Today was Friday, the final workday of the week. The only class scheduled for the afternoon was a large music lecture for the entire grade level. Students from both the International Class and the Elite Class gathered in one hall, creating the perfect stage for those with hidden agendas to either make fools of themselves or steal the spotlight.
You Xinghai did not care about this class at all. Upon arriving, she retreated to the very back row, crossing her legs while playing a newly downloaded mobile game.
Those who noticed her whispered and laughed:
“Hehe, is this the first time the parvenu has shown up for this class?”
“How could someone from the boondocks like her have any musical upbringing? She probably has not even seen a guitar before.”
“Oh, you are all underestimating her. Maybe she can sing folk songs from the mountains.”
“She definitely does not know this class includes a segment where students are picked to perform. Later, we will just do this”
You Xinghai, who had excellent hearing, thought: I heard everything.
Why do the petty villains in novels always think no one can hear them? You are speaking very loudly!
Although she had been a programmer in her past life, she had played instruments when she was bored and had even developed music arrangement software and piano mini-programs with her team. Playing a few songs to get through a music class was no problem at all.
Do not look down on us first-generation wealthy people!
Soon, most of the seats in the lecture hall were filled. Students who knew each other huddled together in groups, making You Xinghai, sitting alone in the back row, look particularly lonely.
The others thought: You Xinghai sitting all by herself in the back is so embarrassing. Hehehe.
You Xinghai thought: They are all fighting for the front row. Are they really that enthusiastic?
Suddenly, a commotion broke out at the classroom door.
“Sister Yu is here!”
You Xinghai looked toward the sound and saw the cold-faced Gu Yingyu entering the classroom, scanning the room like a king inspecting her territory.
The Omegas caught in her gaze grew excited.
“Who is Sister Yu looking at? Is she looking at me?”
“Ah! She is walking toward me! Is she going to sit here?”
“Damn it, I would give up five pounds of flesh just to be Yingyu’s desk-mate for one class.”
“Why does all the good luck happen to you!”
However, to their disappointment, Gu Yingyu did not sit next to any brilliant socialite or join her fellow Alphas. Instead, under everyone’s watchful eyes, she walked over to Guan Yinqi, who was sitting in a corner.
Gu Yingyu’s gaze softened instantly. “Bringing a workbook to music class? What a hardworking student. I suppose I will do you the favor of sitting here to help hide you from the teacher.”
Guan Yinqi bit her pen and looked up with wide, watery eyes. “Then you must not disturb my studies. It would be terrible if I do not get first place on this monthly exam.”
“Hah, so many people want me to disturb them and I would not bother. You, little thing, actually push me away. How interesting.”
You Xinghai, sitting nearby and hearing their sugary sweet talk, thought: You sitting there will definitely affect her studies!
When another commotion erupted, You Xinghai found she was no longer surprised. She did not even lift her head, treating the music room more like a concert hall.
However, this time the noise did not stop. It grew louder and moved closer to You Xinghai, finally stopping about five meters away from her.
“Humph, do not think I want to sit with you. It is just quieter here.”
It was the voice of Wen Xiaoyue.
You Xinghai looked up to see the cool, elegant girl taking a seat near Gu Yingyu.
With the two beautiful girls together, one bright and bold and the other quiet as water, they were very eye-catching. Anyone seeing this scene would slap their thigh and exclaim, “What a match!”
Gu Yingyu and Wen Xiaoyue were like the sun and the moon, inseparable companions who complemented each other. Together, they had an effect where one plus one was greater than two.
Those who secretly loved Gu Yingyu or Wen Xiaoyue felt a surge of bitterness in their hearts: I cannot compete. I cannot compete at all!
They could still mock non-mainstream figures like Guan Yinqi and You Xinghai, calling them ungrateful. But facing rivals like Gu Yingyu and Wen Xiaoyue, they could only swallow their sorrow without even a thought of competing.
