Qin Yangyang stared blankly at Lin Jiang, taking a moment to process what he’d said.
"You mean, you’re going to sing for me? While playing an instrument yourself?"
"Is it that surprising?"
"The thing is, you don’t know how, do you? You’re not just going to strum and sing randomly, are you?"
Qin Yangyang sat cross-legged on the bed, looked at Lin Jiang, and said very seriously:
"But even if you do just strum and sing randomly, I’ll still be your biggest fan."
"Then pick a song."
"In that case..." Qin Yangyang thought for a moment and said:
"I want to hear Maomao’s ’Pasture City’."
"I don’t know that one. Pick another."
"Then ’Worries Away’. I like that one too."
"I can do that one."
Lin Jiang got his guitar, cleared his throat, and strummed the strings.
Huh?
He hadn’t even started singing yet, but after just a few notes, Qin Yangyang noticed something was off.
"Worries Away" was a song she loved, so she knew exactly what the intro should sound like.
Lin Jiang wasn’t just strumming randomly at all—it was the intro to "Worries Away"!
’He really knows how to play!’
"When you walk into this carnival, carrying all your dreams and aspirations..."
"Faces of all kinds with makeup of all kinds, no one remembers what you look like..."
Qin Yangyang: ???
Qin Yangyang’s big, dark eyes went wide as she listened, completely stunned.
’He can’t just play!’
’He can sing, too!’
’And most importantly, he’s so good at it!’
"A cup to the morning sun, a cup to the moonlight, awakening my yearning, softening the bitter study..."
"So I can fly against the wind without looking back, unafraid of rain in my heart or frost in my eyes..."
"A cup to my hometown, a cup to faraway places, guarding my kindness, urging me to grow..."
"So the roads north and south are no longer long..."
"And my soul is no longer adrift..."
When the song ended, Qin Yangyang was left utterly dumbfounded.
This was one of her most-played songs. Even though she wasn’t a good singer herself, as a dedicated fan, she was qualified to judge Lin Jiang.
’He sang with so much feeling!’
"I can’t believe you sing so well! You never told me before!"
"Mainly because you never asked."
Qin Yangyang’s eyes were full of adoration, and she excitedly slapped her thigh.
"Quick, quick, sing me another one."
As she spoke, she even took out her phone, ready to record.
"What do you want to hear?"
"Do you know ’A Journey Through Mountains and Rivers’?"
"I don’t know that one."
"What about ’Northeastern Folk Song’?"
"I can do that one."
Lin Jiang found the lyrics and began to sing and play the guitar.
Qin Yangyang listened, mesmerized. Having such a talented man made her feel proud.
"You’re just too amazing! I feel like you’re not any worse than a professional Singer."
Qin Yangyang looked at Lin Jiang and said:
"Did a lot of girls chase after you in college?"
"Of course. The girls at our school had pretty normal sexual orientations."
Qin Yangyang was bubbling with joy, feeling like she had found a real treasure.
"You’re right. If they didn’t like you, then there would be something wrong with them."
"This isn’t the time to talk about that." Lin Jiang put the guitar away, planning to give it to Tang Wan tomorrow.
"Then what should we talk about?"
"Didn’t someone say that if I could play, she’d let me do whatever I want tonight?"
Qin Yangyang’s face flushed red as she remembered what she had said to Lin Jiang at the mall.
"You were just setting a trap for me."
"Hey, hey, hey, it’s not right for you to say that. A person has to take responsibility for their words. You’re the one who brought this up first."
"Fine. Tonight, whatever you say goes."
"In that case, let’s have a go on the windowsill."
"Okay, but I have one condition."
"What condition?"
"You’re asking even though you already know."
"I really don’t know what you’re talking about."
"Stop playing dumb! It’s that thing you bought!"
A wicked smile crept across Lin Jiang’s lips.
"Let’s use both of them today..."
...
As usual, when Lin Jiang woke up, Qin Yangyang had already left.
He picked up his phone and saw a location message from Tang Wan.
Tang Wan: "President Lin, this is my home’s location. You can come over anytime."
Lin Jiang: "OK."
After replying, Lin Jiang went to wash up.
After washing up and getting dressed, he grabbed the guitar meant for Tang Wan, went out for a bite to eat, and then headed out.
Tang Wan’s home wasn’t far from the drama academy.
He had talked about this with Fang Jie before.
Tang Wan wasn’t from Zhonghai, so following the principle of proximity, she had rented a place next to the school.
When he arrived at Tang Wan’s home, Lin Jiang knocked on the door.
"Coming."
Tang Wan answered from inside and quickly opened the door.
She was dressed in athletic wear: pink yoga shorts and a loose white short-sleeved shirt. Her hair fell naturally, and she exuded a faint, feminine scent.
"President Lin, please come in."
Tang Wan found a pair of slippers for Lin Jiang and welcomed him inside.
The place wasn’t large, a two-bedroom apartment of just over 50 square meters. It was filled with many things, making it look a bit cluttered.
"The place is a little messy, please excuse the sight, President Lin."
"It’s perfectly fine. I estimate you won’t be living here for much longer anyway. You’ll have to upgrade to a bigger house soon."
"I have to thank you for giving me this opportunity, President Lin."
Tang Wan knew how to speak well, having mastered the essence of a professional employee.
"You’ve earned this through your own hard work. No need to be so formal," Lin Jiang said.
"I heard from Fang Jie that you can play the guitar, so I bought one for you. You can also record a guitar-only version of the song; the effect should be quite good."
"Thank you, President Lin."
Tang Wan quickly accepted it with both hands, not having expected Lin Jiang to give her a gift.
"You’re welcome. I gave you the key points yesterday. How’s your practice coming along?"
"Well..." Tang Wan tucked her hair back,
"I think it’s okay, but my knowledge in this area is a bit lacking, so I’m not sure if I’m actually singing it well."
"Sing it again for me."

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