Chapter 50 Teacher Li Yao

Chapter 50: Li Yao

Cheng Feng felt a knot of nervousness in his stomach. This was his first piano lesson. Although he had taken notes on everything the teacher said and had mentally rehearsed several times, actually having to perform in front of everyone was inevitably nerve-wracking.

However, the moment he sat down at the piano and his fingertips touched the keys, a sudden calm washed over him.

He took a deep breath, his eyes fell on the sheet music, and he began to play.

At first, his rhythm was a bit unsteady, his fingers slightly stiff, playing slowly and lacking flow.

But as note after note flowed from his fingertips, he gradually found his groove. His fingers became more agile, his rhythm stabilized, and the melody became smooth and clear.

Teacher Ye, who had initially been frowning slightly, slowly relaxed her brow. A flicker of surprise crossed her face. This new student's foundation seemed much better than she had imagined.

The other students couldn't help but glance over at the boy sitting at the piano.

"He sounds... pretty good."

"Didn't the teacher just teach this piece today? He can play it like this on his first try?"

"Maybe he practiced it at home ahead of time."

"His family must be very strict with him. Look at how seriously he takes notes in class. They probably push him to study and practice every single day."

"Sigh, my parents force me to learn too, but I just can't get it. I have zero interest in piano; it's too hard."

"Hey, do you think he has a girlfriend?"

"He's so handsome, he must."

"Oh no, my heart just broke as soon as it started fluttering."

A few girls whispered among themselves, their voices low.

At their age, they were just beginning to experience the first stirrings of romance.

For them, secretly liking someone or talking about someone behind their back was perfectly normal.

However, because they came from prominent families, many were unwilling to date within the school. After all, the school cracked down hard on student dating, much stricter than ordinary schools.

Thus, some boys would choose to pay for girlfriends outside of school, and some girls would also seek what they called 'fun companions' through various channels.

Cheng Feng played the final note, his fingertips leaving the keys. He still seemed lost in the music.

In that moment, he felt as if all the frustration and weariness from studying and daily life had been washed clean, leaving only a sense of peace.

Teacher Ye led the applause, her clapping crisp and sincere. Immediately after, the classroom erupted in applause, and the students' gazes all turned toward him.

Cheng Feng looked up and smiled somewhat sheepishly.

He was keenly aware that among those gazes, there was appreciation, but also hostility.

Especially many of the boys, their eyes held obvious jealousy, as if saying: It's nothing special, I could do that too.

However, when the other students went up one by one to play the same piece, the gap in skill became obvious right away.

Some had unsteady rhythm, some kept hitting wrong notes, and others simply stopped, having no idea how to go on.

After listening to everyone's performance, Teacher Ye concluded seriously, "In today's lesson, Cheng Feng played the best. Everyone needs to learn from our classmate Cheng Feng."

As soon as these words were spoken, the classroom fell silent for a second.

Many of the boys scowled. They wouldn't say it out loud, but in their hearts, they had to acknowledge that Cheng Feng indeed played better than them.

This grudging admission of defeat made them even more displeased with Cheng Feng.

Meeting their gazes, Cheng Feng roughly understood what was going on.

Actually, boys' jealousy was no less intense than girls'.

Girls' jealousy mostly stayed at the level of looks and gossip behind backs, but when boys got jealous, they were likely to get physical.

He remembered back when he worked at the grilled fish restaurant, there was a boy who, jealous that the boss gave him special treatment, deliberately tried to trip him up and even wanted to hit him.

So, the looks in these boys' eyes now were not unfamiliar to him at all.

The bell rang, marking the end of the piano class.

As soon as Cheng Feng stepped out of the piano room, a group of boys cornered him.

They wore seemingly friendly smiles, but their eyes held a calculating look.

"Hey, not bad," one boy spoke up first. "How did you do that? Did you practice that piece before?"

Cheng Feng didn't want to cause trouble or provoke their pride, so he didn't mention that this was actually his first time encountering this piece.

If they found out he could play like this after just one new lesson, they'd probably be driven mad with jealousy.

"I practiced it," he answered simply.

Hearing this, the boys immediately swarmed around him, chattering. Some asked how long he had been learning piano, others inquired if his family was wealthy, and someone else changed the subject, starting to probe indirectly about his relationship with Xia Xiao.

"So how did you land Xia Xiao?"

"Class Beauty is the goddess of our class. You're something else, kid."

Cheng Feng explained, "It's just that I had some questions about my studies and asked her for help."

He spoke very frankly, without a hint of showing off.

The boys exchanged glances. Although they were green with envy inside, they still hadn't figured out Cheng Feng's background and weren't about to start anything. They could only temporarily suppress their resentment, kept needling him for a little while longer, and then dispersed.

The last two classes were dance class.

The dance teacher was a male teacher named Li Yao.

He was tall and lean, with handsome features, and a smile that carried a bit of a roguish charm, yet it didn't lack warmth.

He spoke humorously and wittily, was very friendly to students, and had no airs about him, making him particularly popular. The girls liked his looks and demeanor, while the boys admired his professionalism and personality, and also found it easy to get along with him.

Cheng Feng also quite liked this teacher.

Li Yao's way of speaking was relaxed and sincere.

When Cheng Feng explained to him that Shang Shaohao and Zhang Yuantao had taken leave to go to the infirmary, Li Yao first frowned, then laughed helplessly and scolded,

"Those two brats, they must have gone off to fight again. They didn't get seriously hurt, did they?"

Cheng Feng shook his head and briefly explained their situation.

Dance class was the hardest lesson for Cheng Feng.

Not only did he have to memorize the movements, but he also had to do leg stretches and flexibility exercises.

For someone who had almost no prior exposure to dance, this intensity was absolute torture.

"Okay, let's all start with some leg stretches to warm up." Li Yao clapped his hands and demonstrated the proper form. "Place your leg on the barre, slowly lower your body, and don't bounce."

Cheng Feng lifted his leg onto the barre.

He had barely started to lower himself when the tendons at the back of his leg seared with pain. It made him gasp sharply, and sweat instantly beaded on his forehead.

"Teacher, I can't get down any further..." he said softly.

Li Yao walked over, stood behind him, and gently placed his hands on Cheng Feng's waist:

"Relax, don't tense up so much. Everyone struggles at first. You have absolutely no foundation, so it will be even harder for you, but take it slowly, you'll get there."

After saying this, he applied a little more force to help Cheng Feng press down.

"Ah—!" Cheng Feng was in so much pain that his whole body stiffened. His vision swam, and he almost couldn't catch his breath. Tears sprang to his eyes.

Seeing his eyes turn red, Li Yao took a tissue from his pocket, wiped the corner of Cheng Feng's eye, and said with a smile:

"No pain, no gain. Look, you're already lower than before."

Cheng Feng gritted his teeth, gripping the barre tightly, but the tears still wouldn't stop falling.

The girls around them saw this and were beside themselves, whispering excitedly to each other.

"He's crying!" "So cute!" "The teacher is wiping his tears!"

A few girls even wanted to rush over and help wipe his tears.