Chapter 26
Jiang Li, as a person with perfect pitch, is not only an excellent singer and dancer, but also proficient in various musical instruments.
Compared to fixed pitch, perfect pitch is innate, a talent often referred to as genius. Fixed pitch, on the other hand, is developed through training to perceive pitch.
Of course, a small number of people with perfect pitch have built their foundation through early training, and there is no shortage of those with natural talent.
Jiang Li belongs to the former category, which has led him to be used to being fawned over by everyone.
But habit doesn't mean it's a given.
He stubbornly stayed with everyone, running up and down the stairs to move equipment.
As the time approached 2:00 PM, Guan Nan leaned forward under her seat on the stage, scanning the QR code while glancing at the stage.
"Ahem," Lin Rui said as he checked the sound on stage, "Ladies and gentlemen, Ting's street performance is about to begin. Please take your seats one by one. Thank you for coming and for your cooperation. There are light sticks and water provided on the seats. Please return the light sticks to their original positions after the performance. Thank you."
After Lin Rui finished speaking, he beckoned the people who were drinking water in the audience to come up.
"?" Jiang Li.
Lin Rui pointed to the black screen: "My phone is out of battery, and the music hasn't been projected yet."
Without a setlist, the audience wouldn't have any expectations and would easily leave before the halfway point. Jiang Li gave an "OK" sign, put down his water bottle, and strode onto the stage.
He opened his phone and accidentally clicked on an unnamed favorites folder.
What makes you beautiful
Love me like you do
despacito
Love Story
......
Before anyone could finish reading, Jiang Li left, created a new folder, and named it Ting.
The drum set started playing on stage, the sound system was turned on, and everyone was watching the stage.
No one paid attention to the little Guan Nan in the corner.
The audience was packed, and the microphone was still in Lin Rui's hand. Amidst the laughter of the crowd, he introduced the lead singer: "Everyone, you don't need to be so enthusiastic, oh dear, your enthusiasm is making me blush..."
He even cupped his face in his hands as he spoke.
"Eek—" The scene was in complete chaos.
"Hahaha," Lin Rui said, "Just kidding, now please welcome our lead singer—"
With a wave of his hand, he pointed the camera at Jiang Li, followed by the simultaneous sounds of guitar, bass, keyboard, and drums.
Jiang Li calmly said, "Hello everyone, I am Jiang Li."
The microphone was in Jiang Li's hand. He held the string with one hand and looked straight ahead. "Now I'd like to introduce our band members to you: guitarist Zhang Yan, Yu Xi, bassist Guan Mansen, keyboardist Hao Yi, and drummer Lin Rui."
When introducing someone, they have 15 seconds to show off their skills.
The audience cheered enthusiastically.
The atmosphere heated up, people set off fireworks, and the intro music started playing.
Jiang Li held the microphone in his right hand and moved to the front line with his right hand, moving in rhythm.
On stage, he wore a black and pink T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, looking both relaxed and sharp.
The overall temperament looks particularly...
--wild.
The first part of the Ting band's performance began with Yu Quan's "Running," their voices flowing like water into the hearts of the audience.
"Speeding at 70 miles per hour, feeling free and carefree, hoping the destination is the Aegean Sea."
"...Running with the wind, freedom is the direction; chasing the power of thunder and lightning, I fill my heart with the vast ocean; even the smallest sail can sail far..."
Taking advantage of the mascot costume as cover, Guan Nan gripped the QR code in her hand and stared unabashedly at the dazzling Jiang Li on the stage.
As the song progressed, the atmosphere heated up, with a joyful and powerful energy.
"...We want to travel the world, to see miracles unfold before our eyes, to wait for the sunset to paint the sky red, and to make a wish shoulder to shoulder..."
As the lyrics and music progressed, his voice suddenly became softer and slower, yet tinged with a subtle joy.
Before the song ended, Guan Nan glanced at the song title again, but she still couldn't quite see Jiang Li's expression on stage.
Ting doesn't have a fixed lead singer; they take turns performing at almost every show, and the roles change frequently.
This also means that each of them can be a team on their own.
The hot food service will continue from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
At the end, the cheers came in waves.
