Chapter 25

Su Xiaoqi unexpectedly wanted to sing, which startled Xia Zhen. She almost spat out the drink she was drinking.

Previously, when a friend treated her, she invited Su Xiaoqi to accompany her, but Su Xiaoqi didn't sing at all. She just sat in the corner and said she would sing off-key.

Normally, Su Xiaoqi rarely hummed songs in the dormitory.

Liu Shaowei also looked embarrassed.

He had a vague relationship with Su Xiaoqi for a while, but that time he happened to see Su Xiaoqi helping her aunt take out the trash. With a flushed face under the scorching sun, surrounded by people coming and going, he felt particularly awkward. He started distancing himself from Su Xiaoqi since then, but she seemed unaware of it.

He believed he had handled the situation well. He couldn't possibly talk to her about these things before the college entrance examination. What if he didn't perform well in the exam and blamed himself?

As a result, Su Xiaoqi indeed failed the college entrance examination, but it had nothing to do with him, and he had a clear conscience.

However, he didn't expect Su Xiaoqi to come. She never participated in such activities before.

Others were also taken aback.

Some students found Su Xiaoqi quite unfamiliar but also somewhat familiar.

"I didn't have lunch to wait for this dinner. I'm starving. Let me eat first, and then I'll sing." Su Xiaoqi said confidently.

"Of course, the dishes are here. Let's eat first and sing later." Li Changhai saw the dishes and barbecue and finally put down the microphone. He walked over and sat in the empty seat next to Xiaoqi.

The students liked this place because they could eat and sing here. It was affordable, there was no need for two sessions, and it was convenient.

Xiaoqi didn't care about how others looked at her.

In reality, she felt a bit awkward. Although they were classmates, the only people she was familiar with were Li Changhai, Xia Zhen, Liu Shaowei, and the class monitor.

She had never left any impression in the class, feeling inferior and self-conscious, not as likable as Xia Zhen.

Xia Zhen had a square face and wide mouth but had a lively and accommodating personality.

Su Xiaoqi had fair skin and decent features, but she usually wore large black-framed glasses. Unless someone was very familiar with her, they would find her quite plain. However, from this moment on, she spoke openly and changed into a lighter pair of glasses. Many students took a few more glances at her and realized that there was actually a good-looking girl in the class whom they hadn't noticed before.

Even the class monitor glanced at Su Xiaoqi several times.

"Now that the dishes are here, let's start eating." The class monitor said loudly.

Su Xiaoqi was indeed hungry. She usually had an early dinner with her aunt and had been doing a lot of physical activities recently.

Without any hesitation, she filled her bowl with whatever she wanted to eat and ate earnestly, paying no attention to others.

After three years of being classmates, she felt like a failure. She thought her best friend was, in fact, not her best friend. She thought the boy who liked her was also not the one.

She didn't leave any trace in the class, as if she were invisible.

She ate two and a half bowls of rice, drank a bowl of soup, ate around ten skewers of barbecue, ten skewers of vegetables, ten skewers of potatoes, and finished the juice in front of her.

She wiped her mouth and stopped eating.

Su Xiaoqi had no idea that when she was eating, everyone in the class was watching her.

Her aura and speed were truly impressive. Despite that, they couldn't help but find her movements graceful and agile, with an indescribable feeling... perhaps a touch of elegance? Although she dressed plainly, while other girls wore skirts and light makeup, she remained ordinary. Her hair was a bit messy, yet as she sat there eating, she didn't appear the least bit uncomfortable.

Li Changhai, seeing the neat stack of leftovers and crumbs beside him, exclaimed in surprise, "Damn, Xiaoqi, how long have you been hungry? You can eat more than even I can."

"I'm from a rural area, where we do a lot of farm work, so it's normal to eat a lot," Su Xiaoqi replied, looking at the chubby Li Changhai, who clearly didn't engage in any physical activity.

When Xia Zhen heard the words "rural area," she became sensitive. She also lived in the school dormitory and disliked it when people assumed she came from a rural area. She always emphasized that her family lived in the outskirts of the city.

The others didn't have any particular reaction, but someone curiously asked Su Xiaoqi, "Isn't your hometown nearby? The class monitor informed the other boarding students that they couldn't come because there's no transportation."

"My home is very far away. It takes over two hours to reach the city. The class monitor called me during lunchtime, and I happened to be at the bookstore, so I came over," Su Xiaoqi explained.

"Wow, Xiaoqi, even after finishing the college entrance exams, you still went to the bookstore. You're truly a role model for us all," Li Changhai exclaimed dramatically, as he himself avoided books and played around all day now.

"Xiaoqi, which university did you get into?" another interested classmate approached and asked.

