Ch 26: After My Mother Returned to the Rich Family

As the host finished speaking, the music teacher sitting in the audience nearly knocked over his water cup. He stared blankly at the stage for a while, then turned to look at Yang Ruogu, trying to make one last attempt, “Teacher, what instrument did he say would accompany the performance just now?”

The music teacher from the second school had studied under Yang Ruogu when he was fifteen. After a few years abroad, feeling exhausted, he returned to the second school to become a laid-back, retired music teacher.

Anyway—

He had been described as constantly sick by some of the homeroom teachers.

Yang Ruogu, too, hadn’t snapped out of it. He thought that Ruan Cha would just perform with the erhu!

After a long while, he replied softly, “Erhu, suona, saxophone.”

The music teacher seemed to have lost his soul, staring blankly at the stage as he watched the students orderly setting up the scene. He slowly stretched out his hand and sluggishly covered his ears, “They’re simply torturing my ears!”

Once the suona started, who could compete?

That force, it could go straight to the top of the head.

“Fu Chen playing the saxophone? Can he play it higher than the suona? Does the saxophone even have a chance to stand out?”

Hearing this, Yang Ruogu fiddled with the small tuft of white hair tied on top of his head, “What’s the point of playing it higher than the suona? Maybe he’s just playing the accompaniment.”

With the coordination of the saxophone, the elegance of the suona could fully be showcased.

The music teacher: “…”

Teacher, do you not feel guilty when you say this?

And it’s not just the saxophone, what about the actors? Can their voices cover up the suona???

Not only the judges’ seats but also the parents’ area began to buzz with discussions. They raised their children to focus on Western music, with only a few learning traditional instruments like guzheng and pipa, and the erhu was truly rare, let alone the suona…

Besides, isn’t the suona typically used in funerals and weddings?

Among the parents, only one middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes had a brief look of surprise on his stern, handsome face. He hadn’t expected to hear Fu Chen’s name in a program like this, especially in a show that sounded quite inappropriate.

Liang Qianling, listening to the announcement, sneered, “The third one, your Ruan Cha is really multi-talented.”

Helplessly, her sarcasm hit the mark, and Wei Jiao’s antenna didn’t quite catch it. She laughed, “Of course, my Cha Cha has been quick to learn anything since she was little.”

She’s just a bit too lazy, like her and Feifei, but being lazy happily, that’s pretty good.

Liang Qianling: “…”

I’m mocking you! Mocking!!!

In the backstage area, waiting for the task results, Ren Qingqing almost laughed out loud when she heard the instrument Ruan Cha would be using. She muttered to herself, “Taking a suona and erhu on stage, do you think the music teacher will like it?”

But then again, it made sense. Ruan Cha didn’t understand the significance of the arts festival. As long as she ranked in the top three, her beauty value would be extracted.

The artistic task is indeed not bad, and from now on, Ruan Cha would no longer be in her way!

Feeling confident that she could complete the task, Ren Qingqing looked around but didn’t find Xu Shen. She began to feel uneasy, fearing that she might have entangled him too much, making him frustrated.

She decided to stop watching Ruan Cha’s performance and went straight out of the auditorium to find Xu Shen. Who knows, by the time she meets Xu Shen, she might have already gained 2 points in beauty value. By then, even if Xu Shen got mad, he probably wouldn’t be able to stay angry.

In the early stages, Xu Shen treated Ruan Cha specially, didn’t he just care about her face?

While people were still puzzled, the stage setup had already been completed. Hua Zhonghao and the other five sat in a row along the long table. Then, leaning back in their chairs like elderly men, Hua Zhonghao fluently said in English, “I am mathematics!”

Almost simultaneously, a melancholy erhu melody resonated through the auditorium, sorrowful and plaintive, lingering in the heart, creating a suffocating atmosphere.

But when paired with the six students on stage lamenting their disdain for their subjects while crying… it oddly transformed into a bizarre, absurd kind of joy.

Ruan Cha, dressed in her school uniform, sat on a stool at the corner of the stage. Her movements were steady, completely free of the nervousness one might expect from performing for the first time at the arts festival. In the middle of the performance, she even had time to look up, her eyes meeting her mother’s. The two shared a smile.

Her mom knew best—she and her dad had earned the nickname “Erhu Duo” in their small town!

Some students in the audience were so moved by the performance that their eyes reddened.

Oh my god, the personified six subjects are expressing their true feelings! They really hate studying! Isn’t being a bad student beautiful?

The audience quickly understood—it was a performance adapted from Stepmother’s Tea Party into Subjects’ Tea Party. The six subjects—language, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and foreign languages—were personified, each explaining how they hated themselves, feeling unappreciated, and not wanting to make things difficult for students!

The sound of the erhu wasn’t loud enough to completely drown out the actors’ lines, but the combination worked surprisingly well.

The music teacher, who had been covering his ears, unconsciously lowered his hands and his eyes lit up. He said to Yang Ruogu, sitting next to him, “Teacher, Ruan Cha’s erhu playing, while not particularly skillful, really captures the emotion. The rich emotions easily draw you into the atmosphere.”

Not just the music teacher, but the parents were also drawn into the emotion. Each of them couldn’t help but wonder if they had been pushing their children too hard. But before they could ponder further, the music on stage suddenly changed!

Yang Ruogu suddenly understood—he knew that little girl would stir things up!

At first, there was a soothing saxophone solo, elegant and tender, pulling listeners in and making their ears pregnant with delight!

However, Ruan Cha swiftly jumped off the high stool, holding a suona, and the bright, resounding sound of the suona shot up to the sky!

The song Happiness Like a God abruptly dragged the gentlemanly saxophone into a rebellious vibe.

The audience was jolted, almost not realizing where they were. The wild emotional swings felt like riding a roller coaster.

The heart was shaken to a halt, and a sense of euphoria flooded the mind.

In that instant, they seemed to understand why it was said that the suona could be played from birth until the seventh day. The tune of Happiness Like a God felt like a mesmerizing background music, echoing around them.

Why was it called mesmerizing?

Because some people couldn’t help but start humming along.

The actors on stage quickly cleared the set and surrounded Ruan Cha, who stood in the center of the stage. Her school uniform told the audience that the one who had been mocking the subjects was—finally revealed!

The personified subject actors surrounded Ruan Cha, each of them taking turns complaining about Ruan Cha’s disdain for their subjects, but they were all useful! From the future to the present, from aerospace to daily life, they applied to everything!

The parents listening nodded—yes, learning seriously is so useful!

A musical number suddenly educated everyone in the room on the applications and contributions of several subjects in their respective fields.

As for Ruan Cha:

An impassioned, melodious suona performance—”Luo luo luo.”

A second, even more high-pitched and powerful suona blast—”Hm hm hm.”

With just one suona, she soared into the sky!

Adding to it all was Ruan Cha’s deadpan expression while playing, perfectly embodying the modern-day archetype of an unbothered “bad student.” Parents who loved pushing their kids to study couldn’t help but clench their fists. Looking at this mirror image of their own children, their hands began to itch with frustration!

As for the saxophone, Fu Chen had already resigned himself to the background. He was there to accompany Ruan Cha and create contrast, and besides, even if he blew his lungs out, it probably wouldn’t overpower the suona.

He looked up at Ruan Cha on stage, her confident and radiant demeanor catching his eye. His thin lips curled into a faint smile.

Just when everyone thought Ruan Cha had emerged victorious in this “battle,” the actors on stage changed their expressions. Gone were their earlier pitiful looks; they transformed into villains, dripping with sarcasm.

“Can’t solve a math problem? You’re stupid, you’re lazy, and you don’t even realize it!”

“Can’t do an experiment? You’re idle, you’re slack, and you don’t even try!”

If the earlier subjects felt like loving parents worried about their children’s studies, the latter turned into indifferent step-parents who couldn’t care less whether they learned or not.

Ruan Cha, under their questioning, stumbled backward, barely holding onto her suona. Just then, the saxophone returned, like a doting parent reassuring their child.

When the suona sounded again, it transformed from a little rascal into a refined gentleman. The subjects dropped their accusatory tones, and, in a predictable yet heartwarming twist, everything culminated in a happy ending.

Happiness Like a God—joyful at the start and at the end.

The simple suona carried the audience’s emotions from start to finish, seamlessly tying everything together.

By the time the performance ended, the parents and students alike were left wanting more. At the start, they had worried about their ears; by the end, they were concerned for Ruan Cha’s lung capacity.

“Ahhh, Ruan Cha!”

“Keep going! Don’t stop!”

“Ruan Cha, keep playing the suona, and we’ll go study right away, ahhh!”

