Chapter 98: Tone-deaf?

Seeing that Li Sicheng chose the microphone, Lin Siyu breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

She had been worrying just moments ago—what if Li Sicheng chose to kiss her instead? Should she close her eyes and let him kiss her, or should she push him away? If it had been before, Lin Siyu wouldn’t have hesitated. She would have pushed Li Sicheng away without a second thought! Ever since she was little, no one but her sister had ever kissed her.

But now, Lin Siyu felt uncertain.

Although she had only known Li Sicheng for a few short days, this boy had somehow found his way into her heart.

Because of this, while she felt relieved, she also harbored a bit of grievance and discontent: “That big liar actually chose to sing instead of kissing me—what does that mean? Am I not attractive at all in his eyes? Hmph, so what if my chest is a little small? Isn’t the flat-chested look all the rage now…”

Unlike Lin Siyu, Zhang Xiaoling was genuinely delighted at that moment, thinking to herself: “Unmoved in the face of temptation, truly worthy of being my idol! Amazing! I give him a hundred thumbs up!”

Holding the microphone, Li Sicheng got up and walked to the computer, preparing to select a song.

But after searching for several minutes, he couldn’t settle on a single song.

Tan Xiaoxiao, who was impatient by nature, grew bored and went over to hasten him, “Little Li, have you picked yet? Can you hurry up? Stop dawdling like an old woman.”

Li Sicheng turned around helplessly, “It’s not that I don’t want to pick—it’s just that I don’t know how to sing any of the songs here.”

Tan Xiaoxiao was astonished, “No way! This KTV has the most complete song selection in Yongcheng. Whether it’s classic oldies or the latest releases, they have everything. With so many songs, you mean there isn’t a single one you can sing? Don’t tell me you’re actually tone-deaf?”

Li Sicheng spread his hands, “I’m not lying to you. I really can’t sing any of the songs here.”

Hearing this, not only Tan Xiaoxiao but several others present assumed Li Sicheng must be tone-deaf. That was the only explanation for why, with over a thousand songs available, he couldn’t sing a single one.

The girls didn’t think much of it, but the boys were suddenly excited. Though they didn’t say anything aloud, they cheered inwardly:

“At last! There’s finally something Li Sicheng can’t do.”

“Great at math, excellent at literature, and with astonishing skill in volleyball and medicine... Li Sicheng’s previous feats were almost inhuman. Thank goodness there’s finally something he can’t do. Otherwise, I’d seriously suspect he’s an alien…”

“Hahaha, Li Sicheng can’t sing—this is fantastic! I finally have one skill that’s better than his! Sure, I often go off-key, but at least I’m not tone-deaf!”

Ever since Li Sicheng arrived, the boys in Class One, Grade Eleven had felt immense pressure. His outstanding performance in every area was overwhelming. Forget catching up—even looking up to him was exhausting.

That’s why, upon discovering this weakness, they couldn’t help but feel joy.

Some even started to heckle him maliciously, “Brother Cheng, just sing something—no matter how terrible, no matter how off-key, we’ll accept it!”

The boys heckling him were jealous of Li Sicheng’s popularity with the girls, eager to see him embarrass himself.

It wasn’t that they had any real grudge against Li Sicheng; it was pure envy.

Just then, a boy named Ma Haojie stepped forward and said, “Li Sicheng, did you hear the crowd’s voice? Tonight, you must sing a song! Even if it’s just ‘Two Tigers,’ a children’s song will do!”

Ma Haojie was good friends with Zhao Yuan. Ever since Zhao Yuan was hospitalized due to an injured ankle caused by Li Sicheng, Ma Haojie had been looking for an opportunity to avenge his friend.

Unfortunately, Li Sicheng’s subsequent performance was so extraordinary that he not only thwarted Cheng Haoyu—who brought a gang to block the school gates—but nearly sent Cheng Haoyu to the police station.

Even a bully like Cheng Haoyu from Nanshan High had been humbled; how could Ma Haojie dare to act rashly? But now, he believed he’d found the perfect chance to make Li Sicheng look bad.

He knew he wouldn’t be able to injure Li Sicheng, but humiliating him in front of everyone would count as revenge for Zhao Yuan.

Ma Haojie had already planned that as soon as Li Sicheng started singing, he would loudly shout, “So awful, stop singing!” or “Others sing for money, you sing for your life!”—anything to make Li Sicheng utterly embarrassed and unable to recover.

Ma Haojie’s intentions were sinister, but no one else noticed. Everyone was just out for fun, and soon more people joined in, echoing Ma Haojie’s call.

“Yes, Brother Cheng, just sing anything! Don’t worry, we definitely won’t boo you!” Zeng Yi said, winking—no one believed he wouldn’t boo.

“Li Sicheng, no matter how you sound, we love listening—go for it!” shouted a group from the girls’ volleyball team, who had become Li Sicheng’s diehard fans after today’s match.

The crowd’s voices grew louder, chanting together, “You must sing! Sing!”

Seeing the excitement rise, Li Sicheng raised the microphone and said, “Alright, alright, everyone calm down. I just said I don’t know any of the songs here, not that I won’t sing… How about this, I’ll sing a few lines a cappella?”

“Fine! However you want to sing is fine!” Most people were just out for a good time and didn’t care if Li Sicheng sang a cappella or with accompaniment.

“A cappella?” Ma Haojie raised his eyebrows.

He didn’t know much about singing, but he knew that singing without accompaniment was much harder and more challenging. Even musicians couldn’t always guarantee a good performance a cappella—let alone a high school student.

Ma Haojie didn’t say anything, but he was inwardly gloating: “Li Sicheng, you’re really digging your own grave this time. A cappella, huh? Alright, I’ll just wait for you to embarrass yourself!”

With everyone’s consent, Li Sicheng closed his eyes, gathering his emotions.

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