The smile had yet to fade from Jiang Jinran's lips, and she looked utterly languid. "But it really is funny..."
As far as Jiang Jinran was concerned, there was nothing difficult about this song, but how had Shi Hui managed to make it sound so hilarious...
And this girl insisted on singing it several times. She had already been struggling to hold back.
Now, she really couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Do you know how hard this song is? If you tried singing it, you might not even be as good as Shi Hui!"
Someone indignantly spoke up on Shi Hui's behalf.
"She probably can't sing... Someone like her wouldn't have any artistic ability or talent..."
"Shi Hui, don't take it to heart. Jiang Jinran just has too much time on her hands. She's stirring up trouble and making noise."
Jiang Jinran pursed her lips and casually blurted out-
"Are you serious?"
"If I can't sing, then nobody can."
Seeing that confident, languid expression on her face, Shi Hui could only think how much she deserved a beating.
Ha, where on earth did she get that confidence?
Shi Hui had never heard Jiang Jinran sing. This girl couldn't even speak fluently, a loser who was no good at anything, yet now she actually dared to mock her like this, looking so full of herself...
Shi Hui clenched her fingers, anger churning endlessly in her heart.
"Really?" Although Shi Hui was furious inside, she didn't let it show. She merely tipped her chin up slightly. "Then why don't you sing it for us?"
Hearing Shi Hui speak, the others chimed in. "Exactly! If you're so confident, don't just talk-do something! Anyone can boast."
"She's probably tone-deaf... How does she have the nerve to laugh at Shi Hui? Our Shi Hui only struggled with a few parts. You probably couldn't sing a single line."
Watching the increasingly drawn-swords-and-bent-bows atmosphere, the teacher in charge could only shake her head helplessly, unable to say much.
After all, every one of these students came from wealth or influence. They weren't people she could afford to offend.
"Jiang Jinran, are you going to sing or not? If not, clamp that mouth of yours shut and stop ruining our mood!"
Jiang Jinran stared at them innocently. Then she rose from the sofa and walked to the middle of the classroom, tilting her head with a grin. "If I sing this song perfectly, what will you have to say?"
"Then I'll sincerely apologize!" someone said.
"If you really can sing it perfectly, I'll apologize too. The question is, can you?"
"All right. I'll hold you to that." Jiang Jinran cleared her throat. She had memorized the melody and lyrics after hearing the song just once. Her lips parted slightly, and the melody instantly spilled out.
For Jiang Jinran in her previous life, making a living hadn't been easy. She had needed to perform for money.
To survive, to earn money, she had mastered all eighteen arts of performance.
Of course, she also knew she was somewhat different-
Compared with others her age, she seemed more gifted...
Jiang Jinran's singing echoed through the spacious classroom. She looked utterly effortless, her expression calm and relaxed, her voice becoming lilting, ethereal notes that melodiously cleansed everyone's ears.
The high notes Shi Hui had never managed to sing properly came easily to Jiang Jinran.
The vocal runs Shi Hui struggled with were just as effortless for her.
Her tone was more pleasing, her singing more skillful and brimming with feeling, like a professional singer displaying her incomparable technique and beautiful, ethereal voice...
The entire room fell silent.
Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief. Shocked by Jiang Jinran's unexpected singing voice yet entranced by her song, they could only stand frozen, unsure what expression to make or what to say...
As the final note faded, Jiang Jinran finished the song amid everyone's silence.
"Done." She shrugged easily, her gaze gaining a slight edge as it shot straight toward the people beside Shi Hui. "So, where are your apologies?"
Jiang Jinran's words jolted everyone awake as if from a dream.
Everything just now had felt like one long dream, dreamlike and illusory, drawing them in so deeply they couldn't escape.
"You sing so well. Why haven't you joined the school choir?" The female teacher was the first to react. As though she had discovered a rare genius, her eyes sparkled with excitement.
The others, including Shi Hui, bit their lips guiltily without saying a word.
They didn't want to admit that Jiang Jinran sang well, nor did they want to apologize to her.
"I just sing for fun, so I haven't considered joining the choir," Jiang Jinran answered the teacher's question breezily.
She glanced at Shi Hui and the others. Knowing they couldn't swallow their pride and apologize, a faint trace of disdain flickered through Jiang Jinran's eyes.
These children, spoiled since childhood, knew only how to stand at the top of the pyramid and show those at the bottom their prejudice and contempt. Even when they knew they were wrong, they would never admit it...
"I'm going to the restroom." Jiang Jinran withdrew her gaze, unwilling to bother looking at them anymore, and turned to leave the classroom.
Glancing at the WC at the far end of the corridor, she walked toward it at an unhurried pace.
Meanwhile.
Seeing Jiang Jinran leave, Shi Hui hurried over to the recording equipment at the side-
She checked the equipment's recording switch. Sure enough, it was on.
"Shi Hui, what's wrong?" Seeing her rush over anxiously to check the equipment, the teacher thought something had gone wrong with it. "Is there a problem?"
Shi Hui didn't answer right away, busy checking the recording on the equipment instead.
Good.
The recorder had captured every word of Jiang Jinran's singing just now.
Because the room had been quiet, Jiang Jinran's singing was clear, without any background noise at all.
A gleam of excitement flashed in Shi Hui's eyes. She looked up at the teacher, visibly excited. "Teacher, I have a way to make that singing scene turn out perfectly..."
Everyone gathered around. The teacher looked at Shi Hui in confusion, and they all waited for her to continue-
What exactly was her plan?
"If I actually sing onstage in the finals, I definitely won't be able to make it perfect," Shi Hui said methodically. "But I can pretend to sing, just lip-sync, while we play Jiang Jinran's voice!"
"Her singing just now was recorded, and the sound quality is excellent. We can absolutely save it and use it."
Everyone's eyes widened in astonishment.
Shi Hui wanted to lip-sync in the finals?! And even use Jiang Jinran's voice to do it!
"This..." Shock rose in the teacher's eyes, and she began stumbling over her words. "B-but... if Jiang Jinran finds out we stole her voice..."
"Don't worry." Shi Hui looked completely assured. "We'll keep rehearsing as usual and make sure she doesn't notice what we're planning. All we have to do is use Jiang Jinran's voice in place of my singing onstage in the finals. That way, even if she doesn't agree, the wood will already have been made into a boat, and the water will flow into its channel. She won't be able to stop it at all."
This would not only solve the problem of Shi Hui never being able to sing it properly, but also allow her to use Jiang Jinran's lovely voice to dazzle everyone...
At that thought, Shi Hui couldn't help the corners of her lips curling upward.