This humble Taoist priest wants to take the college entrance exam.

Chapter 267: Holding a Concert?

As night fell, the auditorium of Yunqi No.1 Middle School was brightly lit.

As the largest venue in the school, the auditorium can accommodate more than 800 people.

The main stage is 300 square meters, with a huge LED stage screen behind it, and a screen on each side. The venue is also surrounded by a sound system, making it a very luxurious and modern university auditorium design.

At this moment, the huge venue was already packed, and the air was filled with excitement and anticipation.

Students, teachers, school leaders, and specially invited alumni gathered in the auditorium. Many students who couldn't find seats brought their own small chairs and sat down in the aisles and other empty spaces around the auditorium, creating a lively atmosphere.

Holding the specially invited alumni letter, Li Wanyin, guided by a volunteer student, sat down in the middle of the second row of the auditorium.

The stage viewing position is superb, and the seats in the first three rows are soft sofas similar to those in a movie theater.

My older sister was also incredibly curious and couldn't help but marvel at the wealth of the school...

"Senior, please have some water. This is the voting device and the program list for tonight. After the performances, you can participate in the voting for the awards." The student volunteer distributed a bottle of mineral water and the voting device to Li Wanyin's seat.

"Okay, okay, thank you!"

Being addressed as "senior sister" by the high school student in front of her felt strange. She looked at the program list and then at the electronic voting machine, not expecting that the invited alumni would have the right to participate in the voting.

As for who to vote for, need I say more... of course, we'll all vote for the shows that Shi An participates in!

Li Wanyin glanced at the program list. The total duration was two hours, starting at 7:30 and ending at 9:30.

There were quite a few programs, including a large chorus, an instrumental ensemble, a recitation of school history, song performances, dance performances, and a campus skit by Shi An and his friends, etc., which were arranged quite tightly.

Following each program was a list of performers. Li Wanyin glanced at the list and saw that, including the three hosts, almost all of them were first- and second-year high school students. After all, once they reached their senior year, they really wouldn't have time to personally experience such a grand event.

Not to mention that this is a school anniversary celebration that only happens once every ten years, which can be said to be the only one in Shi'an, Zhizhi, and Mengqiu's high school career.

The first event was a large chorus performance, featuring the first-year high school choir...

The three hosts were all high school sophomores, dressed professionally in formal attire. They must have hosted quite a few times before, as they appeared quite composed and experienced. However, their youthful faces added to the overall charm and made the event quite amusing.

What Li Wanyin was most looking forward to was, of course, the show featuring Chen Shi'an and the others.

However, their performances were all scheduled for the second half of the show, with Chen Shian and Wen Zhixia's song performances taking place first.

Right after they parted ways, Shi'an and the others went backstage. I wonder what they're doing now...

Li Wanyin enjoyed the other programs first, since they were all quite good!

I wonder if Shi An and his team will have a chance to win an award in the end...

……

Of course there's a chance!
And it guarantees you'll win an award—

After all, anyone who passes the preliminary selection and makes it onto the program list will at least receive a third prize...

First prizes account for about 30%, second prizes also account for about 30%, and although third prizes are also prizes, none of the contestants at this point are aiming for third prize!

The stage was filled with blindingly bright lights, a stark contrast to the dark aisle behind the curtain.

Like most of the contestants, Chen Shi'an and his companions hid behind the curtain in the dark aisle, watching the other performances that had already taken the stage.

"So many people...!" Wen Zhixia crept up to Chen Shi'an furtively.

"Ugh, what should I do... I'm suddenly so nervous!" Yao Jingyan paced back and forth anxiously, tugging at the hem of her clothes.

"How much longer until it's our turn?" Qiu Yufu asked nervously.

"One, two... there should be three more performances before it's our turn," He Yeye said, counting back and forth several times.

"Damn, I drank a bit too much water. I need to go to the restroom again." Xu Zihan hurriedly went back to the backstage restroom.

Everyone: "..."

