This humble Taoist priest wants to take the college entrance exam.

Chapter 246 The Investor and the Director Are About to Fight (One Update Today)
Time flies, and Saturday is here again.

As always, I have to attend classes.

Thanks to her sister, Li Wanyin brought a loving lunch today, and Chen Shi'an and the two girls gathered together in the cafeteria again.

Wow! What a feast! Sister Wanyin is so kind~~!

"~~~"

After eating in the cafeteria for a week, Wen Zhixia and Lin Mengqiu's eyes lit up when they finally got to enjoy such a delicious and lovingly prepared lunch from their older sister.

Sometimes I even think that having such a caring older sister at home, and living together would be really nice...

Pshaw! What nonsense!

Okay, even if Sister Wanyin is acting strangely, she's benefiting from the Taoist priest's influence and enjoying her sister's kindness, so it's really hard to feel any hostility towards her...

Chen Shi'an opened all the lunchboxes with a click and placed the fragrant dishes on the table. The two girls, being sensible, one went to get chopsticks and a spoon, and the other went to get a bowl to serve the soup.

Since it was a rare occasion for us to get together for a meal, we started talking about the school anniversary arts performance.

"Taoist priest, have you decided what song we'll sing together?"

"Didn't I ask you to decide? I don't listen to many songs, so Xiaozhi can sing whatever she wants."

"How about we sing 'You Were Once a Teenager' together?"

Upon hearing Wen Zhixia's words, Lin Mengqiu raised an eyebrow, made no comment, and focused on eating.

"You Were Once a Teenager?"

"Hmm, have you ever heard of Taoist priests?"

"I don't know. I've heard many of these songs, but I don't know their names or how they're sung."

Wen Zhixia coughed lightly twice, then hummed a couple of lines softly:

Many years ago~

"You were once a simple young man."

Falling in love with someone~

"Aren't you afraid to dedicate your entire life to it?"

The girl hummed softly, and the sound didn't carry out in the noisy cafeteria environment, but Chen Shi'an and Lin Mengqiu, who were eating with her in the corner, could hear it clearly.

Having known this annoying cicada for so long, this was the first time Lin Mengqiu had heard her sing. She knew that Wen Zhixia liked listening to music. Back when they were deskmates in the first year of high school, this annoying cicada would secretly wear headphones every evening self-study session to listen to music while studying.

Surprisingly, she sings quite well...not bad at all.

Lin Mengqiu blinked, but remained silent and offered no comment.

Chen Shi'an readily put down his chopsticks and clapped lightly.

"The little cicada sings so beautifully."

"whee."

Feeling pleased with the praise, Wen Zhixia leaned forward again as she sat opposite Chen Shi'an and said, "Taoist priest, how about we sing this together?"

"sure."

Can you sing it?

"Hmm, you should be able to learn it after a little practice. I've heard that line you just sang before, but I only know the name of the song after you told me about it."

"Then sing me a line too!"

"It's time to eat."

"hurry up."

Seeing that Wen Zhixia was clamoring to hear it, and even Lin Mengqiu, who was standing to the side, looked over with interest, Chen Shi'an simply hummed the line that Wen Zhixia had just hummed again.

The same lyrics and melody, but sung in different voices, create completely different feelings.

Wen Zhixia's voice sounds youthful and sweet, while Chen Shi'an's voice sounds more story-like.

This was also the first time the two girls had heard Chen Shi'an sing. Although it was only a short line, their eyes lit up when they heard it.

Lin Mengqiu blinked and finally spoke up to give her evaluation:
"It sounds good."

"Taoist priest, you sing so well! Sing a few more lines, sing a few more lines!"

"I'm eating. I've only heard snippets of it; I'll learn it later."

"Okay~"

"So how will we sing together then? Will we sing the whole song together, or will you sing a part and I sing a part?"

"There will be lyrics for the chorus, I'll divide the lyrics and copy them down for you later."

"it is good."

