Chapter 103 Winning the Championship
Yi Jia brought Zhu Fan's cello case, her eyes swollen and red.
She pulled Zhu Fan's arm, her voice trembling with suppressed sobs: "Your palms and arms are bleeding from being rubbed on the steps."
Zhu Fan endured the pain throughout the entire performance and stayed with her until the end.
Zhu Fan gently pressed her burning eyelids with her fingertips. "Yi Jia, don't cry. The performance was so successful, you should be smiling."
She deliberately softened her voice, "It doesn't hurt at all, it's just a scrape, it'll be fine tomorrow."
"You're lying." Yi Jia's tears fell uncontrollably, half from heartache and half from overwhelming emotion.
Zhu Fan coaxed Yi Jia in a low voice for a long time before finally calming him down.
It's too cold here, I need to hurry back to the stands and put on some clothes.
As she bent down to zip up her violin case, her gaze suddenly froze—
A corner of the cello's lacquer surface was clearly chipped.
She hadn't noticed it during the performance.
Yi Jia saw it too.
She suddenly stood up from the ground and turned to rush towards the waiting area next to her.
Whether Zhong Fei did it on purpose or not, she couldn't swallow this insult.
Zhong Fei was talking to the male host who would be introducing the next round of programs. Her profile was gentle and serene, with a faint smile.
When the host saw Yi Jia approaching aggressively, he instinctively stepped in front of Zhong Fei to block her.
Zhong Fei, however, gently pulled him away while holding her violin. She looked up at Yi Jia, her pupils as black as a deep pool, and said calmly, "I have already apologized."
"You make it sound so easy!" Yi Jia's voice trembled with anger. "You hurt someone, broke someone's instrument, and an apology is all it takes?"
Zhong Fei gazed at her quietly. As she brushed past her and stepped onto the stairs, she subtly curled her lips and silently mouthed to her: I did it on purpose.
Yi Jia's mind went blank for a moment, and he reached out to grab her—
But Zhu Fan grabbed her wrist firmly from behind.
"Fanfan, she just said she did it on purpose!" Yi Jia turned around hurriedly.
Before she could finish speaking, Zhong Fei suddenly swayed and fell heavily onto the steps.
Yi Jialeng stood still—
Her hand didn't even touch the other person.
Zhu Fan shielded Yi Jia behind him, looking down at Zhong Fei, who was lying on the steps, with a cold expression in his eyes.
Zhong Fei raised her face, her expression filled with astonishment and grievance.
Despite Zhu Fan's all-knowing gaze, she remained submissive, lying on the steps.
All eyes in the waiting area immediately turned to them, filled with astonishment and condemnation.
He Qianya happened to be waiting in the audience and witnessed this scene. She immediately said sternly, "Yi Jia! It's almost Zhong Fei's turn to go on stage. How could you be so malicious? You pushed her and made her break her violin!"
Under Zhu Fan's gaze, Zhong Fei slowly stood up, picked up the zither, and said softly, "I accidentally broke it myself; it has nothing to do with them."
Zhu Fan spoke clearly and calmly, “Yi Jia didn’t push her. I saw it very clearly.”
He Qianya sneered: "You two are best friends, of course—"
Before she could finish speaking, a black coat, still warm from her body, gently landed on Zhu Fan's shoulders.
Fang Qizhou's appearance caused the surrounding air to suddenly become quiet.
He was carrying a small bag of medicine in his hand. His gaze first fell on Zhu Fan's slightly bleeding palm, then he raised his eyes and swept over every face in the room.
Yi Jia pursed her lips, looking at him guiltily, "I'm sorry, I hurt your girlfriend." She paused, then couldn't help but ask softly, "How did you know Fanfan was hurt?"
Zhu Fan also looked at him in a daze.
Fang Qizhou didn't answer, but instead slung the cello case over his shoulder, his dark eyes cold as he took her injured left hand and asked, "How did you get hurt?"
Yi Jia's voice was filled with anger, "Zhong Fei deliberately stepped on Fanfan's dress when she went on stage."
This was admitted by Zhong Fei herself.
She did it on purpose.
Zhong Fei, who had already stepped onto the last step and was about to go up to the stage, stiffened noticeably upon hearing Fang Qizhou's cold and harsh voice.
Zhu Fan gently tugged at Fang Qizhou's sleeve, then grabbed Yi Jia, who was still angry, and said, "There are too many people here, let's find another place to talk."
Zhong Fei has already taken the stage to perform; now is not the time to resolve the issue.
Zhu Fan's voice wasn't loud, but it eased the suddenly somber atmosphere around them.
-
Medicine was applied to the abrasions on Zhu Fan's arms and palms.
She took her own coat, gave Fang Qizhou's jacket back to him, and told him to put it on quickly.
Yi Jia held the milk tea to her lips, feeding her a sip every now and then.
Zhu Fan smiled and took the milk tea from her hand, saying, "You should watch the performance. I'll drink it myself."
Yi Jia pulled out his phone, not even glancing at the stage: "I'm not looking."
She gets addicted to seeing Zhong Fei's face now.
Yi Jia was looking at cellos on a website and assured Zhu Fan, "I will definitely find you a better cello to compensate you."
Zhu Fan looked at the cello at Fang Qizhou's feet and said, "It's okay, it can still be used after some repairs."
Yi Jia wouldn't allow her to refuse.
At this point, she got angry again.
When she looked up, she gritted her teeth and looked at Zhong Fei on the stage.
Zhong Fei, engrossed in playing the violin, suddenly had a string snap.
