Wang Xiaobo was crying out in pain. He wanted to rush to the hospital for treatment, but he stopped abruptly at the bathroom door. A sinister glint flashed in his eyes, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth, as if he were plotting some scheme.
Then, he turned around, enduring the excruciating pain, quickened his pace, and jogged towards the auditorium.
Inside the auditorium, the lights shone brightly, and the atmosphere was electric. The host on stage announced the next performance with an excited voice—a solo singing performance by Yang Meixi! As the host's voice faded, all eyes in the audience focused on the stage.
Yang Meixi wore a floral long dress, the hem swaying gently, revealing her fair and delicate skin. Her figure was graceful and her makeup exquisite, like a blooming flower, instantly attracting everyone's attention. Throughout the hall, students and teachers alike cast admiring glances.
However, at this crucial moment, an unexpected incident occurred on stage. Lin Chen, Yang Meixi's accompanist, suddenly discovered a problem with his guitar. He looked down and found a barely noticeable cut on the string. If he continued playing with this guitar, the string would break in less than a minute.
"What's wrong? Don't tell me you're chickening out now?"
Yang Meixi noticed Lin Chen's unusual behavior, her brows furrowed slightly, and an anxious look appeared on her face.
"It's not that I chickened out, it's that the guitar chickened out and got tampered with."
Yang Meixi knew without a doubt that Wang Xiaobo was behind this. That guy was narrow-minded and petty, and he already held a grudge because of Lin Chen. The problem was, why did he choose to strike at this crucial moment? Didn't that indirectly harm her too? What a brainless idiot!
Seeing Yang Meixi's anxious expression, Lin Chen sighed inwardly. He knew he couldn't panic; he had to find a solution. So, he stood up, picked up the microphone, and said to the audience in a calm but slightly apologetic tone, "Dear students, I'm very sorry, because this guitar suddenly encountered some problems, we need to make some temporary adjustments. I'm truly sorry for the inconvenience caused."
After saying that, he walked to Yang Meixi's side and whispered in her ear, "Later, I will use beatbox to accompany you, you can just sing."
Upon hearing this, Yang Meixi's eyes widened, staring at Lin Chen in disbelief. Beatbox? He can do that too? However, Lin Chen simply smiled slightly, said nothing more, and began to drink water to clear his throat, preparing for the upcoming performance.
At this moment, chaos erupted both on and off the stage. The elderly vice-principal, sitting in the center of the front row, frowned and said unhappily, "Who is that person? I've never seen him before. He didn't even check if the instruments were usable before the performance. What kind of good performance can someone so careless put on?"
Lin Ruoyan, the dean of students, and Jiang Jiahan, the internet celebrity associate professor, who were standing next to him, exchanged a smile and said mysteriously, "President Hong, just watch and see, there will definitely be a surprise."
The elderly vice-principal looked at the two women with some doubt, not understanding why they were so certain. However, at that moment, Lin Chen on the stage had already picked up the microphone, covered his mouth, and prepared to begin his beatbox performance.
Li Kui, sitting in the audience, looked around at Lin Chen on stage, his heart filled with surprise. He never expected that his old classmate and roommate from two years ago would be performing on stage at the freshman dance, while they were completely unaware of it. He turned to look at Pan Wei and Jin Songzhu beside him and found that they also looked blank, obviously having just found out about it as well.
The atmosphere in the auditorium was ignited once again. The audience held their breath, eager to see how this unexpected situation would resolve itself. Lin Chen, on the other hand, used his beatboxing skills to add a unique charm to Yang Meixi's singing, making the entire performance even more spectacular.
At this moment, Lin Chen's classmates stared wide-eyed at him on the stage, their faces filled with shock. Although they had spent a month together in military training, they were all somewhat familiar with each other, even if they didn't know each other's names. The boys who often visited each other's dormitories recognized Lin Chen at a glance.
"Wow, isn't that Lin Chen from our class? How did he get on stage? Isn't this a performance by the second and third year arts department?" a boy exclaimed in surprise.
