Chapter 32 – The audience’s silence (Translated by Xing and edited by Souhi)
In order to prevent negatively impacting an underage youth’s worldview, Tang Xue suggested that the both of them not fake their performances and rely on their real abilities instead.
The subsequent days of practice, Li Yubing tried correcting Tang Xue when he could not take it anymore. After trying to do so a few times, he discovered that teaching Tang Xue how to sing was a horrendously difficult task.
No matter how painstakingly he taught or advised her, when she opened her mouth to sing again, it was as if he had never spoken a word.
Furthermore, she had an oddly specific way of going out of tune and was not doing so blindly.
Li Yubing was forced to admit that this brat really did have an unyielding spirit……
Tang Xue was also exasperated with Li Yubing’s nit-picking. “Just what do you want—you can’t even play the cello properly and you still want to manage what I’m doing?” She looked at Yu Yan. “Yu Yan, what do you think of my singing?”
“I think,” Yu Yan pursed his lips and replied, “Self-confidence is key.”
——
This was after all a proper stage performance. Besides practicing for it, they needed to consider their stage outfits. This was especially so considering Yu Yan’s performance.
Yu Yan’s performance was a moonlight sword dance. This required a good-looking and comfortable set of clothing that must also appropriately showcase the traditional Chinese flair that the performance had.
Tang Xue was unable to find anything suitable even after days of searching. The outfits she saw were either too gaudy or needed to be accompanied by a complex hairstyle. In the end, it was Yu Yan who bought the outfit for himself on Taobao[1].
Mm, it had long white sleeves and pants, and was made of a soft and sleek fabric. The cut was loose and comfortable, just like the…… Tai Chi clothing that elderly grandpas would wear while doing morning exercises in the park.
The clothing cost 89 yuan for the entire set and included shipping. Even if it was not up to par, they were not going to be rip off or make a loss.
Tang Xue did not have high hopes for it. When Yu Yan stood in front of her in the outfit, she took one look at him and the first thought that popped into her mind was: the air of a dancer is indeed different.
Along with an excellent physique of broad shoulders and a narrow waist, he had snow-white skin and a pair of eyes and brows that seemed to have emerged from a painting. When dressed in this flowing and graceful-looking outfit, he gave off the air of a celestial being by simply standing there with his hands relaxed by his sides.
Tang Xue was a little dazzled.
Yu Yan wielded his silver sword and walked to the centre of the dance studio. He spun the sword and began his dance. Under the light, the snow-white fabric flowed with his every movement like ripples of water.
The sound of Li Yubing’s cello entered at the appropriate moment. Solemn and weighted, the warm dulcet tones of the cello filled the room. It was a dance of the cello with the sword; the resulting cello music and sword flashes beautifully harmonized and complemented each other.
Tang Xue was extremely stirred. “When will the bright moon appear againnn——”
Both the cello music and the sword flashes halted for a moment before continuing.
……
With Yu Yan’s outfit settled, Tang Xue and Li Yubing agreed on their respective outfits as well. Li Yubing would wear his usual suit and tie while Tang Xue went shopping with Xia Menghuan and bought a beige full-length gown and a pair of nude heels. The dress was designed to cling to the wearer’s hips and flaunt the wearer’s figure. Its round neckline was decorated with rhinestones. This chapter is a labour of love that should not be found outside of teafragrance[dot]wordpress[dot]com.
Before heading out, she put on makeup as well. As she was not good at makeup, Xia Menghuan was the one who helped her to put it on.
When they headed downstairs, Xia Menghuan carefully held onto Tang Xue’s arm. She was deeply worried that Tang Xue would not be used to the heels and fall. Tang Xue was originally 1.68 m. After wearing the 8 cm heels, she was much taller than Xia Menghuan. Xia Menghuan looked up at Tang Xue’s exquisitely made-up face and commented, “My king, my love for you is true.”
“Oh? Pray tell me why?”
“Do you know how much courage I have to muster in order to walk alongside you? You’re super goddess-like now!”
“Really?” Tang Xue stood in front of the dormitory building’s glass doors and looked at her reflection. Then, she patted Xia Menghuan’s head. “Concubine Meng, you’re a very lovable person as well.”
