Chapter 43
The auditorium was dimly lit, with all the light focused on the stage, where the Party branch secretary was giving a speech.
In the shadows, taking advantage of the ambiguous atmosphere, a man and a woman gazed at each other, their dark eyes now shrouded in a hazy mist.
The noise from the venue didn't seem to bother them.
Guan Nan's palms were sweating, his heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to pierce his ribs, and he subconsciously drooled.
Suddenly, I saw him smile.
Guan Nan felt embarrassed and subconsciously lowered her head, while thankfully the dim light concealed her blush.
“We’re friends,” Jiang Li said matter-of-factly.
After hearing this, she gave a vague reply and had no intention of saying anything more.
The sound system inside the auditorium reverberated throughout the walls.
But all Guan Nan could hear was the sound of her heartbeat.
—"Bang!"
—"Bang!"
Each hit made her eyes hurt and her teeth ache, and even her breathing became exceptionally clear, as if it had a new rhythm.
She knew why, and only she knew.
Because of a guilty conscience, and also because...
Guan Nan put the candy in her mouth, and the sweet taste permeated her heart and soul.
It's too sweet, way too sweet.
Thinking this, she chewed a round candy in a few bites and crushed it. She just sat there, staring straight at the stage, not having the courage to turn her head to look at Jiang Li.
After an unknown amount of time, the voice announced, "Class 1401 of Senior Three, get ready to wait."
In an instant, the boys and girls in the class stood up and lined up on the side of the stage to wait.
Midway through the performance on stage, Yu Shu pulled Liu Yang, Guo Yuhang, and a few others out for a short while. They returned in less than two minutes, carrying colorful flags and acting very flamboyantly.
When Banban saw this, she didn't say anything to spoil the mood. "Be careful later, don't bump into anyone."
Several people shouted in high spirits, "Good!"
Guan Nan glanced back and saw at least seven or eight colorful flags, which were quite eye-catching.
The previous class came off the stage from the right. After the host gave them some praise, it was finally their turn. "Next, please enjoy the chorus song 'I Believe' performed by Class 1401 of Senior Three."
As soon as he finished speaking, the kids from Class 1401, like wild horses released from their cages, huffed and puffed as they stomped on the wooden platform boxes.
First row, second row, stand at attention.
The microphones were placed haphazardly, making it seem more like a solo performance than a chorus, and the students rushed onto the stage.
I adjusted the microphone height and increased the distance between us.
Taking advantage of the moment, Guan Nan glanced back, assuming Jiang Li would be holding a flag, but unexpectedly, the person was standing right behind her.
Jiang Li saw the ponytail swing to one side, and he lowered his eyes and slightly raised his eyebrows.
Upon seeing this, Guan Nan scratched her face, feeling itchy, and immediately turned her head away, afraid that someone would notice something amiss.
Just then, the shifts were completed, and Ouyang Mei, who was in charge of the command, waved her hand, and the red curtain slowly opened to both sides, and everyone became 100% focused.
Ouyang Mei beckoned with her finger, signaling for the music to start.
As the intro began, everyone followed her gestures and sang along:
"I want to fly to the sky and stand shoulder to shoulder with the sun; the world is waiting for me to change it."
"I'm not afraid for others to see the dreams I want to have; I can achieve them all here."
"Loud laughter lets us stand shoulder to shoulder; where can't we find boundless joy?"
At the beginning, the tune was sung very softly, perfectly matching the "kindergarten choir" mentioned earlier.
She was very well-behaved and conformed to everyone's stereotype of a good student.
A model of obedience, understanding, and good behavior.
"Leave your worries behind and stride forward bravely; I stand right in the center of the stage."
As they sang, they strode forward, and the boys behind them exchanged glances, patted each other on the shoulder, and passed the song around. When they reached the "stage," they stomped their feet, creating a powerful atmosphere.
One after another, whether fast or slow, the rhythm was on point, creating the imposing presence of a vast army.
The school leaders in the audience immediately burst into smiles.
"I believe in who I am, I believe in tomorrow, I believe youth has no horizon."