However, a careful observer would notice that when the radiant Gu Yingyu spoke to Wen Xiaoyue, she was calm, like an old friend she had known forever. Only when bickering with Guan Yinqi would she unconsciously tilt her head, her eyes full of affectionate smiles.
As for Wen Xiaoyue, she treated Gu Yingyu with the same attitude, perhaps even more coldly.
Just as You Xinghai was about to look away, Wen Xiaoyue seemed to sense something and stealthily turned her head to glance toward her.
Their eyes met, and everything was understood without words.
A flicker of panic crossed Wen Xiaoyue’s usually unshakeable face. Like someone caught in the act, she quickly turned away, pretending to be a turtle hiding in its shell.
You Xinghai thought: How cute. But did she just look at me?
She felt she was being over-analytical. In reality, she had almost no connection with Wen Xiaoyue, having only teased her once in a dream. To have such baseless thoughts was wrong.
You Xinghai happily returned her attention to her mobile game to stop her mind from wandering.
The music class officially began. The teacher, dressed in a formal gown, sat elegantly on the piano stool. Melodious music echoed throughout the classroom.
The students listened as if entranced, while You Xinghai in the back row played her game with equal fervor. Everyone found their own kind of happiness.
When the piece ended, the music teacher stood up. “Next is the performance segment. Does anyone want to volunteer to play on stage?”
Everyone’s eyes immediately fixed on Gu Yingyu and Wen Xiaoyue in the corner.
“Gu Yingyu just won the World Piano Artist Gold Award two months ago. I have watched the video countless times; I really want to hear a live performance.”
“Yes, she rarely performs in public. Tickets for her appearances are extremely hard to get, no matter how much money you have.”
“Psh, Xiaoyue is even better. Gu Yingyu always plays in the same style with no new tricks. So old-fashioned!”
“Exactly, Xiaoyue’s playing is much more soulful. She is like a true goddess. I am going to be enchanted again”
The piano fans of Gu Yingyu and Wen Xiaoyue began to bicker. Others felt a sense of awe: These two nearly omnipotent people compete in every aspect. They are natural rivals with intertwined fates!
What a match! Such a perfect match!
Hearing the discussion, Guan Yinqi lowered her head a bit further: Yingyu is so amazing. She can do everything, while I only know how to study.
Gu Yingyu noticed Guan Yinqi’s tightly pressed lips. Realizing she was overthinking again, she comforted her with a laugh. “Are you thinking that my piano skills are impressive? It is fine. This is something anyone with hands can do. When you want to learn, I can teach you personally.”
Guan Yinqi was very moved. “Yingyu, you are so kind”
Hearing their conversation, Wen Xiaoyue curled her lip. Her gaze unconsciously drifted toward the back row again.
You Xinghai was still immersed in her game, oblivious to everything else.
Wen Xiaoyue sneered in her heart: This little degenerate. She is not ashamed of her lack of talent at all!
Under the unanimous recommendation of the crowd, Wen Xiaoyue and Gu Yingyu were invited onto the stage to perform separately.
The crowd below erupted: To hear both of them play at once! This class is a total bargain!
There was no polite hesitation between the two acquaintances. Gu Yingyu was the first to sit on the piano stool, capturing the attention of the entire room.
In an instant, almost everyone took out their recording devices, excitedly preparing to commemorate this moment.
The moment she touched the keys, Gu Yingyu’s aura changed.
Melodies and notes flowed from her fingertips, creating a perfect masterpiece. She closed her eyes, fully immersed in her music. Everything around her seemed to fade away, leaving only her soul standing alone in the world.
Guan Yinqi, who had intended to work on her problems, unconsciously stopped her pen. She stared blankly at the flawless profile of the person on stage, her heart seemingly dancing along with the music.
The audience below fell completely silent. Some did not even notice when their recording devices dropped to the floor, their mouths hanging open in an “O” shape.
You Xinghai thought: Is this not a bit much?
When the piece ended, Gu Yingyu tossed her long hair and bowed politely to her classmates.
An incredible burst of applause immediately broke out.
“As expected of Yingyu! That heavenly sound is unforgettable.”
