This was the first time Lu Xing had seen Xia Yeshuang on stage.

Under the spotlight, the girl with long black hair and a long dress was bright and confident, graceful and generous. Before she even opened her mouth, her stunning beauty was met with a wave of applause.

What was he supposed to do?

Lu Xing suddenly had the strange sensation of watching an acquaintance show off.

He wanted to laugh but did not dare to. The audience was all quietly looking at the stage. If he laughed, it would be far too abrupt.

He wanted to run but could not. The seats the senior sister had bought were the best in the house, right in the middle.

Whatever, let it be.

He did not believe that Xia Yeshuang would suddenly jump off the stage halfway through her song just to punch him in the audience!

‘It shouldn’t happen, right?’

Lu Xing thought about “Little Goldie’s” past heroic deeds and swallowed hard.

‘It definitely won’t.’

The sound of the piano began, and Xia Yeshuang’s singing voice echoed through the concert hall.

“My heart follows the heaven and earth, my thoughts are led by the cattle and sheep. The lonely smoke of the great desert embraces the setting sun. At the end of the sky, I chat with the moon…”

He had to admit…

The equipment in the concert hall was on a completely different level than a home setup. Once a singer’s true strength was on display, it was a mind-blowing experience.

Lu Xing lowered his head and listened in silence.

It was very pleasant to listen to.

He felt as if he were already out on the prairie, grazing.

“My heart follows the heaven and earth, searching for that optimism. Where are you, my love? The girl asks the sky. At the end of the sky, I raise a glass with the moon…”

Xia Yeshuang sang unhurriedly, her gaze sweeping over the audience, eventually landing on the best viewing seats.

Even if the audience could not tell, the piano accompanist behind her clearly noticed that her rhythm faltered for a fraction of a second.

What happened?

“The bonfire reflects the face, the horse gallops on the Chule River…”

Thankfully, after that brief pause, Xia Yeshuang returned to her original level, only now with a bit more raw emotion.

She glanced at that seat again. Even with Lu Xing’s head lowered, she recognized him instantly.

It was him.

That day in the elevator, the things Lu Xing had said were too heartless, too cold.

The only thing she had used to comfort herself, that little dog keychain, was just an insignificant toy in his eyes.

Xia Yeshuang had never been so humble before. All her bowing and scraping to Lu Xing was simply because she liked him.

But her feelings, in his eyes, were also just an insignificant thing.

Xia Yeshuang was not without her pride.

“The Chule River, under the Yin Mountains, the sky is like a yurt, covering the four wilds…”

She knew she was beautiful today. To match the mood of the song, she had carefully chosen her outfit and even wore a black wig to look more traditional and obedient.

This was the first time Lu Xing had seen her sing on stage, and perhaps it would be the last.

She wanted to sing well, but her eyes kept drifting back to him.

Suddenly.

She saw a pink-haired girl next to him pull on Lu Xing’s hand, and he did not resist.

The two of them lowered their heads, as if whispering secrets to one another.

Xia Yeshuang’s pupils trembled.

Once her gaze had found Lu Xing, she had no room in her mind for anyone else.

Now, looking closer, she realized the girl next to him was the same “senior sister” she had met at the museum that day.

Xia Yeshuang’s eyes reddened uncontrollably.

What kind of scene was this?

Lu Xing and the senior sister were being sweet and intimate, enjoying a concert together.

They could cuddle and whisper in the audience, while she had to stand on stage with her nerves frayed, singing for them?

What was she to him?

Life’s encounters are often nonsensical. Things rarely go as you wish; instead, they always go against you.

It is like when you are all dressed up in a fine suit, with a beautiful new girlfriend by your side, and you start to fantasize about running into the ex-girlfriend who dumped you.

You imagine her looking at you with envy and regret while you proudly walk away to your new Mercedes, saying casually that the past was just a bit of “wind and frost.”

But you never run into her when you look like that.

