Stars Waited Above Empty Streets by Lorin Wren 170

Chapter 170 Trying Out Instruments 

Finished 

Ava shook her head. “I’m gonna pass. Even if some miracle worker shows up today, he can’t save me.” 

Ryan’s competitive streak flared up at once. He said with full confidence, “I’ve worked as a mentor on a singing talent show before. If you doubt my ability like that, I’m gonna be sad.” 

Ava saw how excited he was and didn’t want to dampen his mood anymore. 

Fine. 

He was the one who insisted on hearing it. He couldn’t blame her later. She had already warned him. 

Ryan thought Ava was just being modest. He figured she was maybe a four or five out of ten. At least she should be average. 

Then she actually sang a very simple folk tune. 

After just a few lines, Ryan couldn’t hold it anymore. The look on his face fell apart. He stared at Ava in shock and had no idea how to react next. 

Ava stopped after a few lines. She looked at him as he froze in place. She blinked and showed no guilt at all for hurting his ears. She raised her brows and said, “You’re the one who insisted I sing. So how is it? Are you shocked by my skills?” 

Ryan looked at her with a very complicated expression. His throat moved slightly. He thought for a long time before he finally said, “At least your words are clear. I can tell what you’re singing. Your pitch is… a bit different from most people. I guess that’s your personal style. Other people probably can’t copy 

it.” 

Ava laughed happily. “You can just say I sing badly and off–key. You really went out of your way to be nice about it.” 

She didn’t look upset at all. Ryan scratched his head and felt a bit stuck. “If I get a student like you, I probably really can’t teach you.” 

They looked at each other, and both laughed. The awkward distance from before was gone. They felt closer 

now. 

Ryan then pulled her along to try out the different instruments in the room. Ava had a lot of fun and kept laughing. 

In the cabinet at the very back of the room, there was a lute. Ava looked at it and pointed inside the cabinet. “You can play the lute too?” 

Ryan glanced at it. “I can’t. Someone gave it to my family three years ago. I thought it looked special, so I put it here. I guess it’s like a lucky decoration.” 

“Can I take a look?” 

Ryan used iris unlock to open the cabinet and took it out. “Sure.” 

Ava held the lute and carefully looked it over. “This one is made really well. The person who made it is basically a master.” 

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Chapter 170 Trying Out Instruments 

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She lightly plucked a string. “The sound is very good too. It’s an excellent instrument.” 

Ryan asked, “You can play the lute?” 

His tone sounded certain, not like a question. He also looked surprised. 

Ava didn’t avoid his eyes. There was a bit of quiet nostalgia in her gaze. “I can play a little.” 

Ryan got interested right away. He pulled her to sit down and took out the custom metal finger picks that came with it. “Ava, can you play something for me? I’ve never seen anyone play this in person. Almost no one knows this instrument now. The masters are all very old. You almost never get to hear it.” 

Ava slowly got ready and put on the finger picks. “I’m not as good as those masters.” 

In her last life, she began learning the lute at five and studied it for ten years. Later, when she chose dance as her main path, she focused solely on it. Still, she liked the lute and played it sometimes for fun. 

Ryan didn’t like what she said. “That’s still amazing. People who know this now are like living treasures. It’s almost disappearing. I heard it takes a lot of effort to learn. That other instrument, the zither, has more people keeping it alive. 

“Ava, can I ask who taught you?” 

He was very curious. She had grown up in a violent place. After she escaped at twelve, there was no way she could afford such a rare instrument. She also couldn’t have easily found a teacher. 

Ava smiled. She thought to herself that it was from her past life. She couldn’t tell anyone that. Not even the people closest to her could know her real origin. 

“I learned it in the place you call the Underworld. Life was hard there, but there were many good and interesting people as well. It wasn’t all bad.” 

She didn’t say much more. She held the lute, tested a few notes, and got used to the feel. Then she said, “Okay, I’ll start now.” 

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