I believe in freedom, I believe in hope, I believe I can reach for the sky.
At the height of the excitement, Yu Shu jumped off the stage, put one hand to his lips like a megaphone, waved a flag in the other, and shouted into the microphone, "Friends in the audience, let's all get hyped! Okay?!
Without any rehearsal, the choir was momentarily stunned, but quickly adjusted and caught up with the rhythm.
The next second, the students waving flags went crazy, following Yu Shu as they ran around the choir singing. Influenced by them, the scene was full of passion and completely boiling over.
This song is played every day, and everyone in the room knows it, which immediately livened up the atmosphere.
"The beach at sunset, the bustling streets—these are the most beautiful paradises in my heart."
I believe in freedom, I believe in hope, I believe I can reach for the sky.
As the chorus progressed, it was as if some unknown mechanism had been activated, and everyone became excited. The boys in the back row waved their flags and roared at the top of their lungs.
With you by my side, life is more vibrant, and every moment is incredibly wonderful.
The transition from gentleness to strength was something that wasn't discussed at all during rehearsals, yet everyone worked together with remarkable tacit understanding.
The scene was orderly and imposing, yet not out of place.
When the place was at its noisiest and most chaotic, with pieces scattered all over the ground, Jiang Li behind him remained unmoved by the scene. He reached out and gently tugged at Guan Nan's ponytail.
Guan Nan turned around amidst the chaos.
He casually curled his lips, his eyes unfathomable.
The hanging lamp resembled a crescent moon, but amidst the countless stars, she could find the brightest one with a simple turn, without even needing to tiptoe.
He was the only light in her world.
It is also a vast starry river.
Unreachable.
It was at this moment that the girl had a fleeting, delusional thought of climbing; she wanted to
—Pluck that star.
Suddenly, he slowly released his grip and leisurely added:
I do believe.
Guan Nan's eyelids trembled, unsure of what expression she had on her face when she faced him at the last moment.
In the end, as they were leaving the stage, someone started it up, deliberately walking around to the microphone stand and shouting with a smile: "To you, to me, to us, long live ideals, long live youth, long live freedom!"
"If you've taken the wrong path, don't turn back." It was Liu Yang's voice. Guan Nan recognized it. After he finished speaking, he even started singing: "Little sister, boldly walk forward, don't look back~"
"The mountains are high and the roads are long, but we have a long future ahead of us!" This is Guo Yuhang's statement.
"Let's cheer each other on for the college entrance exam." This is from Luo Haoyu.
"I want to go to Peking University!"
They were playing it really hard, and the head of the grade, Lao Jiang, was so angry that his temples were throbbing. He stood below the stage and kept yelling, "You think you can get into Peking University? I bet you'll have a hard time getting into Peking University's Founder Bird program! Get down here right now!"
Immediately, everyone burst into laughter.
Once someone takes the lead, others follow suit, and a chorus of "Awesome!" echoes throughout the auditorium.
Break free from all conventions and rules, and be unrestrained for once.
The school leaders in the audience laughed and waved for them to get off the stage.
Guan Nan had already descended the steps with a group of girls and was waiting for them on the right side. In the blink of an eye, she saw Jiang Li, who wasn't doing anything, and walked straight over to him, standing in front of the microphone.
"Hey, Guan." Jiang Li remained calm in the face of Old Jiang's shooing.
Upon hearing the name, Guan Nan's heart skipped a beat.
She looked at the person standing under the spotlight.
I didn't dare blink.
Immediately, I heard him move his lips and say, "Don't go with the flow."
"Who is A-Guan?" someone in the audience shouted, using their hands as megaphones.
At that moment, Guan Nan held her breath; the tinnitus seemed to have started again.
She stood rooted to the spot, too afraid to move, feeling dizzy and lightheaded.
Jiang Li's gaze silently swept over a corner, and after a few seconds of silence, a nonchalant and somewhat frivolous smile appeared on his lips: "It's me."
Everyone looked very happy.
