Chapter 27 Late March, the school's art...
At the end of March, the school's arts festival began, with different competitions almost every day, and it would continue for about a month.
At times like these, Fang Minzhou felt like an outsider because she was the kind of student who had no special talents. In her first year of high school, just like the last sports meet, she was dragged by the class committee to make up the numbers, so she had to choose calligraphy and brought back an award of excellence that was meant to be encouraging.
On the contrary, Fang Minzhou does not plan to participate in this year's art festival unless absolutely necessary. Unlike some sentimental classmates who feel that youth should be commemorated, she does not like being in the spotlight too much, as that would put a lot of pressure on her. She just wants to do what she can do well.
Her deskmate was different.
"He was sixth in the Top Ten Singers competition in his first year of high school. You wouldn't have guessed, would you?"
Zheng Yanhang praised him, others were amazed, Wang Kan was proud, and Fang Minzhou was surprised.
The Top Ten Singers final is definitely one of the most anticipated competitions of the arts festival. Fang Minzhou watched it last year, but she had no impression of Wang Kan at all.
Faced with Wang Kan's expectant gaze, Fang Minzhou had no choice but to tell the truth: "I only remember that the first or second place winner sang bel canto..."
"I sang 'Red Sun'," Wang Kan prompted.
Fang Minzhou thought for a moment, then shook his head.
Wang Kan took a deep breath: "Alright, then I'll win a championship this year and then you'll remember me."
Fang Minzhou: "..."
So his logical thinking is very strange. Regardless of whether he won a prize or not, she already knows him, right? What's the point of making such harsh remarks?
Fang Minzhou had previously thought that Wang Kan's inexplicable, foolish, and passionate declaration was just a publicity stunt. "You said the same thing at the beginning of the last sports meet."
Zheng Yanhang burst into laughter, and Wang Kan punched him. Zheng Yanhang, in pain, tried to choke him. They were playfully fighting when, thankfully, the school bell rang soon after.
The teacher asked everyone to take out the test papers they had written yesterday. She went up on stage to explain the questions, and Wang Kan handed Fang Minzhou a small notebook from below.
Ever since Fang Minzhou started tearing up and throwing away notes, Wang Kan specially bought a beautifully covered notebook to pass messages, betting that Fang Minzhou wouldn't dare throw it away, as that would be damaging someone else's property.
This time he wrote on it: "What you said actually hurt me a little."
His words were so serious that Fang Minzhou was startled. She glanced at the teacher first, then at Wang Kan.
He rested his chin on his hand, staring blankly at the blackboard. Fang Minzhou's pen hovered over the paper, hesitating whether he should reply.
Although she did intentionally try to dampen Wang Kan's enthusiasm, she was just joking and didn't really mean to attack him. So why was she so affected?
She pursed her lips and glanced at Wang Kan again. In that glance, she caught a glimpse of a smile that he couldn't suppress, which was spreading from his eyes as he stole a look at her.
Seeing that he had been caught, Wang Kan coughed, took the notebook back, and handed it over again: "So you came to see me sing, huh?^^"
Fang Minzhou: "..."
She closed the notebook and tossed it into her drawer.
Confiscated; she needs to focus on her lesson.
Wang Kan minded that she didn't know him in their first year of high school, but she would occasionally appear on some of the grade's lists, so it didn't necessarily mean he knew her. What was there to fuss about? Thinking about it, they might have even brushed past each other on campus before, and now they were deskmates. It was strange; such a coincidence couldn't be thought about too much. The more you thought about it, the more mysterious and unpredictable fate seemed, its origins unknown and its end unpredictable.
As the weather gradually warms up, Fang Minzhou has started riding her bicycle to and from school again this week, having shed her heavy coat. She actually prefers the feeling of the natural breeze on her skin to the enclosed, bumpy bicycle.
The bike shed was closer to the school's side gate. She pushed her bicycle past the newly blooming wisteria trellis, then got on her bike after exiting the school gate. The spring night dew was heavy, and the air was filled with the scent of lush, growing vegetation. Fang Minzhou thoroughly enjoyed the twenty-minute ride; it would have been even better if Wang Kan hadn't been bothering her.
