As Ren Kui gloated, the bus stopped outside a teahouse again. Both of them were on Quan Jiu's list.
As soon as Ren Kui got off the bus, he heard the noise from the courtyard. Looking inside, he understood. The teahouse had clearly become an entertainment venue for middle-aged and elderly people, with people playing mahjong, chess, drinking tea, chatting, and even fishing.
Xiang Fei murmured, "This place is better than the farmer's market, isn't it?"
"You two will stay here today and play mahjong, chess, and chat with these grandpas and grandmas," Quan Jiu said.
Seeing the bus door gradually closing, Xiang Fei cried out in distress, "Teacher, playing mahjong and chatting with a bunch of old folks, that's going to be so awkward it'll make my fingernails grow castles."
Quan Jiu waved his hand, and the bus sped away, leaving a group of students on the verge of tears.
After that, Quan Jiu dropped the students off at four different locations.
Han Zhao watched student after student get off the bus until he was the only one left.
He asked doubtfully, "Teacher Nine, where am I going? Why not with them?"
"Your situation is a bit special," Quan Jiu said.
Special? Han Zhao lowered his head slightly and asked no more, until the bus stopped at the city center square.
It was almost ten o'clock, and the city center square was crowded with people, mostly fashionable young men and women. They moved between various shopping malls, carrying shopping bags or holding food and drinks, making City A seem like a playful young man in his early twenties.
Han Zhao followed Quan Jiu to the pedestrian street in the square. Shops lined both sides, various cheerful music played, and it was bustling with activity.
"Teacher Nine, what am I supposed to do?" Han Zhao asked curiously.
Quan Jiu led Han Zhao to the center of the square.
The city center square was vast. There were already many exhibition areas in the square, and in the most prominent and spacious central location, some musical instruments were set up.
"Can you sing?" Quan Jiu asked.
Han Zhao blinked, feeling quite embarrassed, "I'm tone-deaf."
Quan Jiu, however, smiled, "That's good." He then pushed Han Zhao in front of a microphone, "Your task is to sing here all day."
Han Zhao was stunned. "Sing? I... I really am tone-deaf."
"I know, that's exactly what we want. Tone-deafness," Quan Jiu played a backing track, handed the microphone to Han Zhao, and said, "Quick, everyone's watching. I'll wait for you outside the venue." Without giving Han Zhao time to react, he turned and left.
Han Zhao stood there blankly, holding the microphone. He listened for a long time but couldn't recall which song it was. He had to open the music recognition app to identify the music and bring up the lyrics.
But... he was tone-deaf, how could he sing?!
Han Zhao looked at the increasing number of people around him, his face turning bright red. His hand holding the microphone trembled uncontrollably.
"Wow, he's so handsome. With such good looks, his singing must be great. Hurry, hurry, record it."
"This young man is even more handsome than Qi Baobao. It's over, I'm changing husbands again."
Listening to the discussions around him, Han Zhao's heart pounded like a drum.
He anxiously searched the crowd and soon spotted Quan Jiu, looking helpless, mouthing silently: [Teacher, I can't sing.]
Quan Jiu gave him an encouraging look, then raised his phone and switched the backing track to the next song.
Han Zhao quickly lowered his head to search for the lyrics.
His hands trembled uncontrollably. He laboriously typed in the song title, and the lyrics quickly popped up. But he still didn't look up, and even had a strong urge to run away.
Run away. As this word appeared in his mind, Han Zhao, without much thought, wanted to run, anywhere, as long as he wasn't standing here.
But when he tried to take a step, his feet remained rooted to the spot, and his body tilted and fell to the ground due to inertia.
Han Zhao's face instantly turned as red as blood. He stood up awkwardly, looked at his feet, and understood. The ground was coated with strong glue, and his shoes were stuck.
Han Zhao looked at Quan Jiu helplessly, his face turning from red to white and then back to red in his anxiety.
Quan Jiu just watched him with a smile, offering silent encouragement.
Han Zhao looked around again. Perhaps because of his appearance, the area was already surrounded by three layers of people, densely packed.
Everyone was watching him silently, with all sorts of expressions: judgment, appraisal, doubt, curiosity, indifference.
Just as Han Zhao was getting dizzy with anxiety, someone couldn't wait and urged, "Handsome guy, if you're going to sing, sing quickly."
Han Zhao tremblingly picked up the microphone, not even daring to look up at the people. His head was bowed at a ninety-degree angle, his eyes fixed on the phone screen, as if he wished he could dive into it.
"Handsome guy, are you going to sing or not? Don't waste everyone's time. It's very hot under this sun."
Han Zhao brought the microphone to his lips and squeezed a sound from his throat.
The voice was hoarse and soft, but even so, the trembling in his voice was clearly audible.
The surrounding people were startled. Clearly, no one expected that such a handsome guy, who dared to sing publicly, would be tone-deaf.
"Handsome guy, your vibrato is quite good," a girl teased intentionally.
Han Zhao gripped the microphone tightly, but he still couldn't control his trembling all over.
The girl's comment, the gazes of the people around him, and their discussions were like branding irons burning all over his body, making him wish he could disappear on the spot.
The backing tracks changed one after another. The crowd also changed several times.
Han Zhao didn't know how much time had passed. He felt like every second was a year.
At one moment, he happened to look up and saw Quan Jiu smiling at him.
She had been there all along, and her expression hadn't changed much.
Han Zhao's tense heart suddenly relaxed for no reason. Somehow, he instinctively grabbed the microphone and sang a line along with the backing track.
His voice was still soft, and he didn't even hit the right notes, but at least it didn't tremble anymore.
His heart still pounded like a drum, but looking at the trusting smile not far away, he suddenly felt less afraid.
Gradually, he began to sing along with the rhythm. When he hit a high note and cracked, he still blushed with embarrassment, but he managed to finish the first song completely.
After finishing the song, Han Zhao felt as if his entire body was drenched in sweat, with his forehead and palms dripping with perspiration.
Quan Jiu then came out, handed Han Zhao a handkerchief, and asked gently, "What song do you want to sing next?"
Han Zhao was extremely embarrassed, "Teacher, I don't want to sing anymore. I'm really tone-deaf, and I sing terribly."
"Indeed, you sing terribly," Quan Jiu chuckled. "To be honest, I'm deliberately messing with you. I won't let you stop until five o'clock this afternoon if you don't sing."
Han Zhao felt like crying and laughing, "Teacher... I beg you... I really... I'm so uncomfortable."
"I know," Quan Jiu said seriously. "It's not that you can't act; on the contrary, you're very perceptive. It's just that because of your exceptional looks since childhood, you've been praised too much, which has caused you immense psychological pressure. You're afraid of losing face, afraid of disappointing others. This is no longer just ordinary idol pressure; it's stage fright.
If you truly want to become a good actor, you must overcome this psychological barrier."