I really don't want to date a girl addicted to the internet!

Cheng Fei seemed to see a tall figure in a tailcoat sitting on a piano bench in the center of a magnificent hall, playing freely, with a torrent of colors flowing from his fingertips...

Cheng Fei shook his head, surprised by the hallucination in his mind.

"Hey classmate, are you alright?" the fashionable girl asked him with concern.

"No." Cheng Fei shook his head and gently stroked the piano keys again.

This time, the boy felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if he had met an old friend after many years, even though he knew absolutely nothing about this instrument.

Cheng Fei pressed a button randomly.

"Ding~"

As the sound spread, Cheng Fei felt as if he heard something tangible.

Just as a person with normal color vision would clearly recognize that they are seeing red, Cheng Fei felt as if he had heard a tangible tone when he heard the voice just now.

Cheng Fei swept his fingers across the piano keys, releasing a series of crisp notes.

Cheng Fei found himself listening, or even seeing, more clearly than he had ever heard before.

Indeed, he heard the tone as clearly as if he were seeing a tangible object.

An incredibly wonderful feeling.

Cheng Fei turned his phone back on after it was off and took a deep breath.

Actually, he had listened to the piano version of Canon in D several times while taking the bus that morning.

How can I play that melodious yet somewhat melancholic tune?

The boy was deep in thought.

The two girls behind him saw his sheet music, exchanged a glance, and could see helplessness in each other's eyes. They couldn't understand the sheet music, so they used numbers instead, a typical mistake of a beginner.

However, when Cheng Fei started playing again, their eyes widened.

The boy played very slowly, pressing the keys one by one, using only one hand, and without any chords, like a toddler learning to walk.

In music theory, a canon refers to a recurring musical form, not a specific piece of music.

The well-known "Canon" is actually a work composed in this musical form, and due to its popularity, it has been adapted into various versions.

The simplest version of "Canon" only requires four simple repeated phrases to create a beautiful melody.

Cheng Fei repeated the four lines. At first, he was still quite unfamiliar with them, but he quickly became proficient. He began to adjust the speed of his playing, gradually making the effect closer to the original song he had heard.

Dynamics, transitions, emotions... an excellent performer never mechanically presents the score, but rather brings the music to life through skillful techniques.

The boy's rapid and subtle transformation created a wonderful chemical reaction with the melody, conjuring up a scene in the mind: a stubborn boy crawling through the dark bushes, struggling to emerge into a ray of light. At this moment, he is unaware that he has stumbled into a magnificent and unfamiliar space. When he can finally see clearly ahead, he is greeted by a vast plain under a blue sky, with gentle giants grazing nearby and colorful flocks of birds soaring high in the distance. A mixture of bewilderment and wonder surges into his heart at the same time, like swallowing a whole citrus fruit, both sour and sweet...

The short-haired girl bent down and extended her left hand to add chords for Cheng Fei.

The chords had an immediate effect, enriching the melody. The boy began riding his newly met deer friend across the plains, startling the gulls and egrets drinking water. A lazy herd of hippos watched the boy and deer leap gracefully. Wherever they went, glistening dewdrops fell from the tips of the grass, and colorful wildflowers bloomed, bringing everything to life...

After playing for a while, Cheng Fei stopped and let out a long breath.

The fashionable girl clapped and looked at Cheng Fei in surprise, "Wow, you're amazing! Were you just playing randomly before? You must have practiced for a long time."

Cheng Fei recalled, "Strictly speaking, this is the second time I've played this."

The short-haired girl covered her mouth expressionlessly, "Pfft... These days, freshmen will say anything to show off."

The fashionable girl glanced at his sheet music and said, "Anyway, you are really talented. I suggest you find a professional teacher."

“I understand, but I only have a week to master this Canon. I doubt any teacher would want to teach a student like me,” Cheng Fei shook his head.

"I see... It's unlikely that a proper teacher would agree to such a request." The fashionable girl could only manage a wry smile.

"So I'll have to learn it on my own. Anyway, I'll be bothering you guys for the next week."

……

After the club activity ended, Cheng Fei walked out of the school gate, unconsciously pressing the air with his fingers while gazing absently at the contrails in the sky.

He always had a feeling that at times like this, Asuna Nagasaki would suddenly appear out of nowhere and talk to him casually.

International students from island nations not only have strong senses, but they are also good at concealing themselves; they might even be ninjas.

Thinking about this, the boy suddenly paused.

"I almost forgot, there's a teacher here."

……

43. Nagasaki Asuna is a teacher.

On Wednesday morning, the bell rang to signal the end of the last class.

The homeroom teacher, Zhao Ya, had just stepped out of the classroom when she suddenly returned. The students, thinking she was going to extend the class, couldn't help but show a calm yet fearful expression.

"Seeing how nervous you all are, I just want to inform you of something. Next month is the Cherry Blossom Autumn Cultural Festival, and each class will have to put on a presentation. The class monitor will organize everyone to discuss it, and we need to come up with a result by next week."

As soon as he finished speaking, the students breathed a sigh of relief and began to discuss excitedly.

What is the exhibition/showcase event?

"You can think of it as a cultural festival like those in Japanese anime."

"How about we open a maid café?"

"That's way too blatant, you bastard! But I approve, hehe..."

However, in the corner of the classroom, there was a person who seemed out of place in the lively atmosphere.

Cheng Fei kept his head down, focused, and the pen tip slid quickly across the paper, making an almost imperceptible scratching sound.

"Cheng Fei, you're working so hard again. Take a break and go have some fun, okay?" Chen Hao walked over and said in a high-pitched voice.