Since it was a song to be performed at the school's arts festival, love songs or similar tunes wouldn't be appropriate. Wen Zhixia spent a long time choosing before settling on this classic campus song.

After deciding on the song she would sing with the Taoist priest, Wen Zhixia became curious about what song the Taoist priest and the ice spirit would sing.

She had heard from the Taoist priest that this ice spirit didn't sing, but rather needed a piano to accompany him...

Wow! So what if you can play the piano!

Although Lin Mengqiu was sitting right across from her, Wen Zhixia didn't ask her, but instead asked Chen Shi'an:

"Taoist priest, what song do you want to sing with Lin Mengqiu?"

"I don't know, the class monitor hasn't been decided yet..."

Before Chen Shi'an could finish speaking, Lin Mengqiu calmly added, "You, my deskmate."

Wen Zhixia: "?"

Chen Shi'an: "Huh? What's wrong with me?"

Wen Zhixia was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.

Lin Mengqiu rolled her eyes at Chen Shi'an speechlessly and said, "It's 'My Deskmate,' it's the title of a song."

"Oh, I thought the class monitor wanted to call me for something."

"...Haven't you heard of it?"

"I might have heard it before, but I'm not sure if it's the song I've heard. Would you like the class monitor to sing a couple of lines?"

"……don't want."

"Sing a couple of lines."

Wen Zhixia's laughter faded as she stared at Lin Mengqiu.

This ice cube spirit...!
There are so many songs to choose from, why did you have to pick "My Deskmate"?! Can't you be a little more reserved like me?! Is your intention something as obvious as Sima Zhao's?
Just then, Chen Shi'an and Lin Mengqiu were sitting opposite each other, creating a strong sense of 'desk mates', which made Wen Zhixia extremely depressed.

At Chen Shi'an's urging, Lin Mengqiu put down her chopsticks, looked around, and then softly hummed two lines:

Will you remember me tomorrow?

"Your diary entry from yesterday~"

Will you still be thinking about it tomorrow?

"You used to cry the most~"

This was the first time Chen Shian and Wen Zhixia had heard Lin Mengqiu sing.

The girl's singing voice was completely different from her aloof and unapproachable image; it sounded exceptionally gentle and easy to bully, making one think of her as a quiet girl who usually sat in the corner of the classroom.

Her voice was soft and grew softer as she sang, and her pretty face became redder and redder as she sang. Chen Shi'an and Wen Zhixia were still waiting for her to continue singing when Lin Mengqiu stopped singing, picked up her chopsticks, lowered her head to eat, and her hair fell smoothly over her shoulders, just revealing the tips of her red ears.

Chen Shi'an: "..."

Wen Zhixia: "..."

Lin Mengqiu: "..."

An eerily silent atmosphere prevailed for a while.

Chen Shi'an nudged her: "Class monitor, keep singing."

"No."

"It sounds really good."

"~~~"

"Sing two more lines."

"No."

"How about we sing a duet together sometime?"

"No."

"..."

Okay, when the class monitor gets stubborn, she's as stubborn as an ox. No matter how much you try to appease her, she won't sing or join in the chorus.

Wen Zhixia was even more shocked than Chen Shi'an, after all, she had never seen Lin Mengqiu listen to or sing songs before, and her two lines of singing were... well, they were about the same as hers, I was eight taels, she was half a tael!
"So this song is called 'My Deskmate'."

Chen Shi'an nodded and continued eating as he said, "I've heard that song before, and I can sing a few lines."

If it were any other song, Wen Zhixia would have asked the Taoist priest to sing a couple of lines, but since it was the meaningful "My Deskmate," she didn't want Lin Mengqiu to have a good time, so she kept quiet.

Lin Mengqiu turned around and said, "Then sing a couple of lines for me."

"No."

"×!"

He said those words, but Chen Shi'an still softly hummed the two lines of lyrics that Lin Mengqiu had just hummed. "~~~~"

Lin Mengqiu was satisfied, and then whispered, "It sounds good."

Wen Zhixia also thought it sounded good, but... why do you sing so well, you stinky Taoist priest!
"So, class monitor, are we sure we're going to sing 'My Deskmate'?"

