It had been only a few days before the New Year’s Day Gala.
On the day before the performance, members of the student union organized a rehearsal. Tang Lin unexpectedly saw He Sheng at the Grand Auditorium.
Originally, Tang Lin had planned to go over and greet her, and also take the opportunity to make an impression in front of Fu Hanye. However, after looking around, she did not see the man she wanted to see. Her intention to greet He Sheng also faded.
“That girl is really special.” A female classmate beside Tang Lin quietly pointed at He Sheng. “Why is she wearing a ribbon over her eyes? Wouldn’t that affect her vision?”
Tang Lin curled her lips slightly but said nothing.
How could it affect her vision? She had never been able to see clearly in the first place.
“I remember now, she’s a small internet celebrity!” Another girl held up her phone screen for everyone to see. “Look, isn’t she this blogger?”
Tang Lin rarely used Dou Dou. Even when she did, she mainly browsed beauty and makeup content, so she had never come across He Sheng’s account.
And that account had stopped updating after filming a lipstick promotion.
Tang Lin’s eyes lit up. She stopped the girl who was about to put her phone away. “Wait, let me see it again.”
“Huh?” The girl did not understand, but still obediently did as she was told.
Tang Lin stared intently at the hand applying lipstick to He Sheng. The hand was slender like bamboo, with distinct knuckles. On the index finger was an exquisite skull ring, which made the hand even more striking.
It was Fu Hanye’s hand.
Tang Lin quickly recognized it. She remembered that during Fu Hanye’s grandfather’s birthday banquet last time, he had worn the same ring. She had found it very distinctive and had looked at it a few extra times.
A biting bitterness surged within her.
She had never expected that someone as proud as Fu Hanye would actually apply lipstick for another person. Just how much did he like He Sheng?
“Tang Lin, what’s wrong?” The girl noticed her expression and asked softly.
Tang Lin bit her lower lip and restrained her emotions, putting on a sorrowful expression. “Sigh… actually, she is my cousin. But she grew up in a wealthy family and doesn’t really like to associate with me.”
With just a simple sentence, Tang Lin painted He Sheng as someone arrogant and full of superiority.
“What? She’s actually like that?” The girl tapped her phone and unfollowed her. “There’s a saying—through the internet, you can’t tell who is human or dog.”
At first, she had followed He Sheng because she thought the girl was beautiful and well-behaved. The content was tasteful and not vulgar, so she had subconsciously assumed He Sheng was as wonderful as she appeared in the videos.
She did not expect such a sudden disappointment.
Tang Lin had not expected her casual words to have such an effect. Listening to the girls independently constructing rumors that He Sheng looked down on others, she could not help but glance at her cousin again.
Wait—wasn’t her cousin supposed to have taken a leave of absence? Why was she at school? And today was the New Year’s Day Gala rehearsal—was she also going to perform?
Tang Lin did not want to believe it, but when He Sheng went on stage to perform, she had no choice but to accept it.
After the rehearsal ended, she immediately called He Qingmei to tell her about He Sheng’s return to school.
“She went back to school?” He Qingmei was surprised. “Are you sure you didn’t get it wrong?”
“I didn’t. I saw her at the New Year’s Day Gala rehearsal. If she is a student on leave, why would she be allowed to participate in rehearsal? Mom, what is she trying to do?”
He Qingmei fell silent for a moment before saying: “How would I know what she is trying to do? Now that her personality has completely changed, she is nothing like the He Sheng we used to know. Go and find out which class she is in. I will go and look for her later.”
It was actually better that she had gone back to school. He Sheng staying at the Fu Family residence made it inconvenient for her to visit freely. Going to the school would make it much easier to find her.
The next day, He Sheng still had classes in the morning and only went for styling in the afternoon.
There was no need to buy a performance outfit separately; there were suitable dresses in the wardrobe.
The Grand Auditorium had no heating, but it was crowded, so it would probably feel like around ten degrees anyway.
He Sheng wore an ankle-length dress in light yellow, embroidered with pearl- and diamond-sized beads forming floral patterns. It was understated yet luxurious.
Sister-in-law Wang was afraid she would catch a chill and even put a long down jacket over her. She could simply take it off before going on stage.
He Sheng’s performance was scheduled around the middle of the program. Before it was her turn, she sat in the audience with her classmates to wait. Just before her turn, Shen Yao led the performers backstage.
“Be careful.” Shen Yao held He Sheng’s hand tightly, afraid she might fall.
After finally reaching backstage, Shen Yao seated her in front of the makeup mirror and helped check if anything needed touch-ups.
“Don’t be nervous when you go on stage later. Just imagine the audience are all cabbages.” Shen Yao kept talking to comfort her. He Sheng smiled faintly.
She was not nervous at all. Poor eyesight was not necessarily a bad thing—for example, when performing on stage, not being able to see the crowd helped reduce pressure. She could simply treat it as playing the violin at home.
He Sheng felt that the truly nervous one was Shen Yao. She and her classmates were performing a small English skit, and some people still could not remember their lines. There was even a risk of it falling apart.
In the audience, Fu Hanye absentmindedly played with a lighter. He had long wanted to leave, but his body remained stuck in the seat.
He Sheng had already gone backstage. She should be up soon.
The long curtain closed, and Fu Hanye finally heard the host announce that the next performance was He Sheng’s violin solo.
Instrument performances were not rare at galas. Many students in the arts department could play instruments, so the audience did not have high expectations at first. However, when the curtain opened and a spotlight fell on the girl standing center stage, it seemed as if a faint glow surrounded her.
The sound of the violin was elegant, like a lover whispering into the ear.
The entire auditorium unconsciously fell silent, listening intently to the piece.
He Sheng was not the most technically skilled violinist, but she always interpreted the emotions of each piece fully and deeply. It was as though she was narrating sorrow and tenderness, drawing the audience into the scene.
When the piece ended, the audience was still immersed in the music. Only after someone started clapping did applause gradually spread, eventually forming a wave-like ovation.
Fu Hanye slightly lifted his chin, his eyes filled with pride.
He had known the little mute would complete the performance well. It was not in vain that she had practiced late into the night these past few days.
Shen Yao walked onto the stage and led He Sheng down.
“He Sheng, you were amazing!” Shen Yao’s voice trembled with excitement. “Everyone was so absorbed they forgot to applaud you.”
He Sheng revealed a shy smile. She did not think she was that impressive. When she finished performing and did not hear applause, she had even thought she had failed.
Shen Yao draped the down jacket over He Sheng’s shoulders, helped her sit down, and placed the violin on the table. “Wait for us in the dressing room. We’ll go back to the audience together after we finish.”
He Sheng nodded, indicating she understood.
After Shen Yao and the others left, He Sheng pulled the down jacket tighter around herself for warmth.
People kept moving back and forth in the dressing room. Someone wearing large wings passed by and accidentally knocked off the pearl hairpin from He Sheng’s head. She crouched down to feel for it, but could not find it no matter how hard she tried.
She looked up, wanting to ask for help, but everyone was busy and no one noticed her.
He Sheng felt a little wronged. The pearl hairpin was not cheap, and she had only worn it because she valued this performance. Losing it made her feel heartache.
Suddenly, a large hand covered the top of her head and carelessly messed up her neatly styled hair. Before she could get angry, something seemed to be inserted into her hair again.