Chapter Fourteen: Countdown Band

On the second floor of a quiet commercial street, Zhou Miao pushed open the door of the rehearsal room. The space inside was quite large, over a hundred square meters, and because it was virtually impossible to rent out, Zhou Miao had managed to secure it at a bargain price—fifteen thousand for a year, paid upfront for three years.

The other four had already arrived. The short boy with a crew cut was Zhao Jie, the bassist. The chubby one whose eyes disappeared when he smiled was Liu Huan, the keyboardist. The beautiful girl wearing a school uniform with a high ponytail was Ma Yun, the drummer.

“Brothers, I’m back!” Zhou Miao called out as he entered.

The four immediately gathered around him, patting and searching all over his body. Zhou Miao squirmed, feeling ticklish. “What are you doing? What’s all this rummaging?”

“Where’s the invitation? If you don’t show it today, don’t expect to leave!” Ma Yun, the only girl in the band and also the most hot-tempered, demanded.

Zhou Miao brushed their hands away. “Relax, they haven’t given it to me yet. Trust me, there’s no way I’d let it slip. The person who promised me is a TV variety show director, connected with the music festival. It’s all set.”

The four exchanged skeptical glances. “Really? Are you sure you didn’t get scammed? What kind of variety show director?”

A bit embarrassed, Zhou Miao figured there was no point in hiding it—it would be on TV sooner or later anyway. So he confessed, “The director of ‘Transformation’. I went to participate in that show recently.”

"Pfft—"

“Hahaha, you’re kidding!”

...

Zhou Miao watched the hysterically laughing group with a dark expression, utterly helpless. Yet the embarrassment here paled in comparison to what awaited him; he could already imagine the reaction of his schoolmates when they saw him on television.

He feared that his reputation as the campus heartthrob would soon turn into campus clown.

“Alright, enough, let’s get serious. We need to rehearse the songs we’ll perform on stage. The director already helped arrange it for us—getting on stage isn’t a problem, but time is tight. We only have ten minutes. That’s not enough for three songs; two will suffice,” Zhou Miao said earnestly.

Ten minutes... Everyone was stunned. That was far too short.

“Don’t most festival performers get forty minutes each? Why only ten for us?” Zhao Jie asked, puzzled.

Zhou Miao shrugged helplessly. “Because we’re just an unknown amateur band, and all of us are high school students. It’s already a privilege that we get to perform at all. Those ten minutes—they squeezed us in during the audience’s restroom break.”

“What should we play then? Lin Zhen’s songs or Tian Yuan’s?” Ma Yun asked impatiently.

Zhou Miao had already prepared for this. He pulled two sheets of music from his pocket. “Who covers other artists’ songs at the Strawberry Music Festival? That’s just asking to be laughed at. We’re playing our own originals this time!”

Originals? The group was tempted but also unsure. They knew Zhou Miao could write songs, but had never heard him perform his own work. They’d always assumed his songwriting skills were mediocre.

Carrying this uncertainty, they picked up the scores and began to read. As they looked, surprise grew—they were actually pretty good.

Ma Yun quietly hummed along to the melody; the more she hummed, the brighter her eyes became. At last, she slammed the table. “Excellent! Let’s play this!”

“Nice one, Zhou! Didn’t know you were hiding such talent,” Zhao Jie exclaimed, punching Zhou Miao excitedly.

Liu Huan was even more eager, grabbing his keyboard. “Let’s get familiar with it right away and see if anything needs tweaking.”

Soon, the stirring sound of instruments filled the rehearsal room and drifted downstairs to the foot massage shop below. The old master, busy with a client, glanced at the ceiling and grumbled, “Those little rascals—barely took a break for a few days before making a racket again.”

Around five in the afternoon, Zhou Miao whistled his way home. In the living room, Hong Xue was correcting Lin Yanan’s grammar. At the sight of Zhou Miao’s leisurely demeanor, her temper flared.

“Have you finished your summer homework? You just got back and you’re already running around. Sit down, now!” Hong Xue patted the sofa beside her.

Zhou Miao obediently sat down and grinned. “I’ve been gone so long—my friends couldn’t reach me and worried something happened. I just went to say hello.”

Hong Xue poked his forehead with her finger. “Don’t joke with me. Aren’t you aiming for the Central Conservatory of Music? Starting tomorrow, you stay home and study hard!”

At the mention of studying, Zhou Miao felt miserable. He’d never liked studying in his previous life, and this time around, having gone through kindergarten again, he felt like he was losing his mind.

Truth be told, perhaps because he hadn’t drunk the soup of forgetfulness, his memory in this life was extraordinarily strong. He could recall every detail of the songs from his past life with perfect clarity, but he just refused to apply that talent to academics.

Teachers had always commented: You’re a smart child, but...

Just as Zhou Miao was feeling dejected, Hong Xue delivered another blow. “I’ve already talked to Xueqin—school starts in just over half a month, so she’ll come here to tutor you in the meantime.”

Xueqin, full name Li Xueqin, Zhou Miao’s homeroom teacher and Hong Xue’s close friend.

Zhou Miao covered his forehead in despair. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have come back so soon. How I wish I’d stayed in Yunnan until the end of summer break. I’d rather spend every day harvesting wheat and spreading fertilizer.”

Lin Yanan paused her writing, curious. “You worked at my house?”

“Of course!” Zhou Miao replied proudly. “I harvested your wheat, watered your vegetable garden, and even helped your village chief build a new house, moving bricks all day.”

“How’s Grandpa doing at home?” Lin Yanan asked with concern.

“Don’t worry, Grandpa’s doing well. Right now, he’s got two helpers working for him every day. If you go back soon, you’ll probably see them.”

Reassured, Lin Yanan smiled and returned to her exercises.

Bored and unwilling to study, Zhou Miao started practicing piano. Since Lin Yanan was studying beside him, he chose a simple, soothing piece rather than something intense.

On a summer evening, Lin Yanan bent over her books, Zhou Miao played gently, a snow-white cat crouched at his feet, and Hong Xue rested her chin in her hand, smiling as she watched her son’s back.

After advice from the director, Hong Xue had finally let go of a knot in her heart. She had always worried about Zhou Miao’s grades, but now, knowing he was set on pursuing music through the arts exam, the pressure on her eased considerably.

She’d researched the scores; last year, some departments at the Central Conservatory only required just over two hundred points. If Zhou Miao couldn’t reach that, she might as well send him back to the womb for a fresh start!