Chapter 59: Take Your Guitar

"Wandering, on the road~"

"Are you leaving? ViaVia~"

"Fragile, proud~"

"That was once my appearance~"

The simple melody flowed through the microphone and spread across the entire playground via the speakers.

Li Luo's lips neared the microphone, and the lyrics flowed out calmly and gently.

When the lyrics reached "Fragile, proud, that was once my appearance," Li Luo's entire spirit sank instantly into the song.

Recalling his own fifteen-year-old self from his past life, the emotionally sensitive boy who had shoved Ying Chanxi to the ground just before the high school entrance exam, he must have looked just as the lyrics described.

"I once crossed mountains, rivers, seas, and oceans~"

"I also passed through crowds of people~"

"I once possessed everything~"

"In an instant, it all vanished like smoke~"

"I once lost, was disappointed, lost all sense of direction~"

"Until I saw that ordinariness was the only answer~"

At fifteen, Li Luo would have heard this song and merely thought it was nice, without knowing why.

At thirty-five, Li Luo had now returned to the starting point of his fifteen-year-old self, feeling his youthful heart still pounding fiercely, stirred by these lyrics.

"So beautiful," Qiao Xinyan felt the power in the song and couldn't help exclaiming, "The boy who sang just now was good too, Xie Shuchen sang well too, but for some reason, none of them had the same depth as Li Luo."

"Quiet," Ying Chanxi covered Qiao Xinyan's mouth, her gaze fixed intently on Li Luo standing far across the playground.

The playground was dimly lit, but Li Luo seemed to glow himself, etched firmly in her eyes.

Did Qiao Xinyan even need to say whether Li Luo sang well?

Unfortunately, Class One was still a bit too far from Class Eight; even with the speakers, the sound was certainly not as clear as if heard up close.

But even so, daring to sing on the playground in front of all the students—and singing so well—was bound to win people's favor.

A girl beside them couldn't help whispering, "His silhouette looks so cool—is he the monitor of Class Eight? I never heard of him before."

"I've heard of him," another girl said. "Someone in our class knows someone from his junior high, and he bragged to me these past two days that their class monitor gives out free cold drinks and ice cream every afternoon—I'm so jealous."

"No way! That's amazing!"

"Isn't he the monitor's cousin? I remember someone mentioning it—why don't you ask the monitor if he can introduce you?"

"Haha~ I don't want to. You ask him."

Hearing the girls' whispers around her, Ying Chanxi, who had been enjoying Li Luo's song, suddenly frowned, stole a glance at her classmates, and felt a little unhappy again.

Just then, Li Luo finished the song.

But he didn't stop holding his guitar—he naturally slid into the next one.

This time, however, he didn't keep the microphone; instead, he waved toward Yan Zhusheng, offering her the spot.

Hearing the melody beside her, Yan Zhusheng rose naturally and stepped over to Li Luo's side.

Swaying to the rhythm, she slowly closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, Yan Zhusheng was no longer her usual calm self—she seemed suddenly illuminated, as if a dragon had been given its eyes.

"My world~"

"Becomes beautiful because of you~"

"My sky~"

"Never turns dark because of you~"

A voice more stable, clearer, brighter, and more ethereal than Li Luo's spread like ocean waves from the speakers.

"Give me wings~"

"Let me soar~"

"Give me strength~"

"You made me strong~"

At this moment, Yan Zhusheng seemed like a different person.

Class Eight's students stared dumbfounded at Yan Zhusheng ahead, watching as she unbound her ponytail, let her long hair fly freely, then launched into a high note that pierced straight through their skulls.

If Li Luo's singing had been a calm, steady narration, Yan Zhusheng now was a queen exploding onto the stage, unleashing her energy without restraint.

No one in Class Eight could have imagined that Yan Zhusheng, usually as cold and serene as a snow lotus, would transform into such a bold, confident figure once she held the microphone.

It was as if light shone from her eyes.

Students from other classes on the playground were also stunned, nearly convinced they were at a concert.

Yan Zhusheng's voice was like clear lake water, yet also like a speeding arrow—its high notes were crystal-clear and luminous, yet packed with power, utterly devoid of emptiness.

