Marriage Concerto (Small Thing Called Love) Chapter 18

Perhaps due to the effects of alcohol, Ding Meng slept through the night very soundly. It wasn’t until the next day when she was awoken by her alarm clock that she felt her temple ache dully.

How many gla.s.ses had she drank last night? Was it three gla.s.ses or was it four gla.s.ses?

Thinking up to there, she let out a sigh. The wine from last night wasn’t strong at all. How had she fallen so quickly?

The word “fallen” made her head ache a bit. Then the three words “retire to bed” jumped out.

She drew in a cold breath of air and instinctively covered her chest. Ah, her undergarments were still on.

She let out a breath and climbed out of bed, heading to the bathroom to wash up. While facing the mirror and brushing her teeth, she recalled that yesterday, Qiao Yichen seemed to have carried her back, but what happened afterwards? Did she say anything? Ah wait a minute, what about training? Had she skipped training??

She spat out the bubbles in her mouth, feeling anxious that today’s training would be doubled.

Before getting dressed and heading out, she carefully took a couple glances outside. It looked like Qiao Yichen had already left. Carrying her bag, she left her room. She ate the breakfast on the table, grabbed a slice of bread, and hurriedly rushed to the training camp.

For this round of training, the Popularity team and Merit team were separated. Because the Popularity team needed to fight a tough battle, the instructors had prepared an exhausting training itinerary, as if they wanted the contestants to be completely reborn for next week’s compet.i.tion.

After a morning of exercise, the contestants of the Popularity team were paralyzed with exhaustion. The gossip loving girl Liao Qian had also advanced into the Popularity team. While she wiped off her sweat with a towel, she complained, “Heavens, I can clearly depend on my face to eat. Why do I have to be forced to rely on my skill!”

The other three people began to laugh. The instructor walked over and fiercely spoke, “Since you all still have the energy to laugh, run another kilometer this afternoon!”

Everyone, “…”

d.a.m.n, it’s not like they came to partic.i.p.ate in a military boot camp.

The majority of the afternoon was spent vocal training. Generally speaking, it was a little more relaxed than the morning’s physical training. This time, the instructors asked the contestants early on what they were going to perform for the next compet.i.tion. Aside from Ding Meng, everyone had already made a decision.

The instructor told her that she needed to be ready to tell him her song choice by tomorrow morning. Ding Meng nodded and began wracking her brain over this problem on the way home.

She usually listened to English songs and was pretty good at jazz and blues. However, Qiao Yichen had clearly said that he wouldn’t allow her to sing English songs. If it had to be a Chinese song….was it too late to go out and buy a record?

She thought a bit and then took out her phone to look for songs on a legal music app. The app had many music charts. A picture of Gu Xin’s new alb.u.m Lose Control was placed in the most prominent advertising position. Ding Meng searched a bit and then selected “Cla.s.sic Songs Best-seller Chart”.

At the top of the list was the song Yearning, made fifteen years ago by Pan Ying for the movie Yearning for the Sea.

Although the name Yearning for the Sea sounded somewhat scholarly, the movie was an anti-war romance story which had moved many people back in the day. Ding Meng was still very young when she watched this movie and hadn’t truly understood its profoundness. Howev
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er, the story, in which the heroine waited her entire lifetime but never managed to see the hero return from the battlefield, had still left a large impression on her young mind.

The theme song Yearning, made by the music queen of the day, Pan Ying, had remained on the platinum chart for an entire month after release.

Ding Meng put on her earphones and pressed on the play b.u.t.ton.

“The memories I thought I had long forgotten, always resurface without warning, the beautiful blooming spring flowers filling the branch, the noisy summer song of cicadas. You were always by my side, only separated by an eye’s length.”

The soft melody of the song made Ding Meng recall quite a few middle school memories. At the time, MP3 players had only just become popular. When Qiao Yichen had gotten a top quality MP3 player, he had become obsessed for some time. He didn’t have many songs in his MP3 player, but he would always pull Ding Meng along to listen. Ding Meng would take one earbud from him and listen to the songs while finishing her homework.

Later, they were seen by the teacher who laughed and told them, “I predict that one day, this earphone wire will become a red thread.”

T/N: Red threads connect people who are destined to fall in love.

Ding Meng flushed red and threw the earbud back to Qiao Yichen.

After that, Ding Meng never listened to MP3s with him again, and Qiao Yichen also very quickly lost interest in it.

Even though there were only a few songs in his MP3 player, they still made a lasting impression on Ding Meng.

This song Yearning by Pan Ying was one of them.

As Ding Meng opened the door, Qiao Yichen was in the middle of walking out of the kitchen with soup. Seeing her with earphones stuffed in her ears, Qiao Yichen jokingly asked, “You wouldn’t happen to be listening to English songs, right?”

Ding Meng through him a dignified look, took off the earbud in her left ear, and walked over. “Take a listen.”

Qiao Yichen took the earbud and put it on. At that moment, the lyric “This must be yearning” was sung.

“Yearning by Pan Ying?” Qiao Yichen slightly leaned his head over to look at her. His movement gently tugged the earphone wire.

Ding Meng smiled at him. “That’s right. What do you think of me choosing to sing this song during the next compet.i.tion?”

Qiao Yichen contemplated before speaking, “A slow paced ballad with a high vocal range, it’s consistent with your style. Even though Pan Ying has already retired from the musical circles to focus on her family, she was still a queen of the music industry back in the day. Her ballads are all rather difficult. With your current singing skill….it’s possible for you to try.”

Even though his words were rather reluctant, Ding Meng regarded them as praise.

