Chapter 548: Yan Zhusheng

"Zhusheng is singing a new song?" Xu Youyu was startled when he heard Yuan Wanqing say this. "What song is 'Countdown'?"

"Cough… You'll understand when you hear it." Li Luo knew exactly what the lyrics of this song contained.

Thinking of how Yuan Wanqing had said Zhusheng wanted to sing it himself, his expression softened slightly.

But Ying Chanxi narrowed her eyes, silently shifting her gaze from the stage to the large screen displaying the lyrics.

As Yuan Wanqing stepped offstage, the music began, and a tall figure slowly followed the rhythm, ascending the stage from one side.

Unlike before, when she wore the childish blue-and-white school uniform, Yan Zhusheng now wore a white floral short dress, with no other adornments.

She walked up so cleanly, her waist-length hair flowing freely, stopping at the center of the stage and gazing out at the audience.

After just a brief sweep, Yan Zhusheng's gaze locked directly onto Li Luo in the front row.

She pressed her lips together, her expression serious, as if undertaking some great matter.

And indeed, it was.

When Li Luo saw her appear in this dress, a faint smile surfaced on his face.

He remembered clearly.

The white floral dress Yan Zhusheng wore was the very one Li Luo had bought her for her first birthday.

Back then, he had been struck by her elegance and beauty in the dress, and couldn't help but praise her.

Since then, apart from wearing her school uniform to class, Yan Zhusheng often appeared before Li Luo wearing dresses.

And now, before tens of thousands of spectators at the concert, she rejected all other styling suggestions from the stylist and firmly chose to wear this white dress.

To sing Li Luo's newly written song.

For girls of average height—even beautiful ones like Ying Chanxi or Xu Youyu—wearing a knee-length dress often made their calves look short, ruining the overall impression.

But this white dress on Yan Zhusheng fit perfectly.

Her slender, elongated legs exposed beneath the dress only accentuated her graceful figure, adding an ethereal, light, otherworldly aura.

At this moment, the stage spotlight focused entirely on her.

The two large screens on either side clearly displayed Yan Zhusheng's flawless, exquisite face, leaving no flaw to be found.

Yet some audience members were still slightly dissatisfied that Yuan Wanqing herself wasn't singing her own new song, but letting her daughter perform it first.

They came to the concert hoping Yuan Wanqing, the real star, would sing more songs.

But it was too late now—better just to listen.

That's what everyone thought.

Onstage, as the musical prelude built, Yan Zhusheng raised the microphone to her lips and slowly closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, the moment her gaze met Li Luo's, her lips parted, and a voice emerged—different from the daughter's tone in "Mother and Daughter."

"The cherry blossoms haven't arrived yet~"

"The camera hasn't been used yet~"

"The restaurant hasn't been visited yet~"

"Still looking forward to the journey with you~"

As soon as the lyrics began, the audience members who had complained about Yuan Wanqing not singing fell silent.

The girl's hopeful tone, the longing for beautiful future moments, became tangible, soaking into the hearts of the audience.

【By the way, isn't Mo Qinghan from the novel based on Yuan Wanqing's daughter?】

【This should be obvious.】

【So does this count as fiction entering reality? Mo Qinghan's real-life prototype really just sang a new song on stage.】

【Haha~ Ran Shen just updated again! Let's listen to our Qinghan sing, both in the novel and in real life!】

【So unfortunate! I wish I could have been there to hear it live!】

On Tencent Video's live stream, countless bullet comments scrolled past.

Yan Zhusheng's performance continued.

As the verse built and intensified, the lyrics soon reached the transition, emotions surging to a climax—

"Treasure every single moment~"

"Afraid it might suddenly be too late~"

"Love you properly!"

When she reached this line, Yan Zhusheng fixed her gaze tightly on Li Luo, then firmly closed her eyes, fully entering the chorus's climax.

"The clock keeps counting down~"

"The happiness we have left~"

"The passion of this embrace~"

"Will forever be profound~"

Hearing this, Li Luo slightly narrowed his eyes, recalling their past moments from their earlier gaze.

