Chapter 56: Dazzling

On Friday afternoon, the cultural festival was held as scheduled.

The seats in the massive auditorium were nearly all filled with enthusiastic students.

The dark red curtains were drawn tight, blocking out the sunlight.

The interior was cast in vast swaths of darkness, and in the unseen corners, blood-red eyes seemed to be watching the crowd.

All the light was gathered on the stage at the very front.

The unlit environment did not affect the lively atmosphere inside.

The excited audience locked their gazes on the brightly lit stage, constantly discussing and critiquing the performances with their neighbors, and the noisy chatter filled the entire space.

It was now the second act, a group chorus from one of the first-year classes.

Forty to fifty students in uniform stood scattered across the stage, their mouths opening and closing expressionlessly, producing tones that were far from professional.

They were singing an old song from over a decade ago, a song of gratitude to one’s alma mater widely sung by graduating seniors.

It was just that such a song was a bit too early for us first-year freshmen.

For various extracurricular activities at school, at least half of the students’ enthusiasm came from the relaxation of not having to attend class.

But if one had to train and rehearse for such an activity, that enthusiasm would be greatly diminished.

This situation, however, did not happen in our class, because our reliable and kind-hearted class president, Su Ye Mi, and the school beauty, An Xue Ruo, took on this responsibility for the entire class.

It was great to have classmates like them.

Under the reflection of the bright incandescent lights, fine dust motes could be seen in the air.

My gaze passed through them towards the stage as I silently let my thoughts wander.

The seats were arranged by student number, but most students had taken advantage of the chaos to sit with their good friends early on, leaving only the two seats next to me empty.

Judging by the student number arrangement, these should have been An Xue Ruo’s and Su Ye Mi’s seats.

They needed to go backstage to prepare in advance, so their spots were vacant.

And that lecherous, disloyal guy Zheng Chen was happily chatting with the girl next to him, leaving me all alone… although there was nothing wrong with that.

“They’re not bad singers.”

“A pity that’s only from an amateur’s perspective.”

“If judged by professional standards, they’re a bit lacking.”

A dark-haired, sophisticated beauty with light makeup sat down beside me, crossed her legs, and commented as she watched the stage.

“Don’t you need to go backstage to prepare, Sister Yuan?”

Catching a glimpse of that familiar, beautiful face out of the corner of my eye, I paused and asked with some confusion.

“No need.”

“I’m always in my best state.”

“I don’t require preparation.”

Sister Yuan confidently raised her slender, curved eyebrows.

Her cool, soft hand came to rest on my thigh, and a playful, mischievous smile appeared on her face.

“But what about you, Xiao You?”

“Are you looking forward to my performance?”

“Mhm, I’m quite looking forward to it.”

“After all, apart from tormenting me, this is the first time I’ll be seeing any of your other talents.”

“Hiss~”

My thigh was pinched, and Sister Yuan looked at me with a dissatisfied pout.

“I’ve told you, that’s doting, doting.”

“If you keep using the wrong words, Xiao You, I’ll strip you bare right now.”

“Alright, alright, doting.”

“Why are you so prone to sulking like a child, Sister Yuan?”

“It’s all because you insist on saying the wrong things.”

“And to think I even wore the dress you gave me today.”

I hadn’t noticed until just now.

Sister Yuan was wearing the dress I had given her for her birthday.

The long, slender, dark black dress surprisingly suited her well, perfectly accentuating her noble and elegant temperament.

She was a true national beauty, stunningly gorgeous.

It would be even better if she wasn’t ruining her own image by placing her hand on my thigh.

“How is it?”

“Do I look good?”

“You do, you look very good.”

“It suits you well, Sister Yuan.”

“So can you take your hand away now?”

“There are other students around.”

My seat was near a corner, and since I was a character with little presence to begin with, no one was paying attention to me.

Sister Yuan hadn’t drawn any attention when she arrived either, and we had deliberately kept our voices low, which was why we could chat so casually.

But it wouldn’t be good if some classmate or teacher saw her pinching my thigh.

“Alright, alright, I’ll move it, I’ll move it.”

After Sister Yuan removed her hand, she turned her gaze back to the stage, finally settling down.

In the glow of the lights, I suddenly felt as if an impenetrable chaos was faintly swaying in Sister Yuan’s eyes.

And beneath them, in the depths of her gaze, was the infinitely vast cunning that had given birth to this chaos.

This sister, whom I thought I knew so well, suddenly seemed a little unfamiliar.

“Why are you staring at my side profile again?”

“Do you like me that much?”

Sister Yuan’s voice broke my train of thought.

She had keenly noticed my gaze.

I quickly turned my head away in embarrassment, a faint blush quietly creeping onto my cheeks.

“It’s fine if you look.”

“It’s not like I’m forbidding you.”

“Honestly, Xiao You, don’t be so easily embarrassed all the time.”

“No… it’s not… Let’s just keep watching the show.”

The previous class’s chorus had long since ended.

The crosstalk act now on stage was, as I recalled, one of the final performances.

“Our class’s duet is next, right?”

“Are you looking forward to it, Xiao You?”

“Of course.”

“It’s our own class, after all.”

“The class president and An Xue Ruo, they usually… Sister Yuan, don’t look at me like that.”

“I’m just acknowledging their effort.”

“I’m looking forward to your performance too.”

The look in Sister Yuan’s eyes sent a shiver down my spine.

The iciness within it felt as if it would spread to me and devour me whole.

“You know what’s good for you.”

“Later, you are not allowed to stare at them.”

“Otherwise, you’ll be in for it when we get home.”

“Even if you didn’t say it, I wouldn’t do that.”

“I’m not Zheng Chen.”

The sounds from the stage changed to the footsteps of people moving props.

The host walked onto the stage with a microphone and read from a script, delivering the lines that bridged the two acts.

After his voice faded, An Xue Ruo and Su Ye Mi walked up and took the microphones from his hands.

They stood in the center of the stage, gave a slight bow, and then began to sing in perfect harmony.

Although they were still wearing the ugly school uniforms, it couldn’t hide the dazzling radiance they exuded.

A brilliant curtain of light veiled them in a dreamlike, ethereal gauze, draping their entire bodies down to their heels.

The unique beauty of young girls was on full display in their melodious singing, and the gorgeous play of light and shadow danced and spread to every dark, unlit corner.

At the crossroads of fate, thank you for having stayed

Standing at the end of time, looking back, the world is so gentle

Even if after tomorrow, I can no longer see a new day

I feel it’s been enough

At the crossroads of fate, thank you for having stayed

Standing at the end of time, looking back, the world is so gentle

Even if the wind howls and the rain pours, I’m not afraid of having no path to take

Our names, hand in hand

As the chorus arrived, the two on stage, under the watchful eyes of the entire audience, added small movements to accompany their singing.

Their makeup-free faces shone like gems wiped clean of dust, ethereal and otherworldly, capturing the attention of the entire hall.

Thunderous applause and cheers gave them the highest affirmation.

The fervent atmosphere in the hall seemed to reach its peak at this moment.

‘As expected of them.’

‘There will probably be no shortage of discussions about them among the students after this.’

‘Class President Su Ye Mi will probably become as famous in school as Sister Yuan and An Xue Ruo now.’

“Sister Yuan, you…”

I turned my head, about to ask for Sister Yuan’s opinion, only to find the seat beside me empty.

She was already gone.

‘Right.’

‘The next one seems to be the final act.’

‘Her piano solo.’