Frozen dried fish
"Um?"
Zhou Xi's head fell, his eyes opened, and he touched his mouth. Fortunately, he was not drooling.
It was pitch black all around, and there was a dull sound of something hitting the window.
"What time is it?" Zhou Xi's heart skipped a beat and he lifted his coat from his shoulders.
"Five fifty! Sister Zhou, wake up! We finished cleaning up and saw you were asleep. It's not time yet, so we thought we'd let you sleep for a while."
In the darkness, Xiao Xiaoyu and Gao Yuanyuan were as if they couldn't stand the light, so they squeezed together carefully. The white light from the mobile phone screen made their faces look pale.
Zhou Xi breathed a sigh of relief, put on his coat again, and massaged his hot stomach.
Xiao Xiaoyu went over to turn on the light, and her eyes flashed. She almost did a spin and fell down. "Hiss! It's so bright! Just right, I can go through now."
"Is it raining outside? It's so loud?"
Even with the door closed, I could still hear the noise, but that wasn't the sound of rain.
It made a crackling sound, as if it were hail.
Zhou Xi opened the balcony door. The window was blurry, but there were still some unmelted ice particles.
"it sleets."
"Yes, it's so annoying. I hope it won't snow soon. Sister Zhou, please be careful and don't catch a cold!" Xiao Xiaoyu pulled Zhou Xi in and closed the door.
"Let's go."
Zhou Xi walked to the door and felt the cold wind in the corridor biting into his neck even though he was wrapped in an extra-long down jacket. However, he had been stuffy inside for a long time, so the breeze felt a bit refreshing.
Looking down, she was only wearing a pair of leggings under her skirt. How could she still be so calm later?
Say it’s cool.
No, it will just turn into frozen dried fish.
Xiao Xiaoyu also noticed it and suggested, "Sister Zhou, why don't you put on your old pants and change them when you get over there? It's too cold, you might catch a cold later."
"Um."
Xiao Xiaoyu and Gao Yuanyuan hid under an umbrella, the two of them huddled together tightly, each holding Zhou Xi's things tightly in their arms.
"Wow, that's so loud, just like setting off a firecracker on my head. I'm afraid this umbrella will be broken." Xiao Xiaoyu reached out of the umbrella, caught a few ice chips, and then slapped her mouth.
"Wow, this ice is so fun! And it's kind of delicious!"
Gao Yuanyuan also reached out to take it, and soon it turned into water in her palm: "I want to play in the snow too."
"It's almost there, it's hail, it's going to snow soon. Then we can go to the park together, because the park has the most snow!"
"Let's go!" Gao Yuanyuan shook off the water and put her hands back into her pockets.
Zhou Xi held up her skirt with one hand and held an umbrella with the other. Her clothes and umbrella were all black, as if they were the only dividing line between the dark sky and the snow-white ground.
Her face was as white as a female ghost that haunted the night, cold and dangerous.
The ground was covered with a thin layer of ice, which made a crackling sound when stepped on. The clean white ice that had just fallen on top sank, forming a deeper embrace with the ground.
The weather was too cold, so the three of them ran to the store and bought hot packs and food.
"Hello, check the bag!"
Xiao Xiaoyu opened her umbrella and was stopped by the student union members at the door.
"There's no food, just hot packs and clothes. These are for the performers."
After the student union finished the inspection, they gave people disposable glow sticks before letting them in.
After entering, Xiao Xiaoyu smiled secretly and waved the fluorescent stick in her hand which was not yet lit.
"Fortunately, Li Li was cunning and tortured Zhang Wenwen to extract a confession in advance, otherwise we would have to say goodbye to snacks." Xiao Xiaoyu decided to take some handsome photos of Li Li later to blind his eyes.
"Yeah!" Gao Yuanyuan nodded frantically, covering the snacks in her pocket.
The seats are divided into areas according to grade and class. Zhou Xi is a performer, so his seat is not in the audience, but in the large classroom on the first floor of the art building next door.
