We agreed not to date, so why are you crying now that I've become the richest man?

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the glass windows of the lecture hall onto the desks. Just as the bell rang to signal the end of morning self-study, a slight noise came from the front row of seats.

Tang Wan, the class monitor with shoulder-length short hair, turned around and gently placed an A4 registration form, still smelling of ink, on Ye Chen's desk.

Tang Wan looked at Ye Chen, her clear eyes filled with a serious expression.

"Ye Chen, the school is holding a campus singing competition next month to welcome new students. Here's the registration form. Do you want to give it a try?"

Sun Haoyu, who was sitting next to him, immediately leaned over, glanced at the forms on the table, and couldn't help but exclaim, "Campus Singer Competition?"

"Secretary Tang, aren't you putting Old Ye in a difficult position? We've known each other for so long, and I've never even heard him hum a song before. What if he goes on stage and sings a song that drives all the judges away?"

Upon hearing this, several classmates nearby chuckled softly.

Tang Wan rolled her eyes at Sun Haoyu: "Just because you haven't heard of it doesn't mean Ye Chen can't sing it. Anyway, it's just a sign-up to try it out. Even if we don't win a prize, it's still a contribution to the class activity."

Despite his roommate's teasing and Tang Wan's expectant gaze, Ye Chen leaned back in his chair, seemingly uninterested.

Moreover, singing is just a pastime for him, and there's really no need for him to compete for any rankings in front of a group of students.

Thinking of this, Ye Chen waved his hand casually and declined with a smile, "Forget it, Secretary Tang, I'm usually quite busy. Let's leave this opportunity to show off to the other students in the class."

Upon hearing this, Tang Wan frowned with some regret. Just as she was about to offer a few more words of advice, a sarcastic voice suddenly interrupted from the aisle next to her.

"Oh, I thought our class's genius Ye could do everything, but it turns out he has a weakness he's afraid to show."

Everyone turned to look and saw Zhao Qiang, the former class monitor who had just walked in through the back door of the classroom, standing by the aisle with his arms crossed and a mocking sneer on his lips.

Since being dismissed from his post and given a major demerit for falsifying student grants, Zhao Qiang has become a pariah in his class.

During this time, he blamed all the humiliation he had suffered on Ye Chen, and he was always looking for an opportunity to get revenge.

Zhao Qiang knew perfectly well that if he were to go head-to-head with Ye Chen in the field of computer science, he would have absolutely no chance of winning.

The technical skills Ye Chen casually displayed in Professor Zhou's class last time far exceeded the level of ordinary freshmen. Even Professor Zhou praised him highly. No matter how unconvinced Zhao Qiang was, he had to admit that there was a huge gap between the two.

Since we can't compete in terms of professional skills, we have no choice but to switch to a different track.

Coincidentally, the college is about to hold a campus singing competition to welcome new students.

Zhao Qiang has loved singing since he was a child, and he participated in many arts performances in high school. He believes that he has a pretty good voice.

In his opinion, Ye Chen, a bookworm who only knows how to tinker with computers all day, no matter how good his skills are, will only embarrass himself on stage.

As long as he can defeat Ye Chen honorably in front of the entire school, he can still vent his anger and regain the face he lost.

Therefore, he paid special attention to Tang Wan distributing registration forms today, hoping to find an opportunity to use reverse psychology to force Ye Chen onto the field.

Zhao Qiang glanced at Ye Chen sideways and deliberately raised his voice.

"What's wrong? You were so capable in front of Professor Zhou, but now that it's your turn to showcase your talents, you're making excuses?"

"That's true. Singing isn't like typing on a keyboard, where you can just spout a few lines of code that no one can understand and impress people. Campus singing competitions involve live performances and public scoring. Whether someone has real talent or not, everyone can tell just by listening to their voice."

"If you're tone-deaf and sing like a banshee on stage, that's really embarrassing."

Upon hearing this, Sun Haoyu, who was standing next to him, immediately became furious, slammed his hand on the desk, and stood up abruptly.

"Zhao Qiang, did you eat shit?"

"You got dismissed for doing something immoral, so who are you going to provoke here? What business is it of yours whether Old Ye participates or not? Do you really think that just because you've studied singing for a few days, you can pretend to be a professional singer here?"

Several boys around him frowned and pointed at Zhao Qiang.

Faced with Sun Haoyu's angry outburst, Zhao Qiang not only did not back down, but instead took a step forward, staring straight at Ye Chen, who remained seated without moving.

"Sun Haoyu, why are you in such a hurry? Aren't I telling the truth?"

"If Ye Chen were truly capable, why wouldn't he even dare to sign an application form? Or is he just hiding behind you, letting you shout for him?"

Sun Haoyu was so angry that he rolled up his sleeves and was about to rush out of the corridor when a warm and strong hand reached out and pressed down on his shoulder.

"sit down."

Ye Chen said it casually.

Sun Haoyu paused, then turned to Ye Chen: "Old Ye, this bastard is clearly just looking for trouble. Don't stop me, I'm going to..."

It's not worth fighting with someone like that.

Ye Chen gestured for Sun Haoyu to sit down, then looked up and gave Zhao Qiang a half-smile.

He could see, of course, that Zhao Qiang's clumsy attempt to provoke him was nothing more than a ploy to trick him into the competition and then use his expertise to regain face in public.

Ye Chen was originally too lazy to bother with this kind of childish school activity.

But since someone has willingly offered their face to him, crying and begging him to hit them, it would seem too heartless of him not to grant their request.

Moreover, although he had never formally studied singing in his previous life, he often went to karaoke with his friends and, through constant exposure, had acquired some singing skills. After his rebirth, his memory, self-control, and physical fitness were far superior to before, making it no problem for him to handle a campus singing competition at the undergraduate level.

Thinking of this, Ye Chen reached out his right hand and snatched the registration form for the campus singing competition directly from Tang Wan's hand.

He unscrewed the black pen on the table, flicked his wrist, and wrote his name in the contestant's name column.

After finishing writing, Ye Chen handed the registration form back to Tang Wan, his face still bearing a warm and composed smile.

"Since Zhao invited me so enthusiastically, it would seem a bit out of place if I didn't attend."

"Could you please report my name for me, Secretary Tang?"

Tang Wan was stunned when she saw this.

She looked down at the name "Ye Chen" on the registration form, and a bright smile quickly bloomed on her originally cool face.

"Okay, I'll hand it in to the college's Youth League Committee this afternoon."

As she said this, she looked up at Ye Chen, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"But now that you've signed up, you'd better prepare seriously. Our whole class will be there to cheer you on."

"No problem," Ye Chen replied casually.

When Zhao Qiang, who was standing in the aisle, saw that Ye Chen had actually signed his name, a surge of joy flashed across his eyes.

In his view, Ye Chen had clearly been put in a difficult position in front of everyone and had no choice but to bite the bullet and accept the challenge in order to save face.

How can someone who has never sung in class and doesn't seem to have received professional vocal training compare to the competition piece he meticulously prepared for over half a month?

He absolutely must win this match!

Zhao Qiang forcibly suppressed his excitement, pretended to straighten his collar, and looked down at Ye Chen.

"Fine, at least you have some guts."

"Let's see who's really just a stubborn fool on stage in two weeks!"

After uttering these harsh words, Zhao Qiang sneered, turned around, and strode smugly toward his seat.