Chapter 4: Scolding the School Beauty

  "Chen Chufan, how can I praise you!" Chen Chufan arrived at Old Xiao's office, but instead of the expected scolding, Old Xiao spoke to him in a complaining tone as if he were a friend.

  "Teacher Xiao, you have to believe me! I really wasn't planning on jumping into the lake at that time! I just wanted to stand by the lake and vent a bit, but who knew, one misstep and I fell in!" Chen Chufan said with a sincere expression.

  Actually, Chen Chufan has always been a obedient and sensible good student in Old Xiao's eyes. His grades for the first two semesters were both among the top ten in his grade, otherwise he wouldn't have received the school scholarship. Moreover, looking at Chen Chufan's clothes and appearance, Old Xiao also judged that Chen Chufan's family environment wouldn't be very good. So he never thought that Chen Chufan would suddenly cause such a big commotion.

  "Do you think I believe you? Do you think you have any use? At least 10 of your classmates witnessed the scene of you jumping into the lake! Do you know how much negative impact this will bring to the school? Do you know how much pressure this has put on me? You're at an age where it's normal to fall in love, I can understand that. Although it's against school rules, I could have turned a blind eye and let it pass. But jumping into the lake because of a lost love is just too ridiculous! Are you worthy of your parents who raised you for so many years? Are you worthy of yourself?" Old Xiao said with deep concern.

  Chen Chufan knew he couldn't explain himself now, so he simply lowered his head and assumed a obedient appearance.

  "Actually, we were going to inform your parents this time! Yesterday, I couldn't contact them, but later at the hospital, I knew you were fine, so I didn't call again. You'd better notify them to come to school yourself! Also, originally, the school was going to give you a demerit, but I pleaded for you and it's just a warning this time. However, a public criticism announcement throughout the school is unavoidable, so be mentally prepared. Go write a self-criticism report for me! In addition, your eligibility for the school scholarship selection this semester has also been cancelled."

  "Teacher Xiao, I can accept the criticism and cancellation of my scholarship, but do you have to notify my parents? Isn't that unnecessary? I really didn't jump into the lake on purpose, I guarantee it! I would never do something so stupid!" Chen Chufan exclaimed, getting anxious upon hearing Old Xiao's words.

  "If something big happens and you don't inform your parents, what if something else happens? The school will be held responsible! And do you think your mistake can be so easily dismissed by just jumping into the lake? It also involves early romance! Although everyone doesn't take it as a big deal, that's because nothing has happened yet. If something really happens, the school rules are still there!" Old Xiao said to Chen Chufan with deep concern.

  "Teacher Xiao, I'm telling you again, I absolutely never had any intention of committing suicide. Not in the past, and not in the future! That was really just an accident. As long as you don't make me find my parents, anything is fine! Besides, if you really must invite my parents to come, that would truly be pushing me to jump into the lake! As for having a premature romance, I promise I won't do it again in the future. Can't we just drop it?! Chen Chufan was anxious, his father had to go to work, and his mother's health wasn't good to begin with. Moreover, their family had always placed high expectations on him. If they found out that he jumped into the lake because of a lost love, who knows how disappointed they would be? What Chen Chufan feared most was facing his mother's disappointed gaze, it had been this way since he was old enough to understand things."

  Lao Xiao looked at Chen Chufan's anxious face, thought of Chen Chufan's good performance in school, and couldn't help but soften his heart. "Alright! But apart from self-reflection, you need to give me a written guarantee. How to write it is up to you! If I think it's okay, I'll help you get through this time. But let me tell you, Chen Chufan, whether you intentionally jumped into the lake or accidentally fell in, if there's another incident like this, the school will directly suggest that you drop out, no discussion!" Lao Xiao said with a serious face.

  "Xiao Dao, rest assured, I swear there will never be a next time!" Chen Chufan immediately made up his mind.

  Coming out of Old Xiao's office, Chen Chufan had a gloomy face. Actually, Little Chen has always been a low-key student. Never liked to show off. In the eyes of most classmates, although far from being as silent and introverted as Meng Wei, he was also not fond of speaking in front of people. A relatively introverted person, it can even be said that he was someone with very little presence. Although they had been schoolmates for a year already, if it weren't for this incident of jumping into the lake, it's possible that nearly half of the classmates still wouldn't have any impression of Chen Chufan.

  But what's the big deal?! I just wanted to vent a bit by the South Lake, but it ended up causing such a huge mess, and even got me criticized in the school-wide announcement. Now my reputation is completely ruined. Not to mention that I'll be disqualified from getting the school scholarship, Chen Chufan was truly at a loss for words.

