The announcer's voice rang out from the front desk, and the gala officially began.
The auditorium of Jiangcheng No.1 Middle School can accommodate more than 2,000 people, and at this moment it was packed with people.
The first three rows were occupied by city leaders, school leaders, and heads of various teaching and research groups.
Behind them were students and their homeroom teachers seated in class formations.
Glow sticks waved in the dark, like a cheap, colorful ocean.
The opening dance was a cheerleading routine performed by senior high school students.
Short skirts fluttering, brimming with youthful energy.
This caused the boys in the audience to scream and wail.
Lin Que stood in the shadows of the curtain.
Looking at my peers on stage, sweating profusely, I felt as calm as a stagnant pool.
The overlap between memories of the previous life and this life
This gave him a natural sense of alienation from such liveliness.
Are you nervous?
A voice came from the side.
It's Zhang Ya.
She was one of the hosts tonight, wearing a borrowed red evening gown.
The makeup was a bit heavy, which covered up some of her originally youthful face.
She was trembling, clutching the card tightly in her hand.
"good."
Lin Que leaned against the iron frame.
Why are you shaking? Afraid of forgetting your lines?
"So many leaders are watching."
Zhang Ya took a deep breath and then quickly exhaled.
"And Li Ze was just telling me..."
If your show gets dull, let me jump in and save the day!
Tell a few jokes to lighten the mood.
Lin Que glanced at her:
"So, are you ready with a joke?"
"No."
Zhang Ya turned her head and looked at him intently.
"I believe..."
She paused halfway through her sentence.
"I heard that Teacher Shen stood her ground against the school leaders for your program. Lin Que, don't let her down!"
As she spoke, she straightened her dress and gracefully walked onto the stage.
Lin Que put his hands in his pockets.
He touched the manuscript paper with the title "Coco" written on it, which he had flipped through countless times in the past few days.
"Next, please welcome Li Ze from Class 1 of Senior 3 to perform a solo song, 'Fly Higher'!"
As soon as the announcer finished speaking, a burst of screams erupted from the audience, mostly from girls.
Li Ze, microphone in hand, strode confidently onto the stage.
The spotlight instantly shone on him, making his suit jacket shine brightly.
As the intro began, he closed his eyes and started roaring with a look of ecstasy.
To be fair, she sang quite well.
The high note came through, although there was a slight edge to cracking.
But it was enough to ignite screams from half the girls in the audience.
The applause from the audience was very enthusiastic.
When Li Ze got emotional while singing, he even interacted with the leaders in the audience by waving.
It looked like they were already holding a concert at the Bird's Nest.
After finishing his song, Li Ze bowed deeply and stepped off the stage, his face flushed.
As he passed Lin Que, he raised his chin.
He raised an eyebrow smugly and mouthed:
"It's up to you."
Next was a skit.
It tells funny stories about cheating on exams, and the jokes are pretty good.
The audience roared with laughter, and the atmosphere reached its peak.
"Next...the last program."
Zhang Ya walked onto the stage, her voice a little hoarse.
She glanced at the still laughing and joking crowd below the stage, paused, and then continued speaking.
"Please enjoy the poetry recitation brought to you by Lin Que from Class 3 of Grade 11 - 'The Dream Journey'".
The laughter from the audience didn't stop immediately; many people were still discussing the jokes from the skit.
Upon hearing the words "poetry recitation," the sparse applause was interspersed with noticeable sighs.
"Reciting? Boring!"
"Can we call it a day? This is definitely going to be boring."
"Wait a minute, was the announcer referring to Lin Que?"
"Yes, that's the guy who's waiting to die!"
"Oh, it's him. Being good at writing essays doesn't mean he can act."
...
Amid the noise,
The spotlights on the stage all dimmed.
The once bright and colorful LED screen went black.
The entire auditorium was plunged into sudden darkness.
The previously agitated crowd paused, thinking it was a power outage.
Just as the commotion began, a beam of cold white light shone from above.
It struck the center of the stage without warning.
Within the aperture, there is only a high stool and a standing microphone.
Lin Que, wearing the school uniform that Li Ze had mocked, emerged from the darkness and sat on the stool.
He didn't bring the manuscript.
Her hands were casually resting on her knees, her head slightly lowered, making her expression unreadable.
That relaxed feeling was in stark contrast to Li Ze's tension just now.
He just sat there, without saying a word.
One second. Two seconds. Five seconds.
The noise in the auditorium seemed to be slowly suppressed by an invisible hand.
The students began to wonder, and the leaders began to look up.
This silence seemed out of place at the noisy party, yet it was strangely captivating.
Just when everyone was about to lose patience, Lin Que raised his head.
He didn't use the deep, resonant voice typical of a recitation style.
Instead, he used a slightly hoarse voice, as if chatting casually.
He asked into the microphone:
"How many times do you think a person will die in their lifetime?"
...
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