ECG -Chapter 6 The Song That Attracts Wolves

In the bathroom.

This was the first time Lin Hao had seen what he looked like now.

In the mirror above the sink, every strand of his short hair stood stubbornly upright.

After all, he was only nineteen. His handsome, refined face was full of youthful collagen. His nose was straight and high, and although he had single eyelids, his eyes were not small.

His lips were slightly pale, and his teeth were neat and white.

He grinned. This appearance was much more handsome than his previous life. If he had looked like this back then, he wondered how many women he would have charmed…

But then he slightly frowned. He was about 178 centimeters tall, but this body was far too thin and weak. Perhaps because he had grown too quickly, he looked as if he were malnourished.

He casually wiped his face. Looking good was certainly pleasant, but he actually didn’t care much about whether he was handsome or ugly. After all, appearances would eventually grow old. Relying on talent to make a living was what lasted; that was what a real man should do!

After washing up, he returned to his small room. At a glance, he noticed the unfinished still-life sketch in the corner.

Only then did he remember that when he and Wu Xiaozhou reached their third year of middle school, their grades had started declining rapidly.

So, during their first year of high school, the two of them had signed up together for an intensive art class for the college entrance exam, hoping to get into an art university.

In December of their final year of high school, the two of them had also gone to the provincial capital together to take the professional art exam. The results were pretty good; both of them had been accepted into the Provincial Art Institute.

Now they were just waiting for their cultural subject scores to come out.

Lin Hao couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

He had actually applied for an art major!

This was depressing!

Damn it!

The night passed without incident.

When he got up the next morning, his father had already gone out to set up his stall. On the dining table were covered dishes waiting for him.

After opening them, he found one plate was the tofu his father had stewed last night, along with a small bowl of steamed egg custard.

Just after he finished eating, there was a knock on the door. When he opened it, he saw Wu Xiaozhou standing outside, with his right eye area still swollen and red.

“What happened? Your dad really beat you up?” Lin Hao asked.

Wu Xiaozhou gave a sheepish grin.

“How could he let me off?”

He entered the room and sat down on the leather sofa, taking out a cigarette and tossing one to Lin Hao.

Lin Hao asked him, “Did you go to the police station?”

Wu Xiaozhou nodded and said indifferently, “Nothing happened. I was just there to give Er Fei and the others some courage!”

Wu Xiaozhou was 185 centimeters tall, with a strong build and a hot temper. Ever since he was little, he had never been the obedient type.

“When will the scores come out?” Lin Hao sat back down at the dining table, lit the cigarette, and took a deep drag.

Wu Xiaozhou thought for a moment.

“Probably around mid-July?”

“What schools did you apply for?”

Wu Xiaozhou burst out laughing.

Lin Hao was stunned.

“What are you laughing at?”

Wu Xiaozhou held back his laughter, lit another cigarette, and leisurely said:

“First choice, Tsinghua University! Second choice, Peking University!”

Lin Hao was stunned for a long while. In his memories, this guy’s academic performance wasn’t that great. Had he gone crazy?

“Third choice is only the Provincial Art Institute?”

Wu Xiaozhou nodded.

“Brother, let me ask one more weak question.”

“What?” Wu Xiaozhou raised his thick eyebrows.

“Since we agreed that we’d both apply to the Provincial Art Institute, why did you still put Tsinghua and Peking University down?”

Wu Xiaozhou gave a sly smile.

“I thought… what if I guessed all the answers right during the exam? Wouldn’t I have a chance to go to Tsinghua or Peking University?”

Lin Hao’s eyes sparkled.

He really wanted to praise him. Brother, your thought process is truly something else.

If it wasn’t because our cultural subject scores were too poor, would we have even gone to study art?

Among the art majors, only fine arts was something that could be crammed in a short period of time.

Holding the cigarette in his mouth, Lin Hao thought about it for a while before saying the decision he had already made last night:

“I’m going to change my major!”

“What?” Wu Xiaozhou was stunned.

“What do you think of my singing?”

“Not bad!”

“Then that settles it! I’m switching to music!” Lin Hao pressed the cigarette butt hard into the ashtray.

