"It's her..."
Wei Junze's murmur was drowned out by the cheers of the crowd.
The surprise in his eyes gradually turned into burning intensity as he fixed his gaze on the girl on stage, like a hunter chasing his prey.
Earlier, Ji Tingzhou—Ji Nian's biological father—sat on one side of Gu Xiuyuan, with Chen Mo on the other.
Gu Xiuyuan had even arranged for this section to be cordoned off to prevent anyone from accidentally bumping into Ji Tingzhou.
At this moment, Ji Tingzhou was tilting his head slightly, looking up at the girl on stage who had inherited his features.
The photography team he had hired was diligently capturing Ji Nian from every possible angle.
On stage, the soft strumming of a guitar began, and the song reached a minor climax.
Ji Nian gripped the microphone tightly, tilting her head slightly and half-raising her eyes to gaze at the audience swaying rhythmically with glow sticks in hand. She sang softly:
"Lover, fragrant as the hem of a goddess’s skirt."
"Please allow me to monopolize you~"
"Facing the moonlight."
"Your gaze reflects upon me."
Down below, Ji Tingzhou’s expression gradually shifted. The glow stick he had been casually waving came to a halt.
"Did that little blond guy write this?"
Beside him, Gu Xiuyuan overheard the question and replied, "Yes, Uncle Ji."
Ji Tingzhou stared expressionlessly at the pianist on stage—a strikingly beautiful figure with pale golden hair, whose presence alone sent waves of screams through the crowd.
Trashy lyrics.
Ji Tingzhou would never know that Chen Mo shared the exact same thought at that moment.
The sweet, sentimental love song soon reached its end.
Ji Nian swayed lightly to the rhythm, her body moving gracefully.
"Lover, fragrant as the hem of a goddess’s skirt."
"Belong to me."
"I will carve you into my heart forever—"
As the final note faded, the sudden eruption of screams from the audience nearly startled Ji Nian.
"Ji Nian!!!! Goddess!!!! We will follow you forever!!"
"Ahhhhhhh baby your singing is so beautiful wuuuu"
"Lu Jinghuai!!! I swear I’d be your dog, Lu Jinghuai!!!"
Shen Qingtang’s friends roared her name in perfect unison.
Yang Xinyu, still catching his breath on stage, nearly burst out laughing when he saw the banner his classmates had unfurled:
‘Yang Xinyu, we love you—S High’s Drum God is you!’
Even Xiang Wan’s classmates, who had just transferred in, were shouting her name.
The crowd was going wild.
Witnessing his daughter’s overwhelming popularity, Ji Tingzhou wore a faint smile.
Though he said nothing, inwardly, he thought:
Good taste.
But that guy who wanted Ji Nian to step on him? Wei Yang would have to teach him a lesson.
Wei Yang, however, was too busy being moved to tears by Ji Nian’s performance on stage.
That’s our kid, ours!!!
Even Zhiliao, who rarely went out, had a constant smile on her lips, her camera clicking nonstop.
"Wow, everyone’s so enthusiastic," Ji Nian said, feigning surprise.
The moment she spoke, the noise died down.
"Alright, for our final song, we hope you’ll keep up the energy and rock out with us!"
She turned around, winking at her bandmates where the cameras couldn’t see.
Everyone picked up on the cue, their lips curling into grins.
There’s nothing more thrilling than the anticipation of mischief.
"It’s Nian Nian’s song now," Chen Mo muttered from the audience, finally sitting up straight after enduring that saccharine love ballad.
Gu Xiuyuan, having seen their rehearsals, knew this was a fast-paced, high-energy track.
Yang Xinyu flicked his wrist, slamming the crash cymbal with his left hand before launching into a rapid drum sequence.
The bass kicked in right after.
Ji Nian had tied a black bow around Xiang Wan’s sleek prosthetic leg, and as she tossed her hair, the LED strips on the mechanical limb pulsed with the beat, drawing gasps from the crowd.
But before anyone could process it, Ji Nian’s voice—now bright and energetic compared to the previous song’s softness—rang out, pulling everyone into the rhythm.
"I see you as the dawn of winter—"
"No longer fearing the endless night~"
"A butterfly dying in spring is no disgrace"
"Fragile wings"
"Can still emerge as summer blossoms"
Shen Qingtang’s fingers danced nimbly over the guitar strings, her chin lifted, the line between her jaw and neck forming an elegant curve.
The piano joined in, Lu Jinghuai tapping his foot to the beat, his dangling earring swaying before he suddenly lifted his gaze at a precise moment.
Ji Nian leaped into motion, arms raised, her body swaying and twisting with the music.
Then, she reached for her jacket.
So did almost every other band member.
Gu Xiuyuan, who had watched countless rehearsals, frowned.
Was this part of the choreography?
Behind him, He Xiang glanced at the top of his head before shifting his attention back to the stage.
The tempo grew faster, as if building toward something explosive.
Gu Xiuyuan’s right eyelid twitched uncontrollably.
Ji Nian stepped onto a speaker, belting out the lyrics as the music erupted in a frenzy.
"Youth fears no bitter winter."
It was like a signal.
In unison, the members of the "Rookie Band" ripped off their jackets and flung them aside.
Beneath, they wore matching band T-shirts—each emblazoned with a massive, deadpan portrait of Gu Xiuyuan’s face, clearly cropped from an ID photo. The absurdity of his expression against the chaotic energy of the performance was downright hilarious.
"Lift your head to the blazing sun!"
The audience, already hyped and sweating, took a second to register what they were seeing—until the students from S High burst into laughter.
They knew exactly who that was.
"That’s the student council president!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!"
"Holy crap, President Gu, you’re famous now!!"
"I need one of those shirts!!! I’m wearing it to bed!!"
Gu Xiuyuan’s classmates were wheezing: "No WONDER they’re called the Rookie Band!! HAHAHAHAHA!"
Meanwhile, the man of the hour, Gu Xiuyuan: "……"
The school administrators beside him: "……"
Well… Gu Xiuyuan was kind of an institution at S High.
Looking up at the screen, where the band members were visibly struggling to keep straight faces, Gu Xiuyuan felt like he couldn’t breathe.
Whose idea was this????
Beside him, Chen Mo coughed—clearly in on the joke—before turning away to laugh.
Ji Tingzhou shot Gu Xiuyuan an amused glance.
Behind him, He Xiang patted his shoulder consolingly.
Gu Xiuyuan whipped around: "You knew too?"
He Xiang’s response?
Slowly removing his own jacket to reveal—
An identical Gu Xiuyuan face T-shirt.
Meeting He Xiang’s faintly smirking expression, Gu Xiuyuan: "……"
Was this funny?
All he saw in that damn shirt was a man staring into the abyss.
On stage, the song reached another climax.
The entire crowd jumped in unison, glow sticks waving wildly as they chanted:
"Youth fears no bitter winter."
"Lift your head to the blazing sun!"
"Youth defies the darkest night."
"Just look up, and there’s moonlight!"
As the final drumbeat faded, a burst of dazzling ribbons rained down from above the stage.
Lu Jinghuai wiped his chin with the back of his hand, his gaze fixed on the figure leaping at the center of the stage.
Her hat had long since flown off, her slightly curled hair floating in the air, her entire body bathed in light. With rosy cheeks and a delicate, upturned nose, she seemed to glow.
Amid the roaring crowd, his eyes burned with intensity as he softly sang:
"Please allow me to monopolize you."