Throughout the performance, Fu Chen played his part as a quiet green leaf, calmly supporting Ruan Cha without stealing the spotlight. With only a side profile visible to the audience, nearly all the students in the audience directed their cheers toward the star of the second half—Ruan Cha.

The students clapped enthusiastically. For the first time, they had seen someone make the suona—a seemingly rough and comedic instrument—so spectacular!

Hua Zhonghao, who had been watching the entire performance, broke down and mock-cried while hugging Sun Feng, “Even dressed in our elaborate royal costumes, we still can’t outshine Ruan Cha in her school uniform. Wuwuwu!”

Since the first rehearsal, the English club members had been utterly convinced of Ruan Cha’s talent, but the live performance was even more electrifying. Who else could turn the suona into a vehicle for rock music with such hypnotic energy?

Especially in the second half—it made Hua Zhonghao feel guilty. Why had he even tried to give this little girl a hard time? So what if someone didn’t study? Why couldn’t she just be a happy slacker?

Well… no, that wouldn’t work.

Word had it from Class 10 that Ruan Cha had boldly claimed she’d take first place in the grade rankings. Clearly, she wasn’t interested in the slacker lifestyle.

Ruan Cha: The victim of epic-level injustice!!!

Sun Feng, irritated, pushed Hua Zhonghao aside. “Move, move! You’re blocking my view of Cha Cha!”

The members of the English club didn’t mind the students below shouting Ruan Cha’s name. After all, in the musical, everyone’s status was equal—there were no leads or supporting roles. On the contrary, their performance had been elevated significantly by the unique, emotion-stirring background music.

Even as the musical ended, the audience’s emotions were far from calm. It was a good thing they hadn’t brought earplugs!

Offstage, Ruan Cha stretched lazily and exhaled deeply. “Oh my, when I was blowing the suona on stage, I almost couldn’t hold back and wanted to jump off.”

Playing the suona was exhilarating—no wonder her dad always acted like he’d had a few bottles of baijiu after playing.

“Have some water.” Fu Chen handed her a bottle of mineral water. “You did really well just now, even better than during rehearsals.”

Not only had she performed well, but she had also managed to calmly redirect the audience’s attention when one of the club members stumbled, effectively covering for the missed lines.

“Thanks.”

Ruan Cha was about to twist off the cap when she realized it was already loosened by Fu Chen. She took a few sips and looked up at him. “Do you think we’ll win first place?”

Hearing this, Fu Chen raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You’re… nervous?”

To him, Ruan Cha didn’t seem like someone who got nervous—whether it was for exams or the arts festival, she was always the same.

Ruan Cha sighed softly, twirling the water bottle in one hand, watching the water slosh around inside. “Of course, I’m nervous. Whether we win or not determines if I can wake up tomorrow morning still looking good.”

Of course, she also thought that if they lost and the system deducted her beauty points, she’d immediately drag Ren Qingqing down with her. “Hmph.”

Fu Chen reached out and touched her arm, frowning slightly. “Not feeling well?”

“Just a little headache.” Blame it on the murderous intent she’d just conjured up.

“We’ll take first place,” Fu Chen said, then smiled faintly. “Before we stepped off stage, I saw the music teacher wiping his eyes. He’s a very emotional person and clearly values feelings over technique when it comes to music.”

Besides, Fu Chen wanted to say, Ruan Cha had done exceptionally well on stage. That level of immersion and joy in the moment was something he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

“Believe in yourself,” he added. Then, pointing at herself, Ruan Cha corrected him, “No, I should say, I believe in myself.” Since they were the last music act to perform, the scores would be announced within half an hour.

Just as she finished speaking, the emotionless system voice chimed in abruptly: “Ding! 2.0 priority evaluation result program initiated. Associated target musical score: 98.9 points. Host’s ensemble piece score: 88.6 points (Music teacher’s comment: Emotion lacked depth, and performance was overshadowed by collaborators). Task failed! Task failed! Task failed!”

Ruan Cha: What the hell? Is this lousy system malfunctioning out of spite?

“Due to the host’s score being more than 10 points lower than the associated target for the second time, 1 point will be deducted from the host’s total score along with a negative backlash x1. 1 point of beauty value will be stripped immediately!”

Ruan Cha: “!!!”

Hahahahaha, Ren Qingqing, karma really came for you this time!

Even if the suona couldn’t send you to heaven, it sure could make you cry!!!