Chapter 231: Not Bad, Teacher Wang
Pei Ningle’s tutoring of Fu Jiu started with how to set up equations. But as she lectured, the topic shifted from equations to chords.
“Actually, music doesn’t completely rely on inspiration either. Many things require mathematics too. For example, a chord is the superposition of three sound waves. Of course, there are more complex ones too, with more superimposed notes, like four, five, or six notes stacked together. Then the key to a chord is the ratio of frequencies, and this ratio is extremely important…”
Pei Ningle spoke on by herself, while Fu Jiu propped her chin up with both hands, nodding as she listened. As for how much she actually took in, only heaven knew.
After listening for a good while, Fu Jiu asked in a half-understanding way: “So does Sister Xiao Le use mathematics when writing songs too?”
Pei Ningle: “Not really. But writing songs requires music theory knowledge, and the seniors who established the music theory system did use mathematics.”
Fu Jiu asked again: “Then why do we have to study mathematics? If we want to write songs, can’t we just study music theory and skip mathematics?”
This question was a bit hard to answer.
Pei Ningle contemplated for a moment, then said somewhat uncertainly: “Because studying it makes people more intelligent, I guess…”
Fu Jiu: “Really?”
Pei Ningle: “Probably.”
Just then, Pei Ningle’s mobile phone ringtone sounded. The young girl picked up her phone and saw it was an unfamiliar number she’d never seen before.
But after picking up, the voice that rang out was not unfamiliar at all.
“Is this Pei Ningle? I’m your mentor…”
“Peng Xiaoya!” Pei Ningle blurted out instinctively. Fortunately, she quickly realized it wasn’t great to address her directly by name and immediately added the suffix, “Mentor!”
The star mentor on the other end of the phone laughed: “How have you been lately? You haven’t forgotten how to sing, have you?”
Pei Ningle said full of energy: “I remember it clearly!”
Peng Xiaoya: “Haha, good. In ten more days it’ll be my episode. You and the other seven students will compete on the same stage. It’s the same song from the blind audition, but you need to make some changes in the arrangement and performance to make it shine as much as possible.”
Pei Ningle said straightforwardly: “Mentor, tell me, how should it be changed to be better?”
Peng Xiaoya pondered for a moment, then said: “I think you can divide this song into two parts: the verse part and the final chorus climax. You can make the verse quieter, like the simplest folk, using just one guitar. Discard even slightly complex arrangements. Then for the chorus part, add more accompaniment…”
Listening to her mentor’s description, Pei Ningle imagined it and started humming casually. While humming the melody, she also used breaks in breathing and variations in volume to imitate a drum beat.
Peng Xiaoya’s voice suddenly grew excited: “Yes, yes, exactly that feeling! Hey, have you practiced beatbox?”
“No.” Pei Ningle instinctively shook her head, not caring whether the other could see.
Peng Xiaoya: “Then I think you should practice it. The cutest girl doing the coolest beatbox—doesn’t that sound super fun just thinking about it?”
Hearing this, Pei Ningle couldn’t help but fall into contemplation. Thinking carefully, it did seem pretty fun?
After waiting a moment with no response, Peng Xiaoya couldn’t help but ask: “Hello? Hello? Are you still there?”
Pei Ningle hurriedly said: “Yes, yes! That thing… with the stage in ten days, isn’t it too late to practice now?”
Peng Xiaoya: “Of course you can’t make it now. I mean later. You can write such great songs, you sing well, and you’re good-looking too. You’ll definitely have plenty of opportunities to get on stage in the future!”
Pei Ningle: “Mentor, you’re overpraising me…”
Peng Xiaoya: “Not at all, you really are great…”
Fu Jiu on the side couldn’t hear Peng Xiaoya’s voice from the phone, so she could only listen to Pei Ningle’s words and watch the slightly shy smile on her face, secretly sighing to herself—people in music really are a bit strange. She could be happy even being told such exaggerated things?
Should it be said that she truly lives up to being ‘Sister Xiao Le’?
————
Another professional class.
After more than half a year of university life, the computer science students at Telecom Technology University had already realized they couldn’t slack off too much. For example, in mathematics courses and professional classes like C language, if they didn’t study properly, the only path was to retake them next year. As for the leisurely scenes depicted by high school teachers, they could only be realized in less important elective courses.
At this moment, Wang Heng looked around. Whether it was Fu Hanwen and Wang Ke sitting to his left, or Tang Hexing sitting to his right, they were all listening seriously and taking notes, showing the same diligence as high school students.
As for their listening efficiency, no one knew…
Finally, the class dismissal bell rang. Wang Heng heard relieved sighs from both sides at the same time—everyone seemed to feel a sense of relief.
The professor who had been lecturing had no intention of dragging out the class and turned to leave the stage right away. But the five students in the front row moved faster, grabbing their notebooks’ questions to corner the professor.
Looking closely, the most proactive among the five students was none other than class monitor Sun Xing Si.
Wang Ke: “Our class monitor always goes to the teacher with questions whose answers can clearly be found on Qian Du and Zhihu…”
Fu Hanwen curled his lip disdainfully: “Otherwise, why do you think the teacher runs off so fast after class? Tell me, isn’t that right?”
Wang Heng didn’t like gossiping about people behind their backs. After all, everyone had it tough—why bother exposing it? But before he could brush it off, Xiao Tang on the other side directly changed the topic.
Tang Hexing said helplessly: “Never mind the class monitor showing off. I’m annoyed right now! Have you guys noticed, my Xiao Bai has been acting a bit off lately? Is she in heat?”
Fu Hanwen and Wang Ke exchanged a glance and nodded.
Wang Heng had spent the least time in the dormitory lately and didn’t feel anything about it. He glanced at Tang Hexing’s phone and saw the guy seemed to be looking up how to handle a female cat in heat…
Then at that moment, Wang Heng’s own phone vibrated. He took it out for a look and saw it was a text from Pei Ningle:
【We need to prepare for the second round competition!】
Putting away his phone, Wang Heng observed his roommates and suddenly realized a problem—they didn’t have the habit of watching CCTV programs, nor did they follow the entertainment industry, or mix in the school’s social circles, or regularly go to Brother Tao’s bar to listen to songs. So they still didn’t know about Pei Ningle’s performance on that program.
Of course, if Pei Ningle advanced another round and performed even more outstandingly, gaining more fame, she would eventually have to let her roommates know. And since they already knew about Pei Ningle’s relationship with him, what should he do then?
Before Wang Heng could think of a countermeasure, his roommates had already launched into a deep discussion on the topic of female cats in heat.
Wang Ke: “I heard it requires spaying surgery or something…”
Tang Hexing: “I just checked, it costs several hundred yuan!”
Fu Hanwen: “Tsk tsk, they’re clearly a couple who’ve bowed to heaven and earth, yet you won’t even spend a few hundred yuan for her. Is this a collapse of morality or…”
Tang Hexing: “Shut up!”
Just then, Wang Heng casually said: “Why don’t you try medical cotton swabs?”
All three turned their heads to look at him, their faces full of astonishment and shock.
Imagining the scene of medical cotton swabs and a female cat, Tang Hexing’s face turned completely red.
Fu Hanwen gave a thumbs up: “Teacher Wang, as expected of Teacher Wang!”
————
