Chapter 2 How to form a band by yourself...
Should we spoil her?
When has he ever spoiled her?
In kindergarten, they slept in beds one in front of the other, and he always liked to take a nap standing on her head.
In elementary school, they sat at desks one in front of the other, and he always liked to pull her braids to amuse himself.
In junior high, the two sat at the same desk. He always liked her to cover for him when he fell asleep in class.
Even when she's too lazy to do her homework, she just copies what she's painstakingly written.
At most, he just gave her half of his allowance.
This is also based on the premise that his allowance is much more generous than hers.
What's wrong with her robbing the rich to help the poor?
Thinking of this, Peng Chengyi became self-righteous again: "If you're so capable, then don't copy my homework in the future."
"We're not even sure if we'll be in the same high school in the future, so why would I copy?" Chen Yubai scoffed.
"What do you mean? Didn't you also fill in No. 1 High School as your choice?" Peng Chengyi was stunned.
"Yes, but I'm afraid you won't pass the exam with your IQ," he said casually.
"..." Peng Chengyi's lips twitched, and she couldn't help but grab the cushion behind her and throw it at his face. "Chen Yubai! Don't be so arrogant. You're smart, but you still didn't get into the experimental class!"
No. 1 High School is one of the best high schools in Linbin City, and is considered one of the cradles of Jinghua High School, along with No. 4 High School.
Although No. 4 Middle School is close to home, it has a militaristic management style, which not only prohibits girls from having long hair, but also has very strict standards for short hair.
The front should not extend beyond the eyebrows, the ears should be exposed, and the back should be pushed up.
Just imagining herself with this hairstyle makes Peng Chengyi want to smash her head against the mirror in her head.
She wanted to be the boss, but didn't want to look tough on the outside.
Therefore, she preferred to board at No. 1 Middle School rather than apply to No. 4 Middle School.
As for Chen Yubai, living at home is probably not as good as living at school, at least he gets proper meals.
So unsurprisingly, he also applied to No. 1 Middle School.
In early May, No. 1 Middle School held an entrance exam for its experimental class, which recruited 50 students citywide. The top 10% of students from each junior high school were eligible to take the exam.
Peng Chengyi and Chen Yubai attended junior high schools that were close to home, not prestigious ones. So even though they ranked first and second in their grade in their final year of junior high, they still failed the entrance exam for the experimental class.
Chen Yubai caught the cushion she tossed to him with one hand, tucked it behind his back, and said, "Thank you."
"..."
She's not someone he can rely on!
Peng Chengyi took a deep breath, feeling that he was going to get high blood pressure from him sooner or later.
She put down her cross-legged position, stood up, and squeezed closer to him: "This is my cushion, move over."
Chen Yubai crossed his arms and remained motionless, saying, "Since you gave it to me, it's mine now."
Peng Chengyi accused Chen Yubai: "How childish of you!"
Chen Yubai scoffed: "Not as childish as you, little dwarf."
"So what if you're tall? You think you're so great!" Peng Chengyi said angrily, reaching out to pinch his thigh.
In the summer, he only wore a pair of loose and breathable shorts. The boy's legs were thin, and the thin fabric was no match for her fierce attack.
Chen Yubai hissed softly and sprang up from the sofa.
Taking advantage of the moment, Peng Chengyi quickly pulled the cushion from behind his waist and hugged it tightly.
"Hmph." She scoffed coldly, her eyes fixed on the television.
“…Childish.” Chen Yubai rubbed his thigh and muttered a complaint under his breath.
He didn't try to snatch the cushion from her arms.
Peng Cheng's anger flared up quickly, but also subsided just as quickly.
In addition, since she now needed his help, she forgave Chen Yubai for saying that she was unintelligent, short, and childish within the time it took to watch one episode of the animation.
She turned to look at him again: "Do you think guitar is easy to learn?"
Chen Yubai glanced at her and said, "I haven't studied it, how would I know?"
Peng Chengyi: "That's perfect, now I'll give you a chance to experience it."
Chen Yubai: "?"
