The Escalation of Conflict in the Music Club

Club Building.

Music Club.

"Stop! Cut it out!"

"Qu Meimei, are you doing this on purpose?"

Ren Lei abruptly stood up from the piano bench, glaring furiously at Qu Meimei, who stood in front of her. "Why did you raise the pitch of your violin so high?"

"Even though this piece is an adaptation, the main tone is still gentle and soothing. Why didn’t you follow my piano melody?"

"With such a high pitch, how is Vice President Luo supposed to sing?"

"I think you’re just trying to cause trouble!"

Qu Meimei’s expression instantly turned cold at the accusations. She lowered the violin from her shoulder and returned Ren Lei’s glare with equal intensity.

"If you can’t keep up, you can quit. The Music Club isn’t short of pianists."

"You—!"

Ren Lei’s temper flared, her hands itching to slap Qu Meimei twice.

This was clearly deliberate sabotage.

Pure, unadulterated provocation.

"What? Don’t want to quit? Then shut up." Just then, one of Qu Meimei’s friends chimed in.

"Besides, I think this piece should be played at this pitch. Why don’t you adjust to us instead?"

As soon as the words were spoken, a girl who was close to both Luo Shuning and Ren Lei immediately countered, her voice crisp but laced with anger. "What nonsense! You’re the ones causing trouble. The piano leads the melody, and this is supposed to be a soothing piece—does a high pitch even suit it?"

"Tch. If you can’t keep up, maybe look at your own shortcomings first," another of Qu Meimei’s allies sneered.

"This is too much. If it weren’t for the school festival performance, who’d want to be around you rumor-mongering troublemakers?" The rebuttal was sharp, dripping with disdain.

"Seriously? Oh, I get it—you’re just another one of her lapdogs, huh?"

"Who are you calling a lapdog?! How rude!"

"......"

In an instant, the sophomore members of the Music Club split into two distinct factions, hurling accusations and insults back and forth.

The freshmen members stood frozen on the sidelines, bewildered by the sudden chaos.

They had just joined the Music Club, expecting a harmonious space filled with beautiful melodies—not this explosive confrontation.

Luo Shuning, the lead vocalist, took a quiet breath. She first gently comforted a few friends whose eyes were reddening with frustration before turning her gaze to Feng Duo, the junior-year club president who had remained silent throughout.

Feng Duo was frowning, her face twisted in conflict.

Yet she hadn’t intervened.

Her mind was busy weighing the dynamics and consequences.

Only after locking eyes with Luo Shuning for a few seconds did she finally inhale deeply and shout:

"Everyone, quiet!"

But her voice was like a pebble tossed into raging waves—swallowed instantly by the noise, leaving no impact. The two sides continued arguing fiercely, neither willing to back down.

"QUIET—!!!"

Feng Duo roared again, this time putting every ounce of strength into her voice. It cracked slightly, sharp and piercing.

The sheer force of her shout stunned everyone into silence. The arguing ceased abruptly, leaving only faint panting and a few muttered grumbles.

"Can’t we all just get along?" Feng Duo stepped forward with heavy steps, positioning herself between the two groups.

Suppressing her own irritation, she forced a calm tone.

"We’re all part of the Music Club. We represent its reputation."

"No matter what grudges you hold, settle them after the school festival."

"That’s all I’ll say. If anyone keeps stirring trouble, don’t blame me for being harsh!"

............

Ten minutes earlier.

After arriving on the fourth floor of the club building, Gu Luo smiled at Shen Yue.

"Shen Yue, you can head to your club first. I’ll go check out the Music Club on my own."

"If either of us finishes early, no need to wait. I still have to stop by the supermarket for groceries later."

"Got it." Shen Yue nodded.

Club activities at Guangya Academy usually lasted about an hour, though some—like the Gaming Club or Basketball Club—could run for three.

Unless necessary, members of different clubs rarely waited for each other.

Usually, only clubmates walked home together.

Then she added, "If you run into any problems, you can look for Luo Shuning or come find me on the fourth floor."

