It wasn’t exactly that they didn’t trust Yao Tang at all. It simply would have been impossible for an ordinary person to find the right substitutes in a flash like that.
The rest of them had tried as well, but to no avail.
They couldn’t help their lingering suspicions.
“When are they coming over?” one of them piped up with a worried expression.
“And if they’re qualified to help us with our performance, they should be qualified enough to sign up for the assessment themselves, right? How can we be sure that these are the right people?”
He was among those who had a lot at stake in the assessment. If they failed this year, he would have to start over from the bottom and go through all the painstaking preparations again.
If that happened, he wouldn’t be the only one to suffer the blow, but everyone else who supported him back home.
More importantly, he wasn’t getting any younger. If he still couldn’t get into the Music Associationat this point, he feared that he wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything at all. He wouldn’t know how to face his parents.
The assessment was something of a make-or-break opportunity for him.
Unfortunately, fate seemed to be playing a cruel trick on him and his teammates.
Their efforts had been thwarted one too many times, and the more anxious they get, the more bad luck they seemed to invite into the orchestra.
“No one else was able to find a replacement, so we should go along with the people that Yao Tangfound, don’t you think?”Fang Huiasked sharply. “Does anyone have any objections?”
“No,” the man who had previously spoken said dejectedly.
He knew there wasn’t much he could do, anyway. It wasn’t as if they had wanted this to happen; the blame lay on those who had quit and abandoned them at the last minute.
If they had only given the team a little more time, perhaps they would have had better chances at salvaging the situation.
But the man couldn’t figure out why those four had done this. Was the assessment of no importance to them all along?
No, that couldn’t be. He had witnessed everyone’s dedication since the beginning.
“I think I’ve misjudged those four,” he muttered under his breath. “I never expected them to abandon us without so much as a courtesy notice. All of us had been working hard for more than a year!”
Fang Hui’s eyes clouded over when he heard that. After a brief hesitation, he said, “I received news that they are dealing with some trouble at home—”
Before he could finish speaking, members of the Shanna Orchestrawalked over to them.
Yao Ran belonged to this team. They always picked a fight with theGlory Orchestraover the littlest things. Seeing that the latter was now in trouble, they naturally wouldn’t miss yet another opportunity to mockFang Huiand his orchestra.
“Oh, my. Look who we have here. The assessment is tomorrow, but someone’s group doesn’t even have enough people to play a decent symphony. I wonder if this event is a joke for them or something.
“What a waste. They train really hard, but what’s the use of that when they don’t have the right people? Hahaha!
“You must feel miserable!”
Fang Hui narrowed his eyes at the man who spoke. He was calledZhou Hao, and he used to be a member of theGlory Orchestra. That was beforeFang Huikicked him out because of improper conduct.
Zhou Hao was practically hopping with excitement at the moment, glad to see his former teammates in trouble.
Fang Hui’s gaze took on a sharp edge. Judging by what the other guy had just said, he started to suspect that Zhou Haohad something to do with their recent misfortune.
The jerk didn’t even care to hide how eager he was to taunt them.
“What do you mean by that?”
Fang Hui demanded, his voice turning an octave lower.
But Zhou Haowas unfazed. He flashed him a cheeky grin.
“I meant exactly as I said. If you don’t understand, then just forget it. I really think you guys are pitiful, though. All these rehearsals couldn’t have been easy, but it’s all going down the drain just because of a few people. I suppose the heavens just didn’t want you to pass the assessment. Blame your unlucky stars for that.”
“What nonsense are you talking about? You had a hand in these dirty tricks, didn’t you?”
“That’s right! Just spit it out and tell us! Did you plan this or not?”
The people of Glory Orchestraweren’t stupid. They had knownZhou Haolong enough to guess his intentions.
They also remembered that the four people who had ditched them because of so-called family matters used to be really close to him.
At the time when Zhou Haohad been removed from their group, those people hadn’t pleaded on his behalf. Now, it was as though they had suffered the same fate.
Fang Hui’s team peered at the members of the Shanna Orchestra, thinking that their four members might have defected to the other side. But no, there was no sign of them.
For now, there was no telling what the truth really was.
Although Fang Huihad said that they were dealing with family troubles, they doubted that was the case.