Chapter 16
"Keep smiling, then blow!"
In the pavilion in the park's lake.
Lin Li sat on the stone bench, looking at Tang Yue.
After dropping Tong Yao off at home yesterday, Lin Li received a message from Tang Yue.
Lin Li, are you trying to fool me with some broken flute?
Spicy Spicy Spicy: What? You can't blow it, huh!
See you at the park tomorrow.
-
"Hush! Hush!" Tang Yue blew the flute in one breath, but the flute made no sound at all.
Lin Li gently tapped Tang Yue's right hand, which was holding the flute, with a bamboo stick.
"Maintain a proper flute-holding posture, don't tilt it."
Tang Yue blew out another breath, her face turning red, but still couldn't hear a sound.
"What a lousy flute! It can't even make a sound! Are you kidding me?"
“I told you back then that you probably couldn’t even make a sound, but you insisted on learning. Don’t blame me.”
Upon hearing this, Tang Yue glanced at Lin Li again, still disbelieving.
Then he shoved the flute into Lin Li's hands: "Then try playing it!"
"I refuse." Without thinking, Lin Li placed the flute on the stone table.
"See? I told you you were kidding me, giving me a broken flute to make me laugh!"
"Look at yourself, this flute is covered in your spit."
Lin Li pointed to the blowhole of the flute and shook it as she spoke.
Sure enough, some water was shaken out.
"Isn't that disgusting?"
Upon seeing this, Tang Yue was speechless for a moment. She had indeed spat out a lot of saliva when she couldn't blow it.
"This flute is for you," Lin Li said dismissively.
"Really?" Tang Yue was delighted, but then became dejected: "It can't even make a sound when you blow on it. It's not as good as a recorder, at least you can hear a sound."
"Everything is difficult at the beginning, and good things take time!"
As she spoke, Lin Li picked up the black bag from the stone table.
Tang Yue looked at it and asked, "What is this?"
"Flute."
As Lin Li spoke, she opened the black bag, revealing two flutes.
There are flutes with whole sections and flutes with sections; the difference is not significant, but flutes with sections are more suitable for ensemble playing.
In her previous life, Lin Li spent a fortune to buy this flute when she was in junior high school, but it just sat under her bed collecting dust ever since.
The reason is simple: he can't make a sound either.
Later, during my high school years, I found it again when I went home for a monthly break. Since I had already bought it, I thought I shouldn't waste it, so I picked it up again.
Lin Li put the two flute sections together and then placed them near her lips.
The next second, a melodious flute tune began to play.
Many people learn the flute on a whim and love to play popular songs like "Love Through Lifetimes" and "Beautiful Myth".
But Lin Li is different; he prefers fast-paced music, such as whipping horses to transport grain or Tatar music.
However, this type of piece is quite difficult; he can play it, but he just can't play it well.
Seeing this scene today, he still chose to play a popular song.
The Rings of Time
"The most poisonous hatred in the world is being destined to be together but not to be together. It's a pity you never felt sorry for my foolishness..."
The clear sound of the flute echoed across the lake until the last note dissipated in the wind.
"Slap! Slap! Slap!"
Tang Yue clapped in admiration.
"That sounds so good!"
"I remember you just bought the flute two months ago, right? You've only been learning for a month and you've already reached this level. You're a genius."
Lin Li smiled, then bent down to unpack the flute and put it in her bag, before handing the flute that Tang Yue had been playing to Tang Yue.
"Take it, it's yours."
This flute was originally intended as a gift for Tang Yue. I spent a lot of money buying my own flute, and the shop owner gave me one as a gift.
Tang Yue accepted it with delight and said, "Thank you."
Then, as if remembering something, she asked with a gossipy expression, "After you took Tong Yao to get her hair cut yesterday, what else did you two do?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Li said, "After getting a haircut, we went to have lunch, and then everyone went home to their own mothers."
That's it?
Tang Yue looked at Lin Li with disappointment.
"Look at you! You've known each other for so long, and Chen Yan has already dated several men. In novels, the male and female protagonists' relationship progresses to a higher level after clearing up misunderstandings. Not to mention anything else, there must be some kissing, right?"
Those who know Lin Li are aware of his feelings for Tong Yao, but Tong Yao herself may not know it.
Hearing this, her eyes darted nervously to the ground beside her, and her voice lowered: "You... what nonsense are you talking about? I like her, but she... doesn't like me."
He subconsciously ground a small pebble on the ground with his toe, trying to hide his embarrassment.
Tang Yue didn't answer immediately. She crossed her arms, tilted her head and thought about it carefully for a moment, then looked at him with certainty: "I feel that Tong Yao likes you."
"How do you know?" He didn't see it.
"I can't quite put my finger on it, but apart from Cheng Yu, you're the closest to her in the whole class. Although Tong Yao looks cold, she has a gentle personality. Anyone who's been around her knows that she's very popular, but there aren't many people who can really get along with her."
"I've already removed Cheng Yu as an obstacle for you. Now it's up to you to work hard!"
As she spoke, Tang Yue patted Lin Li on the shoulder.
