This Star Only Wants More Money - Chapter 30
Translator: Diviner
The next day.
Xu Feng slept in late and only got up around noon, brushing his teeth and washing his face while booking a ride to Luohe University on his phone.
Since he’d been granted access to the practice room, he couldn’t waste this opportunity.
Xu Feng knew his current piano skills were pretty terrible, likely causing some accidental harm to any innocent bystanders nearby. So he planned to practice during lunchtime when fewer people would be around.
He did have strong temporary skills, but he couldn’t use them while practicing.
The system-given temporary skills couldn’t be used for tasks completely unrelated to the commission.
This commission only required Xu Feng to perform at the graduation party.
While rehearsing, coordinating with other performers for sound checks, or proving his abilities to the relevant people, he could use his temporary skills.
But for unrelated practice, he’d have to rely on his default, mediocre abilities.
Unless another commission suddenly appeared and someone was willing to pay Xu Feng to practice at a high level.
“I just hope no innocent bystanders are around when I’m playing; otherwise, their ears might suffer,” Xu Feng muttered mischievously. He grabbed the bread and temporary student badge sent by Cheng Zhao from the university and headed downstairs, eating as he went.
As he finished the last bite, he saw the ride-share car approaching from a distance.
Xu Feng casually threw the wrapper into a trash bin, opened the car door, and sat in the back, giving a quick instruction, “Just drop me off at the university’s south gate.”
“Sure thing!”
…
About ten minutes later, Xu Feng arrived at the almost completely open campus of Luohe University.
“The environment is nice; it does have a bit of an artistic vibe,” Xu Feng said to himself after paying through his phone. He then headed towards the Art College building. “Seems like Luohe University really cares about this sort of thing.”
Following the navigation on his phone, Xu Feng soon arrived at the multi-functional practice room in the Art College.
It was lunchtime, so Xu Feng only saw a few people scattered around, and the room, filled with various instruments, was empty.
He glanced at the instruments — a high-end grand piano, a very expensive-looking guitar, and even a bass he was quite familiar with.
After a moment’s thought, Xu Feng walked over to the piano. He planned to practice The Wind Rises, as it was better not to reveal the song he would perform at the graduation party beforehand.
During the PK match, he used the bass to play it just to satisfy the client, but this song’s accompaniment was actually meant to be played on a piano.
Xu Feng placed his hands on the keys, his toes on the pedal, took a deep breath, and began to play according to the sheet music.
After the first few notes, the sound filled Xu Feng’s ears, and he almost couldn’t help but laugh at himself.
“What kind of trash am I playing? The rhythm is all over the place, I’m fumbling like crazy… Truly the level of someone with a single-digit playing ability; this piano could really be classified as a weapon of mass destruction.”
Who would have thought that Xu Feng, who had dominated on the variety show and trended on social media after the PK match, could hardly even play the piano proficiently?
Luckily, no one was around, so he wouldn’t embarrass himself no matter how poorly he performed.
Xu Feng hadn’t used the 3 free attribute points he received as a reward from his previous task yet. Since he knew the higher the attribute, the harder it was to increase, it made sense to save these points for when they were truly needed.
…
Meanwhile, downstairs, three students were quickly heading toward the practice room.
The leading male student walked while speaking seriously to the other two, “I’ve got confirmation from the professor that Xu Feng will participate in this graduation party. For the next few days, let’s work hard, practice more, and maintain our condition.”
“At the very least, our college must hold on to first place.”
Beside him, a tall girl with a cool voice replied, “Being famous doesn’t always mean having the highest skill level. He sings well, but he’s not at the very top.”
Although she spoke confidently, her pale face betrayed her seriousness.
No matter what she thought, Xu Feng’s stunning performance was undeniable.
In any case, they couldn’t underestimate such an opponent.
Another male student, responsible for the instruments, looked very serious. “But his playing ability is really strong. Several of my classmates who play bass admit they’re not as good as he is.”
The leader seemed less concerned, “I analyzed the accompaniment melody of The Wind Rises from his PK match; it’s more suitable for piano or maybe bass, but bass isn’t really ideal for solo performances… His piano skills can’t be on par with his bass skills, right?”
Being proficient in even one instrument was already very difficult.
Everyone believed that Xu Feng would perform the official version of The Wind Rises at the graduation party.
“The Engineering College is really going all out. They even dug up an alumnus to join the party. They must be desperate to get out of last place. If we could have our alumni participate, even ten Xu Fengs wouldn’t be enough.”
They chatted as they walked towards the practice room.
“It’s the Engineering College; getting on stage together isn’t fair to begin with. It’s fine to give them a break… Besides, every graduation party, we’ve always crushed the other colleges. This year, adding some extra challenge isn’t bad; remember, there’s always a mountain beyond the mountain, and a person beyond the person.”
At that moment, they noticed that the practice room ahead was lit, but the door was closed.
Someone was inside?
The three students, who had just finished lunch and were planning to practice, paused, puzzled.
Before they could do anything else, a distorted, unpleasant piano sound came from inside, piercing their ears and lingering painfully.
“What the… my God, who’s playing the piano in there?! My ears!”
If not for the presence of the female student beside him, he might have cursed out loud.
Another male student instinctively hunched his shoulders, gritting his teeth, “This is awful… That’s beginner-level playing, right? How can someone like that use our practice room?”
The cool girl wasn’t as stunned by the terrible noise as her two classmates. Her expression first stiffened, then showed surprise, and finally turned to anger.
She strode quickly towards the practice room, her cold voice carrying a hint of rage, “That’s Xu Feng’s The Wind Rises.”
Even though Xu Feng was their rival in the upcoming graduation party, he was still a highly respectable opponent — a talented creator and a courageous figure who resisted unfair practices. He was an example for many students and a pride of Luohe University. She couldn’t tolerate anyone insulting this song, or Xu Feng, in such a way!
Especially not in the Art College, using the college’s piano to produce such terrible sounds.
That piano was donated to the school by her family, and they treasured it.
Who could be so bold?
The girl forcefully pushed open the practice room door and saw the young man sitting at the piano, his posture not even standard for playing. She coldly interrupted his playing, “Who let you in here to play? Don’t you know this is a practice room exclusive to the Art College and not just anyone can come in?”