Chapter 164

Chapter 164 Guitar Medley

Mei Fang and Lin You Xi stayed outside for a long time before returning to the auditorium, making Xia Yuan, who had been waiting alone in line, somewhat anxious. Seeing the two of them arrive, she hurriedly called them over.

“The next one is us, let’s get ready and go in!”

“Okay.”

After coming in, Lin You Xi hugged Xia Yuan. “Let’s do our best together.”

“Okay, let’s do our best.”

Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi exchanged a few words, then made a face at Mei Fang behind Lin You Xi.

The two of them then entered the interview room inside the small auditorium. Mei Fang waited outside for about 10 minutes before Xia Yuan came out holding a guitar with Lin You Xi.

The two of them were chatting happily and looked very joyful.

“I passed the selection with You Xi!”

“Turns out they notify right away on the spot? The ones who come in later won’t be at a disadvantage?”

Mei Fang was surprised. “Won’t those who come in later be at a disadvantage?”

“Well… I think the judges have their own thoughts? One of the judges is actually our special talent orchestra instructor, she’s really nice. Afang, you definitely have nothing to worry about.”

At this moment, a senior girl in a high school uniform walked out of the room. “Next, Mei Fang from Class 5 can come in.”

“Alright.”

Mei Fang was given a pat on the shoulder by both Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi to boost his morale, then he carried the guitar and followed the senior girl into the classroom.

Even though he was now a millionaire, Mei Fang still maintained his student-like demeanor at school. This was his first time performing guitar and singing in front of people other than Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi, which naturally made him somewhat nervous.

The judges on stage were all teachers from the school, mostly music and art teachers, young and old, so their tastes should be quite diverse.

Seeing Mei Fang carrying a guitar, the judges started discussing among themselves.

A teacher looked at Mei Fang’s program list, then looked up at him and said, “Student, you’re also going to perform guitar and sing, right?”

“Yes, teacher,” Mei Fang added, “I wrote the lyrics and composed the music myself.”

“Oh, original work, that’s great. It’s just like the one before… Xia Yuan, right? She’s pretty impressive too.”

At this moment, a young and beautiful female teacher reminded him, “It’s Xia Yuan… Student, don’t be nervous, just relax and start performing. Do you need any accompaniment?”

“Well… I’ll just play and sing with the guitar.”

After a brief explanation, Mei Fang looked straight ahead.

There were many judges in the audience, and he tried to remain calm. Gently strumming the guitar strings, he thought of the sweet smiles of Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi.

…

When Mei Fang finished singing and opened his eyes, he noticed that the judges’ reactions varied.

Younger female teachers liked Mei Fang’s original song, clapping lightly with a smile after he finished.

However, the older teachers frowned, looking rather displeased.

One of the older teachers with glasses and gray hair spoke up.

“Student, your talent is impressive, but your original song… seems a bit unhealthy. Isn’t this a love song?”

“Teacher He, I believe love songs as a theme for musical compositions shouldn’t be discouraged.”

A female teacher nearby disagreed. “If a student has such remarkable talent, why not let them showcase it? Isn’t that great?”

“This… how can it be good? This… it’s inappropriate…”

“We music teachers teach students songs, including love songs, don’t we?”

“But what those teachers do isn’t great either, but those are existing songs that parents often listen to.”

“If this student claims to have written it himself, performing it on stage would reflect poorly on the school. Outsiders might think we support students engaging in early relationships and complain to the education bureau…”

The teachers argued, leaving Mei Fang somewhat troubled.

He had always been careful about selecting songs, but this “I’m Willing” was chosen to dedicate to Yuan Yuan and You Xi. Changing the song at this point would be a great disappointment, and there wouldn’t be enough time to practice another one.

So, he stepped forward and joined the conversation.

“A few judges, I’ve actually watched videos of past autumn arts festivals at our school.”

“I saw many love songs performed, even duets, so I didn’t think it was a problem. I feel our school has an open and inclusive atmosphere.”

“But this year, is there a new rule? I didn’t see this requirement in the program list. If the judges change their minds at the last minute, wouldn’t that be too arbitrary?”

“No, it’s not that… We don’t oppose love songs, but you are special, your song is self-composed…”

An elderly teacher pondered. “If such a song is allowed on stage, it might not be good, as if we were encouraging the creation of love songs.”

Mei Fang nodded. “If that’s the reason, I don’t need to emphasize that it’s an original song.”

After all, it wasn’t originally his creation, so he didn’t feel wronged.

The elderly teacher hesitated for a while and then continued.

