Chapter 117 - The Birth of Britannia (1/2)

The doorbell rang and Jenna opened the door for their highly anticipated guest.

”Hello, Lin Lin!” the butler greeted and the shy violinist blushed.

Lin Lin's mother smiled and exchanged greetings with the butler who accepted the small gift before she told her daughter to behave. Lin Lin nodded and waved goodbye to her mother who left quickly. Jenna showed the musician to Scarlet's room where the young writer had been waiting for her.

”Good morning, big sis!” Lin Lin beamed when she saw the dollish girl.

Scarlet put down her pen and quickly hid her work from the musician, greeting her with a hug and offering her a seat. Jenna excused herself to get some snacks for the girls while they chatted. Wilmer and Orita were handling some business matters today and the internship didn't start till two more weeks so it was the best opportunity for the children to get started on their garage band project.

Alex and Jasper didn't really mind being roped into Lin Lin's request. If anything, they seemed excited about it. Jasper volunteered to learn the drums and Alex was contemplating between the keyboard and the guitar.

Lin Lin bounced on the balls of her feet when Jasper told her about his willingness to learn the drums. Lin Lin took a look at the girls and requested them to sing something. Alex didn't hesitate to sing a familiar nursery rhyme while Scarlet hesitated for a long time. Nobody commented about how Alex was off tune for some of the higher notes in the song. Her enthusiasm and cheerfulness were enough to make them smile.

”I-I don't know songs...” the young writer stuttered.

In truth, she knew a few but after hearing Alex sing, she lost all her confidence. Unlike her sister, Scarlet didn't have a refreshing voice. Whenever Scarlet sang, it sounded almost like a whisper. Lin Lin wanted to write a song for rock and Scarlet didn't think that it would be good.

Jasper noticed how Scarlet was feeling and decided to help her regain her confidence by volunteering to sing something as well. Lin Lin clapped and grinned as the boy took a deep breath. The boy's voice wasn't off-key but it was monotonous enough to make Lin Lin cringe. The violinist quickly stopped him and told Jasper to inject passion into his singing.

Scarlet couldn't help but chuckle at Jasper's shrug. It didn't sound bad but Jasper's enthusiasm for singing certainly didn't match his enthusiasm for the drums. Lin Lin got enraged when the boy couldn't put more 'passion' into his voice and rolled her eyes with her arms crossed.

”You know what? Maybe singing isn't your thing. We will get to the drums later, hopefully, you'll be able to showcase your passion better with the help of instruments.”

Jasper hid his satisfaction when Scarlet decided to sing something for Lin Lin. Nobody was expecting a soft and gentle angel-like voice to come out of Scarlet. The young writer was shy when nobody reacted after she finished singing. It wasn't a difficult song. In fact, everyone should know how to sing ”Happy Birthday”. There was really nothing special about it.

Alex pointed at her sister and looked at Lin Lin. ”She's perfect for singing!”

Scarlet was quick to decline and shot Lin Lin a pleading look. ”I don't want to sing, I'm fine with just writing lyrics and playing something...”

Lin Lin frowned with a very mature look on her face. It was like a director feeling conflicted over the choice of an acting cast when two very good candidates are vying for the role of the main character.

”You were both very good, it's hard for me to decide who to put as the main vocalist. After all, the genre of rock is not easily mastered by children who have very clear voices. I was hoping Jasper could become the vocalist but his enthusiasm for singing leaves little to be desired.”

Alex outrightly laughed at the gardener's son and Scarlet sighed. ”It's alright, I'm happy with not being in the direct spotlight.”

Lin Lin shook her head and looked at Scarlet. ”You cannot say that when you have not experienced being in the centre of all attention before. I have. Alex has. Jasper has. You haven't.”

When Alex and Jasper heard that, they expressed confusion. Scarlet hasn't experienced being in the centre of attention before?

”Jasper is the leader of the E.C. Class. Alex is the Wilde princess. Big sis, you've never had any direct attention on you before where you do nothing but receive all the affection of those around you. Don't try to deny it, I've noticed it for a while now. All your greatest achievements are done behind the scenes. You always let someone else hog the spotlight as you cheer from them from the shadows. Back when we were still in Team Scarlet, you did your best to praise everyone and push the credit to Nathan, Tom and Si-Han. Don't think I didn't notice that.”

The young writer had no comebacks. Lin Lin then stood up and proudly pointed a finger at Scarlet. ”I've decided! Scarlet will be the band's main vocalist!”

”Eh?!” Scarlet protested quickly but was silenced by Alex's happy cheer.

”Congratulations! Isn't it great you get to sing the lyrics you write? I was so worried that I might have to memorise a lot of lyrics when I sing. You know how terrible I am with dictations, thanks for volunteering to be the main vocalist!”

Scarlet looked over to Jasper with a pleading look but the boy simply nodded and wished her luck. Lin Lin cackled maniacally and moved on to the next agenda. Alex was the first to try playing the guitar and a keyboard.