talent
The final year of high school was really not fun; if there was any, it was just finding joy in the midst of suffering.
During the summer break between their junior and senior years of high school, art students began intensive training, and Cheng Zhou was so busy he was nowhere to be seen. Hu Tong, on the other hand, had some free time and went back to the countryside to keep Grandma Cheng company, while also spreading the word throughout the village about his homeroom teacher's praise.
"Hu Tong, if you can maintain your current grades, getting into the best university won't be a problem!" Hu Tong imitated his homeroom teacher to the old ladies playing mahjong at the Cheng family's house, then waved his hand shyly and said, "That's what our teacher said. Oh, it's not that exaggerated. I'll be lucky if I can get into university."
At this point, Grandma Cheng would slam the mahjong tiles on the table, her brows furrowed, and say, "Nonsense! You can't even get into a good university, Chonggao should just go bankrupt!"
"That's right, that's right! Tongtong is the best student in our school."
The old ladies echoed each other's opinions, taking the opportunity to play the cards that Old Lady Cheng needed.
By the time Old Lady Cheng finished her half-encouraging, half-reprimanding lecture to Hu Tong and came to her senses, it was already too late.
Hu Tong gained confidence, and the old ladies won money for the vegetables, but only Old Lady Cheng was heartbroken.
Two days later, Old Lady Cheng sent Hu Tong back home.
Before leaving, Grandma Cheng enrolled Hu Tong in two tutoring classes to ensure that Hu Tong could not run back to the countryside and disturb her happy retirement life.
In September, when school started, Hu Tong and Cheng Zhou officially became senior high school students.
Art students are starting to prepare for the joint entrance exam at the end of the year.
Cheng Zhou spent all his time in the art studio. The fatigue from lack of sleep seeped from every pore, eventually gathering under his eyes and turning into a dark bluish-black mass.
Hu Tong felt that Cheng Zhou looked like a ghost at this stage.
But Cheng Zhou was posting on the confession wall even more frequently. She really couldn't understand what was so attractive about this male ghost, whose school uniform even smelled of watercolor paint.
“You don’t understand.” He Qiuying smiled slightly as she listened to Hu Tong’s complaint. “The current trend is a sense of brokenness. Even if Cheng Zhou is a male ghost, he looks like a beautiful male ghost in dire need of redemption.”
"Huh, I don't understand." Hu Tong shuddered, then casually pulled out a math test paper and started working on it.
She should focus her energy on things she can understand.
Hu Tong adapted well to her senior year of high school. She enjoyed the pleasure of what she had to achieve and liked the feeling of being in control.
Soon, the joint entrance exams ended, and the art students returned to their respective classes from the studios. New Year's Day was approaching.
The homeroom teacher encouraged all the students in the class to put forward one or two programs to participate in the preliminary selection for the New Year's Day cultural performance.
Hu Tong stepped forward and took on the important task of preparing the program. She organized a group of girls to gather at the back of the classroom during breaks and discuss it enthusiastically.
However, Hu Tong, who had been favored by his teachers since childhood, discovered that he really had no artistic talent. His dancing was like practicing military boxing, and his singing was like a wild beast roaring...
"That can't be right," Hu Tong thought. She had appeared on quite a few shows when she was young. Could it be that studying really ruined her brain?
Hu Tong, who was unworthy of her position, did not give up her role as team leader. Instead, she encouraged her close friends to join her in reciting poetry!
A few students left the group because they thought it was too "outdated," but most people chose to stay.
"It's the last talent show in high school, so we have to leave some memories," He Qiuying said, leaning on Hu Tong's shoulder.
Hu Tong clenched his fists, determined to make a name for himself.
The poem recitation, full of positive energy and youthful spirit, coupled with Hu Tong's powerful voice, received strong support from all the middle-aged and elderly school leaders. The recitation successfully passed the preliminary selection and secured a spot on the fast track to the New Year's Day cultural performance.
Several young teachers and student council members exchanged glances, hesitant to speak, but finally, amidst the school leaders' praise, they reluctantly gave their votes in favor.
Hu Tong swaggered back to the classroom and, in a cheeky tone, comforted the male classmate who hadn't been selected, "Oh, it's okay. Maybe the song you chose wasn't upbeat enough and didn't quite fit the theme of the arts festival."
Hu Tong shrugged. "That doesn't mean you sing badly."
It sounds awful.
"Although I personally don't really like listening to those melancholic songs, your singing skills are still there."
Below the horizon.
After saying that, Hu Tong let out a long sigh of relief. Just a few days ago, this man and her defector subordinates were making fun of her show.
Now, the tables have turned.
Hu Tong was secretly delighted, even smiling while doing his physics practice tests.
He Qiuying exclaimed that their leader had gone mad.
The New Year's Day performance was held on the evening of the last Friday before the holiday.
On Thursday, Hu Tong, arm in arm with He Qiuying, went to the convenience store to buy snacks. Passing the playground, they saw that the performance truss had already been erected. The titanium alloy frame gleamed in the sunlight, looking quite impressive.
Hu Tong was already trembling with excitement just imagining himself standing under the spotlight.
On the bus home, Cheng Zhou turned to look at Hu Tong, who was shivering, and sincerely suggested, "If you're cold, wear more layers. I'm wearing four layers today..."
