After seven consecutive days of an excessively long class schedule, not only were the students dizzy from the overload, but even the homeroom teacher began to show signs of babbling incoherently.
If there were only five days of classes a week, by Monday you’d think, "Didn’t we just have a day off yesterday?" By Tuesday, you’d think of the day before yesterday’s break. By Wednesday, you’d think, "Day after tomorrow is another day off," and by Thursday, you’d be thinking, "Tomorrow is the day off," making it easy to get through to Friday’s dismissal.
However, the dreadful schedule adjustments destroyed this anticipation, so that every day felt like a prison sentence. On Monday, you’d think, "No, seven days of classes to go," and on Tuesday, you’d think, "No, six days left of classes. No matter how you thought about it, it was bleak.
"Tomorrow is Saturday, so class rep, come to my office later to get this week’s...no, wait, we have schedule adjustments this week, never mind, monitor, collect the students’ mobile phones, class dismissed."
At the end of the last class on Friday afternoon, the homeroom teacher slapped his head and left the classroom babbling.
"Mobile phones, mobile phones..." Xiao Ruawen didn’t think much of it and laid her phone on the desk.
"The group leader collects the members’ hands...no, wait, why collect mobile phones?" Her words stalled, suddenly realizing the error.
Luckily, most of the classmates were in a state of lethargy, with no one responding to her earlier comment.
Xiao Ruawen stuck out her tongue and settled back into her seat, "Why would the homeroom teacher collect mobile phones for no reason?"
Xu Qingfan couldn’t check the mental state of their homeroom teacher to know what he had babbled incorrectly, "Why don’t you go ask him? Probably just misspoke about checking phones just now."
"Is it for a notification? He misspoke it as collecting mobile phones." Wang Xuan took out the signed National Day notice.
"Probably, but lots of students left early after school. We’ll deal with it during the evening self-study session." Xiao Ruawen stretched, deliberately hitting Xu Qingfan’s head with her arm.
While hitting she said, "Hehe~ we’re not going to eat in the canteen tonight, Wang Xuan, and Chen Qi, you guys go eat first."
Xu Qingfan didn’t join the conversation between the two; Wang Xuan gave him a final, dejected glance and said, "Okay, then."
Once the two also had left, there were soon only her and Xu Qingfan left in the classroom.
Xiao Ruawen shook his arm, urging, "Hurry up, Brother Fan, Xiao Xiao, Yu, Wanning, and Yiyi are all waiting for us!"
As the marker pen drew a line on the label paper, Xu Qingfan shook his head helplessly and tore off the page, "Here, take a look."
"Huh~ what’s this?" Xiao Ruawen casually took it, reading aloud the content, "’That year you were the same age as me, young like a green... Wow, a new song!"
Initially reading in fits and starts, she suddenly lit up with excitement at the realization.
"Brother Fan, is this a new song, a new song? Where’s the music score, the music score?"
Xu Qingfan had anticipated this reaction, he pointed to his face, his ulterior motives laid bare.
Xiao Ruawen’s face flushed red, her initial excitement quickly replaced by embarrassment, "Trojan horse~ come on, out with the new song’s score already!"
Quite satisfied, Xu Qingfan draped his arm around her shoulders as they walked and said, "I’ll hum a few bars for you. The actual score is at home."
"Hehe~ quick, quick!" Xiao Ruawen, looking at the label paper in her hands, her eyes sparkling.
"I look up at the starry sky you once gazed upon~ Crossing a century to meet again♫"
"I look up at the starry sky you once gazed upon~ The earth beneath my feet has changed through time♫"
After roughly marking the melody, she chose her two favorite lines and sang them acapella, "Brother Fan, is this how it’s sung?"
Xu Qingfan approvingly patted her shoulder, "Close enough. Get familiar with it, and later when we go home, record a demo."
"Hee." Xiao Ruawen grinned and bent over the music score again.
Soon, four girls joined the group, eager to see Xu Qingfan’s new song upon learning of it.
Xu Qingfan was like a shepherd dog, watching over his five little lambs, lest they walked into a pole.
"Brother Qingfan, why do the lyrics talk about crossing a century? Isn’t 2049 the hundredth anniversary of the nation’s founding?" After reading the lyrics, Lin Wanning trotted back to Xu Qingfan’s side.
"Think again. What major event happened a hundred years ago today?" Xu Qingfan held the girl’s wrist to keep her from hopping while she walked.
"Um... a hundred years ago today... 2011 minus one hundred." Lin Wanning counted on her fingers, a habit from her kindergarten days, though it didn’t help much.
"It’s 1911!" she took only a couple of seconds to compute the answer in her head, then lit up, "The Xinhai Revolution!"
"So, Brother Fan, you’re talking about this patriotic theme!" Hearing their conversation, Xiao Ruawen and the others also came over.
"The Wuchang Uprising was on October 10th, and putting out the song for National Day also seems just right." Xia Xiaoxiao also nodded in agreement.
"Brother Fan is so clever."
"Brother is awesome!"
Xu Qingfan happily accepted the praise from Yu and Yiyi; after all, he intended to be a ruthless capitalist in the future, and if he couldn’t even boast a little thick skin, then what was the point of even starting a company?
"I’m planning on making a video montage, juxtaposing relevant scenes from movies with the prosperity and peace of our country today, to be used as a promotional music video for Ruan Wen’s new song."
The moment before was tumultuous, with patriots struggling valiantly, and then in the next second came the image of our powerful nation today. Just thinking about this visual contrast was enough to send blood coursing with fervor.
"Brother Fan, I will sing it well!" Xiao Ruawen clenched her fist.
[This song will surely get the approval of my grandparents and father!]
Xu Qingfan nodded contentedly, his capitalist face showing: "You better sing it well; I’m counting on you to drive traffic for me during National Day."