affecting his continuity. The music stopped. Julian ended up with an impressive
sequence, and then provocatively pointed at Aiden.
Over to you, boy! Amidst cheers, Aiden stepped into the open space alone. At first, he
moved his hands and feet a little clumsily, which made the audience laugh. If you can't
do it, give up! That's right! Who'd dare compete with the king of Hip-Hop? Chrissy and
the others had already covered their faces and turned their heads.
They did not dare look again. However, Aiden ignored the shouting and pointed at the
music player. The sound of intense music suddenly rang out.
Aiden's eyes were instantly serious. Ding! Trigger entry-level dance ability. The chest
pop! Helicopter! Windmill! Turtle! One by one, the moves burst from Aiden's body like a
whirlwind.
The crowd had stopped laughing and looked at the scene in front of them. The whole
room was suddenly silent. Chrissy heard the sounds of ridicule suddenly stop.
She thought something had happened and could not help looking up. But then, three
jaws dropped. In time with the music, Aiden copied the whole sequence from Julian.
Except that, in the details, it is better than Julian. Aiden's dance fluency and style were
greater than Julian's. The music stopped and Aiden stopped dancing, slightly out of
breath.
He looked up and found that almost everyone in the room was looking at him with wide
eyes. Shocked, the onlookers remained in a state of stupor for a long time after Aiden
stopped dancing. Someone took the lead in clapping and, before long, deafening
applause could be heard from the music block.
The boys gave the thumbs up to Aiden one after another. The girls screamed crazily.
Anyone could see that, in this unique contest, Aiden had won a crushing victory.
At this moment, Aiden seemed the coolest person in the room. Julian, in contrast,
seemed in the grip of an existential crisis, grasping his bleached blonde hair and
repeating, IMPOSSIBLE! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! His cronies stepped slightly away from him.
They had always thought he was the best in the world, but now they had seen Aiden's
dancing skills, they had found a new god, and Julian's star had fallen.
Chrissy, Chloe, and Jaden seemed to be dreaming, staring stupidly at Aiden. They had
been blown away by his singing, but had not expected his dancing to be even better.
They had thought Julian a star dancer, but he was nothing compared to Aiden.
My god, golden boy, are you really human? Unknowingly, Chloe called Aiden this,
showing how much she worshipped him in her heart. Jaden, excited and flushed, came up to give Aiden a bear hug. As for Chrissy, she simply frowned at Julian and said
sharply, Julian, you've lost your gamble.
Admit defeat and let's get rid of you. Julian was shocked, then raised his head and
refused to go. Even if he dances a little better than me, you are a singing group.
His dancing isn't going to win you all the grand prize. Chrissy was stunned. Then she
held her head high and said with pride, He sings very well.
I don't believe it. If he sings well, I'll call him big brother today. Julian seemed to have a
tendency to pick fights, but Aiden supposed he had seen no proof.
In that case, I'll sing a song to convince you. Aiden looked around the room, his eyes
bright, and then walked to a black piano. Everyone watched, uncertain what he was
going to do.
A girl with long hair sat at the piano. She seemed nervous of Aiden and blinked. She
looked cute.
Can I borrow the piano? Aiden gave her his most charming smile. The girl felt dizzy and
her heart pounded, unconsciously attracted by Aiden's deep eyes. Thank you.
Aiden thanked her again and she blushed.
Aiden calmly
cracked his knuckles and stretched his neck. He gently placed his fingers on the black
and white piano keys and took a deep breath in.
The first clear tone sounded, and people looked up in astonishment. Is that Aiden playing
the piano? Someone in a distant corner asked. No one could believe it.
Could this guy dance and play the piano? How had they never known this before?
Melodious notes rang out, one after the other, and echoed through the room. Ding. Using
the piano.
Instrumental skills, plus one. Current progress, one out of ten. Current level, beginner.
Ding. Playing music. Music ability, plus one.
Aiden's hands moved with effortless ease and elegance over the keys. The notes rang
out with confidence, sometimes long and sonorous, sometimes brisk and light. The music
seemed to flow out of him with spontaneous efficiency, as if it were emanating directly
from his mind without conscious thought or effort.
The whole activity room was silent. It was a truly moving performance. People stood
where they were with their eyes closed and raptured.
