Chapter 18:
Chapter 18 — Zhang Mei
My New Home
◽3 days later◽ (Wednesday, 13 April 2050)
Jerry pushed open the classroom door and stepped inside the lecture hall. It was clearly a music class. 【Do I even have music class?】「Sit, or leave. I don’t have time to waste,」 the Music Professor snapped, her voice sharp and brittle, not even looking up from her sheet music.Jerry, raised an eyebrow. 【Sheesh… what crawled up her butt?】 「I’ll stay.」 He backed to the corner of the room and folded his arms, observing silently.The professor waved her baton with a flourish of frustration. 「Alright, let’s begin.」As the students played, Jerry silently observed the ensemble. 【Hmm… not bad. Even if they’re a bit nervous, it’s decent.】「Stop! Stop! Stop!」 the professor barked, her frustration palpable as she slammed her baton down. She turned sharply, directing her wrath at one student. 「Zhang Mei! How many times must I tell you—keep the pace!」「I’m sorry, ma'am.」 Mei whispered, her fingers trembling visibly on the piano keys.「Of course you are.」 the professor snapped back.【Wow… she’s a bitch.】 Jerry thought, rolling his eyes from his corner. 「There’s no need to crash out like that. Was she a tenth of a second late? Yeah. But most people wouldn’t notice.」「Just because I added you to this class doesn’t mean you know music,」 the professor continued to chastise.「True,」 Jerry said, stepping forward, his neutral Black eyes fixed on the professor. 「But a student’s talent is only as strong as their teacher. If the teacher’s trash… so will be the student.」
The classroom collectively froze, the silence absolute.
「Are you saying I’m incompetent?」 the professor’s voice quavered with irritation and disbelief.「No. But if you keep moving the way you do, you will be.」The professor scoffed, a tight, angry smile twisting her lips. 「Alright then. Teacher, show us your wisdom.」Jerry smirked, an expression that seemed foreign on his emotionally flat face, and gestured inward, his hair and pupils flickering from Black to vibrant Gold. 「Alright. MJ, take over.」MJ’s grin was effortless, energetic, and creative. 「I need a drummer, bass, flute, and pianist. Everyone else, sit down.」Mei hesitated, still trembling. 「Um… what are we going to play?」「Ever heard of freestylin’?」 MJ asked, ignoring the immediate whispers of the other students.「Err… like rap?」「Exactly. Drummer, you’re the engine. Bass, follow. Pianist, then flute. Forget everything that lady taught you. You’re here to have fun, alright?」「OK!」 the selected musicians chorused, a surge of excitement overcoming their fear.Mei blinked, watching him intently. 【So… he wants us to follow the flow, not structure…】
The drummer started, tentative at first, then finding a confident, driving rhythm. The others slowly joined in, their playing loose and connected.
MJ bobbed his head, feeling the beat. 「See that? Drummer controls the tempo. Fast, we go fast. Slow, we slow. Perfect.」【What… how?】 The professor thought, completely shocked. 【They’ve never played like this under me… even that pianist girl is on beat.】
MJ began to rap effortlessly, a stream of improvised lyrics filling the room, referencing teamwork, personal responsibility, and even weaving in subtle nods toward Mei’s talent.
By the end of the spontaneous performance, Mei was blushing faintly. 【So… he was referring to me?】MJ smiled warmly, the Gold in his eyes radiating infectious enthusiasm. 「Say, what’s your name?」「Zhang Mei,」 she replied, her voice now steady.「Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Zhang,」 MJ said, bowing slightly.The professor was dumbfounded, her sheet music forgotten. 「How… how did you achieve that?」Jerry surfaced again, the Black hair and eyes returning, stepping back into the mediator role. 「Talent reflects the teacher. I didn’t teach them music—I gave them freedom. That’s why most people joined this class: to feel freedom. Let it flow, and you’ll see results.」「But… if I did that—」「Look,」 Jerry cut her off, his voice flat and authoritative. 「Treat your students like individuals first. Once you do that, the music will naturally exceed expectations.」The professor chuckled nervously, defeated by the simple logic. 「Are you really just a student?」Jerry smirked, a rare expression for this alter. 「When thousands of families rely on me to manage their livelihoods, I’ve learned to work alongside them, not just sit in some office.」 He turned to leave. 「Sitting around too long? Gets boring.」The students whispered among themselves, awed by his confidence. 「He must be rich… single too maybe?」Mei felt a little nervous as two girls immediately approached her.「Hey, Mei, can you help us?」「Uh… okay,」 she replied, tensing slightly under the sudden attention.
