The way you smiled just now was very pretty
The opposing team's fifth company was completely dumbfounded. They had prepared for a thousand ways of being fought back, but they never expected that the other side would use a nursery rhyme to resolve all their provocations.
"Sing! Sing for me!" Lu Yu directed with a smile.
So, hundreds of people from the Seventh Company roared "Two Tigers" with the momentum of singing a military song, and the scene was funny and spectacular, enough to be recorded in the history of Jiangda military training.
In the ocean of joy, Lu Yu's gaze subconsciously passed through the crowd and fell on Shi Guang again.
Then, he saw it.
He saw Shi Guang lowering his head, his shoulders shaking. When he looked up, Lu Yu could clearly see that the corners of his mouth, which were always cold and indifferent, were rising uncontrollably in a broad smile. His eyes curved into two beautiful crescents, filled with a subtle smile illuminated by the light.
At that moment, all the noise and laughter around him seemed to have faded away from Lu Yu. In his world, only that smile remained.
He felt that all his efforts and trials over the past few days had been rewarded in the best possible way at this moment.
Lu Yu's two tiger attacks were incredibly effective, not only leaving the opposing Fifth Company speechless but also sending the entire Seventh Company reeling in laughter, their morale soaring to an all-time high. Zhou Hai, hands on his hips, watched the sullen expression of the Fifth Company's instructor, his heart overflowing with joy, yet his face remained serious as he lectured, "What are you laughing at! Seriously! Are you so proud of your victory? Sit down!"
However, the Fifth Company was clearly not a pushover. After a brief period of humiliation and confusion, their instructor personally stepped in and called on a seemingly quiet girl.
The girl stood up and sang neither military songs nor pop songs. Instead, she sang an extremely lyrical folk song "Farewell" in an ethereal and clear voice.
"Outside the long pavilion, beside the ancient road, the green grass stretches to the horizon..."
A melodious, slightly sad melody echoed over the clamorous stadium. The atmosphere, momentarily bustling like a market, miraculously quieted down. Everyone, unanimously, listened in silence. The woman's voice carried a pure power that seemed to soothe any restlessness, transporting everyone into a distant and tranquil state of mind.
After the song, the whole audience fell silent. A few seconds later, thunderous applause broke out, this time more sincere and enthusiastic than any before.
"Damn it, that was a mistake!" Fat Jiang slapped his thigh, the smile on his face disappearing. "They're using magic attacks to defeat our physical attacks! This is going to be difficult!"
Just as he'd said, the Fifth Company's tactic of using softness to overcome hardness instantly turned the tide. The Seventh Company, basking in the euphoria of victory just moments before, felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured on them. Now, it was their turn to respond. Using a comedic song would seem tasteless; using a grand and majestic song wouldn't be enough to overshadow the sentiment of the folk song.
Zhou Hai also frowned. He paced back and forth in the team, scanning everyone's face as if looking for a hero who could save the world.
"I'll do it!" Zhao Teng, the conspicuous figure, jumped out again. He said excitedly, "Instructor, just singing is so boring! I suggest we have a dance battle with them! I just learned a hip-hop dance routine, and I guarantee it will rock the house!"
"Fight you!" Zhou Hai slapped him on the back of the head. "This is a singing competition, not your personal talent show! Sit down!"
"Report to the instructor!" Fatty Jiang also mustered up the courage to stand up. "I can sing 'Qinghai-Tibet Plateau'! I can hit that last high note!"
Zhou Hai gave him a suspicious look and said, "Sing a line for me."
Fatty Jiang cleared his throat, gathered his energy, and roared with all his might, "That's Qing-Zang-Gao-Ah-Ah-Ah-"
A cracking sound, like the sound of a pig being butchered, echoed throughout the stadium. Zhou Hai's face instantly turned green, and he kicked him in the butt: "Get lost! Do you want the other team to laugh us to death?!"
The whole company burst into laughter again.
Lu Yu also smiled, but he knew in his heart that this was no time for jokes. He was about to stand up again, no matter what, he couldn't lose the momentum.
But at this moment, a timid voice sounded from the middle of the team.
"Report to the instructor... I, I want to give it a try."
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice. The person standing up was Lin Xiyue, the League Secretary who always spoke softly. She lowered her head, her hands nervously clutching the corners of her clothes, her cheeks slightly flushed with nervousness.
"You?" Zhou Hai was also a little surprised. "What are you going to sing?"
"I can sing... a nursery rhyme from my hometown." Lin Xiyue's voice trembled a little, but her eyes were firm. "It's very quiet and simple."
Lu Yu looked at her and remembered the quiet girl who had taken the initiative to take over the position of League Secretary after Shi Guang had refused. Something in his heart moved him, and he immediately led the applause.
"Okay! Let Lin Xiyue do one!"
With Lu Yu taking the lead, the whole class immediately responded and gave Lin Xiyue the greatest encouragement with applause.
Lin Xiyue took a deep breath and walked to the front of the team. She did not stand like the others, but sat down cross-legged again and closed her eyes.
When she opened her eyes again, her nervousness had faded, replaced by a gentle temperament.
