Chapter 81 – Extra: The Third Reason I Like Summer
“Crap, crap, crap! The security guard actually let us in so easily?”
“Ai, my fake student ID was prepared for nothing!”
“Thanks to our Wu-ge. Look at Wu-ge’s face… at a glance, it’s the kind that the Beijing Conservatory of Music and the Beijing Film Academy would fight over.”
“…Why isn’t it because you look too mature?”
“Get lost, get lost, get lost!!”
The four boys were of different heights and weights, and the only similarity was their equally young faces.
Even Shen Wu, who was a crane among a flock of chickens in terms of height among adults, still had a naive and youthful face.
It was June, and high school had not yet started its summer vacation, but the temperature had already exceeded thirty degrees.
However, all four of them were wearing long-sleeved jackets—on the way here, Shen Wu had waved his hand and generously let them choose whatever they wanted in the mall.
In the principle that they were close brothers and should not be polite, the three bad friends each chose a latest model from their favorite brand. After Shen Wu had paid, they had put them on directly, covering the high school summer uniform underneath.
Today was Friday. The last two classes in the afternoon were a physical education class and a self-study session. They had long since lost the mood to study.
Shen Wu had mentioned that the university singer competition held by the Beijing Conservatory of Music was entering its finals. The group of bad friends had made a decision with a slap on the table: let’s skip class together and go to the concert!
The few high school students had never been to a concert in person before, and the Beijing Conservatory of Music was the top music university in the country. The singer competition held by the Beijing Conservatory of Music was no different from a superstar concert in their eyes.
Those seemingly ordinary university student contestants might one day become world superstars that they could no longer reach.
Shen Wu led the way, taking his three good buddies to find an empty seat. Before he had even seen the person, he had said with certainty, “The champion is definitely Meng Huaizhi’s.”
Everyone knew that Shen Wu had a brother he knew who was also participating in the competition, but no one had seen him, and they didn’t quite agree with his words.
“Bao, your tone is just like my mom saying that I can definitely get into Tsinghua.”
“…You’ll know when you see it.”
“Alright, alright.”
“Meng Huaizhi not only has the strength, but he’s also the most handsome in the whole venue.”
“Mm-hmm…”
“You guys just wait for him to appear. The loudest screams in the whole venue will be for him!”
Shen Wu no longer insisted on explaining and was prepared to let the facts speak for themselves, to see if these guys would be slapped in the face.
Meng Huaizhi was arranged by the school to appear last.
Thanks to this arrangement, the further the competition went, the more the number of audience members under the stage, which was quite abnormal.
A young man in a white shirt and black pants, with refined and handsome features, appeared with a guitar, instantly stirring up a mountain and a tsunami. The screams and cheers from under the stage were one wave higher than the other.
Shen Wu had to temporarily cover his ears.
He firmly believed that Meng Huaizhi could be popular, but he had not expected him to be so popular. He had not really become a celebrity yet, but in the small campus, his presence was no less than that of a popular artist.
Shen Wu saw many students and teachers who had rushed over.
When he and his buddies had arrived, the finals were already halfway through. Because of Meng Huaizhi’s appearance, there were several more layers of people standing behind them, which actually made their position seem like the center of the audience.
He even heard a hoarse scream, “The voice of an angel, Meng Huaizhi! I love you!!”
Shen Wu was taken aback for a moment.
It was too noisy around. If his friend wanted to talk to him, he could only get close to his ear and shout, “Meng Huaizhi is so handsome! His popularity is also so high! Is he a celebrity now!?”
Shen Wu’s expression was strange, and he shook his head.
“It’s starting, it’s starting!”
“Ahhhhhh!!”
But Shen Wu was lost in thought amidst a wave of cheers.
Meng Huaizhi had not officially debuted yet, but not long ago, with a title track he had written for a popular singer, he had half a foot in the entertainment industry.
He was good-looking and had a unique temperament. Just a few photos online and the attribution of a popular song had already brought him an audience far beyond that of an ordinary student.
Among the audience present at this moment, there were probably many students from other schools like Shen Wu, as well as people from all walks of life.
Most of the people online did not yet know that Meng Huaizhi had a good voice, even better than the popular singer who had sung his song.
If they knew, Meng Huaizhi would definitely be able to become a top-tier superstar in one leap, and would be pushed onto the altar by tens of thousands of crazy fans.
Shen Wu was deeply convinced of this.
But now, in the crowd that was burying him, he suddenly realized another thing: the distant Meng Huaizhi on the stage would also be getting further and further away from him.
…He didn’t know why he had suddenly had a feeling similar to depression.
Meng Huaizhi on the stage picked up the microphone, and a crackle of electricity sounded.
The boiling audience suddenly quieted down.
Then Meng Huaizhi’s clear and melodious voice came through, transmitted to every corner of the venue through the speaker, “Thank you all for coming to watch the 11th University Singer Competition jointly organized by our school and the universities in the capital city. I’m Meng Huaizhi…”
The simple three words “Meng Huaizhi” fell, and another wave of screams was stirred up.
“Please be quiet.”
As soon as Meng Huaizhi’s light words came out, the whole venue was silenced again.
Among the audience who were trying hard to suppress their excitement, only Shen Wu was the quietest.
In the bustling crowd, he could stare at Meng Huaizhi without any scruples, and would not arouse any suspicion.