“Whenever you call me Concubine Meng, I’ll think of that baldy[2].”
The two of them exited the building. The autumn breeze lightly stirred the hem of Tang Xue’s dress. She rubbed her exposed arms; it was a little cold.
Li Yubing and Yu Yan were waiting for her. She saw them immediately after stepping out.
They saw her as well.
Li Yubing felt that he was going nuts—he actually felt that Tang Xue was pretty.
Her hairstyle was the same but she had makeup on. Her skin glowed while her eyes, appearing even bigger than usual, were ridiculously bright and lively. Her full lips were finely painted the shade of a fiery red.
Her neck was slender, her collarbone delicately defined. Her waist was slim and lithe……
Li Yubing subconsciously thought of that shameful dream he had. In that dream, her waist was just like this……
Tang Xue walked over. Seeing how the two of them were in a daze, she waved her hand at them. “Hey! Stunned silly? Hahahahaha!”
Li Yubing: = =
It was her familiar old behaviour.
The bunch of them walked over to the square near the auditorium where the audition for the singing competition was held. Along the way, they caught the attention of numerous passers-by.
The singing competition’s official name was “Campus Idol” and it was the biggest event organized by the Student Union every year. There were even rumours that in the past, someone had directly entered the entertainment industry as a result of winning this competition.
This year, “Campus Idol” was divided into two segments: the preliminary audition and the official competition. The preliminary audition would first be held for three consecutive days. Every individual or group who signed up for the competition would go on stage to perform. The selection process consisted of votes from both a panel of judges and RCU students. There were three judges in total. If contestants received all three votes, they would automatically qualify for the official competition. For those who failed to do so, they could also qualify by getting enough votes from the students.
This was the last day of the preliminary audition. Tang Xue and gang were slotted towards the end; it was a group decision they made after confirming the most convenient timing for both Li Yubing and Yu Yan. Being slotted towards the end had numerous disadvantages. This was because voting started from the first day of the audition. Most students had already casted their votes and this meant that there were lesser votes left for contestants who performed later.
However, Tang Xue did not consider this an issue. She believed the judges had good taste and would certainly vote for them unanimously.
The auditorium square was an area that anyone heading to the canteen must pass through. Lessons for the day had ended and there was quite a crowd gathered near the audition stage.
On stage, the emcee announced the next performance. “Up next, we have ‘Wishing We Last Forever’. Tang Xue, Li Yubing, Yu Yan, please.”
There was a commotion in the crowd.
“Li Yubing? Is that the Li Yubing that I know? Why is he here today?”
“Ah? Ice God? Thank goodness I didn’t rush off for drumsticks!”
“Why is it Tang Xue again? Are Tang Xue and Li Yubing bound together? Are the two of them really together?”
“Who’s Tang Xue?”
“A first year, involved in the roller skating club incident a while back. She was seriously cool in that. I recommend you to watch the video.”
“I was personally there. I think there’s definitely something sketchy going on with her and Li Yubing.”
“Nonsense, Li Yubing is mine!”
“You guys, the main point is Yu Yan! Dafaq, why is he also with Tang Xue……?? What kind of godly person is she……”
“Who’s Yu Yan again?”
“Don’t any of you watch figure skating?”
“Wow, that girl is really pretty!”
The crowd twittered on and on……
Tang Xue lifted the hem of her dress, leisurely strode on stage and shot a smile towards the audience. Her behaviour was natural and gave people a favourable impression.
“Presenting to everyone here, the song ‘Wishing We Last Forever’.” She opened her mouth, her voice bright and melodious as she spoke in an even tone. As she spoke, her face still held the faint traces of a smile. She glanced at the panel of judges and winked.
The judges smiled lightly in return.
Whoo! Goddess!
Some of the male students were extremely roused. Before she even started singing, they were already cheering and clapping in anticipation.
Behind her, Li Yubing and Yu Yan were both in position.
The female students were also extremely excited at seeing how Li Yubing was about to play the cello. It was happening! Their god was going to play the cello again!
Yu Yan raised his sword coolly. When the cello music rang out, he in turn started his dance.
Upon seeing the way he danced with the sword, many people immediately felt that it was remarkable. His actions flowed from one move to another; the sword dance was executed with grace and vigour, and displayed an ease that spoke of an uninhibited confidence. That person’s a pro, wasn’t he?
