Obsessive Tycoon and His Swan Girl
Chapter 114 - 114 114 Jiang Zhe is not allowed to substitute

Chapter 114: Chapter 114: Jiang Zhe is not allowed to substitute Chapter 114: Chapter 114: Jiang Zhe is not allowed to substitute Although the orchestra from No. 1 Middle School was formed on the fly and was generally of average level, Xiao Meng’s presence could significantly enhance the quality of the ensemble.

Jiang Zhe was not worried about Xiao Meng.

The showcase quickly began.

While eating fruit, Jiang Zhe watched the competition with casual interest.

Song Xingyu also had little interest in the performances of others, especially with Qin Jingchen, a significant figure, present, which deterred him from speaking carelessly.

He didn’t even dare to shout out the prepared cheering words in front of Qin Jingchen.

Feeling suffocated, he went out for some fresh air.

This did not affect Jiang Zhe at all.

A moment later, Song Xingyu hurried back, his face pale, “Xiaozhe, Xiao Meng is injured!”

“What happened?” Jiang Zhe immediately stood up and left her seat without greeting anyone.

Qin Jingchen rose from his chair and followed her pace.

Song Xingyu’s lips quivered, “She had just prepared and came out to buy water. On the way, she was hit by a car, and now she’s bleeding profusely.”

“Take me there. Call an ambulance,” Jiang Zhe arranged as she walked.

“An ambulance has already been called,” Song Xingyu said.

Jiang Zhe, with her long legs, walked swiftly and soon reached Xiao Meng’s side.

Students and teachers from No. 1 Middle School were surrounding Xiao Meng, and Jiang Zhe pushed through the crowd to grab her injured leg.

Blood was pouring out from her leg.

Jiang Zhe’s expression turned cold, “Luckily, it hasn’t damaged the muscles or bones.”

She handed a pill to Xiao Meng, who put it in her mouth without asking any questions.

“For the bleeding,” Jiang Zhe said, “but with your current wound, you’ll need a tetanus shot and immediate dressing. You must go to the hospital.”

“The ambulance should be here any moment,” Lou Qiaoyin, who had also hurried over, said. “Once the ambulance arrives, I’ll accompany Xiao Meng to the hospital.”

Jiang Zhe’s tone was chilly, “Who hit her? Did you see the person?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see who it was. I didn’t catch the license plate number either.” The incident happened so suddenly, she had just been knocked down and was sitting on the ground when the car turned the corner and left.

She hadn’t seen anything.

“Don’t say sorry. Are you the one who did something wrong?” Jiang Zhe’s tone was unfriendly and icy.

But Xiao Meng felt warmth, because even though Jiang Zhe was scolding her, it was for her own good.

Yet Xiao Meng felt very downhearted, “My competition… I probably can’t continue…”

“You go to the hospital, I’ll stay and compete for you,” Jiang Zhe decided without hesitation.

Since it was a competition Xiao Meng valued highly and involved teamwork, Jiang Zhe wouldn’t let Xiao Meng have regrets, nor leave her owing debts of gratitude to others.

Soon, the ambulance arrived.

The nurse helped Xiao Meng onto the ambulance.

Lou Qiaoyin followed her onto the vehicle, while Song Xingyu said, “I’ll go with Xiao Meng too, it’s more convenient to have an extra person to take care of her.”

Qin Jingchen followed Jiang Zhe all along, and with such an incident occurring, he arranged for Fen Ye to also send people to help.

So as not to worry Jiang Zhe.

The onlooking teachers and students finally dispersed.

The teacher leading the team from No. 1 Middle School was surnamed Cao, a fashionable music teacher who spoke with a directness that matched her quick pace. “Jiang Zhe, now that Xiao Meng is injured and the orchestra is short one person, aren’t you just the right fit since you can play the piano? You’ll take her place. Are you familiar with the piece she was supposed to play?” she said.

“Familiar,” Jiang Zhe agreed promptly, not intending to say much more, but for Xiao Meng’s sake, he added, “I’ll do my best to coordinate with everyone’s playing.”

“Good, it’s settled then. Go change and get ready,” Teacher Cao passed Xiao Meng’s clothes to her.

Taking the clothes, a senior two student spoke up, “Teacher Cao, I don’t think this is appropriate.”

“What’s inappropriate?” asked Teacher Cao.

“We have all heard Xiao Meng play the piano before. She’s exceptionally talented and has even been acknowledged by professors from the Beijing Music Academy. She’s the backbone of the orchestra, and we all naturally acknowledge that. But Jiang Zhe…”

She looked Jiang Zhe up and down.

It had been revealed before that Jiang Zhe won the piano championship in an international competition for the youth category several years ago.

Although that title was impressive, to those studying music, it wasn’t enough to fully convince them.

For one, they had never actually heard Jiang Zhe play the piano and didn’t know whether her skills and abilities matched the awards she had won.

Secondly, anyone who plays an instrument knows that if you skip practice for three days, your fingers get rusty.

No one had seen Jiang Zhe practice the piano, and as years went by, even if she was naturally talented, there would come a day when that talent withered.

The story of ‘The Injured Zhongyong’ makes it clear.

“Jiang Zhe, you haven’t practiced in a long time, right? You’re not familiar with the scores and haven’t synced up with us. It probably won’t suit this competition,” said the girl, with an argument that seemed reasonable and logical.

The others, who had not had any objections before, were reminded of Jiang Zhe’s weaknesses by her words and agreed she wasn’t the right fit for the group.

If it had been Xiao Meng competing with them, they would have had no concerns; they were well aware of each other’s abilities from their regular practice.

But with Jiang Zhe, they all had their doubts.

They had all prepared for a long time for this competition. During the preliminary rounds, their scores and rankings were excellent; each of the dozen or so members aimed to take the championship.

They didn’t know Jiang Zhe, who came from various grades and classes of No. 1 Middle School’s high school division; they all had their own ambitions and didn’t want to collaborate with Jiang Zhe for no good reason.

Even though Jiang Zhe had already shown her sincerity just now, in their view, it was nothing more than Jiang Zhe’s attempt to save face.

What did she mean she would work with everyone? What could she possibly bring to the table to work with them?

A girl from the first year of senior high also agreed, “The position Xiao Meng was filling is that of the lead pianist, which is especially important. We really do not want an unfamiliar partner.”

“Wang Xue, Yuan Zhijuan, if that’s the case, then there’s no way we can compete today,” said Teacher Cao, finding their argument sensible, but if Jiang Zhe didn’t perform, then the arrangement for the piece would make the competition impossible.

The senior two student named Wang Xue said, “Anyway, we can’t risk our ranking with Jiang Zhe.”

Yuan Zhijuan nodded in agreement, “Neither can I.”

Teacher Cao looked at Jiang Zhe, somewhat troubled.

Jiang Zhe stood aside, silent, still holding Xiao Meng’s costume.

Qin Jingchen stood by her, very eye-catching, but as everyone was busy with the competition, no one inquired about his identity.

He turned to glance at Jiang Zhe, asking for her opinion.

Jiang Zhe handed the costume back to Teacher Cao, “Fine, I won’t participate.”

She was willing to help Xiao Meng perform and didn’t want Xiao Meng to be indebted to her collaborators.

But since the others clearly didn’t care, she was indifferent.

Qin Jingchen watched the group in the orchestra with a cold gaze, certain that they would never realize what they had missed.