"Comrade Hao Shuwen, how was my song?" Wang Yan stepped forward a few paces and asked with a smile.
"I'm just being realistic—the song really is good. Old Liao must have given you plenty of pointers, right? It's just that your singing is awful." Hao Shuwen acknowledged Wang Yan's "creative" ability, yet still haughtily found fault with it.
"You're just jealous of my talent. Old Liao didn't alter a single note of the lyrics or melody. So what if I sing badly? What I sing is emotion, all straight from the heart. You wouldn't understand that in this lifetime. As they say, 'Few are those who understand the music; when the strings break, who will listen?'..."
Wang Yan clasped his hands behind his back and shook his head, looking as though it was pointless to explain ice to a summer insect.
"Oh, listen to you putting on airs." Hao Shuwen punched him irritably.
Lin Dingding said from the side, "Wang Yan, I really didn't expect you to be so talented. What you wrote was wonderful." Her eyes seemed to speak, filled with admiration.
"Now you're praising him too. His tail will be sticking up into the sky from now on."
"You just can't stand seeing me do well." Wang Yan bumped Hao Shuwen with his shoulder, making her stagger, only to receive two solid punches in return. Bar ing his teeth, he said, "Comrade Lin Dingding really gets it—not only is she pretty, she says nice things too."
Lin Dingding smiled brilliantly. "I'm only being realistic too. Good is good, bad is bad."
"You two are complimenting each other now?" Xiao Suizi asked, both amused and exasperated. Then she asked, "So the song is completely finished? When will you rehearse it?"
"Old Liao really is skilled. The arrangement's already done.