Chapter 20: Should We Form a Band?

Chapter 20: Should We Form a Band?

The lead vocalist and guitarist of the Aurora Band was named Gao Shun; the other guitarist was Wu Lei, and the drummer was Huang Haotian.

But isn’t having two guitarists enough for a band?

“I’m currently practicing bass, so if I add you, we’ll only need a keyboardist,” Gao Shun explained.

Learning bass on the spot... guitar and bass are completely different instruments.

However, Li Jingkun hadn’t really considered forming a band in high school before, mainly because time was tight; so he politely declined.

Gao Shun said, “It’s okay, we all have academic pressures. We just love music. It’s just for fun, no need to practice every day. But when people with similar interests get together and practice, won’t we improve faster?”

What Gao Shun said made sense. Besides, he wasn’t the first to invite Li Jingkun to join a band, but this time, Li Jingkun felt a spark.

After singing several songs in a row earlier—letting off steam—his mind felt clearer.

Gao Shun was right; for now, it was just a hobby, no need to take it too seriously.

Plus, he was still part of the guitar club, so whenever he had questions, he could ask the teachers or seniors there. Practicing in a band with focused goals would definitely be better than practicing alone.

“Alright, I agree then.”

“Welcome aboard!”

Gao Shun was delighted. They shook hands again, and the atmosphere grew warmer and friendlier.

However, Li Jingkun had one more request: besides playing guitar, he wanted to be one of the lead vocalists.

That meant the Aurora Band would have two lead singers.

Gao Shun had no objections. He had heard Li Jingkun sing a few songs earlier and thought he was quite good.

Moreover, bands with dual lead vocalists were not uncommon; take the famous Linkin Park, for example. So having two lead singers was no problem.

It was just for fun—everyone could be a lead singer if they wanted—though that would make it more of a group than a band.

From then on, during the ninth class period, Li Jingkun mostly focused on band practice.

Gao Shun’s recent goal was to perform on stage at the New Year’s Eve party.

Li Jingkun thought that was an easy target since there were still several months before New Year’s. Picking one or two songs and practicing for a month or two would be enough.

But he didn’t want to set overly ambitious goals for everyone, as his main focus was still elsewhere.

The Aurora Band was formed under the leadership of Gao Shun, who was currently the most passionate about it.

The drummer, Huang Haotian, was said to be a wealthy son from a rich family who had studied piano, violin, and drums. Eventually, he realized drums were his favorite and was recruited by Gao Shun.

The guitarist, Wu Lei, was relatively introverted and academically strong. He played guitar partly out of interest and partly to train his willpower.

...

Soon, Li Jingkun became somewhat famous at school.

This was because the school administration leaked the news about his English speaking skills to the Liuchuan Daily newspaper (leaders at this key provincial high school held significant administrative ranks and had connections to local media, some even alumni). As a result, a reporter came to interview him.

Li Jingkun was a bit surprised but didn’t resist. He cooperated fully, demonstrating his English speaking ability on the spot and even took a photo with the reporter afterward.

Not long after, the article was published. The piece was short, placed in a modest spot, and the photo was small. Still, Li Jingkun’s name was mentioned in the school and in several nearby high schools.

At least many people now knew there was a high school student at City No.1 High School who was proficient in spoken English and could communicate normally with foreigners.

Such news was positive for the school and its leadership, a boost to their achievements, so everyone was pleased. Most of the school’s leaders knew about Li Jingkun.

Meanwhile, the members of the Aurora Band realized one thing: Li Jingkun was even more outstanding than they had thought!

For example, his guitar skills: he didn’t know many flashy techniques or fancy fingerings, but he practiced methodically and diligently, laying a solid foundation with deep skill.

Also, he could write songs. Among the songs they had heard, one was actually his own composition, which amazed them.

Now, discovering he spoke English fluently too, he seemed incredibly talented—a living legend and a role model!

Gao Shun then asked if he could sing The Eagles’ “Hotel California.”

“I can sing it, but I haven’t practiced it deliberately, so I can’t sing it all the way through in one go.”

“What if you practiced intentionally? Could you then?”

“Sure, this song isn’t too hard for me.”

Gao Shun got excited and said, “Then let’s rehearse this song.”

“Well... it’s not too difficult to sing, but playing it on guitar is a bit challenging,” Li Jingkun noted.

“No problem. Challenges are good—they make things interesting and push us to improve. This song is played with three guitars, and our band has three guitarists. I don’t believe we can’t master it in one or two months!” Gao Shun said.

Li Jingkun had no objections. He had been privately practicing some English songs, most of which were originals.

So the band’s main practice piece recently became “Hotel California,” with Li Jingkun responsible for singing and playing one of the guitars.

...

Time passed to the final month of freshman year.

Starting sophomore year, students had to choose between science and humanities tracks. In his previous life, Li Jingkun had chosen biology and music, intending to apply to an art school. This time, music wasn’t his first choice, so he only selected biology.

The homeroom teacher gave everyone plenty of time; many hesitated for a long time, unsure which to pick. Song Hairong was initially uncertain too but eventually chose biology like Li Jingkun.

Li Jingkun’s deskmate, Lin Yunkai, chose physics, later known as the “monk class.” Xie Wenmin and Xiaoling chose history. Xu Yuebin, who was torn about following Xie Wenmin’s choice, ultimately selected politics. Li Jingkun’s roommates each chose different subjects.

Since he might no longer live in the dorm next year, his chances to interact with them might dwindle.

With the holiday starting tomorrow, Li Jingkun suggested they all go out for a meal. The dorm mates agreed, and they invited Lin Yunkai, making nine of them eating out together at noon.

There were eight people in the dorm; Li Jingkun got along well with everyone, but his best friend was naturally Song Hairong, partly because of their bunk beds and partly because Song enjoyed joking around with him.

In fact, Song admired him a bit, thinking he was smart and often willing to listen to his advice.

He also got along well with roommates Wang Honglang and Guo Xinglong, but since he planned to move out in sophomore year, they might see less of each other.

“Hey, there’s a beauty.”

They were dining at a street stall near school, so it wasn’t unusual to run into classmates.

Not long after they sat down, five or six girls came in, chatting and laughing. Among them were at least two very beautiful girls.

One was familiar to everyone; after some secret discussion among the boys, Li Jingkun learned she was the charming host of the New Year’s Eve party, a fellow freshman named Zhou Jiani.

“She’s pretty and quite tall, probably over 1.6 meters.”

“Over 1.6 meters tall?”

“For a girl, over 1.6 meters is considered tall, you know? How tall are you, dude?”

“I’m taller than you!”

“You’re ‘one foot long, nine inches useless’!”

“You’re useless!”

“Enough arguing—look, the one next to her is pretty too.”

...

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(The End of This Chapter)