If Grace satisfied the Chinese people's traditional impression of Europeans and Americans, then the four people who came over were the kind that broke that impression.
Reddish-brown hair, brown eyes, only their body shapes, facial features, and skin color revealed their European and American identity.
All four were male and seemed to have just graduated from college.
"Hello." The four of them greeted Xia Yu and the others.
Even though there were no English classes in the first district, as common English words, Liu Manman and An Siyao could still understand them.
They both replied with a greeting as well.
Both parties smiled amiably at each other, and then the four of them looked at Grace: "Would you like to have breakfast together tomorrow, Grace?"
They spoke in English, which Liu Manman and An Siyao could not understand.
But Xia Yu, who has language level 3, could.
Holding a glass of juice, Xia Yu blatantly eavesdropped on their conversation.
"What are you guys planning to do again?" Grace asked with a helpless expression on her face, also speaking in English.
"We're just inviting you to have breakfast together; you don't want to hang out with these foreigners, do you?"
The five of them knew each other.
"This is my job; I am a hired translator now." Grace said.
"Just deal with them casually."
"How is that possible?"
"That's so annoying," the four of them were a bit frustrated. "We've already talked to them, asking you to be our translator. Why are you still assigned to these yellow-skinned people?"
"Maybe the organizers think that people who speak English in the second district don't need a translator." An English sentence interrupted the conversation.
This sentence made the five of them pause, not because of the logic in the words, but because the speaker was not any of the five of them.
They looked at Xia Yu in surprise.
Xia Yu smiled slightly and raised the juice in his hand to them.
The five of them reflexively raised their glasses, and they all took a sip together.
The cold wine helped them regain their composure.
Embarrassment spread across their faces.
Although they didn't say anything bad, it wasn't something nice either.
"We're really sorry." The five of them apologized to Xia Yu.
The feeling of thinking that others couldn't understand, only for them to understand perfectly, was too stimulating.
"Your English is really good." With awkwardness, they continued the conversation.
"Thank you." Xia Yu felt pleased, looking at the expressions on their faces.
Building happiness on others' pain is wrong, but it can still be built on other emotions, such as astonishment and embarrassment.
After exchanging a few more words, the four of them turned and left.
When they were gone, Liu Manman hooked Xia Yu's neck: "You actually know English?"
"I studied it for a short time." Xia Yu didn't lie; he only studied for about eight hours.
But Liu Manman didn't believe him: "I admit that you are a genius in music, but mastering a foreign language, how can you learn it in just a short period of time? What do you want to do by learning English?"
In his previous life, English was almost the standard for the upper class due to factors such as technology and national strength. But in this world, the status of Chinese and English was not different. People who learned English were either preparing to go abroad or translators.
If Xia Yu didn't provide a decent reason, Liu Manman wouldn't believe him.
Grace was also curious.
Only An Siyao remained quiet and calm.
"Because I had a British friend online before, so I learned a little bit." Xia Yu found an excuse.
"I understand, it's a girl, right?" Liu Manman automatically imagined a scene.
Seeing Grace's expression, she believed it too.
This kind of half-truth, leaving the rest to others' imagination and most likely containing a bit of dramatic plot, was a very convenient way to lie.
After talking for a while, two more people walked towards them.
This time it was two Chinese, coming towards Xia Yu and his friends.
As they got closer, Xia Yu felt a faint discomfort, a psychic sense told him that these were two hostile people.
Xia Yu had never seen these two before, so it couldn't be because of any historical conflicts; the only possibility was a tangle of interests.
In this first district competition, there were a total of two groups, one with Xia Yu and his friends, and the other with the two people in front of them.
Did they think that without Xia Yu and his friends, they would be the focus of attention in the first district?
If that was indeed the reason, then they were not only petty but also stupid.
The first district would always have two teams, politically correct, even without Xia Yu and his teammates, other teams would still exist.
The two of them presented themselves well on the surface, smiling and greeting.
Xia Yu had previously investigated the participants and knew their identity. They were the Gu brothers, twins, 29 years old, one learning the dulcimer and the other the erhu. Their individual performance abilities were not exceptional, but they were quite skilled in ensemble-playing.
After exchanging a few non-substantial words, the Gu brothers, before leaving, couldn't help but bury some sharpness in their words:
"We've looked at the first two pieces you submitted. The combination of Eastern and Western instruments is okay, but you can just play Western instruments for fun. If you keep practicing them, your skills will only degrade, and after all, they are the toys of Europeans and Americans."
Their words directly attacked the piano-playing An Siyao and also indirectly attacked Xia Yu, known for his profound skills in guitar and guzheng.
Only Liu Manman was not included in their scope, but as a teammate, she couldn't stay calm when her teammates were belittled.
Xia Yu didn't expect that there would be racism in music instruments.
Pulling back Liu Manman, who wanted to speak up, Xia Yu didn't argue with them on this topic.
This was not a debate; it was a verbal attack or quarrel. Quarrels don't need reasons; you only need to attack the other's weaknesses and make them angry.
"It's okay, we're still young, wasting a few more years is no problem. But you two should focus more since you're not young anymore." Xia Yu's words hit the weak spot of the Gu brothers. They were 11 years older than Xia Yu's group, nearly twice their age, but both groups stood on the same stage.
The Gu brothers felt that Xia Yu was mocking their talent. Indeed, individually, they were not outstanding. If they were to perform solo, they couldn't even beat the weakest Liu Manman.
This was also the pain in their hearts, and the provocative words were spoken out of jealousy for Xia Yu and his companions' natural talents.
With red faces, the two couldn't find any suitable words to fight back, so they could only swallow their anger and walk away resentfully.
The two exchanged words:
"Brother, that guy is really terrible!"
"It doesn't matter, their use of Western instruments is just right. We are the inheritors of Chinese music. With a little hype, we can definitely gain a lot of attention."
Unfortunately, personal achievements have nothing to do with one's character. Whether it's in the business world, politics, or even the top figures in the philosophical fields, there are always some cultured failures.
These two were such people.