Chapter 44: A Group of Face-Conscious People
When Lin Yuejiu entered the backstage area, Chen Qianxi immediately came over, snatched the pass from her hand, and leaned in close to look at it.
Seeing her face almost pressed against the pass, Lin Yuejiu chuckled and said, “Careful, you’ll go nearsighted if you look that close.”
Chen Qianxi replied with righteous seriousness, “I have to take a good, hard look. This is a Music Association pass! Since I can’t get in myself, I’ll just have to touch it and admire it as much as I can.”
Lin Yuejiu laughed and let her be.
Soon, Madam Xu arrived backstage with Xu Chen and Xu Yu. As soon as she saw Lin Yuejiu, Madam Xu gave her a big, heartfelt hug, her voice brimming with joy, “Congratulations, our Jiujiu has officially made it into the Association!”
“Thank you, Auntie Xu.”
Father Xu and Mother Xu also hugged her one by one, offering their congratulations.
“Ah, Jiujiu, now that you’ve entered the Music Association, once you become successful and famous, you mustn’t forget about your brother. I’ll be counting on you to have my back!” Mother Xu teased.
Lin Yuejiu couldn’t help but laugh. “I definitely won’t.”
The Lin family also came in, looking for Lin Rumeng. Madam Lin comforted her, “It’s alright, Mengmeng. Work harder next time, there will be other chances.”
Holding back her grievances, Lin Rumeng called out, “Mom.” Then she turned toward Lin Yuejiu, her face wearing a polite smile, “Congratulations, Sister, for entering the Music Association.”
Lin Yuejiu responded with a standard polite smile of her own. “Thank you.”
But in Lin Rumeng’s eyes, that smile was nothing but blatant arrogance—dazzling and unbearable.
She forced a fake smile before leaving the backstage. Before going, Lin Yimo glanced at Lin Yuejiu standing beside the Xu family and said, “Congratulations.”
Lin Yuejiu’s expression remained calm. “Thank you.”
At school, two students had been admitted to the Music Association. The principal was overjoyed and even gave both of them half a day off as a reward.
Among the audience at the competition had been many from the aristocratic circle. Having witnessed Lin Yuejiu’s performance, the news of her successful entry into the Association quickly spread throughout their circles, sparking countless sighs and discussions.
“This fake daughter of the Lin family is truly outstanding—she got into the Music Association so easily.”
“Sigh, I wonder how the Lin family feels right now?”
“Who knows? They abandoned such an excellent girl. Even if she’s not related by blood, raising her wouldn’t have hurt them. It’s not like they couldn’t afford it.”
“Well, it was the old master’s decision. The older generation always values blood ties more, and on top of that, the real daughter had suffered so much outside.”
“That’s true. Forget it, it’s their family business—we can’t interfere.”
“All we can do is watch the drama.”
“By the way, what score did the Lin family’s real daughter get?”
“7.5. Not even an eight.”
“So still not as good as the fake one, huh.”
At this moment, Lin Rumeng was back at the Lin family’s old residence. When the old master learned of the news, he didn’t scold her too harshly. Instead, he sighed and told her to keep working hard.
Tears welled up in Lin Rumeng’s eyes. “I understand, Grandpa.”
In her heart, she resolved that she must work twice as hard from now on—she had to surpass Lin Yuejiu.
When the weekend arrived, Huang Weixue summoned the two new members to the Music Association for an orientation.
Because of the competition, Lin Yuejiu and Li Shule had added each other as friends and gotten along well. When Chen Qianxi found out, she hugged Lin Yuejiu and cried, insisting she mustn’t forget her.
Lin Yuejiu couldn’t help but laugh through tears. “It’s not like I won’t come back. How could I forget you? You’re my most important friend. There’s no way I could forget you.”
Chen Qianxi immediately stopped crying and said, “Alright then, go quickly.”
Watching her sudden change of expression, Lin Yuejiu thought: “……”
She felt she’d just been tricked.
At the school gate, she and Li Shule hailed a cab together and headed to the Music Association.
The Association placed great importance on this year’s recruitment. One of the people in charge, Huang Weixue, was even waiting at the entrance to greet them, with quite a few others watching.