The audience and performers entered the venue one after another, and the silence of the venue was finally broken.
"You guys sit down first, I'll go over."
"good."
“…”
"I'm coming." Meng Qian stared at the door, and suddenly her eyes lit up. She vacated the seat on the right where the bag was placed.
"sit!"
"Thanks."
Meng Qian looked Zhou Xi up and down, not hiding her thoughts: "This dress suits you very well, beautiful."
"The same to you."
The clothes Meng Qian was wearing were specially customized, so they were naturally very suitable for her.
"You are different from me. This is what I have insisted on for many years, but you don't need to insist on it to have it."
"There are always people better than you, that's probably what it means. Even if I don't want to admit it, this thought will still come up when I face people who are better than me." Meng Qian smiled, her eye bags were very obvious, and her red eyeliner was pulled upwards, making her look like a fox.
"You are also in the eyes of others. There are always people better than you. You are not still belittling yourself."
There were more and more people in the classroom. Zhou Xi took out the iron box from her pocket, opened it, pinched a pink candy and put it in her mouth. When she tasted it, it tasted like blueberry. This candy really surprised her as always.
"Of course not. Thinking about it is one thing, but it doesn't mean I have low self-esteem. I will just work hard to surpass myself and break the existing record."
People grow up, she does, and so does Meng Qian. They have already made peace with the winning prize, which has amazed the time and also amazed her.
“I wish you could see the scenery from a higher place.”
Meng Qian looked back: "You too."
As required, the first three shows must be performed backstage.
Zhou Xi changed his clothes, put the bag of things on the table, and went over with Meng Qian.
Only the stage lights were on in the venue, and the auditorium was dim. Everyone tacitly cooperated and did not turn on the glow sticks in advance.
"Miss..."
Xiao Xiaoyu moved a seat for Zhou Xi: "Sister Zhou, why are you here? Come and sit down!"
"You guys are a gang..."
Zhou Xi finally saw clearly what Xiao Xiaoyu and the others were doing in the corner. They were just snacks, drinks, and...
"Hehehe, don't worry, Zhang Wenwen is in charge of this area, it's safe."
"Oh my god! Sister Zhou, you're so beautiful!" Lu Zisheng stuck his head out, and the girl's superior facial features could not be concealed under the dim light.
Zhou Xi sat down: "Thank you."
Zhang Wenwen, who was hiding at the foot of the wall, heard her name called. As soon as she popped her head out, she saw the beautiful woman staring at her. She had octopus balls stuffed in her mouth, like a pig. She was so scared that she beat her chest and swallowed it.
Zhang Wenwen smiled, this is what she looks like.
Xiao Xiaoyu handed the barbecue to Zhou Xi: "Besides, we are decent people, so we will definitely not leave any garbage behind later."
"I don't dare eat it. I have work to do later." Zhou Xi looked down at the barbecue skewers wrapped in paper towels. "It's quite well prepared, but how did this barbecue get in?"
"Hehe, of course someone picked us up from the back window. Yuanyuan and I brought snacks, and they bought food outside. It was such a clear division of labor, perfect, wasn't it?"
"Mm, amazing, but be careful, this smells so good."
"Don't worry, many people brought food in and want to share it with everyone."
"Can you help me get my clothes backstage later?" Zhou Xi stood up and bent over.
"no problem."
"Okay! By the way, can I go take a look backstage at Sister Zhou?" Xiao Xiaoyu shook her legs.
"It's still early, so it should be possible. Want to go?"
"Go ahead, it's so boring sitting here!"
Xiao Xiaoyu urged a few people to go backstage for a walk.
Lu Zisheng pulled Gao Liyang out from under his hat and said, "Brother Yang, let's go!"
"Wow! That host is so beautiful!" Xiao Xiaoyu pulled Gao Yuanyuan over and ran over to take a photo.
Lu Zisheng accidentally bumped into a man in a black suit: "Oh my god! Qi'er, why are you here!"
"Our teacher pulled me here to participate in the show!" Qi Qi rubbed the place where he was hit.