"Um……"

"it is good."

Seeing that Chen Shi'an had no objections, Lin Mengqiu breathed a sigh of relief.

As classmates performing together on stage... what else could we sing but "My Deskmate"?

As a widely popular song, Lin Mengqiu was extremely familiar with it. However, before this, she didn't feel much connection to the song; she just thought it sounded nice. But now, sitting next to Chen Shi'an... she suddenly realized that the song was more than just pleasant to listen to; images would unconsciously appear in her mind while listening to it...

When it came time to choose a song to perform with Chen Shi'an, the first song that came to her mind was "My Deskmate." However, she was too shy to tell Chen Shi'an. But lately, every night after self-study, she would put on her headphones and listen to this song on repeat for countless hours...

……

Chen Shian & Wen Zhixia – "You Were Once a Teenager"

Chen Shi'an & Lin Mengqiu – "My Deskmate"

After deciding on their respective songs, the next step is to practice together as much as possible.

The school's activity rooms are open to everyone for this period of time. Chen Shi'an and Xiao Zhi's rehearsals are simple; they can just find any music room. However, if they want to rehearse with the class monitor, they will need a piano. The music room has an electronic piano, and the auditorium stage has a grand piano. Generally, these are not readily available to other students, but Lin Mengqiu can use them...

The two girls are now competing fiercely, and neither wants their program to lose to the other. If they do lose, it will definitely be Chen Shi'an's fault!

"hehe."

Chen Shi'an smiled and said, "Then you two have to do your best. I'll see who doesn't perform well later."

"Qi!"

Wen Zhixia and Lin Mengqiu both rolled their eyes at him, but when they looked at each other again, they seemed to be filled with fighting spirit.

"By the way, Xiao Zhi, have you finished writing your skit script?" Chen Shi'an asked.

Although the two girls were competing for their own shows, the three of them teamed up for the campus skit.

The idea came from Lin Mengqiu, the script was written by Wen Zhixia, and Chen Shi'an, as the lead actor, was really looking forward to the skit, as it would be a good opportunity to indulge in acting.

"It's finished! I was just about to tell you."

The three of them had finished lunch and were now in their lunch break. Since it was a rare opportunity to get together and discuss important matters, they weren't in a hurry to go back.

Wen Zhixia took a notebook out of her bag. Chen Shi'an tidied up the leftover food on the table, cleared the table, and took the script from her.

Lin Mengqiu also tilted her head to watch, quite curious about what kind of script this annoying cicada would develop from her idea...

"Let me take a look..."

"A Classroom Through Thirty Years?"

"Yes, yes! I showed it to Xiaoyan and the others, and they all said it's great!"

"Really."

Chen Shi'an continued reading.

"Themes: Evolution of Educational Philosophy, Changes in Campus Life, Youthful Resonance, Understanding and Growth..."

Duration: Approximately fifteen minutes...

Characters: 1. Chen Shi'an: A senior high school student at Yunqi High School in 1993, diligent and hardworking, with a touch of old-fashioned naiveté...

Chen Shi'an looked at the biography of "himself" and couldn't help but burst out laughing, finding it very novel and interesting.

Lin Mengqiu, who was standing to the side, also curled the corners of her mouth, especially when she saw the phrase "old-fashioned naiveté," she was so embarrassed by the fact that she had to hold back her laughter.

"Will you use your real name to act in it?" Chen Shi'an asked with a smile.

Renowned director and screenwriter Wen Zhixia said, "Yes, yes, anyway, it's a skit, so we can all use our own names."

"Yeah, that's okay too."

Read on.

"Character: 2. Wen Zhixia: A second-year high school student at Yunqi No.1 High School in 2023. She is lively, cheerful, kind, empathetic, and loves reading and writing..."

"Little cicada, is that you?"

"Hmm~"

Lin Mengqiu continued reading, searching for her own role.

"Character: 3. Yao Jingyan..."

"Character: 4. He Yeye..."

