After Divorcing the Scummy Alpha Movie Queen, I Became Extremely Popular - Chapter 34

I Don’t Want to Play a Duet with You

The tuner that Lu Qiu and Jiang Xian had promised to mail to her arrived in the evening. After signing for it, Luo Jingyun shrugged and said to Park Soo-ah, “It arrived just a bit too late; the tuner has basically become a piece of scrap metal now.”

“Maybe it can be used in the future,” Park Soo-ah suggested.

Luo Jingyun replied nonchalantly, “True. Leaving it here so others can use it to tune if they have problems is fine. But I probably won’t have a use for it anymore.”

…

Once the piano was tuned, music class became much more interesting. The children were talented, and Luo Jingyun even felt that with a few more practice sessions, they could put on a performance.

Luo Jingyun and Park Soo-ah discussed it and both thought it was a good idea. They brought the suggestion to Liu Yuqi, who pondered for a moment. “If we can put on a show, it would be a direct way to showcase the results. That’s a great idea. Tell you what, I’ll call the other guests for a meeting later to see if there are any results from their classes that can be showcased as well.”

Liu Yuqi was highly efficient. After talking to her in the morning, she took advantage of everyone’s free time in the afternoon to call the meeting.

When Luo Jingyun and Park Soo-ah arrived from the music room to the meeting room, the other six people were already present. Liu Yuqi sat at the center of the conference table, with three people sitting on either side of her.

Luo Jingyun pressed a hand to her forehead. Currently, there was only one empty seat left next to Chen Shidong and one next to Tan Jizhu, but she didn’t want to sit in either of them. However, forced by the circumstances and unable to just stand there—unless she was going to sit on Liu Yuqi’s lap—she had to choose.

Fine. Between Tan Jizhu and Chen Shidong, Luo Jingyun chose to sit next to Chen Shidong.

“Ahem,” Tan Jizhu coughed into her hand.

Chen Shidong caught the hint immediately and greeted her, “Soo-ah, come sit next to me. We’re on the same team; we should sit together.”

“Right,” Liu Yuqi added, “Let’s sit according to our groups.”

Too tired to argue, Luo Jingyun could only lower the foot she had just lifted to move toward Chen Shidong, turned around, and sat down next to Tan Jizhu.

“Jingyun…”

After sitting down, Luo Jingyun shifted her chair further away, using her actions to prove she didn’t want to be too close to Tan Jizhu.

“Alright, everyone is here, so let’s begin.” Liu Yuqi addressed the group, “Everyone has been teaching at Tongxi School for a while now, and our ‘Journey of the Cultivating Heart’ is nearing its end. How is everyone’s teaching content going? Are there any results we can show to the audience?”

Chen Shidong was the first to respond, “Jizhu and I are teaching PE. The kids are very energetic, so I think we could organize a sports meet.”

“Good idea. A sports meet is lively and will definitely have great onscreen effect.”

Luo Jingyun also shared their idea with everyone, “We can organize a choir, and there are two children who are very interested in the piano. I can teach them to play a duet.”

The other four guests chimed in as well, “We are teaching art; we can have the kids fold some animals out of paper to decorate the classrooms.”

“We’re teaching science; we can have the children perform some science experiments to learn through play.”

After listening, Liu Yuqi praised them, “It’s clear that everyone is very dedicated to their work. Letting the children see the world outside and making Tongxi Village a better place is exactly one of the goals of our program. On behalf of the villagers of Tongxi, I want to thank you all.”

Luo Jingyun suddenly raised her hand and suggested, “Director, I have another idea. Although it doesn’t have much to do with the school, if it’s done well, it might help the village gain some income.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Based on my observations, the villagers of Tongxi use bamboo to weave hats or baskets and other daily items. The craftsmanship is very exquisite. If the production crew can record the manufacturing process, it could help more people learn about this skill.”

Liu Yuqi had conducted a comprehensive investigation of Tongxi Village while preparing the show.