“Among you present, there may be my schoolmates, students from other universities, and maybe also friends who are already working and have taken time out of their busy schedules to come…”
Meng Huaizhi was interacting with the audience at the request of the school, and the audience also gave him a fierce response.
After a slight pause of two seconds, Meng Huaizhi’s empty gaze suddenly fixed on the center of the dark audience, and he spoke again, “I hope no one among you has skipped class. Especially high school students, you must study hard and prioritize your studies.”
On a Friday afternoon, which was not a holiday, high school was not on vacation. 99% of the audience under the stage were not high school students, but they responded enthusiastically to Meng Huaizhi’s reminder and all agreed.
A young-looking buzz-cut boy quietly poked Shen Wu with his elbow and said in a panic, “Why did he suddenly cue high school students? You didn’t tell him in advance that we skipped class to watch the competition, did you?”
Shen Wu: “Of course not.”
His tone was very certain, but his gaze was dazed and straight.
He was too far away, and he couldn’t see Meng Huaizhi’s face clearly, but he had an inexplicable feeling that he had met his gaze in the void.
After a moment, Meng Huaizhi lowered his eyes, picked up his guitar, and began to sing.
When he was focused on his music, Shen Wu was relieved and quietly enjoyed it.
When the song was over, before Meng Huaizhi had left the stage, Shen Wu patted his friends who were still immersed in the sea of music and said anxiously, “Let’s hurry back.”
They had a hard time squeezing out of the newly added layers of people. Shen Wu’s phone suddenly vibrated.
M: Study hard.
Shen Wu’s heart skipped a beat, and he murmured, “Oh no, Meng Huaizhi really saw us…”
But his friend didn’t quite believe it, “There are so many people. How could he have seen us? Unless—you told him in advance.”
Shen Wu said speechlessly, “I really didn’t!”
“Alright, alright, let’s go. Wu-ge, he won’t go and complain to your parents, right? If your parents find out, you can’t sell us out…”
“Yes, yes, we all came here specially to accompany you.”
“We didn’t want to skip class in the first place. It was you who said that Meng Huaizhi was in this competition, and that he sang particularly well. Otherwise, we common people wouldn’t have come to watch a singing competition…”
Shen Wu was so angry at this group of bad friends that his peach blossom eyes were wide open, “The clothes on you were not given by me? Then take them off.”
The four of them were not short for high school students, but among fully developed adults, they looked quite thin and frail. There were also two with a few pimples on their faces, all of which were a youthful aura that could not be hidden.
Not to mention his age, just with that face, Shen Wu was the most out-of-place existence in a crowd of ordinary people.
They thought that they had left without attracting attention, but they had directly run into a familiar figure at a fork in the road.
It was Meng Huaizhi who had come from another small path and had intercepted them from the front.
Shen Wu: “…”
He was taken aback for a moment and wanted to explain that it was the school’s sports day, but his brainless bad friend had spoken before him.
“Singer Meng! It’s you!” The boy was first surprised, then guilty. “Ahem, I’m Wu-ge’s classmate. You just reminded high school students to study hard. We all heard it, and we think you’re right. We definitely didn’t skip class!”
It was no different from a confession without being asked.
Shen Wu: “…”
He secretly wiped his sweat in his heart. Shen Wu cautiously looked at Meng Huaizhi and tried to change the subject, “Is the competition over? Are you the first place?”
Meng Huaizhi nodded, “Mm.”
“Oh,” Shen Wu also nodded. “Congratulations. It was very good.”
“But you were standing so far away. Did you hear it clearly?” Meng Huaizhi asked.
Shen Wu was silent.
The scene was extremely awkward for a moment.
At this moment, another fool popped up, “We only had one class this afternoon. We came out after class, specially to see you.” The last two classes were unimportant physical education and self-study, which were not really classes in their eyes.
However, as soon as he said this, Meng Huaizhi’s expression flickered slightly, and a faint joy of winning the championship finally appeared.
—”Specially to see you.”
He silently savored this sentence.
Shen Wu estimated that he probably believed it and was relieved. He immediately opened his mouth, “Then where are you going now? Home? Going out to celebrate with your classmates, or…”
The third fool snatched the words, not at all polite, “Why don’t we go and have a meal together to celebrate?”
The others spontaneously sang his praises.
“I’m hungry.”
“I was in a hurry all the way here. I didn’t even have a sip of water. I’m hot, thirsty, and hungry.”
“I also agree. Wu-ge, what do you say?”
Shen Wu was called out by name and had no choice but to ask Meng Huaizhi hesitantly, “Then… shall we go and have a meal together?”
“Okay, my treat,” Meng Huaizhi was very straightforward. “I won the championship, so I’m in a good mood.”
Although he said that he was in a good mood, his face was still calm and unwavering, not serious but not smiling either.
It was all because the few bad friends were young and arrogant, and not very smart, that they dared to speak so freely in front of such a cold person.
The bad friends led the way to the restaurant. Shen Wu and Meng Huaizhi walked behind, and he caught a glimpse of the corners of his eyebrows and eyes.
There was no friendly curve, and the outline was the familiar sharp and cold sternness.
Perhaps because it was summer now, and the sun was bright, Shen Wu actually felt…
The snow from the harsh winter seemed to have a bit of a gentle touch that plucked at his heartstrings.
