Volume One: 46. A Warmth Like Tea Brewing on a Winter's Day.
Dormitory.
Caught in an atmosphere she couldn't refuse, Chu Yuanqing watched her perfect plan to go to bed and rest come to an end. She felt deeply gloomy, but on the surface, she sat on a stool like a model student, listening attentively as Tang Liuli explained everything she knew.
Tang Liuli had a solid foundation in vocal music, and she explained the key points of learning to sing in a simple, easy-to-understand way.
Chu Yuanqing was lost in a fog of confusion. She could only grasp that singing involved complicated techniques, with no fewer details than dancing.
Breath support, breath control, breathing methods, resonance, and even singing posture and diction all required long practice to perfect.
Thinking about it, Charlotte must know a lot about vocal music, too, right?
That Doomsday Diva had once used nothing but her peerless technique and emotionally charged voice, without relying on any blessing, to make the survivors in the entire main city briefly forget their despair and fear, and fill their hearts with happiness and hope.
If it hadn't been for that miraculous singing, then after returning from the Pure White Forbidden Zone, before she had finished devouring the Meme Authority, it would have been hard for her to wear down a Supreme Calamity Beast wielding the Authority of Fear.
Chu Yuanqing felt a little nostalgic, and listened even more attentively.
Seeing this, Tang Liuli felt all the more accomplished as a teacher.
The girl pursed her lips, suppressing their upward curve, then coughed and said:
"Anyway, just remember all this for now. There are basic vocal exercises on the iPad. Make time to practice them every day from now on."
"But you have to practice according to what your vocal cords can handle. Don't rush to get results. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me."
"As for Candy, it's not a difficult song. There aren't any complicated techniques, and it doesn't demand much from your voice. I'll sing it for you first."
As she spoke, Tang Liuli glanced over the sheet music on the iPad, then tried singing a few lines softly.
Chu Yuanqing found it rather amazing. Onstage, Tang Liuli had a voice as ethereal as a mermaid's, with a melancholy, world-weary style that clashed considerably with Candy.
But right now, her voice was sweet and lively. Her performance was nearly as polished as the recording in Candy's MV, and even without the accompaniment, it still sounded perfectly fine.
Was this the skill of someone positioned as a lead singer?
After demonstrating the song once, Tang Liuli handed her the earphones and said:
"Listen to the song a few times, then try singing a couple of lines for me."
Chu Yuanqing blinked, put on the earphones, and listened for a while before singing a few lines herself. Her voice was highly distinctive, cool and clear with a hint of fiery sweetness. It tickled the ear and was especially pleasant to hear.
As expected, Tang Liuli commented:
"You made the right choice not to sing at your Initial Evaluation."
"Your voice is lovely, but you haven't had any vocal training. You're still at the most untrained stage, just singing in your natural voice. You can't control your pitch at the ends of phrases, and you can't produce notes properly in the middle register. Most importantly... you can't read music yet, can you?"
Chu Yuanqing didn't understand at first. It wasn't until Tang Liuli swiped the iPad over to the sheet music that she saw the five meaningless lines and all those fancy-looking notes, and sank into profound sadness.
Oh, right. Vocal music didn't just mean singing techniques. It also involved learning music theory.
Chu Yuanqing sighed inwardly and nodded to indicate that she couldn't read it.
Her initial impression of certain idols had been of people bouncing around onstage, lazily faking it with a half-open mic. It had seemed as though all you needed was a pretty face.
That was why she'd thought it would be easy to get through the auditions and start earning a salary.
But she hadn't realized idols had so much to learn. The basic dance and singing were already difficult enough, and they had to combine the two, not to mention all the other advanced techniques.
Was the stage... really something so captivating?
Seeing Chu Yuanqing staring into space, Tang Liuli assumed she was feeling troubled and anxious. Her heart softened, and she lowered her eyes, awkwardly making up an excuse:
"It's okay if you can't read it. I haven't looked at sheet music in ages, either. I was just about to add the numbered notation before reading it. I'll send you a copy when I'm done. It'll be really easy to understand."
Well, that clumsy lie could only fool Chu Yuanqing for now. If the viewers in the Live Broadcast Room saw it, the chat would probably fill with comments like "secretly in love," "she's so into her," and "I ship it," until Tang Liuli was so embarrassed she wanted to explode on the spot.
Chu Yuanqing didn't refuse.
