Ling Ke thought that he would never see Qi Feng again. 

However, he was wrong.

Just 4 months after he had added Qi Feng in his QQ account, the local television broadcast company announced that it was holding a talent compet.i.tion for middle school students. Those who were selected would be able to perform at the New Year Festival and it would be broadcasted on live TV. However, that was not where the attraction lay. The compet.i.tion was in fact an opportunity for the broadcast company to scout and develop young hosts for talk-shows.

Many parents were ecstatic when they heard the news. Teachers were also clamoring to send their students to the compet.i.tion because it would boost their school"s reputation tremendously if their students were to be selected for the performance.

Ling Ke was the only student in his cla.s.s who had managed to attain a Grade 10 piano examination certificate so he was one of the students that the school wanted to sent to the compet.i.tion.

To be honest, Ling Ke did not want to take part in the compet.i.tion. He had not learned the piano to perform it in front of an audience and he also had stage-fright. However, Ling Ke"s parents felt that since he met the criteria, he should at least try it out. Even if he was not selected, it would serve as a meaningful learning experience.

Thus, half a month later, Ling Ke and three other schoolmates went to the broadcasting studio.

Out of the three people, one was a girl who does ballet, the other a girl who plays the Er Hu and lastly a guy who is adept in singing.

The girl who did ballet was the well-known Number 1 beauty in school. She was much more gifted than Ling Ke in the arts. Any cultural/art related activities held in school would sought her as the MC. Not only does she have an attractive appearance, she was also capable and could speak charmingly. Although it cannot be said that she had absolute confidence in getting selected, she was definitely the most confident out of the four people.

When the four of them entered the studio, the first round of interview was just taking place. The interviewer were hosts that were frequently on television. This was something exciting for students who never had the opportunity to be so close to real stars.

Some of the students who came out from the interview told them that it was not a very difficult task - a simple conversation with the hosts.

When it was Ling Ke"s turn, he was very nervous. He walked towards his interview room. Before he entered, he brushed past a pretty-looking girl who was crying her eyes out.

Ling Ke was stunned. He slowly walked in and heard the interviewer told the staff beside him: "It is such a pity, her appearance is indeed stunning but her psychological capacity is too low." The interviewer, upon seeing Ling Ke entered, quickly lowered his voice.

Ling Ke"s heart started beating loudly. He understood, that even though it seemed like a simple task of conversing with the interviewer, the interviewer could easily sieve out one"s capabilities and competence from that few lines of reply. Those who were not capable enough or those who were simply not good-looking enough could easily be eliminated.

Upon realizing this, Ling Ke felt that someone like him who was not very adept at talking to others would not be able to stand a chance.

Just as he was about to sit down, a gorgeous lady dressed in formal attire entered the interview room. "Li Xuan, how many more students are there?"

The host stood up. "Sister Jiang, there are still three to four more students. The interview is ending soon. Could you help me interview this person here while I go to the restroom?"

The gorgeous lady smiled helplessly and nodded her a.s.sent before sitting down.

Ling Ke was surprised to see her, the beautiful women sitting in front of him was the host of the financial channel that Ling Ke"s father watched everyday. Ling Ke immediately recognized her: Jiang Ying.

Jiang Ying looked much beautiful in real life. She exuded an air of dignity. However, Ling Ke had no time to appreciate the woman"s beauty. His palms were already dripping with sweat.

"Student, you look very calm." Jiang Ying smiled at him before lowering her head to read the paper with his personal information.

"..." 

Him looking calm? Are you kidding him? Could Jiang Ying not see that his heart was threatening to burst from the immense pressure?

He released his tremoring hands and placed them on his knees, before saying in a low voice, "Teacher Jiang, I am not as composed as you think."

Jiang Ying was surprised. "You recognize me?"

"My father... frequently watches the financial show you host."

"I thought most children would only recognize hosts from the entertainment and educational channel..." Jiang Ying swept her hands through her long l.u.s.trous hair and smiled, "Your name is Ling Ke, right? You said that you are nervous, so what are you thinking about now?"

Ling Ke"s mind was blank. He did not have time to process his thoughts. "I am wondering if my father will be jealous of me..."

"Hmm? Why?"

"Because my father is crazy about your show. Even my mother likes to joke about you being his one and only G.o.ddess...Now that I see you in person, once my father knows about it..."

Ling Ke felt like slapping himself. Idiot! What are you talking about?

However, he did not expect his frank outburst to evoke a chortle from Jiang Ying.

Jiang Ying laughed and scanned his appearance. "Not bad, not bad at all! Able to have a glib tongue at such a young age. And being able to say it so naturally without batting an eyelash. You are indeed talented!"

"???"

He had a glib tongue? If his parents had heard that the child they always thought was introverted was praised to have a glib tongue, they would most definitely be astonished beyond words.

Jiang Ying asked, "Do you want to be a host?"

Jiang Ying"s eyes looked as if they could pierce through his soul. Ling Ke did not want to lie, so he honestly uttered a "No".

Jiang Ying raised her eyebrows. "Oh? Then what did you come here for?"

Ling Ke contemplated. "I only wanted to gain some experience."

Jiang Ying smiled. "Yes, experiencing different things is indeed beneficial."

After saying this, she ticked Ling Ke"s name and skimmed through his performance choice. "You play the piano? What song did you prepare?"

"Beethoven"s ."  

The difficulty of the piece was around Grade 9, it was much easier than the piece   that he had played when he was in Grade 10. 

