On a summer night, the starry sky blazed above, and in the vast training ground, a temporary stage was set up at the center. A red banner bore a few large characters: “Summer Celebration.”
“It’s indeed a casual celebration,” Yu Nian couldn’t help but comment as she passed by.
Without prior notice, they hastily arranged for student performances. The rehearsal time was tight, yet it was called a celebration.
Don’t even know whose ‘celebration’ it is.
“Shi Nian Nian, can you do it ah? Have you memorized the lyrics?” Zhang Chuanze asked with concern.
Because Yu Nian and Shen Xiaoxiao weren’t particularly skilled at singing, they chose a song that Liu Manman was good at.
Yu Nian agreed to Liu Manman’s request mostly out of momentary softness, unable to bear refusing her.
In the afternoon, Liu Manman rehearsed with the two of them several times. However, Yu Nian had no issues with the tune but struggled to remember the lyrics.
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Ms yhske qsatlvvkdt vbl zuaknp zyvla, pbl ekpnallvzu oasvl esod y qlo zkdlp kd vbl ryzx sq bla byde.
Rdkvkyzzu qllzkdt twkzvu, Zw Lkyd clnyxl lhld xsal ydmkswp yqvla Hbydt Ubwydgl’p kdiwkau.
Fbl tzyale yv Hbydt Ubwydgl yde pyke, “Fbwv wr, pvsr vyzjkdt. R’x yqayke uswa ckt xswvb xktbv fkdm kv. Ebyv kq R ynvwyzzu qsatlv vbl zuaknp?”
Gv vbyv xsxldv, Nkw Yydxyd nbwnjzle zktbvzu, ryvvkdt Zw Lkyd’p pbswzela yde nsxqsavkdt bla, “Rv’p sjyu, Lkyd Lkyd, R’x pvkzz blal.”
Nkw Yydxyd’p tldvzl yde pssvbkdt hsknl qsaxle y pvasdt nsdvaypv okvb Hbydt Ubwydgl’p pjlrvknkpx, nywpkdt y oyax qllzkdt vs akpl kd Zw Lkyd’p blyav. Fbl vbswtbv, ‘Mbl qlxyzl zlye alyzzu wdelapvydep rlsrzl olzz.’
Mbl ldvkal pwxxla nyxr oyp ekhkele kdvs qkqvlld taswrp, yde Zw Lkyd’p taswr oyp vbl vbkae vs vbl zypv vs rlaqsax.
Jlqsal vbl sqqknkyz pvyav, vbl hypv rzyutaswde oyp rynjle okvb y eldpl nasoe. Gryav qasx vbl zyatl zktbvp rzynle kd vbl qswa nsadlap, vbl alpv oyp y ekx yde bygu lmrydpl.
Fllkdt vbkp, Zw Lkyd plnalvzu calyvble y pktb sq alzklq. Usxryale vs rlaqsaxkdt wdela pvasdt prsvzktbvp, vbkp plvvkdt yrrlyale vs cl xsal yrrasynbyczl.
To be frank, except for those closer to the central stage, the other people could not see anyone.
Before it was their group’s turn to perform, Yu Nian and her team sat as usual on the field, watching and enjoying other performances.
Though time was rushed, everyone was far from careless; they were all taking this performance very seriously.
Yu Nian propped her hands, tilting her head slightly upward, and, accompanied by the gentle evening breeze, listened quietly to the singing on stage. She was so immersed that she didn’t realize when someone appeared beside her until she felt a light tap on her arm.
Yu Nian slowly opened his eyes. She turned her head and saw Li Xiang, who had somehow managed to sit next to her. Sitting alone in a row, he seemed a bit out of place in the slightly wider aisle.
“How did you get here?” Yu Nian glanced around, relieved that no one seemed to have noticed them there, and asked, puzzled.
“Your turn is coming up soon,” Li Xiang said vaguely.
Yu Nian nodded and then chuckled, “Oh, I see. You’re here to cheer for Liu Manman, right?”
Yu Nian thought the male lead was still quite considerate. He came to cheer for someone just before they went on stage. She was about to turn around to call for Liu Manman in front when Li Xiang grabbed her arm.
“Come here,” Li Xiang said coldly.
Yu Nian was puzzled. He was fine a moment ago, so why the sudden change in demeanor?
When Li Xiang had a stern expression, he seemed quite intimidating, so Yu Nian didn’t dare to provoke him. She lowered her voice and asked softly, “Where are we going ah?”
“Come with me,” Li Xiang said, standing up and walking towards the back of the group.
Yu Nian stood up, brushed off the grass from her pants, and followed him.
The people ahead perfectly shielded the two of them from view, and with the evening darkening the surroundings, it was nearly impossible to tell where a person was missing or where an extra person appeared.
Yu Nian didn’t know what Li Xiang was up to and obediently sat next to him, blinking in confusion.
“Nervous?” Li Xiang asked.
Yu Nian nodded and told the truth, “A little.”