For Yan Zhusheng, every previous hug, disguised as "friendly encouragement," must have carried this same feeling.

Li Luo's lips unconsciously curled upward as he continued watching Yan Zhusheng's performance.

"My heartbeat keeps counting down~"

"The warmth left in my life~"

"At least I loved you with all my might~"

"My hair still black~"

"With you, I'm not afraid of going gray~"

When she sang the final two lines, Yan Zhusheng opened her eyes again, staring straight at Li Luo, her lips curving upward—clearly joyful.

Before tens of thousands of people, singing a song written by Li Luo himself to express her inner thoughts was utterly exhilarating.

Especially Xu Youyu and Ying Chanxi were also present, listening.

Thinking of this, Yan Zhusheng's mood grew even more cheerful.

Because she knew clearly this was something the other two sisters could never accomplish.

This was something uniquely hers, prepared for Li Luo.

Ying Chanxi, watching the lyrics flash across the screen and then gazing at Yan Zhusheng on stage, who seemed to glow with light, naturally understood who Yan Zhusheng was looking at right then.

Turning to look at Li Luo, his face full of smiles, Ying Chanxi pressed her lips together, slightly jealous, yet also a little envious.

On the other side, Xu Youyu listened to the song with a smile, unbothered, even clapping softly in rhythm, feeling the song was truly beautiful.

【Made my skin crawl】

【Listening to the live performance while reading a novel hahaha~ Do you know what this feels like?】

【You're watching a livestream while being at the venue?】

【I already recorded the screen; after she finishes, I'll listen again while reading the novel.】

【I have to say, Ran Shen is still the best—this song is written so well, and I noticed it's truly suited for Mo Qinghan to sing; if Yuan Wanqing sang it, it wouldn't fit as well.】

【Indeed, Yuan Wanqing is already a woman in her forties.】

【So who the hell is Yuan Wanqing's husband? Who did she marry?】

【You're dreaming.】

【I seriously suspect Yuan Wanqing's daughter has already been won over by our Ran Shen.】

【Damn it, Ran Shen! Damn you, scoundrel!】

The barrage grew even livelier.

And the song neared its end.

After another chorus ended, Yan Zhusheng continued singing:

【If you don't drink the coffee now, it'll turn sour~】

【If you don't eat dinner now, it'll grow cold~】

【Why don't you say you love him~】

【Only to regret it after missing him~】

Hearing these lyrics, Ying Chanxi tightly pressed her lips, her small hand instinctively clutching Li Luo's right hand.

……

【The journey chasing love is winding~】

【Even if it's winding~ It's worth it for you~】

Xu Youyu clapped with a smile, glanced at Li Luo, then quietly extended her own right hand.

……

【My heartbeat counts down~】

【The remaining warmth of life~】

Yan Zhusheng clearly saw this scene, watching Li Luo's two hands, each holding one girl.

【At least it hurts, yet brings joy~】

【To have loved is to have lived~】

【With you, I ask for nothing more~】

【With you, I ask for nothing more~】

……

At the song's conclusion, the phrase "With you, I ask for nothing more" was sung six times; each time, Yan Zhusheng altered the pitch slightly, expressing similar emotions, yet subtly different.

Yan Zhusheng looked at Li Luo, at Ying Chanxi, and at Xu Youyu, then lowered her head, closed her eyes, and softly hummed:

【With you, I ask for nothing more…】

……

Yan Zhusheng's final soft hum, accompanied by the music's fading notes, echoed throughout the stadium.

Though the final lyric was the same phrase repeated, each utterance carried a slightly different emotion, placing listeners right inside the moment.

Some audience members remained lost in Yan Zhusheng's performance until a thunderous wave of applause swept over their ears, snapping them back to reality; they quickly raised their hands and clapped hard.

I have to say.

Their ears had been conquered by this young girl on stage.

It's said a tiger doesn't have a dog for a child—Yuan Wanqing's daughter was no exception.

Previously, we thought Yan Zhusheng performed well in "Mother and Daughter," but when she sang alone, the explosive energy and depth of emotion were undeniable.