The cello tune sounded fantastic while the sword dance was impressive. The crowd started admiring Tang Xue’s team and discussed this in soft whispers.
“Amazing, having such hot guys to enhance her performance.”
“What ‘enhance’ are you talking about—they’re performing as a team.”
“Why is Li Yubing playing the cello for her, ahhhhh, the envy is driving me crazy!”
“Damnit, isn’t this arrangement the equivalent of a champion team? I announce that the winner of the Campus Idol is… my wife, Tang Xue!”
“Get lost, when did she become your wife?”
The discussion was getting heated when, suddenly, Tang Xue opened her mouth. This was a little faster than the decided schedule and the audience was completely caught off guard.
“When will the bright moon appear againnn——”
“……”
“……”
“……”
Silence. There was dead silence.
“I raised my wine cup and ask the clear sky——
In the celestial~ palace——
What year is it now——”
“……”
“……”
“……”
The hushed silence continued. It was as if the whole world had died.
One of the judges was drinking water. Here, he had accidentally spitted it all over the table and was currently trying to clean it in embarrassment.
Out of everyone present, the two calmest people were the one playing the cello and the one dancing. One had his eyes lowered in tranquillity while the other stirred the wind with his sword and emitted the elegant bearing of a celestial being.
Tang Xue was fully immersed in her act. She started experimenting with her stage presence. Holding the mike with her right hand, she imitated singers on television and raised her left hand towards the open sky.
Holy shit!
This roughly summarized the audience’s thoughts.
Some people even raised their mineral water bottles. However, those bottles were only held up and ultimately, none sailed across the air.
The guys were unwilling to hit Tang Xue; the girls, on the other hand, were extremely willing. However, they were afraid of accidentally hitting the two guys behind……
Thus, Tang Xue managed to safely deliver her song from the beginning to the end.
The audience felt like their souls were being purged, wait no, exorcised.
Tang Xue finished singing and beamed at the panel of judges.
All three judges raised a red cross.
Tang Xue’s smile froze.
Her expression was quite wounded and some of the audience actually began feeling a little sympathetic.
Li Yubing stood up. Carrying his cello, he walked to her side. He saw her crestfallen expression which was like a bird that has lost a fight.
“Thank you, judges.” Although Tang Xue was a little dejected, she still managed to express the expected thanks.
Suddenly, a fair but well-toned arm reached over and plucked the mike from her hands.
Baffled, Tang Xue turned and looked at Li Yubing.
Li Yubing spoke into the mike, “If anyone wishes to see us in the subsequent rounds of competition, please vote for us. Thank you, everyone!”
Someone in the audience waved at him. “Okay, god!”
After saying this, Li Yubing passed the mike back to the emcee. He saw Tang Xue staring at him blankly and nudged her shoulders. In a quiet voice, he said, “Let’s go.”
His voice was surprisingly gentle.
The trio left the place in silence. Xia Menghuan and Liao Zhenyu met up with them. Upon seeing Tang Xue, Liao Zhenyu comforted her immediately, “Boss, the judges are blind. Don’t be upset.”
Tang Xue looked down and said softly, “I really think that my singing is fine.”
Li Yubing was suddenly very curious. He asked, “Haven’t anyone told you that your singing is out of tune?”
“My dad, mom, grandpa and grandma on both my dad and mom’s side… all said that my singing is really, really good.”
“What about your classmates? Have none of them said anything?” Immediately after asking this, Li Yubing shook his head. “Forget it. You probably wouldn’t have believed them anyway.”
Tang Xue looked at the sky. Actually, there were indeed people who had mentioned that she was out of tune but there were very few people who had done so. After all, no one liked to blatantly point out another’s mistakes.
However, the truth was also that she chose not to believe them.
Liao Zhenyu suddenly tiptoed over to Li Yubing’s side and whispered into his ears. “How do you understand my boss so well? I’ll vote for you.”
Li Yubing raised his brows, looked to the side and gave him an approving look.
Translator’s Notes:
[1] Taobao is a Chinese shopping website.
[2] I think it’s a cultural-centric reference. Let me know if any of you manages to find out what the Concubine Meng and baldy refers to.
