Chapter 25: Can Brother Can Really Do It?

Over the next few days, military training continued to repeat itself mechanically under the scorching sun. Aside from participating in the drills, Yang Shuang spent his remaining time helping Zheng Jun with various miscellaneous tasks.

As soon as their training ended each day, Chen Xiaobei and Zhang Bailan would rush back to the dormitory, collapse onto their beds, and immediately dive into their own worlds—one clutching a phone to scroll through social media, the other chatting away with glee, occasionally bursting into fits of silly laughter. Meanwhile, Wang Can’s "Big Chicken Cutlet" venture was proceeding in an orderly fashion under the management of Xia Kewei.

Time slipped by quietly, and in the blink of an eye, the final day of military training arrived.

Since the review parade was scheduled for the next day, the instructors of the Economics Department decided that evening to join forces with the smaller Art and Medical departments. They cleared a large circle on the parade ground and kicked off a "Military Training Talent Show." This was a staple event for almost every university, serving as the perfect stage for freshmen to show off their skills. At this moment, if you could perform street dance, martial arts, play an instrument, or belt out a good song, congratulations—you had essentially secured priority in the dating market for the next four years. Of course, most people could only sit on the sidelines as enthusiastic spectators.

Because the Art Department was involved, senior students soon brought over professional sound systems and microphones. Truth be told, this freshman class was teeming with talent—there were students doing backflips, spinning nunchucks, and performing popping and breaking. Most eye-catching of all was a girl from the Art Department who shed her camouflage jacket to reveal a tight-fitting vest, performing a sexy girl-group dance that instantly ignited the crowd. It nearly made the males in the audience scream until they were hoarse; the entire parade ground was a scene of fervor, with cheers echoing through the night.

"That girl is something else; she’s definitely from the Art Department."
"Man, that waist is incredible."
"The girl from the Finance class who sang earlier wasn't bad, either."
"The guy playing guitar for the Medical Department is pretty cool, too."

Near the podium, the class mentors reappeared on the field after a long absence. Talent shows were as popular with the instructors and mentors as they were with the students.

"Teacher Jiang, your Finance class has a lot of talent this year."
"Teacher Gao, you’re a professional from the Music Department; you’re making me blush."
"Haha, it has to be Teacher Feng’s Dance major—they dominate this segment every single year."
"Medicine is doing well this year, too; they’ve got street dance and nunchucks."

Suddenly, someone noticed Zheng Jun, who had been silent the whole time, and asked curiously, "Xiao Zheng, why doesn't your class have a single act?"

Zheng Jun rubbed his nose awkwardly, his gaze drifting involuntarily toward the direction of the Economics and Management Class 2. "Maybe they aren't ready yet."

***

Just as the students of Economics and Management Class 2 were watching the performances with relish, occasionally whispering their critiques to one another, Yang Shuang suddenly appeared at the front of the class, speaking in a hurried tone: "The mentor says that every other class has put on a performance, and our class can't fall behind. Is there anyone willing to step up?"

The students of Class 2 looked at one another, and there was dead silence. If this had been at the very beginning, perhaps someone would have been willing to go on stage, but at this point, various "god-tier" performers had taken turns, and the atmosphere had already reached a crescendo. To go up now and perform something mediocre would be quite embarrassing.

Seeing no response, Yang Shuang wrung his hands in anxiety. He wasn't the official class monitor yet; he couldn't force his classmates and offend them, but he didn't want to disappoint the mentor either. This dilemma was agonizing.

"Wanwan, don't you know how to sing?" Jiang Zi lowered her voice and poked Guo Wanwan beside her. The latter immediately glared at her and held a finger to her lips, signaling her to be quiet. Jiang Zi had no choice but to purse her lips and swallow the words she was about to say.

In the back row, Shen Hongge glanced at his roommate. He remembered that this roommate had some talent, but if he were to perform now, wouldn't that be helping Yang Shuang? Then again, he wondered, should he ignore the class's honor just because of some petty personal grudge?

Just as Shen Hongge hesitated and was about to speak, Yang Shuang, having seen no one raise their hand, suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Wang Can’s wrist firmly. "Old Wang! It’s going to be you! That song you were singing before, 'The Iron Rod,' sounded pretty good—just sing that!"

Wang Can was stunned for a moment before realizing he was referring to the line "What use have I for this iron rod" which he had used to mock Chen Xiaobei.

"I’m just a KTV singer," Wang Can said. "Will I be okay up there?" He had practiced his singing quite a bit at commercial karaoke bars in his previous life, so he certainly wouldn't be off-key. It was precisely because of this that he had been able to work as a part-time resident singer at a bar during the summer break, earning seven thousand yuan from his nightly performances. However, compared to those studying the arts, there was certainly a gap.

"Oh, just treat a dead horse as if it were a living one!" Yang Shuang said, dragging Wang Can toward the stage without further argument.

Their conversation was drowned out by the noise of the venue, but Yang Shuang’s final remark about the "dead horse" was clearly heard by the whole class, sparking a round of whispers.

"Can he really pull it off by just grabbing someone at random?"
"Nobody will remember which class didn't perform, but it’ll be embarrassing if he messes up."
"Thinking about it that way, Wang Can is quite the warrior."
"I think his back looks pretty determined, like he’s carrying the courage of someone heading to their death."

***

"Haha, I think we should at least clap to see the warrior off," someone joked. Scattered applause broke out in the class.

Zhang Bailan watched their retreating figures, asking with concern, "Can Brother Can really do this?"

Chen Xiaobei smacked his lips. "He’s only ever hummed those two lines; I’ve never heard him sing anything else. But come to think of it, I don't think I’ve ever figured out what song that 'iron rod' thing is..."

Elsewhere, Qi Dong and Qi Xia had also arrived at the talent show, standing in a corner with a tripod. Their main task for the evening was to film footage, so they hadn't gone to find Wang Can.

"Sis, that girl from the Art class just now was great at modern dance. Her movements were clean and sharp, and her expression was perfect." Qi Xia looked down at the video she had just recorded on her phone, her eyes bright. "I think we should definitely invite her to join our Dance Club."

Qi Dong nodded in agreement. "She definitely has potential. I’ll go ask for her contact info once the show is over."

"Hehe, the talent level of the freshmen this year is a pleasant surprise," Qi Xia said, shaking her phone with excitement. "Looks like the Freshmen Welcome Gala will be spectacular."

"The gala is only a few days away; we need to step up our rehearsals over the next two days," Qi Dong replied.

"I know, I know..." Qi Xia was about to respond when she suddenly gasped. "Sis! It’s Wang Can!"

"Hm? You see him? Where?" Qi Dong scanned the bustling venue.

"No, I just saw him go over to the hosts to register!" Qi Xia pointed excitedly to the side of the stage. "He’s even carrying a guitar!"

"He knows how to play guitar?"

Qi Dong became interested instantly and looked in the direction her sister was pointing. Sure enough, under the lights next to the speakers, Wang Can was talking to the host while holding an acoustic guitar.

Just then, the host’s voice rang out through the speakers across the entire venue: "Next, let us welcome Wang Can from Economics and Management Class 2, who will be performing a guitar-accompanied song for us!"

"Wow! The freshman can actually sing and play!" Qi Xia grabbed her sister’s arm, both of them staring intently at the circular area bathed in the spotlight.

As the opening notes of the guitar began to play, the noise gradually died down, and everyone’s gaze focused on Wang Can.