The most likely situation is that you are wearing a big T-shirt and flip-flops, your face is oily, your hair is unwashed, and you are squatting by the roadside eating cheap fried noodles with a four-yuan bottle of iced tea.

That is when your ex-girlfriend gets out of a car with her current boyfriend, doesn’t even recognize you, and tosses five yuan in front of you as a tip.

(TL: Author-san do you talk from experience?)

Xia Yeshuang finally understood that feeling.

She was dressed beautifully today. If Lu Xing had come by himself, she could have snorted proudly and walked past him with her head held high, maintaining what little pride she had left.

But seeing him sitting there with that senior sister…

She suddenly wanted to run away.

An uncontrollable sense of shame chased after her.

Everything she had done, her carefully styled look, the songs she had practiced so hard, were nothing more than background music for their romance in the eyes of Lu Xing and that girl.

A tear fell, but Xia Yeshuang could not stop singing.

This was a memorial concert for her teacher’s deceased friend. Many distinguished seniors were listening backstage.

Her teacher might be praising her to the others at this very moment, and many singers her own age were watching her. She could not willfully ruin this concert because of her own personal pain.

A person grows up in an instant.

Xia Yeshuang finally understood the weight of that sentence.

“My heart follows the heaven and earth, my thoughts are led by the cattle and sheep. The lonely smoke of the great desert embraces the setting sun…”

A truly great singer makes the audience resonate through the song.

Before, Xia Yeshuang’s singing was merely pleasant. That was all.

But after she shed that tear, the emotional depth of her performance soared.

Countless audience members were stunned. Their cheeks were wet before they even realized it as they stared at the figure in the center of the stage.

“At the end of the sky, I chat with the moon. Where are you, my love? The girl asks the sky…”

After Xia Yeshuang sang the final line, she could not hold it in any longer. She bent down and bowed to the audience, her tears hitting the floor with a quiet plop.

The response was enthusiastic, with thunderous applause and overwhelming praise.

But Xia Yeshuang did not linger. After a quick thanks, she lifted the hem of her skirt and fled the stage.

Finding that Xia Yeshuang had not gone berserk, Lu Xing had spent the rest of the song listening happily.

The senior sister beside him leaned gently on his shoulder and whispered, “She seems very sad.”

Lu Xing was silent for a moment before answering.

“She should thank me.”

“She just had an epiphany in her singing.”

The senior sister did not speak; she just hugged his arm tightly.

The heat from his sleeve passed to her cheek. She said with confusion:

“You’re so hot.”

“Boys are all like that, like a furnace all day long.”

Lu Xing waved his hand nonchalantly. Since he had promised to accompany her, this minor cold and fever were things he could easily ignore.

…

Backstage

The moment Xia Yeshuang stepped off the stage, she rushed into the restroom, isolating herself from the praise and compliments.

Song Liye only thought that she had to answer the call of nature, so she did not ask much, only saying with a smile that “Little Shuang” was singing better and better.

“Something’s not right.”

Zhao Yeye quickly sensed Xia Yeshuang’s emotions and moved to follow her quietly.

She had only taken two steps when she let out a cry.

“Aiyo!”

“What’s wrong, Little Zhao?”

Zhao Yeye had almost tripped over Chi Yueshan. Chi Yueshan was the one who pulled her up.

“Sister Chi, I feel like Shuangshuang is not happy.”

“Because of what?” Chi Yueshan was confused.

She had no performance today, but because her teacher was the composer’s widow, she had to be present. She had not been watching the monitor, only hearing that Xia Yeshuang had performed well. Why would she be unhappy?

“Aiya, I can’t say for sure.”

Zhao Yeye’s head was a mess. She just felt that Xia Yeshuang was miserable, but she could not find a reason why.

Chi Yueshan frowned and thought for a moment.

After all, they were fellow sufferers in this situation. She had to go check.

“Let’s go. I’ll go with you.”

…

…

[Challenge Goal 2 :

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Progress: 4/7.]

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