The instructor was only responsible for teaching Candy. She certainly wouldn't waste everyone's time teaching vocal lessons at a kindergarten level. Better to study with this girl today than to be called out and embarrassed in class tomorrow.
So Tang Liuli started adding the numbered notation for her.
Meanwhile, Chu Yuanqing dug through the iPad for all sorts of beginner music theory materials and crammed them into her memory.
Although she had once been a perfect being, her blessings stacked to their limits, the price of correcting the Worldline had been too heavy. Debuffs piled onto her until she became ordinary.
As a result, she had never been a particularly fast learner.
But unlike before, the Life Form of a Magical Girl could not only slightly extend her dwindling lifespan, but also filter out some of the noise from the Sea of Truth.
This allowed her to direct more of the concentration that had been restrained and trapped for years toward the real world.
Simply put,
Chu Yuanqing could now enter a Flow State in certain areas.
For someone who had once listened to the gaps between all things with her soul and effortlessly cleaved a tsunami with the power to pinch a speck of dust, this state of complete immersion that improved efficiency wasn't a particularly advanced technique. But for her now, it was just right.
Chu Yuanqing didn't think much about it. She simply immersed herself in the sea of music theory, her expression earnest.
This forgotten Savior had accepted her own ordinariness long ago.
When she looked back on her former glory, all she could see were collapsed, broken walls. Even the few bricks she had managed to salvage could only improve her study efficiency a little. Still, she had always believed she had gained far more than she had lost.
Before Chu Yuanqing became the Savior, her wish had been to create a world that didn't need a Savior.
And this world, where every tragedy had been reversed, with no wars or Calamity Beasts, and with stages and idols, was the best gift of all.
Time passed,
Tang Liuli looked at the numbered notation she had finished marking on the iPad, stretched, then lifted her eyes to the view in the distance.
Chu Yuanqing sat at the desk, her back straight and her posture proper and refined. The profile the Creator seemed to have bestowed upon her was softened by the faint lamplight, giving her an air of holiness and quiet dignity.
Her thin, pink lips curved slightly upward. It was as if the focused gaze reflected not dry music theory, but the warm glow of countless homes, enough to fill anyone with joy.
How strange...
Just looking at this person somehow brought the taste of happiness to her.
Tang Liuli put away the iPad and tiptoed back to bed. She couldn't help turning over to keep looking at Chu Yuanqing's back. As she watched, her eyelids drooped, and sleepiness rolled in like the tide.
Through her hazy vision, Chu Yuanqing's profile looked gentle.
Tang Liuli slowly closed her eyes, and her consciousness sank into darkness.
Half asleep and half awake, the terrors of the past came surging toward her like a nest of snakes.
But Chu Yuanqing's presence was like a little stove warming red clay in the dead of winter, bubbling with the warmth of freshly brewed tea.
That quiet warmth brought her a peace she hadn't felt in a long time. Steady and unhurried, it drove away her fear and drew her soul into its embrace.
After so many years,
The girl wrapped in inferiority and fear fell asleep peacefully for the first time, held in a warmth as deep and weighty as the tide.
Volume One: 47. Xiao Shu, You Must Become the Moon.
The next day.
After washing up and getting dressed, Chu Yuanqing tidied her appearance in the mirror and checked the electronic clock. It was already six in the morning.
Although she had spent six hours studying music theory in a Flow State the night before and was seriously short on sleep, her skin and complexion still looked youthful and flawless. Even her energy seemed unaffected.
Tang Liuli was still fast asleep in the room.
Xie Qingxuan and Liang Xiaoxiao hadn't come back at all.
The former was easy to understand; her A-Class practice room came with its own bedroom.
As for the latter, she had probably been affected by the anxious atmosphere created by Flash Dance. She likely couldn't sleep even if she went back to the dorm without practicing, so she had simply trained all night.
Chu Yuanqing stepped outside. The corridors were utterly silent. She passed the hallway projection playing advertisements, and it wasn't until she reached the cafeteria that she saw a handful of contestants scattered around.
Most of them were in a hurry and had no interest in talking. They usually just grabbed a piece of bread and some milk, or packed a salad and boiled chicken breast, then left the cafeteria.
From this small glimpse, Chu Yuanqing could imagine just how hard the other contestants were pushing themselves.
After Dream Weaver Rabbit's motivational speech yesterday, the entire underground base had picked up the pace.
Everyone was caught up in an increasingly intense and antagonistic competitive atmosphere, pushed to whirl like spinning tops. It was as if the moment they stopped, they would become lonely cogs, abandoned where they stood.