Lin Mengqiu, who was also spying, turned to look at Chen Shi'an: "Then you should probably get ready by now."

"Ah."

Chen Shi'an nodded, then looked at Wen Zhixia: "Is Xiao Zhi ready?"

"Taoist priest, I'm a little nervous!"

"Calm down, we've practiced this many times."

"Chen Shi'an, aren't you nervous?" a few girls who were also timid asked.

"Don't be nervous, don't worry, I'll go and lead the way."

"And I!"

"Yes, Xiao Zhi and I will help take the lead."

It was clear that they were quite nervous. After all, they weren't students with special talents, and even though they had rehearsed so many times, they still lacked confidence.

A sense of tranquility naturally spread around Chen Shi'an. Perhaps because they thought that Chen Shi'an and Zhizhi had taken the lead, everyone felt inexplicably calmer.

"Come on, let's do what we did last time, stack our hands and cheer each other on." Chen Shi'an, who had learned a new move, took the initiative to extend his hand.

Lin Mengqiu reacted so quickly this time!
The moment she saw Chen Shi'an's hand outstretched, she immediately placed her small hand on the back of his hand.

"Ouch—so cold! Why are your hands so cold, squad leader?"

"×!"

Do you think I'm not nervous?

If Chen Shi'an hadn't mentioned how cold the class monitor's hands were, everyone would have really thought that the 'unfazed' Lin Mengqiu wasn't nervous at all...

Wen Zhixia was a beat slow; she never expected that this ice-cold spirit, who loved to steal other people's things, would be so quick this time.

But this was no challenge for the clever and brave little Zhi.

Seeing that the ice spirit had already taken over the Taoist's hand, Wen Zhixia reached out and crawled underneath, placing her small hand against Chen Shi'an's palm.

Lin Mengqiu: "???"

The girl was truly convinced...

Who knows where these cicadas get so many ideas? They really do burrow into any hole they can find, it's impossible to guard against them!
Yu Fu, Xiao Yan, and the others took turns placing their hands on top of each other's. Seeing that the others were about to place their hands on top of each other to cheer them on, Xu Zihan, who arrived late, quickly placed her hand on top of theirs as well.

"Three, two, one... Go! Go!"

A stack of hands suddenly rose upwards.

……

Halfway through the gala, the host announced the program:

"Next, please enjoy the song 'You Were Once a Teenager' performed by Chen Shi'an from Class 5 of Grade 11 and Wen Zhixia from Class 21 of Grade 12!" Li Wanyin's eyes lit up in her seat. It was finally Shi'an's turn.

The older sister clapped enthusiastically, then took out her phone and started recording.

……

Suddenly, enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience in front of the curtain.

Upon hearing the host's announcement, Wen Zhixia, who had just relaxed and was already holding a microphone in the aisle preparing, suddenly tensed up again.

The atmosphere was noisy and lively, but the girl could almost hear the pounding of her own heart in her chest.

She looked at Chen Shi'an's face with some unease, but all she saw was his usual calm and composed expression.

More than half of the contestants have already gone on stage, but Wen Zhixia has never seen such a calm and confident expression on anyone's face.

Under his influence, the girl's heart, which had just been in turmoil, gradually calmed down again.

"Little cicada, shall we go up on stage?"

I don't know which contestant the stinky Taoist priest learned it from, but he very stylishly stuck out his fist at her.

Wen Zhixia was stunned for a moment, then chuckled and gently touched her small, white fist to his fist, which was as big as a clay pot.

"All right."

"Taoist priest, wait! Wait! We need to touch that hand too—"

Lin Mengqiu: "×××××!"

Get on stage! Stop dawdling!

"Let's go, Taoist priest!"

"Go Zhizhi!"

"Go Chen Shi'an!"

The people around them also quietly cheered for the two of them.

Chen Shi'an and Wen Zhixia walked side by side out of the corridor behind the curtain and onto the grand stage that now belonged to the two of them.

The lights went out.

The focus shifted back to the center of the stage.