“Quit messing around! Bro, both of us have already been accepted. We’re just waiting for the cultural exam scores to come out. Why are you still making trouble?”

“Let me ask you, after graduating from fine arts, do you want to become a painter?”

Wu Xiaozhou laughed. “Bullshit! Isn’t it just to get a college diploma? I have zero interest in fine arts!”

Lin Hao asked him, “Since you don’t want to pursue this career in the future, then what’s the point of getting this diploma?”

“It’ll make finding a job easier!”

Lin Hao shook his head. If it was just about work and money, he could write some songs and sell them right now, or find a venue to perform. Either way, he could make money.

He didn’t know much about the fine arts major, but he guessed finding a job after graduation wouldn’t be easy either. The most likely outcome would be renting a place and opening a small tutoring class…

Thinking about the miserable days he had spent teaching at music stores in his previous life, Lin Hao shook his head even more.

In his previous life, he had one regret: he had never gone to college and never experienced campus life.

He hadn’t even become an adult before he started accompanying singers at dance halls. Later, all his knowledge had been learned from the “university of society.” If he could go to college in this life, he absolutely didn’t want to leave any regrets.

So he definitely couldn’t miss this chance. He had to make up for it!

“I want to sing! I want to play music! Xiaowu, change your major with me! I guarantee you’ll make big money in the future!”

Wu Xiaozhou gave a bitter smile. “Brother, I want to sing too, but my singing is damn awful!”

“Really?” Lin Hao scratched his head. Too lazy to recall, he simply said, “Sing a couple of lines and let me hear.”

Wu Xiaozhou didn’t hesitate. He opened his mouth and started singing. But after only two lines, Lin Hao wiped the sweat from his forehead and quickly stopped him.

“Enough, enough, shut up already. You’ll summon wolves over here if you keep going!”

Wu Xiaozhou chuckled. “Even with my skills, I’m still better than how you used to sing! But seriously, Haozi, how did you suddenly learn to sing? Hey, tell me…”

Lin Hao quickly stopped him.

“Let me ask you, if I teach you an instrument, can you practice enough to show some results before the end of August?”

“An instrument?” Wu Xiaozhou almost went crazy. “I’ve never even touched a harmonica. What could I possibly learn?”

“I’m asking if you have the determination! Think about it. When we perform, we’ll be able to make tons of money. Huge amounts of money! Beautiful girls will cry and beg to throw themselves into your arms. Think about it. Really think about it!”

Wu Xiaozhou half-closed his eyes, looking completely intoxicated.

“Mm, sounds great!”

“Good! Then it’s decided. Starting tomorrow, I’ll teach you bass. With your big build, it’d be a waste if you don’t play bass!”

“What?!”

Wu Xiaozhou’s eyes widened.

“What’s bass?”

Lin Hao slapped his forehead. This guy didn’t even know what a bass was. Looks like his task was going to be difficult!

“Do you have money?” Lin Hao asked.

“Yeah!”

Wu Xiaozhou reached into his big shorts and pulled out two 100-yuan bills.

Lin Hao shook his head.

“Not enough! Go get some more money!”

“How much?”

“1,000!”

“Damn!”

Wu Xiaozhou thought about it, then said, “Wait for me.”

After saying that, he ran out, not even bothering to close the door.

Not long after, he came back drenched in sweat. The moment he entered the room, he gave a mysterious smile.

Lin Hao put on his sneakers and said, “You asked your mom for it, didn’t you?”

“Damn! How did you know?”

“Nonsense. Your dad already wants to skin you alive. Do you think he’d give you money?”

…

The biggest music store in Chunhe City was called Ba Yin Music Store, located at the very end of the commercial street.

After Lin Hao and Wu Xiaozhou parked their bicycles and walked inside, they immediately heard the sharp sound of an electric guitar with distortion effects.

More than a dozen people had gathered around the guitar section. A long-haired man in his thirties was testing out a black-and-red gradient electric guitar.

Hearing that sound, Lin Hao couldn’t help but frown and walked over with Wu Xiaozhou.