"Shen Yue, you sound like a mom sometimes," Gu Luo teased.

Shen Yue’s face flushed, and she stammered, unsure how to respond.

After exchanging a few more words, Gu Luo turned and headed toward the elevator.

His mind drifted back to Luo Shuling’s whispered words in the classroom earlier.

"Big Brother, please take care of Shuning. She can be really stubborn about certain things."

"But if it’s you, I know it’ll be fine."

At the time, Gu Luo had expected Luo Shuling to joke about eating five bowls of rice for dinner—not this.

But thinking about it, it made sense. Given Luo Shuning’s gentle yet strong personality, she’d never burden her younger sisters with her club troubles.

Yet, considering Luo Shuling’s immense popularity at school, how could she not know?

Out of respect for Luo Shuning’s pride as the eldest sister, she couldn’t intervene directly.

Gu Luo couldn’t help but admire Luo Shuling’s maturity. Despite her usual carefree demeanor, she handled this matter concerning Luo Shuning with remarkable restraint, never recklessly confronting Qu Meimei.

A scatterbrain with surprising depth.

And Luo Shuhe likely felt the same.

After all, just two days ago, she’d fearlessly shielded Luo Shuning from that aggressive fan.

In summary—

A stubborn older sister and two younger sisters who respected her pride.

Truly triplets.

Though their personalities differed, their bond was unshakable.

So, this matter would be left to him—their honorary big brother—to resolve.

Stubbornness? Just an older sister’s innate pride, her determination to protect her younger siblings from hardship.

To Luo Shuning, being the eldest meant shielding them from negativity at all costs.

A little angel.

A stubborn little angel.

By the time Gu Luo finished organizing his thoughts, he had already reached the Music Club’s classroom door.

And then he heard the heated argument inside.

Back to the present.

"No matter what grudges you hold, settle them after the school festival."

"That’s all I’ll say. If anyone keeps stirring trouble, don’t blame me for being harsh!"

Feng Duo’s chest rose and fell as she caught her breath, her voice slightly hoarse from the effort of shouting.

But just then—

"President, I have a question." Qu Meimei spoke up, her tone laced with something sly.

"What is it?" Feng Duo eyed her warily, a sense of foreboding creeping in.

Qu Meimei took a few deliberate steps toward Feng Duo, each movement slow and calculated, as if she were carefully building up to something.

Then, she spoke in a measured tone, "I heard that the department head has already decided to pass the position to Luo Shuning after the anniversary celebration."

"Is that so?"

The moment these words were uttered, the girls standing nearby all turned their gazes toward Feng Duo. Some looks held surprise, others displeasure, but most carried a sharp scrutiny.

After all, given the current factions within the Music Department, no matter whether Luo Shuning or Qu Meimei became the next head, the opposing side would suffer for it.

"That’s a rumor!" Feng Duo immediately refuted, though her voice wavered slightly. "I’m still considering who to appoint as the next department head."

Yet even as she spoke, she couldn’t help but glance guiltily at Luo Shuning.

The truth was, she had already made up her mind—Luo Shuning would be her successor. She had even hinted as much to her in private.

But she absolutely could not admit it openly.

Because the moment she did, the already-tense conflicts within the Music Department could escalate, possibly spiraling out of control.

No matter what, she had to keep the department stable—for now.

All grudges could wait until after the anniversary performance.

Feng Duo’s bottom line was simple: the Music Department must not fall apart under her watch.

Especially since this year’s celebration was set to be Guangya Academy’s grandest in a decade.

A large number of outsiders would be attending.

And the Music Department had been chosen to kick off the event’s performances.

If everything went smoothly, she would go down in history as Guangya’s most outstanding department head.

So.

Absolutely. No. Mistakes. Allowed.

Yet at that moment, Qu Meimei let out a cold laugh.

"Still considering? Department Head, that’s a bit hypocritical, don’t you think?"

Her words cut through the tense atmosphere like a sharp blade, dropping the temperature in the room even further.

............

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