At this moment, several people who were busy preparing for the upcoming show were also involuntarily attracted by the commotion and cast curious glances their way. Some even directly called for Lin Chen to come on stage, which made him flustered again, fidgeting with the hem of his clothes helplessly.
"You absolutely have to tell me the result after the show is over!" Before leaving, he didn't forget to give his best friend a lot of instructions, afraid that he might miss any exciting moments.
Shortly after he left, Lin Chen had already tuned the guitar, but he didn't rush to show it off. He simply glanced around, and the confidence and composure in his eyes made everyone look forward to it.
He gently placed the guitar in his hands, a seemingly casual movement that revealed an indescribable level of skill and expertise. This small gesture was enough to prove that Lin Chen and the guitar were not strangers, but rather had a deep connection.
Yang Meixi's gaze was fixed on Lin Chen. Her previous smugness had faded, replaced by an undisguised anticipation. She watched Lin Chen intently, as if trying to capture the soul of the music in his every movement.
However, Yang Meixi's appearance caused those who admired her to cast unfriendly glances at Lin Chen. Wang Xiaobo's reaction was particularly noticeable; his eyes gradually turned cold, and a disdainful sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.
"Arrogant guy, let's see what tricks you can pull!" Wang Xiaobo muttered under his breath, but Lin Chen seemed not to hear him at all and still didn't even glance at him.
As Lin Chen's fingers lightly plucked the strings, the guitar produced a melodious and captivating tune. In his hands, the acoustic guitar seemed to come alive, roaring wildly and expressing its owner's freedom, unrestrained spirit, and unconventionality.
"I'd rather die than love! Only after loving do I realize... all those vows of eternal love are meaningless!!!" Lin Chen's singing, accompanied by the guitar melody, swept through the entire venue like a whirlwind, instantly igniting everyone's passion.
He was so engrossed in his music that two of the guitar strings broke under the intense melody. However, this did not affect Lin Chen's performance; he remained immersed in his musical world, expressing his inner emotions through his singing.
As the last note faded, a brief silence fell over the entire hall. The crowd seemed still immersed in the stirring melody, unable to pull themselves away. Then, the first person clapped, followed by scattered applause from all around, which eventually coalesced into a thunderous roar of applause.
Lin Chen's rendition of "I'd Rather Die Than Love" completely captivated everyone present, even Yang Meixi was stunned. She had originally intended to use this opportunity to humiliate Lin Chen, but unexpectedly, he turned the tables on her. She looked at Lin Chen, her eyes flashing with complex emotions.
Wang Xiaobo was furious, his teeth itching with rage. Seeing the cheers around him for Lin Chen, his resentment erupted like a volcano. He glared at Lin Chen, his eyes filled with hostility.
Yang Meixi sensed Wang Xiaobo's emotional fluctuations and knew that he now harbored resentment towards Lin Chen. So, she mentally urged him on, "Go! Go! Wang Xiaobo, beat him up!"
However, Lin Chen remained remarkably calm in the face of Yang Meixi's encouragement. He smiled slightly and asked directly, "Is this level acceptable?"
Yang Meixi wore an awkward yet polite smile, a smile that carried a hint of something unfathomable. "Very good, of course! Oh my, I really didn't expect our handsome Lin Chen to be so amazing! I really admire you!" Her words were full of teasing and sarcasm, yet also a form of provocation.
Sure enough, Wang Xiaobo couldn't take it anymore. He gritted his teeth and decided to retaliate against Lin Chen. So, he also sang "I'd Rather Die Than Love You"!
"Dead... I don't even love... Ugh... What's wrong with me... and then I just turn around and I'm gone—!!!"
However, perhaps due to excessive nervousness or resentment, his voice cracked, and he sang in a shrill, wailing manner. In the end, the crowd covered his ears and shoved him off the stage.