Previously, Wang Kan would at most watch her board the train at the station, but now he was openly walking with her. When questioned, he said there was no rule that Fang Minzhou could only walk on this road alone. "Do you expect me to pay you protection money?"
Fang Minzhou was too lazy to argue with him, but she could only accept that he would take her to the bus stop at the entrance of the community. She couldn't go any further because... if her parents or neighbors saw them, Wang Kan would be thrown into the artificial lake next to them.
On her way home after evening self-study, Fang Minzhou heard Wang Kan humming and singing all the way and couldn't help but think that maybe she should just push him into the lake earlier.
So which song do you think I should sing in the preliminary round?
"It's up to you."
"Isn't this just asking for the audience's opinion?"
"Who's your audience?"
"You promised to come watch my match."
"Where did I agree to that?!"
After Fang Min finished her rounds, she sped up, trying to shake off Wang Kan, but to no avail. He caught up with her by pedaling hard twice. "You're really not coming? Why aren't you coming? What's wrong with your classmates cheering you on?"
When they encountered a red light, Fang Minzhou was forced to stop. Helplessly, she looked at Wang Kan on her left and asked, "Can't you watch where you're going while riding your bike?"
She's afraid something might happen if I keep talking to her.
Wang Kan was taken aback when Fang Minzhou said this to him. He hesitated for a moment before responding with a smile, "I understand."
The roads were no longer congested around 10 a.m., and the warm yellow streetlights hung down quietly, enveloping them and the camphor trees beside them.
A historic pedestrian overpass spans the intersection; once across it, Fang Minzhou's house is almost there. As a child, Fang Minzhou thought the overpass resembled a ladder to heaven, but as she grew older, she noticed its peeling paint. She heard that some people had complained about it affecting the city's appearance, and it seems it needs to be repainted.
After the green light turned on, Fang Minzhou was still riding in front. Wang Kan didn't forget to keep pressing for a clear answer, "So are you coming or not? Come on over!" He started advertising, "Don't miss this opportunity! It won't come again! You won't get another chance like this! Every time you hear this, it'll be one less time!"
Fang Min was so annoyed that she rolled her eyes at the night sky.
Fang Minzhou stopped at the bus stop and replied to Wang Kan, "I don't know, we'll see when the time comes."
She really didn't know. She wasn't interested in these activities at all, and the preliminary rounds would probably take up the first period of evening self-study on Thursday night. What if she had a lot of homework that day? She didn't really have anything to say, acting all serious. She didn't even know what Wang Kan was going to sing... Thinking about the New Year's Eve party, she felt lingering fear.
Wang Kan wanted to say something, but in the end, he seemed to realize he was making a fool of himself, so he shrugged and said, "Fine, whatever."
If... this counts as him pursuing her.
She rode her bike into the residential area, and when she turned around, she saw that Wang Kan had already left.
But the next day at school, Fang Minzhou ran into Wang Kan in the bike shed. He greeted her with an "Aiyo!" and parked his bike next to her, looking very happy, like the newborn sun every day.
"What's with that expression?" Wang Kan asked.
“…What kind of expression could I possibly have?” Fang Minzhou turned and walked towards the teaching building.
The most common situation when eating barbecue: afraid it's burnt, you pick it up to check, but it's still raw; afraid it's not cooked through, you grill it a little longer, and it burns completely.
She's like a piece of meat on an oven right now.
In addition to the Top Ten Singers competition, there is also a class choir competition.
Class 8 chose to sing "Running". With the competition approaching, in addition to music class, Lin Sinian and Yin Mengran would sometimes organize everyone to practice during self-study periods. They would not line up in formation, but simply stand up and sing in their positions.
After singing twice, Wang Kan was a little tired. He had to go to the preliminary round later, so he sang casually and softly for the third time.
When I speak softer, I can hear the voices of those around me more clearly.
Zheng Yanhang deliberately lowered his voice to sound magnetic, while Wu Cheng sang a beat slower; Ouyang Qian sang alright, while Jin Baihao sang poorly, lacking technique and emotion, just a plain voice, and Fang Minzhou... she opened her mouth but didn't make a sound, she was actually lip-syncing?
