6 LEGATO

Legato: in music, legato means to connect each note smoothly without much articulation between notes.

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Zhou Yongliang suddenly became the center of attention after Ren Weisheng asked him a question. The four pairs of ears in the classroom were patiently waiting for his verbal answer. It felt like he was being judged by the four boys.

"A Keyboardist? Do you mean a keyboard player, huh? The member whose job is to press a series of small black and white rectangular objects to produce notes, right?"

Duh, this new student was too innocent or just simply clueless? That innocent question got the four guys in the classroom speechless.

Ren Weisheng was the first one to regain his composure, so he answered quickly, "Yes, Liangliang. We need a keyboardist. Actually, we have an additional member, but he is not always reliable. Many times he was more loyal to his basketball club than the band. A small hole not mend; big hole eat hardship[1]"

The word 'basketball' that came out from Ren Weisheng's mouth got Zhou Yongliang's eyes sparkled. "Basketball club? I'm more interested in playing basketball than playing the keyboard."

No wonder the new student's body was very tall and athletic, his hobby was playing basketball. Of course, it was different from the other four guys who hated sport the most. Ah, Huang Bo was not included on the list because he was also quite good at sport like swimming and fencing.

"Wait a minute," suddenly the blonde guy spoke up. "Why did we force Zhou Yongliang to join Shenshi? We don't even know whether Zhou Yongliang can play the keyboard or not, right?"

What kind of catalyst was Huang Bo's brain using? Why did the speed suddenly compete with the High-speed rail in China? That innocent guy could even think of one crucial thing that his other three colleagues simply missed. It seemed like they were too hasty asking Zhou Yongliang to be their band's member.

"Ah, Huang Bo is right. Can you play the keyboard, Zhou Yongliang?"

Zhou Yongliang blinked nervously at Zhong Hai's question. Moreover, the other three guys now looking at him with a hopeful gaze. That gave him an invisible pressure.

"Um... Playing the keyboard, huh?" He nervously asked back. "Actually, I—"

"Don't force yourself, Liangliang," suddenly Ren Weisheng interrupted Zhou Yongliang's answer while patting the latter's back. "It's okay if you can't play the keyboard. Don't feel pressured. Even if you can't, we'll still drag Yuan Boqin as our band's temporary keyboardist."

Ren Weisheng could see the nervous expression on the new student's face, so he decided to stop the interrogation. Well, that was not a real interrogation, but the new student looked uncomfortable because of the question. That was what Ren Weisheng thinking. He only tried to save his new didi.

"Yuan Boqin? Who is he?" Zhou Yongliang asked in confusion after he heard an unfamiliar name.

Seeing the confusion of his new little brother's handsome face, Ren Weisheng explained, "Yuan Boqin is an additional member in our band, the second-best keyboardist in our school."

"The second-best in our school? Then, who is the number 1?"

"The number 1 of course—"

Chen Guangli's answer was forcibly cut by the bell. The bell signaled the end of lunch break. That meant, they wasted their whole lunch break to chat, even forgot to eat their lunch. How was their empty stomach? Hopefully, it could still last until school was over.

Zhong Hai quickly bid them goodbye and ran to his class, and the trio also went back to their desks. Other students also started entering the classroom to continue their lessons.

Yang Liu and Fang Xing also walked calmly from the outside. Fang Xing winked secretly at Chen Guangli, but Yang Liu just kept walking coldly without glancing at his surrounding.

The teacher also entered the classroom a few minutes later, and the student continued their lessons.

Four hours later, the school bell rang once again, indicating that school was finally over, and the students could go back home after a long and tiring day.

Zhou Yongliang walked down the school corridor along with his new friends.

"Liangliang, you should just go home with me. My family driver comes to pick me up today," Ren Weisheng offered to him for the umpteenth time. Yeah, for the umpteenth time because Zhou Yongliang kept rejecting his offer.

