Chapter Thirty-Eight: If the Moon Had Not Come

As luck would have it, nobody expected Wang Chuanjun to choose Xiao Gang’s "Winter’s Secret."

This was the very same song that Meng Ziyi had previously performed with her uniquely "off-the-charts" rapping style—she had even helped "rearrange" it. If Xiao Gang were to hear it, he would surely be moved to tears. *That was a fantastic performance! You’ve sung it this time, so you’d better not do it again!*

The prelude to the song drifted slowly through the air, and Wang Chuanjun began to sing.

"Warming up memories~ memories without scent~"
"In the sunlight~ still feeling cold~"
"..."
"If I say~ I truly love you~"
"Who will clean up~ those shattered friendships~"
"If I hold back this secret~ the warm winter~ will remain out of reach~"
"..."

*Shocked Pikachu face.jpg*

Everyone was stunned; nobody had realized Wang Chuanjun had such a fine voice. He sang the song with incredible flavor, infusing it with deep emotion rather than relying on excessive technical prowess. That is the essence of Xiao Gang’s music—technique is secondary; injecting soul into the singing is what matters.

"The warm winter~ will remain out of reach~"
"Should have missed it~ and buried the winter’s secret..."

*Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!*

Thunderous applause erupted at the scene.

"Brother Jun! You’re so cool!" Xu Xiu cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted.

"Wang Chuanjun! Wang Chuanjun!!!"

"Oh my god! That was amazing, you sang so well!" Meng Ziyi offered her sincere praise. She felt that Wang Chuanjun’s performance was on par with her own. For her to give such an assessment, it was certain that Wang Chuanjun had truly performed brilliantly.

Wang Chuanjun grinned and bowed to the crowd: "Thank you, everyone! I hope you all have a great time tonight!"

With that, he scurried back with a sense of mischievous stealth, looking like a Japanese-style hermit. As he passed Xu Xiu, he didn't forget to point a finger at him.

"This is all your fault. I went up there without any preparation at all."

"No preparation is the best preparation. That’s the only way to have fun. Tell me, didn’t it feel great?"

"Great! It felt absolutely fantastic!"

Wang Chuanjun’s smile stretched almost to his ears. He had expected to be resistant, but the moment he stepped onto the stage, he felt no hesitation at all—it was actually quite fun! Especially once he started singing, he felt a profound sense of exhilaration. It was a spiritual refreshment, a feeling of being light as air.

"Everyone has seen Teacher Wang Chuanjun’s performance, but does anyone feel like something is missing?" Wang Sulong continued to host.

Lamu chimed in cooperatively: "Oh? And what might that be?"

Wang Sulong suppressed a laugh. "Why, it’s our Tao Huawu Nightingale, of course. She hasn’t performed for us yet. Do you all want to hear her?"

"Yes!"
"We want to!"
"..."
"No!"

Among the many voices, those two words rang out the loudest, like a stone thrown into a silent lake. The voice naturally belonged to Xu Xiu, prompting Meng Ziyi to swat him. "What are you doing? It’s not like I’m singing alone! Did you forget you’re supposed to duet with me?"

That sentence shut Xu Xiu up immediately. If she hadn't brought it up, he would have almost forgotten!

*Holy crap!*
I actually have to duet with her!

"Next, let’s bring out our Tao Huawu Nightingale, Meng Ziyi, and her partner, Xu Xiu!" Wang Sulong announced with passion.

Xu Xiu walked out with a hesitant, awkward gait, whereas Meng Ziyi strode onto the stage with confidence, even reaching out to pull Xu Xiu along. Once the two were on stage, everyone’s eyes turned toward Xu Xiu. Their faces were full of the expectation of watching a show, and perhaps a touch of schadenfreude. People these days—this crowd was full of nothing but troublemakers.

Xu Xiu gripped the microphone and spoke softly: "Hello everyone, I’m Xu Xiu, I like... no, I’d like to bring you an original song of mine, 'If the Moon Doesn't Come.'"

As his voice fell, the music’s prelude began to drift, and the two quickly settled into their roles.

Xu Xiu started first:
"The wind blows over the mountain~ the boat docks at the shore~"
"The scenery~ taking it in bit by bit~"

His magnetic voice was captivating from the very first note. They never imagined that when Xu Xiu got serious, he would be like this. The voice was far too charming; how could someone with such vocal talent claim they couldn't sing?

When it was Meng Ziyi’s turn, the style shifted abruptly.

"I walk~ toward the north~ you go~ toward the south~"
"The story~ oh! Turning page by page~"

She missed every note, dragging the melody completely off-key. The guests in the audience were struggling to hold back their laughter, terrified that a chuckle would shatter the beautiful atmosphere. But the online viewers were unaffected, their keyboards long since itching for action.

"Ah??? Is something wrong with my ears, or was Xu Xiu’s opening just too stunning? Why do I feel like Meng Ziyi’s singing is... a bit hard to listen to!"
"Buddy, don’t doubt yourself. Sister Meng is definitely holding him back. The Tao Huawu 'Nightingale' never jokes!"
"Wait, is this really Xu Xiu’s song? Putting Sister Meng aside, this song is actually good!"
"To be fair, Xu Xiu is quite serious when he’s not trolling."

While the audience was buzzing with discussion, the voices of Xu Xiu and Meng Ziyi continued to drift into every corner of the seaside.

Meng Ziyi stood quietly in the center of the stage, her eyes slightly narrowed as she sang slowly:
"So annoying~ working overtime until so late again~ you board the empty subway, it’s already the last train~"
"So annoying~ so in love but we have to part~ I can’t make sense of this relationship~"
"So annoying~ reaching my ideals is so hard~ but I’m still so unwilling to give up~ how can I embrace the mundane~"
"..."

This was actually rap! And it was Meng Ziyi’s rap!

The guests and the audience were stunned. Although it wasn't exactly tuneful, it perfectly conveyed the mood of the lyrics. In plain terms: it suited her perfectly!

At this point, the people in the audience stopped their joking. They realized this song by Xu Xiu was not simple. Moreover, the fact that Xu Xiu was able to arrange it so perfectly for Meng Ziyi suggested he possessed strong skills in arrangement and adaptation.

As the saying goes, one move from an expert shows their worth.

Wang Sulong’s eyes lit up. This was a very strong song. He had previously thought Xu Xiu only knew how to rap; he never expected the kid to be such a talented songwriter. And even if his singing skills were a bit lacking, his vocal quality was enough to make up for it.

The two of them had been acting mysterious and running off to the beach, and everyone had assumed they were off on a honeymoon. Turns out, they had quietly cooked up a song like this. It was both a surprise and a delight. It was like the most mischievous student in class, who never liked to study, suddenly scoring high on an exam. The homeroom teacher would definitely suspect the student of cheating on someone else’s homework. If Wang Sulong hadn't heard such melodies and lyrics before, he would have suspected Xu Xiu of plagiarism.

The shock and surprise Xu Xiu brought him were simply too great. *I never expected you to be this kind of person!*

*If you had this kind of talent, why didn't you say so earlier? Why bother with the comedy? The comedy lane is already too crowded!*

*Please, don't come over here!*