Chapter 9

Act II: Hairspray (2)

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This was the first time in Xiang Cai’s life that he sang under the watchful eyes of everyone.

The podium was not high, only twenty centimeters above the ground. But when he stood on it, he felt like he was standing on a high stage.

Everyone was looking up at him. He could see expectation and curiosity in those eyes, and he could see some negative comments in their gazes.

— "Just him?" "Can he do it?" "He will definitely make a fool of himself!"

Xiang Cai could see those negative comments from their gazes because he had used those negative comments to question himself.

He had only been learning vocal music for a bit over  a month ... was four years behind his classmates ... had never sang solo ... so it was very likely he'd make a fool of himself.... lose the tune... forget the words.... not keep up with the rhythm ...

He had many excuses to turn himself around and quit, but he persisted.

He stood in front of his critics.

He was intelligent. He knew that those provocations were actually directed at him. Because she stood next to him, Qi Ji became an unlucky scapegoat. He also knew that if he didn’t speak up today, then every day in the future, he would have to experience such things again. His motive was to let them remember ‘he dared to sing in front of them’.

If one doesn't want to be bullied by others, one must first ‘stand up’ for themself.

So-- Xiang Cai began to sing.

His voice was clear and pure, like the first morning light in winter, with a taste of both coldness and warmth.

"You can't stop an avalanche

As it races down the hill

You can try to stop the seasons,

But you know you never will-"

Xiang Cai’s voice floated out of his mouth along with the sound of the first note. In the beginning, his singing trembled slightly; his voice was a little weak and couldn't even beat the accompaniment.

But after singing the first two lyrics, the impulse buried deep in his heart finally broke through! He could finally control his voice, just like a skilled ballet dancer controlled their toes!

It sounded difficult and it looked difficult, but as long as one loved it with all their heart, it was quite simple.

"And you can try to stop my dancin' feet

But I just cannot stand still

'Cause the world keeps spinning

'Round and 'round

And my heart's keeping time

To the speed of sound

I was lost 'til I heard the drums

Then I found my way

'Cause you can't stop the beat—"

He held out the last syllable.

On the podium, the boy who had been standing still, suddenly made an unexpected move.

He held the table in the front row with one hand and with a leap, jumped up onto it!

He landed lightly on the lecture table that was one meter high, raising his hands as if to lift off into the sky at any time.

At the same time, the original melodious, elegant music suddenly changed its tempo and became rhythmic jazz--

"Five, six, seven, eight!

'Cause you can’t stop the motion of the ocean

Or the sun in the sky

You can wonder if you wanna, but I never ask why

And if you try to hold me down I'm gonna spit in your eye and say

That you can't stop the beat!

'Cause the world keeps spinnin' round and round

And my heart's keepin' time to the speed of sound

I was lost 'til I heard the drums, then I found my way

'Cause you can't stop the beat!"

Xiang Cai had already completely immersed himself into singing. He picked up the eraser as a microphone, not thinking about how crazy he might appear!

With so many crazy people in this world, why not have one more?

He didn't want to be the prince of ballet, he just wanted to be Xiang Cai!

The music became getting faster and faster, and Xiang Cai danced to his heart’s content on the small lecture table. Even if he could no longer dance ballet, his excellent dance skills gave him a kind of elegance with all kinds of dance postures. Even his casual twists were gracefully rhythmic.

In the classroom, all the students' jaws dropped as they watched him suddenly begin to ‘burn’.

As the drums grew louder, the music cells boiling in the blood of those young people also began to burn. 

They didn’t know who first joined in to sing the vocals, but along with Xiang Cai’s voice, they all began to sing the following lyrics--

"You can't stop today

As it comes speeding 'round the track."

One person after another, one voice after another, and unknowingly, the whole class suddenly turned on ‘chorus mode’.

This song that sang of self and freedom was delivered through the heartfelt voices of these sixteen, seventeen-year-olds.

"Yesterday is history

And it's never comin' back!

'Cause tomorrow is a brand new day, and it don't know white from black

'Cause the world keeps spinnin' round and round

And my heart's keepin' time to the speed of sound

I was lost 'til I heard the drums, then I found my way

'Cause you can't stop the beat!"

Everyone in the class went crazy. As the last drumbeat fell, the children who loved singing, performing, and dancing all gave their own unique pose as a ‘closing action’.

Even the provocative ghost, who was pressed against the wall ‘opening his legs as punishment’, couldn't help but twist his limbs with the music, completely forgetting how he had fallen into this situation.

Chu Ping looked at the half-mature children in surprise, and as she saw the cheerful smiles on their faces, suddenly realized that something in this class had quietly changed...

As for the boy who brought about this change, after meeting Chu Ping's eyes, he realized that he was actually dancing on the lecture table!

This was where the teacher taught!

Thinking that Chu Ping was going to scold him, he shrank his neck and jumped off the desk desperately.

Then as though he wanted to cover it up and make up for his mistakes, he wiped the desk covered in footprints with a rag.

Chu Ping: "..."

She thought to herself, was she really scary? Looking around at the scared little princes in her class, they had all become like little mice ...

...

Xiang Cai lowered his head and hurried back to his seat.

The students around him all winked at him, praising him for being fierce and letting go of himself.

Xiang Cai grew more embarrassed as he listened, and to be honest, he didn't know what had just happened. It seemed like something was rushing out of his inner cage, breaking away from his original self and revealing a brand-new him.

That feeling ... it was really indescribably refreshing.

But to let him regain the feeling of jumping up to the podium on just an impulse... he really couldn't regain that again.

"Xiang Cai! You are so amazing!" The passionate Qi Ji raised her hands and rushed over to hug him.

She was short and could not even reach his chin, so she could only jump up and down like a small lively meatball.

Xiang Cai was a little embarrassed: "... I don't know what happened just now, it was like a fire suddenly lit me."

"You have to remember this state!" Qi Ji whispered in his ear, "I just recorded your singing voice, you can give this as an audio demo to The Sound of Jiuxiao!! They will definitely accept you!"

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The author has something to say: I originally wanted to save the manuscript and send it at noon, but my hand shook. Then came… the Chinese version of the song lyrics that were modified on the Internet translation. In order to ensure that it rhymes and that the sentences flow smoothly, it must be inconsistent with the original English lines, I’m laughing and apologizing to everyone.

T/N: The song definitely had to be chopped up and moved around (a lot) to align with the lyrics of the Chinese version, which was missing many sections. Aaah, I love this chapter, but it was so short.

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