"Happy times always pass too quickly. Today, Ting's roadshow has come to an end, and it's time to say goodbye to everyone." These kinds of external affairs usually fall to Lin Rui, and this time was no exception. Lin Rui led the whole team on stage and bowed to everyone who was watching, "Thank you all for your support, and thank you for your hard work."
In an instant, someone in the audience shouted in response.
"It's not hard work at all!"
"Brother is so handsome! Promise me you'll come again next time!"
After the crowd dispersed, the entire Ting team tidied up the folding chairs, light sticks, and cleaned up the trash.
Perhaps Guan Nan's bunny mascot costume was too conspicuous in the crowd, because Jiang Li ran over from a distance, asked her if she was alright, and then made his request.
Jiang Li didn't hesitate for a moment: "Classmate, please help me out."
Although she knew the other person wouldn't recognize her through the mascot costume, Guan Nan still felt inexplicably guilty when he called her "classmate."
She didn't dare to speak, pretending to be clueless as she handed Jiang Li a flyer and pointed to the QR code, indicating that he should scan it to add her on WeChat.
"..." Jiang Li scanned the code and showed it to her, then added the account step by step. "Added."
Guan Nan hurriedly replied, "Thank you."
"Can you help now?" Jiang Li put his phone in his pocket.
Guan Nan paused for two seconds, then waved her hand and tapped the flyer to indicate that she was working.
They seemed not to have noticed the subtle rejection.
Jiang Li said matter-of-factly, "I just bumped into you. To make it up to you, I'll treat you to dinner later. Could you watch the scene for me for a bit?"
Guan Nan was speechless for a moment.
With so many people in the band, how could they not leave someone to watch the place? There were also security patrols nearby. She didn't understand why Jiang Li was so fixated on "hitting her."
"There's a bubble tea shop over there, what would you like to drink?" Jiang Li seemed oblivious to her odd behavior. "Lemon tea or bubble tea, it's on me."
The mascot costume was too heavy, and Guan Nan was soaked to the bone. She wanted to run away immediately, but she had to pretend to be calm and said in a rough voice, "No need, thank you, I'm fine."
"Wait for me." With that, Jiang Li strode towards the milk tea shop.
Suddenly, the teammates who were tidying up the equipment by the stage started to rush towards Jiang Lihu, reciting their names like a menu.
Everyone orders something different: less sugar with ice, standard sugar with ice, or regular sugar with ice.
Guan Nan only listened to their requests once, and found them somewhat troubling.
However, this did not stop her from running away.
At 6 p.m., Guan Nan took off the mascot costume and looked at herself in the bathroom mirror.
She had just washed her face; the water and sweat mingled together, making it difficult to distinguish, and strands of hair clung to her face.
The T-shirt was washed until it was old and clean, but the neckline was loose and inelastic. The whole garment was so wet that you could wring water out of it, and even the bra was sticky.
Tired and disheveled.
As I exited the restroom, Jiang Li's voice suddenly rang out from the right side of my head, clear and crisp: "Hey."
Guan Nan paused, suddenly feeling guilty, and dared not look up at him, pretending that the other person was not calling her.
"Guan Nan," Jiang Li called her name, and seeing that she didn't stop, he lightly tugged at her ponytail, his tone not very pleasant, "Why are you hiding?"
"I didn't dodge," Guan Nan tried to argue.
Didn't you hear me calling you?
"You didn't call me."
After a two-second silence, Jiang Li said bluntly, "Is there anyone else here besides you and me? Did I just call for a ghost?"
Guan Nan lowered her head and weakly retorted, "You said 'hello'."
"Then why are you leaving even though my name is Guan Nan?" Jiang Li laughed.
"I—" Guan Nan said guiltily, "I didn't hear it."
After saying that, feeling a little guilty, she added with a hint of ingratiation, "I've stopped to wait for you now, haven't I?"
Jiang Li stared at her for a few seconds, then handed her the lemon tea in his hand.
His face was visibly grim; he was already displeased that she had sneaked away while he was shopping, so Guan Nan didn't dare to go any further. After a moment's hesitation, she took it: "Thank you."
You're welcome.
Guan Nan: "......"
His tone wasn't very nice, but he didn't stop what he was doing and handed her another pack of tissues.