"Wow, your face is painted just like that male goblin. How did you do it?"
Qi Qi covered his face with a look of pain.
“…”
Gao Liyang curiously reached for the edge of the curtain. The stage was bright, but the audience was dark.
"What are you doing?"
Gao Liyang turned his head and suddenly looked at Zhou Xi's delicate face, his eyes dodging: "Curious."
The distance was so close that he could smell a faint scent of perfume, but he couldn't tell what it was.
Gao Liyang glanced up and down at Zhou Xi quietly, and his eyes lit up again. Just now, he was a little far away and couldn't see clearly, but now he could see the whole thing.
She was so beautiful that he was embarrassed to look her in the eye. He was afraid his heart couldn't take it.
"First time seeing this perspective?"
"Well, being onstage and being offstage are like two different worlds."
Zhou Xi saw the male host in the corner sorting the items with small cards in his hand, muttering to himself.
"The stage looks down, the audience looks up."
"You're wearing high heels?"
Gao Liyang straightened up and found that the person was almost at the height of his nose.
"Of course, I'm still shorter than you."
Gao Liyang laughed: "Why else would you want to be taller than me? Do you want to become a giant so that I can be your little brother?"
Zhou Xi tiptoed and thought about this question seriously: "How good is it, little brother? You have Sister Zhou to protect you. Aren't you happy?"
Gao Liyang put his hand on Zhou Xi's down jacket and pressed it lightly, and Zhou Xi shrank back.
"Indeed, now that you put it that way, I understand."
Zhou Xi feigned anger and slapped Gao Liyang's hand away: "You are such a villain."
"I am a little man, and you are a little man, a little man, a little man?"
"childish."
Zhou Xi lowered his head. If he kicked Gao Liyang now, he would probably turn into a monkey and howl. Then he would be hit with left and right hooks.
There are still fifteen minutes until seven o'clock.
"Come on, come on, everyone gather! Head count! Unrelated people, please leave the backstage immediately!"
Xiao Xiaoyu saw the teacher wearing a work badge coming over, and pulled Gao Yuanyuan to Zhou Xi.
"Damn it, I just remembered that Yuanyuan and I should be taking pictures for you in the audience. We can't stay in the back. Can you let Brother Yang get it for you?"
Xiao Xiaoyu didn't wait for Zhou Xi to speak, pulled Gao Liyang over, and pushed him towards Zhou Xi: "Yangyang, when Sister Zhou comes on stage, you can help her take off her clothes, and we'll go to the front to take pictures!"
"Okay."
"That's how it's all resolved! I'll leave it to you. Bye!!"
Xiao Xiaoyu pushed Gao Liyang to Zhou Xi's side again, thinking that the beautiful girl and the handsome guy should stand together, and then she ran away holding Gao Yuanyuan's hand.
"Trouble."
"Okay, call me when we get there." Gao Liyang felt that since there were performers all around him, it would be inappropriate for him to be alone in the audience, so he wanted to go to the corner and play with his phone.
"Wait a moment, don't go too far, otherwise the teacher will think you are a stranger." Zhou Xi waved at Gao Liyang.
"Oh, okay." Gao Xianzaren immediately stood behind Zhou Xi.
Meng Qian moved closer to Zhou Xi and listened to Wu Jiang's lecture.
Wu Jiang was holding a stack of programs and a walkie-talkie in his hands.
"Are the four hosts in place?"
“Here I come!”
"Has the band arrived yet?"
No one answered.
"Band? Band!"
"No, where are the people?"
"Hey, is it..."
"He Ximei! Where's the band? Tell them to come over quickly!"
"Ten minutes left and they haven't arrived yet! They're failing at the crucial moment!"
He Ximei was really grateful. While frantically sending messages and making phone calls, she replied, "Teacher, I've been looking for them. They're not in the waiting room. I don't know where they went!"
"We can't find anyone! What's going on? Everyone's here, do you have any sense of time?"
"screw you!"
The painted program was thrown to the ground, looking very pitiful.
