"Follow me!"
With this cold drop, Jiang Ran turned and walked toward the edge of the playground.
"Ah? I..."
Watching Jiang Ran walk away without looking back, Ye Qiuli had no idea what to do!
*Should I follow her or not?*
"What are you still waiting for, Ye Qiuli? Hurry up and catch up!" Ye Long gave Ye Qiuli a shove and snapped.
"Ah, oh... okay!" Seeing the instructor speak up, Ye Qiuli hastily acknowledged and hurried after Jiang Ran.
Thus, amidst the gaze of countless onlookers, Ye Qiuli trailed about fifty meters behind Jiang Ran, slowly walking out of the playground.
"Can't you walk a bit faster?" Jiang Ran stopped in her tracks, finally losing her patience.
"Ah? Oh, coming!" Ye Qiuli replied in a small voice upon hearing Jiang Ran's chilly tone.
With that, she quickened her pace significantly, soon reaching Jiang Ran's side, though she still maintained a safe social distance of a meter and a half.
"Can you sing or dance? Or you can accompany me on an instrument!" Jiang Ran looked down, sizing up Ye Qiuli with a flat expression.
"I... a little... singing... c-can I do that?" Ye Qiuli didn't dare meet Jiang Ran's eyes, keeping her head down as she gripped the hem of her shirt and asked timidly.
"Sure! What songs can you sing?" Jiang Ran nodded and asked.
"Um... you choose... if I know it, I'll sing it with you!" Ye Qiuli thought about it and said.
If she had to pick, she really wouldn't know what to choose, so she might as well let someone else make the decision!
"Listen to this and see what you think. I feel like your voice would really suit it!" As if she had prepared in advance, Jiang Ran lightly tapped her phone screen, and the prelude began to play.
Hearing the melodious, light, yet slightly melancholic prelude by her ear, Ye Qiuli fell into a deep reverie.
*This is too familiar! He has heard this song, and a long time ago, someone even taught him how to sing it!*
"Well? Do you know this song?" When the music stopped, Jiang Ran stared at Ye Qiuli and asked.
This was a song she had loved for a long time. Having never cared for singing before, she had specifically sought out a music teacher and practiced it for ages just for this song!
"I do!" Ye Qiuli replied with absolute certainty.
"Good! Let's divide up who sings which part!" Opening the lyrics, Jiang Ran suddenly remembered she hadn't added Ye Qiuli as a friend yet, so she quickly opened her contact card and handed her phone over.
"What... are you doing?!" Ye Qiuli stepped back half a step, startled and nervous.
"To add you as a friend and send you the lyrics! Can you memorize all the lyrics?" Jiang Ran frowned as she spoke.
She couldn't help muttering inwardly: *This person doesn't look stupid, so how on earth did he get into Kyoto University?*
"Oh, oh, okay!" Flustered, Ye Qiuli unlocked her phone and added Jiang Ran.
"I've sent your part to you, see if you have any issues. If not, let's practice it once!" Looking at Ye Qiuli's pink, mischievous fox avatar, Jiang Ran fell into deep thought.
"No problem at all!" After reviewing her assigned parts, Ye Qiuli nodded.
It just so happened to be a section she excelled at.
"Then let's start practicing!" Jiang Ran said indifferently.
Little did she know, this cold voice would ring out as the prelude to the entire autumn!
***
Meanwhile, in another corner outside the playground, Qin Huai and Xiaoxiao were discussing what to sing.
"I only know this one!" Qin Huai scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed.
"It's fine, I know it too. I'll take the female vocals and you take the male vocals—we can just do a complete version!" Xiaoxiao set aside her usual mischievousness and said with utter seriousness.
She was determined to use this opportunity to heavily dent Jiang Ran's arrogant aura! The mere thought of Jiang Ran having to drag along dead weight filled her with joy.
*Dreadful Jiang Ran! When I crush you, let's see how you still manage to put me down!*
Xiaoxiao's mind had already brainstormed countless ways to "humiliate" Jiang Ran!
***
"Next up, let's welcome the first team from Geography Class 2 to the stage! Let's give them a warm round of applause!"
The host's enthusiastic voice on stage electrified the countless freshmen in the audience.
Qin Huai, carrying a guitar, walked up on stage alongside Xiaoxiao.