“Additionally, the autumn arts festival will be held in the largest auditorium at the school. Because the venue is spacious, if only the guitar performance is presented, the effect will be average. So, if you could add some accompaniment, it would elevate your performance. Just the part without chords is fine.”

Accompaniment…

Mei Fang nodded. “I’ll try to create something.”

“Can you compose it yourself? That’s really impressive!”

“Not exactly… I might need to ask a friend for help. For now, I can’t give you a definite answer.”

Mei Fang could only hope Xia Yuan’s composition skills could help, but if necessary, he could hire a professional team.

“That’s also great.”

The female teacher encouraged him. “Don’t be too disheartened, our school supports students’ all-around development. Your talent will never be overlooked!”

But the elderly teacher seemed particularly concerned about Mei Fang’s lyrics and composition. He urged Mei Fang:

“You should learn more from Xia Yuan. The two original songs she performed at the summer camp were uplifting and praised family affection, fitting the students’ demeanor.”

“Don’t you know her lyrics? They were truly wonderful… By the way, are you a specialized student? Have you heard them at the evening party?”

“Well, I have heard them, teacher. Xia Yuan and I are friends.”

Mei Fang smiled slightly and explained further. “And those two songs were actually written by me for her.”

When Mei Fang said this, it immediately sparked a discussion among the judges. A middle-aged female teacher stood up directly. Mei Fang remembered that she was usually the music teacher who trained the music talents in the afternoon.

“So you’re the friend Xia Yuan mentioned! I’ve always wanted to meet you. Since you two are friends, why not perform together?”

“Perform together?”

“Yes, a guitar medley, it fits perfectly, doesn’t it? Only you two have guitar performances listed…”

The middle-aged female teacher slapped her forehead. “Right, let Xia Yuan perform her two original songs with you. Organize a guitar medley, playing five songs in total, avoiding repetition. To maintain consistency, it’s better to include the accompaniment for the other two songs, right?”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier? Your lyrics are excellent!”

The elderly teacher’s tone softened after hearing this. He slowly stood up and said,

“Mei… Mei Yuan, remember to write fewer love songs in the future, and focus more on the talents displayed in the first two songs. Your future prospects are limitless!”

The young female teacher reminded him with a smile, “Teacher He, your change of heart is a bit quick… Also, his name is Mei Fang, not Mei Yuan. The other one is Xia Yuan.”

Mei Fang watched the teachers arranging the program plans for them, feeling somewhat overwhelmed.

“Um… composing the accompaniment for three original songs will take a lot of time. I need to confirm with my friend if we can finish it on time.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry too much. If needed, you can also ask me for help!”

The young female teacher smiled. “My name is Chen. I currently teach music to several second-year classes. If you have any questions about composition, you can visit me in the office building. Our office is on the third floor, Room 303…”

“Thank you, Teacher Chen! We will visit if needed.”

Because Mei Fang spent a lot of time discussing the program arrangements with the judges, it was already half an hour when he came out. Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi almost simultaneously rushed over, carefully asking about Mei Fang’s progress.

“Afang… How did it go? Why did it take so long… Did the judges make things difficult for you? Is it because of the love song topic…”

“There’s a bit of complexity here, let me explain slowly.”

Thus, Mei Fang informed Xia Yuan about the judges’ suggestion that he and Xia Yuan, Lin You Xi organize a guitar medley, and to prepare the accompaniment for “I’m Willing,” “In That Not Too Faraway Place,” and “Recalling Lushan.”

Xia Yuan was initially happy about performing on stage with Mei Fang, but upon hearing that they needed to compose the accompaniment for three songs within a week or two, she frowned.

“Don’t worry too much about this, Yuan Yuan. If it’s really too late, we can find someone online to do it. Professional teams can probably finish quickly if we pay enough.”

“No, that’s not acceptable! This is the first time the three of us are performing together on stage. It must have meaning if we compose the accompaniment ourselves! I can call Xiao Yu for help. The two of us working together should be able to manage…”

“Don’t push yourself too hard, this will take a lot of effort…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine! I’ve been learning composition for so long, creating accompaniment music shouldn’t be too difficult!”

Rarely could she show off her abilities in front of Afang, she couldn’t disappoint Afang’s expectations.

Otherwise, she might struggle to find her place in the game development at Ximilu Studio…

Xia Yuan was determined.

Damn, I planned to go to bed at 2 AM, but I couldn’t sleep due to unfinished writing. I got up at 6:49 AM to finish this chapter.

End of Chapter