For a moment, the entire backstage was silent.
"They are in charge of the teachers, go contact them!"
The water-stained program was carefully picked up by a volunteer nearby and placed on the wooden calligraphy table.
Wu Jiang rubbed his face, put his hands on his hips, and said with a bad look: "Is it time for the solo dance yet?"
"arrive!"
"Choir?"
"arrive!"
"Wait here, don't move around anymore, and..."
“Here it comes!”
The five members of the band were wearing uniform clothes and ran over. He Ximei and the volunteers who were moving things followed behind them like grandparents feeding them.
"We're all here, right? He Ximei, you go to the back and organize everything! I'll go to the front first."
The volunteer handed the microphone to the two lead singers of the band and explained the precautions.
He Ximei was out of breath and had no time to rest before being called away by other volunteers.
Seeing that everything was fine, Gao Liyang didn't want to cause any more trouble, so he sat down on the combination rack at the back.
Zhou Xi didn't mind the dirtiness, so he sat on it and curled up into a ball.
"Are you ready?"
"No."
Gao Liyang tilted his head: "Huh?"
"Just kidding."
Gao Liyang saw a calm profile, as if without any emotion.
"So, nervous?"
Zhou Xi didn't answer, but threw the question aside: "What do you think?"
"Aren't you nervous?"
"Well, there's nothing to be nervous about. It's nothing."
The backstage is very empty, with a snow-white wall and no windows, so you can't see what it looks like outside.
Gao Liyang looked up and saw that there was a missing corner of the ceiling, revealing its original gray color.
"You are this." He gave a thumbs up and smiled.
"certainly."
"here we go."
Zhou Xi heard the festive music and everyone gathered around the curtain to watch.
The person in charge repeatedly emphasized that when waiting, one must not cross the red line and lean to the edge of the screen to watch, for fear of being scanned by the live camera.
Zhou Xi reached into his pocket again and took out three pills.
Standing up felt painful for a moment, so Zhou Xi supported his waist, slowly took off his clothes and scarf, and handed them to Gao Liyang: "I'll go wait first."
"Okay, keep going."
A black figure with a particularly straight back, the exposed skin seemed to be glowing, with a hairband wrapped around its hair, it was white camellia.
He had read in a book that the flower language of white camellia is purity.
Gao Liyang held the clothes in his arms and felt the warmth emanating from them. He touched it with his fingers and found that there was a heat pack on the inside of the waist of the black clothes. It was the hottest time of the day, and he couldn't help but stick his cold fingers to it.
Zhou Xi squeezed from the side to the front and found Meng Qian.
"It's our turn soon."
Zhou Xi nodded, rolled the candy with his tongue and pressed it down, opened his mouth slightly, and breathed in and out. He felt the cold pain, even more intensely.
Meng Qian checked her body to make sure there was nothing wrong and moved her neck.
The lights went down and the stage fell into darkness.
"Volunteers, hurry up and move the things!"
"Piano!"
“…”
Meng Qian quickly walked to her designated spot on the stage and lay down on the smooth floor. The surroundings became quiet.
Two beams of light shone on the dancers and the accompanist. Bathed in the light, even the dust particles in the air could be clearly seen.
Meng Qian looked towards the corner and nodded slightly.
Gao Liyang couldn't help but walk around the choir, cross the red line, stand behind the curtain, and be able to see the stage.
His eyes swept across the people dancing on the stage and finally landed on the corner.
The light cast a halo on the piano, and the black skirt and the piano became one.
The notes are sometimes as rapid as the splashing of heavy rain, and sometimes as calm as the surface of a lake.
The red, yellow and blue glow sticks in the crowd below the stage waved to the rhythm, creating a unique sea of lights belonging to the youth.
Gao Liyang saw her lowering her eyes, concentrating on her work. Her face was calm, but her curved eyelashes were trembling slightly.
The heat pack on the back of his hand was a little hot. Gao Liyang looked down in the dim light and saw that his hand was a little red from the heat.
He knew what it tasted like.
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