I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

His voice trembled slightly, but he quickly calmed down.

The tears I had just wiped away started flowing again, dripping onto the piano keys.

But he didn't stop; he... wanted to finish the song.

"You were an angel in the shape of my mum~?"

"You got to see the person I have become~?"

"Spread your wings and I know~?"

"That when God took you back, he said Hallelujah you're home~?"

After singing the last words and playing the last note, Xi Wang slowly withdrew her hand and gently closed the piano lid.

"call……"

After catching her breath and wiping away her tears, Xi Wang smiled again, a gentle smile, and softly offered her blessings.

Goodnight... Mother Teresa.

He believed that Mother Teresa, like Father Henry, was watching over him from somewhere, and therefore... he was determined to move more firmly toward the future they envisioned.

for sure.

Chapter Twenty [Wish] (5829)

Mother Teresa's passing is not good news; it means that another of your closest loved ones has left you... In a sense, you already considered her your "mother," after all, she cared for you for quite some time... Although, judging by her age, she should have been your "grandmother."

However, as mentioned before, it is precisely because she left that you should be even more determined to move forward. Therefore, after adjusting your emotions a little, you returned to school with Eden.

Although you didn't say it, most of your classmates sensed it. There was a faint atmosphere of sadness surrounding you, and the tunes you played recently were also a bit somber, which troubled them... So, they came up with a plan.

[As you were out as usual, heading to your street performance, a few students quietly followed you... and sure enough, they spotted you stopping in front of a church square. It seems you're planning to perform there today.]

This is understandable, given that it has been exactly one week since Mother Teresa passed away. It's only natural that you would come to a church-like place to perform; everyone guessed that you would use this method to remember and commemorate Mother Teresa.

Thus, a large-scale "event" planned by many people began.

[At the beginning, a nun who looks somewhat familiar comes up to you, gently places a few coins in front of you, and requests a song from you, asking you to play "Ode to Joy."]

[This is a reasonable song request. After all, this place is close to the church, so it's not surprising that someone would request this piece. The instrument you brought today is a cello, which is more than enough to play. It's just that... you feel like you've seen this little nun somewhere before.]

[So, as you played the music, you tried to recall where you had seen her before... Soon, you remembered. She seemed to be one of the children who had accompanied Mother Teresa, one of the children Mother Teresa had cared for. And now... she was also wearing a nun's habit, seemingly intending to follow in Mother Teresa's footsteps.]

[But before you could continue to let your thoughts wander, you heard light footsteps beside you. Turning your head, you saw a classmate carrying a double bass, walking directly to your side, nodding in a friendly manner, then picking up the bow, playing the music, and smoothly joining in.]

Then, more footsteps sounded, and one familiar figure after another came to your side, lining up one by one around you. They smiled and nodded gently to you, then joined in your music, either playing strings or blowing notes.

[It's not just those who are arriving now; many others rushed over with their instruments after receiving the news... You even saw someone get out of the car with a look of excitement and anxiety, and together with the butler and driver, unload the drums for playing, and then hurriedly run over and stand in their proper place.]

Many of these people are familiar faces... You can see their smiles and feel their care for you.

Then, a familiar figure appeared... It was your classical music professor. With a serious expression, he pushed through the crowd, came to you, scanned your seats, and then nodded in satisfaction, revealing a somewhat surprising smile.

"I think you need a conductor," he said with a slightly childlike playfulness, pulling a baton from his inner pocket and beginning to direct you.

In the end, as expected, you saw the figure of Eden.

She stood at the edge of the group with the opera troupe members, her bright golden eyes fixed on you with a gentle smile. Then, she joined the others in speaking, taking charge of the vocal lyrics in the music.

The scene is no longer a simple street performance; it looks more like a pre-arranged street concert with a unique charm.

[You already understand, this was something everyone discussed and prepared together, a "surprise" for you.]

You... are very happy.

You will surely remember this romantic gesture.

[You will immerse yourself in the melody, let your emotions blend into the beautiful music, and pour all your longing for a better future and your expectations for the future into this song, "Ode to Joy."]

Everyone followed your lead, pushing the music to its final, soaring climax.

Finally, amidst thunderous applause, this somewhat unexpected yet incredibly romantic impromptu street concert concluded with the completion of its first piece.

[And after the piece ended, no one seemed inclined to leave. They simply smiled at you, adjusted their positions slightly to place you in the absolute "center stage," and then continued to stay by your side. At the same time, the professor, who was conducting in front of you, gently tapped his baton to draw everyone's attention and began to announce the piece to be played next.]

You were somewhat surprised, but didn't ask any questions; you simply followed the instructions and continued playing.

With just a few moves, this impromptu concert turned into what seemed like a pre-arranged performance... Hmm? It certainly did seem to have been planned in advance, except you were the only one unaware of it.

