Dad, Please Let Me Solo You!

Volume 1: Chapter 46. Warmth Like Tea Brewed on a Winter Day.

Dormitory.

In an atmosphere she couldn't refuse, Chu Yuanqing's perfect plan to go to bed was thwarted. She was quite dejected, but outwardly, like a good student, she sat on the bench and listened attentively as Tang Liuli lectured her like she was listing family treasures.

Tang Liuli had a solid foundation in vocal music. She explained the key points of learning to sing in a simple and easy-to-understand manner.

Chu Yuanqing listened, feeling lost in a fog. She could only vaguely understand that singing techniques were very complex, and the details were no less numerous than those in dancing.

Whether it was breath support, breath control, breathing methods, resonance methods, or even singing posture and articulation, all required long hours of practice to achieve perfection one by one.

Thinking about it this way, Charlotte must also know a lot about vocal music, right?

That Doomsday Diva, without any blessings, had used only her supreme skills and emotionally rich singing voice to make the survivors in the entire main city briefly forget their despair and fear, filling their hearts with happiness and hope.

If it weren't for such a miraculous singing voice, she, who had just returned from the Pure White Forbidden Zone and hadn't fully absorbed the Meme Authority, would have had a hard time outlasting a supreme disaster beast that wielded the Authority of Fear.

Chu Yuanqing felt a sense of nostalgia and listened even more intently.

Seeing this, Tang Liuli felt even more accomplished as a teacher.

The young girl pursed her lips, suppressing the upward curve of her lips, coughed, and said:

"In short, just remember these for now. There are training methods for the basics on the iPad. You should set aside time to practice them every day from now on."

"But you have to practice according to your vocal cords' endurance. Don't be too eager for quick success. You can ask me if there's anything you don't understand."

"As for candy, this song isn't difficult. It doesn't have any complex techniques or demanding vocal requirements. I'll sing it for you first."

As Tang Liuli said this, she glanced at the sheet music on the iPad and then tried singing a few lines.

Chu Yuanqing found it somewhat magical. Her stage performances were ethereal like a mermaid's, with a melancholic and decadent style, which was indeed a stark contrast to candy.

But at this moment, her singing was sweet and cheerful, with a completion level comparable to the recorded version in the candy MV. Even without accompaniment, it didn't seem to matter.

Was this the vocal skill of a lead singer?

After Tang Liuli demonstrated, she handed over the headphones and said:

"Listen to the song a few times, then try singing a few lines for me."

Chu Yuanqing blinked, put on the headphones, listened for a while, and then sang a few lines. Her voice was very recognizable, clear and cold yet with a hint of fiery milkiness, tickling the ears and sounding exceptionally pleasant.

Tang Liuli heard this and, as expected, commented:

"It was the right choice for you not to sing in your initial evaluation stage."

"Although your voice is pleasant, you haven't had any vocal training and are at the most basic 'white voice' stage. Your tail notes go off-key uncontrollably, you can't articulate correctly in the mid-range, and most importantly... you probably can't read music yet, right?"

Chu Yuanqing didn't understand at first. It wasn't until Tang Liuli slid the iPad interface to the musical score that she looked at the incomprehensible five lines and the various flashy notes, and then fell into profound sadness.

Right, vocal music doesn't just refer to singing techniques; it also includes the study of music theory.

Chu Yuanqing sighed inwardly and nodded, indicating she couldn't.

Her initial impression of some idols was that they just jumped around on stage, easily faking it with half-playback, and that as long as they looked good, it was enough.

That's why she thought it would be easy to earn a salary after passing the auditions.

But she hadn't expected that idols had to learn so many things. Just the basic dancing and singing were difficult enough, and they had to combine the two, not to mention the other high-difficulty advanced techniques.

Were the stages... really that charming?

Seeing Chu Yuanqing lost in thought, Tang Liuli mistook it for her worrying and being anxious. She immediately felt a pang of sympathy, lowered her eyes, and said with an awkward tone, lying:

"It's okay if you can't. I haven't looked at sheet music in a long time either. I was just about to mark it with simplified notation, and then I'll send you a copy. It'll be easy to understand."

Well, this clumsy lie could only fool the current Chu Yuanqing. If the viewers in the live stream saw it, comments like "obvious crush," "don't love her too much," and "I ship it" would probably make Tang Liuli so embarrassed she'd explode on the spot.

