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That night.
Two events dominated Haicheng's trending topics.
The fireworks show at Haicheng Port was spectacular and unparalleled.
Opera actress Chi Yueshan botched her performance at the Haicheng Grand Theater.
Lu Xing had personally experienced the first event, so there wasn't much to say.
But the second event was a bit strange.
Although Chi Yueshan was a fake "cool and aloof" but real "black-bellied" person, her professional skills were absolutely solid.
How could she have botched a performance?
"What are you looking at?"
Song Junzhu had gone for a run outside and felt covered in dust, so she washed her hair first after coming home.
Now she was wearing a red silk nightgown, drying her hair with a towel.
Heaven was truly unfair.
The volume of Song Junzhu's seaweed-like long hair was at least three times that of some people.
But it was also because she had so much hair that she couldn't be bothered to blow-dry it. She often just dried it with a towel and waited for it to air-dry before sleeping.
Lu Xing glanced at her, and his professional simp qualities immediately kicked in.
"Need me to blow-dry your hair?"
Song Junzhu glanced at him. "You'll do it?"
Lu Xing nodded and said with a smile, "I'll do it."
Great!
With someone to help, Song Junzhu was much more comfortable.
She confidently entrusted her long hair to Lu Xing and leaned back on the sofa to look at the trending topics.
"You still haven't said what you were looking at just now."
A woman's curiosity is really...
But right now, Lu Xing didn't want to have any unpleasantness with Song Junzhu.
Usually, by this time, Song Junzhu would have already finished whipping him and gone to sleep. It's rare for her to be awake at this hour.
Coaxing her is always better than being whipped by her!
So Lu Xing immediately said.
"The trending topics said there was a fireworks show at Haicheng Port, so I went to take a look."
Song Junzhu had also seen that trending topic, but she was more interested in the one below it.
"Chi Yueshan botched her performance?"
Lu Xing's heart suddenly skipped a beat. "Professor Song, do you two know each other?"
Please don't, please don't know each other, I'm begging you!!!
The next second.
Song Junzhu shook her head.
"A friend of mine who loves antiques and listening to opera mentioned her before, said she sings well."
She hadn't expected the next time she saw her name, it would be the news of a botched performance.
"Why are you a little happy?" Song Junzhu looked at Lu Xing with confusion. She seemed to see joy in his eyes.
Lu Xing suppressed the happiness in his heart, turned on the hairdryer, and asked with confusion.
"Am I?"
The warm air blew over gently, making Song Junzhu feel a little comfortable. A flash of inspiration struck her.
He loves me so much.
He's this happy just from blow-drying my hair.
"Anyway, since there's nothing else to do, let's listen to how she botched it."
Song Junzhu clicked on the video.
The beauty on the stage was exquisitely made up, her eyes flowing with tenacity. Her posture was beautiful, her hand gestures precise. She struck a pose and began to sing.
"Suddenly I hear the sound of golden drums and painted horns, awakening my sky-breaking ambition.
I remember the years, majestic on a peach-blossom horse, enemy blood splattering my pomegranate skirt..."
After watching the full video, Lu Xing commented.
"It wasn't really a botched performance. She just missed one note."
People aren't robots.
Even the most amazing singers have the risk of their voice giving out, let alone in opera, where a performance starts at an hour.
The sound of the hairdryer hummed softly. Lu Xing's slender fingers moved through her hair, occasionally massaging her head. This made Song Junzhu's nerves relax.
She squinted her eyes and watched the video again, then said with certainty.
"Chi Yueshan was waiting for someone, but that person didn't come."
"Is that so?"
Lu Xing's hand steadily blow-dried Song Junzhu's hair, without a hint of any other emotion.
Even from this angle, where he could see some things at the chest of Song Junzhu's nightgown, he acted as if he were blind.
Song Junzhu squinted her eyes comfortably and speculated lazily.
"It might not be obvious, but my intuition tells me. She glanced at the audience several times. The time she missed the note was right after she looked at the audience for the last time."
Lu Xing shivered in his heart.
Damn it.
Is a woman's sixth sense a little too terrifying?
How am I supposed to even play this game if this isn't nerfed?!
Maybe Chi Yueshan was waiting for him, but what did that have to do with him?
His transaction with Chi Yueshan had long since been terminated. There was no reason for him to go and watch her performance anymore.
The agreement was over. Everything was settled.
Song Junzhu closed her phone, a little bored.
"I didn't expect Chi Yueshan to also experience unrequited love. And that person even ignores her."