But, to his dismay, Zhou Yongliang once again rejected his offer, "That's no need, gege. From here, I just have to take the bus to the subway station, then take the subway, then get off at the station, and then board a bus again to a bus stop which is not far from where I live. After that, I only need to walk a hundred meters to get to where I live."

"For me, that's a long journey," Chen Guangli chimed in, and the other two nodded in agreement.

But, to their surprise, the new student chuckled. "That's not much. Before I moved here, I had to travel farther and more tiring. The current journey is nothing."

"Zhou Yongliang must be very strong, huh? I really respect you!"

Again, Zhou Yongliang could only chuckle in response to Huang Bo's praise. They didn't realize that they had passed the school lobby and they reached the yard. In the yard, several cars were lined up for students. It was not surprising that many wealthy parents choose to send their children to this school. Their school was an elite school with a good reputation, which had produced a lot of high-quality output and had become a magnet for parents.

Ren Weisheng, Chen Guangli, and Huang Bo came from rich families. Ren Weisheng's father was a famous politician in the city, and his mother was a famous chef that owned two famous restaurants in the city. Chen Guangli came from a doctor's family, his grandparents and his parents were all doctors. Meanwhile, Huang Bo's family owned some department stores and also some hotels. Those backgrounds made Zhou Yongliang's body shrunk into the cell size.

"Liangliang, our drivers have arrived. Is it okay if we go home first?" Ren Weisheng asked hesitantly. It seemed like he couldn't bear to leave Zhou Yongliang alone. His new didi was new in the city, and he was afraid that the tall boy would get lost on his way back home.

Chen Guangli and Huang Bo who were standing beside him also showed the same expression. They couldn't bear to leave their new friend stranded alone in a big city like Beijing. Zhou Yongliang was an orphan and living in the city alone. They couldn't help but feel bad for him.

"You guys don't need to worry, I'm really okay. I know the way home by heart, and I will get home safely."

"Why don't you have a cell phone, anyway? You should be able to tell us if something bad happens, Zhou Yongliang."

Don't be surprised when you heard Chen Guangli's words just now. Zhou Yongliang did not own a cell phone. When he was still living in the village, he also didn't use a cellphone. The brown-haired guy didn't feel the need to use it.

"I will immediately report to the police if something bad happens to me," Zhou Yongliang reassured his friends. "You guys better go home now. Your drivers have been waiting for a long time."

The trio finally nodded, then they bid goodbye to Zhou Yongliang. The brown-haired student waved as his three new friends started walking away leaving him alone. There was a feeling of happiness in his heart. He was relieved that his presence was well accepted at his new school.

Actually, before he befriends Ren Weisheng and the others, he was not quite sure that he would be accepted by his classmates in his new school. Understandably, he was just a village youth with minimal experience. He was afraid that the atmosphere of the city would not side with him.

Not to mention his new friends' appearance that looked 'expensive' unlike his humble appearance. Yeah, with some expensive accessories like shoes, bags, and watches, they were absolutely different than a poor villager like him.

Zhou Yongliang was naturally a bright kid with a friendly personality, but he was still afraid that his personality did not suit the city people. But thank goodness, so far everything was going well. He got three nice friends on his first day at school. They were just clicked and connected perfectly right from the start. Those three friends could accept him with open hands even though he was just a poor student from the village.

After his three new friends left with their cars, Zhou Yongliang's eyes suddenly caught a black sports bike speeding leaving the school area. He could not see the face of the person who was riding the expensive motorbike, but he knew with certainty who the rider was even without seeing his face.

The tall student smiled faintly as his eyes continued to follow the movement of the two-wheeled vehicle. That was 'him'. He knew that his late grandfather had made the right decision by sending him to this city.

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Footnote:

[1] A small hole not mend; big hole eat hardship: from Chinese proverb "Xiǎodòng bù bǔ, dàdòng chī kǔ" that means "If there is a problem that is becoming entrenched and will eventually cause a significant issue if not addressed"