Chu Yuanqing didn't refuse.

The instructor was only responsible for teaching candy. She definitely wouldn't waste everyone's time teaching kindergarten-level music theory. Rather than being criticized and embarrassed in class tomorrow, it was better to learn properly from this child today.

Afterward, Tang Liuli began to help her mark the simplified notation.

Chu Yuanqing, on the other hand, took out various elementary music theory materials from the iPad and crammed them into her memory.

Although she was once a perfect being stacked with blessings to the extreme, the price of correcting the timeline was too heavy. The numerous debuffs on her body had reduced her to mediocrity.

This resulted in her learning efficiency always being slow.

But unlike before, the life form of a Magical Girl not only extended her depleted lifespan slightly but also helped filter out some of the noise from the Sea of Truth.

This allowed some of her concentration, which had been constrained and trapped for years, to be diverted to the real world.

Simply put, Chu Yuanqing's current concentration could, in some aspects, enter a Flow State, also known as [state of flow].

This state of complete immersion that improved efficiency was not a very high-level skill for someone who had once listened to the gaps between all things with her soul and easily cut through tsunamis with the power to pick up dust. However, it was just right for her now.

Chu Yuanqing didn't think much about it and was simply immersed in the ocean of music theory knowledge, her expression serious.

This forgotten Savior had accepted her mediocrity a long time ago.

Although looking back at her past glory only revealed collapsing ruins, and even picking up a few remaining bricks and tiles only served to slightly improve her learning efficiency, she had always believed that what she had gained was far more than what she had lost.

Chu Yuanqing's wish before becoming the Savior was to create a world that didn't need a Savior.

And this world, where all tragedies are reversed, without war or monstrous beasts, a world with stages and idols, would be the greatest gift.

Time flowed by.

Tang Liuli looked at the marked sheet music on her iPad, stretched, and then raised her eyes to the scenery not far away.

Chu Yuanqing sat at her desk, her back straight, her posture proper and refined. Her profile, as if bestowed by the Creator, was shrouded in the dim lamplight, exuding a sacred yet solemn atmosphere.

The girl's thin, tender lips were slightly upturned, as if her focused gaze reflected not dry music theory, but the comforting lights of countless homes, filling the heart with joy.

How wonderful...

Just by looking at this person, she inexplicably savored the taste of happiness.

Tang Liuli put away her iPad and tiptoed back to bed. She couldn't help but turn to look at Chu Yuanqing's back. As she watched, her eyelids grew heavy, and sleepiness washed over her like a tide.

In her hazy vision, her profile was gentle.

Tang Liuli slowly closed her eyes, her consciousness sinking into darkness.

In a semi-conscious state, past fears attacked like a swarm of snakes.

Chu Yuanqing's presence, however, was like a small red clay stove in winter, emitting a gentle, gurgling warmth like brewing tea.

That quiet warmth brought a long-lost sense of peace, firmly and slowly dispelling her fears, embracing her soul.

After many years, This girl, tormented by inferiority and fear, fell asleep peacefully for the first time in a tidal wave of warmth.

Volume 1: 47. Xiao Shu, you must become the moon.

The next day.

Chu Yuanqing washed up and dressed, tidied her appearance in the mirror, and then looked at the digital clock. It was already six in the morning.

Although she had studied music theory for six hours in a [Flow State] last night, resulting in severe sleep deprivation, her skin and complexion remained youthful and flawless, and her mental state was unaffected.

Inside, Tang Liuli was still fast asleep.

Xie Qingxuan and Liang Xiaoxiao had not returned all night.

The former's A-Class practice room had guest rooms, which was understandable.

The latter was likely disturbed by the anxiety-inducing environment created by Flash Dance. She probably couldn't sleep without training, so she ended up practicing all night.

Chu Yuanqing stepped out of her room. The surroundings were silent. She passed by corridors projecting advertisements until she reached the cafeteria, where she saw a sparse group of contestants.

Most of them were in a hurry, lacking the inclination to chat. They simply grabbed a piece of bread and milk, or packed a box of salad and boiled chicken breast, and left the cafeteria.

Chu Yuanqing saw the tip of the iceberg and could roughly imagine the extent to which the other contestants were pushing themselves.