"Although we didn't get first place in the grade, maintaining second place is still pretty good," Du Xinhua chimed in. "The cultural festival was a lot of fun; I suggest taking the opportunity to relax."

"You wouldn't understand." Cheng Fei said without looking up, "Do you know what happens the week after the cultural festival?"

"What is it?"

Midterm exams.

Chen Hao and Du Xinhua both remained silent.

"Isn't that something that will happen in a month and a half?" Chen Hao pointed out.

Cheng Fei nodded, "That's right, there's only a month and a half left. The monthly exam was an accident, but I won't make the same mistake in the midterm exam."

Chen Hao patted him on the shoulder, "Cheng Fei, I have to admit that I admire your spirit, so we won't ask you to go to the electronics street."

"Then we'll be going now," Du Xinhua said.

After the two left, the students in the classroom gradually dispersed.

"Cheng Fei, Cheng Fei, let's go have lunch together?" The petite Zhou Han walked over and looked at the boy with great interest.

Cheng Fei looked up at her. "Sorry, I have a tutoring appointment at noon, so..."

"Okay, then you should eat well. I'm leaving now, bye-bye!" The girl left the classroom with light steps.

After that, Cheng Fei was truly the only one left in the classroom.

In the corridor, a figure strolled to the open back door, knocked, then hid his hands behind his back and coughed twice in a serious manner.

Cheng Fei looked up and met Nagasaki Asuna's smiling eyes.

The boy put away his books and left the classroom, walking downstairs side by side with the girl.

“Cheng Fei doesn’t seem so tense anymore. Is everything over?” Even though she didn’t know anything, Nagasaki Asuna was still concerned about him.

Cheng Fei shook his head. "It's still very dangerous."

"When will Cheng Fei finally tell me the truth?" Nagasaki Asuna muttered to herself nonchalantly.

Cheng Fei glanced at her. "I'm not telling you for your safety, trust me."

“Alright, I believe you.” Nagasaki Asuna smiled. “Then Cheng Fei should explain why he suddenly wants to learn the piano? Has he fallen in love with music?”

Cheng Fei shook his head. "To be precise, it's not about learning the piano, but about being able to play Canon fluently by Friday."

Lin Xuanqi has already spoken; we'll hear his results by Friday at the latest.

Asuna Nagasaki blinked. "For beginners, unless they're geniuses."

"Then I'll just have to become a genius," Cheng Fei said seriously.

Asuna Nagasaki smiled happily, "Then I am honored to be the teacher of a genius, even though piano is not my forte."

"After all, you're already a voice actress and singer."

"It seems Cheng Fei hasn't watched my videos much." Nagasaki Asuna suddenly leaned closer and stared into Cheng Fei's eyes.

Cheng Fei subtly moved a little further away from her. "Did I miss something?"

“I can play bass, and there are a few videos of me playing and singing,” Nagasaki Asuna said, gesturing in front of her.

"I see, a bass is a type of guitar?"

"A bass is a bass; every band has one, but it's not very noticeable."

"You're really amazing," Cheng Fei exclaimed sincerely.

While ranking third in her grade, she was still doing these things, and Cheng Fei even felt that she was in no way inferior to him.

The girl smiled nonchalantly, "Well, my intuition also applies to music, so I'm quite good at that."

"Actually, what you have is called extraordinary perception, which is a very rare talent."

"Extraordinary perception? Sounds like a game skill." Nagasaki Asuna blinked with interest.

The two walked and talked, passing through the long corridor with fallen wisteria vines, and entered the club activity building.

Unless there are special circumstances, Yinghua does not encourage students to engage in club activities at noon, so the corridors are exceptionally quiet.

The two arrived at the door of the Light Music Club activity room, and Cheng Fei took out his key to open the door.

"Cheng Fei has joined the Light Music Club?" Nagasaki Asuna stood to the side.

"No, I just asked them to lend me the spare key for a week."

"The people in the Light Music Club are really carefree," Nagasaki Asuna remarked.

"They are all very easy-going girls."

The girl glanced at Cheng Fei. "All girls? I get it."

Cheng Fei pushed open the door and entered. The club activity room was quiet. In the center was a drum set and an electronic keyboard, and the teacups on the tea table were upside down.

Cheng Fei led Nagasaki Asuna to a corner and uncovered the red cloth covering the piano.

"I'll play it once for you to see, and then you can teach me, okay?" Cheng Fei said.

Asuna Nagasaki smiled and nodded.

So Cheng Fei sat down, opened the simple sheet music full of numbers, recalled the melody that had been playing on repeat before he went to sleep, placed his hands on the keys, and began to play slowly.

Asuna Nagasaki stood beside the boy, watching his focused profile and listening to his performance.

The melodious yet slightly melancholic sound of a piano slowly rose in the corridor of the club activity building on an autumn day.

A few minutes later, Cheng Fei stopped, sighed, and said, "I played relatively slowly because I wanted to avoid making mistakes as much as possible."

Nagasaki Asuna looked surprised. "Cheng Fei, you really haven't studied music?"

"I really haven't studied it."

“But Cheng Fei can even play chords.”

"This one?" Cheng Fei stretched out his left hand, spreading his fingers wide as he pressed the piano keys.

"Hmm." Nagasaki Asuna casually sat down next to Cheng Fei on the piano bench, glancing at his simplified sheet music intently. "Besides, Cheng Fei didn't play it according to this score, did he?"

Cheng Fei inexplicably smelled a familiar milky scent, scratched his head, and said, "No, I initially played it by pressing this button, but later I found that it was different from what others played, so I changed the button."

Where's the score?

What sheet music?