ECG -Chapter 29 We Want to Change Majors

The next morning at seven-thirty, the senior from last night arrived. He first took the eight of them to get their meal cards, and then they went to have breakfast.

After eating, they went to the department to register, enroll, and deal with various other miscellaneous matters… They were finally finished after ten o’clock.

Lin Hao and Wu Xiaozhou returned to the dormitory first to get the electric bass. The two of them left the dorm building and asked around for the location of the Music Department’s administrative building.

Finding directions was always Wu Xiaozhou’s responsibility. He was tall, handsome, and sweet-talking. He also always looked for pretty girls to ask for directions, calling them “sister” the moment he opened his mouth, so his success rate was extremely high.

The Provincial Art Academy had all the mainstream art majors, including the Literature Department, Drama Department, Music Department, Dance Department, Fine Arts Department, Art Management Department, and so on.

The campus was very large. Tall trees and lawns lined both sides of the roads. Perhaps because school had just started, many students hurried along the paths.

Lin Hao found a long bench by the roadside and sat down to tune the electric bass. He was afraid that if the pitch was off later, it would affect Wu Xiaozhou’s performance.

At the beginning of September, Northeast China had already begun to see fallen leaves. Wu Xiaozhou squatted nearby, watching Lin Hao intently tune the electric bass.

A yellow, withered leaf fell in front of him. With a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth, he reached out and picked up the leaf.

He raised it to block the sunlight. Everything before his eyes seemed like a dream.

He couldn’t understand it no matter how much he thought about it—how had the two of them, who had spent several years preparing to enter the Fine Arts major, suddenly ended up switching to Music instead?

Lin Hao’s voice rang out:

“Idiot, let’s go!”

The Music Department’s administrative building was located in the northeast corner of the academy. The two of them walked around a large artificial lake and arrived in front of the building.

Lin Hao walked inside with his hands behind his back. Wu Xiaozhou followed behind him while carrying the bass, sneaking along like a thief. He was feeling a little nervous.

Standing in the lobby, the first thing that caught their eyes was a line of large characters on the wall:

“On the stage of knowledge, the most knowledgeable teacher is also the most humble student.”

Lin Hao secretly nodded. He liked this sentence.

There was no need to ask around. Lin Hao followed the wide staircase and headed straight to the top floor.

Few leaders were willing to be below others, so in their own territory, the office would definitely be on the top floor.

He went straight up to the fourth floor and turned right.

Lin Hao knocked on the office door.

“Come in!” A deep, authoritative male voice sounded.

Lin Hao pushed the door open and walked in, with Wu Xiaozhou following closely behind.

The office was very large. The first thing that came into view was a circle of sofas and a coffee table. On the table was a huge Duan inkstone tea tray.

Looking further inside on the right side, both sides were filled with green plants.

Near the window at the back was a large solid wood desk, behind which sat a man around fifty years old with a square face.

The man had thick, black hair, large eyes, and a high nose bridge. He looked full of righteousness, with a serious expression and no trace of a smile.

“Who are you?” the man asked, looking at the two boys with some surprise.

“Director Fan, hello!” Lin Hao continued walking inside as he spoke. “We’re freshmen from the Fine Arts Department. My name is Lin Hao, and he is Wu Xiaozhou!”

Fan Gang frowned. He wondered what was going on with the security guard Lao Fan downstairs. How could he have let people in without even making a phone call?

But he still nodded and relaxed his brows slightly.

“Hello. What brings you here?”

He was somewhat puzzled. He didn’t understand why two freshmen from the Fine Arts Department had come to find him, the Music Department director. Even stranger, the tall boy behind them was carrying an electric bass.

Lin Hao and Wu Xiaozhou had no idea what this handsome older man was thinking. Otherwise, they would definitely have said a few good words for the security guard Lao Fan, because when they came in, they hadn’t even seen anyone inside the security booth.

Lin Hao stood in front of the desk, his face full of sincere smiles.

“Director Fan, Xiaozhou and I started learning instruments when we were five years old. But our parents are both art teachers, so they kept forcing us to study fine arts!”

Wu Xiaozhou had no idea what Lin Hao was going to say. Hearing this, he couldn’t help but find it funny.

This guy really didn’t even blink when lying!

As expected, Fan Gang’s expression became slightly displeased.

“Ridiculous. How could you force children like that? Isn’t that just destroying your talents?”

Lin Hao’s eyes quickly turned red.

“Yes, that’s right. The two of us spent our tragic childhoods resisting them. Although we held paintbrushes every day, we never gave up practicing our instruments!”