◽Lunchtime◽
Hana giggled over her lunch. 「That freestyle… impressive.」Jerry, still in his Black alter, leaned back in his chair. 「So you heard it?」「More like saw it. Someone recorded the whole thing, thinking you’d fail.」Jerry smirked faintly. 「There’s always someone trying to see me fall.」Shizuko suddenly ran up to him, a blur of energy. 「Papa!」「You can’t always come here,」 he said, smiling.「I’m going to school on Friday anyway.」 She handed him her test results. 「Here’s Sora’s too.」Jerry scanned the paper. 「Both of you passed… 100s? Amazing! Good job, Mellow.」 He hugged her.「Thanks, Papa! Oh, and…」 She gave him a surprisingly suspicious look, her expression stern. 「If she’s not a team player, send her back to the streets.」Jerry blinked, startled by the harshness of the phrase. 「Where did you learn that phrase?」Shizuko and Hana exchanged a look, both trying to suppress a giggle. 「Really? You want to know?」Hana nodded, a knowing smile playing on her lips. 「She has a point. There are a few people who talk like that… and we’re looking at them right now.」Jerry sighed, resigning himself to his reputation. 「Okay… I get it.」Shizuko handed him a small, new sketchbook. 「It’s for your birthday! I know how much you like drawing!」Everyone seated nearby gasped in unison. 「Your birthday?!」Jerry chuckled softly, his eyes crinkling. 「Yeah… 22 today.」「Why didn’t you tell us?」 Hana asked, sounding genuinely hurt.Jerry shrugged, the concept still alien to him. 「I don’t usually celebrate birthdays.」Shizuko leaned against him, pulling him back to the moment. 「Can Mei come to the party?」Jerry raised an eyebrow, confused. 「What party?」「It’s your birthday, remember?」 Shizuko replied with an enormous grin, fully expecting him to comply.
Jerry pushed open the classroom door and stepped inside the lecture hall. It was clearly a music class. 【Do I even have music class?】「Sit, or leave. I don’t have time to waste,」 the Music Professor snapped, her voice sharp and brittle, not even looking up from her sheet music.Jerry, raised an eyebrow. 【Sheesh… what crawled up her butt?】 「I’ll stay.」 He backed to the corner of the room and folded his arms, observing silently.The professor waved her baton with a flourish of frustration. 「Alright, let’s begin.」As the students played, Jerry silently observed the ensemble. 【Hmm… not bad. Even if they’re a bit nervous, it’s decent.】「Stop! Stop! Stop!」 the professor barked, her frustration palpable as she slammed her baton down. She turned sharply, directing her wrath at one student. 「Zhang Mei! How many times must I tell you—keep the pace!」「I’m sorry, ma'am.」 Mei whispered, her fingers trembling visibly on the piano keys.「Of course you are.」 the professor snapped back.【Wow… she’s a bitch.】 Jerry thought, rolling his eyes from his corner. 「There’s no need to crash out like that. Was she a tenth of a second late? Yeah. But most people wouldn’t notice.」「Just because I added you to this class doesn’t mean you know music,」 the professor continued to chastise.「True,」 Jerry said, stepping forward, his neutral Black eyes fixed on the professor. 「But a student’s talent is only as strong as their teacher. If the teacher’s trash… so will be the student.」
The classroom collectively froze, the silence absolute.