Chapter 32 – The audience’s silence (Translated by Xing and edited by Souhi)
In order to prevent negatively impacting an underage youth’s worldview, Tang Xue suggested that the both of them not fake their performances and rely on their real abilities instead.
The subsequent days of practice, Li Yubing tried correcting Tang Xue when he could not take it anymore. After trying to do so a few times, he discovered that teaching Tang Xue how to sing was a horrendously difficult task.
No matter how painstakingly he taught or advised her, when she opened her mouth to sing again, it was as if he had never spoken a word.
Furthermore, she had an oddly specific way of going out of tune and was not doing so blindly.
Li Yubing was forced to admit that this brat really did have an unyielding spirit……
Tang Xue was also exasperated with Li Yubing’s nit-picking. “Just what do you want—you can’t even play the cello properly and you still want to manage what I’m doing?” She looked at Yu Yan. “Yu Yan, what do you think of my singing?”
“I think,” Yu Yan pursed his lips and replied, “Self-confidence is key.”
——
This was after all a proper stage performance. Besides practicing for it, they needed to consider their stage outfits. This was especially so considering Yu Yan’s performance.
Yu Yan’s performance was a moonlight sword dance. This required a good-looking and comfortable set of clothing that must also appropriately showcase the traditional Chinese flair that the performance had.
Tang Xue was unable to find anything suitable even after days of searching. The outfits she saw were either too gaudy or needed to be accompanied by a complex hairstyle. In the end, it was Yu Yan who bought the outfit for himself on Taobao[1].
Mm, it had long white sleeves and pants, and was made of a soft and sleek fabric. The cut was loose and comfortable, just like the…… Tai Chi clothing that elderly grandpas would wear while doing morning exercises in the park.
The clothing cost 89 yuan for the entire set and included shipping. Even if it was not up to par, they were not going to be rip off or make a loss.
Tang Xue did not have high hopes for it. When Yu Yan stood in front of her in the outfit, she took one look at him and the first thought that popped into her mind was: the air of a dancer is indeed different.
Along with an excellent physique of broad shoulders and a narrow waist, he had snow-white skin and a pair of eyes and brows that seemed to have emerged from a painting. When dressed in this flowing and graceful-looking outfit, he gave off the air of a celestial being by simply standing there with his hands relaxed by his sides.
Tang Xue was a little dazzled.
Yu Yan wielded his silver sword and walked to the centre of the dance studio. He spun the sword and began his dance. Under the light, the snow-white fabric flowed with his every movement like ripples of water.
The sound of Li Yubing’s cello entered at the appropriate moment. Solemn and weighted, the warm dulcet tones of the cello filled the room. It was a dance of the cello with the sword; the resulting cello music and sword flashes beautifully harmonized and complemented each other.
Tang Xue was extremely stirred. “When will the bright moon appear againnn——”
Both the cello music and the sword flashes halted for a moment before continuing.
……
With Yu Yan’s outfit settled, Tang Xue and Li Yubing agreed on their respective outfits as well. Li Yubing would wear his usual suit and tie while Tang Xue went shopping with Xia Menghuan and bought a beige full-length gown and a pair of nude heels. The dress was designed to cling to the wearer’s hips and flaunt the wearer’s figure. Its round neckline was decorated with rhinestones. This chapter is a labour of love that should not be found outside of teafragrance[dot]wordpress[dot]com.
Before heading out, she put on makeup as well. As she was not good at makeup, Xia Menghuan was the one who helped her to put it on.
When they headed downstairs, Xia Menghuan carefully held onto Tang Xue’s arm. She was deeply worried that Tang Xue would not be used to the heels and fall. Tang Xue was originally 1.68 m. After wearing the 8 cm heels, she was much taller than Xia Menghuan. Xia Menghuan looked up at Tang Xue’s exquisitely made-up face and commented, “My king, my love for you is true.”
“Oh? Pray tell me why?”
“Do you know how much courage I have to muster in order to walk alongside you? You’re super goddess-like now!”
“Really?” Tang Xue stood in front of the dormitory building’s glass doors and looked at her reflection. Then, she patted Xia Menghuan’s head. “Concubine Meng, you’re a very lovable person as well.”