We left the mall.
Guan Nan glanced at his face, noticing Jiang Li's seemingly indifferent expression, but she could still sense his displeasure.
This is completely inconsistent with his usual willful and undisciplined behavior.
Guan Nan looked down at the ground, her brows furrowed slightly, pondering what to say.
"Didn't you see me?"
"······"
"Still didn't recognize me?"
"······"
"Would you like to take a closer look?"
Guan Nan pursed her lips and whispered, "No."
Jiang Li remained expressionless: "Nothing?"
After hesitating for two seconds, Guan Nan did not evade the question and honestly said, "No, I didn't recognize him."
"Then why did you run away?" After hearing this, Jiang Li turned his head and stared at her, becoming even angrier.
The conversation returned to its starting point, and Guan Nan realized that continuing down this path would inevitably lead back to a dead end. She never shied away from facing embarrassment, awkwardness, or shame; on the contrary, she could accept it with equanimity.
But when she thought about being in front of Jiang Li, she inexplicably lost the courage to tell the truth.
Guan Nan stammered, "I didn't hide. I hadn't gotten off work yet."
Seeing that she was still trying to argue, Jiang Li ignored her.
Guan Nan had seen Jiang Li like this before. Thinking back, the first time was last month, after they became deskmates. He was inexplicably in a bad mood and then ignored everyone.
Although Guan Nan didn't know why, and because the two weren't very familiar with each other, she didn't have a reason to ask.
Now, at this moment, today, this is the second time.
"Jiang Li," Guan Nan called out to him.
Jiang Li looked over again.
Guan Nan hesitated for a moment, feeling that she was being tactless, but still asked, "Are you angry?"
"What do you think?" Seeing her blank expression, Jiang Li's anger subsided a bit, but his tone was still irritable.
Was it the same last time?
Jiang Li suddenly looked bewildered: "What?"
“Exactly,” Guan Nan glanced at him silently again, her voice trailing off as she spoke, “that time in the classroom, when you pulled back your desk, not wanting to sit next to me…”
Reminded by her, Jiang Li remembered the time she mentioned, plus this one. He laughed angrily, slowly bringing up old grievances: "You stood me up, fine, but for several days in a row you went to school and ignored everyone except me. Shouldn't I be angry?"
"I..." Guan Nan could tell he was in a bad mood, but because they weren't familiar with each other, she didn't want to provoke him. Besides, given how much attention Jiang Li received, she didn't have the courage to approach him even if she wanted to.
Jiang Li's belated accusation: "Guan Nan, do you have no heart?"
"······"
Guan Nan said honestly, "But we're not familiar with each other, and I'm afraid you'll beat me up."
"Do I look like an unreasonable person?" Jiang Li asked incredulously.
Just as he was about to argue, another sentence followed, which he found somewhat amusing: "Why would I hit you? I'm not a fighting maniac who would beat up everyone I see."
Guan Nan followed Jiang Li, walking straight ahead along the road.
She seemed to have thought of something, and stammered, "But you, you..."
"But I hit the teacher," Jiang Li said with a half-smile, seeing that she wanted to say it but didn't dare to. "Is that right?"
Guan Nan, afraid of offending him, gave a weak "hmm".
"Anything else?"
Upon hearing this, Guan Nan shook her head.
"It was just one time, is it really that big of a deal?" Jiang Li frowned, his tone noticeably sour as he mentioned it. "Everyone looked at me like I was a ghost."
Guan Nan hesitated, realizing that saying it even once was already quite frightening. After a pause, she couldn't help but ask, "Why did you hit the teacher?"
"It's not convenient to talk about," Jiang Li said irritably. "In short, it's a long story—"
In the end, Jiang Li came to a conclusion, which was...
"He deserves a beating."
Guan Nan didn't know what to say.
After a while, the two sat down on a bench and watched the white doves take flight.
"Then how did you know that the person inside the doll was me?" Guan Nan had been wanting to ask this question ever since they left the mall, but she had held it in until now.
“Perhaps because,” Jiang Li said, raising an eyebrow slightly and speaking in a cadence.
Why?
Guan Nan stared at him expectantly.
"I know everything, can do anything."
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