Guan Nan was the only one who felt fortunate; no one knew her nickname, no—
There is one!
It was almost an instinctive reaction.
She became more alert and scanned the area around the senior class, but did not see Qi Yang.
Yena noticed her unusual behavior and leaned over to ask, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"No." Guan Nan forced a smile and shook her head with difficulty.
After they came down, the group swaggered up the steps, waving their flag, intending to return to their classroom rest area. Before they'd even realized it, they were shivering with cold and quickly put on their coats.
Just then, Jiang Li grabbed a piece of clothing, said hello to Yu Shu, and went downstairs.
Guan Nan was still puzzled, but before she could ask, someone spoke up: "Wasn't it over? Where did Jiang Li go?"
"When he gets here, you can ask him yourselves," Yu Shu said with a smile, making no real intention of answering.
Ouyang Mei patted him on the shoulder: "If we dared, would we still be asking you?"
They chatted idly for a while longer.
Guan Nan listened casually for a moment, then turned her attention to the stage. When the science class went on stage, she saw Jiang Li, who had been missing, standing in the gap behind the judges' table.
He held up his phone, the camera pointed directly at the stage, recording the entire event.
When the performance ended, a boy ran up to him, stared at his phone screen for a long time, and then the two exchanged messages. Afterwards, Jiang Li turned and walked towards the exit.
After a while.
Guan Nan received the message. She put her gloves inside the sleeves of her down jacket and half-held the candybar phone inside the sleeve.
I unlocked the door and checked the messages.
Desk mate: [Back to the classroom?]
Guan Nan stared at the screen, then glanced around, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Now?"
Desk mate: [Hmm.]
It was as if he sensed her hesitation.
My deskmate then sent another message: "[Teacher Ban agreed.]"
With the information confirmed, Guan Nan didn't dawdle any longer. She hunched over and passed through the checkpoints of her classmates one by one, then stepped down the stairs to the side door of the auditorium.
At this moment, Jiang Li was leaning against the door, his posture as lazy as ever.
"Jiang Li," Guan Nan called out to him.
Jiang Li saw her and raised his chin: "Let's go."
His phone screen was still playing something, and Guan Nan, rather immorally, glanced at it out of the corner of his eye and discovered that he was watching the video of the performance he had just witnessed.
"Were you filming a video just now?" Guan Nan asked as she walked alongside him.
Jiang Li didn't look at his phone, but the video was still playing: "Yeah, I filmed a video for Lin Rui, and he promised to show it to Xie Shuwan."
"Oh," Guan Nan nodded understandingly, pointing to the video on his phone, "And this one?"
"It's only fair to reciprocate." Jiang Li touched his nose.
After saying that, he asked again, "Are you free tomorrow?"
Guan Nan nodded, then asked hesitantly, "Do you have a performance tomorrow?"
"Where do so many performances come from? They're not celebrities." Jiang Li turned off the screen and said lazily, "Isn't tomorrow a holiday? I was just asking."
Guan Nan responded with an "Oh".
"Going out?" Jiang Li asked again.
Guan Nan said, "I have something to do tomorrow, so I'm not going anywhere."
As if suddenly remembering something, Jiang Li nodded casually and did not continue the topic.
A few students were already scattered around the classroom, engrossed in their books and pens.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, Guan Nan took off her clothes, put on her own clothes which he had left on the table, and then folded his clothes and put them on the desk.
Jiang Li filled his water cup with hot water, and when he saw the clothes on the desk, he raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Want to see?" Jiang unlocked his phone and opened the video from earlier. "There are earphones in the desk drawer, and no teacher will catch us now."
Guan Nan nodded, still somewhat expectant: "Let's see."
So, the phone was placed in the middle, with a head on each side, and an earphone on each side.
On the screen is a live video of their performance on stage.
"Why does he look so silly?" Guan Nan couldn't help but laugh as she looked at the scene where he initially resembled a kindergarten child.
Just as Jiang Li was about to say something, the front door was kicked open with a "bang".
The wind was howling in, and it seemed the newcomers were up to no good.
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