“Whenever you call me Concubine Meng, I’ll think of that baldy[2].”
The two of them exited the building. The autumn breeze lightly stirred the hem of Tang Xue’s dress. She rubbed her exposed arms; it was a little cold.
Li Yubing and Yu Yan were waiting for her. She saw them immediately after stepping out.
They saw her as well.
Li Yubing felt that he was going nuts—he actually felt that Tang Xue was pretty.
Her hairstyle was the same but she had makeup on. Her skin glowed while her eyes, appearing even bigger than usual, were ridiculously bright and lively. Her full lips were finely painted the shade of a fiery red.
Her neck was slender, her collarbone delicately defined. Her waist was slim and lithe……
Li Yubing subconsciously thought of that shameful dream he had. In that dream, her waist was just like this……
Tang Xue walked over. Seeing how the two of them were in a daze, she waved her hand at them. “Hey! Stunned silly? Hahahahaha!”
Li Yubing: = =
It was her familiar old behaviour.
The bunch of them walked over to the square near the auditorium where the audition for the singing competition was held. Along the way, they caught the attention of numerous passers-by.
The singing competition’s official name was “Campus Idol” and it was the biggest event organized by the Student Union every year. There were even rumours that in the past, someone had directly entered the entertainment industry as a result of winning this competition.
This year, “Campus Idol” was divided into two segments: the preliminary audition and the official competition. The preliminary audition would first be held for three consecutive days. Every individual or group who signed up for the competition would go on stage to perform. The selection process consisted of votes from both a panel of judges and RCU students. There were three judges in total. If contestants received all three votes, they would automatically qualify for the official competition. For those who failed to do so, they could also qualify by getting enough votes from the students.
This was the last day of the preliminary audition. Tang Xue and gang were slotted towards the end; it was a group decision they made after confirming the most convenient timing for both Li Yubing and Yu Yan. Being slotted towards the end had numerous disadvantages. This was because voting started from the first day of the audition. Most students had already casted their votes and this meant that there were lesser votes left for contestants who performed later.
However, Tang Xue did not consider this an issue. She believed the judges had good taste and would certainly vote for them unanimously.
The auditorium square was an area that anyone heading to the canteen must pass through. Lessons for the day had ended and there was quite a crowd gathered near the audition stage.
On stage, the emcee announced the next performance. “Up next, we have ‘Wishing We Last Forever’. Tang Xue, Li Yubing, Yu Yan, please.”
There was a commotion in the crowd.
“Li Yubing? Is that the Li Yubing that I know? Why is he here today?”
“Ah? Ice God? Thank goodness I didn’t rush off for drumsticks!”
“Why is it Tang Xue again? Are Tang Xue and Li Yubing bound together? Are the two of them really together?”
“Who’s Tang Xue?”
“A first year, involved in the roller skating club incident a while back. She was seriously cool in that. I recommend you to watch the video.”
“I was personally there. I think there’s definitely something sketchy going on with her and Li Yubing.”
“Nonsense, Li Yubing is mine!”
“You guys, the main point is Yu Yan! Dafaq, why is he also with Tang Xue……?? What kind of godly person is she……”
“Who’s Yu Yan again?”
“Don’t any of you watch figure skating?”
“Wow, that girl is really pretty!”
The crowd twittered on and on……
Tang Xue lifted the hem of her dress, leisurely strode on stage and shot a smile towards the audience. Her behaviour was natural and gave people a favourable impression.
“Presenting to everyone here, the song ‘Wishing We Last Forever’.” She opened her mouth, her voice bright and melodious as she spoke in an even tone. As she spoke, her face still held the faint traces of a smile. She glanced at the panel of judges and winked.
The judges smiled lightly in return.
Whoo! Goddess!
Some of the male students were extremely roused. Before she even started singing, they were already cheering and clapping in anticipation.
Behind her, Li Yubing and Yu Yan were both in position.
The female students were also extremely excited at seeing how Li Yubing was about to play the cello. It was happening! Their god was going to play the cello again!
Yu Yan raised his sword coolly. When the cello music rang out, he in turn started his dance.
Upon seeing the way he danced with the sword, many people immediately felt that it was remarkable. His actions flowed from one move to another; the sword dance was executed with grace and vigour, and displayed an ease that spoke of an uninhibited confidence. That person’s a pro, wasn’t he?