Standing under the spotlight, Wen Zhixia looked at the boy beside her, and she herself seemed to be shining brightly.

The seats in front of me were already packed with people—students, alumni, teachers, leaders…

The girl's heart pounded again, but this time it was no longer nervousness, but rather an incredible excitement, an eager anticipation to present a perfect duet with the Taoist priest.

Both of them were dressed in simple school uniforms, yet they seemed to radiate light. The enthusiastic applause from the audience continued until the accompaniment started, and the entire venue fell into a brief silence filled only with the melody of the music.

Chen Shi'an smiled and nodded slightly in sync with the music. He turned slightly to look at the girl beside him.

Wen Zhixia also turned slightly to the side and looked up at him who was so close to her.

The girl took a deep breath, raised the microphone to her lips, and when the first line, "Sometimes, you miss the old days~", was sung, her clear and sweet voice, like a mountain spring, instantly pierced through the noise and captured everyone's ears.

Li Wanyin paused, holding her phone, and unconsciously held her breath.

Her singing voice carries a unique tenderness unique to young girls, expressing her deep longing for the past.

"But when Tianzhen left, you didn't say a word."

"You just waved your hand, like throwing away a piece of waste paper."

Chen Shi'an's harmonies joined at the right time; the boy's voice was clean and had a slightly lazy quality, creating a wonderful echo with Wen Zhixia's liveliness.

The two singers sang softly and in perfect harmony, as if whispering secrets in each other's ears. The scattered murmurs in the audience completely disappeared, and even the alumni in the seats sat up straight, their eyes fixed on the center of the stage.

"I've drunk seven-tenths of the wine, yet I feel a sense of loss." Wen Zhixia raised her eyes slightly, her singing tinged with melancholy.

"In the mirror, it's like seeing the end of life~" Chen Shi'an's voice deepened, carrying the boy's confusion and contemplation about the future. Many senior high school students felt a ripple of resonance in their eyes.

"Perhaps in a few years (Wen Zhixia: A few years later, sob sob~), you'll have a hypocritical face too~"

As their voices rose in a chorus, an uncontrollable chorus of "Oh~~~" suddenly erupted from the audience.

When the song reached its climax, with the lyrics "...you and I come from...small towns and villages, and once vowed to be great people~~", the students in the audience couldn't help but sway gently to the rhythm and sing along softly.

The lyrics of this song seem to touch the softest corners of everyone's heart about dreams and growth, evoking a strong resonance.

The teacher sitting on the judges' panel tapped the table lightly, a smile involuntarily creeping onto his lips;

The elderly alumnus next to him pushed up his glasses, his gaze lost in thought, recalling how he had left his hometown with his backpack when he was young.
The two people on stage wore the most ordinary school uniforms. There was no fancy stage design or complicated arrangement, but the sincerity and passion in their singing were more touching than any technique.

When the final line of their perfect duet, "Many years ago, you had a pair of clear eyes, running like a bolt of lightning in spring," fell, many students in the audience began to sing along.

Many years ago, I was a simple, unassuming boy.

"When you fall in love with someone, you're not afraid to give your whole life."

Believe that love lasts forever~ Believe in every stranger~~

"When I first encountered the world..."

"When I was a boy~~"

Their voices blended perfectly, lingering in the air for a long time.

The accompaniment gradually faded until it disappeared completely.

The entire venue was silent for half a second, then erupted in thunderous applause and cheers!
"It sounds great!!"

"Whoa!!"

"This is so cute!!"

The stage lights remained bright, and Wen Zhixia, slightly out of breath, began to blush.

She looked at Chen Shi'an beside her, and he turned his head at the same time. The two smiled at each other.

The audience's enthusiastic applause was louder and longer than ever before.

Chen Shi'an and Wen Zhixia bowed deeply. As they stood up, they saw a flurry of cell phone lights flashing below the stage.

Like a dazzling galaxy, reflecting on their young faces.

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(End of this chapter)