Picking Up Fragments

The competition started quickly.

One after another, students went up to showcase their talents, singing love songs, beautiful melodies, and playing various instruments.

Zhang Wei also stepped up and affectionately sang a love song. What annoyed Jiang Siming the most was that he was singing his own song, "Trotting Horse." Though it was far from his level, it was being compared to him. Compared to other students at the academy, he was still quite good.

Finally, it was Jiang Lan's turn. To Jiang Siming's surprise, this stylish and graceful girl's talent was playing the Chinese zither. She played exceptionally well, earning unanimous applause from classmates and teachers.

After all the students performed, the teachers were preparing to select the top three. However, Zhang Wei stood up, eyes fixed on Jiang Siming, and said with a smile, "We still have one person who hasn't performed. Friend, please?"

Jiang Siming remained unmoved, even looking at him mockingly with one leg crossed over the other. He understood now—Zhang Wei was setting him up.

"He's my boyfriend, not a music student," Jiang Lan stood up in his defense.

Zhang Wei smiled awkwardly and said reasonably, "Exactly because he's your boyfriend, he's also considered half a member of the music academy. Since he's here, we should go with the flow. We aren't pressuring him, it's all for fun, right? No matter how he sings, it doesn't matter, does it, everyone?"

"Yes, he dared to win our school's beauty. Shouldn't he have the courage to sing on stage?"

"Zhang is right, we're all here to have fun, let's not make it complicated."

"Just a song, nothing more. The teachers are watching, don't worry."

Many students echoed and supported Zhang Wei's words, partly because of their good relationship with him and partly due to some boys' jealousy toward Jiang Siming for getting the most beautiful girl. They didn't mind throwing stones at him while he was down.

Jiang Lan was momentarily speechless, unsure of what to say.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Siming stepped out from behind her, striding toward the center of the beach.

Originally not planning to join the fight, but being swarmed made it impossible not to engage.

He had to face it; if he didn't act, they would see him as afraid.

Among various instruments, he picked up a guitar, quickly tuned it, and stood by the microphone.

"This guy can play the guitar too?" Zhang Wei raised an eyebrow, feeling something indescribable.

Only a few of them had seen Jiang Siming perform before, but now he was standing in the middle of the entire crowd.

The entire grade of students had their eyes fixed on Jiang Siming.

This time, the girls really went all out, collectively screaming, blushing, and heartbeats racing. They even spontaneously cheered for Jiang Siming, becoming an impromptu support group.

"Let this guy be arrogant for a while. Once he starts singing, there'll be moments when he'll be laughed at!" Zhang Wei thought to himself.

He didn't really believe Jiang Siming would sing well, even if it might sound good to ordinary people. But to them, students and teachers from the music academy, it might not sound that way at all.

It was like showing off in front of Guan Yu, or wielding a weapon in front of Lu Bu.

At that time, it'd be easy to mock him and make Jiang Siming embarrassed!

Even if it wouldn't cause any substantial harm, being mocked and humiliated by so many people would be a big blow.

Suddenly,

The sound of the guitar echoed on the silent beach.

Unlike the previous guitar players who showcased their skills with high-difficulty guitar scores, making loud noises and bustling about, Jiang Siming's playing was different.

His guitar played like a small boat silently passing through the night, only the sound of paddles and clear water.

Many music students tried to recall this score, but couldn't find it; it seemed unfamiliar, as if they'd never heard it before.

"There's a village in the north Where lives a girl from the south She always wears a flowery skirt Standing by the roadside ...."

Jiang Siming's voice suddenly sang, a simple folk style invading everyone's ears in the room.

His deep and deliberately hoarse singing made people think this young man in front of them had experienced many storms.

From his singing, one couldn't help but want to explore his story.

"In the southern town The rainy winter isn't as cold as the north She doesn't need bulky winter clothes To cover her watery face ..."

The atmosphere was particularly quiet, only Jiang Siming's singing and the background music of the waves hitting the beach.

The three teachers were racking their brains, seemingly trying hard to recall where this song came from.

"Have you heard this song?"

"No, could it be his original composition?"

"If so, he's truly talented, excellent singing skills. Could he be from the music academy in Kyoto?"

The three teachers whispered to each other, but after a while of discussing, they couldn't figure it out. So, they continued listening to Jiang Siming's performance.

"Southern girl Have you grown accustomed to the autumn chill of the north? Southern girl Do you like the straightforwardness of northern people? ..."

As the chorus began, all the students on the beach couldn't help but fall in love with this song.

Most of the students from the music academy actually didn't like popular songs; they preferred niche folk songs.

Jiang Lan stood opposite, quietly listening to the song like everyone else. However, as she looked at the man in front of her, her eyes revealed a kind of admiration typical of a young girl, clearly visible without words.

Until the end of the song, while everyone was still savoring it, Jiang Siming had already put down the guitar and returned to Jiang Lan's side.

"Young man, which music academy did you graduate from? What year were you in?" A teacher hurried over, asking kindly.

"I didn't attend any music academy; just sang for fun," Jiang Siming took out a cigarette, lit it, and nonchalantly smoked in front of the teacher.

The look with squinted eyes while holding the cigarette fascinated a large group of female students. Some people, even if they looked handsome, didn't have a good-looking way of smoking. Smoking seemed to be an innate talent that required a particular skill.

You needed to establish a master-prop relationship with the cigarette. The cigarette was a prop that adorned your temperament, not a silly action of just smoking away like a chain smoker.

The difference between the two was like heaven and earth.

For details, you could refer to the looks and temperament of Leslie Cheung and Takeshi Kaneshiro when smoking. Jiang Siming didn't lose to them in any way.

The teacher didn't mind at all; instead, he laughed with surprise.

"Young man, your musical talent is very strong. The song you just sang was a folk song, right? Did you write it yourself?"

"Just wrote it randomly," Jiang Siming replied half-heartedly.

"Do you have any interest in joining our music academy? I can assure you, with your musical talent and my help in finding a music company to package you, you can become a somewhat famous folk singer in the next few years."

"No interest, gotta go." Jiang Siming took Jiang Lan's hand, turned around, and left.

"Hey young man, you are the first place; there's a gift for you!"

"I don't care about those things."

Having said that, Jiang Siming had already taken Jiang Lan into the car. As the engine roared, the car disappeared from everyone's sight.

"What a pity, what a pity for such a good talent."

The teacher was still lamenting...