I Fell in Love With My Cold-Hearted, Flirtatious Roommate (GL) - Chapter 26

After that night, Rong Ting suffered from insomnia again, tossing and turning, trying to figure out what Ran Jiu meant by her Weibo post. How was she a “big pig trotter”?

Just because she touched her once more?

However, she didn’t see Ran Jiu the next day, and later, Ran Jiu’s schedule seemed to get even busier, so Rong Ting quickly forgot about the incident.

Moreover, as the May Fourth Youth Day approached, U University’s Faculty of Literature required five students from each class to participate in the May Fourth Youth Choir. Because the rehearsals were intensive, taking up two hours every evening with no compensation, very few people in each class were willing to join.

The class advisor tried for a long time only to be rejected. Remembering that Rong Ting was easy to talk to, he spent extra effort persuading her.

Rong Ting knew the advisor had helped her before. Besides, the choir added 2 points to her overall assessment score, so it wasn’t a total loss. She agreed.

From then on, she plunged into the painful two-hour training every night. Fortunately, the atmosphere in the choir was lively, the members were friendly, and the seniors occasionally brought drinks and snacks.

Their training instructor was a white-haired old man, reportedly a singer from the Imperial Capital Opera House Choir, who was both kind and strict during the guidance process.

“High! Go higher! The sound needs to be higher!”

“You’re all just howling dryly! You need to use your abdominal cavity to project!”

“Yes! Raise your voice! Hold it!”

“Soprano section! I can’t hear your voices!”

“I can’t hear the left side!”

“The right side, speak louder!”

The old man made everyone train with great passion, but by the end of the two-hour session, they had sore backs and legs, and their voices were so hoarse they couldn’t make a sound.

Rong Ting felt her throat wasn’t this hoarse even after eating a proper Chongqing hot pot meal.

The next time she encountered Ran Jiu at home, Rong Ting had just brought back Longjiesan (a Japanese herbal throat lozenge) and Chuanbei Pipalu (Fritillaria and Loquat Syrup) from the pharmacy. She placed them weakly on the coffee table and was about to get some water.

There was no hot water. Ran Jiu followed her into the kitchen and watched her boil a kettle. “What’s wrong? Is your throat bothering you?”

Rong Ting looked utterly miserable, her voice raspy: “May Fourth Youth Day. I have to attend choir training these days.”

“How long?”

“Two hours.”

Ran Jiu gave her a thumbs up. “You guys are really dedicated.”

“Tell me about it.”

When the water boiled, Rong Ting poured it into a bowl so it would cool faster. But her throat was still burning, and she wanted to drink immediately.

Ran Jiu found a bottle in the cabinet and handed it to her. Rong Ting knew what it was the moment she took it: the bottle was small, slightly sticky, and gave off a sesame oil scent.

She looked at Ran Jiu incredulously, asking, Are you sure?

Ran Jiu nodded affirmatively, then lifted her chin, signaling her to drink.

Rong Ting pulled out the cork, speechless. She thought for a moment, took out a spoon, poured some into it, and slowly took a sip. The burning pain in her throat instantly felt soaked and eased.

Ran Jiu casually handled the two bowls of hot water for her. “Don’t drink too much sesame oil, or you’ll get diarrhea.”

Rong Ting: “……” I thank you.

After dinner, Rong Ting had nothing else to do and started practicing the abdominal projection method they talked about during the day.

This method was somewhat mystical: it required engaging the abdomen, allowing the breath from the lower dantian (a point of energy) to resonate collectively through the abdominal cavity, chest cavity, throat cavity, oral cavity, and skull to achieve a stereo-like vocal effect.

Rong Ting usually dared not speak loudly, let alone sing. Suddenly being assigned to the soprano section, she spent the whole evening trying to strain her voice without much improvement.

And the old man had put pressure on them before leaving: “Our Faculty of Literature has always taken first place in the May Fourth Choir, an unbroken record for 10 consecutive years. Don’t let it be ruined on your watch, okay?”

The thought of this stressed Rong Ting out even more.

Ran Jiu came out to get water and suddenly saw the door to Rong Ting’s bedroom open. A swaying figure stood in front of the window, looking a little silly, doing something unknown.

“Hi!”

Rong Ting spun around in fright, seeing Ran Jiu looking at her with squinted eyes. “What are you doing?”

“Me?” She gestured from her stomach. “Practicing abdominal projection.”

Ran Jiu nearly burst out laughing. “Abdominal projection? What kind of practice is it if you don’t make a sound?”

Rong Ting realized that she had been clumsily gesturing for a long time, only breathing, without actually making a single sound.

Ran Jiu sighed and walked over. “First, try making a sound.”

Being suddenly stared at while practicing her voice made Rong Ting a little uncomfortable. But she quickly adjusted her state, cleared her throat, took a deep breath that sank into her abdomen, and then opened her mouth—

A weak, mosquito-like hum came out of her throat. Ran Jiu laughed and rolled onto her bed.

