Chapter 36

The moment she opened her mouth, the internet exploded. It turned out Xia Xi was completely tone-deaf, every note she sang was off-key, a far cry from the polished, melodious track everyone knew.
It was a massive train wreck and a humiliating slap in the face.
Simply put, it was a tearful ordeal.
One can only imagine how betrayed the netizens felt and the storm of criticism that followed. The internet was flooded with ridicule aimed solely at Xia Xi, her first direct experience with cyberbullying.
From that point on, Xia Xi developed a shadow over singing and gave up any thoughts of pursuing a full-fledged career in the entertainment industry. She never again participated in any activities related to singing, quietly channeling all her energy into acting instead.
This was also why, from the very beginning, Xia Xi was unwilling to join Cross-Border Singing Joy and why she was excessively nervous today.
The painful lesson from the past had left too deep an impression on her. It made her instinctively hesitant and indecisive, afraid that she wouldn’t do well, afraid that her voice wouldn’t sound pleasant, afraid that she would remain tone-deaf as always, and afraid of tasting the bitterness of failure once more, of falling from the heights all over again.
Of course, this was also why Xia Xi became so diligent after deciding to participate in the show. In her view, when you lack confidence in something, you must work even harder, after all, the harder you work, the luckier you become.
But let’s get back to the main point. What happened in the past, whether joyful or embarrassing, was already behind them. For now, let’s focus on the present situation.
And the present situation… well, the atmosphere was a bit awkward.
Because Zhang Lixin had gone off to attend to some matter, he left Xia Xi and the handsome young teacher, Zhang, standing in the music room, staring at each other in silence. Neither knew what to say to the other, and the atmosphere grew heavy. Although Xia Xi had a favorable impression of the handsome young man, she still had no idea how to break the ice.
Logically speaking, having reached such heights in her previous world, Xia Xi should have been quite adept at navigating social interactions and interpersonal relationships. But in reality, she wasn’t.
Xia Xi was an oddity. When it came to handling work-related matters, she was smooth, thorough, and sharp, so much so that you couldn’t help but applaud her cleverness. No matter how thorny the problem, she could resolve it with ease. But when it came to emotional matters, she was far from adept. In most cases, her IQ and EQ seemed to go offline, and she never quite grasped the delicate balance required in social situations.
For instance, at that moment, Xia Xi had no idea how to interact with a stranger in a warm yet appropriate manner, how to lighten an awkward atmosphere, or how to make others feel she was easy to get along with…
These things always sounded simple in theory, but in practice, they were truly difficult. Xia Xi was constantly scratching her head in frustration.
“Xia Xi, have you learned to sing before?” Zhang Lixin, holding sheet music in his hand, walked back to stand between Xia Xi and the handsome young man. Smiling, he asked, “I don’t know much about your background, so I can’t arbitrarily create a training schedule. Could you tell me a bit about your past experiences with singing or your understanding of it?”
"Tailoring the approach to the individual?"
Xia Xi pondered for a moment before calmly speaking the truth. "Teacher Zhang, I have absolutely no singing ability, and I've never had any experience learning to sing before. My understanding of singing techniques is minimal. To put it simply, when it comes to singing, I'm a complete novice, I know nothing."
Xia Xi paused here, pursed her lips, and looked at Zhang Lixin with some hesitation.
Zhang Lixin: “...”
"It's fine, just say whatever you need to," Zhang Lixin replied, a faint smile still playing on his lips.
"The most troubling part is, I might be tone-deaf."
"Tone-deaf?" Upon hearing Xia Xi's words, Zhang Lixin's expression remained unchanged, the same slight smile on his face, though a flicker of confusion passed through his eyes. "What does that mean?"
Huh? Does this world not have the concept of being tone-deaf?
Though inwardly flustered, Xia Xi maintained a calm exterior. "Tone-deaf means someone who is insensitive to sounds. Simply put, it refers to someone with poor singing ability who easily goes off-key."
"So, you tend to sing off-key?"
Xia Xi nodded.
"That is a bit tricky." Zhang Lixin blinked, still wearing a slight smile. "We might need more time to study music because we’ll likely have to start by cultivating your sense of pitch, helping you perceive the accuracy of each note."
"Will it take a long time? Can I learn it before the recording of 'Cross-Border Singing Joy'?"
Hearing Zhang Lixin's words, Xia Xi immediately grew worried. She genuinely felt she was digging her own grave. First, she couldn't sing; second, she'd never had any interest in it before; and most importantly, she sang off-key. And yet, she had to go and sign up for a singing competition, wasn't that just asking for trouble?
"It's hard to say. It mainly depends on each person's innate understanding. Some people pick it up quickly, while others struggle to get started." Zhang Lixin glanced at Xia Xi's visibly dejected expression, thought for a moment, and then handed her the sheet music he was holding. With a light chuckle, he said, "Why don’t you try singing this song first? Let me get a sense of your pitch, and then we can figure out the next steps."
"Okay."
Xia Xi nodded, took the sheet music from Zhang Lixin, slowly opened it, and lowered her head to study it carefully.
"Childhood"?
It felt somewhat fated. Xia Xi had always loved this song and had listened to it many times before. She had even tried singing it herself once, only to realize that her rendition sounded like a cacophony of howls, so she eventually gave up.
"Shall I sing a cappella?" Xia Xi looked up at Zhang Lixin and asked.
"Of course not." Zhang Lixin handed her a pair of headphones. "Listen to the original recording and try to get a feel for it."
"Okay."
With the headphones on, Xia Xi listened to the soothing and melodious tune. Her initial tension gradually settled, and she quietly closed her eyes. For some reason, hearing this song again today felt slightly different from before, but if she had to describe that difference, she wouldn't know how to put it into words.
"Running barefoot by the railway tracks chasing the sunset,
Glass marbles, tin boxes, hero cards,
Skipping ropes, hide-and-seek under the stone bridge,
Grandma sits in the courtyard mending shoes again,"
"We grew up day by day, watching the old phoenix tree bud through the seasons, finding treasures and towers in the sandpile, building a home with long benches,"
"We grew up day by day, memories filled with endless rain, summers spent languidly amid cicada songs, new school year meant another haircut,"
"We grew up day by day, beginning to yearn and change, once thinking ourselves so grand, writing letters we dared not hand to her,"
"Still thinking ourselves so grand, writing poems we dared not hand to her."
This time when Xia Xi sang, there was none of the usual stiffness. It flowed smoothly, and she poured her heart and soul into it.
She was completely swept into the scene by the melody of the song, and the entire performance felt incredibly comfortable to her.
With her eyes closed, she savored the act of singing, and as she finished, a long-lost sense of fulfillment filled her heart.
Hmm, it felt pretty good.
This time felt different from before.
But was it just her imagination?