This humble Taoist priest wants to take the college entrance exam.

Chapter 256 Such Rehearsals (First Update)
The two days of the monthly exam passed quickly. The continuous rainy weather finally cleared up after the English exam on the afternoon of the second day.

Overall, this monthly exam was slightly easier than the midterm exam, which is consistent with the school's usual practice. The difficulty will definitely increase again in the next final exam.

There's not much to say about Chen Shi'an; he consistently performed well.

As for Chinese, I'd guess it'll still be over 140 points;

The math score should be full marks, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
At most, I can lose one or two points in English; that's the limit.
Chen Shi'an figured he'd do much better on the combined science exam than last time, and he estimated he could get a perfect score again...

Ha ha.

She wondered how well the class monitor had done on the exam. She figured that until she switched to the humanities exam room, she would be watching his back as she took the exam.

The day I finished the exam was Friday.

The first-year high school students were thrilled, as they were given a two-day holiday as soon as the exams were over. Chen Shi'an had just come out of the exam hall when he saw many younger students rushing towards the school gate with large bags and small packages on their backs, taking advantage of the clear evening weather.

"Taoist priest, once you've set up the tables and chairs, let's go to the activity room to rehearse together!"

As soon as he met Wen Zhixia, the girl invited him to duo queue.

"Which one are we rehearsing? A song we'll sing together, or a skit?"

"Let's rehearse the song we sing together first. As for the skit, we'll rehearse it together next week when everyone is here."

"sure."

The programs that were previously registered for the school anniversary performance have already been submitted, but registering does not guarantee a performance, as it is a relatively important occasion. Next week, the school will organize a preliminary selection, which means that participants will perform a short segment on stage for the instructors to see. Only those who pass the preliminary selection will be included in the program list.

The three of them had been busy preparing for the monthly exams and hadn't had a chance to rehearse. Now that the exams were over, they were finally able to find some time to practice.

"Class monitor, when are we going to rehearse our performance?" Chen Shi'an asked Lin Mengqiu, who was standing next to him.

“...Today,” Lin Mengqiu said.

Wen Zhixia: "?"

Before Chen Shi'an could reply, Wen Zhixia said unhappily, "Sorry, I've already arranged to rehearse with a Taoist priest!"

Lin Mengqiu raised an eyebrow and said, "You practice yours, I'll practice mine, is there any conflict?"

"Then, Taoist priest, who do you want to practice with?"

"..."

Chen Shi'an was immediately at a loss, regretting that he had asked that question.

If they were rehearsing a skit together today, that would be fine, as the three of them could practice together. But the two girls insist on practicing their own programs separately. Does he expect him to split up and practice with them in two?

"How about this, there shouldn't be too many parts that I need to practice, so let's rehearse together. I'll practice with Xiaozhi first, and then I'll practice with you, class monitor, okay?"

"Not very good!" *2
"...Even if it's not great, it has to be like this. It's settled then."

"Hmph." *2
After making the appointment, the three of them returned to their respective classrooms, rearranged their desks and chairs, and then went together to the activity room.

During this period, the school's activity rooms were open to students who had signed up for the program to use for rehearsals. The three of them watched other students rehearse through the window, and then chose a music room where there was no one else.

It was just past five in the afternoon, when the sun was at its most brilliant. The afterglow of the setting sun slanted in through the window, casting long shadows on the floor. Tiny dust particles floated in the air. Several old musical instruments were placed in the music room, and an ordinary-looking electronic piano leaned against the wall.

This kind of music activity room is usually only used by students with special musical talents when they have classes. Not to mention Chen Shi'an, even Wen Zhixia and Lin Mengqiu were here for the first time. After all, they didn't even have music classes after entering high school...

"Alright, Taoist priest, let's begin!"

The activity room had sound equipment, but Wen Zhixia didn't use it. She just randomly picked up two drumsticks and handed one of them to Chen Shi'an.

Chen Shi'an chuckled and said, "Little Zhi, why are you giving me the drumsticks? Are we going to play drums?"

"No, don't be silly, you're using this to simulate a microphone."

As Wen Zhixia spoke, she took out her phone and a bunch of wired earphones. The earphone wires were tangled up in a mess, and it took her a long time to untangle them.

"Why does it always get knotted..."

"Let me do it."

