Chapter 16: The Chorus

“Look, a meteor shower!”

Ran Zhu pointed excitedly at the night sky, while Lin Xiyue and Xia Jinnian had already shut their eyes.

It was said that wishing upon meteors was incredibly effective.
No one had ever proved it, but the two girls chose to believe it without hesitation.

Lin Xiyue wished to overturn fate.
Xia Jinnian wished to stay best friends with Lin Xiyue for a lifetime, as well as for her own dream of stardom.

As for Ran Zhu, she didn’t believe in this sort of thing at all—she simply enjoyed it as scenery.

“I’ll go with you to watch the meteor shower fall upon the earth, so your tears can rest upon my shoulder—”

Maybe the song was just too fitting for the moment.
After making her wish, Xia Jinnian began humming unconsciously.

“Let you believe my love will only be brave for you, and you’ll see where happiness lies—”

Lin Xiyue lay beside her, quietly listening to Xia Jinnian’s voice.

Was this the same scene that once inspired her mom and dad?
Was it under a sky like this that the idea for this song was born?

Her mom definitely wasn’t a B-rank producer back then.
Yet she’d managed to create such a masterpiece.
This only proved that when inspiration and emotion aligned, music creation could surpass all expectations.

“Eh? What song is Superstar Xia singing?”

“No idea.
The melody is nice, and the lyrics match the mood… but I’ve never heard it.”

Most of the couples sneaking around were whispering sweet nothings, so the mountain was unusually quiet.
Xia Jinnian’s voice spread far, reaching many nearby students.

A few curious ones walked over.
After learning that it was an unreleased original song—soon to be Xia Jinnian’s debut track—everyone’s gossip instincts instantly lit up.

They’d always assumed “Superstar Xia” was just a joke.
Who would’ve thought she was actually going to debut?

Having a celebrity classmate… that’d be something to show off in the future, wouldn’t it?

“Can you teach us how to sing it?”

Quite a few students seemed taken with the catchy chorus.
Xia Jinnian turned to look at Lin Xiyue.
Technically, this was an unreleased company track—confidential material.

But Lin Xiyue nodded immediately.
She seemed to sense an opportunity hidden in this moment.

Given her approval, Xia Jinnian didn’t hold back.
Teaching just two lines of the chorus shouldn’t cause trouble anyway.

The melody was easy, the lyrics were fitting, and Xia Jinnian’s voice was naturally captivating.
The students picked it up almost instantly.

“How about we do a group sing?”

Lin Xiyue suggested it, and everyone agreed.

The crowd formed a loose choir formation with Lin Xiyue and Xia Jinnian at the center.
As for Ran Zhu?
Your ever-devoted Brother Zhu was recording the whole thing.

“I’ll go with you to watch the meteor shower fall upon the earth, so your tears can rest upon my shoulder—”

The voices of boys and girls drifted across the back mountain of No. 1 High.
Countless feelings born during student days—secret crushes, passionate romances—converged into one shared moment.

Their singing wasn’t professional, but their tender and unguarded emotions were real.
With the meteor shower streaking across the sky as the backdrop, even someone as oblivious about romance as Ran Zhu found herself moved.

After watching the meteor shower and recording the group chorus, the students began dispersing.
The trio were among the last to leave—Lin Xiyue wanted to spend just a little more time with Xia Jinnian.

“Jinnian, what did you wish for just now?”

On the way down the mountain, Lin Xiyue held Xia Jinnian’s hand and asked.
The latter shook her head.

“Nope.
Can’t say it.
If I say it out loud it won’t come true—”

“Tch~
Even if you don’t tell me, I already know~”

Lin Xiyue grinned mischievously.
Xia Jinnian let out a huff.

“I know what you wished for too.”

No matter the details, the wish to “be together forever” must have been made by both sides.

Only… the form was different.
One wished to stay as best friends.
The other wished to become something more.

“Oh right, Xiyue—
that person from Guangnan No. 2 High you asked me to look into last time?
I found quite a bit.
I’ll send it all to you later—”

Ran Zhu chimed in.
She mingled with all sorts of circles, had connections everywhere, and always had the latest intel.
So Lin Xiyue had asked her to investigate a certain online friend.

“Huh?
Oh—”

Lin Xiyue froze, then recalled the matter.
She nodded, though her mind was clearly elsewhere.

The bigger problem now was:
How to send Xia Jinnian back home safely.

Sneaking back in and pretending nothing happened was impossible.
It was already eleven.
The Xia household normally slept early—her mom would definitely have noticed her disappearance.

So the real issue was how to calm Mrs. Xia’s anger so she wouldn’t explode.

At the same time, Lin Xiyue planned to personally explain the signing situation with the company.

When they reached the dock area, Lin Xiyue and Xia Jinnian got off first.

The Xia family was quite traditional.
Mrs. Xia never had a good impression of bold, flashy girls like Ran Zhu.
Getting off early was safer.

“Thanks, Brother Zhu.
I’ll treat you to dinner next time.
Head home first—”

Lin Xiyue waved.
Ran Zhu waved back, as if to say it was nothing, then revved her little sky-blue scooter and sped away.

Still holding Xia Jinnian’s hand, Lin Xiyue walked with her toward the house.
In the distance, they saw Mrs. Xia standing at the doorway, and Xia Jinnian instantly tensed up.

She’d felt bold when sneaking out—just venting her frustrations, trying to assert herself.
But seeing her mother in person, everything shrank back inside her.

She’d been obedient all her life.
Habits like that didn’t change overnight.

“Tell me honestly.
Where did you go?”

But to their surprise, Mrs. Xia didn’t explode.
She simply sighed and questioned her daughter, her gaze drifting toward the overly-pretty girl standing beside her.

“Hello, Auntie—”

Lin Xiyue greeted her quickly.
In her previous life, her relationship with this future mother-in-law wasn’t great, but right now she had no idea how things would unfold.

“I took Jinnian to the back mountain of the school to watch the meteor shower.
Auntie, don’t worry— we didn’t go anywhere inappropriate.”