On stage, although Hua Xiang's appearance was still that of the same dreadlocked, hip-hop styled Hua Xiang, it was as if the person inside had truly been swapped out. When lifting a leg, he moved with delicate, lotus-like steps; when blinking, he was charmingly cute; every smile and frown was filled with feminine grace.
His arrangement was clearly done by someone hired at great expense. While the melody was still the familiar, catchy tune of a pop song, paired with distinctive traditional ethnic instruments, its sophistication was elevated several levels.
Qiu Qiu hadn't listened to Chinese opera before and couldn't tell if the singing style was authentic or not, but he could hear that Hua Xiang's breath control and melodic transitions were exceptionally skilled.
The main planner and director standing at the front, not noticing there were other contestants sitting in the pitch-black audience seats, began discussing in low voices.
"This arrangement of his is quite interesting this time. He'll probably achieve a good ranking even in the national competition."
"That's skill honed since childhood. With that voice alone, he's definitely first in the regional competition. The others don't stand a chance."
If other contestants had heard this, they would likely have been fiercely jealous of Hua Xiang. But Qiu Qiu, upon hearing it, only felt happy. He had originally been worried Hua Xiang might be eliminated. He never expected the other to have hidden depths. Being able to advance together with a new friend and stand on a higher stage was such a fortunate thing.
Hua Xiang was singing as a male Dan (female role), his falsetto extremely clear and pleasant. Usually, his voice wasn't low, carrying the vitality of a young man. In the latter half of his song, the falsetto and his natural male voice alternated, and the accompaniment also switched between pop and opera styles, making it very distinctive.
Qiu Qiu unwittingly became entranced. Hua Xiang did three consecutive trial runs, and Qiu Qiu listened, captivated, for all three. Only during the final run did Hua Xiang's high note suddenly crack, whether from insufficient breath or some other reason.
Hua Xiang's trial soon ended. The spirited, charming Dan role on stage was a fleeting bloom, transforming back in an instant into that young master who thought the world revolved around him.
Swinging his golden microphone, hands clasped behind his back, he bounced over to Qiu Qiu and asked cockily, "Alma mater buddy, how was my singing?"
Qiu Qiu naturally showered him with enthusiastic praise, making Hua Xiang so elated he could have taken off on the spot.
Qiu Qiu: "But why didn't you hit that high note in the last run?"
Hua Xiang scratched his throat and said casually, "Throat's uncomfortable. Probably didn't sleep well these past few days preparing for the college entrance exams."
Qiu Qiu was a born worrier and hurriedly advised him to drink more water when he got back. The finals were in ten days, he shouldn't let a minor ailment turn into a serious one.
Hua Xiang clearly didn't take it to heart at all. He lazily raised his hand. "I swear, I'll protect my voice like I protect my little dickie. You can rest easy!"
...
The finals ten days later didn't need to be thought about just yet. For Qiu Qiu, the imminent exam week was more important.
The guys who had experienced the dormitory fire incident weeks ago had all gone crazy playing games at the hotel. Who remembered to review? They were cramming at the last minute for almost every exam. Some even printed out Qiu Qiu's photo, hung it on their door, and offered three sticks of incense a day, just to catch a bit of the top student's aura.
Because Qiu Qiu had chosen to earn credits early, he had three courses requiring papers and six courses with exams this semester, putting much more pressure on him than his classmates. But he was exceptionally good at managing his time. Even staying at home every day, he strictly followed his own study schedule, and even had energy left to practice singing.
Fu Ruien, afraid of hindering Qiu Qiu's studies, "deprived" Qiu Qiu of his housework duties, sending someone daily to prepare three meals.
Qiu Qiu protested softly, "I'm not taking the college entrance exams, Godfather. You don't need to be so nervous."
"If you were taking the college entrance exams, I'd abandon the company and stay home to accompany your studies every day."
Qiu Qiu's protests were always ineffective, so he could only reluctantly accept his godfather's kindness.
However, Fu Ruien, worried he'd study himself silly, wanted him to raise something to lighten his mood. But what to raise needed careful selection—it had to be something easy to care for that wouldn't waste time.
Qiu Qiu said, "Then let's raise rocks. I raised some when I was a kid, it was quite fun."
Look at this silly son, so easily satisfied.
In the end, Fu Ruien had the housekeeping aunt sprout a pot of mung beans, covered it with cloth, and placed it on the low table in the living room. When Qiu Qiu got tired from studying, he'd water the beans. After raising them for over a week, by the time his last exam was finished, they'd already eaten two batches of bean sprouts.
This was the first time Qiu Qiu had successfully raised a plant since childhood, and he was overjoyed. He wandered around Fu Ruien's house, decided the sunlight in front of the living room's floor-to-ceiling window was best, and planned to line the base of the glass wall with a row of garlic chives, leeks, and chili peppers.
The housekeeping aunt, temporarily assigned to care for him and unsure of his status, kindly reminded him, "This is, after all, Mr. Fu's house. I heard it cost tens of millions. Using it to grow vegetables might not be appropriate. Besides, those vegetables have strong smells. Maybe you should discuss it with Mr. Fu first?"
Huh? What does raising things in a house have to do with its price? They used to grow Chinese toon trees in the two courtyard houses his family had before.
When Fu Ruien returned from work that evening, Qiu Qiu told him about his plan to grow vegetables in the living room.
"..." Fu Ruien tilted his head to look at the elegantly and simply decorated living room, remained silent for quite a while, then finally spoke. "If you want to raise them, raise them. Raise as many as you like."
Qiu Qiu, having received his godfather's rewarded meat bone, happily spun around, shouting "Godfather is the best!"
His sweet, soft treasure of a son—Fu Ruien, this big lecher, took the opportunity to pull him into his embrace, even resting his chin on Qiu Qiu's shoulder, wrapping him up with his own body.
He said in a deep voice, "But you must take responsibility for caring for the plants you raise. Watering, weeding, you do it yourself. You can't get halfway through and stop because it's troublesome."
This request was perfectly reasonable. Qiu Qiu agreed without a second thought.
The day after final exams ended, Qiu Qiu went to the market and bought seeds for several types of household vegetables, as well as potting soil, fertilizer, and deep pots for planting. Because there was so much, he even borrowed a small cart to haul it all home. He spent a whole day planting all the seeds. Although the pots were just dark soil now, Qiu Qiu could already picture the little green sprouts breaking through.
When Fu Ruien returned home, he happened to see Qiu Qiu holding his guitar and singing to over a dozen flower pots.
Qiu Qiu said this was called prenatal education.
Fu Ruien walked over to the imposing floor-to-ceiling window, pretended to admire the pots—as bald as Qiu Qiu's head—for a long time, offered great encouragement, then asked, "When will these vegetables be ready?"
"At least a month."
Fu Ruien nodded with satisfaction, elegantly baring his claws. "Since they're already planted, you can stop thinking about moving out."
"..." Only then did Qiu Qiu remember. His biological father, who had been away on a business trip, was returning home next week. And with his finals over, logically, he should move back to his own home in a few days.
Qiu Qiu suddenly realized he'd been tricked, but what was done was done. He couldn't just dig the seeds out of the soil.
The little aggrieved one said tearfully, "Godfather, you set a trap for me!"
Fu Ruien agreed: "Since Qiu Qiu insists, then I promise I won't use condoms with you anymore."
