However, Qiao Nan dared to speak candidly about this matter in front of so many people. She even criticized Xu Shengnan and aired her grievances. Everyone was amused.
“This wretched Qiao Nan, let’s see how I should deal with her later!” Xu Shengnan, who was at the backstage, was both amused and angry. She rolled up her sleeves viciously. “After she said that, everyone in the school would think that I am a tigress, a slave driver!”
Damn, this junior was ruining her reputation!
The president covered his mouth and laughed silently.
Tigress? Slave driver?
Wasn’t that already the Xu Shengnan in everyone’s eyes?
“Don’t laugh, everyone. It’s not that you don’t know how fierce Vice President Xu is. I don’t want to be up here but my voice is not as loud as hers. I also don’t have as much strength as her. I… I can’t beat her in either an argument or a fight…” Qiao Nan sounded as if she had some difficulty swallowing. There was also a tinge of pity in her tone which everyone did not know how to describe.
“Sigh. As an ordinary member of the club, I can’t refuse to obey Vice President Xu’s orders. I can only blame it on myself for being weaker than her in physical strength. So, my schoolmates and seniors, please do me a favor and take a look at my performance. If you think that I did not perform well, laugh. Laugh loudly. Don’t ‘boo’ at me. If you think my performance is good, applaud loudly for me. At the very least, I won’t mess up the program and event. Under the sharp claws of Vice President Xu, I have to guard my own life. Thank you for your cooperation.”
After Qiao Nan finished her speech, the audience gave Qiao Nan face and cheered for her. There were also many people who simply applauded loudly and gave her encouragement.
“Thank you, thank you.” At the sight of the response, Qiao Nan, who appeared very composed but was, in fact, very nervous at heart, finally felt calmer. “No matter what, I have been *** out by Vice President Xu. At this moment, I don’t have any elaborate preparations. I certainly don’t have the equipment or set up either. Since I don’t have anything, let’s focus on environment and sustainability as the two main objectives of this performance.”
Qiao Nan took a deep breath silently. It was indeed true when she said that she was unprepared.
Vice President Xu insisted that she sing a song. Qiao Nan had to cram at the eleventh hour and fill the time slot for the show. Singing this song was the easiest way to complete this.
There was neither accompanying background music nor musicians. Qiao Nan would have to rely on herself.
After prepping herself, someone moved a huge and painted piece of wooden plank onto the stage. He also placed a rather hard plastic cup on the wooden plank.
Once the student placed the props properly, he left the stage. At the sight of this, the audience was puzzled.
These props were so simple and crude. They really could not guess what Qiao Nan would be performing in this segment of the program.
Could she be performing a magic show?
Just as everyone was trying to guess in vain what Qiao Nan’s performance was, Qiao Nan put her legs together, squatted down, and sat casually on the stage. Everyone below the stage was taken aback at the sight of this.
What tricks were Qiao Nan and the new English club up to?
“…” Lü Yan sneered continuously. “Make-believe? Regardless of how much show she puts on, she will still be laughed at if her performance doesn’t have any substance.” Did she think that she could control the atmosphere of the performance with that short opening speech of hers? How could Qiao Nan be so naive?
If the quality of the show was not up to the mark, regardless of how good-looking Qiao Nan was or how highly-regarded she was in the new English club, the audience would definitely not give Qiao Nan any face. They would not hold back in their criticisms.
Lü Yan saw that the students from the news club were all holding on to their pens, narrowing their eyes and staring at Qiao Nan, who was on the stage. Those sharp looks of them seemed to be waiting to identify and record down any minor hiccups in Qiao Nan’s performance at any moment. Lü Yan crossed her arms and laughed smugly.
This should be considered great happiness ending in sorrow.
Moving forward, she wanted to see whether Qiao Nan dared to be so proud like before and continue to look down on her.
After taking a glance at the props, Qiao Nan, who was totally oblivious to Lü Yan’s thoughts, placed one of the microphones on the wooden plank. It was facing directly at the plastic cup that was on the wooden plank.
As for the other microphone on a stand, Qiao Nan adjusted its position such that it was close to her mouth when she sat down on the stage.
After all the preparation, Qiao Nan suddenly raised her hands. They looked so fair and translucent under the lights. She lifted the plastic cup with one hand, inverted it, and slapped it onto the wooden plank with might. At the same time, her other hand was knocking lightly on the wooden plank.
The two hands were carrying out separate tasks. The props were very simple, and her actions were also very simple. Following that crisp and clear sound of cupping and knocks, the audience was surprised at the discovery of a lively and pleasing rhythmic tune.
Qiao Nan came up with this tune with the simplest props. There was no accompanying music. The props were so crude and primitive that it made others feel like shedding tears for her. Expectedly, the more that was the case, the more Qiao Nan’s rhythm and music moved the audience’s hearts. It made all those who were listening could not help but feel more relax with this simple and lively tune. They began to hum softly along with it.
Initially, the situation was a little chaotic. With Qiao Nan’s stunning move, the whole place turned quiet. There was only the sound of people gently humming.
The quieter the audience was, the clearer they could hear the tune performed by Qiao Nan.
“I got my ticket for the long way round.
Two bottles of whiskey for the way.
…
Oh, you’re gonna miss me when I’m gone.”
Qiao Nan had not learned singing or playing any musical instruments before. She only relied on her pure passion for music and English to sing her once favorite song, ‘Cups’.When she sang, Qiao Nan’s voice was as crisp and pure as the music props that she was currently using.
This kind of simple and pure performance made people feel different about the song. With the absence of all the glorious decors, there was a reversion to the most primitive beginning.
A performance that brought one back to one’s original roots might seem crude and frivolous. Nevertheless, it could strike a chord in people’s hearts very well.
As for the rest of the people, those who could calm down and listen to this song all had their eyes closed as they moved their bodies along with Qiao Nan’s rhythm. They were conscientiously listening to the crisp and pure voice and music that were hard to come by.
When Qiao Nan finished the last verse of the song, she inverted the cup on the wooden plank. With a hard and swift slap of the wooden plank, she ended the entire performance.
After she finished singing, Qiao Nan secretly covered her face behind the microphone and heaved a huge sigh of relief.
Damn, certainly, she did not wish for another round of such an experience again.
In her two lifetimes, this was the first time that she was standing under the spotlight and dominating the entire stage. In addition, the audience, who looked so dark and dimmed under the stage, was only staring at her.