Wang Kan's eyes widened. He hadn't expected Fang Minzhou to be even lazier than him, nor had he imagined Fang Minzhou to be a lazy person. But unlike some people who sang while doing their homework, Fang Minzhou wasn't actually lip-syncing. Soon, Wang Kan realized that Fang Minzhou was genuinely lip-syncing.
What's going on?
On the last occasion, Yin Mengran urged everyone to sing louder. Right at the beginning, a discordant, excessively loud male voice caused the whole class to burst into laughter.
"If you sing badly, please keep your voice down!" someone shouted.
"He/She's one of the worst singers!"
There were also people who didn't laugh, such as Fang Minzhou.
On the last attempt to start over, Wang Kan still couldn't hear Fang Minzhou's voice. It seemed like she was still singing, but it was so soft that even though Wang Kan was standing right next to her, she couldn't hear her at all amidst the clamor of the whole class.
Fang Minzhou had already noticed Wang Kan's gaze. After class, he observed her even more openly, as if trying to uncover some secret.
She focused on her homework, completely ignoring everything else.
"You don't like singing?" he suddenly asked.
Fang Minzhou never expected this question. She said, "No."
"Then why didn't you sing just now?"
"What?" Fang Minzhou looked completely confused. "I sang it."
Wang Kan was surprised, yet also wanted to laugh. Fang Minzhou could actually lie? He had truly seen something new today. "No, I didn't hear your voice at all."
"...Whether I sang or not is none of your business."
Wang Kan had only asked casually, but now she was genuinely curious about Fang Minzhou's singing voice.
He moved closer to her, resting his head on his arm. "Sing me a line?"
Fang Minzhou, of course, ignored him.
"Don't bother me."
"Sing a few lines, please. I've never heard you sing before... Are you angry again?"
Fang Minzhou took out her MP3 player and wanted to put on headphones, but Wang Kan stopped her. Her hand accidentally touched Fang Minzhou, but Fang Minzhou quickly brushed it away.
silence.
Fang Minzhou felt a faint tingling sensation in her fingertips. Her reaction was a bit too much; it wasn't out of disgust or repulsion at being touched by him. On the contrary, she...
Wang Kan, whose eyes had been tilted upwards and curved in a smile, froze for a moment, then transformed into the surface of water beneath dark clouds, ready to unleash a storm. He looked at her with a hint of hurt, a touch of anger and mockery in his eyes, as if demanding an explanation from her.
His grades have changed drastically, but his personality remains the same, and his emotions are always written on his face.
Fang Minzhou wasn't unaware that her attitude was a bit hurtful, but... but threatened by Wang Kan's gaze, her heart hardened. Was she supposed to apologize to him?
I already told him to stop arguing...
Why force her to sing? Why drag her into this even though he already knew her sore spot? Is he happy to see her embarrass herself? If she sings well... she'll sing, it's such a simple logic, why is he only thinking about his own pleasure?
Fang Minzhou put her headphones back on.
This time, Wang Kan directly took off her headphones.
"Wang Kan!"
In the sudden silence, the gazes of about half the class converged on Fang Minzhou and Wang Kan, who were both staring coldly at each other.
The stalemate ended with Fang Minzhou putting on her headphones again and leaving the classroom with Wang Kan.
Fang Minzhou kept her head down, studying, ignoring everyone's stares. She inexplicably recalled Wang Kan's words about feinting to the east while attacking in the west; now everything was in vain. She didn't care what others thought of the two of them; heaven knows she almost never argued with her classmates, let alone this often.
Wang Kan hasn't changed, and she shouldn't change either.
Fang Minzhou forced herself to look at the questions, but she wasn't fully focused yet. So, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a tangerine on the corner of the table. She looked up and saw Ouyang Qian give her a comforting smile, nod her chin at Wang Kan's empty seat, and look disgusted.
Fang Minzhou also twitched the corners of her mouth slightly.
If she hadn't stopped crying, she would have burst into laughter through her tears.
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