“That is indeed a great idea. I heard that this bamboo weaving is considered an intangible cultural heritage of Tongxi Village. If we film and broadcast segments of everyone learning it, it might attract interested people to come and learn. Not only can it extend the lifespan of this technique, but it can also bring extra income to the villagers. Jingyun, it’s really impressive that you noticed this. This is truly a ‘two birds with one stone’ idea.”

Liu Yuqi then turned to ask the others, “Is everyone interested in this intangible heritage?”

Tan Jizhu nodded immediately and said to Luo Jingyun beside her, “I support your proposal.”

Luo Jingyun gave an awkward but polite smile, then moved her chair even further away from Tan Jizhu.

Park Soo-ah followed suit, “When Jingyun borrowed hats from the villagers before, she borrowed one for me too. I think the craftsmanship is indeed excellent. If it can be promoted, it will definitely sell well.”

Tan Jizhu glanced at Park Soo-ah, sneering in her heart at her showing off.

“Okay, I’ve noted down everyone’s suggestions. Once I’ve discussed the details and specific procedures with the other staff members, I’ll come back to inform you.”

Chen Shidong interjected, “Great, we will definitely fully cooperate with the production crew’s arrangements.”

The efficient Liu Yuqi and the production staff provided the schedule the very next day. The sports meet was a large-scale event requiring a lot of preparation, so it was placed last.

The science experiments and the choir also required some preparation time, so they were scheduled as the second and third segments respectively, while the art class became the first part to be recorded and showcased.

Luo Jingyun and Park Soo-ah took advantage of the remaining time to get busy. One was responsible for training the children’s singing, while the other was responsible for teaching the piano.

“A four-hand duet, as the name suggests, is two people playing together. One plays the treble and the other plays the bass, and together you perform a complete piece of music.” Luo Jingyun explained to the two children, “This is a form of cooperation. You must listen to each other’s playing and maintain synchronization. It’s more challenging than playing solo.”

The two students nodded, “Yes, we remember.”

Luo Jingyun first played the treble and bass parts separately, explaining while teaching.

“Since you are beginners, I picked a simple piece. Besides, piano fingering is mostly similar; you just need to practice more.”

The two students studied very seriously. In just a few days, the music went from being intermittent to continuous and melodious. During her time as a trainee, Park Soo-ah had received very professional vocal training. An expert teacher produces brilliant students; she gave her all in teaching, and the choir became even more excellent.

On the day of the official recording, after giving encouragement to the two piano students, Luo Jingyun quietly retreated behind the cameras.

“Jingyun, aren’t you going to join in?” Park Soo-ah had taken off the work clothes she had been wearing and changed into more formal attire to serve as the conductor.

“No,” Luo Jingyun shook her head, “I don’t know how to conduct anyway. You go ahead.”

Park Soo-ah took a deep breath, “Okay, I’ll do my best.”

“Wait,” Luo Jingyun called out to her, stepping forward to help her adjust, “You’re too nervous. Even your brooch is crooked.”

Park Soo-ah looked down, staring at Luo Jingyun’s slender fingers helping her fix the brooch. Her breathing, which she had just managed to regulate, became frantic again.

“There,” Luo Jingyun patted Park Soo-ah’s shoulder, “This is a great opportunity for you to showcase yourself. Good luck!”

After a moment of daze, Park Soo-ah finally nodded slowly, “Mm.”

Although there were some minor flaws throughout the piece, it made it feel more authentic. “Journey of the Cultivating Heart” sought exactly this kind of simple, unpolished, natural sound.

The two children who played the piano ran to Luo Jingyun’s side, asking how they had played.

“You did great,” Luo Jingyun patted the two children’s heads and took a slip of paper from her pocket. “This is my contact information. I’ll be leaving here in a few days. If you want to continue learning the piano, you can contact me, and I’ll find an even better teacher to teach you.”