  As Chen Chufan walked back to his dormitory with a heavy heart, he was suddenly enveloped by the sound of a piano drifting through the air. In that instant, it seemed as if time had frozen, and all his worries were discarded from his mind, replaced by the lingering piano melody. Not only did he listen intently, but his brain also rapidly processed the music. Although he didn't know the name of the piece, he could sense areas for improvement in the piano melody, such as a segment that should be extended by a quarter beat to better connect with the next part. Or, if played with glissando, it would be more moving. Moreover, this piano piece was meant to evoke a romantic feeling of solitude, like a young girl dancing under the starry sky on a quiet and clear night. However, the performer failed to convey that intoxicating sensation through their technique.

  Like this, Chen Chufan unconsciously walked towards the direction of the piano sound. The closer he got to the source of the music, the more inspiration he had in his mind about the places that needed improvement in this piece. He even felt a kind of anger, how could music be desecrated like this? No matter if it was the composer or the performer, how could they play such unpolished music with such grandeur? Along with the anger came a surge of impulse, he urgently wanted to sit down at the piano and personally perform this piece.

  His footsteps grew faster and faster as he anxiously sought out the piano, wanting to tell the player that this piece shouldn't be played like that.

  In the empty music room of the school, Ye Siyue was sitting at the piano, seriously playing Richard Clayderman's "Starry Sky". The girl's head slightly swayed with the music, and a few strands of soft long hair fell from behind her ears, covering half of her left cheek. However, just from the woman's exposed long eyelashes and delicate nose tip, it could be seen that the girl was absolutely a beauty.

  Ye Siyi was actually one of the school flowers of Zhongbei Minzu University, and also a talented girl who had won numerous favors in the music department. Because she was about to participate in the national youth amateur group piano competition, the school specially allowed her to temporarily not attend classes and use the school's music room for practice at any time. That's why she appeared in the music room at this time. At this moment, she was completely immersed in the sound of music flowing from her fingertips, unaware of everything around her.

  "Bang, bang, bang", the sudden knocking at the door broke the girl's rhythm, and the beautiful piano sound came to an abrupt halt.

  "Who is it?" Ye Siyu asked loudly.

  No one replied, the knocking sound continued, and it didn't seem to stop at all. Ye Siying stood up from the piano with annoyance. At this time, there would absolutely be no teacher coming to disturb her. So it could only be those flies. Yes, it was flies, Ye Siying thought so. As a popularly elected school flower, Ye Siying had never been short of pursuers around her. Love letters and flowers had never stopped since high school, but Ye Siying had never given any color to the boys who pursued her. Because she found that no matter how sincere the boy was, it seemed that he was first attracted by her appearance, not her music. She liked music, and in her mind, the white knight was a man who could resonate with her in beautiful melodies and harmonize with her piano.

  Unfortunately, she has not met such a person yet. So arrogance is always the evaluation of school boys for her. But even if most boys think she is arrogant, there will always be someone who wants to try. Just yesterday, a boy suddenly ran into the music room to confess to her when she was practicing piano, and she drove him away with blunt words in anger. So today, when she practiced piano, she locked the door of the classroom on purpose, but still couldn't get peace!

  Ye Siying angrily opened the locked door, and indeed a despicable fly was standing in front of the door. Ye Siying was about to open her mouth to scold this strange boy, but unexpectedly, he took the initiative to ask her questions first.

  "Was it you who just played that tune?" Chen Chufan asked loudly with an angry expression, not being moved at all by Ye Siying's beauty.

  Ye Siyue, who was taken aback by the stranger's sudden words, nodded blankly and was about to say something when the man across from her spoke up again: "How can this piece be played like that? The first section's melody should clearly end with a calm and soothing slow sound, so in the last two notes, you should, not must, slow down by one quarter of a beat. This is the only way to convey the feeling of loneliness when a person is alone on a quiet night. In the second section, the emotion you want to express should be that of a person gazing up at the starry sky and feeling lonely, then getting up and dancing with the stars. At this time, you should use an accelerating rhythm to depict the dancer's transformation from initial awkwardness to complete freedom, until you start to completely let go of control over the rhythm, allowing your imagination to run wild and free..."

  Chen Chufan's lengthy critique left Ye Siying completely stunned. Was her piano playing really that bad? But this "Starry Sky" was one of her favorites, and the piece she played with the most emotion. Yet it was being criticized by a stranger in front of her as if it were worthless. This made Ye Siying feel embarrassed.

  "Do you understand music? You speak so well, come and play it yourself!" Ye Siying interrupted Chen Chufan's lengthy speech. She said in a bad tone. In her opinion, there must be boys who understand the piano better than herself, but absolutely not this boy in front of her who is dressed like a street vendor. After all, learning to play the piano well is not something that an ordinary family can afford. And this boy in front of her just wants to get her attention by belittling her. Is this another way of pursuing someone? If you say so yourself, shouldn't you know when to give up?! Ye Siying thought coldly.