Chen Shi'an took the tangled headphone cord from her and deftly tidied it up, asking curiously, "Don't you usually use wireless headphones?"

"Yes, but the sound quality of these wired headphones is better for recording music."

"Recording a song?"

"Uh-huh!"

Wen Zhixia turned her phone screen to show him. It was a karaoke app, and she had already found an instrumental version of "You Were Once a Teenager" for a duet.

"This is it—Taoist priest, let's sing together, and there will even be a score!"

"I see. Does Xiaozhi often use this software? Looking at this interface... it seems like Sister Wanyin uses it too."

Chen Shi'an looked at the familiar interface and remembered that Li Wanyin had shared singing videos on Douyin before, and it was in this software that she sang.

"Lots of people play it! You can also add friends and open a karaoke room together. Taoist, you should download it too, add me, add me."

"it is good."

Chen Shi'an took out his phone, downloaded the app, added Wen Zhixia as a karaoke friend, and clicked into her profile page. The girl had posted quite a few songs.

Chen Shi'an listened to a few songs with great interest. He had the speakers on, and the girl's sweet and gentle voice rang out in the quiet music room.

Wen Zhixia was so embarrassed that she quickly came over and stopped the playback on his phone.

"What? The cicada sings very well."

"No, no one is playing music out loud. You need to wear headphones! You're not allowed to listen to that anymore. Let's practice singing now."

"Okay, okay, I'll listen to it when I get back."

"XXX!"

Sitting on the piano bench, quietly flipping through the sheet music, Lin Mengqiu silently turned around and stared at the two of them.

Are you two here to rehearse?
She wasn't in a hurry to practice; she just looked at the sheet music and pressed the keys on the electronic piano to familiarize herself with the fingering that had become a little rusty.

She hadn't even plugged in the piano yet. It wasn't that she was afraid of disturbing Fanren Chan and Chen Shi'an's singing practice; she just didn't want Fanren Chan to hear her accidentally playing the wrong key. She wanted to practice in the air first...

Wen Zhixia pulled Chen Shi'an to the center of the activity room, put one of the earphones into his ear, and the two of them each held a drumstick.

"Taoist priest, have you listened to this song or practiced it yourself recently?"

"Yeah, there is."

"You can sing the whole song?"

"Will do."

"Okay! Then you just watch the screen. You sing the parts that come out in red, I sing the parts that come out in blue, and we sing the parts that come out in orange!"

"can."

"Are you ready—"

"Ah."

Wen Zhixia pressed play, and the accompaniment music started playing in their headphones.

As the music played, the girl's delicate body swayed gently and rhythmically.

She turned to look at Chen Shi'an, who smiled back at her, nodding his head rhythmically in response to her gentle swaying.

At one point, Chen Shi'an slightly raised his hand, and Wen Zhixia began to sing along with the melody:

Sometimes, you miss the old days.
[But when you left, you didn't say a word.]
Wen Zhixia sang her first verse very smoothly, and she felt that she was in better shape than ever before!

Perhaps it was because Chen Shi'an was looking into her eyes the whole time that the girl felt particularly drawn into his gaze.

After Wen Zhixia finished singing, Chen Shi'an picked up the tune and joined in:

[Looking in the mirror... it's like seeing the end of life...]
[Perhaps in a few years, you'll also have a hypocritical face.]
As soon as he spoke, Wen Zhixia subconsciously held her breath.

Even Lin Mengqiu, who hadn't turned around when the annoying cicada was singing, couldn't help but turn around now.

Chen Shi'an's voice possessed a deep, magnetic quality unique to youth, like a cello string gently plucked after being soaked in warm water. Every transition was handled delicately and naturally, and the slight upward rise at the end of each note added a touch of youthful clarity. The two continued to take turns singing, and as the lyrics on the screen changed from blue to orange, Chen Shi'an gently raised his wrist, perfectly echoing Wen Zhixia's raised arm. Their voices blended seamlessly together.
[Many years ago~]
You have a pair of clear, bright eyes~
[Run!]
[Like a flash of lightning in spring~]
Chen Shi'an's breath control was astonishingly steady. When Wen Zhixia sang in the slightly higher register, he would lower his voice slightly to support her tone; when she couldn't keep up with the rhythm, his voice would wrap around her and help her find the beat again.