When he saw the two girls arrive, he smiled. “Welcome.”
“Hello, Teacher,” they both greeted.
“Mm. Come, follow me inside.”
Huang Weixue led them in, and as soon as they stepped through the doors, a magnificent, brightly lit hall came into view.
As they walked, he introduced the place, “This is the main hall. The reception desk is over there. Students practice on the second floor, while classes are held on the third. We also have a ranking system. Since you’ve just joined, you’ll start as Level One students. After some time in the Association, you’ll undergo another assessment to evaluate your abilities. Your scores will determine your levels. Higher-level students have the opportunity to study on the fourth and fifth floors with more advanced music instructors.”
Li Shule instantly grew nervous, clutching Lin Yuejiu’s sleeve. “I’m a little nervous.”
Lin Yuejiu patted her hand gently. “It’s okay, don’t be scared—it hasn’t even started yet.”
Huang Weixue led them up to the second floor and explained,
“These are all practice rooms. There’s no ranking system for these—everyone’s equal here. Once you’ve got your piece ready, you can come here to practice.”
The three of them went up to the third floor.
“These are the classrooms. All beginners start in this big classroom. Once levels are assigned, students move to different classrooms. The ones in the front with purple markings are for advanced students.”
Lin Yuejiu asked, “Teacher, how many advanced students are there in the association right now?”
“There are thirteen.”
“Only thirteen?!” Both girls exclaimed.
Huang Weixue chuckled, “What, did you think there’d be more?”
“I thought there’d be a lot!”
“Students who reach the highest level can actually go out and hold concerts themselves. They can also choose to stay behind and teach.”
“So the ones who stayed haven’t made their choice yet?”
“No, it’s not that. After reaching the highest level, there’s still a set period of time—like a school term.”
“I see.”
Huang Weixue continued showing them around, then brought them up to the fourth floor. He teased,
“Better let you take a look now. Coming up here later won’t be so easy.”
Lin Yuejiu and Li Shule were quick to respond, “Thank you, teacher!”
As they came up, a class was in session. The teaching instructor noticed Huang Weixue and greeted him, “Teacher Huang.”
The students followed suit, “Hello, Teacher Huang.”
“Mm, hello.”
The instructor then looked at the two girls behind him and raised his brows.
“Oh? New students?”
“Mm, just brought them in.”
“Your taste is impressive—bringing in two such pretty girls.”
At that, all the students immediately turned to stare at them.
Huang Weixue smiled and gestured for the girls to introduce themselves.
“Go on, greet them. Good chance to get acquainted.”
Lin Yuejiu asked, “So how should we address them?”
“There’s a title… ah, right. Senior brothers and sisters. Just like in school terms.”
The two of them obediently greeted, “Hello, seniors.”
The students laughed and replied, “Hello, juniors. Introduce yourselves?”
“I’m Lin Yuejiu, a new member. Please take care of me.”
“I’m Li Shule. I hope the seniors will guide me as well.”
“Of course, we will.”
Huang Weixue said, “Alright, I just wanted to bring them over for a look. We’ll be off.”
The instructor smiled, “No need to see us out.”
But the students were already whispering among themselves.
The instructor arched a brow, “What’s this? Someone’s got their eye on a junior?”
“Teacher, we didn’t say that—you did!”
“Ha! You lot can’t even move when you see a pretty face.”
“That’s not it! We were just shocked by how good-looking they are. Honestly, it’s been years since we’ve had such beautiful girls here,” the students protested in unison.
“Well, you’re not wrong,” the instructor stroked his chin. “So, which one do you think is prettier?”
The students looked at each other.
“Relax, I won’t tell. When have I ever broken my word?”
“That’s true… Honestly, both are beautiful. Just different styles.”
“But which style do you prefer?”
“That junior… what’s her name again… Right, Lin Yuejiu.”
“Same here. She caught my eye right away—and the more I look, the prettier she seems.”
The instructor shook his head with a laugh, “A bunch of looks-obsessed fools.”
“Alright, the bell’s rung. Time for a spot quiz.”
“What?! Again?!”
The instructor snorted, “You veterans are still trying to play dumb? The quiz starts now!”