“Lin Chen? That name sounds familiar…” A girl frowned, trying hard to recall any memories of Lin Chen.
"It's the guy who shares a dorm with Li Kui and Pan Wei!" another boy reminded him.
"Oh—it's them! I heard Li Kui and Pan Wei repeated a year, and there's a girl in their dorm too. What a bunch of weirdos gathered together." The girls chattered amongst themselves, their faces showing curiosity and surprise.
Meanwhile, some people were still intently watching the stage, while others turned to look at Jin Songzhu, Pan Wei, and Li Kui, trying to find out what had happened. However, the three of them also looked blank, clearly unaware of Lin Chen's appearance on stage.
Just then, Lin Chen's beatboxing suddenly rang out on stage. The fast-paced, skillful beatboxing instantly drew everyone's attention. Yang Meixi stared wide-eyed at Lin Chen in disbelief. Although she didn't know much about beatboxing, she could tell that Lin Chen's skill level was definitely not low.
Her previously anxious heart finally calmed down a little at this moment, and she began to focus on the dynamic melody coming from Lin Chen's mouth.
"This kid is a real prodigy! He can do everything!" Yang Meixi couldn't help but smile, her appreciation for Lin Chen growing even stronger.
As the song ended, enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted from the audience. Some girls screamed for Lin Chen, but most cheered for Yang Meixi. After all, in this kind of setting, the boys tend to be bolder and more enthusiastic.
When Lin Chen returned to the audience, he immediately noticed Wang Xiaobo's gloomy expression. Lin Chen playfully mouthed a beatboxing sound, as if taunting Wang Xiaobo. Wang Xiaobo naturally understood Lin Chen's meaning, and his face darkened even more.
"Can you cover your mouth while you beatbox? Your saliva is spraying all over my face." Yang Meixi thought for a long time before finally finding something to criticize.
"Really? Did it get into your mouth? Does that mean we indirectly kissed?" Lin Chen laughed and leaned closer to Yang Meixi, teasing her on purpose.
"Really? Then we'll have to go back and forth! Hurry up and open your mouth!" Yang Meixi wasn't going to back down either, and pretended to spit at Lin Chen. Seeing this, Lin Chen actually opened his mouth, as if waiting for something. This scene was witnessed by Jin Songzhu, who froze on the spot once again.
"Lin Chen... why is he doing this with Yang Meixi too? What is Yang Meixi's orientation anyway..." Jin Songzhu was filled with doubt and confusion.
At that moment, on the podium, Lin Ruoyan gently nudged the dazed old principal beside her. This old principal was the one Lin Chen and Yang Meixi had previously teased about.
Before the old principal could even speak, Jiang Jiahan interjected, "It's more than just good! You people who don't know how to appreciate art have no idea that his skill level represents the world's master level! Oh my, how come I didn't know my boss had such amazing oral skills? I must find a chance to practice with him sometime! Hahaha!"
Lin Ruoyan frowned in displeasure upon hearing Jiang Jiahan's words: "What are you thinking? How are you going to practice? Go back and get a cucumber and practice by yourself!"
Upon hearing this, the old principal's expression became even more serious: "What are you talking about? That student was just spitting out saliva, what kind of person is that! How can someone like that be on stage?!" His voice was full of incomprehension and doubt.
However, everyone present knew that Lin Chen's talent and strength were not to be underestimated, and his performance undoubtedly added many highlights and surprises to the show.
...
Yang Meixi gently wiped her mouth, then picked up her water glass and took a big gulp, as if trying to swallow all the frustration in her heart. "I owe you a favor this time." Her words carried a hint of resentment; she had originally wanted to see Lin Chen make a fool of himself, but instead, she had become the one who humiliated herself.
However, Yang Meixi couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. The fact that Lin Chen was willing to play that game with her at least showed that she still possessed a certain charm, appealing to both men and women—something not everyone could do. Thinking of this, a smug smile crept onto her lips.
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