Lu Xing hummed in agreement, not daring to say more.
But he felt that what Song Junzhu said later was wrong.
Chi Yueshan didn't love him at all. She had just been treating him as a joke to amuse herself.
People feel sad for a while even after losing a stuffed toy they've had for two years, let alone a 'human toy' they've had for two years.
Chi Yueshan will just have to get used to it.
...
Haicheng Grand Theater.
The entire backstage fell into a dead silence. No one said a word. They all just silently packed their things and quickly slipped away!
Every person who left would pat Chi Shui, who was guarding the door, on the shoulder as a sign of encouragement.
Good luck, you can do it!
Hope you can console your sister!
"Oh, mother..."
Chi Shui's legs were so weak he wanted to kneel!
I really can't do it! Don't leave me behind, ahhh!
Chi Shui wanted to die.
Who would have thought, who would have thought that Chi Yueshan, who had never made a mistake before, would actually fail to hit a note in such a familiar piece!
The audience was in an uproar at that time.
Although no staff dared to mention it after the show, the audience dared to mention it. And so, it shot up to the trending topics.
"Sis..."
Chi Shui tremblingly approached Chi Yueshan, keeping a safe distance so that he could run away in time if she decided to kill him.
All the lights backstage were on.
Chi Yueshan had removed her headdress.
Her long hair was draped over her shoulders, her face was still covered in opera makeup, and she was wearing a water-sleeve opera costume.
Although the place was so bright, Chi Shui felt that Chi Yueshan was about to shatter.
"I saw the comments online. No one blames you. They can all understand you."
"Why didn't Lu Xing come?"
"You've never made a mistake in this piece before. This was really just an accident."
"Why didn't Lu Xing come?"
"Mom said, if you're in a bad mood, you can come home for a meal and a get-together."
"Why didn't Lu Xing come?"
It was like a pre-programmed NPC.
No matter what Chi Shui said, Chi Yueshan only had this one answer.
In fact, from the beginning of the show, when Chi Shui didn't see Lu Xing's figure in the audience, he had felt that something was wrong.
But Chi Shui had never expected...
That Lu Xing's absence would have such a huge impact on Chi Yueshan!
Usually, his sister singing this part was as simple as eating, sleeping, and beating up Doudou.
(TL: A reference to a simple, repetitive task from a game. Not a specific one, just a general simple action)
But now.
This was equivalent to choking to death while eating!
Although it wasn't a serious mistake, for Chi Yueshan, who was always serious about her work, it was definitely a blow.
Chi Shui swallowed and said cautiously.
"Um, sis, I called Lu Xing. It seems he didn't pick up..."
Didn't pick up?
Chi Yueshan raised her head. Under the cold white light, her opera-makeup-covered face was like a stunning ghost.
"Was it that he couldn't be reached, or was I blocked?"
She had confidently believed that Lu Xing had fallen in love with her, confidently believed that Lu Xing would definitely come tonight, and even confidently believed that he would continue to come in the future!
But.
Reality had slapped her right in the face!
The first time Chi Yueshan looked at the audience, Lu Xing wasn't there. She was a little confused.
The second time Chi Yueshan looked at the audience, Lu Xing wasn't there. She started to get angry.
The third time Chi Yueshan looked at the audience, Lu Xing wasn't there. She was extremely panicked!
With this panic, a mistake was born!
Lu Xing, who always secretly gave her a thumbs-up in the audience, who always clapped and cheered for her vigorously, who always gave her an affirmative look...
Didn't come.
He didn't come.
The moment she failed to hit the note, Chi Yueshan suddenly understood.
It wasn't that Lu Xing couldn't leave her.
It was that she couldn't leave Lu Xing.
She had gotten used to Lu Xing's presence. It was reassuring.
Chi Yueshan curled her lips into a self-deprecating smile.
Play around.
Go on, play around.
You played yourself.
You played yourself to death, didn't you?
Chi Yueshan let out a cold laugh. Paired with her opera makeup, it was quite chilling, like an extremely hard-to-kill final boss in a horror game.
Chi Shui was so scared he took three steps back, sweating profusely. He immediately suggested.
"Sis, how about I use your phone to call?"
Chi Yueshan didn't speak, just threw her phone to Chi Shui.
He pressed the numbers, and dialed.
The next second.
The call was immediately connected.
It's over!
That number really was blocked!
Chi Yueshan's face darkened.
Chi Shui immediately took three steps back, turned on the speakerphone, swallowed, and said cautiously.
"Is this Lu Xing?"
"No, he's dead."
...
...