The cello tune sounded fantastic while the sword dance was impressive. The crowd started admiring Tang Xue’s team and discussed this in soft whispers.
“Amazing, having such hot guys to enhance her performance.”
“What ‘enhance’ are you talking about—they’re performing as a team.”
“Why is Li Yubing playing the cello for her, ahhhhh, the envy is driving me crazy!”
“Damnit, isn’t this arrangement the equivalent of a champion team? I announce that the winner of the Campus Idol is… my wife, Tang Xue!”
“Get lost, when did she become your wife?”
The discussion was getting heated when, suddenly, Tang Xue opened her mouth. This was a little faster than the decided schedule and the audience was completely caught off guard.
“When will the bright moon appear againnn——”
“……”
“……”
“……”
Silence. There was dead silence.
“I raised my wine cup and ask the clear sky——
In the celestial~ palace——
What year is it now——”
“……”
“……”
“……”
The hushed silence continued. It was as if the whole world had died.
One of the judges was drinking water. Here, he had accidentally spitted it all over the table and was currently trying to clean it in embarrassment.
Out of everyone present, the two calmest people were the one playing the cello and the one dancing. One had his eyes lowered in tranquillity while the other stirred the wind with his sword and emitted the elegant bearing of a celestial being.
Tang Xue was fully immersed in her act. She started experimenting with her stage presence. Holding the mike with her right hand, she imitated singers on television and raised her left hand towards the open sky.
Holy shit!
This roughly summarized the audience’s thoughts.
Some people even raised their mineral water bottles. However, those bottles were only held up and ultimately, none sailed across the air.
The guys were unwilling to hit Tang Xue; the girls, on the other hand, were extremely willing. However, they were afraid of accidentally hitting the two guys behind……
Thus, Tang Xue managed to safely deliver her song from the beginning to the end.
The audience felt like their souls were being purged, wait no, exorcised.
Tang Xue finished singing and beamed at the panel of judges.
All three judges raised a red cross.
Tang Xue’s smile froze.
Her expression was quite wounded and some of the audience actually began feeling a little sympathetic.
Li Yubing stood up. Carrying his cello, he walked to her side. He saw her crestfallen expression which was like a bird that has lost a fight.
“Thank you, judges.” Although Tang Xue was a little dejected, she still managed to express the expected thanks.
Suddenly, a fair but well-toned arm reached over and plucked the mike from her hands.
Baffled, Tang Xue turned and looked at Li Yubing.
Li Yubing spoke into the mike, “If anyone wishes to see us in the subsequent rounds of competition, please vote for us. Thank you, everyone!”
Someone in the audience waved at him. “Okay, god!”
After saying this, Li Yubing passed the mike back to the emcee. He saw Tang Xue staring at him blankly and nudged her shoulders. In a quiet voice, he said, “Let’s go.”
His voice was surprisingly gentle.
The trio left the place in silence. Xia Menghuan and Liao Zhenyu met up with them. Upon seeing Tang Xue, Liao Zhenyu comforted her immediately, “Boss, the judges are blind. Don’t be upset.”
Tang Xue looked down and said softly, “I really think that my singing is fine.”
Li Yubing was suddenly very curious. He asked, “Haven’t anyone told you that your singing is out of tune?”
“My dad, mom, grandpa and grandma on both my dad and mom’s side… all said that my singing is really, really good.”
“What about your classmates? Have none of them said anything?” Immediately after asking this, Li Yubing shook his head. “Forget it. You probably wouldn’t have believed them anyway.”
Tang Xue looked at the sky. Actually, there were indeed people who had mentioned that she was out of tune but there were very few people who had done so. After all, no one liked to blatantly point out another’s mistakes.
However, the truth was also that she chose not to believe them.
Liao Zhenyu suddenly tiptoed over to Li Yubing’s side and whispered into his ears. “How do you understand my boss so well? I’ll vote for you.”
Li Yubing raised his brows, looked to the side and gave him an approving look.
Translator’s Notes:
[1] Taobao is a Chinese shopping website.
[2] I think it’s a cultural-centric reference. Let me know if any of you manages to find out what the Concubine Meng and baldy refers to.