It was as if a spell had been cast on the room, turning them into statues. Aiden felt that he was speaking through the music, that he was communicating something meaningful
and true. He thought of all the incredible changes that had taken place in his life over
the past month and let out a sigh.
Everything in life is temporary, he thought. Even life itself. Change is the only constant,
and the changes that come along are a mystery.
One moment you may be living in ignorance, and the next you suddenly understand
what life really is. In a slightly hoarse voice, Aiden started to sing. I feel lonely again for
no reason, he began.
His voice wasn't loud, but it was powerful and heartfelt. In this city, I see a leaf floating
over the sea of people and cars, and I know that I'm alive. Aiden's voice complimented
the piano beautifully.
The mourningful melody tugged at the listener's hearts. People began to look around
curiously, unsure who was singing. It took them a moment to realize that it was Aiden.
All the students in the activity room now stared at Aiden in total silence, mesmerized.
They could feel the loneliness and sadness that the song evoked, and they let it envelop
them. The sense of melancholy and longing was overpowering.
For a moment, it felt as if everyone listening was part of a single organism, thinking and
feeling as one. Some students were overcome with emotion. They discreetly wiped away
tears.
Ding. Moving people with music. Emotional appeal, plus one.
Current progress, one out of ten. Current level, beginner. In the corridor outside the
window, a group of fashionably dressed students walked by.
Unlike other students on campus, they had changed out of their school uniforms as soon
as classes were over for the day. As they passed the activity room, they could hear the
singing coming from inside. The leader of the group was a handsome boy, wearing a
black sweater, flared trousers, glittering diamond earrings, and a pair of expensive Nike
sneakers.
He peered inquisitively through the window at Aiden. Interesting, he murmured. Aiden
continued to sing and play as his audience listened with rapt attention.
My tired soul goes through the motions, allows me to escape in my dreams. I wake up
crying and laughing, and then just keep on going. Aiden played one more bar, and then
gracefully lifted his fingers off the piano.
The song was over. Silence descended upon the room. Aiden opened his eyes, a bit
disoriented at first.
It was as if he had been in a dream and had just woken up. The crowd around him was
also a bit dazed, rubbing their eyes as they came back to reality.
A little girl standing beside the piano was completely
infatuated with Aiden.
He was the most charming, magnetic person she'd ever met. She blushed and asked
hesitantly, What's your name? Aiden, he replied. Aiden, the girl said slowly as if she were
savoring the sound of it.
Aiden, she repeated. She seemed to be in a state of awe. Everyone around her nodded
their heads as she spoke his name, as if they too were dwelling on its significance.
They had been intoxicated by Aiden's song and didn't quite know how to react. Aiden
had set a new bar for the school competition and, more than that, he had once again
challenged everyone's perception of him. Aiden stood up, walked over to the stupefied
Julian and calmly asked, Is that enough to convince you? Julian's mouth twitched.
There was no denying Aiden's talent. Word of Aiden's performance would spread through
the school. Students were already beginning to recount the story of their classmates as
they left the activity room.
You should have been there, one boy said. Everyone could feel it. It was like he was
speaking straight to us.
Julian stared back at Aiden's composed face and the pride in his heart vanished in an
instant. He was truly humbled. Who was he compared to Aiden? How could he possibly
compare himself to someone with this much skill and charisma? Julian bowed his head.
I hope you can forgive me, he said to Aiden. I didn't know what I was saying before. I- He
looked up at Aiden.
I'm sorry. Chrissy's eyes opened wide. Was Julian really apologizing to someone? And
with such sincerity? It was hard to believe.
Look, Julian continued. I'm not so proud that I can't admit when I'm wrong. My ego's not
that big.
He laughed awkwardly. I was wrong about you. You're the real deal, man.
Aiden laughed amiably and shook his head. Just then, a boy started pushing through the
crowd trying to get to Aiden, shouting, Get out of the way! Make room! Move! Move!
Behind this boy was the student who had been peering through the window moments
before. That's Chad Fortenberry, a girl with horn-rimmed glasses said.
What's His Highness doing over here? She added sarcastically. I heard that he's taking
part in the competition this year. A thin boy next to her commented.