51: Chapter 51 He'd already acted like a clown, and yet he still had to finish him off.

There was a moment of silence between the two.

Seeing this, Zhou Yichen did not hesitate at all, immediately cutting in to try and start a conversation.

"Teacher Shen, I yesterday..."

"Hm?"

Shen Qingxue turned her head away. Just a single, lukewarm word, as if she had no intention of continuing the conversation at all.

Zhou Yichen's words were stuck in his throat, and he paused for a moment before continuing.

"I mean, do you have any suggestions after listening to my original song yesterday? I really want to hear your thoughts."

When Zhou Yichen said this, his tone was sincere and his expression was just right, making it easy for one to think he was humbly asking for advice.

And this was also the pace he excelled at the most.

In his past variety shows, this routine was almost invincible.

But Shen Qingxue merely glanced at him indifferently, giving a two-word evaluation.

"Alright."

Zhou Yichen's smile froze on his face.

Su Qing was sitting nearby, watching this scene. She lowered her head and pressed her lips together, her fingers subconsciously twisting the hem of her skirt.

[Hahaha, it's 'Alright' again.]

[The Goddess's standard answers to Zhou Yichen: Alright, not bad, pretty good.]

[That expression on Zhou Yichen's face, I took a screenshot, I took a screenshot.]

[Su Qing is so miserable, sitting nearby watching her CP go on a date with someone else.]

[Didn't she want to come here herself? Who can she blame?]

[I'm dying of laughter. Suddenly, I feel like Zhou Yichen is like a simping dog who can never get any attention no matter how hard he simps.]

[Ahhh!!!! I'm so pissed off, I'm going to report you guys!!!]

Zhou Yichen took a deep breath, suppressed the stuffiness blocking his chest, and tried to change the subject.

"Then does Teacher Shen feel confident about this afternoon's tacit understanding test?"

"Actually, I'm quite good at this too. I've played it a few times in other programs before, and the results were pretty good."

Shen Qingxue glanced at him indifferently.

"Is that so?"

Zhou Yichen opened his mouth, wanting to say something more.

Su Qing suddenly spoke up from the side.

"Yichen, didn't you say you were thirsty just now? Let me pour you a glass of water."

As she spoke, she reached out to grab the kettle on the table.

Zhou Yichen's expression stiffened slightly, and then he quickly forced out a smile.

"Okay, thank you."

Su Qing poured him a glass of water and handed it over with both hands, her movements gentle and considerate.

Although he was a bit unhappy about having his conversation interrupted, Zhou Yichen still took the water glass and took a sip, his gaze intentionally or unintentionally glancing toward the opposite side.

"How long did it take you to write that song just now?"

Hearing this, Zhou Yichen immediately perked up. Teacher Shen was finally talking about his strong suit.

"Me? Haha, it's alright, it just took over a month. Not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning, haha."

Zhou Yichen smiled, but his expression was full of pride.

But to his surprise, Shen Qingxue completely ignored him, and instead reached out to poke Lu Li beside her.

Lu Li's movements paused for a moment. He looked at Shen Qingxue with a puzzled expression. He had just been zoning out; what was Shen Qingxue up to this time?

"What?"

Shen Qingxue paused for a moment, and then repeated what she had just said.

"Oh... I forgot how long it took to write, but when the inspiration comes, isn't writing a song something done in an instant? Only someone out of their mind would specifically keep track of that, right?"

Lu Li thought about it and answered with a nonchalant expression.

Shen Qingxue nodded thoughtfully.

However, Zhou Yichen, who was sitting across from the two of them, turned green with embarrassment, his nose feeling as if it were about to grow a red mushroom.

So it turned out Shen Qingxue was asking Lu Li just now?!

Then what did his answer count as? Did it count as a clown? And what did Lu Li's phrase about being out of one's mind mean? Was it mockery?!

[Hahaha I'm dying of laughter, absolute clown behavior.]

[Zhou Yichen was still flexing back then, but little did he expect that she wasn't asking him at all. Truly peak clown behavior.]

[It's truly hard to keep a straight face. After all that, she wasn't asking Zhou Yichen.]

[Lu Li's line about being out of one's mind cracked me up.]

[Does Lu Li have no heart? The guy was already acting like a clown, and you still delivered a godly finishing blow at the end.]

[You are not allowed to talk about Brother Yichen like that! This is cyberbullying, this is murder!!!]

However, Lu Li really hadn't paid attention to what Zhou Yichen said. After all, who cares about you when they're zoning out?

After pondering for a moment, Shen Qingxue asked another question.

"Then what is your habit when writing songs? Do you write the lyrics first or the melody first?"

"It's definitely the melody. Although there are lyrics sometimes, it's rare. After all, feeling comes first; it's hard to put into words."

When saying this, Lu Li's attention wasn't on anyone at all. He was only reciting over and over in his heart:

Old Xue, Old Lin, Old Zhou, and all the seniors in the Chinese music scene, I'm sorry.

I just want to carry on your works and make them shine in another world again!!!

"Mm, pretty good."

Shen Qingxue lowered her head and said those words, not knowing what she was thinking. Her curved eyelashes drooped slightly, looking extremely pretty.

Looking at her like this, Lu Li suddenly found it a bit amusing.

"What, are you interested in songwriting too?"

Shen Qingxue raised her head and glanced at him.

"I am also a singer."

Lu Li felt a bit guilty under that glance of hers, and sheepishly rubbed his nose.

"Oh right, right, right, I forgot."

Zhou Yichen just watched the interaction between the two from the side. He wanted to speak up, but worried he would be ignored once again.

Coupled with Su Qing beside him, who kept chatting with him about all sorts of nutrient-free nonsense, he suddenly felt deeply aggrieved at this moment.

Is this even a date?

Date my ass.

...

Before long, the ten-minute countdown came to an end.

A staff member jogged over from afar.

"Teachers, time is up."

Zhou Yichen's expression stiffened visibly to the naked eye.

Ten minutes.

A full ten minutes, and his conversation with Shen Qingxue added up to no more than ten sentences.

And Lu Li...

He couldn't help but glance across.

Lu Li was standing up and stretching, and Shen Qingxue stood up as well. There was a distance of about half a meter between the two of them, with no communication, but that atmosphere...

Zhou Yichen took a deep breath, suppressed the surging emotions, stood up, and straightened his collar.

"Let's go."

He said in a flat tone, but his fingers holding the water glass turned slightly white.

Su Qing followed behind him wanting to say something, but in the end, she didn't say anything.

Before long, the four of them returned to the main venue.

Director Zhou stood behind the camera holding a megaphone, his expression having returned to normal.

"Alright! Welcome back everyone to the site!"

"The ten-minute dating right usage time just now has ended. Thank you all for your cooperation!"

Zhou Yichen sat in his seat, his expression already restored to that standard smile.

But Su Qing, sitting beside him, could clearly sense that his mood was noticeably off compared to when they first started.

"Alright, now let's continue with the tacit understanding test segment!"

Director Zhou paused, his gaze sweeping across the entire audience.

"First group, Zhou Yichen and Su Qing! Please get ready!"

Zhou Yichen stood up expressionlessly, straightened his collar, and walked toward the white background board in the middle, while Su Qing followed closely behind him.