Chapter 105: The Green Trees Turn Yellow

The thick-skinned young man was named Feng Zheng, nicknamed “Kite.” Pretending to be humorous, he made a clumsy confession that sent the nearby students into fits of laughter, all shouting encouragement at him.

Feng Zheng was genuinely captivated by Bai Yao. His body trembled slightly, his anxious stomach burning with nerves, yet he summoned all his courage to meet Bai Yao’s gaze, hoping for a miraculous response.

Bai Yao, accustomed to such scenes from her nights singing at clubs, had encountered far wilder crowds than these college students. Over the years, she had heard every outrageous remark imaginable and was no longer fazed. Like a softly blooming magnolia, she smiled gently and replied to Feng Zheng, “I’m not short of meal tickets, shower tickets, or boyfriend tickets. What I’m really lacking are movie tickets…”

Before Bai Yao could finish, Feng Zheng, eager as a monkey, blurted out, “I have plenty of movie tickets! I’ll take you to the movies! How about that?”

Wang Peng and the others watched Feng Zheng’s excitement with amusement, nearly dying of laughter, and cheered him on even more loudly.

Annoyed, Feng Zheng waved them off and chided, “You guys, stop messing around! I’m serious this time!”

Bai Yao maintained her composed, serene smile and said, “You don’t have to treat me to a movie. If you like listening to me sing, you can watch ‘Beloved Corpse.’ It’s available on all the major video platforms.”

From a nearby table, Zhao Jing called out, “The ending theme of that movie is sung by Bai Yao herself!”

Wang Peng and the others were taken aback. Huang Guolun had brought Bai Yao up to sing earlier but hadn’t introduced her identity. None of them had guessed that the girl who sang the ending theme for ‘Beloved Corpse’ was right there in front of them!

As devoted fans of Huang Guolun, Wang Peng and Jiang Lili had already watched ‘Beloved Corpse’ after Zhao Yan’s Weibo announcement. The film had exceeded their expectations, and after watching it, they found it thrilling enough to recommend to their classmates.

Nearly all the students at the club tonight had watched ‘Beloved Corpse’ using shared accounts. They were deeply impressed by the opening theme and the fiery, passionate ending song.

At that time, they had all assumed the singer of the ending theme was an experienced, gritty rock woman or even a man with a sharp voice. None had imagined Bai Yao was such a pure, enchanting young woman.

Now, hearing that Bai Yao herself was the singer of the ending theme, Feng Zheng’s mind reeled in shock as if it had short-circuited. He stammered, “You’re that Bai Yao? My goodness! I always thought you were a guy! I never imagined you were a... young lady!”

Jiang Lili laughed so hard she nearly shattered, teasing, “Kite, your mouth just slips, huh? No wonder you’ll be single forever, ha ha!”

Realizing he had misspoken, Feng Zheng quickly clarified, “No, no, no, that’s not what I meant! I’m saying your singing is incredible! Xiao Bai, how about we exchange WeChat later? If I can’t be your boyfriend, I want to be your fan! Your voice is so beautiful! It’s deeply imprinted on my mind—I can’t get it out! My admiration for you flows like the endless Yangtze River, as overwhelming as the floods of the Yellow River!”

Wang Peng and the others were utterly disgusted and mocked Feng Zheng, “You really have some nerve!”

Another boy praised Feng Zheng, “Awesome, Kite, you’re a real man—just pounce when you see a girl!”

Feng Zheng retorted, “Get lost, don’t mess things up.”

Inspired by Feng Zheng’s shameless spirit, another boy raised his phone and shouted, “Xiao Bai, can I have your WeChat too? I want to be your fan as well!”

As if contagious, several more boys eagerly joined in the clamoring.

Bai Yao responded with a polite, distant smile, firmly declining, “I’m still in school. We’re not allowed to use phones there, and I don’t have one anyway. Sorry.”

Some clueless boy then shouted, “How about adding your Taobao Wangwang? You have that, right?”

“Boom!”

The café erupted into laughter once again.

Huang Guolun nearly slid off the piano bench, laughing uncontrollably.

Zhao Jing chuckled, whispering to Shen Yumeng, “I don’t even know what school these college guys are from. They’re shameless even compared to the boys at our school.”

Shen Yumeng guessed, “I bet they’re engineering majors—probably pent-up frustration on campus, hehe.”

On the small stage, Bai Yao smiled politely. The advertisement had been made; she wasn’t about to waste energy chatting with these boys.

Huang Guolun was quite pleased with her rehearsal performance. Though there were still flaws to nitpick, for an amateur student singer, Bai Yao had fully utilized the unique qualities and strengths of her voice, conveying the overall emotion of the songs and infusing them with her own distinctive flavor. This showed clear potential for a great vocalist, earning her a perfect score from Huang Guolun.

