Chapter 113

"Can you stay after school today?" Yan Zhusheng asked, turning his head as they walked toward the gymnasium. "I've finished all my homework, and I can stay after third period to practice too."

"I can do that." Li Luo thought of the ten thousand words he'd written that afternoon, and the two hundred thousand words already in reserve—he didn't mind spending extra time in the evening. "But I need to tell Xi Xi first."

"Mm, okay." Yan Zhusheng nodded. "Should we go find her now?"

"Check if she's in the classroom upstairs." Li Luo said, turning back up the stairs instead of going down, heading toward Classroom 1 on the fourth floor.

At the door of Classroom 1, Li Luo peered inside.

Most of the students in Classroom 1 didn't recognize Li Luo—or rather, didn't recognize his face.

After all, Li Luo had only once brought Ying Chanxi a small pudding during military training; otherwise, it was always Ying Chanxi who came to find him in Class 8.

A girl sitting in the front row near the door spotted Li Luo, didn't recognize him, and smiled kindly. "Ying Chanxi isn't here—you came at the wrong time."

Li Luo paused, puzzled. "How do you know I'm looking for Ying Chanxi? Could I not be looking for you?"

"Oh come on, I've got some self-awareness." The girl with the mushroom cut giggled. "A stranger boy from another class lingering at our door—who else would he be looking for but Ying Chanxi?"

"Then where is she?"

"Still in math competition class. She probably won't even come back for evening self-study."

"Which classroom is the competition class in?"

"Hehe, I won't tell you." The mushroom-cut girl grinned, rubbing her fingers together. "Other guys who come looking for Ying Chanxi always give something in return."

"You're charging tolls now?" Li Luo stared in disbelief.

"Don't phrase it so crudely—I don't take money." The girl rolled her eyes. "Just some snacks or drinks—that's all. It's not expensive."

"Li Luo, ignore her." Liao Hailin, sitting in the back, spotted Li Luo at the front door and rushed over, slinging an arm around his shoulder. "I know where Ying Chanxi is. Come on, let's go."

Li Luo, confused, was dragged into the hallway, wondering why his buddy had suddenly become so enthusiastic.

Hadn't they barely spoken before?

But Liao Hailin was overly eager, leading Li Luo toward the sixth floor while grinning obsequiously. "Ying Chanxi's in the classroom on the sixth floor—I'll take you right there. But, uh… could you tell me something else?"

"What?" Li Luo narrowed his eyes.

"What else does Ying Chanxi like? Besides dolls."

"Huh?" Li Luo blinked, unable to follow this guy's train of thought.

Wasn't it Liu Shaowen who had an interest in Ying Chanxi? How come you, her so-called buddy, are interested too?

"Get lost!" Liu Shaowen burst out from the back door, shoving Liao Hailin aside. "Li Luo, ignore this guy—I'll take you up."

"What else?" Liao Hailin protested. "I just asked one question!"

"I haven't even settled the score with you yet!" Liu Shaowen glared. "Come on, let's go."

Led upstairs by Liu Shaowen, Li Luo asked, puzzled: "So what's going on?"

"What else could it be?" Liu Shaowen said, exasperated. "That guy heard Ying Chanxi likes dolls. When other guys from other classes came asking for info, he traded that tidbit for snacks and drinks—got a bunch of free stuff. He's hooked now."

Li Luo: "..."

What kind of paparazzi behavior is this…

He hadn't realized it was this guy behind all those doll gifts Ying Chanxi received.

Li Luo couldn't help but feel both amused and exasperated—students at Fuyi High were just as gossipy as anyone else.

He'd assumed students at a school full of top scholars would all be buried in their books.

But after living here nearly two months, Li Luo realized that aside from being better at studying, these students were no different from ordinary Gao Zhongsheng.

He'd had too many illusions about Fuyi High before.

"It's right in here. They're probably taking a break now—just walk right in." Liu Shaowen didn't ask for anything in return—he clearly intended to build a long-term relationship with Li Luo, understanding the value of patience. "I'll head down now. Bye."

"Oh, thanks."

Li Luo thanked him, then walked to the back door of the classroom, knocked, and called out: "Ying Chanxi, come out for a second."

Ying Chanxi, hearing her name, turned around immediately. Seeing Li Luo's figure, she stood up and walked toward the back door.

The other students in the classroom stared in surprise.

There were about a dozen people in the room—basically the top math students in the entire first-year grade at Fuyi High.

Roughly half were from Class 1; the rest came from Classes 2 through 4—all handpicked from the Math Club for specialized training.

The higher one's ability, the more clearly one understood others' levels.

So these students knew better than anyone just how extraordinary Ying Chanxi's skill in math competitions truly was.