Chu Yuanqing felt a little worried. Had Xiao Shu stayed up all night practicing, too?
No, her daughter was still underage!
Chu Yuanqing couldn't help reproaching herself. She should have reminded Xiao Shu when they parted yesterday. Even if she didn't have to drink a cup of warm milk at eight in the evening and get ready for bed, she still shouldn't stay up all night!
This was a matter of principle. The worries of a doting father grew heavier by the minute.
"Qingqing? I'll treat you to mashed potatoes!"
From far away, Chu Wangshu spotted the girl standing there in a daze. She hurried over and wrapped both arms around her slender waist like a koala.
The little girl's eyes darted around. Once she made sure that a certain Sakura Girl wasn't in sight, her smile widened.
Qingqing was mature, steady, and super cute. On top of that, they were clearly destined to meet!
A long time ago, someone had told her that everyone had only so much fate in their life. Whether it was a wonderful friendship or the partner best suited to them, there was only one chance. It was a bond they couldn't afford to miss, and they had to cherish every relationship.
So...
She wasn't going to let her friend get stolen away by some suspicious Sakura Girl. At the very least, she couldn't be the one who ended up left out!
Chu Yuanqing had no idea what was going through her daughter's head. Turning around with a serious expression, she looked at that adorable face, full of youthful vigor and collagen, then nodded in relief and said:
"Good. Remember to keep going to bed early and getting up early!"
Chu Wangshu blinked in confusion, but under some inexplicably powerful aura, she still nodded and agreed in a daze.
After that, they sat together for breakfast, shared the food they'd been given according to their evaluations, and chatted.
For friends of the same age, this was an utterly ordinary moment, trivial and commonplace. Only when it flashed through their minds at some point in the future would they realize, through the enduring power of nostalgia, how precious it had been.
But Chu Yuanqing treasured the opportunity right then and there.
Because it had been a long time since she'd sat across from her daughter and talked so peacefully.
Even now, the curse's erosion had nearly made her forget when their father-daughter relationship had started growing so strained.
Thinking carefully about it, it seemed to have begun around then.
On the day of his daughter's twelfth birthday, he broke his promise for the third time and left her alone in their narrow, dark rental apartment, sitting in front of a huge cake and blowing out the candles by herself.
At the time, Chu Yuanqing had been on his knees in a shadowy alley. The roar of cracking glaciers filled his ears. His soul had been dragged into a hell of malice and blades, while the hardships of his past flashed before him in a rush, and his heart twisted and spasmed painfully in his chest.
Drip, drip.
The blood he coughed up stained the carefully prepared birthday present in his arms red.
That was the first time he realized he didn't have much time left.
After that, the relationship between father and daughter began to change in subtle ways.
Chu Wangshu didn't care that he had broken his promise for the third time. What she cared about was how unfamiliar and numb her father seemed whenever he came 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 manage to live well on her own.
Their thoughts crossed and their hearts became prisons, making their relationship grow stiffer, step by step, until it reached this point.
Chu Yuanqing understood. Precisely because she understood, she held back and treasured the conversations they could have now.
At first, as they chatted, she felt nostalgic and even a little awkward.
But as the conversation continued, she gradually realized that unlike the impression she'd gotten when they first met, Xiao Shu wasn't as unreliable as she had imagined.
She was very outgoing with Chu Yuanqing, but knew how to keep a reasonable distance from the other contestants. She wasn't too warm or too cold, and had a young but already emerging sense of social boundaries.
And even under the oppressive atmosphere of Flash Dance's unorthodox approach, she had managed to stay composed, calmly assess her strengths and weaknesses, and use that to plan her training.
That part of her was just like when she had first started learning to dance: disciplined and earnest, with a restrained passion that could flare up with startling intensity.
During their conversation, she even talked about her short-term goals at Haidu Art University after being eliminated, as well as her plans for the rest of her life. Her gaze was clear and determined.
These were all things Chu Yuanqing, as "Chu Yuanqing," had never known.
But as Chu Yuanqing, she could know them and sincerely offer praise and affirmation.
All she could say was that Chu Wangshu wasn't just an honor student. She excelled in other areas, too—so much so that it hurt to see.
If it weren't for the strange connection between father and daughter, which had eased their social defenses at their first meeting, she might have been moved by her daughter's growth long ago.
Breakfast was over quickly.
Chu Wangshu reluctantly said goodbye and headed to the B-Class practice room to get ready for class.
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