Faced with the adoration of these single college students, Bai Yao remained calm and composed, even taking the opportunity to promote the movie—a performance that earned her extra points in Huang Guolun’s eyes.

Though still an amateur, Huang Guolun increasingly believed this scholarly girl was born for the stage, imbued with the aura of a true star.

Seeing the boys eager to continue teasing Bai Yao, Huang Guolun stepped in to shield her, speaking in the tone of an experienced elder statesman: “Stop the teasing. If you want to hear Xiao Bai sing, let her sing another song for you.”

“Yeah! Great!” Wang Peng led the cheers.

The boys clapped enthusiastically for Bai Yao.

The three girls who came with them felt a bit jealous seeing Bai Yao steal all the attention, but they too admired Bai Yao’s captivating, smoky voice that stirred a long-lost melody deep within their hearts. They applauded sincerely, hoping to hear her sing again.

This time, Huang Guolun did not choose the song but asked Bai Yao, “What will you sing?”

“‘Green Trees Turn Yellow,’” she replied.

This was the only song Bai Yao chose to sing herself during this rehearsal, rather than one selected by Huang Guolun.

Almost no one in the café had heard this obscure piece.

Curious, Zhao Jing asked, “Teacher Huang, is ‘Green Trees Turn Yellow’ your composition?”

Huang Guolun replied, “No, it’s sung by Liu Xijun. Haven’t you heard it?”

The college students all shook their heads.

Zhao Jing, Zhao Yan, waitress Su Ling, and Liu Xiaowei also shook their heads.

Shen Yumeng, unfamiliar with the song, asked Nan Fang, “Honey, have you heard this song?”

Nan Fang hadn’t either but insisted, “I have, though I don’t remember much. It’s probably a niche, lesser-known song.”

Intrigued, Zhao Jing said, “Oh? Interesting! Choosing a niche, little-known song for a solo performance—Xiao Bai and Teacher Huang really are confident!”

Zhao Yan’s mind was still filled with the romantic melody of ‘Intimate Lover.’ He mused, “Xiao Bai’s singing is so soulful. Listening to her ‘Intimate Lover,’ I wouldn’t believe she was just a high schooler.”

Shen Yumeng agreed, “Xiao Bai’s voice is a gift from heaven. She’s truly made for singing.”

Nan Fang, ever the critic, assessed, “Not bad. Her voice has character, but her technique needs refinement. With professional ears like ours, we can spot many flaws and pitch issues. You might not notice them much, but such a voice can be a headache for sound engineers in the studio.”

Zhao Jing smiled teasingly at Nan Fang, “Brother Nan Fang, Xiao Bai’s voice and style go straight to the heart. Flaws and perfection aside, singers without unique traits chase flawless technique. Singers with character sing with feeling! Xiao Bai’s voice is exactly that. The moment she opens her mouth, she covers any flaws and lets the song reach the listener’s heart.”

Nan Fang argued back, “That’s just layman’s talk. The more distinctive a singer’s voice, the more they need to hone their skills. The top vocalists today all have recognizable voices, but do you dare say their technique isn’t superb? They’re all masters of their craft! If Xiao Bai wants to turn professional, she has a long road ahead.”

Zhao Yan added, “Xiao Bai’s still young; she’s only in high school. She indeed has a long way to go. But I believe with her voice and talent, if she truly pursues singing, she will one day hold a place in the Chinese music scene.”

Zhao Jing waxed poetic, “More than that! If Xiao Bai dedicates herself to the music world and gets further guidance from Teacher Huang, she could become a monumental figure among Chinese singers! Her voice is so unique, it’s truly a divine gift!”

Nan Fang scoffed. Today’s new Chinese singers who last more than three years without fading into obscurity are already exceptional. Becoming a monumental figure in Chinese music? Ridiculous!

Not to mention someone like Huang Guolun, an unknown music teacher, supporting her—even if the great Li Zongsheng himself came back to mentor Bai Yao, it wouldn’t guarantee she’d become a legendary singer. Just becoming popular would be an achievement.

Take the recent promising new female singers like Ji Kejunyi and Wu Mochou, all nurtured by top mainland music producers, yet none have truly exploded in fame.

Among newcomers, only Deng Ziqi stands out, but even she underwent years of hard work and has extraordinary talent to become a superstar.

For an amateur like Bai Yao, hoping to become a landmark singer with just a unique voice is pure fantasy!

Nan Fang thought Zhao Jing’s words were foolish, a case of having a big mouth but little sense, and wasn’t even willing to argue further with a layperson like her.

While they were chatting, Huang Guolun and Bai Yao were already preparing for the second song.

The piano keys began to play.

The lively buzz in the café instantly quieted.

Before the upright microphone stand, Bai Yao closed her eyes once more, her face calm as still water, but her heart quietly mourned...