Zhao Yuan was instantly mortified. He had completely forgotten about the whole thing.
In the past, he definitely would have flatly refused. After all, he didn't have a single performance skill to his name.
But now, he had changed his mind. Just as Yang Jing had said, if his performance was a roaring success, his popularity and the level of adoration he received at school would certainly be higher! And that, in turn, would bring him more Wish Power.
Although the Wish Power from adoration wasn't as effective as the Wish Power from gratitude, every little bit counted. As long as it was Wish Power, he wouldn't be picky. Besides, when small amounts accumulated, the effect was quite good.
Therefore, not only did he have to perform at this New Year's Gala, but he had to do it well. It would be best if he could deliver a jaw-dropping performance. That was the only way to be truly memorable, intensify the adoration people felt for him, and harvest even more Wish Power.
'But the question is, where will I get an act from?'
'Singing?'
With his terrible voice and tendency to be one hundred percent off-key, even the most beautiful song would sound like a screeching banshee coming from his mouth! He'd have no problem making jaws drop, but what he'd earn wouldn't be adorationāit'd be terror! The police might even show up and accuse him of endangering lives...
'Dancing?'
'He'd never learned how to dance. Was he supposed to go on stage and practice the Four Saints Technique? The moves did look a bit like public square dancing, but performing that on the New Year's Gala stage? The style just wouldn't fit at all.'
'Don't tell me I actually have to go on stage and sell my body? Ah... no, that's not right. Show off my body? That's way too embarrassing!'
After giving Yang Jing a few vague replies, Zhao Yuan sat down and turned to his three brothers for advice.
"You guys," Zhao Yuan began, "you all puffed out your chests and swore you'd help me come up with a plan. Start thinking! What kind of act would be good for me to perform?"
"Singing and dancing are definitely out. Your skills are terrible, and there are too many of those acts anyway, so it's hard to stand out. As for stand-up or sketch comedy... looking at you, I doubt you have any talent for that either. Hey, how about performing something like breaking a brick with your head, or smashing a boulder on your chest? Your body is tough enough, you should be able to handle it. I remember when you fought those thugs, you took a bunch of hits from a steel pipe and were totally fine. A performance like that should be no problem for you!"
Wang Rongfeng suggested this terrible idea with a perfectly straight face.
Before Zhao Yuan could object, Liu Zhu spoke up and chided him. "Wang Rongfeng, what kind of suggestion is that? Breaking bricks with his head? Smashing boulders on his chest? Do you think this is a street performance? This is the New Year's Gala! Besides, Third Brother is our school's new heartthrob. Performing acts like that is totally beneath him! We need to be elegant, we need to be classy, you get it?"
The others nodded in unison. "Liu Zhu's right, it has to be elegant and classy! You must have an idea, right, Liu Zhu? Hurry and tell us. Let us learn from the master."
Liu Zhu cleared his throat and said, "My suggestion is that Third Brother leads the way, and all of us from Dorm 301 go on stage together to perform a strip show! Although the three of us haven't built up our muscles yet, I believe that in the next twenty-something days, we can get ripped through Cultivation of the Four Saints Technique! When the time comes, the four of us muscular gods will take the stage and definitely stun the entire audience! Who knows, we might even become West Hua Medical University's F4!"
After speaking, Liu Zhu closed his eyes, fantasizing about the moment he would stand on stage, basking in the cheers of the female students. A goofy grin spread across his face. He then opened his eyes, looked at his three brothers, and asked brimming with confidence, "So? What do you think? Isn't my idea great?"
The answer he received was three raised middle fingers.
Zhao Yuan said irritably, "When you started talking about being 'elegant' and 'classy,' I actually thought you might have a good idea. Turns out it's just the same old crap... Liu Zhu, how is your act even remotely related to 'elegant' or 'classy'?"
Liu Zhu huffed in dissatisfaction. "What do you mean it's not related? It's called a male model show, okay! This is art! You can't look at art through a vulgar lens!"
Zhao Yuan rolled his eyes, not bothering to engage with him any further.
"Third Brother, why don't you just get some outside help?" Wu Yan suggested.
"Outside help?" Zhao Yuan was taken aback. "You can get outside help for the New Year's Gala?"
"Of course you can," Wu Yan said. "I looked into it. For the New Year's Gala acts, as long as someone from the class is participating, it's no problem to bring in some outsiders for support. I heard the Acupuncture and Massage Class 5 even invited some girls from the arts college next door to help with their performance."
"How do you know that?" Zhao Yuan asked curiously.
Wu Yan replied, "Didn't I tell you I was hitting on a girl from the arts college? She's the one who told me."
It dawned on Zhao Yuan. "Oh, you mean the girl who beat you up for sending her a dirty poem?"
Wu Yan's face soured. "Third Brother, if you don't bring that up, we can still be friends."
Zhao Yuan graciously dropped the subject and stopped teasing Wu Yan about his embarrassing failure. He changed the topic, "But who would be a good person to ask for help?"
Wu Yan said, "Who else? The Sweetheart Goddess, Lin Xue, of course! She's a great singer and dancer. Asking for her help is the perfect choice! With her leading you, what kind of performance couldn't you pull off?"
"Dancing?" Zhao Yuan muttered to himself. He suddenly recalled something he'd seen when he was bored and browsing the "Miscellaneous Knowledge" section of the Information Leaf: a dance recorded under the name *Cloud Flying Immortal*.
This dance was created by a celestial maiden who loved to dance. Its movements were graceful and imbued with Immortal Qi, both charmingly beautiful and solemnly dignified. Several completely different qualities were somehow perfectly blended together, creating a breathtaking effect. Even Wu Peng had been deeply captivated after seeing this dance and had personally composed a melody for it, also titled *Cloud Flying Immortal*.
'If I could get Lin Xue to help and we performed this danceāme playing the Guqin while she dancesāI'm sure we could stun the entire audience!'
'Although I don't know how to play the Guqin, I can learn. With the help of the Soul-Stabilizing Incense, the Concentration Technique, and Wu Peng's inheritance, I should be able to learn a single piece, *Cloud Flying Immortal*, in twenty-something days. Besides, I don't need to learn it perfectly. As long as I can play the song completely and smoothly, even with a few flaws and imperfections, it will be enough to astonish everyone!'
"Wu Yan's idea isn't bad. I just don't know if Lin Xue will have time."
There was no time like the present. Zhao Yuan immediately took out his phone and called Lin Xue.
Soon, Lin Xue's sweet, gentle voice came through the phone. "Zhao Yuan, what's up?"
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Zhao Yuan got down to business. "Here's the thing. I'm being forced to perform in the New Year's Gala. As you know, I can't sing or dance to save my life. I've been wracking my brain, and I was hoping I could ask you for help. I just don't know if you'll be free then."
Lin Xue laughed and said, "I have a performance for the Nursing School's New Year's Gala too, but that's okay. I can just do both. Since they're both on campus, they can't be too far apart, so I should be able to make it. I'm just wondering, do you have a plan for your act already? Or should we figure something out together?"
Zhao Yuan replied, "I have an act in mind: I'll play the Guqin, and you'll dance. Are you free for lunch today? I'll treat you, and I can tell you the details then."
"Sure, see you at noon," Lin Xue agreed, her voice cheerful.
Since it was almost time for class, they didn't talk for long before hanging up.