Awakening Elementary School System in University
Chapter 30 - 29: Find Someone Better

Chapter 30: Chapter 29: Find Someone Better

Chen Lin gave the returning Song Cheng a strange look, wondering what he wanted now.

Song Cheng walked up to him, a complex look of apology on his face, and said solemnly, "My attitude just now was poor. I apologize. I admit, you’re a fantastic singer."

Chen Lin was taken aback, not expecting him to be so direct.

After apologizing, however, the competitive fire in Song Cheng’s eyes reignited. He looked at Chen Lin and said, enunciating each word, "I want to challenge you to another round. Just the two of us. We each sing one song, and we’ll see who gets more in tips."

The moment he said it, the fervent atmosphere in the bar, which had yet to die down, flared up once more.

Chen Lin raised an eyebrow, his first instinct to refuse.

’Is he kidding me? I was all set to have the stage to myself and sing my heart out tonight. Now some guy just pops up wanting to steal my mic? What is this?’

The bar patrons, however, felt differently. Who wouldn’t want to watch a duel between experts?

"Face-off! Face-off!"

"Don’t chicken out, handsome! One more song!"

The crowd’s cheers rose and fell, each wave louder than the last.

Brother Wang’s eyes lit up. He saw the perfect opportunity to promote the bar.

He darted over, grabbing Chen Lin’s arm. A huge grin spread across his face as he accepted on Chen Lin’s behalf, giving him no chance to refuse. "A battle! Of course, we’ll have a battle! Here at Back Street Bar, we love this kind of intense musical exchange!"

With that, he leaned into Chen Lin’s ear and whispered quickly, in a voice only they could hear, "Chen, all the tips tonight are yours! I won’t take a single cent of the cut!"

What could Chen Lin say?

Brother Wang had him cornered. After an offer like that, turning him down would be a major slap in the face.

’Fine, a battle it is.’

However, now that a competition was set, Chen Lin knew proper etiquette. Song Cheng had sung first earlier, while he had gone second. He’d actually had a slight advantage.

So, Chen Lin offered, "I’ll sing first this time."

Song Cheng looked at him, slightly surprised. "You just sang such a difficult song. Don’t you need a break?"

"I’m fine," Chen Lin said honestly.

Song Cheng said no more, nodded, and stepped aside.

Chen Lin walked back onto the stage, and the spotlight focused on him again.

He picked up the microphone. Another song flashed through his mind—one he had long wanted to sing but had never dared attempt during his part-time residency gigs because it was simply too difficult.

Hu Yanbin’s "Moonlight."

He gestured to the staff member running the backing track, and a soaring, sorrowful melody slowly began to play.

"Moonlight’s shade, a woman’s scent,"

"Tears on a broken sword, how deep is this love,"

"A pain beyond words,"

"To forget you, oh~~"

...

"The trials of love, who dares to face them,"

"Gazing at the bright moon, my heart fills with sorrow,"

"An ancient regret, savored through lifetimes,"

"Eyes shut tight, who is the wildest of all."

"The fickle nature of this world,"

"Dooms those who dare to love to a lifetime of pain."

The moment he started singing, the atmosphere at the large booth instantly grew tense again.

He Xi sat bolt upright as if by reflex. His eyes, from behind his glasses, were glued to Chen Lin on the stage as he subconsciously began a running commentary:

"The density of the high-frequency vocal runs is immense, and he’s somehow able to switch seamlessly between a light mix, balanced mix, and strong mix..."

"This song is in C-sharp minor. The chorus requires powerful articulation in a high register, which places extreme demands on the vocal cords."

"And the rhythm—listen. The lyrics, like ’Moonlight’s shade’ and ’a woman’s scent’—those three-syllable phrases often correspond to complex rhythmic patterns like triplets. It’s a hellish test of breath support and articulation..."

"The verse is also in a free-tempo, rubato style. This is an incredible test of a singer’s musicality. You have to maintain the underlying beat sense during the improvised holds, otherwise it’ll all fall apart when the band comes in..."

He Xi spoke in a rapid-fire burst, like he was rattling off a menu, but every single word landed a direct hit on Yunqing’s heart.

Of course, she understood all these technical difficulties. And it was precisely *because* she understood them that she grew more and more astounded as she listened.

She had secretly practiced "Moonlight" herself. Only on the one or two occasions when she was in absolute peak form could she manage to get through it completely without it being a total train wreck.

But even then, she was nowhere near as effortless and masterful as Chen Lin was on stage right now.

’What kind of monster is this guy? Where did this level of vocal technique come from?’

Meanwhile, Chen Lin, on stage, was completely lost in the ecstasy of his performance.

During the first song, he’d still needed to adapt to the physical changes brought on by the "Little Singer" title.

But with this song, he had completely let loose.

He was no longer consciously thinking about the complex technical details. He was just going on instinct, letting his body take over and execute those mind-boggling runs and rhythms.

Images from the animated series—Qin Shi Ming Yue—began to surface in his mind.

Gai Nie’s stoicism, Wei Zhuang’s tyranny, Tianming’s journey of growth, Shaoyu’s destiny, the rise and fall of a dynasty, the blend of heroic valor and tender sentiment of a generation of wanderers—all of it transformed into emotion and poured into his song.

"A lonely soul, drifting on the wind,"

"Who thinks of the lovesick fool,"

"This battlefield of the mortal realm,"

"An army of thousands strong, yet who can be called king?"

...

"The trials of love, who dares to face them,"

"Gazing at the bright moon, my heart fills with sorrow,"

"An ancient regret, savored through lifetimes,"

"Eyes shut tight, who is the wildest of all!"

"The fickle nature of this world,"

"Dooms those who dare to love to a lifetime of pain!"

As the final word, "pain," faded, the note hung in the air, echoing around the room.

The entire bar fell silent for a beat, followed by an eruption of applause and cheers even more explosive than before!

Many patrons leaped to their feet, applauding wildly while pulling out their phones to frantically scan the QR code for tips.