6: Harvard and Juilliard School in Music

Soon, the college entrance examination ended. Xu Zhiyou's college entrance examination controversy served as an early warm-up for her, laying the foundation for her future return to the entertainment industry.

"Sister, you're so domineering!"

"Of course! You don't even need to ask who your sister is."

"I admire you. I swear from now on, you will be my only idol, no one else."

"Stop messing around. When are you leaving?"

Her visa and everything had been taken care of. This sudden departure made her a little unaccustomed, after all, they had been together for almost eight years.

"In a few days, I guess!" To be honest, Xu Zhiyou didn't really want to leave either.

Xu Wen saw that she wasn't in high spirits and tried to cheer her up: "When you go there, remember to protect yourself. I heard it's quite chaotic and guns aren't prohibited. You must be careful, understand?"

Xu Zhiyou had been trained by her to be quite capable, just in case she was bullied. She even pulled strings to get her to train in the army for a period of time.

Coupled with the martial arts heritage in Xu Zhiyou's mind, she could rival a special forces soldier. Her physical fitness was excellent, and she was strong in all aspects of combat and shooting.

But she had never been in actual combat. Fighting or brawling might not be a problem, but compared to those fanatics, she was truly too weak. Xu Wen was aware of these fatal flaws, which was why she repeatedly reminded her.

"I know, Sister. I'll come back to see you whenever I have time."

"What about us? You don't have us in your eyes, do you!" Xu Lisong was moved by the sisters' affection just a second ago, but the next second he was dissatisfied with her favoritism.

They had been watching from the side. The two sisters completely acted as if the old couple didn't exist. In fact, Jiang Ling was quite happy; it was better for the two sisters to support each other in the future than anything else.

"Dad, I love you!" She kissed him on the cheek.

"Eww! How sappy." That's what he said, but he was incredibly happy inside. Thinking of his grand fishing plan, he whispered in her ear.

"Leave more bait before you go, and write down the production method. Don't let your mom and sister know."

"Dad, you should be more honest after I leave! When I'm home, I can take the beating for you. What will you do if you get caught after I'm gone?"

Xu Zhiyou going to New York to study abroad was what Xu Lisong was most reluctant about. Which neighbor didn't envy him for having a daughter who would always accompany him fishing? Taking her out was a matter of pride.

Now that she was leaving, not only was his grand fishing plan cut short, but his pride also took a big hit. He felt his days were somewhat bleak.

"Those two are too much. It's bad enough they control my drinking, but now they don't even let me fish. Why don't you just go to Tsinghua instead? At least it's closer to home?"

Jiang Ling heard this clearly. What did he mean? For his lousy fishing, he would delay her pursuit of her dreams? Was that appropriate?

Xu Zhiyou's talent in music was unique. Although she was also strong in academics, it paled in comparison to her musical talent.

The old couple had thought about letting her join a research institution, but her personality was truly unsuitable. Which institution could tolerate such a clumsy little scatterbrain?

After much thought, they decided to let her follow her heart. What if the old man's words messed up the decision she had finally made? Their little daughter was very sentimental.

Perhaps she would really give up such a good opportunity just to accompany him fishing. She was truly capable of doing such a thing. She had never seen anyone so indifferent to fame and fortune.

"You old fool, don't go too far. Can't you see she's reluctant? If she really doesn't go, don't even think about drinking after that, you won't even be allowed to smell it."

Xu Wen also glared at her dad, dissatisfied. Her little sister truly didn't care about anything. If it were someone else with so many competition accolades, they would have been arrogant beyond measure.

But she was different. She used her medals to prop up table legs and consistently refused to give speeches as a representative. It was as if nothing entered her heart; as long as she lived comfortably, that was enough.

When Xu Zhiyou first arrived, she wanted to stand at the pinnacle of the world and become an international superstar, but after living here for eight years, she realized this was the stability she sought, and her desires were directly reduced by ninety percent.

Everything was good enough. Anyway, she had an entire Earth's resources in her mind, enough to keep her well-fed and clothed. What more could she want?

Just now, when her dad told her not to go, she was somewhat swayed. There were good music schools nearby; there was no need to go so far. How good it would be to stay with her family.

"You little rascal, you must go! Don't listen to Dad."

"Exactly! Your dad is unreliable. If you want to play music, you can only find your direction by going to the world's music center and experiencing it."

Pop music originated from Europe and America. Although they didn't want to admit it, that was the pinnacle gathering place for pop music.

Xu Lisong also saw his daughter's hesitant look and regretted saying that. His little daughter was simply too laid-back.

Over the years, she had never uploaded a single work or participated in any competition. If it were someone else with her talent, it would be a miracle if they could endure the solitude.

"Youyou, Dad just said that in a moment of urgency. Juilliard School ranks first in the QS World University Rankings for arts. There are better teachers there to guide you, so you must go."

"Alright! I'll go."

The three of them felt relieved when she agreed. After all, they had been together for eight years and understood her too well: she had no desires and was extremely sentimental.

She was quite smart, but she was also big-hearted and carefree, truly a tomboy.

Lincoln Center is New York City's cultural hub, home to multiple performing arts venues, including the renowned Metropolitan Opera House.

She was currently looking for the school's main gate. Although it was said online that the school was very low-key, seeing it in person still left her speechless. Was it really necessary to be so discreet?

After completing the enrollment procedures, she officially began her studies. Her majors were composition and vocal music.

Composition was a piece of cake for her, a cheat with an entire Earth's music library in her mind. But after arriving, she realized she wasn't that outstanding in vocal music.

Following her sister's advice, she kept a very low profile at school, rarely socializing, practically a recluse among recluses.

She studied vocal music very diligently, and as for composition, she felt learning a few techniques was enough and didn't put much effort into it. She also applied for piano, as that also needed practice!

She had so many piano pieces in her mind that she would eventually want to replicate. How could she do that if her technique wasn't up to par? Her golden fingers were indeed as she had guessed.

By immersing herself and outlining in her mind, she could release fragments one by one, eventually forming a complete work. She had everything she needed, so why study composition? As long as she could show off a bit later, that would be enough.

When it was time for the semester assessment, she sat leisurely in the back, wearing a mask. She only had one thought now: once the assessment was over, she could go home, how delightful.

"Next, Zoe Xu." This English name was given to her by her sister.

Zoe shares similar phonetics and imagery with the Chinese character " Yu" (yōu) in her name, meaning life, vitality, and happiness.

It retains the phonetics of her original name while conforming to English naming conventions, making it easy for Westerners to pronounce and remember. Xu is her surname.

"Here, Teacher!"

Everyone looked at her curiously. Although only one semester had passed, her reputation was not small at all; it was hard not to remember an outstanding student.

She usually wore a mask and didn't interact with others, but with her figure, temperament, and those lively eyes, no one would believe if you said she wasn't good-looking.