Chapter 48 On the Banks of the Galaxy
Looking at the message that popped up on her phone screen, Peng Chengyi's lips twitched. She realized that she must have been out of her mind to think of testing him.
"Take a look." She handed the phone to Zheng Xinyue. "Don't ever doubt that he has any improper thoughts about me that go beyond brotherly affection again."
Zheng Xinyue: "..."
The two-day agricultural study trip ended in the blink of an eye, and back at school, the registration notice for the arts festival was posted.
Given that this was her last chance to perform during her high school years, Peng Chengyi took it very seriously.
Although she and Chen Yubai had already picked out several songs as options, she always felt that something was missing, that they lacked a unique touch that was exclusive to them.
During lunch break, the band's group chat erupted in lively discussion again. Everyone chimed in with their ideas, but no consensus was reached.
Just as the discussion reached a stalemate, Zhang Yang suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "Hey Yu-ge! Didn't you write a song during the summer vacation? Why don't we give that a try?"
Peng Chengyi, who had never heard of this before, was taken aback and quickly typed out a string of question marks: "???"
Zheng Xinyue immediately followed up: "Oh my god! Really?! Chen Yubai can write songs?!"
Chen Wei also sent a shocked emoji: "Surprised.jpg"
Chen Yubai's reply remained indifferent: "...It was just something I wrote casually; the arrangement and lyrics aren't finalized yet."
Zhang Yang enthusiastically suggested, "It's no problem! I thought the melody was quite catchy when I heard it last time. Why don't we share the demo in the group so everyone can listen to it? We can work on the rest together. Isn't that much more meaningful than just covering someone else's song?"
Zheng Xinyue chimed in, "Yes, yes! Send it over so we can listen!"
Chen Wei chimed in: "+1"
The group chat was instantly flooded with expectant emojis, but Chen Yubai seemed to be disconnected, remaining silent for a long time.
Just when everyone thought he was going to play dead, Peng Chengyi snapped out of it and typed on the screen: "Send it here so we can hear it first."
Just seconds after the message was sent, an MP3 file was promptly and neatly tossed into the group chat.
Chen Yubai: "Don't play it publicly."
With indescribable emotions, Peng Chengyi reached for her earphones and was about to press play when Zheng Xinyue from the opposite bed suddenly leaned out and asked in a low voice, "Chengcheng, can I listen with you? I left my earphones in the classroom."
“Okay,” Peng Chengyi nodded, and quietly climbed out of bed. “Let’s go sit with Weiwei and listen.”
The two of them squeezed together at the foot of Chen Wei's bed. Chen Wei had already put on her headphones and was fiddling with her phone, making room for them.
Peng Chengyi handed one earphone to Zheng Xinyue, put the other into his own ear, hovered his fingertip over the screen for a moment, and then gently pressed the play button.
The crisp guitar strumming flows out first, the prelude is bright and cheerful, like sunlight dancing on the strings.
A few bars later, a clean and clear young voice began to hum along with the melody.
There are no lyrics, just a casual singing, yet it's like a cool breeze passing through the leaves on a summer day, refreshing and gentle, quietly touching the heartstrings.
"Wow, it sounds so good! He's so talented!" Zheng Xinyue couldn't help but exclaim softly, her eyes sparkling.
“It’s really good,” Chen Wei nodded, her tone appreciative. “The melody is very catchy.”
"Hmm...it seems alright." Peng Chengyi pursed her lips and responded softly, but the shock in her heart was far from subsiding.
Chen Yubai can actually write songs?! And he writes them so well!
We both learned guitar together, so how did he improve so much faster?!
But then I thought about it again, and he still goes to Master Dasheng's place for classes from time to time. With a professional teacher supervising him and learning systematically, it doesn't seem so strange.
She only followed his teaching sporadically, and avoided reading books like "Practical Guide to Harmony" whenever possible.
After comparing them, her resentment vanished instantly.
She took off her headphones, her fingers flying across the screen, her tone filled with genuine admiration: "Awesome! Let's perform this at the cultural festival!"