In the noisy backstage area, Yang Meixi frowned, her gaze filled with displeasure as she glanced at Wang Xiaobo, who was sprawled on the ground, looking utterly disheveled. Compared to Lin Chen, this guy was practically a complete weakling! They weren't even in the same league. Yang Meixi muttered to herself, her eyes revealing her deep resentment towards Lin Chen.
At this moment, Lin Chen was intently repairing the wooden guitar in his hands, as if the whole world was irrelevant to him. After finishing, he slowly stood up, a playful smile playing on his lips, and walked straight towards Yang Meixi. He deliberately leaned close to her ear and whispered, "My dear Meixi, it's time to get ready, we should 'go to bed'!"
Upon hearing this, Yang Meixi's face instantly turned bright red, and the boys around her who had a crush on her all glared angrily. Seeing this, Lin Chen quickly waved his hand, smiling broadly, "Haha, don't misunderstand, I meant 'go on stage,' a slip of the tongue, please don't mind!"
Yang Meixi glared at him and said, pretending to be angry, "Don't be so smug! Let's practice one more time, and then we'll go on stage right away." Lin Chen simply nodded, then lightly plucked the strings, and a melodious tune flowed through the air.
Although Yang Meixi is quite accomplished in dance, her singing is only considered above average, and she is clearly not as good as Jiang Jiahan and Liu Tiantian. However, for most of the audience, Yang Meixi's outstanding appearance and decent voice were enough to catch their eye, especially in such a small school singing competition.
Just as the match was about to begin, Lin Chen suddenly stood up and said, "I'm going to the restroom, I'll be right back."
Upon hearing this, Yang Meixi frowned even more: "Go to the toilet? Are you kidding me? There are only five minutes left, can't you hold it in?"
Lin Chen shrugged helplessly: "I really can't stand it anymore, why don't you come with me?"
"You lazy bum, always trying to do the dirty work!" Yang Meixi cursed angrily, but then added, "You think I wouldn't dare go with you?"
"If you really dare, then come on," Lin Chen replied with a smile, turning and walking towards the restroom.
The restrooms weren't far from the backstage area, but Lin Chen's steps were unusually hurried because the competition was about to begin. However, right at the restroom entrance, he unexpectedly ran into Wang Xiaobo. Wang Xiaobo looked quite disheveled, with faint traces of water on his forehead and cheeks, and a gloomy aura in his eyes. Clearly, he was in an extremely bad mood.
In the previous competition, Wang Xiaobo was completely overwhelmed by Lin Chen's rendition of "I'd Rather Die Than Love You," and was subsequently booed off the stage by the audience. For him, this was undoubtedly the darkest day of his life. Now, seeing Lin Chen, his eyes seemed to spit fire, clearly blaming all his dissatisfaction and resentment on Lin Chen.
Seeing Lin Chen head towards the restroom, Wang Xiaobo deliberately blocked the doorway, staring directly at Lin Chen, and said provocatively, "Want to get through? Not so easy."
Lin Chen sighed helplessly: "Get out of the way, I don't have time to play with you."
"What if I just refuse?" Wang Xiaobo's face showed a disdainful expression, and he slowly raised one hand, as if he wanted to teach Lin Chen a lesson.
However, his hand froze halfway up. Lin Chen's face showed a hint of impatience as he coldly said, "Interesting. Looks like you've been listening to 'Courage' quite a bit lately. But it seems you're using your courage in the wrong place."
After saying that, Lin Chen gave Wang Xiaobo a gentle push, and Wang Xiaobo staggered backward like a leaf blown by a strong wind, almost falling to the ground. His eyes widened, and he stared at Lin Chen in disbelief, seemingly unable to believe that his strength could be so easily suppressed by the other party.
Wang Xiaobo was secretly annoyed, realizing that his embarrassing situation was entirely due to his underestimation of Lin Chen and his failure to anticipate such a move. He gritted his teeth and turned around, wanting to take revenge on Lin Chen, but Lin Chen had already entered the restroom and disappeared from his sight.
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