Chapter 58: Playground Karaoke

After dinner, it was time for evening military training.

While preparing to leave the classroom, Lin Yuan eagerly sidled up to Li Luo, staring longingly at the guitar case.

"Here, carry it." Li Luo handed him the guitar case, "You can play it first tonight."

"Got it!" Lin Yuan rubbed his hands, grinning as he took it, slinging it onto his back like a treasured possession, willingly becoming Li Luo's packhorse.

The group descended the stairs and gathered on the playground, where the guitar case was placed beneath a tree, leaning against the trunk.

When military training began, Li Luo was called away again to attend a meeting, where the headmaster reiterated details about tomorrow afternoon's bus trip to the military camp.

"When you get back, are you going to play the guitar?" Ying Chanxi asked, turning her head as she came downstairs after the meeting.

"Probably. Why?"

"I want to hear it."

"You want to transfer to Class Eight? I'm afraid Teacher Sun will kill me." Li Luo laughed, "But if you really want to hear it, remember to keep your ears open later."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ying Chanxi looked at Li Luo curiously, but seeing him smile without answering, she huffed—she had no idea what trick he was pulling now—and kicked at the grass as she headed toward Class One.

Halfway there, Ying Chanxi couldn't help turning back, and from afar saw Li Luo pulling the guitar from beside the tree and handing it to a classmate.

She wanted to watch, but returned to Class One and sat beside Qiao Xinyan.

"Hey, Xixi, look." Qiao Xinyan poked Ying Chanxi's waist and nodded toward the front, "Xie Shuchen borrowed a guitar from somewhere—he says he's preparing a performance. He wouldn't play earlier, but as soon as you came back, he went up. Haha~"

Xie Shuchen was a boy whose grades ranked in the top ten of Class One; he had studied piano and earned a Level 10 certificate, knew a bit about guitar, and because of his handsome looks and well-groomed hair, several girls in first year paid attention to him.

But like many boys, since the start of school, Xie Shuchen's gaze had been entirely drawn to Ying Chanxi.

Yet unlike Liu Shaowen, he didn't show it so openly; based on his past victories and experience since middle school, he knew a girl like Ying Chanxi couldn't be pursued with direct advances.

He had to first showcase his own charm, attract her attention, then occasionally reveal how uniquely special she was to him, gradually letting her sink into this exclusive treatment.

Then, through subtle back-and-forth maneuvers, he'd stir her inner sensitivity, vanity, and competitiveness—soon she'd be completely immersed in her admiration for him.

Thinking this, Xie Shuchen already walked forward with the guitar, strummed a string in front of everyone, looking quite stylish.

"A song called 'Those Flowers,' dedicated to everyone."

Xie Shuchen struck a self-assured pose, his eyes flicking toward Ying Chanxi; seeing her watching him, he smiled contentedly and lost himself in his singing.

But as Ying Chanxi watched Xie Shuchen, she imagined Li Luo standing up there—until she saw his face clearly, then sighed helplessly and turned her gaze toward Class Eight.

He told her to keep her ears open, but how could she hear anything from this far away?

……

Meanwhile, in Class Eight, Lin Yuan had borrowed Li Luo's guitar and was about to sing.

Then he saw Li Luo motioning to him with a flat palm, pointing toward the playground entrance.

Lin Yuan turned around in confusion and saw Teacher Kong walking over—suddenly startled, he felt too embarrassed to sing.

"Why is Teacher Kong here?" Lin Yuan asked awkwardly.

"Oh, he brought the speaker." Li Luo smiled and waved to Kong Junxiang in the distance, "Wait until the speaker's set up—then you'll really have fun."

"What? Speaker?" Lin Yuan looked baffled.

Only when Kong Junxiang drew closer did Lin Yuan notice the teacher was carrying a black, bulky speaker and two microphones.

"Here, borrowed from the school for you," Kong Junxiang set the speaker on the ground and handed the microphones to Li Luo, "These came from the music room—take them back to your classroom tonight, and return them first thing tomorrow."