After she spoke, she immediately laughed. She spread out her palm and held it up in front of Li Xiang’s eyes, proudly showcasing, “Look, I’ve memorized up to this part.”
Li Xiang lowered his gaze and saw that the originally fair and tender palm was covered with densely written words, and he couldn’t help but laugh.
Yu Nian, who was originally showing off, heard Li Xiang’s laughter but strangely didn’t retract her hand. She lifted her head, gazing blankly at the person in front of her.
Li Xiang wasn’t someone who laughed often.
Yu Nian didn’t know what had tickled Li Xiang’s funny bone this time.
His laughter was soft, carried by the gentle evening breeze into her ears, causing a slight tickling sensation. Unable to resist, Yu Nian reached up and pinched her ear.
“What’s so funny?” Yu Nian murmured softly.
Just as she was about to withdraw her hand, her palm suddenly felt warm as Li Xiang curled his right hand over hers.
When Li Xiang opened his palm, under the starry night sky, Yu Nian lowered her head, and upon looking down, she saw a strawberry lollipop lying in the center of her palm.
Yu Nian stared at Li Xiang in bewilderment, unsure of his intentions.
She only saw Li Xiang give a calm smile. The person who had been reserved and gentlemanly just moments ago suddenly raised his hand and ruffled Yu Nian’s head.
Yu Nian frowned slightly, very dissatisfied. Instinctively, she dodged and tried to remove Li Xiang’s hand. “Chi Yao, what are you doing ah.”
Unexpectedly, the mischievous hand above her head stopped its actions. Its owner gently patted Yu Nian’s head, and then the clear, youthful voice echoed above her.
“Jiayou, I’ll listen attentively.”
Yu Nian, who had been trying to move her hand, stopped abruptly. She withdrew it sulkily, clutching the lollipop tightly in her hand, and obediently replied with her head down, “Oh.”
This version of Yu Nian was indeed very obedient.
The tenderness revealed in Li Xiang’s eyes, perhaps even he hadn’t realized it himself.
“The next performance is from representatives of the Group Ten. Let’s give them a warm welcome!” announced the host as the previous act concluded.
Seeing that the time was almost up, Li Xiang withdrew his hand and returned to his usual aloof demeanor, as if nothing had happened. He softly stated, “Okay, it’s time to go back.”
With that, he stood up and walked alone in his group’s direction.
Yu Nian didn’t immediately move. She reached up to touch her head, her gaze fixating on the pink strawberry lollipop. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down as the rapid and intense beating in her chest gradually eased, returning to normal.
“How could this happen ah!” Yu Nian rubbed her burning face.
How could she be seduced by the male lead!
It won’t work!
“Nian Nian? What are you doing here?”
Just as Yu Nian was pondering, she suddenly heard Liu Manman’s voice.
Faced with Liu Manman’s inquiry, Yu Nian avoided eye contact nervously and stuttered, “I-I just felt too hot, so I came here to catch some air.”
“Are you okay? Why is your face so red?”
“Ah, it’s just… very hot, maybe because I’m a bit overweight,” Yu Nian gestured to fan herself with her hand, explaining.
Despite Liu Manman’s lingering doubts, she couldn’t dwell on them at that moment.
“Let’s go, it’s our turn to wait backstage.”
“Okay.” Yu Nian nodded and hurriedly followed.
“The next performance is from the representatives of Group Twelve, singing a youthful campus song ‘Interpreting Our Bravery.’ Let’s give them a round of applause.”
As the clear and melodious guitar strumming began, the stage spotlight fell upon the three individuals.
Liu Manman undoubtedly stood at the center position, while Yu Nian positioned herself on the right side, keeping some distance from her.
Coincidentally, on the right side was precisely where Li Xiang and their group were standing.
At that moment, Zhang Chuanze excitedly stood up and shouted towards them, “Jiayou!”
Yu Nian found it hard not to notice his encouragement.
Not far from the stage, Li Xiang stood with his hands in his pockets, straight and composed, illuminated by a few beams of light, exuding an additional touch of aloofness.
He stood there so casually and arrogantly in the midst of the bustling crowd under the summer night stars, locking eyes with her.
—Jiayou.
Even though the distance was considerable, Yu Nian could make out Li Xiang’s mouth forming those words.
She smiled indistinctly, lifted the microphone in her hand, and hummed softly.
Time is like a pure white dandelion
Circling in the sky from time to time
One circle after another
Can’t find a place to land
Our irretrievable past
Preserves simple images
Page after page
How did it become so shy now?
On one side of the bustling playground
The quietness is conspicuous
Which way should we go?
Sometimes ecstatic
Sometimes silent
What kind of ‘us’ is this?
Holding onto our own sky
……
Author’s Note:1I decided not to include the author’s first sentence as it’s about check-ins
(PS: I didn’t want to use lyrics from other songs to avoid any issues, so I used my own original lyrics that I wrote in high school, more than a decade ago. It’s very naive, hope you don’t scrutinize it too much.)
Was it a poem or a song that you wrote when in high school? It fits the mood of this chapter 👍