quiying and Miaoyi arrived at the venue, Miaoyi couldn't help but notice a hint of nervousness lingering in Qiuying's demeanour.
"Come on, loosen up," she said, breaking the silence.
"Hmm..."
Qiuying's earnestness toward the school anniversary event was evident. The chosen location for the auditions was the school's grand auditorium. Even before Miaoyi and Qiuying could step inside, they were greeted by the sight of extravagantly dressed students from other classes clutching an assortment of props and belongings.
"Alright, settle down, everyone! Maintain decorum and return to your designated areas according to your respective classes," a student council member, donning the school insignia on their sleeve, emerged and grabbed the microphone. With a firm clap, they captured the attention of the crowd. "We are now commencing the highly anticipated selection process for the school anniversary performances, starting with Grade 12 Classes 2 through 4. Let's maintain silence, silence, and more silence!"
Miaoyi glanced around and muttered under her breath, "Why does it seem like our class is the most underrepresented?"
And indeed, compared to other classes, Miaoyi and Qiuying represented only two people, with one of them serving as moral support. The only one participating was Qiuying, holding an acoustic guitar.
"Are all the students ready?" the student council member spoke into the microphone again, with an emotionless demeanour, standing on a podium above, "If you're ready, we'll begin immediately."
The chatter among the students immediately died down.
"First, Class 4 will perform, followed by the others, and lastly, Grade 12, Class 2..."
Soon, as the student council member announced, the participating student council members and presidents from each class took their seats on the judging panel.
It was officially starting, but as the previous student council member had mentioned, the performances began in reverse order, starting with Grade 12, Class 4.
A skit, a singing performance, and a magic act followed, but none of them made it through - all eliminated.
Miaoyi didn't have much interest in these performances. She spent the whole time playing Landlord Manager on her phone with Qiuying, enjoying creating obstacles for the unfortunate passersby.
It wasn't until it was their turn that they stopped playing.
"Next, Grade 12, Class 3."
"Class 3!" With the announcement, Zhang Dongyan, the student council president, who sat on the judging panel, suddenly showed signs of interest. His gaze shifted discreetly toward the area where Class 3 was seated.
However, this glance nearly gave Zhang Dongyan a heart attack.
He saw a figure with long waist-length hair and a perfect face, lazily holding a phone while sitting in her assigned seat.
"Tang Miaoyi!" Zhang Dongyan's heart stopped. "Hasn't she been absent from school for a while? Why is she here now?"
This was troublesome...
Turning his head to the student beside him, Zhao, who was happily smiling and holding his phone, Zhang Dongyan suddenly felt a headache.
"President Zhang, what's wrong?" Zhao asked with confusion.
"Nothing, it's nothing." Zhang Dongyan sighed softly. "Do you remember the girl I told you about last night?"
"Of course. Why?" Zhao chuckled. "Didn't you say she wouldn't come? Besides, you can just give me the spot. Even if she shows up, it won't matter. I'm an internet celebrity. I'm beyond the reach of these ordinary students. You should know quite a few events are willing to pay me thousands just to make an appearance. Some even want to pay for my WeChat friends list. What school beauty? What grades? With my achievements now, those top students may not catch up to me even after ten years of university."
"Well..." Zhang Dongyan nodded, unable to say much more in response to Zhao's comment.
Finally, it was An Qiuying's turn to take the stage, carrying her guitar.
Zhang Dongyan was momentarily taken aback when Miaoyi didn't join her. But soon, he let out a sigh of relief.
Miaoyi didn't go up? It seemed like she wouldn't be causing any trouble this year.
"Hello, everyone. I'm An Qiuying, representing Grade 12, Class 3. The audition piece I'll be performing is an original song which I wrote with Tang Miaoyi, accompanied by guitar," Qiuying introduced herself as she stepped onto the stage.
As soon as Qiuying appeared, she was already captivating enough, but when she mentioned it was an "original song," it caused a flurry of discussions among the students present.
However, Zhao frowned, unimpressed and somewhat displeased. "Hmph, so now anything can be called an original song? I bet it's just a random assortment of incoherent melodies."
But when Qiuying plugged her guitar into the amplifier and the melody began to play...
The sheet music for this guitar piece that Miaoyi wrote utilized strumming instead of the more common 'electric guitar' fingerpicking style, which was more suitable for this amplified and reverberating setting.
Zhang Dongyan froze on the spot, and at the same time, so did Zhao.
This song...
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Zhang Dongyan asked with difficulty, gritting his teeth.
"Of course. This society has never been fair!" Taking a moment to gather his resolve, Zhou replied firmly.
"Well, then..."
...
"Now, let's announce the results."
After all the participating students had performed, there was a wait before the results for Class 3 were announced.
The outcome was entirely unexpected.
"Grade 12, Class 3, An Qiuying, performance: Original Song - not selected!"
Not selected!
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone