Chapter 602: Is It Li Luo, the Senior, Going On Stage?!

May 7, Sunday.

In the morning, the study group gathered as usual in Bihai Lanting Room 1502 to review together and prepare for the college entrance exam.

Since the last selection exam last month, candidates in Qianjiang Province only needed to face the three subjects—Chinese, Math, and English—in June.

Later, Qianjiang Province's college entrance exam policy was adjusted again, but as the first cohort in the reform, their experience in this regard was still quite good.

At least on the surface, it had indeed achieved a certain degree of burden reduction.

As noon approached and lunch was imminent, everyone paused their studying to take a short break before eating.

At this moment, Xu Yinghuan happily pulled out three tickets from her backpack and grinned as she showed them to the others.

"Deng-deng-deng-deng~" Xu Yinghuan slapped the tickets onto the table and chuckled, "What's this?"

Yan Zhusheng leaned over curiously to take a look: "My mom's concert tickets?"

"That's right~" Xu Yinghuan said happily, "Last time Yuan Auntie's concert was on Monday, and none of us could take time off, but this one's on the weekend, so I asked my dad for three tickets—we'll go with Xin Yan and Jun Ge."

"But if you want to go to the concert, why not just ask me?" Yan Zhusheng tilted her head. "I can get my mom to arrange it—no cost at all."

"Oh, that would be too awkward," Xu Yinghuan waved her hand. "Besides, my dad's tickets are free—they were gifts from others."

"So all three of you are going to the concert tonight?" Li Luo asked.

"Yeah, we already made plans."

"That's not bad," Li Luo nodded.

"Will Zhusheng be singing on stage this time too?" Xu Yinghuan asked eagerly. "I noticed you've taken several days off lately—were you rehearsing?"

"Mm-hmm," Yan Zhusheng nodded.

"What are you singing this time? I remember you performed 'Countdown,' 'Beyond the Light-Year,' and 'Love Is a One-Person Thing' before."

"This time it's a new song," Yan Zhusheng said. "It's tied to the promotion of 'Little Joy.' You'll find out when you see it."

Here, Yan Zhusheng paused, glanced at Li Luo, thought for a moment, and decided to keep it a secret—she wouldn't tell Xu Yinghuan anything more, saving it as a surprise for the concert.

…

In the afternoon, the study group disbanded.

Li Luo accompanied Yan Zhusheng to the concert venue early for the final full rehearsal of the afternoon.

Ying Chanxi and Xu Youyu stayed home, then headed to the concert hall in the evening with Li Guohong and his wife, along with Xu Youyu's parents.

On the way, Xu Youyu pulled out her phone and scrolled through WeChat Moments, spotting a new post from her roommate Jiang Feiya, then immediately made a disgusted sound.

Ying Chanxi, hearing Xu Youyu's sigh, curiously leaned over: "What's wrong, Senior?"

"Nothing much, just kind of unbelievable," Xu Youyu showed her the post and said, "Someone invited my roommate to the concert."

"So what's the problem?"

"It's hard to explain in a moment, but it's just really unbelievable," Xu Youyu said helplessly.

She carefully examined the photo Jiang Feiya had posted—the ticket showed it was an inner-court seat.

All one could say was that Song Yu was going to spend again.

Honestly, I don't get why anyone would want to be such a yes-man.

Xu Youyu had originally thought Song Yu would secretly ask Li Luo for help, but he'd gone and bought the tickets himself.

He's not bad, I guess.

Just not very clear-headed.

…

Just as Ying Chanxi, Xu Youyu, and the others arrived at the concert entrance, Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng had finished the afternoon rehearsal and were preparing in the dressing room.

Of course, they weren't doing lip-to-lip training anymore.

They'd already done that many times in the past few days.

Today, the dressing room wasn't just the two of them—it also had makeup artists, stylists, and others present, so Yan Zhusheng remained well-behaved and obedient.

Yuan Wanqing had her own private makeup room and wasn't here.

Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng prepared their stage makeup and styling in this dressing room.

Although Li Luo's makeup was much simpler by comparison, once he sat down and began, the entire process—from application to final styling—took forty to fifty minutes.

