Face to face, A+ didn't want to hide his admiration, but he tried his best to control himself and not let his gaze appear too lecherous.
Mira stared at him for a moment after their eyes met, then leaned back to create some distance between them, cleared her throat, and began to play the prelude. She omitted the parts of the keys that A+ was blocking, saying, "Look inside..."
After finishing the first verse, she crossed her arms, her gaze drifting to the ceiling, still with that arrogant demeanor.
"Fine, I won't sing then, I won't sing then..." A+ deliberately mimicked her tone when she left after the audition that day, "Hahaha..." He even cheekily pushed her shoulder and burst into laughter.
"You... Humph!"
Her beautiful profile flushed instantly, and she turned her head away in embarrassment, throwing another little tantrum.
The ends of her long hair hit A+ face.
It smells so good!
"Mr. Slade."
Mrs. Jovovich came in from the doorway, looking at the two of them helplessly, "Stop teasing her, she's still just a child..."
"He did it first!" Mira's voice rose, almost letting out her signature scream again.
"Mira…" Mrs. Jovovich looked at her sternly.
"I told you, just call me Aplus, Mrs. Jovovich. Okay, enough joking." A+ stood up and handed the piano to Mira. "Second section, continue."
Mila clearly has a good foundation; her piano playing was decent, and her singing showed improvement compared to the audition day, indicating she's been practicing diligently lately.
"The third section."
As A+ listened, he slowly paced around. The classroom was small and the decor was old. There was no podium, only a small blackboard and six desks. It seemed that the piano teaching business here was not doing well. On the desk in the back row, there was a large travel bag with its opening open. Inside, it seemed to be women's clothing. Next to it were a box of Lipton tea bags, two glasses, and a small cassette recorder.
"Keep going, don't stop, fourth section."
After finishing the song, A+ rubbed his cheek and murmured, "Emmmm..."
Feeling the mother and daughter's gaze fixed on him, he said honestly, "No, it's still far from good enough." This was a very important song for him; chasing girls was a side job. Everything else had to be done while ensuring the quality of this song.
Mira's eyes flashed, and her eyelids drooped.
"Slade...APLUS, you have to help us." Mrs. Jovovich's posture was so humble it was almost a plea.
"Of course, my presence here shows that I genuinely want to help you. I like Mira…" A+ glanced at Mrs. Jovovich's reaction out of the corner of his eye and sensed that her expression had turned somewhat unpleasant. "Besides, this is also Daniel's request." He quickly smoothed things over.
"So, Eric..."
He said to Eric, who had just entered, "Put down the cassette tapes you brought."
Mrs. Jovovich brought the tape recorder over and placed it on the piano. After Eric operated it, the recording of the singer that A+ was most satisfied with in the first round began to play.
"Can you hear the difference? By my standards, Mira would definitely not have passed the first round." He gestured towards the recorder, the pressure building up.
Mrs. Jovovich slumped down, while Mira lowered her head and silently fiddled with the lace on the hem of her skirt.
"Hey... don't be discouraged, you guys! I'm here now! This is just the beginning!"
It seemed they had overdone it, so A+ quickly encouraged them, "First, let's solve the problem of tone, Mira." He began a serious intensive training session.
"No, no, you have to pinch your throat and change the point of articulation..."
"No, make it more detailed."
"no..."
"It still doesn't work..."
The clock on the wall slowly moved to twelve o'clock.
A+ sensed that Mira was getting impatient. "Let's take a break, Eric. Can you go buy some coffee?"
"I'll go."
Mrs. Jovovich walked outside. "There shouldn't be any shops open nearby; only the building manager has them."
"Let me help you, Mrs. Jovovich." Eric followed A+ gaze and went after her.
After sending them away, A+ leaned close to Mira's ear and whispered, "Hmm hmm..."
Mila was a little startled. She turned her head and stared at him warily, saying each word clearly, "If you harass me like this again, I'll call the police. I've been in the modeling industry since I was eleven. Don't think I haven't seen people like you before!"
A+ looked at her ears, which were gradually turning red, and laughed. "What do you think I'm doing? Pronunciation, pronunciation! Do you remember how you scolded me that day?"
"FXXXYOU!" Mira yelled at him, mostly to vent her anger.
"No, that's not how you curse. Think back carefully."
"FXXXYOU! I often swear like that, but I can't remember why."
"It's still not right. Use a pinched voice, remember to use a pinched voice, just like I taught you before..."
"F.. !"
"That's it! It feels right!" A+ finally heard the words from Tianqi, and felt relieved.
"F .!" Mira exclaimed excitedly.
"Don't strain it so much, add a little at the end,
"F… ~"
"Pronounce it softly."
"F… ~"
"It's still a bit lacking; it needs that aloof, mocking feeling."
"F… ~ F… ~ F… ~..."
"Continue, spend ~"
"f..."
"Mira!" Mrs. Jovovich returned, looking at the two of them with a troubled expression.
"Mrs. Jovovich, it's alright. We're just practicing the lyrics. This word plays a significant role in the whole song," A+ explained to her.
Mira chuckled.
"Sigh, you know what? If it weren't for this opportunity, I would never normally let Mila listen to this kind of song..."
Mrs. Jovovich took the plate from Eric and began grumbling as she placed sugar cubes into four glasses.
"Really? I heard Mila is going to join a production team in the second half of the year to film one of those very revealing movies," A+ said, teasing her.
Mrs. Jovovich's sugar cube fell out of the cup. "No...you misunderstood. Return to the Blue Lagoon is a remake of a classic film, it's just that the main scenes are on the beach."
"She also starred in 'The Love Affair' starring Sheryl Fenn, which many people call an erotic film..."
"I...I didn't pay attention when I signed the contract, and those scenes have nothing to do with Mila. Besides, it's an art film, and it's normal for art films to have those kinds of shots. In European art films..."
"Alright, Mrs. Jovovich, let's not discuss this anymore, okay? I'm sorry, I was a little angry about your comments on my song. I wrote this song for De Klerk in South Africa to protest the ongoing apartheid there." With just the right amount of pressure, A+ watched as Mrs. Jovovich struggled to explain herself, delivered a stern and righteous speech, and then withdrew from the fray. "Mira, let's have something to drink and continue."
Mira made a face at him.
"wrong!"
"This doesn't feel right, let's start over!"
"Forget the meaning of the lyrics, just sing it as an ordinary love song for girls."
"There has been progress, but it's still not enough."
"Start over!"
The tedious practice continued until three in the morning.
"I want to rest," Mira said, twisting her leg; her voice was a little hoarse.
"All right."
Mira got up and walked out. A+ glanced at Mrs. Jovovich, who was dozing off on her desk, and quietly followed her out.
Outside the restroom, A+ waited in the darkness until he heard the sound of flushing water, and then Mira's tall figure appeared in the doorway.
With a'smack,' he slammed the wall against the wall, blocking the other person's path.
"I'll call the police." Mira tilted her head and pushed his arm hard.
"Are you scared?" After spending so much time together, A+ had figured out the personality of the rebellious girl in front of him.
Mira did indeed raise her head and look him straight in the eye, her eyes full of stubbornness.
Every time she frowned, she exuded a captivating androgynous beauty. A+ looked at her bright eyes in the darkness and her mouthwatering red lips as she slowly approached.
There seemed to be a youthful restlessness rising around them. Mira didn't flinch, and her small, flat chest heaved more and more.
A+ kissed her.