That evening, Gu Tang and the others discovered that their group was not the only one with an activity. Noisy sounds could be heard from outside every training room.
Clearly, the dance mat activity had not been Chen Xing’s own idea either. The program crew had probably asked him to come up with some kind of activity, so he had simply brought the dance mat over to make up the numbers.
Lin Yueyue’s group was directly across from their training room. Xu Piaopiao secretly peeked through the gap to see what they were doing.
“Seems like they’re singing.”
“Actually, a training room makes a pretty good karaoke room,” Gu Tang agreed. “It even has an echo. The effect is second only to my bathroom.”
Xu Piaopiao was extremely decisive when it came to taking action.
“Come on, let’s go back to the training room and sing!”
They thought they had arrived early enough, but unexpectedly, they were the last two people to show up.
The moment they pushed the door open, they were greeted by a round of applause.
“Anyone who comes late has to perform!”
Chen Xing was holding a microphone, Yin Fan had a guitar in his arms, and several girls were sitting to one side.
“I don’t have any special talent to perform,” Gu Tang said as she found a place to sit.
“Gu Tang can play the hulusi![1]hulusi is a traditional Chinese free-reed wind instrument made from a natural dried gourd and bamboo pipes. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3262226_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3262226_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });” Xu Piaopiao truly was a good sister who had no qualms about selling out her friend. “She’s especially good at playing the hulusi.”
This particular skill made everyone present raise their eyebrows involuntarily.
Chen Xing coughed. “First of all, I want to make it clear that I have nothing against the hulusi. The hulusi is part of our country’s culture… but why the hulusi?”
Gu Tang answered sincerely, “Because the suona[2]suona is a traditional Chinese double-reed woodwind instrument known for its extremely loud, bright, and penetrating sound. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3262226_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3262226_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); is too difficult.”
Chen Xing’s coughing immediately became even louder.
Yin Fan plucked at the guitar strings and looked at Gu Tang.
“You can’t show off your special talent today. How about singing a song instead? What song do you like to sing?”
Gu Tang answered even more sincerely.
“Nunchucks.”
The sound of Yin Fan’s guitar stopped.
Jiujiu immediately came to her idol’s defense.
“It’s okay, Teacher Yin. Don’t take it to heart. People like her just need a good beating.”
The girl beside Gu Tang shyly raised her hand.
“Teacher, could you play a guitar version of Superpower Girl?”
Yin Fan replied, “I’ll give it a try.”
He said he would give it a try, yet in his hands, the music had already become a string of beautiful notes.
Gu Tang closed her eyes, vaguely feeling that the music was good.
She herself was only average at singing, but unfortunately, she had a very discerning ear. Even the slightest deviation was enough for her to notice.
When the song ended, Chen Xing curiously asked why Gu Tang had been sitting with her eyes closed.
“You looked very professional.”
“It’s just a habit,” Gu Tang said, shaking her head.
Xu Piaopiao thought of something amusing.
“She likes listening to other people perform. Back when we traveled to C City, she specifically went to listen to street musicians.”
“Wait!” Gu Tang immediately realized which story Xu Piaopiao was about to tell. “That one’s a little embarrassing.”
Xu Piaopiao said, “I’ll give you ten yuan.”
Gu Tang immediately agreed.
“Fine, go ahead!”
Xu Piaopiao continued the story.
“Gu Tang saw a young guy singing on the street. At first, she thought he sounded pretty good and gave him twenty yuan. But right after she gave him the money, he played a wrong note, and she decided the twenty yuan wasn’t worth it.”
Gu Tang slowly covered her face.
Jiujiu had already started laughing.
“Ah Tang really is strict.”
Xu Piaopiao continued, “The guy was wearing sunglasses, and she thought he was blind, so she put the twenty yuan into his box, then took a ten-yuan bill back out.”
Chen Xing guessed the ending halfway through the story.
“Did he think she was stealing his money?”
Xu Piaopiao made a sound of agreement.
“Mm, it wasn’t quite that disastrous. The guy just lifted his sunglasses and looked at her. She was so scared that she didn’t even get a good look at him. She threw down the money and ran for her life.”
The girl beside Gu Tang patted her on the shoulder.
“A lot of music students have sung on the streets and encountered all kinds of people. That guy probably won’t think too much about it. It’s fine.”
Gu Tang lowered the hand covering her face, still feeling a little embarrassed.
“I can only be thankful that I embarrassed myself in C City. If it had happened in this city, that guy might have recognized me.”
Chen Xing gleefully patted Yin Fan on the back.
“That’s hard to say. Yin Fan is from C City. Maybe that guy is someone he knows!”
Gu Tang’s entire body trembled. She looked at Yin Fan in horror, terrified that he might say something dreadful.
Yin Fan had remained silent throughout Xu Piaopiao’s story. Even while everyone else was laughing themselves silly, he merely lowered his eyes, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Only when Gu Tang looked at him tremblingly did he give her a reassuring smile. His voice was gentle and carried an inexplicable power to make people believe him.