Yi Jia was stunned for a moment, then immediately began to gloat.
The piano is broken, and it's no one else's fault. She deliberately fell down to slander her.
They reaped what they sowed.
The accompaniment suddenly stopped, making Zhou Song's a cappella singing seem somewhat abrupt.
The two performed admirably and coordinated perfectly, showing no signs of panic.
Three seconds later, a female singer sang a cappella, continuing Zhou Song's song.
A burst of applause and cheers erupted from the audience.
The unexpected turn of events made Zhu Fan raise his head.
She met Fang Qizhou's languid, emotionless dark eyes and poked the corner of his mouth with her finger. "Smile."
Fang Qizhou looked at her palm with the bandage on it, but didn't laugh.
Zhu Fan whispered in Fang Qizhou's ear, who hadn't smiled all night, "Come with me to the restroom."
The sweet scent of lipstick on the girl's lips filled the air.
When Zhu Fan came out of the restroom, Yi Jia's scores had already been announced.
A high score of 97.9.
As soon as she came out of the restroom, she saw Fang Qizhou waiting in a dimly lit corner. The stage lights on the playground shone from afar, casting a long shadow of him.
She hurried over and happily hugged him. Before Fang Qizhou could speak, she deliberately stepped on his shadow, clutched her stomach, and squatted down as if she was uncomfortable.
Fang Qizhou immediately bent down to check.
This is the moment—
Zhu Fan quickly leaned in and gave him a light peck on the lips.
The sneak attack was successful, and a cunning glint flashed in her eyes.
"Don't keep that cold face." She cupped his face, her fingertips brushing against the corner of his slightly pursed lips. "If you're unhappy because I'm injured, I promise you, I'll be extra careful from now on."
The girl's lips parted, the remaining lipstick appearing especially crimson in the dim light. Seeing his gaze fixed intently on her lips, Zhu Fan's heart skipped a beat, so she leaned in and kissed him again, deliberately smearing some lipstick on his lips.
She smiled and tried to back away, but he grabbed her waist.
When Fang Qizhou's lips came close, she laughed and dodged, almost falling backward. He held her tightly to steady her.
"Let's go back to the apartment." He held her close, his Adam's apple bobbing, his voice low and hoarse.
"The performance isn't over yet, I need to go find A-Yuan." Zhu Fan shook his arm.
Fang Qizhou didn't let go, his gaze fixed on her face—
Her stage makeup was a bit heavy, with subtle glitter at the corners of her eyes, and her lips were slightly smudged from being kissed, making them soft and alluring in the night.
Zhu Fan touched her face as he stared at her, then remembered she was still wearing makeup: "Am I ugly?"
“So beautiful…” he lowered his head, his breath close, “it makes me want to hide you away.”
It's only for him to see.
Fang Qizhou lowered his head and kissed her rosy lips that were so close to his.
Zhu Fan's lipstick was completely kissed off.
She pushed him away, slightly out of breath, and when she saw the red stain on Fang Qizhou's lips, her ears burned, but she deliberately asked, "Does the lipstick taste good?"
Fang Qizhou wiped his lower lip with his fingertip, savoring the sweet scent of lip gloss, but his gaze never left her: "If you can't taste it, kiss me again."
Zhu Fan laughed and covered her mouth: "If you kiss me again, you'll have to carry me back to the apartment."
Fang Qizhou raised an eyebrow, but did not deny it.
Just then, footsteps sounded in the distance. Zhu Fan immediately grabbed his hand and walked towards the audience, forcefully wiping away the red stain on his lips that belonged to her, and quietly disappeared into the deepening night.
-
At 9:30 p.m., the rankings of the contestants were released.
Yi Jia's name is at the top of the list.
Zhu Fan did not go on stage with her.
Yi Jia truly deserves this championship honor.
He Qianya stood in the crowd, her eyes fixed on the top three winners on stage. She hadn't even made it into the top ten singers. Her phone screen glowed faintly in her palm. She looked down and typed, word by word, in the anonymous submission section: "[Wall, I want to submit a story. There's something fishy going on in this campus singer finals…]"
...
As is customary, the previous year's champion will sing a duet with the current year's champion as the final song of the competition.
From the moment Fang Qibai stepped onto the stage, Zhu Wan held her phone high. Everyone around her was filming, and she no longer tried to hide it; the camera followed his figure closely.
Zhu Fan stood beside her younger sister, looking at her focused, flushed cheeks, and said softly, "If you like him so much, why don't you go and give him a bouquet of flowers?"
Fang Qibai's appearance brought the atmosphere to a fever pitch during the final song. As the music ended, cheers erupted.
Zhu Wan lowered her slightly sore arm and shook her head at her sister.
The performance on stage has ended.
She had no more flowers.
The thought popped into her head, but she quickly suppressed it.
Even if she had flowers, she didn't have the courage to send them.
Even when she was secretly recording him, she was afraid of being discovered.
Zhu Fan stuffed the bouquet of flowers in his hand into her arms.
Zhu Wan was surprised that her sister knew the bouquet of flowers was from her.
Zhu Fan pointed to his eyes, "I saw you being led offstage from the stage."
Zhu Wan gave her sister a thumbs-up with both hands, "Sister, your and Jia Jie's performance was perfect. I can't get enough of it, I want to hear it again."
Zhu Fan smiled, not letting her change the subject, "Now that we have the flowers, go and send them if you want."
Zhu Wan couldn't help but look back at the man on stage, surrounded by lights and flowers.
"This bouquet is for my sister."
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