Chapter Three:

The warm afternoon sunlight poured into the classroom. The girl sitting beside him, her cheeks flushed, was the goddess he had once only seen on a distant screen in his previous life. She was the dream of countless young men—a figure so unattainable, now seated right next to him.

Chen Ling could even catch the scent of her freshly washed hair, a sweet and pleasant fragrance.

In that instant, Chen Ling felt their scene was reminiscent of the moment in the movie "Goodbye Mr. Loser," when Xia Luo, having traveled back in time, switched seats and became desk mates with Qiu Ya. The only difference was that this particular "Qiu Ya" didn’t seem to dislike him.

“Tian Tian, I wrote a song these past few days and I’d like to sing it for you,” he said.

“You wrote a song for me? You can write songs?” Jing Tian, shy, avoided Chen Ling’s gaze. She glanced at him, quickly looked away, and her trembling lashes betrayed her curiosity.

“You?”
“You can write songs?”
“Are you sure you know how to write songs?”

Beside them, Chai Biyun looked equally doubtful, firing off three skeptical questions in a row. She had no clue what Chen Ling was up to, and didn’t believe for a second that he could compose music. In all the time she’d known him, he’d never once shown any musical talent. Or was he just good at hiding it? The two girls were both puzzled and intrigued.

“Of course I wrote it. What’s with those looks? Seems you two know nothing about my talents,” Chen Ling replied, a little stung by their suspicion but also spurred on by his own competitiveness.

He recalled a line from the film, where Qiu Ya told Xia Luo: it doesn’t matter if a man is old and ugly, as long as he’s talented.

But Chen Ling was neither old nor ugly. His soul had traveled here, not his thirty-something body like Xia Luo’s. In his previous life, Chen Ling had even released an album. Though it hadn’t made much of a splash, his voice was good enough, and singing a song was no challenge—especially since the one he had in mind was not difficult.

Still, this song might be a little too forward for where their relationship currently stood. He couldn’t think of a suitable substitute on the spot. So be it. He’d sing anyway. If Xia Luo could change people’s impressions through song despite being old and unattractive, surely he, tall and handsome, couldn’t possibly fail.

And he was talented. Plus, Jing Tian didn’t dislike him—another mark in his favor, he thought.

With that, Chen Ling picked up Jing Tian’s textbook, rolled it into a megaphone, and, gazing at the girl before him, began to sing with deep feeling.

His clear, slightly husky voice carried the melody. Even without warming up, the atmosphere and emotion often moved people more than technical skill. Having often wooed girls with his guitar and singing in his past life, Chen Ling was no stranger to such moments.

Serenading the pretty girl next to him under the bright afternoon sun—this had to have quite an impact.

“I want to see your smile,
I want to be silly with you,
I want you to fall into my arms,
Arguing with flushed cheeks one moment,
Making up the next with a turn and a smile.”

Though a bit nervous, Chen Ling’s performance was solid. Maybe not enough for jaws to drop, but the mood was right, and after just a few lines, Jing Tian’s cheeks turned even redder.

This little beauty is shy, he thought.

Chai Biyun, who sat beside them, looked surprised. Just from those few lyrics, she could tell the song was good—not some hastily cobbled-together tune meant only to flatter a girl. The lyrics stuck in her head. Without music, it was hard to say if it would become a popular hit, but it was definitely a worthy piece of music.

Chai Biyun could recognize a good song, but Jing Tian, who had debuted as a singer, could do so even more. Her first album’s music video had even been directed by Ning Hao.

So she could immediately tell this was a quality song. But had he really written it himself? Jing Tian was skeptical.

And wasn’t this song a little too suggestive? It was clearly meant for lovers. Was it really appropriate to sing to her? Their relationship surely wasn’t at that stage yet.

Still, under the sunlight, her face was flushed, and Chen Ling caught a faint, involuntary smile at the corner of her lips.

His song continued, and a few students in the rows ahead turned to see what was happening.

“Laughing out loud on sunny days,
Growing old together in carefree times,
Do you know my every heartbeat echoes yours?”

With the last note, Chen Ling was quite satisfied with his performance. He hadn’t warmed up, but his voice hadn’t cracked or gone off-key, and he’d created a cozy atmosphere. He only wished he’d had a guitar—then he could have really shown his full ability.

“Not bad,” he said, lowering the makeshift megaphone and smacking his lips.

His actions snapped the two girls beside him from their daydreams. Jing Tian, awakened from her reverie, caught several curious glances from classmates who had turned around, and, flustered, covered her face and rushed out of the classroom.

So shy? Maybe he’d gone too far with his little joke. Jing Tian’s reaction was more intense than he’d expected. In hindsight, he realized the song really wasn’t appropriate at this stage—it was too soon. Scratching his head, Chen Ling regretted his impulsiveness.

“Good song, but don’t you think it’s a bit early to sing this to her, considering your relationship?” Chai Biyun picked up Jing Tian’s forgotten bag and stood, clearly intending to go after her. “You two have only known each other for just over a month. Tian Tian isn’t like those other girls.”

So now Chai Biyun already saw him as a seasoned player.

Not that early, Chen Ling thought to himself—last time he’d chased a girl, it had never taken more than a month.

He said aloud, “Go catch up to her and say a few good words for me. I’ll treat you to a big meal next time.”

Chai Biyun shot him an exasperated look before hurrying out, intent on seeing if her close friend had fled out of embarrassment or anger. Knowing her, it was probably the former.

Though Chen Ling hadn’t sung loudly, he’d still drawn the attention of several classmates nearby. With two beauties like Jing Tian and Chai Biyun sitting together, they already attracted plenty of looks. Now, with both girls leaving one after the other, everyone’s eyes landed on Chen Ling.

“Hey man, if you can write and sing like that, why are you at the Film Academy? Why not the Conservatory of Music?” joked one of his classmates.

A few people in class knew Chen Ling wasn’t in the acting department—he was from the directing department, here to poach talent, a troublemaker. Guys from other majors coming to flirt with their girls was bound to create resentment. If more people knew Chen Ling, who knows what might happen.

Even so, the number of unfriendly glances toward him was growing.

At first, the acting students had watched Chen Ling’s pursuit of Jing Tian as a bit of a joke. After all, no one in their department had won over such a beauty in over a year—how could a freshman director expect to succeed at something so difficult?

They’d admired his courage: “We’ll laugh quietly when you hit a wall.”

But as time went on, things took an unexpected turn. Sure, Chen Ling was handsome, tall, dressed well, and was rumored to play basketball well. But compared with Jing Tian’s other admirers, he was only a step ahead—it wasn’t a landslide victory. That’s why his classmates hadn’t expected much. After all, an arts school was never short on good-looking people.

Yet now, things were different. He could write songs, he could sing, and, more importantly, Jing Tian didn’t seem to mind his advances. This was an alarming development. If their department beauty was won over by an outsider, it would be a huge embarrassment.

Suddenly, many of the male students in class felt a complicated mix of emotions.

Sensing the growing number of hostile glares, Chen Ling decided it was best to make a quiet exit before things got ugly. No need to invite trouble. He could always come to this class again once things cooled down.

Yes, he’d return when tempers had settled.

With that, Chen Ling picked up Jing Tian’s forgotten book and quickly slipped out of the classroom.