Peng Chengyi: "Come with me to find a place to learn guitar."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yubai turned his face away with amusement: "Go pursue your own lofty ideals and goals, why are you dragging me into this?"
“How can I form a band by myself! With you, we can at least be halfway to success.” Peng Chengyi’s thick eyelashes fluttered, and her bright eyes encouraged him.
Chen Yubai stared at her for a few seconds, then turned his face away, saying lazily, "I'm not interested."
“Interests can be cultivated! You weren’t interested in playing games before, but you ended up buying a PS5, a Switch, and even upgrading your computer to a hotel with a sea view.”
Chen Yubai stared at the TV in silence for a moment, then finally turned to her and said in a drawn-out tone, "Then call me 'brother' first, and I'll think about it."
"..."
This dog has the nerve to call her childish.
He's determined to compete with her for the top spot.
Peng Chengyi gritted his teeth, still unwilling to become his subordinate: "Call me 'sister'!"
"Why do you call yourself that?"
Chen Yubai raised an eyebrow and a smile appeared on his lips.
Peng Chengyi was stunned for a moment before realizing that he had been mocked again, and immediately wanted to hit him with the cushion in her arms.
Halfway through, she remembered the cushion battle from earlier and, unwilling to relive it, silently put down her weapon.
"Why aren't you hitting me anymore?" Chen Yubai's lips curled up even more.
"I can't be bothered to lower myself to your level," Peng Chengyi sneered.
Chen Yubai smiled noncommittally, glanced at his watch, and stood up from the sofa.
"Where are you going?" Peng Chengyi looked up.
"The air conditioner repairman is coming soon, I'll go home to meet him." Chen Yubai said lazily, then strode towards the door.
"Oh..." Peng Chengyi opened her mouth, originally wanting to ask him if anyone was cooking at home that night, and if not, to come to her house for dinner.
But looking at his arrogant back, he insisted that she call him "brother" before he would even consider accompanying her to learn guitar.
Peng Chengyi finally shut his mouth.
That dog deserves to eat instant noodles.
-
Unable to convince Chen Yubai, Peng Chengyi was unwilling to give up his dream of forming a band.
She remembered that Zhang Yang had been learning the saxophone since he was a child, and he also seemed to be able to play the keyboard.
She might as well ask him again.
So Peng Chengyi took out the phone her parents had recently bought for her, opened WeChat, and clicked on the only two profile pictures in her friend group.
Peng Chengyi: "Don't you know how to play the keyboard?"
Zhang Yang: "Yes, why?"
Peng Chengyi: "Are you interested in forming a band?"
Zhang Yang: "Yes! Do you know anyone in a band? Need a keyboardist?"
Peng Chengyi: "Yes, you know him too."
Zhang Yang: "Who is it?"
Peng Chengyi: "Me"
Zhang Yang: "?"
Peng Chengyi: "I'm planning to learn guitar. Once I've mastered it, you'll be the keyboardist for my band!"
Zhang Yang: "...What about the bassist and drummer?"
Peng Chengyi: "Well, I'm still looking."
Zhang Yang: "..."
Peng Chengyi: "By the way, do you have any recommendations for places to learn guitar?"
Zhang Yang: "There are quite a few musical instrument shops on Luosheng Street, and they usually offer lessons as a bonus. You can go and take a look."
Peng Chengyi: "Are you free tomorrow? Could you come with me?"
Zhang Yang: "I'm still traveling with my parents and won't be back until the weekend. Doesn't Yu-ge have time to spend with you?"
Peng Chengyi: "He's a very boring person, I have no interest in asking him."
Zhang Yang: "...Then why don't you wait for me to come back this weekend?"
Peng Chengyi: "It's okay, I'll go by myself tomorrow."
She'll be starting high school in two months, it's time for her to push herself a little.
When you can't do something, you always need someone to be with you.
Peng Chengyi pondered silently, then closed WeChat and opened Maps.
As I was studying the route to Gong Sheng Street, I heard the sound of a door opening and closing behind me.
Peng Chengyi turned his head and saw Zhou Lifen walk in carrying two bags of vegetables and a fish.
"Mom, why did you come back alone? Where's Dad?"