「Are you saying I’m incompetent?」 the professor’s voice quavered with irritation and disbelief.「No. But if you keep moving the way you do, you will be.」The professor scoffed, a tight, angry smile twisting her lips. 「Alright then. Teacher, show us your wisdom.」Jerry smirked, an expression that seemed foreign on his emotionally flat face, and gestured inward, his hair and pupils flickering from Black to vibrant Gold. 「Alright. MJ, take over.」MJ’s grin was effortless, energetic, and creative. 「I need a drummer, bass, flute, and pianist. Everyone else, sit down.」Mei hesitated, still trembling. 「Um… what are we going to play?」「Ever heard of freestylin’?」 MJ asked, ignoring the immediate whispers of the other students.「Err… like rap?」「Exactly. Drummer, you’re the engine. Bass, follow. Pianist, then flute. Forget everything that lady taught you. You’re here to have fun, alright?」「OK!」 the selected musicians chorused, a surge of excitement overcoming their fear.Mei blinked, watching him intently. 【So… he wants us to follow the flow, not structure…】
The drummer started, tentative at first, then finding a confident, driving rhythm. The others slowly joined in, their playing loose and connected.
MJ bobbed his head, feeling the beat. 「See that? Drummer controls the tempo. Fast, we go fast. Slow, we slow. Perfect.」【What… how?】 The professor thought, completely shocked. 【They’ve never played like this under me… even that pianist girl is on beat.】
MJ began to rap effortlessly, a stream of improvised lyrics filling the room, referencing teamwork, personal responsibility, and even weaving in subtle nods toward Mei’s talent.
By the end of the spontaneous performance, Mei was blushing faintly. 【So… he was referring to me?】MJ smiled warmly, the Gold in his eyes radiating infectious enthusiasm. 「Say, what’s your name?」「Zhang Mei,」 she replied, her voice now steady.「Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Zhang,」 MJ said, bowing slightly.The professor was dumbfounded, her sheet music forgotten. 「How… how did you achieve that?」Jerry surfaced again, the Black hair and eyes returning, stepping back into the mediator role. 「Talent reflects the teacher. I didn’t teach them music—I gave them freedom. That’s why most people joined this class: to feel freedom. Let it flow, and you’ll see results.」「But… if I did that—」「Look,」 Jerry cut her off, his voice flat and authoritative. 「Treat your students like individuals first. Once you do that, the music will naturally exceed expectations.」The professor chuckled nervously, defeated by the simple logic. 「Are you really just a student?」Jerry smirked, a rare expression for this alter. 「When thousands of families rely on me to manage their livelihoods, I’ve learned to work alongside them, not just sit in some office.」 He turned to leave. 「Sitting around too long? Gets boring.」The students whispered among themselves, awed by his confidence. 「He must be rich… single too maybe?」Mei felt a little nervous as two girls immediately approached her.「Hey, Mei, can you help us?」「Uh… okay,」 she replied, tensing slightly under the sudden attention.
◽Lunchtime◽
Hana giggled over her lunch. 「That freestyle… impressive.」Jerry, still in his Black alter, leaned back in his chair. 「So you heard it?」「More like saw it. Someone recorded the whole thing, thinking you’d fail.」Jerry smirked faintly. 「There’s always someone trying to see me fall.」Shizuko suddenly ran up to him, a blur of energy. 「Papa!」「You can’t always come here,」 he said, smiling.「I’m going to school on Friday anyway.」 She handed him her test results. 「Here’s Sora’s too.」Jerry scanned the paper. 「Both of you passed… 100s? Amazing! Good job, Mellow.」 He hugged her.「Thanks, Papa! Oh, and…」 She gave him a surprisingly suspicious look, her expression stern. 「If she’s not a team player, send her back to the streets.」Jerry blinked, startled by the harshness of the phrase. 「Where did you learn that phrase?」Shizuko and Hana exchanged a look, both trying to suppress a giggle. 「Really? You want to know?」Hana nodded, a knowing smile playing on her lips. 「She has a point. There are a few people who talk like that… and we’re looking at them right now.」Jerry sighed, resigning himself to his reputation. 「Okay… I get it.」Shizuko handed him a small, new sketchbook. 「It’s for your birthday! I know how much you like drawing!」Everyone seated nearby gasped in unison. 「Your birthday?!」Jerry chuckled softly, his eyes crinkling. 「Yeah… 22 today.」「Why didn’t you tell us?」 Hana asked, sounding genuinely hurt.Jerry shrugged, the concept still alien to him. 「I don’t usually celebrate birthdays.」Shizuko leaned against him, pulling him back to the moment. 「Can Mei come to the party?」Jerry raised an eyebrow, confused. 「What party?」「It’s your birthday, remember?」 Shizuko replied with an enormous grin, fully expecting him to comply.
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