The school beauty is aloof? Whatever, she has a younger sister.

Chapter 189 Red High Heels

"(Male) Respected leaders and teachers."

(Female) Dear classmates.

(Together) Good evening, everyone!

"(Woman) The cold wind is biting, and winter is getting stronger. The chill of the winter solstice has not yet dissipated, and the New Year's bells have already quietly rung."

"."

As the clear and loud opening remarks rang out, the previously noisy crowd in the auditorium gradually quieted down.

At this moment, all the lights in the auditorium were turned off, leaving the stage as the only source of light.

The first part is the usual opening remarks from the leader.

After all, today is not only the New Year's Eve party, but also the school's 50th anniversary celebration. City leaders are present in person, so naturally they have to go on stage and say a few words.

The leader on stage, dressed in a sharp suit, spoke for four or five minutes straight using the same official speech script that works everywhere.

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire audience burst into applause.

"Thank you for your wonderful speech, Leader XX. Now let's move on to the formal cultural performance tonight."

The first performance was a poetry recitation by all the teachers.

The program content is conventional and appears every year, but it doesn't offer anything particularly new.

Zhang Muchen stood on the side of the backstage and watched for a while, only thinking that the lighting and sound were good.

However, the first teacher poetry recitation was slow-paced and the content was outdated, so I lost interest after watching for only a minute.

Chu Youting and Chu Jiuli, standing to the side, watched intently, their eyes glued to the screen.

Zhang Muchen glanced at the two sisters.

Chu Jiuli's makeup wasn't heavy; her eyebrows and eyes were meticulously drawn by the makeup artist, adding a touch of stage presence to her originally aloof temperament.

Little Yuzu also wore light makeup. However, she was also wearing glasses, which covered most of her makeup.

"Aren't you nervous? You're the third performer." Chu Jiuli suddenly looked up and asked.

"I'm not nervous." Zhang Muchen shrugged. "If I make a mistake, it's the school that loses face, not me."

Hearing him say that, Chu Jiuli's face showed a hint of surprise. But when she saw Zhang Muchen's smiling face, her tense expression suddenly relaxed a little.

However, at this moment, Xiaoyouzi suddenly raised her head and said softly and earnestly, "No, it won't be a mistake, it won't be."

She spoke softly, but her tone was exceptionally firm.

Zhang Muchen was taken aback. Looking at her serious expression, he couldn't help but scratch his head.

Uh……

I was just joking to lighten the mood, but I didn't expect Xiaoyouzi to take it seriously.

So cute~
The performance on stage was proceeding smoothly. Several parents in the audience had different expressions, each absorbed in their own world.

Xu Qing and Mei Yinglan sat together, listening attentively. They occasionally exchanged a few words in hushed tones and offered comments on the details of the performance.

Zhang Beifang sat next to Mei Yinglan, his eyes darting around, clearly not very interested.

He tried to strike up a conversation with Chu Jie next to him, but Chu Jie remained silent, his eyes fixed on the stage.

Helpless, Zhang Beifang could only take out his phone and swipe the screen a few times to amuse himself.

But just as he lowered his head, he caught a glimpse of Liu Wuyang sitting on the far side.

She also kept her head down, her phone screen faintly glowing, her fingertips lightly swiping across the screen.

Zhang Beifang raised an eyebrow and muttered to himself, "It seems that Teacher Liu is not interested in this program either."

He glanced at the program schedule again, confirmed that there were still a few minutes before his son's show, and then continued scrolling through his phone.

On the other side, Liu Wuyang did indeed have her head down, but she wasn't killing time.

Her gaze was fixed on a message that had just popped up on the screen; it was from Professor Li Changqing.

【Xiaoliu, New Year's Day is almost here. We're all really looking forward to you joining us after New Year's Day.】

[You've been sent your onboarding materials via email. Please remember to fill them out.]

[Finally, wishing you a Happy New Year in advance!]

Liu Wuyang's fingertips tapped lightly on the screen: 【Thank you, Professor Li】

After sending it, she stared blankly at the chat box for a while.

Once New Year's Day is over, I will officially set off for the capital.

Leaving this familiar small county town for a new life and a new identity.

She let out a soft breath, a hint of indescribable emotion surfacing in her eyes.

"That brat... he still has a year and a half before graduation. I wonder if he'll have a chance to study in the capital."

[Next, please welcome Zhang Muchen from Class 9 of Grade 11 to perform a guitar rendition of "Red High Heels"]

"Clap clap clap-"

The sudden applause drew Liu Wuyang's attention back. Her fingers paused slightly, and her gaze followed the direction of the stage.

The lights suddenly dimmed, and a blurry figure in the center of the stage slowly walked into the spotlight.

Zhang Muchen held his guitar and stood steadily in front of the microphone. Liu Wuyang's eyes flickered slightly, and she straightened her posture a little.

Xu Qing, standing to the side, watched the stage with a smile, and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the subtle change in Liu Wuyang's expression.

In the center of the stage, the lights gradually came on, and soft beams of light fell on Zhang Muchen.

"This song is dedicated to all the students in Class 9 of Grade 11." He smiled slightly at the microphone, "and also to me—my dear teacher, Ms. Liu."

The next second, Zhang Muchen's fingertips plucked the strings, and the melody of the song slowly spread throughout the auditorium.

How best to describe you?

What can I compare you to to make you special?

When he spoke, his voice was clear and bright, with a unique clarity that came with youth.

In the audience, Liu Wuyang leaned forward slightly, her eyes fixed on the boy holding a guitar in the center of the stage.

The words "Dear Teacher Liu" just now touched her heart like a gentle pluck on a musical string.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, her lips were pursed almost imperceptibly, and her heart was churning with complex emotions that were hard to describe.

There were surprises, touching moments, and a touch of...panic.

My feelings for you are strong.

Yet, I don't really understand it.

[Just going by intuition~]

The melody progresses rhythmically. Zhang Muchen's voice is clear under the lights, carrying a hint of emotion.

Offstage, Mei Yinglan couldn't stop smiling and couldn't help but pat Zhang Beifang's leg: "My son sings really well."

Zhang Beifang also grinned.

On stage, Zhang Muchen's eyes were always fixed on the audience, trying to pierce through the darkness to find a certain figure.

But the stage lights were too dim, and he couldn't see anything. He could only stare at that blurry outline and continue singing.

"It's okay if you can't find it."

"Anyway, Sister Yang will definitely be able to hear it."

He silently recited the words to himself, his fingers steadily strumming the strings, becoming increasingly absorbed in the music.

You feel as comfortable as being snuggled in a blanket.

Yet, like the wind, it's elusive and unpredictable.

[Like the scent of perfume emanating from my wrist]

Liu Wuyang placed her fingers on her knees, and her gaze softened when she looked at Zhang Muchen.

"Xiao Liu, Mu Chen sings quite well." At this moment, Xu Qing suddenly said with a smile.

"Yes, it's really good."

"I wonder what kind of girlfriend he'll find when he goes to college."

Liu Wuyang remained silent.

After a while, she slowly said, "Yes."

Xu Qing smiled gently.

"Is this your child?" Chu Jie asked, looking at Zhang Beifang.

“Yes, he is my son.” Zhang Beifang nodded.

Chu Jie didn't say much, his gaze quietly fixed on the stage, staring at the focused young man.

My love for you is like a conflict between turning left and right.

[Crazy, yet fearful of having no way out]

Can you please make me stop this pursuit?

Let's just consider them the last and only pair~

The lights swayed with the melody, and the background gradually turned into a gentle, warm red.

Red high heels~

During the final chorus, Zhang Muchen slowly raised his head and looked down at the audience, as if trying to see something through the darkness.

Liu Wuyang sat in her seat, her heart skipping a beat.

In that instant, she almost instinctively looked up, her eyes meeting his across the distance.

But she knew that Zhang Muchen couldn't see it.

It was too dark in the audience area, and their faces were hidden from the lights.

Zhang Muchen seemed to sense something as well, and a very slight smile appeared on his lips.

The last strum fell softly, and the lingering sound echoed slowly through the auditorium, lingering for a long time.

"Thank you." He waved to the audience, then turned and walked off the stage.

The audience erupted in applause.

(End of this chapter)