Since yesterday's motivational talk from the Dream Weaver Rabbit, the entire underground base had accelerated its pace.

Everyone was caught in an increasingly fierce and contradictory competitive atmosphere, spinning like tops, as if stopping would make them a lonely gear, abandoned in place.

Chu Yuanqing worried, Hasn't Xiao Shu been practicing all night too?

No, my daughter is still a minor!

Chu Yuanqing couldn't help but reflect. When they parted yesterday, she should have reminded Xiao Shu that even if she didn't drink a cup of hot milk and prepare for bed at 8 PM, she shouldn't stay up all night!

This was a matter of principle, and the old father's worries grew.

"Qingqing? I'll treat you to mashed potatoes!"

Chu Wangshu spotted the girl standing still in the distance and quickly ran over, hugging her slender waist like a koala.

The little girl's eyes darted around. Seeing that a certain Sakura Girl was nowhere in sight, the curve of her lips became even more joyful.

Qingqing, mature, steady, super cute, and they had such a strong connection!

A long time ago, someone told her that everyone's fate in life was limited. Whether it was a great friend or the most suitable partner, it was a once-in-a-lifetime bond that couldn't be missed. One must cherish their relationship with everyone.

So...

She wouldn't let her friend be snatched away by some suspicious Sakura Girl, at least not be the one marginalized in the end!

Chu Yuanqing, unaware of her daughter's little thoughts, turned her small face seriously to the cute, radiant face full of collagen and said reassuringly:

"Very good, remember to sleep and wake up early in the future too!"

Chu Wangshu blinked in confusion but, under some inexplicably powerful aura, nodded vaguely in agreement.

Then, the two sat together for breakfast, shared their graded food, and started chatting.

For these friends of the same age, it was a perfectly ordinary moment, trivial and mundane. Only in a future flashback would they realize its preciousness through enduring nostalgia.

But for Chu Yuanqing, she cherished such an opportunity at that very moment.

Because she hadn't sat down and talked with her daughter so peacefully in a long time.

To this day, the erosion of the curse had almost made her forget when their father-daughter relationship had become increasingly strained.

Come to think of it, it seemed to have started then.

On her daughter's 12th birthday, he had broken his promise for the third time, leaving her alone to blow out the candles in a cramped, dark rental room.

At that time, Chu Yuanqing knelt in a dark alleyway. The roar of cracking glaciers echoed in his ears, his soul was dragged into a sea of malicious knives and flames, and past hardships turned into a galloping parade, causing his heart to twist and convulse uncontrollably.

Drip, drip.

The blood coughed up stained the birthday gift meticulously prepared for her.

It was the first time he realized his time was running out.

From then on, the father-daughter relationship began to change subtly.

Chu Wangshu didn't care about his third broken promise; what she cared about was the unfamiliarity and numbness of Dad when he returned home.

Chu Yuanqing didn't care when he would die; what he cared about was how to make his daughter accept his departure and how she would live well on her own.

This intertwined thinking, and their mutual confinement, made their relationship stiffen step by step.

Chu Yuanqing understood. Because she understood, she stopped, cherishing their current conversation.

When they first started talking, she was reminiscing, even a little reserved.

As their conversation deepened, she vaguely realized that, unlike the impression she had from their first meeting, Xiao Shu wasn't as unreliable as she had imagined.

Although she was friendly towards herself, she maintained a good distance with the other contestants – not too cold, not too warm, with a set of immature but already forming social boundaries.

And under the oppressive atmosphere of the Flash Dance evil path, she could maintain a calm and composed attitude, coolly analyzing her strengths and weaknesses to plan her future training.

This was the same as when she first started learning to dance: self-disciplined and serious, possessing a restrained yet explosive passion.

During the conversation, she also talked about her short-term goals at Haidu Art University after being eliminated, and even her future life plans, her gaze clear and determined.

These were things that "Chu Yuanqing" had never known.

But as Chu Yuanqing, while knowing these things, she could also sincerely offer praise and affirmation.

It could only be said that Chu Wangshu was not only an excellent student academically, but also in all other aspects; her excellence was heartbreaking.

If not for the peculiar atmosphere between father and daughter, which had eased their social defenses from the moment they met, she might have marveled at her daughter's growth much earlier.

Breakfast time was short.

Chu Wangshu reluctantly bid her farewell and headed to the B-Class practice room for class.