Chapter 129: He had long since grown tired of watching it

As night fell, the Lanwan Television Mid-Autumn Festival Gala venue was a scene of blooming flowers and bustling, peaceful joy.

A holographic moon hung from the dome, casting silver radiance over the center of the stage, while hundreds of glazed palace lanterns reflected each other's light, resembling a celestial palace. The massive circular stage rose slowly, and laser beams combined in mid-air to form a flowing galaxy.

Before long, the audience began to enter. There were around a thousand attendees, ranging from ordinary citizens of Lanwan City to elites and dignitaries from all walks of life. People wore either traditional or modern fine attire, walking into the venue with steps that were either elegant or joyful.

"Heng'er, over here!"

As soon as Shi Heng entered, he saw Liu Wanxin waving at him from the VIP seats directly opposite the stage, with Shi Zhenyuan sitting beside her. Their whole family had come today to support Shi Xi. Shi Heng walked over with an expressionless face, took a seat next to Liu Wanxin, and then, bored, picked up his phone to scroll through it.

The Qin family of four had also arrived. They had been invited as distinguished guests who had made special contributions to Lanwan City, and their seats were in an independent private room on the second floor, located above the first-floor VIP section—the best viewing spot in the entire theater.

Qin Hao Bei was wearing a black V-neck suit today, the fabric adorned with sequins that shimmered in the darkness. He wore a silver watch on his wrist, making him look handsome, fashionable, and sexy.

He pushed open the door to the private room in high spirits, only to see Father Qin, Mother Qin, and Qin Ruonan sitting on the sofa, cracking melon seeds, while Xiao Shiliu played with toy cars on the floor. Only Xing'er was missing.

"Dad, Mom, didn't Xing'er come?"

Shi Yi had not told the Qin family that she was performing on stage today; her rehearsals during this period had been conducted in secret. After all, she considered this her own private matter and did not want too much attention. She planned to head straight home once her segment was over.

Mother Qin looked up and smiled at her son: "Xiaobei, you're here! I knew the first thing you'd do when you got back was look for Xing'er! Xing'er said she had something to take care of at the medical clinic tonight and would be home late. It works out perfectly; you can go pick her up at the clinic after the gala ends."

Qin Hao Bei felt a sudden sense of displeasure in his heart.

"What could be so important that it has to be handled on Mid-Autumn Festival? Besides, doesn't she only see six patients a day? Is she really that busy?"

"Hmph, Uncle doesn't get to decide how many patients Mom sees in a day!"

Xiao Shiliu pouted, saying indignantly. He had long been unable to stand his uncle always trying to control his mother!

"Hahaha, Xiao Shiliu said it well; Uncle really does meddle too much! Come over to Auntie's side, let Auntie give you a hug!" Qin Ruonan said with a laugh.

"Auntie... uh... I think you're too slim, I'm afraid I'll tire you out... I'd better let Uncle hold me..."

"I'm not holding you! You were just criticizing me, and now you want me to hold you? I can't hold you, I can't!"

On the other side, a tall, slender figure walked in from the entrance.

Su Yichen was an orphan who had grown up in a welfare institute, with no family or relatives. Today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and having nowhere to go, he took the ticket issued by the hospital and came to the gala.

He chose a seat in the very last row, in an empty corner, and sat down silently.

He thought about relaxing properly for the next two hours. He didn't know how long it had been since he had truly relaxed.

At the same time, a tall young man with silver hair and black sunglasses also walked into the venue, finding a seat in the middle.

Ever since he had been detained by the police for three days a month ago for intentional injury, Chu Yehan had kept a much lower profile.

It wasn't because he was afraid or had turned cowardly.

Although the Chu family's influence was waning, they were still like a local snake in Lanwan, and no one dared to touch him. But he himself had suddenly begun to look down on himself.

Heh, what was the difference between him and a savage, someone with no brains who only knew how to use force to solve problems? A version of himself like that was not worthy of Xing'er's favor, let alone being with her.

Thus, Chu Yehan began to actively study and manage the Chu family's business, wanting to grow up quickly. He had been invited to this gala by the organizers as a sponsor and benefactor.

The audience gradually filled the theater, and at 8:00 PM, the gala officially began.

"The golden autumn brings refreshing breezes, and the sweet-scented osmanthus fills the air. In this beautiful moment when the moonlight is like water and families reunite, we gather here with joy to welcome the Lanwan Television 2025 Mid-Autumn Festival Gala! The moon is the eternal romantic symbol in the hearts of the Chinese people, carrying the deep longing of 'wishing for longevity so we can share the beauty of the moon from afar,' and entrusting the yearning of 'the bright moon rises above the sea, and we share this moment at the ends of the earth'!"

After the host's impassioned opening, the program moved quickly to the performances.

The first act was "Joyous Mid-Autumn Festival," where men, women, old, and young, along with celebrities, appeared on stage, singing and dancing, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.

The second act was the dance performance by Shi Xi's dance troupe, "The World in My Eyes."

On the big screen, Shi Xi's youthful, beautiful face appeared first, then the image zoomed in, freezing on her pitch-black prosthetic pupil. Immediately after, the shape of the prosthetic eye began to change, turning into beautiful flowers, a golden sun, bright red apples, and high-tech crystal diamonds...

Accompanied by the changing visuals, Shi Xi displayed her graceful dance moves on stage to the fullest, still as a maiden and swift as a rabbit, her slender waist turning lightly, her skirt fluttering.

The segment lasted only 8 minutes, and the dance ended quickly, followed by a burst of enthusiastic applause from the audience.

"My Xi'er, Xi'er is truly so beautiful!" Liu Wanxin said, her eyes brimming with tears and her voice choked with emotion.

Her palms were already red from clapping so hard, and she kept shouting loudly:

"That's my daughter!"

"Did you see that? The one in the center, that's my daughter!"

The audience nearby nodded politely at her with a smile, but inwardly, they rolled their eyes.

What kind of manners were those?

It was just a dance, and they couldn't even understand what it was about...

Shi Zhenyuan pressed down on Liu Wanxin's shoulder, pushing her back into her seat, and said in a low voice: "Xi'er's performance was indeed quite good, but don't get too excited. Let's keep watching."

Shi Heng sat to the side, arms crossed, his face remaining expressionless.

To be honest, he didn't like this dance.

Heh, using her own defective prosthetic eye to garner sympathy—Shi Xi had performed this act countless times since childhood; he had long since grown tired of watching it.

As for the Qin family in the second-floor private room, they hadn't really watched the program carefully at all.

"The World in My Eyes," modern art dance—they didn't understand it, nor were they interested...

Father Qin was bored, scrolling through his phone; Mother Qin and Qin Ruonan were teasing Xiao Shiliu; and Qin Hao Bei's eyes were glued to his chat screen—the entire screen was filled with green.

Damn it, he had sent so many messages and she hadn't replied to a single one.

What on earth was Xing'er doing?!

The next moment, the host's sweet, gentle voice came from the center of the stage:

"Next, please enjoy the song and dance performance, 'Moon Over the Little Hill'." ===== CHAPTER 130 =====