This time, she was going to defeat Yao Tang for sure.
Yao Ran admitted she was to blame for her previous schemes. She had been sloppy and had revealed her trump card too soon.
But today, she was going with a contingency plan.
The students of Class 20 had also come to cheer for Yao Tang.
Last night’s rehearsal had filled the Glory Orchestrawith confidence, and now they were all smiling and pumped to play their piece.
Sadly, this lively atmosphere was cut short.
Just when they were completing their headcount, they realized that they were missing one person. A bad premonition fell over them, and anxiety quickly took over.
Thinking of what had happened to their other teammates who had to quit the orchestra, they couldn’t help but expect the worst.
“Don’t worry, everyone,” Fang Huiencouraged them. “We all knowLiu Tian’s character. He’s not someone who would abandon his comrades at the last minute. Besides, he comes from a powerful family, so no amount of threat would stop him from competing.
“For now, let’s wait and hope nothing bad has happened to him. Maybe he was caught in a traffic jam. Let’s calm down first, all right? Don’t let this get to you.”
Thankfully, his words had the desired effect and everyone settled down. Everyone, that was, but Fang Huihimself.
He took out his phone and announced, “I’ll give Liu Tiana call right now.” To his dismay, the line only kept ringing, and nobody answered.
In the end, the call disconnected automatically.
For a moment, Fang Huilistened to the dial tone in a daze, but he quickly came back to his senses and called again.
“Maybe he’s driving,” he told himself, “and can’t pick up the phone.”
He called for the third time.
But this one didn’t go through, either.
A tense silence fell over the Glory Orchestra.
As much as they didn’t want to feel distraught, the series of misfortunes that they had experienced was taking a toll on them. A few girls had even started crying.
All of a sudden, Fang Hui’s phone rang, startling everyone.
He looked at his screen and exclaimed, “It’s him! Maybe it wasn’t convenient for him to answer just now. Rest assured, okay?”
Sure enough, hope was rekindled in his teammates’ eyes.
However, as the seconds ticked by, they saw Fang Hui’s excited smile slowly turn into a somber expression.
When he finally hung up, he looked bitter and rather resigned.
Everyone held their breaths, afraid to ask what they were all thinking.
It was Yao Tangwho broke the silence. “What happened?”
Fang Hui closed his eyes and smiled. “He… He had a car accident on the way. He’s still in the emergency room at the moment.”
Everyone sucked in a breath of shock.
Another silence washed over them, this one heavier than the last.
Yao Tang’s classmates were just as speechless, not knowing what to say.
After a while, someone stepped forward and said, “We’re not participating in the assessment anymore. Let’s go see Liu Tian!”
Many others jumped up to agree with his suggestion.
It got so heated that Yao tanghad to raise a hand before speaking.
“Are you saying that you want Liu Tianto bear the guilt for this missed opportunity for the rest of his life?”
That hushed them up.
Of course, they knew that Liu Tianwasn’t at fault. If anything, he was the victim who suffered the most in this situation.
But they also knew that he would blame himself nonetheless.
If they proceeded to the competition…
“Even if we participated, we still lack one person. What other choice do we have?”
They were in a conundrum.
Yao Tang tried to persuade everyone to stay and compete, whileXiao Jingracked his brains for a suitable replacement on such short notice.
The rest just wanted to find ways to alleviate Liu Tian’s guilt over the whole matter.
The students from Class 20 also discussed among themselves, though they could do little more than sigh and shake their heads in regret.
The Glory Orchestrawas just one step away from achieving their dreams, but it seemed that luck just wasn’t on their side.
They were at the end of their wits when Yao Tangsaid, “Maybe if we all ended up in the hospital due to some accident or the other, he wouldn’t blame himself too much.”
Her team members were stunned. Even her classmates gaped at her in shock.
And yet, for some reason, they found that her idea made sense…