Chen Wei followed suit: "I think it's okay."
Zheng Xinyue echoed, "I think it sounds great too!"
Zhang Yang timely raised the crucial question: "Do any of you know how to write lyrics?"
Zheng Xinyue immediately suggested, "Chengcheng is good at Chinese, should we let her give it a try?"
Peng Chengyi stared at the screen, then paused, "Huh? But I've never written lyrics before... Does it have to rhyme or something?"
Zhang Yang comforted him, saying, "Actually, it doesn't have to be so strict. As long as it's catchy, it's fine."
Chen Wei succinctly replied: "Yes."
Chen Yubai immediately shifted the blame: "Anyway, I can't write it, so it's your responsibility."
Zhang Yang followed closely behind: "I'm leaving it to you too."
Chen Wei: "Seconded"
Zheng Xinyue: "Go Chengcheng!"
Peng Chengyi raised her face speechlessly, looked at her two best friends who were smiling at her, and could only resignedly accept the task in the group chat: "I'll give it a try first, and you can help me revise it if it doesn't work."
With more than half an hour left in her lunch break, Peng Chengyi grabbed her laptop, climbed onto her bed, and put on her headphones to play the demo that Chen Yubai had sent her on repeat.
The guitar's cheerful strumming seemed to carry a hint of melancholy, and the boy's casual humming echoed repeatedly in my ears.
She closed her eyes, trying to capture the emotions flowing in the melody.
Is it chasing the last days of summer on a bicycle? Is it running with the wind on the playground? Or is it some kind of more secret, unspeakable feeling?
She tried writing down a few scattered words in her notebook: cicada chirping, bicycle, playground, unspoken words, the answer brought by the wind...
The pen scratches away, yet I always feel like I can't grasp the core of the melody.
As the bell rang to signal the end of lunch break, Peng Chengyi closed his notebook with a gloomy expression and got out of bed.
"How's it going? Got any inspiration?" Zheng Xinyue asked.
Peng Chengyi shook his head: "It feels a bit off. This piece sounds a bit cheerful, but also a bit reluctant to part. It seems too heavy to write about farewells, and not light enough to write about everyday life..."
"It's okay, don't put too much pressure on yourself," Chen Wei patted her shoulder. "Focus on the overall feel first, and then work on the details slowly. Anyway, there's still plenty of time. Let's go to class first."
"Hmm." Peng Chengyi stuffed the notebook into her backpack and was about to zip it up when her phone, hidden inside, vibrated.
She pulled out her phone and saw a private message from Chen Yubai: "I've sent you the main chord progression and section structure of the melody; it might be helpful for writing lyrics."
Next was a file transfer containing the sheet music for the entire song, with different colors used to mark the verses, chorus, bridge, and coda. There were even simple notes under some notes, such as "emotional progression here" or "conclusion here."
She blinked in surprise, not expecting him to be so thoughtful. A smile crept onto her face as she cheerfully replied, "Got it! Mission accomplished!"
With this song guide, which resembled a map, Peng Chengyi felt her thoughts became much clearer.
Taking advantage of the weekend holiday, she went straight to her room, eagerly opened her notebook, and hunched over her desk to continue working on the lyrics she had been revising.
Sunlight streamed through the window, falling onto the pages and illuminating the densely packed handwriting.
After revising it several times, she finally felt it was almost done. She grabbed her notebook and rushed out the door, knocking loudly on the door across the hall.
As soon as the door opened, Peng Chengyi immediately raised the notebook in her hand, her eyes sparkling as she handed it over: "I've finished writing! Let me show you first, so you can check if it's correct!"
Chen Yubai seemed to have just woken up; his hair was still a little messy. He leaned lazily against the door frame and took the notebook: "Oh."
He paused for a moment, then stepped aside to make room: "Come in."
Peng Chengyi pursed her lips, quickly withdrew her hand, and said, "I won't go in. Just give me feedback on WeChat after you're done!"