She sang without lyrics, simply using a pure, babbling hum to convey a distant, lingering melody. It wasn't overtly melancholic like "Farewell," nor did it have the ups and downs of a pop song. It was like the morning mist in the mountains, a stream flowing over pebbles, a mother's whisper beside a cradle.
No technique, all emotion.
The entire stadium fell silent again.
This time, the silence was even more profound than before. Everyone was captivated by this sudden, pure and simple voice. There was no competition or provocation in that voice, only a power that made everyone let down their guard.
Even the 5th Company on the opposite side stopped talking and listened quietly.
Lu Yu looked at Lin Xiyue's back, his eyes full of admiration and respect. He knew that this seemingly weak girl had won the game in a way that no one had expected.
Shi Guang, sitting in the crowd, also raised his head. He looked at the girl, alone, whose singing had soothed the entire audience, then glanced at Lu Yu, who was leading the applause for her not far away. His gaze flickered between the two, finally settling on his own hands resting on his knees. For the first time, he felt that this group he had always tried to avoid wasn't so scary after all. It was noisy and chaotic, yet also filled with unexpected surprises and warmth.
Lin Xiyue’s humming ended, but the lingering sound remained in the air.
The entire stadium fell into a soothing silence. Finally, someone started it, but applause surged from all sides like a tide. This time, there was no rivalry or heckling in the applause, only pure appreciation and respect.
The instructor of the 5th Company opposite stood up and gave a thumbs up in the direction of the 7th Company.
Zhou Hai also showed a rare, heartfelt smile on his face. He walked to the front of the team, his eyes swept across the entire company, and finally paused on Lu Yu and Lin Xiyue.
"Tonight, not bad!" His voice was still loud, but less harsh than during the day and more appreciative. "One is driven, smart, and knows how to boost the team's morale! The other is courageous, warm, and knows how to earn respect in the gentlest way! Both are great! This is what our Seventh Company should be like!"
He paused, then waved his hand. "Alright, stop sitting here, and get out of here! Go back and have a good rest. Tomorrow, don't let me down! Disband!"
"oh--!"
The students, who had been suppressed all night, gave thunderous cheers at the command to disperse, and rushed to the dormitory in twos and threes like a group of wild horses that finally broke free from their reins.
The four people in dormitory 602 naturally came together.
The cool night breeze blew away the day's heat. The streetlights stretched their shadows long, then crushed them beneath the shadows of the trees.
"Hey, let me tell you, today is such a shame!" Fat Jiang walked in front, still lamenting that he didn't get to sing. "You haven't seen my KTV style back then! My song 'Qinghai-Tibet Plateau' could knock the lights off the private rooms! If I had played today, the opposing team's fifth company would have surrendered on the spot!"
"From a physiological perspective," Sun Rui, who was standing beside him, calmly pushed up his glasses. "Without professional vocal training, forcing yourself to reach high notes above C5 has a 98.7% chance of tearing your vocal cords or rupturing your capillaries. Your instructor's actions, in a sense, are protecting your vocal system."
"Go away!" Fatty Jiang pushed him in anger. "Brother Sun, you're just too scientific. You don't understand art at all!"
Lu Yu and Shi Guang walked behind them. Listening to their bickering, Lu Yu couldn't help but smile. He turned his head and found Shi Guang also listening quietly, with a faint smile on his lips.
"Today... Lin Xiyue was quite impressive." Lu Yu seemed to be sharing his thoughts with a friend. "I didn't expect her to be so quiet normally."
"Well," Shi Guang nodded and gave his own evaluation, "Her voice is very clean."
This is a very high evaluation, especially coming from Shi Guang.
"What about you?" Lu Yu suddenly asked.
"Me?" Shi Guang looked up in confusion.
"I mean," Lu Yu looked at him, his eyes looking particularly serious and clear in the night, "you were pretty good when you sang 'Two Tigers' today."
Shi Guang's cheeks felt slightly hot. He knew that Lu Yu was teasing him, but there was no mockery in his tone. Instead, there was a warm smile.
"I didn't sing." He defended himself in a low voice.
"Yes," Lu Yu's tone was unquestionable. He leaned a little closer and lowered his voice, as if sharing a secret known only to the two of them. "I heard it, although the voice was very low. And..."
He paused, looked at Shi Guang's eyes, which looked like they were filled with starlight under the streetlight, and said clearly, word by word:
"You looked very pretty when you smiled just now."
As if scorched by these words, Shi Guang quickly turned his head, avoiding Lu Yu's sight. The light from the street lamp shone from behind him, and Lu Yu could clearly see that his earlobes, which had always been white, were turning a translucent pink bit by bit at a speed visible to the naked eye.
“…left.”
He dropped two words, quickened his pace, and almost fled as he passed Fatty Jiang and Sun Rui in front of him, and walked forward alone.
Lu Yu stood there, looking at his flustered figure, the smile on his lips growing wider. He felt that teasing this seemingly aloof but extremely shy cat was more fun than any game.
After returning to the dormitory, everyone was tired after a noisy night and washed up.
When Lu Yu came out of the shower, he found Shi Guang lying on the bed, covered tightly with a quilt, leaving only his black hair exposed, as if he was making some kind of silent protest.
Lu Yu smiled and didn't bother him. He sat down at his desk, his eyes fixed on the small vase of foxtail grass. He reached out his finger and gently touched the furry spike.
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