Rong Ting was furious and forcefully tried to save face: “He… our teacher said this can’t be mastered in the short term. I’m already practicing, aren’t I?”

“Okay, okay,” Ran Jiu covered her face with a pillow, shaking with laughter. “You’ll improve, don’t worry.”

Rong Ting walked over and watched her silently: “Then what are you laughing at?”

Ran Jiu laughed enough and sat up. She was wearing a loose, flaxen white half-sleeve shirt. The neckline was wide, and due to her previous slumped position, it revealed a black tank top strap underneath.

Rong Ting looked away, but Ran Jiu seemed oblivious. She casually tugged at the neckline, covering the strap.

Her posture was very upright, her collarbones deeply defined, making her look like a petite, well-grown wawacai (baby Chinese cabbage). She smiled: “Stop practicing aimlessly. I’ll teach you.”

“How do I practice?” Rong Ting’s eyelids drooped. If she had to sing in front of Ran Jiu again, she felt her reputation would be ruined.

Ran Jiu moved closer to her. Rong Ting instantly felt breathless, the instinct to retreat driving her close to losing control.

Ran Jiu then stopped and made a hugging gesture. “You hold me here.”

Rong Ting initially thought she misheard until Ran Jiu gestured again, a little impatiently: “Here, this spot, below the waistline.”

Rong Ting had actually been forced to experience this method when she first joined the choir. At that time, the old man brought two teaching assistants to give them lessons. The first class was about experiencing the body’s vocal mechanism.

She remembered that the two teaching assistants looked very kind. During the meeting, they walked up to every junior literature student, asking them to hug their waist to experience abdominal projection.

When it was Rong Ting’s turn, she hesitated to reach out, but the senior sister pulled her hand and wrapped it around her own waist, saying playfully, “Little junior, don’t be shy. Your senior sister is a married woman.”

The room erupted in laughter. Rong Ting’s face was flushed. She hugged for a long time but didn’t grasp the concept, and the senior’s instructions were completely forgotten, otherwise she wouldn’t need to cram now.

Ran Jiu now held out her hands to her, a little confused by her hesitation, and urged: “Hug me.”

Rong Ting looked left and right awkwardly, asking, “Does it have to be this way?”

Ran Jiu put her hands down. “Of course. My mom was a high school vocal teacher. Although I was quite resistant when I was little, I could only learn this way with her.”

Rong Ting wanted to ask, Didn’t you feel awkward then?

Then she thought, maybe it was only because her own heart wasn’t pure that she felt awkward.

The words that reached her lips became: “Oh, your mother cultivated your musical talent from a young age. I feel like you must have been quite well-behaved back then.”

Ran Jiu was silent for a moment, then gave a self-deprecating smile: “How could I not be obedient? With my mom’s temper, if things didn’t go her way… forget it.”

Rong Ting’s heart sank suddenly. Looking at Ran Jiu’s impassive face, she felt a sudden pang of guilt.

Then Ran Jiu’s tone lifted slightly: “Are you going to learn or not? I usually don’t teach my exclusive secrets to others.”

Rong Ting quietly walked over and, following her instruction, lightly wrapped her arms around her, cautiously, like a hollow embrace.

Ran Jiu pulled her: “Hug tighter. You haven’t even touched the ribs yet.”

“Oh.” Rong Ting hugged a little tighter. Ran Jiu’s waist was slender enough to grasp with one hand. She could feel the distinct ribs through the skin and flesh. At this moment, Rong Ting felt her lower abdomen contract, making her waistline even smaller than before.

“Look, now we’re inhaling through the nose, the ribs are expanding. Feel it.” She pressed one of Rong Ting’s hands there. “When the abdomen swells, my lower abdomen is actually contracting. Remember to exhale slowly.”

Rong Ting was completely stiff at this point, occasionally responding with an “mm-oh” to Ran Jiu’s words. In fact, her palms were sweating, and she completely dared not press too close to Ran Jiu’s body.

Ran Jiu was oblivious to everything, dutifully playing the role of a good teacher. “If your breath can be stored following this path and slowly released from the dantian, reciting a long sentence for a minute won’t be a problem.”

After saying this, she paused briefly, and then slowly spoke a section of English in an elegant and cool voice: “In the night of weariness let me give myself up to sleep without struggle, resting my trust upon thee.”

“在這困倦的夜裡，讓我帖服地把自己交給睡眠，把信賴托付給你。” (In this weary night, let me surrender myself submissively to sleep, entrusting my faith to you.)

Rong Ting silently calculated; it was about 30 seconds.

If it were her, she definitely couldn’t do it.

Ran Jiu finished reciting the sentence and sighed in relief. When her lower abdomen relaxed, it touched Rong Ting’s hand again.

