Playing beautiful flute music was nothing more than Zeng Mu's own unrealistic fantasy.
The instant he blew air through his lips, the bamboo flute produced a horribly off-key sound, like a porcupine's cry coming from a crow's beak. Abrupt, clashing, and discordant, it was not music at all, but noise.
The moment the sound came out, Zeng Mu knew he had botched it. He glanced at the others and saw astonishment on every seated student's face. They clearly could not believe he had made such an elementary mistake.
Xiao Wan'er beside him looked equally surprised. Could he really be this clumsy? He was supposed to be an excellent flutist hired by the Private School Director, so why had he started off with a basic mistake only a beginner would make?
Though that was what she thought, the students were still present. Voicing her true feelings would only make the situation more awkward.
Standing in the corner, she could only say gently, "It's all right. Please don't be nervous. Just give us a little demonstration of your flute skills."
Zeng Mu forced a bitter smile. Again?
The children's gazes put enormous pressure on him. With no other choice, Zeng Mu hesitated for a few seconds, then brought the bamboo flute back to his lips. He drew a deep breath and released it from his lower abdomen, up through his throat and out between his lips. The air entered the flute's hole, circulated within it, and emerged as a musical sound.
"Fff..." It sounded like a cat's warning hiss.
The whole room fell silent. Even the wind by the window briefly stopped, as though it, too, felt embarrassed by the invisible awkwardness.
A dozen seconds later, Xiao Wan'er walked over and questioned Zeng Mu with an interrogating look and tone. "You're not