Lin Li slapped Tang Yue's hand away in annoyance, realizing that she was referring to Cheng Yu's dismissal.
"Get lost, stop trying to take advantage of me. Besides, where did you get rid of her? Tong Yao and she haven't broken off their friendship."
"She can't use her power to punish you anymore, so isn't that a way of getting rid of her?"
"If you say so, then it is."
Lin Li stood up; he had to go home.
Watching Lin Li's retreating figure, Tang Yue hurriedly called out, "Where are you going?"
Lin Li, with her back turned and without turning her head, waved her hand and said, "Study!"
You know, Lin Li used to be someone who wouldn't even take her homework home during holidays, but now she's saying she wants to go back and study.
Thinking about the recent rumors in the class, Lin Li was going to take the exam for Yucheng Experimental School.
It's only been a short time, and things have changed so much. If she weren't familiar with Lin Li, she would have thought he had been possessed.
She was a little unaccustomed to it. It wasn't that Lin Li was bad; there was nothing wrong with loving to learn. She had always thought that Lin Li wouldn't mature for many years.
………………
It's mid-November now.
Today is a special day; it's the monthly exam day.
"Pass it from front to back, raise your hand if you didn't get it."
The proctor handed out the exam papers.
Lin Li's exam room was room number 12. The school arranged seating according to grades.
Tong Yao was in exam room number 1, and Lin Li was in the last exam room.
I scored 199 in the last joint exam, ranking among the bottom 30 in my grade.
There are even people who are lower than him; I don't know how they managed to do that.
After distributing the exam papers, the proctor sat down on the podium and started reading.
Actually, the last exam room is the easiest to invigilate. Many poor students cheat, but once they reach a certain level of poorness, they disdain cheating, since cheating at least shows that they care about their grades.
The exam has only been going on for 5 minutes.
The exam hall was already filled with people who had fallen asleep.
Everyone just wrote their names, filled in the multiple-choice questions, and then quickly lay down to catch up on sleep.
Sleep is contagious; Lin Li yawned twice while sitting in her seat.
Looking at the dense mass of people lying there, I couldn't help but marvel at how spectacular it was.
In high school, you weren't allowed to sleep during exams, nor were you allowed to hand in your paper early; you were forced to check it. Lin Li was so sleepy, he wouldn't even let him close his eyes; if he saw you lying down, he would wake you up.
The first exam was in Chinese.
Lin Li finished the multiple-choice questions and the dictation in 20 minutes.
I glanced at the essay while turning the page.
Oh no, my phone isn't working!
Reboot!
Oh no, my computer crashed!
Reboot!
Please combine your own associations and insights...
Lin Li thought for a moment, then flipped the answer sheet over and wrote his title at the top of the essay section.
"Rebooting Your Life"
Twenty minutes later, Lin Li went up to the podium and handed in his paper.
He was the first to hand in his paper because everyone else was already fast asleep.
From the few meters he walked to the podium, he saw a boy whose answer sheet was soaked with drool; he must have been sleeping soundly.
"Leave it here, and don't wander around after you go out."
The proctor closed the novel and took Lin Li's exam paper.
Check if Lin Li wrote her name and examination number.
He paused when he saw the seat number on the back of the answer sheet.
"Rebooting your life? That's interesting."
………………
Lin Li came out of exam room number 12 and wanted to go to the toilet, but she was caught by the patrolling teacher.
"After the exam, go to the playground and don't linger in the exam room."
So Lin Li had no choice but to go to the toilet on the playground to relieve herself.
After coming out of the restroom, Lin Li shook the water off her hands.
I suddenly remembered something.
The monthly exams in junior high school weren't as rushed as in high school. In high school, after the Chinese exam, you would immediately take the other subjects' exams, which started at 8 a.m. and lasted until 12 p.m.
Junior high school is naturally not that strict; the school is quite humane.
Because the Chinese exam was long, I specifically set aside a whole morning for the Chinese exam.
Therefore, there was absolutely no need for him to linger on the playground, waiting for the next exam so he could go back to the classroom.
But what's the point of going back to the classroom? It's so boring!
"Hey! Bro."
The next second, a basketball rolled to his feet.
Lin Li turned her head in confusion.
"Could you please pick this up?"
A few boys were playing basketball on the playground; they probably handed in their papers early.
Lin Li did not refuse and picked up the ball and threw it to them.
It just so happened to fall into the hands of the person who spoke.
"Well said!"
The boy called out, "Thanks."
Perhaps because Lin Li was alone, he discussed it with the boy next to him.
They happened to be one player short for their basketball game.
Just as Lin Li was about to leave, she was called back again.
Should we fight?
Upon hearing this, Lin Li glanced at the basketball in his hand, and thinking that she was bored anyway, she nodded in agreement.
The physical education exam includes basketball, and Lin Li knows a little bit about it.
It's cruel to admit, but of all the physical education exam items, basketball was the only one Lin Li passed.
He failed the sit-and-reach test, getting a score of -11 centimeters.
"Alright, now we have 6 people, 3v3."