Without any eye contact or verbal prompts, it was as if their breaths were bound together by the same melody.

Believe that love lasts forever.
Trust every stranger
[When I first met the world]
[When I Was a Teenager]
In the final chorus, Chen Shi'an deliberately slowed down by half a beat, waiting for Wen Zhixia's voice to start before adding his own fuller tone.

As the last notes faded into the air of the activity room, the accompaniment still echoed softly. The two men stood facing each other, their hands still gripping the drumsticks, the headphone wires forming a thin arc between them.

Lin Mengqiu: "..."

For some reason, the class monitor suddenly felt somewhat superfluous in being there...

What the hell!
Why do you two sing so well?!
Are you going to debut?!
Did you secretly rehearse the chorus many, many times before?!

Are you showing off to me on purpose today?!

After a while, Wen Zhixia, who was immersed in the chorus, finally came back to her senses, her big eyes shining as if they were about to light up.

The girl blushed and exclaimed excitedly, "Taoist priest—! You sang so well!!"

"The little cicada sang quite well too."

"You sing so well! You're so good at it!"

Wen Zhixia didn't know how to describe the feeling of singing with him. She felt like she was being led by him the whole time. Although it was their first time rehearsing together, Chen Shi'an and she had a level of understanding that exceeded her expectations.

It would be one thing if he were just a good singer, but the key is that he is really good at cooperating, and his reaction speed and musicality are amazing. Several times when she was off-key, he still smoothly carried her along.

This was the first time in her life that Wen Zhixia had ever felt so good from singing in a chorus!
That was really enjoyable to sing...

Ugh, I should have chosen a more difficult song. With a Taoist priest leading the way, how could I not reach the high notes?
The phone recording is finished, and a fantastic score pops up:
[SSS!]
"Wow! Taoist priest! Our duet is almost always over 90 points!"

Wen Zhixia happily turned her phone screen back to him to show him.

"Want me to play it?"

Chen Shian was quite curious about what the duet would sound like after it was recorded.

Wen Zhixia, who had just said not to play her phone on speakerphone, unplugged her earphones and played the song they had just sung together, which received a [SSS] rating, on speakerphone right in front of Lin Mengqiu.

"How about that! Taoist priest, aren't we incredibly in sync?!"

"Hmm, not bad, it feels alright."

"So, should I release this song?"

"sure."

"I also want to share it on my WeChat Moments—"

“×××××!”

The two were listening to a recording and chatting when the electronic piano, which had been quiet for a long time, suddenly made a 'thump-thump' sound, as if it were dissatisfied.

Lin Mengqiu plugged in the electronic piano, finally turned around, and interrupted Chen Shi'an and Wen Zhixia's conversation:

"Have you guys finished practicing? If you're done, it's my turn."

Before Chen Shi'an could speak, Wen Zhixia said, "It's not that fast. I've only practiced with the Taoist priest once. If you're in such a hurry, you should play the zither by yourself first. I'll practice with the Taoist priest a couple more times."

"You sing so well, why do you still need to practice?"

amount……

After the Ice Cube Spirit uttered those words, Wen Zhixia suddenly didn't know how to refute her.

You have good taste!
I'd like to see how well you play the piano.

"Little Zhi, you take a break first. I'll rehearse with the class monitor."

Chen Shi'an took a sip of water to moisten his throat, picked up the drumstick he had just used as a microphone, and went to Lin Mengqiu's side again.

He was originally standing, but after thinking about it, he simply pulled over a chair and sat down next to the girl's piano.

Lin Mengqiu spoke first: "Have you been practicing singing these past few days...?"

"Don't worry, squad leader, they've gone to practice."

"Would you like a lyric booklet?"

"It's okay, no need. Squad leader, you start the rhythm first, I'll follow your pace."

"...Shall I begin?"

"Hmm, I can hear the class monitor playing the piano again."

"~~~"

Lin Mengqiu blinked, her pretty face slightly flushed, recalling the stinky Taoist priest's effusive praise for her when she played the piano last time.

Although she hasn't been able to play the piano these past few days because she's been taking lessons, she already has a foundation in the craft. She hasn't been idle either; she's reviewed the sheet music several times in her spare time, so she shouldn't be able to play the wrong notes now.

"Wait a minute."

