In the golden autumn season, the trees on campus were tinged with gold. After the intense military training, the school's welcome party began. Peking University's welcome party was arguably the focus of the entire city and even the country. The school leaders attached great importance to it, with the city's vice mayor in charge of education in attendance, and leaders from the ministry were also invited to watch. Backstage at the party, Xu Chen changed into the sect uniform he had brought from home. He had kept this uniform in his storage bag, so taking it out now saved him the trouble of buying another one. After changing, Xu Chen leisurely waited for his turn to go on stage. Zhao Jiajia, standing next to him, was quite speechless at Xu Chen's calm and composed demeanor, seemingly neither anxious nor nervous. She thought to herself, "I hope he really isn't nervous and can perform normally. There are so many people watching." "Next up, let's welcome Xu Chen from the History Department." A voice rang in Xu Chen's ears. He stood up and straightened his clothes. His predominantly white, light blue ancient-style costume gave him an inexplicably ethereal air, attracting the attention of some backstage staff. Xu Chen, holding his xiao (a type of vertical bamboo flute), walked effortlessly to the front of the stage, waiting for the host to finish before stepping onto the stage. The audience fell silent, seemingly curious about Xu Chen's attire and the piece he was about to play. Wang Li prayed silently on the sidelines. Principal Wang Zhiwei, seeing Xu Chen, recalled the incident a while back when a soldier in civilian clothes came to his office asking him to help Xu Chen get leave. He had a strong impression of Xu Chen and tilted his head to Minister Xu Jingwei, saying, "The person coming up on stage now is Xu Chen, this year's top liberal arts student in the History Department." Xu Jingwei nodded, looking at Xu Chen in his white robes, somewhat anticipating what kind of piece he would play. Xu Chen picked up his xiao and slowly played his most familiar tune. Each note seemed to express longing, or perhaps lament the changes brought about by the passage of time. He had played this piece countless times on Tianquan Star; he knew it intimately and played it effortlessly. The audience was quiet, as if unwilling to disturb the gentle notes playing in their ears. Some looked at the program, wanting to know what piece it was, but it was simply marked as "untitled," leaving them somewhat disappointed. "I've never heard this piece before. Have you?" "Me neither. Did this student compose it himself?" "Whether he did or not, we'll ask him backstage later." Two elderly professors whispered among themselves. After five minutes, Xu Chen finished playing the entire piece, bowed to the audience, and went backstage. Thunderous applause erupted. The student council senior student who was hosting the event had a few tears in her eyes, as if she had just been crying. "Students, was this piece beautiful?" "Yes!" "Let's give another round of applause to Xu Chen from the History Department. Thank you for his wonderful performance!" Seeing this, Wang Li happily pumped her fist. As his girlfriend, she felt proud that her man had made such a splash.
Xu Chen, emerging from backstage, bumped into two elderly men. "Hello, young man, we are teachers from the music academy. May we ask you about the piece you just played?" one of the men asked. Xu Chen shook his head, feigning regret, and said, "I'm sorry, teachers." He then walked away. It wasn't that Xu Chen was being aloof; having lacked theoretical training, even with his exceptional skill, the only thing he could discuss with the professors was the emotion within the piece itself—and that was his secret. The two professors showed no displeasure. "Haha, it seems this talented young man is a bit arrogant." "It's the same for us. Weren't we like that when we were young?" They shook their heads, chatting and laughing as they left.
"Chenchen, you did a great job just now!" Wang Li smiled and hugged Xu Chen as he walked out of the venue. Xu Chen put away his flute, put his arm around her waist, and said softly, "Li'er, I'll take you somewhere." His deliberately mysterious expression aroused Wang Li's curiosity. Wang Li nodded, and soon after, Xu Chen led Wang Li out of the school gate and took a car to the suburbs. "Sister-in-law is here? Come in, please." Wang Aihua quickly invited Wang Li and Xu Chen inside. Xu Chen arrived at a quiet restaurant in the suburbs. Zhao Weimin came out from the private room to greet them with a smile. Li Wei stood to the side, looking anxious, as if he had something on his mind. Xu Chen and Wang Li sat down. As soon as Wang Li sat down, she stared at the roast duck on the table. Zhao Weimin laughed and said to Xu Chen, "Looks like sister-in-law is quite the foodie." Xu Chen smiled as well, picked up his wine and filled everyone's glasses. Just as he was about to raise his glass, Li Wei stood up and walked towards the door. Wang Aihua was about to stop Li Wei, but Li Wei waved his hand, "Aihua, I'm just going to the restroom." Wang Aihua then dispelled his concerns. He had vaguely thought that Li Wei, who came from an ordinary family, was not used to the environment here, and he had been comforting him.