The other person’s voice was right above Rong Ting, very clear: “Did you feel it?”

Rong Ting answered with a vacant “mm.”

“And then, you also need to pay attention to your resonance cavities. The head cavity, pharyngeal cavity, and chest cavity are one. When you vocalize, do you feel your head cavity expanding and vibrating?” She moved Rong Ting’s hand up, placing it on her chest. “Listen, this is chest resonance.”

Ran Jiu held her hand and repeated the first half of the English sentence. Rong Ting’s palm covered that small area of the sternum, feeling a tiny popping sensation in her palm… but her wrist was resting on a soft spot.

What that was, went without saying.

Ran Jiu continued to breathe delicately near her ear, her speech like an orchid. Rong Ting closed her eyes, only wishing for this process to end soon.

Afterward, Ran Jiu meticulously explained the procedures for all the steps. When she said, “That’s it,” Rong Ting felt granted a great pardon and was about to pull back her hand, but was unexpectedly caught by Ran Jiu.

Ran Jiu seemed a little dissatisfied: “Wait a moment. What’s the hurry? I haven’t finished yet.”

Rong Ting: “…… Oh.”

“I’ll sing a section of a song now. You feel it.” Ran Jiu cleared her throat, took a breath, and began to sing a cappella.

It was a very famous ancient Chinese style (Gu Feng) song, “Xi Huang” (Perching Phoenix). The entire piece had a sad and desolate tone, but Ran Jiu sang it with a heroic and unrestrained air, giving a sense of ease and that the past was merely smoke.

“有人故作眉眼疏狂 (Someone feigned a look of aloof arrogance) 與我交過手，與我留過傷 (Exchanged blows with me, left wounds on me) 卻想求個美滿收場 (Yet desired a perfect ending) 譙鼓響，烽煙茫茫，劍影刀光， (Battle drums sounding, smoke vast and hazy, flashing swords and blades,) 陰謀陽謀，影影幢幢。” (Schemes and overt plots, shadows looming.)

Ran Jiu sang very quietly, in a state of detachment and laziness. Rong Ting could feel her chest resonance, feeling a tiny tremor against her body.

Then, reaching the climax of the song, Ran Jiu paused and abruptly raised her voice.

A clear, serene ancient style sound was narrated by her, the breath stable, almost ethereal, shaking Rong Ting all over, giving her the illusion that the top of her skull had been lifted.

It truly sounded like a phoenix from the Ninth Heaven weeping a lament.

“這生死場上，有誰真願誰，無恙—— (In this field of life and death, who truly wishes for whom, to be unharmed—) 興許，青竹早凋，碧梧已僵，人事本難防 (Perhaps, the green bamboo withered early, the emerald parasol tree is stiff, human affairs are inherently unpredictable) 只在，舊時舊日，大夢了一場 (It was only, in old times, an illusion of a great dream) 從此，天各一方，各自懷想，不如兩相忘 (From now on, worlds apart, each reminiscing, better to just forget each other) 非黃泉路上，此生王不見王……” (Not on the road to the Underworld, king will not see king in this life…)

When the song ended and she let go, Rong Ting’s mind was full of chaotic thoughts, almost twisting into a barrage of comments.

“Such a slender waist.”

“A beautiful harmony.”

“The vocal transitions are so clean.”

“Such a stable performance of the theatrical voice.”

Well, she was self-admittedly inferior.

Ran Jiu sighed in relief after singing. She felt a coolness around her waist and slightly lowered her eyes to look at Rong Ting.

Rong Ting clapped like an otter, her eyes shining: “That was so beautiful!”

Ran Jiu sighed: “I didn’t ask you to listen to the song. The abdominal cavity, the chest cavity, did you feel them?”

Rong Ting: “…… Is it too late for me to say I felt it now?”

Ran Jiu slightly covered her chest, feeling emotionally drained. “You can’t carve rotten wood.”

Rong Ting was puzzled: “Huh?” Although she was a bit slow, it wasn’t her fault, was it? Wasn’t it because they were both pressed too close together?

In that state, how could anyone learn anything?!

Ran Jiu said coldly: “If I were your teacher, I’d probably want to hit you.”

Rong Ting: “?”

“Forget it,” Ran Jiu patted her wrinkled clothes.

Why did Rong Ting feel inexplicably despised?

“You practice on your own for a bit. I’ll check again tomorrow.” Ran Jiu put the pillow she had just crumpled back in place, muttering to herself as she walked forward: “How to save a theoretical bookworm…”

Rong Ting: …It seems she was indeed despised.

Since Ran Jiu had put in so much effort to help her, Rong Ting felt a little bad and called out to her: “What do you want to eat tomorrow? I’ll cook for you.”

Ran Jiu had already walked out the bedroom door, her voice resentful and muffled: “Big pig trotter.”

Rong Ting: “???”