Chapter 56: The Face of Xinyuan and Science and Technology

Chapter 56: Chapter 56: The Face of Xinyuan and Science and Technology

Chen Yuan, who was slowly starting to wake up, had no idea Fang Youning had already concocted a tragic backstory for him in her head, casting him as a man who’d been cruelly cast aside.

"Take a look at this."

Fang Youning quietly pushed her phone over to him. It showed the key points she’d jotted down.

"Things I should pay attention to?"

"Mhm. If you can’t remember them, I can take a screenshot and send it to you."

"No need. A simple song like ’Little Nezha’ is a piece of cake."

With the boost from Tongzi’s reward, he didn’t need any of this fancy stuff at all.

"Oh, okay."

Fang Youning put her phone away.

’What a blockhead!’

"I’m heading out. Bye."

"Bye."

Chen Yuan left with his books. Fang Youning stayed behind, as she had her next class in this room.

He hadn’t gotten far before he came back.

"What’s wrong?" Fang Youning asked, clutching her phone.

"I forgot to take my trash." Chen Yuan picked up the coffee bag. "Do you have any trash you need thrown out? I can take it."

"No, I’m good."

"I’m off then."

"Mhm."

Chen Yuan left. He didn’t have another class, so he planned to head back to his dorm to play games.

"Boss, since when do you know Fang Youning?"

As soon as he got back to the dorm, his three "sons" crowded around him, Sun Pengnan being the most excited.

"What’s wrong with knowing her? Don’t you know Wang Shuang from computer science? Did I say anything about that? No, I didn’t."

"Can Wang Shuang even compare to Fang Youning? Wang Shuang’s got a thicker mustache than I do."

"They say an ugly wife is a treasure at home. Third Brother, you should be content," Liu Shiyu said.

"Damn, let’s just drop it. Time for games."

They played games for over an hour, then went to lunch together.

After his two afternoon classes, he grabbed a bite to eat and got a message from Li Yingying.

Li Yingying: "5:30 PM. Meet in multimedia classroom 203 in the main building."

He glanced at his phone. It was about time, so he headed over to Main Building, Room 203.

Standing at the door, he peeked inside.

There weren’t many people, but Fang Youning was there.

Her hair was up in a bun as she stood gracefully in front of a computer. She wore a silver stud in her ear, and the line of her jaw was as sharp as the edge of fine porcelain, giving off a cool, jade-like gleam under the light.

No wonder there was still a "Team Fang" even under the intimidating shadow of Song Jianye’s good looks. She was undeniably stunning.

He turned to look at the audience seats. The only director from Xinyuan was Qi Chen; Liu Jinlong hadn’t come.

Their presence was mainly to show support; it wasn’t a huge deal, so there was no need for both of them to be there.

Besides Qi Chen, two other shortlisted contestants from their school were present. The remaining two hadn’t arrived yet.

The guy was Liu Haoyuan. He couldn’t remember the girl’s name.

But the girl was pretty cute. Liu Haoyuan, on the other hand, was negligible.

"Find a place to sit for now. We can start once everyone’s here."

Fang Youning’s voice was soft. She was still a little miffed. ’Why didn’t he ask for my number?’

"Mhm."

Entering the classroom, Chen Yuan sat down next to Qi Chen.

"How are your preparations coming along?" Qi Chen asked.

"Extremely well."

"What are you singing?"

"Little Nezha."

Qi Chen: "..."

"Brother Yuan, this is a school competition. You’re really singing a children’s song?" Liu Haoyuan said.

"I don’t really listen to other songs."

"If you really sing ’Little Nezha,’ our school’s reputation is going to be dragged through the mud tonight. There’s still time to change your song," Qi Chen said.

"Senior, when you were shaking your hips in a camisole for a TikTok video, were you thinking about our school’s reputation? ’My tummy’s a-rumblin’ like thunder~’ Who sang that? Tell me. Look in my eyes. Tell me. Why!"

Qi Chen covered her face, overwhelmed with embarrassment. "Just shut up. Singing a children’s song is fine."

"Don’t be embarrassed, Senior. I quite enjoy your videos. I even followed you."

Fang Youning, who was fiddling with the computer, quietly looked up.

’He even followed the senior’s TikTok...’

"Oh yeah? What’s your TikTok username?" Qi Chen asked.