And after the makeup was done, he didn't look especially handsome—rather, he looked a bit… flamboyant?

Li Luo stared at his reflection in the mirror, tilting his head left and right, still feeling uncomfortable.

The makeup artist beside him smiled and explained: "Stage makeup is different from everyday makeup."

"The stage lights are much stronger, and the audience is seated dozens or even hundreds of meters away."

"So the singer's makeup must be heavier, with enhanced three-dimensionality and very intense eye makeup."

"Up close, it does look exaggerated, but from afar, it becomes natural and just right."

"No wonder," Li Luo lowered his head, then lifted it again, studying his current look.

Earlier, when he'd seen Yan Zhusheng's makeup after she came offstage, it had been bold, but since she was a girl, the effect wasn't too striking.

But now, on himself, the dissonance after makeup was much stronger—he genuinely felt unfamiliar at first glance.

"What time is it now?"

"Almost seven. The concert is about to start."

…

In the inner-court seats, Song Yu protected Jiang Feiya's body as he guided her through the crowd to their assigned seats.

After Jiang Feiya sat down, she glanced toward the stage—still not started—and looked around.

Song Yu sat to her right, thoughtfully holding her milk tea, snacks, and glow sticks.

To her left sat an unfamiliar young Miss—quite pretty, making Jiang Feiya instinctively feel a bit repelled.

She turned to look at Song Yu, confirmed he wasn't sneaking glances at the girl beside her, and only then felt slightly more at ease.

Song Yu thought Jiang Feiya wanted to drink bubble tea, so he warmly handed it over: "Xiao Ya, do you want some?"

"Not yet," Jiang Feiya shook her head, glancing at the time. "Shouldn't the concert be starting soon?"

"Yeah, just a few minutes now. It starts exactly at seven."

Song Yu grinned, wiggled his butt, adjusted his sitting position, leaned back in his seat, and occasionally stole glances at Jiang Feiya beside him, his heart brimming with satisfaction and accomplishment.

This time… it was just him and Xiao Ya, alone at the concert.

Though he'd felt embarrassed begging his mom for money to buy the tickets, being able to take Jiang Feiya out to the concert alone still made Song Yu feel it was worth it.

"It's starting! It's starting!" The young girl beside him excitedly patted the boy next to her.

Song Yu was drawn over by the sound, watching the girl's small hand tap the boy's shoulder, and suddenly felt a pang of envy.

When would Xiao Ya ever be this affectionate with him?

Then the next second, he saw another pretty girl on the boy's other side, handing over a bag of snacks.

"Want some? You didn't eat dinner—have a little something to fill your stomach."

Damn it!

Song Yu couldn't help cursing inwardly at the sight.

Who the hell is this guy?

Two beautiful girls accompanying him to the concert, both so gorgeous.

Looking at Jiang Feiya beside him—utterly passive—Song Yu suddenly felt a twinge of imbalance in his chest.

But he still whispered softly: "Xiao Ya, do you want snacks?"

"We just ate dinner, okay?" Jiang Feiya waved her hand, eyes fixed unblinkingly on the stage. "Be quiet. I'll tell you if I want something."

"Oh…"

Soon.

Yuan Wanqing appeared on stage.

After more than half a year of touring concerts, Yuan Wanqing's command of the stage had reached a new level.

Whether in her most skilled singing segments or the interludes of audience interaction, she moved with effortless ease.

After over an hour of singing, even though fans had heard these songs countless times before, hearing them live still delivered a stunning sonic impact.

As the concert neared its end, the girl sitting beside Jiang Feiya muttered: "Wasn't there supposed to be a new song? Why hasn't Zhusheng come out yet?"

Because the concert hall was too noisy, Jiang Feiya didn't notice what the girl beside her said.

Only after all the pre-announced songs had been performed, the music stopped, and Yuan Wanqing bowed in thanks—as if the show were about to end—did she realize.

Many audience members shouted for "One more! One more!" while others looked disappointed.

After all, this concert was held in Yuhang City, and many knew Yuan Wanqing's daughter attended high school here, so they all guessed whether Yan Zhusheng might appear to sing.

Many fans regarded any concert where Yan Zhusheng appeared as a stroke of luck, like winning the jackpot—a concert bonus.