Standing in the center of the stage, Qin Huai gently strummed the guitar, and the long, slow prelude began to drift out.
"It's that season for Rashomon again. Let's present Rashomon to you all!"
Qin Huai's low, deep voice rang out.
As his voice trailed off, as if right on cue, Xiaoxiao began to sing.
"I didn't turn around."
"Walking on, dreaming on."
"Going crazy, never stopping."
...
Xiaoxiao's crystal-clear voice soared.
"Whoa!"
"Look at that girl, she's so pretty!"
"Holy crap! Is that the original singer?"
In an instant, the atmosphere of the entire playground was ignited!
"Follow!"
"Every night, reason turns into sentiment!"
"I drafted this text message!"
"Saying I don't care is just me being stubborn!"
Qin Huai's magnetic voice broke in.
"Whoa!"
"Qin Ge is awesome!"
Li Nuo shouted directly from the audience!
Even Qing Ke beside him abandoned all composure and yelled out at the top of her lungs!
Qin Huai accelerated his pace, and the song rapidly built toward its climax!
"We are used to the Rashomon of this world!"
"We've become like strangers!"
"Two equally anxious hearts crammed onto the exact same Ferris wheel!"
The story continues past this chapter, click the next page to read on, even more excitement awaits!
...
The passion of the entire playground was thoroughly ignited! Even long after Qin Huai and Xiaoxiao finished, the crowd remained stirred up.
"That was a stellar performance by the first group of Geography Class 2! Now, let's look at the performance of the second group!"
The host's highly enthusiastic voice rang out.
As Qin Huai and Xiaoxiao stepped down, Jiang Ran and Ye Qiuli took the stage!
"Hello everyone! My name is Jiang Ran!"
Standing in the middle of the stage, Jiang Ran wore her usual icy expression, as if the scene before her wasn't enough to stir her emotions in the slightest.
"Jiang Ran! Jiang Ran! Jiang Ran!"
"Holy shit, the cold campus belle freshman!"
"Wait, who is that guy? How is he standing next to the campus belle?!"
"She's ten thousand times prettier in person than in photos!"
"Goddess! Goddess!"
...
The moment Jiang Ran spoke, the entire venue instantly erupted; even the senior students watching from outside the playground went wild!
*Good thing I wore a mask, or I'd probably be beaten to death! But she really is so outstanding, though.*
Looking at the glowing figure of the girl in the center of the stage, Ye Qiuli sighed inwardly.
"Next, please enjoy our performance!"
After taking a few deep breaths to calm her nerves, Ye Qiuli spoke.
As her words fell, the instrumental accompaniment from backstage kicked in, and upon hearing the music, the audience below gradually quieted down.
"Day by day, drawing closer to your heart!"
"You're happy!"
"I care~"
Ye Qiuli's light, youthful vocal timbre rang out, carrying a hint of eager anticipation.
"Every single drop, I can sense it all."
"You are my most beautiful belief!"
Jiang Ran's cold, clear voice chimed in just as Ye Qiuli's tail end faded, as if answering that very anticipation.
"Missing the Gemini! Meteor shower~ scattering across the sky~" (Ye)
"Let's light nine sparklers to take their place first!" (Jiang)
"The most dazzling doesn't necessarily! Require many! Diamonds and gold~" (Ye)
"Seeing your eyes hold a blissful reflection!" (Together)
...
The song ended!
Jiang Ran looked with a complex expression at Ye Qiuli, who kept her head down and refused to meet her gaze. Although Ye Qiuli had sung exceptionally well, Jiang Ran couldn't shake the feeling that she could do even better!
Seconds after Ye Qiuli and Jiang Ran finished their performance, deafening applause and cheers swept across the entire playground!
"Wah!"
"Help! This is too sweet!"
"No way! The campus belle actually sang such a sweet song in a duet with a guy!"
"So good! Wuuu, I want to fall in love sweetly!"
"Both groups from Geography Class 2 are so strong!"
...
"Ye Qiuli! I never expected you to be at Jing University too! And you even dare to get close to Jiang Ran!"
Just as the students across the playground were cheering and screaming, a sinister voice rang out!
In a corner, a male student clenched his fists tightly, his eyes fixed on Ye Qiuli—who was wearing a mask on stage—as if they were about to spew fire. Others might not recognize who Ye Qiuli was, but there was no way he couldn't!