Because they had never noticed such a girl in their class before, she seemed different from their previous impression—direct, straightforward, and quite good-looking.

"Enhua University," Su Xiaoqi replied.

"Ah, isn't that..." a female student began but stopped midway.

Only a little more than half of the classmates who were invited to the gathering showed up today—around thirty of them—all of whom had performed well in the college entrance exams. Most of the students who didn't perform well or lived in the dormitories didn't come.

Enhua University was a private university that had just been upgraded from a third-tier to a second-tier university last year. In the eyes of students from their prestigious high school, it was still considered a low-ranking third-tier institution.

"Alright, I'm full. You guys continue eating, and I'll sing a song for you," Su Xiaoqi said, not wanting to continue the conversation.

She stood up and walked to the designated singing area in front.

Since the class monitor had booked the largest private room, there was a separate small stage as well.

Xiaoqi sat on a tall stool in the middle of the stage and adjusted the microphone stand in front of her.

She naturally walked up, while her classmates chatted and ate.

There were a few people looking at her too.

She didn't raise her head to look at her classmates; she just adjusted her own state.

She chose a song, "Farewell."

Then she glanced at the interface in front of her.

Vocal ability: Expert level+

Appearance: Has a beautiful set of teeth.

She smiled.

She smiled at herself.

Because besides the large screen and the sofa behind her, there were mirrors, and she could see herself in the mirror.

She looked beautiful when she smiled, with perfectly aligned teeth.

And her classmates thought Su Xiaoqi was smiling at them.

For some reason, they were all stunned.

They all thought this girl looked really good when she smiled, giving off a clean and orderly vibe.

Xia Zhen felt a bit down. Su Xiaoqi unexpectedly stole the spotlight, taking advantage of everyone being busy eating and no one competing for the microphone.

She probably won't sing well, but since everyone is busy eating, nobody will criticize her.

Meanwhile, Liu Shaowei's heart started racing. Lately, he had developed genuine feelings for Su Xiaoqi. He thought she looked really attractive and had a good personality. Her sweet smile melted his heart. They studied together, and whenever he didn't understand something, she would patiently teach him. When she didn't understand something, he would make an effort to understand it himself and teach her. They grew together, attended evening self-study sessions together, walked along the long path beside the playground together.

But ever since he met Xie Ruan, he hadn't paid much attention to Su Xiaoqi.

He never expected that Su Xiaoqi would look so beautiful when she smiled, especially enchanting, as if it reached deep into his heart.

"I'll sing a farewell song for everyone. After tonight, we'll all go our separate ways. I wish everyone a bright future."

After Su Xiaoqi finished speaking, the melody started playing.

It was tranquil and serene.

Very soothing.

People slowed down their eating and spoke in hushed voices.

"Outside the long pavilion, by the ancient road, green grass stretches to the horizon."

As the first line of the lyrics was sung, everyone was stunned.

Some thought that the original singer hadn't turned off.

Xia Zhen asked someone to turn off the original singer.

But the screen showed that there was no original singer, and it was Su Xiaoqi's voice singing.

Su Xiaoqi paid no attention to the reactions of others.

She continued singing.

"The evening breeze brushes against the lingering sound of the flute, and the sunset lies beyond the mountains. At the edge of the earth, at the corner of the world, half of our acquaintances have drifted away. Let's finish this jug of wine and enjoy the remaining joy. Tonight, let's bid farewell to the coldness of dreams..."

As her voice filled the air, everyone felt a tingling sensation and even their thoughts became sluggish.

Today, Su Xiaoqi hadn't read any books about how Liu Ruyi sang, but as a courtesan who left her mark on the long river of history, she was certainly extraordinary.

For ordinary people, reaching an intermediate level in singing was already impressive, but Su Xiaoqi was now at an expert level. She was just a step away from being a master.

She was only seventeen years old, yet her voice was pure and her soul untainted.

Her world was simple and bright.

Her singing voice was the same.

Pure music resonates with all living beings.

"Outside the long pavilion, by the ancient road, green grass stretches to the horizon. I ask you, when will you return? Don't linger when you come."

"At the edge of the earth, at the corner of the world, half of our acquaintances have drifted away. In life, the rarity lies in joyful gatherings; it is in partings that we find abundance."

Su Xiaoqi sang repeatedly.

Towards the end, tears streamed down her face.

Even the classmates who were eating and drinking paused, their faces wet with tears.

She was bidding farewell, to her classmates and to her imperfect self of yesterday.

She was embarking on a new journey, with her present self.

After finishing her song, she left. No more goodbyes.

No lingering voices.

Only the camera in the corner continued recording.