The boy who was speaking started to form groups.
Lin Li was assigned to be with him.
The exam venue for this monthly exam was the teaching building next to the playground, which is usually empty. The teaching building where they have classes is at the other end of the playground.
In other words, if you want to go back to the classroom after the exam, you just have to walk across the playground.
"Ring ring!"
The announcement came over the loudspeaker: the exam is over.
After the exam, everyone likes to play outside for a while before going back to the classroom.
Therefore, the playground became everyone's only choice.
At this moment, the area around the basketball court was completely surrounded by students who had finished their exams.
Tong Yao came out of the examination room and followed the crowd toward the classroom.
"Good shot!"
"Pass the ball!"
The sounds of basketballs being dribbled and people running on the court reached Tong Yao's ears.
Tong Yao didn't pay much attention and continued to move slowly with the crowd.
The ninth grade at Yancheng Middle School has the largest number of students in its history.
It's a small city with a small population.
But there were 2,000 students in their grade this time, and now they've all finished their exams and are all crammed here.
"Give it to me!" Lin Li's voice, though panting, carried through the crowd with unwavering conviction.
Tong Yao paused slightly and turned her head to look towards the basketball court.
Afterwards, Cheng Yu just came out of the examination room and saw Tong Yao in the crowd. She quickened her pace to approach her and saw Tong Yao turn her head to look at something. She followed Tong Yao's gaze.
Lin Li was playing basketball with students from other classes when she received a pass from someone else.
Then start dribbling to prevent the ball from being stolen.
The next second, Lin Li broke through the encirclement, carrying the ball.
One step, two steps, jump, throw the ball, it bounces on the backboard and then lands steadily in the basket.
"Yaoyao," Cheng Yu appeared behind Tong Yao without her noticing. She pointed at Lin Li on the basketball court and said, "He just finished his exam and he's playing basketball here. It looks like he's been playing for a long time. I bet he just wrote a couple of random words and handed in his paper."
"Is that so?" Tong Yao replied indifferently, still looking in Lin Li's direction.
Hearing Tong Yao's agreement, Cheng Yu put her hands on her hips, glanced at Tong Yao's profile, and seeing that she didn't react, thought for a moment and continued, "He must have cheated on the last weekly test, otherwise why would he have come out so early? He probably couldn't write it!"
"Yaoyao, don't rush to refute me. I looked at your answer sheets, and the answers are indeed not exactly the same. Since he didn't copy yours, he must have stolen the answers from somewhere beforehand."
Tong Yao's previously gentle expression suddenly turned cold. She glanced at Cheng Yu and said in an icy tone, "Cheng Yu, I don't want to argue with you anymore. Please mind your own business first."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Yu's eyes widened in disbelief; it was the first time she had ever heard Tong Yao speak to her in such a tone.
"Damn, three points."
People on the sidelines gasped in surprise.
The next second, Lin Li took the ball. Before anyone could react, no one stopped him.
Three points? Of course, that can't be replicated.
Lin Li dribbled the ball and quickly attacked the inside.
After approaching the inside line, Lin Li took small, quick steps and made a shot.
Good shot!
Seeing Lin Li score again, Tong Yao's lips unconsciously curled up.
Cheng Yu naturally didn't miss Tong Yao's expression, and his face immediately turned ashen. "Could it be..."
She didn't say it aloud, but gritted her teeth fiercely and said, "Then Yao Yao, I'll go back first."
"Hmm." Tong Yao responded indifferently, not even glancing at Cheng Yu.
Cheng Yu couldn't understand why their friendship from elementary to middle school couldn't compete with Lin Li, whom they had only known for less than three years.
On the way back to the classroom, Cheng Yu still had a gloomy face.
...
"What class is this boy in? He's kind of handsome!"
"You've fallen for her? I think her name is Lin Li. She was the first place winner in the high jump at the sports meet, and she almost broke the record. Please, I'll help you get her a QQ number."
The two girls who were speaking were standing hand in hand in front of Tong Yao.
They would occasionally nudge each other's shoulders.
Tong Yao overheard everything they said. After a moment of silence, she turned to leave, but a hand grabbed her arm.
The two girls in front of her got excited when they saw Lin Li walking towards them. "She's here, she's here, you go first."
The next second, they both fell silent, awkward expressions on their faces. They looked at each other for a second, "What's going on? Turns out you have girlfriends. Let's go, what a waste of excitement."
Lin Li didn't notice them at all. She heard what they said, but she didn't know they were talking about her.
Tong Yao, however, was different; upon hearing them say that, her ears instantly turned red.
She glared at Lin Li with some displeasure.
Then he quickly pulled his hand out.
Lin Li was still immersed in the excitement of playing basketball. As soon as he came to his senses, he stood next to Tong Yao and shouted to the boys behind him, "I'm not playing anymore. Let's play next time."
"Okay! Is anyone else coming?"
The boy shouted to the surroundings.
"Not playing anymore? Then add me in."
Upon hearing Lin Li say that they were stopping, the bespectacled boy who was squatting under the basketball hoop immediately stood up.
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