"Thanks, Teacher Kong," Li Luo said, then squatted down to tinker with the equipment, confirmed everything was fine, placed one microphone in front of the guitar, and handed the other to Lin Yuan.

Earlier that afternoon, Li Luo had been called to Kong Junxiang's office for instructions, and he'd casually asked if the school had a speaker that could be used directly on the playground.

Normally, Kong Junxiang would never go out of his way to get a speaker for students to sing.

But Li Luo's recent behavior had impressed him, so he simply agreed and told him to wait tonight.

And true to his word, he'd delivered a speaker for Li Luo to use.

"Sing already—what are you standing there for?" After tuning the speaker, Li Luo saw Lin Yuan frozen in place, looking nervous.

"Monitor, really sing?" Lin Yuan felt embarrassed.

Singing in front of his whole class was already his limit.

Now with a speaker, every student on the playground would hear him—he imagined that scene and felt his legs go numb, his courage draining away.

"Everyone has a first time. Practice more, you'll get used to it." Li Luo stepped closer to Lin Yuan, took the microphone, and spoke into it: "Good evening, classmates—this is Li Luo from Class Eight."

"Next, our classmate Lin Yuan will perform for you a song…"

"... What's the name again?" Li Luo looked at Lin Yuan with an inquiring expression.

"Nigh, nigh, nigh…"

"What are you 'ye'ing?"

"I mean… 'The Brightest Star in the Night Sky!'"

Laughter and cheers erupted across the playground, the atmosphere instantly lively.

"Great! 'The Brightest Star in the Night Sky!'" Li Luo placed the microphone before Lin Yuan and gave him an encouraging nod, "Presented by Lin Yuan."

Pushed this far, Lin Yuan slowly took a breath, forced himself to calm down, then lowered his head and began plucking the strings.

He didn't immediately find his rhythm—repeatedly strumming the intro until he was fully immersed in the music.

"The brightest star in the night sky~"

"Can you hear it~"

"The one who looks up~"

"The loneliness and sighs in his heart~"

Far away in Class One, Xie Shuchen stood at the front with his guitar, mid-climax of his song—when suddenly, the sound from the other side cut him off.

He looked stunned and embarrassed, thinking: This isn't fair… They brought a speaker—how could his bare voice compete?

Meanwhile, in Class Eight.

Li Luo returned to sit beside Yan Zhusheng and nodded in satisfaction.

Yan Zhusheng beside him said, "You got two notes wrong again."

"Be a little kinder to your classmates," Li Luo said with a helpless expression. "If I sing off-key later, don't say that to me."

"Alright," Yan Zhusheng nodded. "I'll wait until you finish singing to say anything."

"Even after you finish, don't say it."

When Lin Yuan finished his song, he felt sweat soak his back again, his whole body trembling, yet also exhilarated.

Loud applause erupted across the playground.

Though there were many flaws in the middle, everyone was immersed in the atmosphere, clapping and cheering for Lin Yuan.

"Thank you all," Lin Yuan said, seeing his classmates' reactions. His face flushed with excitement, but after stepping out of his trance, his fingers trembled too much to play the guitar. He quickly added, "Next, our Class Eight monitor, Li Luo, will sing a song for everyone!"

In the formation of Class One, Ying Chanxi heard Lin Yuan's words and turned her head toward Class Eight's direction. A spark lit in her eyes; she felt anticipation rise within her.

Qiao Xinyan beside her shook Ying Chanxi's shoulder. "Li Luo's coming! He's here, he's here! Xi Xi, look!"

"Why are you so excited?" Ying Chanxi glanced skeptically at Qiao Xinyan.

"He's your cousin," Qiao Xinyan blinked, confused by Ying Chanxi's reaction.

Seeing that Qiao Xinyan truly had no ulterior thoughts, Ying Chanxi shifted her gaze away, slightly guilty. "Oh, nothing. Just listen to the song."

Li Luo rose from the crowd, stepped forward, took the guitar and microphone, and walked to the speakers.

"A song called 'The Ordinary Road,' dedicated to all of you."

"May each of us find contentment in ordinariness, yet shine and grow great within it."