"They're already at the door, why bother sending a WeChat message? Isn't that troublesome?" Chen Yubai glanced at her with amusement.
“Oh dear, reading it aloud in person feels like…a public execution,” Peng Chengyi said, her ears burning slightly, as she stepped back. “You see for yourself, I’ll go back and wait for news!”
After saying that, without waiting for his response, she turned around and ran back to her house, closing the door with a soft "bang".
Chen Yubai looked at the closed door opposite him, chuckled helplessly, shook his head, and closed the door behind him.
He walked to the desk and casually opened the notebook in his hand.
Neat and clear handwriting filled the page; she had carefully written down the entire lyric, occasionally adding small deletion marks or replacement arrows next to a few words, revealing a cautious and solemn attitude.
On the banks of the Milky Way
[Verse 1]
The faded old swing was covered in the starlight of a summer night.
The moon rises, illuminating the arc of the slide.
A crooked castle was drawn on the beach of the park.
Like our unfinished dream
[Verse 2]
Scattered comic books filled the afternoon sunlight
The sound of the zither greets the lingering echoes of the cicadas' song.
Practicing immature chords in someone's room
Like that summer when I was always off-key
[refrain]
Let's ride our bicycles together, riding the wind.
Heading towards the banks of the Milky Way
Memories of the past still echo in the wind.
Let the streetlights weave a soft net to embrace everything.
Unexpressed wishes
My pounding heartbeat still echoes in my ears
The entire universe seems to be burning in your eyes.
[Plot segment]
The lights in the children's playground gradually went out.
The strings still held the warmth of my fingertips.
Turn to the last page of the comic book
Did the main characters also say goodbye?
[end]
Later all summers were like
That night, all the starlight fell upon...
The back of which window
If dreams could echo back
It must be the rhythm of strumming.
Unfinished dialogue in the comic book
After reading the lyrics, Chen Yubai's lips unconsciously curled up slightly. He picked up his phone and replied, "Not bad, quite literary."
Peng Chengyi, who had finally received his comment, pursed her lips and quickly typed on the screen to reply: "Is it just that I have some writing talent?"
Chen Yubai: "What? Do you want me to praise you as a great contemporary writer?"
Peng Chengyi: "...Well, that's not necessary, so you think it's usable?"
Chen Yubai: "Hmm"
Peng Chengyi: "Then I'll send it to the group chat so others can see it!"
Chen Yubai: "You haven't shown it to anyone else yet?"
Peng Chengyi: "No, I need you to check it out for me first. If it's too bad, I won't want to embarrass myself in public."
Chen Yubai: "..."
Peng Chengyi paused, suddenly remembering something: "Oh right, why didn't you let me hear the song you wrote before? Are you closer to Zhang Yang?"
Chen Yubai: "Are you jealous?"
Peng Chengyi: "Who's jealous? I was just asking casually. You can tell whoever you want to hear it first; I don't care."
After sending that message, she felt a strange heat in her ears, so she simply exited the chat window with him and immediately took a picture of the lyrics she had written and sent it to the band's group chat.
Before long, the group chat was flooded with compliments, making her feel incredibly flattered, and her little bit of awkwardness was completely forgotten.
The next afternoon.
Peng Chengyi had just packed her schoolbag and was about to return to school when her phone suddenly vibrated. Chen Yubai had sent her an MP3 file.
Peng Chengyi: "?"
Chen Yubai: "Just recorded, a demo with lyrics."
Peng Chengyi: "So fast! Only half a day has passed."
Chen Yubai: "I recorded it whenever I had free time."
Peng Chengyi: "Oh"
She moved her fingertips, about to click, when another, seemingly nonchalant, supplementary comment popped up on the screen.
"By the way, don't share this in the group, this is a sneak peek for you alone."
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Author's Note: The song "On the Banks of the Galaxy" has been commissioned to be produced, and we're aiming to release it before the story is finished. You can look forward to it! [doge emoji]
Thanks to uoow and Jersey for the nutrient solution!
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