"CanYouStillUseDampOintment. Ring a bell?"

"Let me see."

Qi Chen took out her phone, opened TikTok, and checked her follower list.

"This is you?"

"Yep."

"What kind of crappy name is that? Change it, quickly."

"As expected of a woman who dances in camisoles. You know everything."

Qi Chen covered her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter. "Stop being so annoying. It’s such a stupid name."

Hearing this, Fang Youning’s delicate brows furrowed slightly.

’What is the senior laughing about?’

’You should still be able to use damp ointment, right? At worst, it just wouldn’t be effective. What’s so funny about that?’

Soon after, the other two people from Xinyuan arrived, along with five people from the School of Science.

The seventy contestants were split into seven groups. Two directors from the School Student Union, each leading three members, would conduct the evaluations.

Each group would select four to six people, for a total of thirty who would advance to the next round.

After everyone from the two schools had arrived, the people from the School Student Union’s Arts and Culture Department also showed up.

Leading the way was Li Dongyang, with Fan Siyu and another boy following close behind.

Fan Siyu was a bit surprised to see Chen Yuan. ’He made it through by singing a children’s song?’

Li Dongyang was also surprised to see Chen Yuan, but he didn’t say anything, simply walking up to the podium.

"Everyone’s here, so we can begin the competition. I hope none of you are nervous. Just perform well and show us your true abilities."

Li Dongyang spoke with a forced formality, but he wasn’t very convincing. He even tried to affect a deliberate cadence, like a leader giving a speech.

The last guy who "combed his hair like a grown-up and put on a handsome suit" is already long gone, yet here this one was, a monkey in a crown.

The people from the School Student Union sat down in the front row.

"Let’s begin, in order."

Fang Youning, holding a sheet of A4 paper, announced:

"From the School of Science, Kong Zhengjie."

Kong Zhengjie had a buzz cut and was a bit scruffy. He had the classic "top student" look. ’If this guy were in an exam hall,’ Chen Yuan thought, ’I’d copy his answers in a heartbeat, even if he was just guessing.’

He chose to sing "Ni Zhan." After the song, Chen Yuan thought he sang quite well, but he had no idea what the skill level of the others was.

After he finished, Li Dongyang even offered some commentary.

’A violinist critiquing a singer. Power really is a wonderful thing.’

Just then, someone appeared at the door, peeking their head in.

It was Jiang Shuyi.

Seeing Chen Yuan and others from her school, she walked right in.

"Don’t mind me, I’m just here to watch the show."

After coming in, Jiang Shuyi sat down next to Chen Yuan.

"Senior, what are you doing here?"

"We have our regular department meeting today. They’re all busy discussing things, so I came over to see what was happening," Jiang Shuyi said.

"Not bad, you actually made it through. Make sure you sing well later. Don’t embarrass our department or our school."

Jiang Shuyi’s arrival didn’t affect the rhythm of the competition.

The two schools took turns performing. After Kong Zhengjie, Liu Haoyuan went second. He also sang decently, but not as well as Kong Zhengjie.

Over the next hour or so, the first nine people finished singing.

Those who sang well were generally allowed to finish their song. The mediocre ones were cut off after the chorus, signaling that they had no hope of advancing.

"Is the School of Science really that strong this year?" Qi Chen muttered worriedly.

Of the first four contestants from Xinyuan, only one had been allowed to finish their song.

She knew how to sing herself and had even taken lessons, so she could tell there was no foul play involved. They were just genuinely bad.

The one person who did finish was also at risk of being eliminated, leaving Chen Yuan as their only hope.

But the thought of him singing "Little Nezha" made her want to cover her face. It was even more mortifying than the first time she’d recorded herself shaking her butt for a TikTok video.

’The reputation of Xinyuan!’

"And now, please welcome Chen Yuan from the School of Electronic Information and Computer Science, who will be performing ’Little Nezha’."

The people from the School of Science had never witnessed such a thing and were all looking around for Chen Yuan.

’Singing "Little Nezha"? Has this guy lost his mind?’

Chen Yuan walked onto the stage. He guessed Fang Youning had deliberately put him last and even used the words "please welcome." ’Looks like this young songstress knows who to keep close.’

At that moment, the background music began to play.

"Let’s tell a myth, of a family back in time..."