Not long after, an argument erupted outside the private room. "It wasn't me!" Hearing Li Wei's explanation, the group stood up and went outside. They saw a young woman with a harsh face and glamorous clothes talking to a man beside her. The bodyguards were simultaneously questioning Li Wei, "Speak, is the ring in your possession?" one of the bodyguards shouted. Li Wei shook his head. Seeing this, Xu Chen rushed forward to block Li Wei's path. Wang Aihua and the others followed Xu Chen, stopping the bodyguards who wanted to search Li Wei. The man, seeing this, looked surprised. "The Wang and Zhao family's kids?" Wang Aihua, whose attention had been entirely on the bodyguards, now recognized the man beside the woman upon hearing the voice. He and Zhao Weimin exchanged a glance, instinctively reaching for their phones to call their families for help. The man ordered a bodyguard to knock the phone away. "What?" "Don't you recognize me? Or do you think you can help this petty thief who stole my woman's ring get away with it?" Zhao Weimin, seeing his phone knocked away, simply let go. He said to the man with a serious face, "Zhao Shengming, you need to provide evidence before accusing someone." Then Zhao Weimin chuckled and continued, "Oh, I forgot, thugs and bandits can indeed slander others without any evidence." Zhao Shengming laughed and then said calmly, "His clothes and behavior are out of place here. It's hard for me not to suspect him. How about this, I'll give you face today and only search him." Wang Aihua angrily retorted, "Pah! Who gave you the right to search someone? Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you've latched onto a powerful figure. Little do you know that even a powerful backer can crumble." Zhao Shengming looked impatient. In any other place, he wouldn't bother negotiating with two brats. Having been rebuffed twice today, Xu Chen simply waved his hand. The bodyguards understood and tried to pull Zhao Weimin and the others away. Xu Chen, seeing this, was about to stop the bodyguards when a beautiful girl walked out of the next private room. She said impatiently, "Zhao Shengming, do you remember me?" Zhao Shengming, seeing the newcomer, broke out in a cold sweat. "I remember, I remember, how could I forget Miss Tang?" As a tool for a certain behind-the-scenes figure to make money, he had met many important people with his boss. He couldn't possibly forget the Tang family. "Let's just let this matter go?" Tang Xue yawned, as if she wanted to go home and sleep quickly. Zhao Shengming's eyes lit up. "Alright, whatever Miss Tang commands."
Half an hour later, Xu Chen and his group watched Tang Xue's car drive away. Wang Li seemed a little emotional, "Chenchen, how many years do we ordinary people have to struggle to have the confidence that Miss Tang has, fearless of anyone and anything?" Xu Chen stroked her hair and smiled. Wang Aihua and Zhao Weimin were comforting Li Wei. Li Wei sadly explained the whole situation and answered Wang Aihua's question about why he was so down. Zhao Weimin patted Li Wei's shoulder, "Are you stupid? Have Aihua, Chendi, and I looked down on you?" Li Wei shook his head. Zhao Weimin continued, "Have we considered you a brother?" Li Wei's eyes were filled with tears, "It's my fault, I shouldn't have been so sensitive." Wang Aihua stepped forward and said earnestly, "Since you're so sensitive, we brothers have to find a way to help you get over it. Come on, Wei-ge, take him, let's go back and continue drinking." The others nodded. Li Wei wiped away his tears, "Thank you, thank you brothers. I won't think about it anymore. No matter how well-off you are, I will always remember you. You are my brothers."
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