It was a different flavor entirely from Yuan Wanqing's.

Some audience members were even shouting for another song.

But for Yan Zhusheng, her wish had already been fulfilled; she asked for nothing more.

When she reopened her eyes, her gaze fell on Li Luo; she blinked at him, then set down the microphone and bowed slightly to the crowd.

As the applause softened slightly, Yan Zhusheng spoke softly into the microphone: "Thank you."

Soon, Yan Zhusheng left the stage; Yuan Wanqing stepped back on to perform "Beneath the Flying Clouds."

At that moment, Li Luo had already quietly risen from his seat, saying he needed to use the restroom, and hurried through the staff passage he'd come through earlier, entering the stadium's interior area.

Earlier, his personal assistant Xiao Wen had given him a staff badge; along the way, Li Luo encountered no obstacles and reached the dressing room smoothly.

Standing at the door, Li Luo knocked. The dressing room door opened, revealing Xiao Wen.

"Huh? How did you get here?"

"Is Zhusheng inside?"

"She's here, just got back and is resting." Xiao Wen stepped aside, saw Li Luo walk straight in, then rolled her eyes and said, "I've got something to do, I'm off—take your time."

Xiao Wen, her face tinged with gossiping delight, walked out of the rest room with a faint smile, thoughtfully closing the door behind them.

As she passed other staff, Xiao Wen specifically reminded them that Yan Zhusheng was resting and not to disturb her.

"How do you feel?"

Li Luo watched Xiao Wen close the rest room door, chuckled and shook his head, then turned to look at Yan Zhusheng, who was half-reclining on the lounge chair.

At that moment, Yan Zhusheng was staring blankly at the mirror on the wall; only when she heard Li Luo's voice did she turn her head, her eyes slowly regaining life.

Li Luo had originally expected that upon seeing him, Yan Zhusheng would immediately rush into his arms.

But he hadn't anticipated this reaction.

"What's wrong?" Li Luo leaned closer, waved his hand in front of her face, then took her small hand—and realized she was trembling slightly, now and then.

"Mmm… nothing." Yan Zhusheng whispered. "Just a little… a little too excited. I can't control it."

For Yan Zhusheng, performing in front of a thousand spectators at school was nothing.

She had sung on stage before, but the actual audience was small, and she'd sung a duet with Yuan Wanqing, so the pressure wasn't great.

So just now, singing "Countdown" was her very first time performing a solo song in front of tens of thousands of people.

Especially since it was a brand-new song.

For Yan Zhusheng, during the actual performance, she was completely immersed in the song and barely felt any nervousness.

All her emotions had poured into the lyrics' feeling, leaving no room for tension.

But after the song ended and she returned to the rest room, she only then realized she was trembling slightly.

It wasn't fear—it was the post-performance surge of exhilaration, her heart pounding rapidly.

But when Yan Zhusheng saw Li Luo, the trembling eased, and she quickly returned to normal.

The next second, she stood up without hesitation and threw herself into his arms.

"Was I good?"

"You were great."

"How great?"

"Better than Aunt Yuan sang it."

"Mom is definitely better than me." Yan Zhusheng lifted her face in his arms and whispered.

"Not necessarily." Li Luo smiled slightly. "After tonight's concert ends, Aunt Yuan's new album will drop simultaneously—someone will definitely compare your version to hers."

"Trust me."

"Many people will prefer your version."

Singing is a deeply personal and emotional thing.

Technique can make up for some things, but timbre and style are often unchangeable for a singer.

As someone approaching forty, Yuan Wanqing could better convey the song's deep longing to cherish time and loved ones.

But Yan Zhusheng's version focused more on a girl's yearning and hope for love and the future.

With Yan Zhusheng's own vocal technique showing few flaws, which version one prefers depends entirely on personal taste.

Li Luo explained this to Yan Zhusheng, and she leaned against him, listening quietly.

Until she realized he'd been speaking for several minutes without stopping—she could no longer bear it, lifted her face again, cupped his head with both hands, and tiptoed slightly.

"Don't talk. Kiss me."

(End of Chapter)