In the Huada Auditorium, near the faculty welfare area close to the front, the counselor quietly chose a seat at the back. He first sent a message to Xia Yu, asking whether Xia Yu had arrived.
After receiving Xia Yu’s affirmative reply, he felt relieved.
He had arrived quite early; only a small portion of the auditorium was filled. He looked around but didn’t see Xia Yu. Instead, he saw Shen Shengsheng approaching.
Sitting next to the counselor, Shen Shengsheng asked, “Xiao Fu, has that kid Xia Yu arrived yet?”
“He’s here, he’s here,” the counselor replied quickly.
“That’s good.” Shen Shengsheng nodded in satisfaction. He didn’t bother to leave and instead sat beside the counselor, waiting for the evening show to begin.
This made the counselor feel honored yet somewhat uneasy. He sat upright, his expression serious as he looked toward the stage.
At seven in the evening, the show officially began. Two handsome and beautiful alumni, dressed in suits and evening gowns, took the stage as hosts.
There was a bit of a stir in the audience, as these alumni were also well-known hosts.
After watching for a while, Shen Shengsheng yawned. He patted the counselor’s shoulder and said, “Wake me up when Liu Manman’s performance is about to start.”
After saying this, he took out an eye mask and earplugs from his pocket, put them on, and fell asleep.
The counselor hurriedly pulled out his phone to ask for detailed information about Liu Manman’s performance and kept his eyes fixed on the stage.
When the program before Liu Manman’s was nearing its end, the counselor nudged Shen Shengsheng awake.
Shen Shengsheng removed his eye mask and earplugs and asked, “Is it time already?”
“It’s almost over. The next one is it,” the counselor replied.
“Great, just in time to wake me up.” Shen Shengsheng took a sip of his goji berry tea.
He then asked, “Is Xia Yu still here?”
After much thought, he felt that to rescue Xia Yu from the pit of Chinese literature, it wasn’t enough to simply let Xia Yu realize that Chinese literature had no future. He also needed to remind Xia Yu of the charm of music.
Therefore, he had previously wanted Xia Yu to perform. After failing, he dragged Xia Yu to watch the show, as Liu Manman would be performing.
Liu Manman was Xia Yu’s former rival and former teammate. Seeing her might make Xia Yu reconsider his decision.
“I’ll ask one of Xia Yu’s classmates.” The counselor had given Xia Yu three tickets, which were consecutive numbers with the class’s four tickets, so they were seated together. Therefore, asking a classmate would reveal whether Xia Yu was actually present.
He first scanned the ticket holders; he didn’t recognize any of the four. He randomly selected one and sent a message.
The person didn’t reply, seemingly engrossed in the show.
He then selected the second person.
The second person was Qin Youliang. Upon being asked whether Xia Yu was still there, Qin Youliang looked around in confusion and replied:
“He’s not here! He didn’t come at all!”
“What! Then who is sitting in the three seats before you?”
The counselor hoped that Qin Youliang had made a mistake.
Qin Youliang sent him a photo. In the photo were the backs of three middle school girls.
Xia Yu couldn’t possibly be among them. He wasn’t that short.
The counselor’s hands and feet turned cold.
Xia Yu had actually deceived him! He hadn’t even come!
“What’s wrong?” Shen Shengsheng noticed the counselor’s abnormal expression.
The counselor didn’t dare to hide anything and told Shen Shengsheng everything truthfully.
Shen Shengsheng frowned but didn’t blame him, only saying, “Forget it.”
However, the counselor’s heart was extremely anxious. He couldn’t help but send a message to Xia Yu:
“You said you came!”
“I did come,” Xia Yu replied.
“Then where are you now?”
“Backstage.”
“What?”
“I’ll talk later. I have to go on stage now.”
What stage? What stage?
The counselor was completely confused. He kept asking but received no reply.
Calmly analyzing the situation, the counselor came to an unbelievable conclusion.
He looked toward the stage, where the hosts had already announced Liu Manman’s performance: a guzheng ensemble piece titled “Rain on the White Horse,” performed by Liu Manman and—
Xia Yu.
Beside him, Shen Shengsheng quickly turned his head to look at the big screen, where the subtitles indeed showed Xia Yu’s name.
He turned back again, exchanging glances with the counselor, both of them stunned.
On stage, the two dressed in Hanfu had already stepped onto the stage.
Shen Shengsheng and the counselor confirmed that it was indeed Xia Yu.
Why wasn’t he sitting properly in the audience but instead going on stage to perform?
Weren’t you refusing to participate earlier!
Internally shouting twice, Shen Shengsheng calmed himself. He looked at the big screen again. The guzheng piece displayed was “Rain on the White Horse.”
Although his main instrument was the sheng, he was also very familiar with other types of music, especially ancient instruments.
Therefore, he was certain he had never heard this piece before.
Not even one with a similar name.
Was this an original composition?
Shen Shengsheng thought of the piece “Isolated Homeland.”
Although Xia Yu was holding a guzheng instead of a sheng, which somewhat displeased Shen Shengsheng, he relaxed his body and prepared to enjoy this piece.
He would listen carefully and then tell Xia Yu: “You’re more brilliant in composing sheng music. Guzheng and xiao are just average.”
The piece titled “Isolated Palace” could evoke a feeling of tranquility mixed with decay, all thanks to the harmonious interplay of sheng, xiao, and guzheng. The melody played on guzheng and xiao wasn’t particularly outstanding.
Seeing Xia Yu’s name on the screen, not only were Shen Shengsheng and the counselor excited, but the three girls, including You Xue, were equally thrilled.
You Xue’s two classmates excitedly held her hand: “That’s your brother!”
“Yep, yep,” You Xue smiled modestly, appearing calm and composed.
Behind them, Qin Youliang and another person who had obtained two extra tickets through underhanded means were even more astonished.
This guy Xia Yu had gone on stage to perform without making a sound?
The two girls who had obtained the other two tickets were filled with pleasant surprise. They had watched all of Xia Yu’s performance videos and were now extremely excited to see him in person.
They couldn’t wait to share the news in a small group chat consisting of only nineteen girls.
Even the girls who originally had no intention of watching the show gathered together, watching the live stream on laptops.
On stage, Xia Yu and Liu Manman bowed to the audience, placed their guzhengs on the table, and sat down in position.
Experienced cameramen zoomed in, allowing the audience to see Xia Yu and Liu Manman’s faces clearly.
Liu Manman’s appearance and demeanor were excellent, immediately capturing the attention of male viewers. In comparison, Xia Yu’s handsomeness wasn’t as striking as Liu Manman’s, but the serene and leisurely aura surrounding him made female viewers’ eyes light up.
In the girls’ group chat, everyone was saying how handsome he was.
However, this was still not the peak.
In still shots, many people could pretend to have a melancholic or seductive aura, but in moving shots, they couldn’t keep it up.
But Xia Yu’s elegant skill was equally effective in motion.
After the performance began, even some male viewers couldn’t help glancing at Xia Yu a couple more times.
In the class’s girls’ group chat, the messages were flooded with “awsl.”
Audiences unfamiliar with music were captivated by their beauty, while those who understood music were drawn to this previously unheard piece.
The more Shen Shengsheng listened, the more astonished he became.
This piece didn’t seem to be as mediocre as he had imagined; it was actually quite impressive.
Closing his eyes, Shen Shengsheng began to appreciate the music.
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