Tan Jizhu had been standing outside the music room window since before the recording began. Listening to every word Luo Jingyun said, she remembered the scene of their first meeting.

At that time, she was just an ordinary extra who had to film her only scene opposite Luo Jingyun, the lead actress. Despite having few lines, she practiced repeatedly before filming. She even noticed a grammatical error in one of the lines and went to discuss how to revise it with the director and screenwriter.

However, back then, she was a person of no consequence, and the director and screenwriter ignored her. It was Luo Jingyun who spoke up to stand up for her, “I also think this line is a bit contradictory. Should we change it?”

Hearing Luo Jingyun speak, the director and screenwriter finally began the revisions.

After filming, Luo Jingyun found her and said, “I can see that your attitude toward this job is very serious, and you have your own ideas. You will surely be an excellent actor in the future.”

“Thank you. I also hope to become an excellent actor, but my role ends today after this scene.”

Hearing this, Luo Jingyun immediately found the director and screenwriter and discussed adding several more scenes for her. The entire production crew had been assembled by Luo Jingyun’s two mothers, so they naturally followed Luo Jingyun’s lead.

From that day on, Tan Jizhu went from being an unknown minor actress to stepping onto the path of fame bit by bit. It was also from that day that her fate became completely intertwined with Luo Jingyun’s.

As the memory ended, Tan Jizhu was left only with a self-deprecating smile. If time could be restarted, she would be willing to give up her career and not strive for any “best actor” awards, if it meant she could accompany Luo Jingyun at all times.

The students had more classes later and left the music room. A staff member said, “Jingyun, there weren’t many shots of you just now. We’d like to film a segment of you playing the piano alone. Is that okay?”

“Sure.” Luo Jingyun didn’t refuse; playing the piano was a piece of cake for her. She always remembered her purpose for participating in this program: to gain more exposure and pave the way for her future career.

The staff member’s proposal happened to align with her goal. If she could attract fans through a clip of her playing the piano, that would be a wonderful thing.

The cameraman adjusted the camera angle, and Luo Jingyun was ready. With a command, she immersed herself in the ocean of music.

“Excellent!” The cameraman was very happy to have captured a satisfying shot.

“Wait,” Tan Jizhu walked into the music room.

The staff member asked in confusion, “Teacher Tan, is something wrong?”

“I’m just joining the fun,” Tan Jizhu suddenly sat down next to Luo Jingyun, her fingers lightly tapping on the piano keys. “Jingyun, can you teach me how to play the piano?”

“?”

Everyone present was bewildered. Park Soo-ah reacted immediately, “Senior Tan, you aren’t the one teaching music class. I don’t think it’s necessary.”

Tan Jizhu gave a ‘tsk,’ “I’m not asking to learn from you. What are you babbling about?”

“I…”

Luo Jingyun didn’t even think twice before refusing directly, “No.”

Tan Jizhu wasn’t embarrassed by the rejection, “But I want to play a duet with you after I learn.”

Luo Jingyun stood up, “I’m sorry, but I don’t want to play a duet with you.”

Having said that, Luo Jingyun picked up her things, greeted the staff in the room, and turned to leave.

“Jingyun…”

“Go, go, go, don’t block the way, or I’ll kick you.” Luo Jingyun shooed Tan Jizhu away as if she were shooing a pig.

“…”

The staff members who witnessed everything were hesitant, not knowing how to speak.

Tan Jizhu appeared very easygoing about it, “Too bad, I was rejected.”

“Haha…” the staff members laughed along. If there were a time machine that could take them all back to the first day of recording “Journey of the Cultivating Heart,” they would never have believed that Tan Jizhu would so humbly plead with Luo Jingyun, or that Luo Jingyun would be so decisive.

“Don’t worry, Teacher Tan, we’ll edit this part out.”

“It doesn’t matter. Edit it out or not, it’s up to you, guys.”

It seemed she had failed again. Tan Jizhu shook her head and left the classroom that no longer held Luo Jingyun.