In recent internal tests, everyone else's rankings fluctuated—but Ying Chanxi held first place firmly, untouched by anyone.

If another boy had come to see Ying Chanxi, he'd have approached her desk cautiously, whispering his request.

Or he'd have asked a classmate to call her out.

No one would just shout from the doorway, telling her to come over.

But neither Li Luo nor Ying Chanxi cared about the stares. Ying Chanxi stepped out into the hallway and asked, puzzled: "Why are you here?"

"Just wanted to let you know ahead of time." Li Luo pointed to Yan Zhusheng waiting at the stairwell. "I'm going to rehearsal with the rock club after third period of evening self-study. Don't wait for me—just go back with your senior."

"... Oh, okay." Ying Chanxi glanced at Yan Zhusheng, quietly waiting. She pressed her lips together. "I understand. Good luck with rehearsal."

They parted in the hallway. Ying Chanxi returned to class; Li Luo took Yan Zhusheng and headed toward the gymnasium's activity room.

…

"Oh, you're here?" Niu Qingling, seated behind the drum kit, spotted Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng entering and tapped the hi-hat in greeting. "Everyone's here—let's begin."

"Let's get started—I took the day off to come." Xie Shuchen stepped up to the electronic keyboard and sighed. "Big sacrifice."

He'd also been selected by Teacher Sun for the small-group math competition training, but his performance there was basically at the bottom.

So when he said "big sacrifice," it wasn't about giving up math class—it was about giving up the chance to sit in the same classroom as Ying Chanxi.

But to shine in the upcoming performance and finally catch Ying Chanxi's real attention, Xie Shuchen felt this sacrifice was worth it.

On the other side, Shao Youpeng, equally determined, hugged his bass guitar tightly and threw himself eagerly into the rehearsal.

"During the parent-teacher meeting, the teacher told us to go through both songs we'll sing at the sports meet," Niu Qingling said. "So today we'll practice the closing ceremony song."

"Which song are we singing at the closing ceremony?" Li Luo asked curiously.

"The Power of Life," Yan Zhusheng said. "The sheet music is right after 'Brave Heart'—just flip past it and you'll see."

"OK."

After some adjustments and preparations, music and singing filled the activity room.

"I want a life that bursts into bloom!"

"Like soaring across the boundless sky!"

Once she entered singing mode, Yan Zhusheng became a completely different person.

Especially when singing songs like "The Power of Life," she unleashed one hundred percent of her energy.

Anyone who knew Yan Zhusheng's usual demeanor in real life would find it hard to imagine her voice could be so explosive and powerful.

It instantly immersed listeners in the moment.

As a result, the others quickly became absorbed in the atmosphere—their cohesion improved remarkably.

…

Time slipped away like flowing water.

After the bell rang signaling the end of the second evening self-study session, Niu Qingling and the others packed up their instruments and left the activity room.

Li Luo happened to go to the restroom; when he returned, Yan Zhusheng was the only one left inside.

This caught him off guard. "Where is everyone? Did they all go to the restroom too?"

He hadn't run into Xie Shuchen or Shao Youpeng in the restroom.

Yan Zhusheng blinked, her expression innocent and pure. "They went home."

"But didn't we say we'd stay for the third evening self-study session to keep practicing?"

"I said I'd stay to practice—I never said they would too," Yan Zhusheng said, looking utterly innocent. "Don't you want to practice?"

Li Luo twitched his mouth: "…How can we practice if everyone isn't here?"

"The first two sessions were for the band's overall coordination," Yan Zhusheng said seriously. "Now it's your personal practice time."

"Practice what?"

"Guitar," Yan Zhusheng said. "And you can practice singing too."

"Didn't we ever say I had to sing? You're the lead vocalist."

"But after listening to our recent rehearsals, I think we can do better," Yan Zhusheng thought for a moment, then analyzed with Li Luo. "These two rock songs can be sung by women, but my tone is brighter and lacks that raw, tearing quality."

"If a male voice could balance it out, the overall sound would be more comfortable."

"For example, during the climax of 'Brave Heart,' I could push with a strained voice—but it would still be better with a male voice to refine it."

Li Luo fell silent for a moment, then couldn't help saying: "Don't you think you're being too hard on us? It's just a high school sports meet—you're already singing perfectly."

"I disagree on this one point," Yan Zhusheng shook her head. "If we can do better, why not?"

Looking at Yan Zhusheng's serious expression, Li Luo sighed and smiled. "Fine, as you wish. But my singing isn't nearly as good as yours."

"I'll teach you well."

"Alright, alright—then I'm counting on Teacher Yan."

"Li student," Yan Zhusheng, forcing a stern face, looked at Li Luo with serious expression. "Let's begin practice."