“I am practically drunk on her performance. If there is a wine in this world that can keep one from waking up, its name must be Gu Yingyu.”
“Gu Yingyu is stealing the spotlight. Wen Xiaoyue is going to be under a lot of pressure.”
You Xinghai finished another level, took off her headphones, and looked toward Wen Xiaoyue sitting at the piano.
Even though she wore the same school uniform as everyone else, her aura was ethereal and cold as the moon. It was as if she were not in a noisy classroom but in a grand concert hall, proudly looking down on the thousands of eyes focused on her.
Though they were both equally outstanding, Wen Xiaoyue possessed an air that Gu Yingyu lacked. She was composed, calm, and reserved, keeping all her emotions buried deep in her heart. She never showed her true self to others, appearing like light and shadow hidden behind clouds, creating an unfathomable mystery.
Gu Yingyu’s light was too brilliant, so bright it was hard to look at directly. In contrast, Wen Xiaoyue’s shadow was difficult to capture, lingering on the heart like a dragonfly touching water before vanishing without a trace.
Wen Xiaoyue’s playing was not like Gu Yingyu’s, where every rhythm was controlled perfectly. Instead, she released her long-suppressed emotions through the rise and fall of the keys. The music flowed out like a surging spring.
Those who were worried that Wen Xiaoyue would be overshadowed were instantly silenced. The emotion-filled music made them recall their own pasts.
The budding of first love, long-lasting regret, sorrowful sighs, and then the approaching end of youth toward the unknown adult world.
“Waaah! That was so moving.”
“How can this be? Even I, a person of steel, am moved to tears. This should not be happening.”
“There is nothing wrong with it. This is Xiaoyue’s performance. My goddess is telling us through music: Let it all out! It is no crime for a woman to cry!”
Gu Yingyu, standing below the stage, showed a hint of surprise: I have not seen my rival get serious like this in a long time. Why is she playing with such heart all of a sudden? Did something upsetting happen recently?
Guan Yinqi saw Gu Yingyu’s expression from a distance and her heart darkened: As expected, only a goddess-level figure like Wen Xiaoyue is worthy of Yingyu. How could I dare to hope?
Everyone below had their own thoughts.
Wen Xiaoyue, on the stage, felt quite at ease.
Only when performing would Wen Xiaoyue truly relax her mind and body. At this moment, she no longer needed to play the role of a noble eldest miss, an outstanding daughter, or a goddess to be admired. She was simply herself.
She chose a piece she was very familiar with, slow and slightly melancholy. It was a melody she had loved since childhood.
Every time she played it, she could imagine herself back in her carefree childhood days when life was simple and without complex thoughts.
In these few minutes, her life of over a decade played before her eyes like a movie: the dolls thrown into the storage room after she grew up, the high expectations of her family, her foolish and incompetent siblings, and the sadness she had kept to herself for so many years.
These things that used to weigh on her heart now seemed like nothing much at all, easily crumpled into scrap paper and thrown into a bin.
Soon, the piece entered its final section.
As she pressed down on the keys once more, she suddenly remembered that last night, someone had breathed a puff of warm air against her slender neck.
“…”
Ahhh!
The sudden break in rhythm startled the audience. The students quickly looked toward the stage, but Wen Xiaoyue’s expression remained normal. She pressed the keys a few more times, quickly bringing the melody back on track as if it had been a hallucination.
No one noticed Wen Xiaoyue’s slightly trembling fingers. She finished the entire piece without a word, ending her performance.
The moment the music faded, Wen Xiaoyue instinctively looked up toward a certain spot.
The students below looked puzzled.
“Who is Xiaoyue looking at? Gu Yingyu is right next to her.”
“Is she looking at me? I am right here, Goddess!”
As they were guessing, Wen Xiaoyue seemed to snap out of it and quickly turned her head away. A faint pink cloud flashed across her face.
She hurriedly rose to bow and walked quickly off the stage, her fingers tightly clutching the hem of her clothes.