Chapter 8: Why Did She Suddenly Fall Silent?

“How about running together?” Jiang Qianyue asked.

Jiang Zheng thought for a moment, then agreed.

The two of them ran laps around the sports field, not speaking during the run. To Jiang Zheng’s surprise, he hadn’t intentionally slowed his pace, yet Jiang Qianyue was able to keep up with him.

After three laps, Jiang Zheng stopped running. Jiang Qianyue also came to a halt, beads of sweat dotting her forehead.

“Not going to keep running?” she asked.

Jiang Zheng shook his head. “That’s enough for today,” he replied.

His main purpose was to maintain the habit of exercise, not to complete a set number of laps.

Soon after, Jiang Qianyue asked, “Are you heading back to the dormitory?”

“I am. What about you?” Jiang Zheng answered.

“So am I. Want to walk together?” Jiang Qianyue said with a smile.

Jiang Zheng had no objections and left the field with her.

The boys’ and girls’ dormitories were some distance apart, but taking this route from the sports field meant they would share a stretch of the road.

On the way, Jiang Qianyue asked, “How long have you been learning to sing?”

She had noticed, during their time at the karaoke, that Jiang Zheng sounded very professional.

For most people, singing was simply a matter of opening their mouths and belting out a tune, with little thought to technique. For professionals, however, singing involved much more—breath control, pronunciation, and many other skills.

Jiang Zheng was caught off guard by this question. He hadn’t really learned to sing. If anything, his only exposure had been during music lessons at school.

He understood why Jiang Qianyue had asked. Back in the karaoke room, he had activated the temporary skill “I Am a Singer,” which had enhanced his singing technique.

What surprised him was that Jiang Qianyue had actually noticed.

“I learned for a while in the past,” Jiang Zheng replied vaguely.

He had, after all, attended music classes.

Jiang Qianyue nodded, and his answer resolved some of her doubts.

Soon they reached the fork in the path. Jiang Zheng said goodbye to Jiang Qianyue and headed to his own dormitory.

Once back, Jiang Zheng tidied up briefly and got into bed, preparing to sleep. He had class the next day and couldn’t afford to stay up late as he had before.

Lying in bed, Jiang Zheng silently summoned the system and chose to claim the reward for his recent task.

He selected “Natural Vocal Talent” as his reward. Though he was tempted by the “I Am a Singer” reward, it seemed rather meaningless on its own. Talent was crucial for singing.

Some people were simply born with voices that seemed touched by the gods, able to sing beautifully even without much technique. A good voice was the foundation for singing; without it, even the best techniques would be of little use.

With this in mind, Jiang Zheng unhesitatingly chose the “Natural Vocal Talent” skill. After all, techniques could be learned, but some innate qualities were hard to change.

Having made his choice and heard the system notify him of the successful claim, he drifted off to sleep in peace.

……

The next morning, Jiang Zheng woke up early.

It was Monday, and he had class that morning—no chance to sleep in.

His roommates were all in the same major and class, so their schedules matched. After getting up, Jiang Zheng prepared to wake them as well.

But when he opened his mouth, no sound came out.

Jiang Zheng froze. He was clearly speaking, so why couldn’t he make a sound?

For a moment, panic set in. He tried desperately to force out a sound, but none emerged, as if his vocal cords had been removed.

How could this be?

Jiang Zheng didn’t understand. He had only spent one night, and now he was mute?

Forcing himself to calm down, he tried to think of every possible cause. The night before, his throat had felt fine; he hadn’t caught a cold.

Quickly ruling out all other possibilities, his thoughts landed on the system.

Nothing else could have stolen his voice so thoroughly and inexplicably. Remembering how claiming “Robust Physique” previously had required daily exercise, Jiang Zheng had every reason to suspect that this sudden loss of voice was related to the “Natural Vocal Talent” reward.

Though he couldn’t be certain, Jiang Zheng trusted his judgment.

His panic subsided somewhat. If it was the system’s doing, then he would surely recover—eventually. The only question was how long it would take.

Unable to speak, he woke his roommates by tapping them.

Still groggy, they all got up and began getting ready for class. They each had their own interests and paths, but none of them ever skipped class; they always attended diligently.

During their morning routines, no one noticed anything unusual about Jiang Zheng.

The campus was alive with birdsong as they bought breakfast in the cafeteria and ate on their way to the classroom. The walk from their dormitory to the classroom was quite long.

Along the way, the group chatted, while Jiang Zheng remained silent.

“Why are you so quiet today?” Zhou Quanyi suddenly asked.

Jiang Zheng twitched his lips, pointed to his throat, and waved his hand, signaling that he was unable to speak.

The others understood. Yang Po frowned and said, “Maybe you should take the day off and see the school doctor?”

He had organized the social gathering the night before, and if something had happened to Jiang Zheng, he would feel partly responsible.

Jiang Zheng shook his head. Unable to speak, he couldn’t explain.

“Yang Po’s right, you should go to the clinic just in case,” Zhou Quanyi added. “Your health comes first. Don’t worry, we’ll share our notes with you and help if you have any questions.”

Jiang Zheng shook his head again. He didn’t want to go to the clinic. He knew his throat didn’t feel sore; he simply couldn’t make a sound. If he went to the clinic, it would only be harder to explain.

Suddenly, he had an idea. He took out his phone and typed a message.

“It’s nothing serious, probably just ate too much spicy food and drank and sang last night. I’ll be fine in a while—no need to visit the clinic.”

Everyone read his explanation and didn’t question it further.

“I still think you should get checked out,” Yang Po said.

“Really, there’s no need. Don’t worry about me,” Jiang Zheng replied by typing.

Seeing this, Yang Po had no choice but to let it be.

They arrived at the classroom and found seats together, all six of them.

Jiang Zheng listened attentively to the lecture, and time passed quickly. His roommates, knowing his throat was unwell, tactfully avoided chatting with him.

When the morning classes ended, they hurried to the cafeteria. If they went too late, they would face long lines, and some dishes might be sold out.