"Tch, let's not compare anything else, let's compare how many clothes we wear." Hu Tong snapped out of her daydream and rolled her eyes at him. "That just shows you're weak. This great woman only needs three pieces."
"..." Cheng Zhou silently lowered his hand, which was about to zip up his coat, and gave a dry "oh".
But when she actually stood on the stage, Hu Tong didn't tremble. Looking at the huge crowd below the stage, she felt as if her soul had floated out of her body and was looking down on everything from above.
Every organ in her body was functioning mechanically; her voice didn't tremble, and her punches remained crisp and clean.
Hu Tong could hear her own voice and see the expressions of the audience in the front row. At the same time, she could feel the spotlights and reflectors moving above her head. The speakers on both sides of the stage were playing rousing music, and the dust particles in the air vibrated, reflecting a sparkle like shattered diamonds.
At that moment, Hu Tong felt a surge of emotion that was almost a sense of relief.
When she was little, whenever she learned something, she would show it off to the adults and then receive broad praise—"You have talent."
To prove that he was "talented" and a genius, Hu Tong enthusiastically attended all kinds of tutoring classes and hobby classes. He would draw a few stick figures and then insist on going to art class with Cheng Zhou. He would do a few marching steps and then insist on learning martial arts...
Only now has Hu Tong realized that her only talent is her willingness to put in the hard work.
As the background music faded, Hu Tong raised his fist one last time, and in the spotlight, he and his friends behind him roared.
"No road is longer than the one you walk!"
There is no mountain higher than man!
Some people in the audience covered their mouths and chuckled, some yawned, and others, caught up in the atmosphere, sat up straight and craned their necks to look ahead. Hu Tong was completely oblivious to the various reactions of the audience; she was entirely immersed in her own lofty ambitions.
"No road is longer than the one you walk!"
There is no mountain higher than man!
Hu Tong heard her own heartbeat, one beat after another. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was about to leap out of her throat, as if it wanted to break free and soar into the sky.
Her body trembled uncontrollably.
That's great.
Hu Tong suddenly had this feeling, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.
In short, there's nothing wrong with it. There's nothing wrong with lacking artistic talent either.
"Don't you think Hu Tong is exaggerating too much?"
Cheng Zhou sat upright in the Rocket Class area. He looked at Hu Tong on the stage, at the red dot between her eyebrows, and couldn't bear to blink.
In the afternoon, Hu Tong, who had just finished her makeup, proudly approached him to show him the red dot between her eyebrows, saying it was a lucky charm that the makeup artist had specially added. Cheng Zhou remembered that Hu Tong used to like to stick red round stickers on her forehead or make a dot there when she participated in Children's Day performances.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Hu Tong always asked.
Cheng Zhou watched Hu Tong reciting on the stage. One stage light after another converged between the two of them, weaving a golden net that firmly fixed him in place on that cold, hard wooden chair.
He never told Hu Tong that he didn't dare stare at the bright red dot for too long when she got close; the sudden, strong scent of cosmetics had already made his heart race.
"Yes, it's beautiful, like the rising sun."
Cheng Zhou remembered giving that answer, which earned him an elbow to the elbow and an unhappy complaint from Hu Tong: "You didn't even look carefully!"
"Besides, it's beautiful, that's beautiful. What do you mean by 'the rising sun'? Are you subtly calling me an animal?"
Cheng Zhou recalled Hu Tong's angry expression and subconsciously placed his hand on his lower abdomen, where the pain from the elbow strike still lingered. For some reason, he felt a sense of pleasure from that pain.
Just then, the boy sitting diagonally in front of him turned his head, grinning mischievously as he sought Cheng Zhou's approval.
"Hey, don't you think Hu Tong is exaggerating too much?"
The fingers resting on his lower abdomen tightened suddenly. Cheng Zhou remained silent until Hu Tong stepped down from the stage. Then he blinked his dry eyes and replied, "It's perfectly fine."
The boy suddenly pressed his chest, made a vomiting face, and then asked with a grin, "What? You don't like Hu Tong, do you?"
Cheng Zhou nodded nonchalantly, using his tried-and-true killer move, "Of course I like my cousin."
Sure enough, some enthusiastic classmates immediately jumped out to condemn the male classmate for his filthy thoughts.
Hu Tong, her ponytail swaying, walked hand-in-hand with her friends, chatting and laughing as they jogged back to their classroom. She sat down in the empty chair behind Cheng Zhou, leaned over, and casually asked, "What are you talking about?"
His breath hit the bare skin on the back of his neck. Cheng Zhou put his hands in his pockets, clenched them into fists, and answered with feigned composure, "I said you did very well."
Hu Tong smiled with satisfaction, then patted Cheng Zhou on the shoulder, "Hey, turn around and take a look, is my makeup okay?"
Hu Tong was shouting her heart out on stage, and tiny beads of sweat had already appeared on her face. Away from the dazzling stage lights, her patchy foundation and the smudged eyeshadow around her eyes were clearly visible.
The auspicious mole, which was specially placed there, was like the reflection of the red sun in the water—rich, soft, shimmering, and gentle.
Cheng Zhou blushed, betraying his professional ethics as an art student, and said definitively, "Very good."
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