Halfway through the song, during the interlude, Yan Zhusheng came back to herself, glanced at Li Luo, and reached out her hand.

"What do you mean?" Li Luo blinked, puzzled.

Then Yan Zhusheng stepped before him, snatched the guitar from his hands, hugged it to her chest, and launched straight into a dazzling solo, driving the entire song into a new climax.

"Holding dreams, flying forward~"

"Never evading, never retreating~"

"You are my fortress on the path to success~"

Yan Zhusheng's fingers danced across the guitar strings, playing notes nearly identical to Li Luo's, yet giving the impression of far greater fullness and richness.

Especially the flashy technique in the middle—something Li Luo had never learned in his past life.

"Give me wings!"

"Let me soar!"

"Give me power!"

"You made me strong!"

After entering the second climax, Yan Zhusheng climbed two more keys, completely immersed in a state of ecstatic singing.

All the students on the playground were swept up by her, clapping to the rhythm, singing along, turning the scene into a full-scale choir.

Li Luo stood to the side, having had his guitar taken from him, clapping along to the beat, smiling as he watched.

Li Luo was far more familiar with Yan Zhusheng in this state.

After all, the two of them had once lived under the same roof every day—Yan Zhusheng sang, and Li Luo handled the recording.

If ordinary Yan Zhusheng was a cold, quiet beauty, then she, with microphone and instrument in hand, was the music queen who commanded the entire stage.

As long as music played, she could fully immerse herself, slipping into a state of total self-forgetfulness, savoring it with every fiber of her being.

At this moment, Yan Zhusheng was pure.

When she finished the final lyric of the song, Yan Zhusheng closed her eyes again, her chest rising and falling slightly.

When she reopened them, she erased every expression from her face, returning to her usual cold, detached demeanor, handed the guitar back to Li Luo, and silently sat back in her seat.

"Thank you to our classmate Yan Zhusheng for performing 'The Most Beautiful Sun.' Did everyone enjoy it?"

"Beautiful!"

"Sing another!"

"Don't stop!"

Li Luo had already noticed the head instructor's movements, so he smiled and said, "That's it for today—we'll have plenty more chances later. Everyone, enjoy military training!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the head instructor's whistle blew, signaling the end of today's military training.

Perhaps because Yan Zhusheng's singing had been so astonishing, many still felt unsatisfied, wishing the training could last longer.

On the way back to the classroom, Li Luo turned to Yan Zhusheng and asked, "Why did you snatch my guitar just now?"

Yan Zhusheng blinked and said seriously, "You played badly. It ruined my song."

Li Luo: "... Better not say such hurtful things."

"You asked," Yan Zhusheng said. "I didn't even mention you sang two notes wrong."

"Aren't you saying it now?"

"Hmm..." Yan Zhusheng fell into thought. "Guess I did say it. I take that back."

"I really appreciate it."

Back in the classroom, Li Luo packed his things, slung his guitar over his shoulder, and prepared to go home.

At that moment, Yan Zhusheng glanced at the guitar and said, "You should practice more regularly to keep your touch. I noticed your hands were a bit rusty today."

"Yes, Teacher Yan is right."

"I'm not your teacher," Yan Zhusheng corrected. "But if you need it, I can teach you."

"Do you charge?"

"I don't want money."

Looking into Yan Zhusheng's innocent eyes, Li Luo swallowed the many jokes he'd been about to make: "Alright, then you'll teach me to play guitar from now on."

Waving goodbye, Li Luo left the classroom, guitar case on his back.

Outside the door, Ying Chanxi had just come downstairs to find him.

"Let's go to the playground," Li Luo said, tapping Ying Chanxi's shoulder.

"Why the playground?" Ying Chanxi asked, puzzled.

"My guitar teacher said I should practice more often," Li Luo walked downstairs toward the playground. "I need an audience now. Will you be one?"

"Oh, in that case, of course I will~"

【Falling Flat Diary】: This chapter is best read while listening to the songs. For "The Ordinary Road," use the original version; for "The Most Beautiful Sun," the female version is recommended—listen to Huang Xiaoyun's rendition. Search for it—it matches the description of "powerful high notes."

Also, both songs existed in the novel's timeline before this story—they are not original compositions by the protagonist, but covers.