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Join the ServerGu Qianqian’s steps slowed.
In her mind, the yellowed photo from her father Gu Qing’s wallet pocket emerged with startling clarity.
The woman in the photo also had soft, flowing hair and gentle eyes.
Suddenly, a strange feeling welled up inside her, like an inexplicable intuition.
Gu Qianqian stopped.
“Deputy Shen,” she called softly.
Shen Tinglan turned back, looking at her with confusion. “Are you tired?”
Gu Qianqian swallowed. She didn’t know what was wrong with her, but the words stuck in her chest came tumbling out uncontrollably.
“Why do I always feel like you resemble my mother?”
Time froze at that moment.
Shen Tinglan’s pupils contracted sharply.
Her fingers loosened, and the shopping bags she was carrying fell to the ground.
Gu Qianqian’s heart skipped a beat. She instinctively moved to help.
But Shen Tinglan reacted quickly. She bent down rapidly, using the motion of picking up the items to bite her lip hard, hiding her nearly crumbling face in the shadows.
In just a few seconds, when she stood up again and gathered the shopping bags in her hands, her expression had already recovered.
She even let out a natural laugh.
“Pfft, Qianqian, your imagination is way too vivid!”
Shen Tinglan shook her head with a smile, her tone carrying a hint of helplessness and teasing.
“Maybe it’s because I’m older than you and my occupational hazard kicked in. I’m used to mentoring new recruits at headquarters, so I can’t help but look after the younger ones. Do you think I’m like a nagging old mother?”
Gu Qianqian was taken aback. The suspicion in her eyes hadn’t entirely dissipated.
“But…”
“Besides,” Shen Tinglan interrupted, her gaze becoming distant.
“Back at headquarters, I once mentored a girl about your age. She had the same stubborn personality as you. Seeing you, I always subconsciously think of her, so I can’t help but want to be nicer to you.”
Shen Tinglan patted Gu Qianqian’s shoulder, her smile flawless.
“If it makes you uncomfortable, I’ll be more careful in the future.”
Gu Qianqian looked into Shen Tinglan’s open eyes, and the fire in her heart died down.
Yeah, what was she overthinking?
Her mother had died in the Skyfire incident eleven years ago.
How could the dead come back to life?
“Just pretend I didn’t say anything.”
Gu Qianqian scratched her hair in annoyance, her cheeks slightly burning. She felt her question had been incredibly stupid.
“Sorry, I suddenly said something strange. Don’t take it to heart.”
“It’s okay. Young girls miss their mothers; it’s normal.” Shen Tinglan shook her head with a smile and turned to continue walking. “It’s getting late. We should head back.”
Gu Qianqian responded and quickly followed.
The two continued along the street, gradually merging into the night market crowd.
****
A few weeks passed in the blink of an eye.
The “Sing with Tian Lanxing” competition finally reached its highly anticipated semi-finals.
The Linhai City Sports Center, which could hold 50,000 people, was packed tonight!
Looking around, blue support signs and glow sticks formed a sea of color.
In the front row area of the inner field.
Gu Qianqian excitedly nudged Lin Xiaolu.
“Xiaolu, did you hear? The captain revealed exclusive intel. Sister Chu prepared a completely original song today!”
Lin Xiaolu was eating popcorn and nodded repeatedly.
“Mhm, I heard Sister Chu has been staying up late to revise the melody. It must be really good, but…” Lin Xiaolu’s voice trailed off.
“The competition is so fierce in the semi-finals. Everyone is singing their best songs. Would it be too risky for Sister Chu to sing a new song no one has heard before?”
“What’s there to fear!” Gu Qianqian puffed out her chest as if she were the one going on stage.
“Sister Chu’s voice is blessed. Even if she just stood up there and hummed, she’d beat everyone!”
Xia Xingyan, sitting on the left of the two, wore an indifferent expression, out of place among the fervent fans.
What did Chu Yuyao sing? Original or cover? What did that have to do with Xia Xingyan?
The only reason she was sitting here today was to wait for her captain to appear.
Shen Tinglan sat at the far right, her gaze sweeping over the three girls with distinct personalities beside her, and let out a soft laugh.
“An original song requires immense courage. Whoever dares to show their true self on this stage has already won.”
Xia Xingyan’s gaze, originally fixed on the stage, hardened. She gave Shen Tinglan a cold glance.
“Strength is the only real currency,” Xia Xingyan said stiffly. “Without absolute power backing it up, so-called courage is nothing but self-indulgence.”
Their eyes met briefly in the air, thick with tension.
Gu Qianqian and Lin Xiaolu exchanged a glance, then silently shut their mouths and shrank into their seats.
Sigh, even when separated, those two could still start a war from across the room!
Meanwhile, in the media broadcasting room on the second floor of the sports center.
Intel Ji was broadcasting into her phone camera.
“Family, your Sister Ji pulled some huge strings to get this prime spot in the broadcast room. Look at this angle, isn’t it super perfect!”
The live stream’s viewer count had directly broken through the five million mark.
The barrage of comments scrolled across the screen, piling layer upon layer, making it impossible to read the text.
Intel Ji leaned closer to the screen, squinting, and barely managed to catch a few colorful premium comments floating by.
“Sister Ji, stop wasting time! Tell us, is that rumor true? Is Tian Lanxing coming to the venue today?”
“Yeah, yeah, it’s all over the forums and bulletin boards. They say the mysterious guest at the semi-final opening is Tian Lanxing herself, singing live!”
“It’s definitely hype! That crappy Starflare Entertainment loves to pull bait-and-switch stunts to trick us into buying tickets!”
“It’s not hype!”
Intel Ji slammed her hand on the table, causing the camera to shake twice.
She shoved a piece of paper directly in front of the live stream camera.
“Open your eyes and take a good look! This is the official notice Starflare Entertainment sent exclusively to the media!”
On the paper, the official announcement read: “Special Guest for the Semi-Final Opening: Legendary Magical Girl, Tian Lanxing!”
Immediately after, the barrage of comments pushed the server to the brink of collapse, with the video dropping frames crazily.
Just then, the warm-up music in the venue came to an abrupt halt.
All the surrounding lights went out. The massive stadium, packed with 50,000 people, was plunged into darkness in an instant.
It’s here, it’s here!
Intel Ji’s hands were trembling with excitement as she quickly aimed the camera at the stage.
Above the stage, a blue spotlight fell on the elevator platform at center stage.
Within the beam of light, a tall figure slowly rose with the platform.
She wore a white long dress, her silver-white hair cascading like silk to her waist.
Under the spotlight, her stunning face shone even more brightly, as if she didn’t belong to this world.
The entire audience of 50,000 fell silent for a full three seconds.
You’ve got to see this next! The Only Ice Flower will keep you on the edge of your seat. Start reading today!
Read : The Only Ice Flower
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