Lin Mengqiu remembered something, took her phone out of her pocket, and started recording a video. Instead of letting Wen Zhixia film her, she found a spot and set up her phone so that it could capture her and Chen Shi'an's rehearsal.

"Is the class monitor openly taking photos secretly?"

"……roll."

Lin Mengqiu was too lazy to explain. She just wanted to record the rehearsal video so she could watch it later and fill in any gaps in her knowledge.

After setting up her phone to record, Lin Mengqiu returned to the piano bench.

Wen Zhixia had never seen Lin Mengqiu play the piano before, but seeing her sitting so elegantly at the piano, she really did seem quite skilled...

Who would have thought that this ice cube spirit is also a piano virtuoso?
Ordinary people always have a certain bias towards people who can play the piano, and Wen Zhixia is no exception. In addition, Lin Mengqiu's temperament is naturally quiet, and when she sits on the piano bench, her whole demeanor becomes more sophisticated.

Lin Mengqiu took a deep breath and began her performance.

When the notes first leaped from the piano, they had a slightly stiff, sluggish feel, like gears that hadn't been oiled in a long time suddenly turning... but it was also like accidentally turning the pages of an old diary.

Wen Zhixia was stunned for a moment. She didn't know if the Ice Cube Spirit had played the wrong note, but it sounded alright...

Seeing that Chen Shi'an did not speak, Lin Mengqiu gritted her teeth and focused on continuing to play.

Soon, as a long, drawn-out note was about to end, Chen Shi'an's voice softly took over. He sat naturally beside the piano, watching the girl playing, looking into her eyes as he sang:

Will you remember me tomorrow?
[Your diary entry from yesterday~]
Will you still be thinking about tomorrow?
[You used to cry the most~]
The boy's voice lost the tension of the chorus, becoming gentle and clear, like the breeze of an early autumn morning brushing against the pages of a book.

Lin Mengqiu's heart calmed down for no reason, and her subsequent performance was much smoother. Her accompaniment was not fancy, and she even hesitated a bit when changing keys. Her fingertips would occasionally linger on the keys for half a second longer, but every accent was precisely placed in the gaps between Chen Shi'an's lyrics, like laying a soft cotton pad on the singing.

No... to be precise, it was Chen Shi'an's perfect melody and singing voice that precisely matched the notes she played.

His singing didn't sound like an echo, but rather a natural extension of the piano melody, perfectly compensating for the imperfections in the girl's performance. Instead, it highlighted these 'imperfections', making them feel full of youthful awkwardness. It gave the impression that he was really just singing a song with a story for this 'desk classmate who had only recently started learning the piano'.

You always say graduation is a long way off.
[In the blink of an eye, we went our separate ways]
The girl's piano music seemed to come alive, rising and falling slightly with the emotions in his singing, sometimes lifted by his trailing notes, and sometimes flowing with delicate supplements in the gaps.

Lin Mengqiu played with great passion, but when Chen Shi'an sang the line, "[I will also have my wife~ I will show her photos~ I will tell her about you, my deskmate~]", a huge wave of jealousy surged from her heart to her nose, causing her nose to inexplicably sting...

Then an image flashed into my mind—Chen Shi'an holding a well-behaved doll by the hand, and cradling an adorable baby in his arms, while Fanren Chan, rubbing her swollen belly, nestled affectionately beside him, smiling as she looked at her in the photo…

Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey!

That's not true at all!

For those who have lost their youth, singing this song is about reminiscing and remembering; for those who are still young, singing this song should be about cherishing and holding on!

Wen Zhixia had no idea what kind of blissful treatment she had received in the Ice Cube Spirit's mind; she only felt that the Ice Cube Spirit and the Stinky Taoist were playing a wonderfully beautiful piece...

The two of them, who were sitting at the same desk, played this song that was exclusively for their deskmate. Their tacit understanding and cooperation actually made them look quite like a couple!
The setting sun cast long shadows of them. Chen Shi'an sat beside the piano, and Lin Mengqiu sat behind it. Their shadows gently overlapped on the floor, much like musical notes nestled together on a musical score.

The girl, who had been playing with the rating screen, quieted down, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at the two of them, her cheeks puffing out more and more as she looked...

Ahhhhh!

Can you please turn these lyrics into reality already?!
(End of this chapter)