Fan Gang showed a relieved expression and nodded.

“So what are your majors?”

“I play the piano, and Wu Xiaozhou plays the guitar, later switching to electric bass!”

“Good! Good! Not bad!”

“So, when it was time to fill out our college applications for the entrance exam, the two of us originally wanted to apply to the Music Department of our academy. We had even been preparing ourselves to live in our beautiful provincial capital, Xuecheng. Because in our hearts, the Provincial Art Academy is the palace of art in Long Province, and the pride of everyone in Long Province!”

“But… but our parents insisted that we apply for the Fine Arts Department!”

When he said this, Lin Hao had already shed a tear.

Wu Xiaozhou looked at Lin Hao with a completely stunned expression. His admiration for him surged like the endless waters of the Songhua River…

Fan Gang angrily slapped the table, his brows tightly furrowed.

“Keep going!”

“Although the two of us were both admitted into the Fine Arts Department, the heart that loved music never died! So today, we came to find you to beg you—we want to change majors!”

“What?”

Fan Gang was shocked.

“No, that’s impossible. This has never been done before. At the very least, you have to finish one semester before you can transfer departments! And you’ll have to take an exam too!”

After saying that, Fan Gang shook his head repeatedly.

“Director Fan, if Xiaozhou and I attend classes in the Fine Arts Department, our music practice will be delayed! And you will lose two future musicians who will become famous across the country, or even the world!”

With tears hanging from the corners of his eyes, Lin Hao spoke with deep emotion.

Fan Gang chuckled.

“Oh? You’re that confident?”

Lin Hao nodded.

“Director Fan, may I ask—what are the graduation pieces for the Piano Department at our school?”

Fan Gang was stunned.

Lin Hao continued:

“I can perform a graduation piece for you!”

“You mean a graduation piece? Not an entrance audition piece?”

Lin Hao nodded.

“Hahaha!”

Fan Gang laughed. His laughter was hearty, but there was no hint of mockery.

“I won’t choose a piece for you. Pick one yourself—something that can represent your true level.”

Lin Hao was overjoyed. That was exactly what he wanted to hear.

“Alright, are you free right now?”

Fan Gang glanced at his watch, thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Fine, let’s take a look. But just because I watch doesn’t mean I’ve agreed to let you two transfer departments after hearing it!”

Lin Hao hurriedly nodded. He thought to himself:

As long as you’re willing to watch. After you see it, you’ll take back what you just said!

The two of them followed Fan Gang outside. Wu Xiaozhou gave Lin Hao a thumbs-up.

The Music Department’s concert hall was not far from the administration building. Along the way, teachers and students often greeted Fan Gang, and he simply responded with a serious nod.

Fan Gang led the two of them into the grand concert hall.

The concert hall was enormous, with around a thousand seats. The tall walls on both sides were equipped with soundproofing designs.

On the spacious stage was an orchestra. They were not playing; instead, everyone was looking toward the front of the stage. Several girls in the front row holding violins were whispering to each other.

A female teacher wearing a gray pencil skirt stood below the stage, both hands waving around randomly.

When Lin Hao first saw her, he thought she was conducting. Looking carefully, he realized that wasn’t the case—she seemed to be chasing something away.

The three of them arrived in front of the stage. Fan Gang looked slightly displeased.

“Teacher Chen, what are you doing?”

“Ah! Director, is something wrong?”

The female teacher was not very tall, probably in her early thirties. She had short chestnut-colored hair, and her large eyes looked somewhat confused and innocent.

“Sorry, Director. These kids don’t know what they ate, but they didn’t clean it up properly. It attracted a lot of flies. They’ve been buzzing around me nonstop. It’s driving me crazy!”

Teacher Chen hurriedly explained.

“Oh, I saw the time just now and thought you had finished your rehearsal. In that case, continue. We’ll go to the small hall instead.”

Fan Gang turned around to leave.

Teacher Chen glanced at the electric bass on Wu Xiaozhou’s back and smiled.

“Actually, we were about due for a break anyway. It’s fine.”

Fan Gang stopped and nodded.

Just as he was about to speak, he also heard the “buzzing” sound. It seemed Teacher Chen really wasn’t lying. He waved his hand a few times to shoo them away.

“Alright, then…”

Lin Hao knew he had forgotten his name and quickly said:

“Lin Hao!”

“Right, Lin Hao. Go up.”

Lin Hao smiled and nodded at Teacher Chen, then walked toward the stage.