Qiao Yichen returned the earbud to her. Ding Meng raised her lips and smugly laughed, “Do you still remember how you used to especially like this song? The heart of a tough fellow like yourself was unexpectedly quite delicate.”

The corners of Qiao Yichen’s eyes lifted, “What about you? You even cried watching The Gift of the Magi. The heart of a chubby little girl like yourself was unexpectedly quite thin.”

T/N: I had actually never heard of that story before… do I live under a rock >

Ding Meng, “…”

She raised her chin and narrowed her eyes at him. “So what about The Gift of the Magi! The wife sold her own hair to buy her husband a watch and the husband sold his watch to give his wife hair accessories. What a moving story!”

Qiao Yichen’s gaze fell on her hair as he sized it up. “The next time you want hair accessories, just say it directly.”

Ding Meng, “…”

Who wants any!

The following days continued with training in full swing. This time, in order to contend against the Merit team, even the teachers were making a frantic last-minute effort. The usual basic training was cut short and more time was spent concentrating on the performance of their compet.i.tion song.

However, this didn’t make much of a difference to Ding Meng. In any case, when she returned home in the evening, she would still have to accept Qiao Yichen’s training.

On the day of the dress rehearsal, Ding Meng was a.s.signed to be one of the last performances. The members of the Popularity team couldn’t help but go observe the Merit team’s dress rehearsal. Only Ding Meng stayed behind at the training facility, continuing to practice her song.

She had a habit where she liked to face the sky and practice singing – probably because this way made it easier to feel a song’s emotions.

“….is this what yearning is? It’s even more heartbreaking than the songs of poets. If this yearning could condense into an ocean, there would be a ship, to bring me to your side.”

In order to feel the emotions of the song, Ding Meng had stayed up all night to rewatch the film Yearning for the Sea and ended up bawling like a dog in front of the computer. The melody of the song’s chorus vividly reminded her of the movie’s plot. Just like this, her emotions were shaken by her own singing.

The sky really made people feel melancholy and moody.

She raised her right hand, preparing wipe away the small tear in her eye, when suddenly the sound of clapping came from the doorway. Startled, Ding Meng immediately turned around.

Standing in the doorway was a tall man. His black hair was neatly cut short, and he was wearing a fitted black t-shirt. On his lower body, he wore a pair of light gray skinny jeans and a pair black leather high-tops.

His clothes looked really stylish, but they weren’t what attracted Ding Meng the most. What attracted her the most were the earrings on his ear, wait no, it was that fact that he had actually drawn on eyeliner.

If a man wears eyeliner, it is easy to give other people a feminine vibe. However, somehow he didn’t. He had a sort of….wicked charisma about him.

Ding Meng was 囧-ed by her own description. Then she realized, this person looked a lot like Gu Xin from the posters….

T/N: 囧 is used as an embarra.s.sed emoticon.

“You sang pretty well. However, even though your singing brimmed with emotion, the emotional impact of the song would be even stronger if you could manage to forget those stupid techniques.” A voice full of magnetism came from the unfamiliar man’s mouth. Ding Meng actually became dazed just by listening to it.

It was a voice filled with s.e.x appeal that even late night program hosts could only hope to have.

The man saw she didn’t speak and thought she hadn’t understood his meaning so he elaborated, “Back in the day, Pan Ying’s Yearning brought a lot of people to tears. However, people weren’t moved by her excellent technique but rather by the emotion in the song. This song may indeed require skill, but you’re focusing too much on the technique which compromises the emotional impact, hm….” He spoke up to there and paused, as if he was contemplating something, “Just like in those wuxia novels, the true experts don’t need to think about their techniques. Only by forgetting the techniques can a person and sword become one.”

Ding Meng looked at him, going from one type of blank look to another type of blank look.

The man laughed, sounding like an inadvertently brushed string ba.s.s, “What is your name?”

Ding Meng inwardly composed herself and replied, “My name is Ding Meng.”

He didn’t seem to have any recollection of her name and merely nodded his head, “These days, aren’t many singers left who can sing with such a steady heart. I like your voice. Hopefully you can continue to maintain this att.i.tude towards singing in the future.”

After speaking, he turned around and walked away. Ding Meng relaxed for a second and took out her cellphone to open her usual music app. The large advertis.e.m.e.nt on the home page was still a picture of Gu Xin’s Lose Control.

She really was about to lose control.

“Ding Meng, Ding Meng! I heard the program organizers say just now that Gu Xin is also here to record a show!” Liao Qian came in like a whirlwind. “Quickly, quickly, if we’re late, we won’t be able to see him!”

“I…..” She just seen him, the object of veneration.

“You what!” Liao Qian saw Ding Meng was still frozen in her original position, and asked urgently, as if someone was about to steal her fatty pork.

“I…..still need to attend my dress rehearsal later.”

“Relax it’s not your turn yet. First let’s go see Gu Xin!” Liao Qian pulled Ding Meng along and ran out. When they arrived at the building where Gu Xin was recording the show, the staff members were already putting things away.

Liao Qian was so disappointed that her vision became black. “It really wasn’t easy to have the chance to see my Mr. Perfect up close, heavens!”

Ding Meng pulled on her to return, “We should go back to the dress rehearsal. When you earn the qualifications to enter the entertainment circle, you’ll definitely have more opportunities to see him up close.”

Liao Qian’s hopes alighted once again, “Well said! Just now I went to watch the Merit team’s dress rehearsal. Their skills didn’t seem that much higher than our own.”

Ding Meng responded, “Well they probably didn’t go all out during the dress rehearsals.”

“Whatever, for my Mr. Perfect, I’ll face them head on!”