As there were many repeated parts, it was much easier to play. He only had to practise the piece for half a month before mastering it.

"I also have a son who learned the piano. His age is around the same as yours..." She did not elaborate much and put aside Ling Ke"s papers before saying, "I look forward to your performance."

Ling Ke could not believe his ears. "I..pa.s.sed?"

Jiang Ying nodded, before signalling for him to leave.

Ling Ke was still feeling surprised as he got up from his seat. He bowed politely and as if suddenly remembering something important, asked "Teacher Jiang, could you...sign an autograph for my father?"

Ling Ke"s face had reddened as he said that. He felt that he had never been so shameless before in his life. Such a blatant request deviated from his usual personality. 

It was not like he wanted to boast about his meeting with Jiang Ying to his family, but his family will probably ask him about today"s event. He decided that before his dad could nag at him, he might as well get something for his father like an autograph to appease him.

Jiang Ying was not angry. Instead, she laughed cheerfully. She picked up a blank piece of paper and signed on it before saying in a low voice "Ling Ke, I will tell you something nice. For the subsequent performance, we might have some arrangements for the partic.i.p.ants to get into pairs and perform on the spot." She gave him the paper and winked at him, before whispering, "This is something I only told you."

Ling Ke nodded and thanked her. Only when he had came out from the room, did he realize the meaning of her words. He had been given a major hint on the rules of the subsequent compet.i.tion.

Ling Ke was secretly overjoyed. He was still on cloud nine when he attained some bad news: The other three people in his school had been eliminated.

Ling Ke was shocked. If it was only the girl playing the Er Hu and guy with the pleasant singing voice who were eliminated, he would not have been so surprised. The senior that did ballet was the most talented and capable among the four of them. How could she have not pa.s.sed?

The senior"s eyes were red. "The host had me give an emotional recital of . That was something we had learned two years ago and I had already long forgotten the lines."

Ling Ke remembered the questions Jiang Ying had asked her. "Did he ask you if you wanted to be a host?"

She nodded. She looked like she had received a great shock. She probably did not antic.i.p.ate such a difficult question.

Ling Ke understood why the senior had failed. If the senior had replied with a "yes" then the interviewer"s expectation would not be simply limited to her personal information and would instead attempt to appraise her capabilities as a host. This included judging her abilities to improvise on the spot, as well as her knowledge on cultural works.

The senior asked Ling Ke, "So how was your interview?"

The other two schoolmates looked at him questioningly. They couldn"t help feeling suspicious that someone as gloomy as Ling Ke could have pa.s.sed the interview.

Ling Ke did not know how to explain...It wasn"t just because he had met a nice interviewer, but rather because of his extraordinarily good luck.

Ling Ke gave a vague and brief explanation, before letting out a soft sigh. Now, he knew that the "wonderful" hint that Jiang Ying had given him earlier on was actually of no use. It was not because no one else from his school was selected but rather because the second round of compet.i.tion was already starting. He did not have a piano by his side, so even if he had managed to find a partner, there would be insufficient time for them to practise.

So that hint was pretty useless and only served to prepare him mentally.

Since Ling Ke was going for the second of interview, the other three people decided to stay behind to cheer on the only lucky person from their school who had pa.s.sed.

The forty students who had successfully pa.s.sed the first round of interview were escorted to a multipurpose hall. After the person-in-charge had announced the rules of the second compet.i.tion, the audience burst into excited chatter. Those who had people they knew could conveniently find a partner. However, for someone like Ling Ke who was socially awkward, he could only stand there foolishly and wait for someone to ask him.

His luck had probably already been used up in the first round. Only a person who was playing the Kuai Ban had bothered to ask him what he was performing and upon learning that he was playing the piano, left disappointed.

Yes, piano and Kuai Ban...that"s an impossible combination.

At the last second, there were only five people left without a group. The boy playing the Kuai Ban and Ling Ke were among the five. Ling Ke really wanted to let the girl playing the Er Hu to take his place instead. Er Hu and Kuai ban would be pretty compatible.

After hearing the person-in-charge announced heartlessly "If you can"t find a partner, you will be eliminated immediately", Ling Ke and and the other four people immediately gathered together. After all, none of them wanted to be eliminated without a chance of performing. They decided to temporarily disregard each other"s performance choice and paired up first

The person-in-charge looked at the Ling Ke who was left without a partner. "Only left with you?"

"...."

He  was about to say "What a shame!" and disqualify him when Jiang Ying entered the hall. She scanned the hall and was surprised to find Ling Ke without a partner.

Before the person-in-charge could say anything, she hastily pulled him aside. "Teacher w.a.n.g, come here for a moment."

Jiang Ying whispered something to him and he shot Ling Ke a quick glance before turning around to say. "You can continue to stay here. You will be the last one performing."

"..."

The people beside were now chattering to each other and giving Ling Ke the "That guy has connections" look. Ling Ke felt that the mixture of curious and hostile stares were enough to burn a hole in his chest.

T/N: Next few chapters will be cute. Next few chapters will be their meeting and finally to the main arc - the time skip to university XD

Also, Er Hu and Kuai Ban are Chinese traditional instruments.

I think most of you will be familiar with the Er Hu instrument. It is quite common you can google it. It produce a pretty nice sound. Kuai Ban is a less well-known instrument. It is just two pieces of wood producing a clapping sound, a much simpler instrument.