"Character: 5. Shen Yatong..."

no! !
What kind of director and screenwriter are you?! You just crammed your whole group of girlfriends into it, huh?! Why didn't you put your dog from your hometown in a role too?!

Characters 6 and 7 are Qiu Yufu and Xu Zihan, whom Chen Shian recommended to her.

Her name only appeared at the very bottom of the character list:
"Character: 8. Lin Mengqiu: A senior high school student at Yunqi High School in 1993, and Chen Shi'an's deskmate."

Lin Mengqiu raised an eyebrow, thinking to herself, "Is that annoying cicada really that kind? It actually arranged for me to be the stinky Taoist priest's deskmate in the play?"

wrong……

It wasn't until she noticed the time period that she realized that, apart from herself and Chen Shian, all the other characters were 'students in 2023'.

But 'Chen Shi'an' traveled to 2023, and then...

"No, wait a minute."

Lin Mengqiu couldn't hold back any longer. Pointing to her character, she asked Wen Zhixia, "Is there a mistake in the year 1993 for my character? Wasn't it only Chen Shi'an who time-traveled?"

"That's right."

Wen Zhixia said somewhat guiltily, "Lin Mengqiu, your role is very important!"

"...How important is it?"

Lin Mengqiu had already finished reading the short script, but she couldn't find a single line of her own. Nearly half of the script's lines were spoken by that annoying cicada and Chen Shi'an.

"You'll play the role of a student from that era. After the Taoist priest travels through time, you'll be an indispensable background character, sitting in a seat. It just so happens that there's a power outage where you are, so you'll be studying by candlelight during evening self-study, showcasing the harsh environment of that era, as well as the students' resilient, sensible, and hardworking character!"

"???"

Those pesky cicadas!

So you're resorting to underhanded tactics to suppress me, huh?!
Lin Mengqiu finally understood!

According to the script, isn't it just that Chen Shi'an travels back in time from thirty years ago to find the annoying cicada, leaving his lonely deskmate to study alone by candlelight in an empty room?

But you know what, this role that doesn't require me to say a single line, yet allows me to be on screen the whole time, and just sits quietly reading a book is actually quite suitable for me... Yeah, right! No way!

"I disagree."

Lin Mengqiu had barely finished reading the script when she immediately expressed her dissatisfaction.

"Why would I disagree? I think it's great."

"Then you'll play this role."

“I already have a role.”

"You can change it."

"Can you portray a lively and cheerful feeling?"

"...I have my own way of acting, and your female lead doesn't necessarily have to be a lively and cheerful person."

"I'm the director!"

"Your script won't pass the initial review."

"Why can't we pass?"

"I said I can't do it, and I can't do it."

"???"

Wen Zhixia then realized the identity of the ice spirit.

┗|｀O′|┛Awoooooo!!
That wretched ice spirit!

So you're resorting to underhanded tactics to suppress me, huh?!
It's all Dad's fault for not studying more. If he had become a school principal, wouldn't that have been better than staying stuck in the furniture factory?

Seeing the investors and director arguing fiercely over the script and casting, Chen Shi'an, the male lead, felt a chill run down his spine and quickly raised his hand to stop them:
"How about this, I'll revise the script and the character arrangements. I'll show them to you after school this afternoon, and then we can discuss it further."

Lin Mengqiu: "..."

Wen Zhixia: "..."

The two girls exchanged a glance, snorted, and then looked away, finally behaving themselves.

Lin Mengqiu and Wen Zhixia had no objection to Chen Shi'an revising the script; it was much better than letting him make random changes...

Chen Shi'an took another close look at the script.

The general plot arrangement is fine, but the roles need to be balanced. And it really does need a classmate from '1993' as a backdrop to reflect the environment of that era.

but……

The class monitor didn't want to do it;

Even the little cicada didn't want to do it;

Then...

Zihan! Your excellent character of studying diligently under difficult circumstances deserves to be honored!!
(I have to go out for some business, so there will only be one update today.)
(End of this chapter)