The small auditorium building is usually not very popular, and the corridors are spacious and quiet.
Walking here, you can clearly hear the sound of your shoes hitting the floor.
The afternoon sun shone through the glass window, bathing the ground in a golden glow. The beam of light and the ground formed an angle, and you could see tiny dust particles floating in the air.
Shi Chen walked down the long corridor, turned into the stairwell at the end, and stopped abruptly after climbing just two steps.
In the quiet air, he heard a sob.
Although it was very faint, it was so quiet here that even the slightest sound could be detected by the ear.
Shi Chen continued upstairs, taking three steps at a time. After several large strides, he saw a person sitting on the steps.
She rested her hands on her knees, and their eyes met.
He unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, holding onto the stair railing, and remained silent for a moment.
Shen Miaoyi was a little confused; she hadn't expected to see Shi Chen here.
She raised her hand and roughly wiped the moisture from her face with her sleeve, then asked in a muffled voice, "What are you doing here?"
Shi Chen hummed in response, raised an eyebrow, and replied, "Just happened to be passing by."
Shen Miaoyi nodded, without suspecting anything.
Shi Chen looked at her red eyes and asked knowingly, "Were you crying just now?"
Shen Miaoyi knew her appearance was obvious, so she didn't deny it and nodded slightly, "Mm."
Then he hurriedly added, "But it's all better now."
Her voice was muffled, with a nasal tone and a hint of crying, making it sound like she was putting on a brave face.
Shi Chen took a step closer to her and leaned down to look at her.
He stood several steps away from Shen Miaoyi. She was above him, and he was below her, but because he was very tall, he had to bend down to be at eye level with her.
Looking into those peach blossom eyes so close to hers, Shen Miaoyi unconsciously tightened her grip on her knees.
Then she heard Shi Chen ask, "Really?"
Shen Miaoyi was stunned for a moment, and her eyes reddened again.
Shi Chen thought she was going to cry again, but found that her tears did not fall.
"Really." She took a deep breath and nodded earnestly. "You'll feel better after you've cried it out."
She knew she was weak, timid, and even insecure, so when she heard those hurtful words, her first thought was to hide and cry.
Because she felt that what they said made sense.
She's ordinary, she's not pretty, and she overestimates herself.
But after she vented her tears, all she could think of was Pei Xi's face and the encouraging and trusting look in her eyes when she looked at herself.
Pei Xi trusted her so much; she shouldn't let him down.
She shouldn't be a coward.
Shi Chen looked at her serious expression, paused for a moment, and then straightened up.
He asked, seemingly casually, "I heard you signed up for a solo performance. Have you sung yet?"
Shen Miaoyi shook her head, "Not yet, my order is second to last."
Shi Chen smiled and asked her, "Do you need a group of family and friends?"
"What?" Shen Miaoyi was taken aback, her eyes filled with surprise and confusion.
Shi Chen smiled and leaned lazily against the wall, looking at her and saying, "I'm Pei Zhi's friend, and you're Pei Xi's friend, so we're friends too, right? It's not too much to call ourselves a group of friends and family, is it?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Miaoyi paused for a moment, then nodded silently.
Shi Chen is right; they are indeed her friends.
Seeing her nod, Shi Chen's smile deepened in his peach blossom eyes, and he said in a light tone, "Pei Xi isn't here today, and Pei Zhi is playing basketball right now. I'm the only one left in your support group. Do you need me to go and support you? If not, I can draw a support sign on the spot and hold it up for you."
After he finished speaking, he made a gesture of holding up a sign.
Shen Miaoyi chuckled, amused by his words.
She quickly waved her hand and said, "No need, no need, you go and do your thing. I don't know when it will be my turn."
Her face, which had just been streaked with tears, was now completely covered with a smile, making her look lively and adorable.
Shi Chen nodded and said, "Then we'll cheer you on when you perform at the school anniversary celebration."
"Well, I hope I can pass the selection."
Shen Miaoyi smiled, still somewhat unaccustomed to making such boastful remarks, and looked quite embarrassed.
She stood up, her gaze shifting to Shi Chen from a lower angle. "I'll go prepare now. You must have something to do here, so I won't keep you any longer."
After saying that, she lifted her foot and walked down the steps. When she reached Shi Chen's back, he suddenly called her name, "Shen Miaoyi".
Shen Miaoyi paused, turned around and looked up at him, "What's wrong?"
Shi Chen said softly, "If someone bullies you, it doesn't mean you're bad; it just means they're bad, understand?"
He looked down at her, a faint smile playing in his peach blossom eyes, his tone unusually serious.
Shen Miaoyi was stunned for a moment.
Then he chuckled again, his peach blossom eyes curving slightly, regaining his previous casual and lazy demeanor, and said half-jokingly, "If all else fails, you still have a powerful group of relatives and friends. We'll help you beat them up. You didn't eat all those desserts from Grandma for nothing."
Shen Miaoyi looked at his smile, blinked, and suddenly smiled too, revealing a small dimple on her lips.
She hummed in agreement and said softly, "I know." After a pause, she added, "Thank you, I feel much better now."
Shi Chen replied, "You're welcome."
Shen Miaoyi said goodbye to him, then turned and went downstairs with light steps.
Shi Chen watched her retreating figure and couldn't help but smile.
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