On stage, Yuan Wanqing, hearing the crowd's shouts, pretended to leave from the edge of the stage—until the noise grew louder, then turned back to the center, picked up the microphone, and smiled:

"I really want to sing one more, but I'm truly exhausted today, and all the planned songs have been sung."

"Is there any song you'd like to hear?"

The front-row fans erupted, shouting out the songs they wanted.

But soon, one wave of noise drowned out the rest.

"Let Shengsheng come up and sing!"

"Where's Shengsheng?!"

"Today's concert is Mom's, but the daughter didn't sing!"

Yuan Wanqing placed a hand beside her ear like a megaphone, listening to the crowd.

"What? What?" She smiled, feigning confusion, then suddenly understood. "You want to hear my daughter sing?"

"That hurts a little."

"It's my concert—how did you all fall for someone else?"

The audience burst into laughter.

But they grew even more rowdy, demanding Yan Zhusheng be called onstage.

Yet Yuan Wanqing didn't immediately comply. Instead, she sighed: "But my daughter is in Gao San this year."

"In a month, she'll take the Gaokao."

"She's studying hard right now—I can't disturb her."

At this, the audience felt disappointed.

But hearing it was about the Gaokao, everyone understood.

Then Yuan Wanqing changed tone: "Still, someone really wanted to meet everyone, so they snuck in anyway."

"And apparently even prepared a brand-new song."

"Are you interested?"

After all that teasing, the fans were thoroughly hooked and cheered wildly, shouting for it, demanding it.

Seeing the crowd's enthusiastic reaction, Yuan Wanqing smiled contentedly, then continued:

"This song was personally produced by Chongran, so my daughter dragged Chongran along too."

"Both of them are Gaokao candidates this year, so they specially prepared this Gaokao encouragement song for all students about to face the exam."

"Next, please welcome my Zhusheng and Teacher Chongran, as they present their new song."

"—'Not Wasting the Prime of Life'!"

"Hope you like it!"

Loud applause and cheers echoed throughout the concert hall.

Yuan Wanqing smiled and turned away, gracefully leaving the stage and handing it over to the next two children.

Jiang Feiya and Song Yu were both college students; although they still had some nostalgia for the college entrance exam, they weren't particularly moved by it.

Upon hearing it wasn't Yuan Wanqing singing live, they felt a sudden disappointment.

After all, they weren't pure fans of Yuan Wanqing—they'd come mainly to experience the live atmosphere and hear Yuan Wanqing herself sing.

They weren't especially interested in Yuan Wanqing's daughter.

But Song Yu said, "I remember Li Luo senior was quite familiar with Yuan Wanqing's daughter?"

"I think she's a cousin," Jiang Feiya replied offhandedly. "Didn't I tell you to ask him if he could get us tickets?"

"We already bothered him last time—let's skip it this time," Song Yu said with an awkward laugh, then changed the subject: "This should be the last song. Are you still listening, Xiao Ya? Or if we leave early, we won't get stuck in traffic."

"We came all this way—might as well listen," Jiang Feiya said, turning her head to look left.

Because while she'd been chatting with Song Yu, the girl beside them had suddenly jumped up, wildly waving her glow stick.

"She wasn't this excited when Yuan Wanqing was singing…" Jiang Feiya was speechless.

But the next second, as the opening melody began—a lively, upbeat rhythm—two figures in blue-and-white school uniforms stepped out from behind the stage, and Song Yu beside her let out a startled cry.

"What the hell?!"

"Isn't that Li Luo senior?!"

At those words, Jiang Feiya's gaze sharpened instantly. She stood up and stared toward the stage.

Although they were in the inner seating area, clearly seeing the performers' faces at this distance was still difficult.

So Jiang Feiya followed Song Yu's gaze to the large side screens flanking the concert stage.

One of the side screens angled toward the boy on stage.

There, unmistakably, was a familiar face.

"Li Luo?!" Jiang Feiya cried out in surprise.

"Wow! Li Luo's on stage too!" The girl beside them had also noticed. Hearing the audience around them shout Li Luo's name, she turned curiously toward them. "Huh? You know Li Luo too?"

(End of Chapter)