“He has another dinner party with friends tonight.” Zhou Lifen put down her purse and glanced at the eggs by the door. “Did you send the other box to your Aunt Lin’s house?”
"It's been sent." Peng Chengyi nodded.
"Is Chen Yubai home?" Zhou Lifen asked.
"at home."
“Then invite him over for dinner tonight. Your Aunt Lin has an emergency surgery and won’t be able to come back to cook.” Zhou Lifen said as she went to the kitchen.
"Oh..." Peng Chengyi responded reluctantly and picked up her phone again.
Chen Yubai's mother, Lin Qingying, and her mother were college roommates. After graduation, they both went to Linbin People's Hospital. Later, the hospital allocated them apartments across the street from each other. They married teachers from the neighboring No. 16 Middle School and had children around the same time.
Therefore, the relationship between the two families can be said to be closer than that of some relatives who do not visit each other often.
However, Zhou Lifen resigned from her hospital job when she graduated from elementary school because she was too busy to take care of her family.
Lin Qingying rose through the ranks to become the associate chief physician of general surgery, publishing articles, conducting research, and performing surgeries, becoming even busier.
In addition, Chen Yubai's father, Chen Jianye, resigned from his job at the school a few years ago and went to do foreign trade business with his friends. He was away on business trips all year round, so there was even less family members who could take care of him.
Since junior high school, Chen Yubai has often come to her house for meals.
Of course, Lin Qingying would buy clothes, stationery and snacks for Peng Chengyi from time to time.
After all, Zhou Lifen resolutely refused to accept living expenses directly, saying that it was just another child to feed, and how much money could it cost?
There's no need to be so polite.
-
After seeing the air conditioner repairman off, Chen Yubai was covered in sweat again, his wet hair hanging down on his deep brow bone.
He suppressed the urge to take another shower, turned the air conditioning down to its lowest setting, and sat down in front of the game console.
That Peng Chengyi tricked me into buying so many game discs, and now he just says he doesn't want to play them anymore.
Do you really think he has no temper?
Chen Yubai pressed the game controller and defeated the legendary difficult boss in less than five minutes.
Boring.
It's more interesting to watch someone else play.
Because she will run in the opposite direction as soon as she goes out, accidentally blow herself up while throwing bombs, and perform a bunch of monkey tricks to give herself buffs when fighting the boss.
Just then, my phone, which was lying on the coffee table, vibrated.
Chen Yubai glanced up and saw it was Zhang Yang, then his gaze returned to the game screen.
Less than five minutes later, the phone vibrated again, and Peng Chengyi's name popped up on the screen.
Chen Yu paused, pressed pause, and picked up his phone.
Peng Chengyi: "My mom wants you to come over for dinner tonight."
Peng Chengyi: "Although I don't want you to come, I can't disobey my mother's orders."
Chen Yubai chuckled and tapped the screen with his fingertips as he replied, "Tell Auntie it's not necessary. I have plans to go out for dinner with friends tonight."
Peng Chengyi: "Who are you going with tonight, and where are you going to eat?"
Chen Yubai: "What's it to you?"
Peng Chengyi: "How can it not be related? You're my younger brother, and you have an obligation to report to me."
Chen Yubai: "What if I don't report it?"
Peng Chengyi: "You've become capable, your wings have hardened, so I have no choice but to let you fly free."
Chen Yubai: "..."
Chen Yubai closed the chat window with her in a bit of annoyance and glanced at the message Zhang Yang had sent—
"Brother Yu, what's up with Boss Peng? He suddenly wants to learn guitar and form a band, and he even wants me to join him."
Chen Yubai frowned: "She's obsessed with cartoons. She'll probably only be enthusiastic for a short time. Just ignore her."
Zhang Yang: "But she already asked me for the address of her guitar lessons, and even wanted me to go with her tomorrow. It doesn't seem like she's just enthusiastic for a short time."
Chen Yubai paused, stared at the message for a moment, and then replied with a drooping smile: "Send me the address."
A note from the author:
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[Eating popcorn][Eating popcorn][Eating popcorn]
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