“Don’t worry. He’s not someone I know.”
Gu Tang let out a sigh of relief and clutched her chest, feeling as though she had narrowly escaped disaster.
“That’s what I thought. What are the chances of such a coincidence?”
Xu Piaopiao, however, came up with a new idea.
“If this gets broadcast live, someone will definitely help you find that guy.”
Gu Tang choked on her words. She began looking around for the camera, then made a heartfelt plea to the audience watching through it.
“If the director sees this part, I hope they’ll cut it out. And if it doesn’t get cut, dear viewers, please, please don’t spread this story around!”
After laughing themselves silly, the people in the barrage had absolutely no intention of cooperating with Gu Tang. Every single one of them was as stubborn as a wolf, rubbing their hands together and swearing to find that young man.
【I’m from C City. I’m going to try finding that guy based on these clues. Anyone want to join me?】
【A young guy singing while wearing sunglasses, I think I saw someone like that on Phoenix Street a few years ago!】
【Please, everyone, you have to find that guy! I want to see Gu Tang tearfully reunite with him on the show!!! And cry as she thanks us, her kindhearted viewers!!!】
【Is the sister above an actual devil?】
【When is Gu Tang going to play the hulusi?】
【I could praise Yin Fan’s face for a hundred years! What kind of facial genius is this?! And he can play the guitar too!】
Every now and then, a few hesitant comments appeared among the flood of messages.
【Um… everyone, has nobody considered that it might actually have been Yin Fan himself?】
Yin Fan gently watched as Gu Tang pleaded anxiously with the camera. The smile in his eyes grew deeper, and the corners of his lips curved upward.
Xu Piaopiao was not particularly interested in singing. All her attention was focused on the dance mat, and after trying it a few times, she felt as though she had discovered a whole new world.
Gu Tang tried to communicate with her, only to be completely ignored.
All of Jiujiu’s attention was focused on Yin Fan.
Gu Tang sat alone for a while before finally realizing that she was the only bored one. After glancing at the few people chatting together, she left the training room.
Outside, the lights in the corridor were still dim, while music drifted out from various rooms.
After standing there for a while, she was still bored, so she wandered over to the vending machine.
The drinks in the vending machine had been restocked, and Gu Tang’s sharp eyes immediately spotted a newly released canned drink with a Pikachu design.
With such a cute drink, buying it was a win!
Gu Tang decisively took out her phone and scanned the code. She watched as the machine pushed the drink out of its slot and it fell from its original position…
Then it got stuck halfway down.
Perhaps the vending machine was packed too full. One of the drink bottles below was sticking out slightly, and the corner of the can had gotten caught against it.
Gu Tang thought about it for a while and decided that there was not enough gravity. If she bought another can, the weight of the two bottles pressing down should probably be enough to make them fall out.
That was what Gu Tang thought, and that was exactly what she did.
She scanned the code. The second drink popped out of its slot and then… landed solidly on top of the stuck can. The two cans were now firmly wedged together in a perfect human-pyramid formation, Pikachu supporting Pikachu, displaying an unyielding determination to die rather than surrender.
Gu Tang fell silent.
Somewhere beyond her sight, the barrage had already gone completely insane with laughter.
【HAHAHAHAHAHA I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN!】
【This girl’s expression is way too hilarious! Screenshotting it for a meme!】
【Gu Tang really is a treasure of a girl! Why is she so damn funny hhhhh】
【De X She, take this adorable girl! China has crosstalk too!】
Gu Tang carefully fiddled with the vending machine. She crouched down and reached her hand toward the opening, trying to retrieve the two cans.
“Did something happen?”
A voice came from behind her.
Gu Tang jolted and spun around. Her arm was still stuck in the opening, and the soft flesh of her arm hit the steel. She let out an “ow!” and was instantly brought to tears by the pain.
With her face twisted in pain, Gu Tang finally saw who was standing behind her.
Song Mo.
At the same time, she noticed the camera pointed directly at the vending machine.
Great. This had been broadcast live too.
“Y-you… what happened?” Seeing Gu Tang’s expression, which somehow looked both like she was crying and laughing, even an award-winning actor like Song Mo found it difficult to decipher what she was trying to convey.
“Nothing much.” Gu Tang’s tears kept streaming down her face. “It just hurts so much… but I’m also too funny.”
She was genuinely miserable. Her sense of humor was so low that even seeing herself suffer through bad luck made her laugh. She hated herself for being so hopeless.
“I hate this!”
Author’s Note:
Little Theater:
Song Mo saw someone crouching there and went over to help. The other person turned around in a strange position.
“…I hate this!”
Song Mo: …
Xu Piaopiao: A sheep kicks the jade rabbit, and the jade rabbit cries out in pain.
Gu Tang: …Isn’t the saying “May auspiciousness keep you safe”?
References[+]