But... it doesn't matter anymore, you don't care about those things, you're just happily playing your instrument.

Because you know, even though Mother Teresa is gone, you now have many more friends who care about you.

The street concert lasted for several hours. The melodious and moving music attracted a huge crowd, so much so that by the end, the crowd had completely surrounded you. Even nuns and priests from the church came out to maintain order, and several police officers were also present.

As the twilight glowed on everyone's faces, the professor, acting as conductor, gently clapped his hands and announced loudly, "This rehearsal is now over." The concert ended amidst applause. The crowd laughed and joked around you, expressing their care and comfort through their actions.

Finally, Eden comes to your side, gently takes your hand, and leans against you... No need for many words, no need for many gestures, just this is enough.

You know she's right beside you.

You are very happy.

[Immediately, you begin to gather your spoils for the day... Because the concert you started attracted a large crowd, and your performance truly moved many people, so many were willing to pay "tickets." The loose change almost filled your violin case, making it impossible for you to keep up. In the end, you only managed to gather all the money with the help of others.]

That evening, you also used the money earned from this "concert" to treat everyone to a barbecue party to thank them for their concern.

Midway through the party, you received messages of concern from Li and Yin. Apparently, they had also discovered the "concert" online, and based on what they knew beforehand, they could easily guess your situation, so they sent you several messages to check on you... You were very happy and responded to them one by one, saying that you would visit them if you had the chance in the future.

[There's one more thing worth mentioning... Because there were "a little" more people in the audience at the "concert," quite a few people recorded your performance, even recording the entire process from when you started to when others joined in. Your interesting entrance and the subsequent breathtaking performance and singing attracted a lot of attention, and it even went viral on social media, where it remained trending for quite some time.]

Many people recognized you and pointed you out, since you were the one who appeared at the very beginning and was the center of attention during the subsequent performances. It's clear that you were the "protagonist."

[Furthermore, your classmates and the professor who conducted the concert specifically came forward online, pointing out by name that the fundamental reason for this "concert" was you, which drew even more attention to you... Well, although the professor eventually gave a more formulaic explanation, simply stating that this "concert" was a "practice" he arranged for his students, by this time no one cared too much anymore.]

Everyone just felt that you were really loved by your classmates and teachers, to the point that they could even organize a street "concert"...it felt like you were everyone's "darling".

[Thanks to this incident, your online account gained a large number of followers, and many people got to know you and followed your account because of it... Before you knew it, your online popularity had reached a new level.]

You didn't pay much attention to these things, since they couldn't affect you much... You continued your studies as before, and in your spare time, you would go out and perform on the street, posting the recorded videos online and replying to some fans' comments.

[However, after that, your scope of study began to broaden, no longer limited to music, but gradually encompassing the entire field of art, including Eden.]

[First, there's the music-related dance... This is a bit difficult, since you missed out on training when you were young, which puts you at a disadvantage physically... But thankfully, you learned most of the dances quickly, and occasionally we can see you dancing with Eden at the school dance.]

[Then comes painting and design. Thanks to the huge popularity you gained earlier, your personal account has a large number of followers, and you've received a significant share of the platform's revenue. You don't have to worry about money for now, and you can use this opportunity to practice painting... You'll then discover that you seem to have a lot of talent in this area, especially in the "realism" of your paintings. Your paintings are particularly lifelike, even giving people the illusion of being "photographs."]

[There's no need to list all the subsequent examples; everyone has noticed that you seem to have an enviable talent in the field of art. You learn quickly in all aspects and master them very fast... Sometimes your learning speed makes your teachers feel like they're "looking in a mirror," or like they've just "copied and pasted" something from a computer—it's just too fast.]

In this respect, the only one who can stand shoulder to shoulder with you is Eden... In fact, Eden is even more extraordinary than you in this regard. However, considering Eden's family background, no one thinks that Eden's talent is so "terrifying" - everyone assumes that Eden will have studied these arts at home in advance, so he will have some foundation. His rapid learning later is the result of the combination of excellent talent and good foundation, which is understandable.

But you're a bit "unbelievable." Aside from music, you started almost from scratch in everything else, yet you still mastered it very quickly. It's truly... impossible to feel jealous, because the gap in talent is just too vast, the distance is too far to be envied, only admired, only looked up to.

[Unbeknownst to you, your classmates have nicknamed you "The Twin Stars," signifying that the gap between you and them is so vast, like distant stars that can only be looked up to but never touched.]

Of course, this title only refers to your artistic talent and ability. In normal times, everyone is happy to work with you, and may even be willing to show you some "favoritism" in certain aspects.

[Especially you, after that "concert," many people would jokingly call you the "group's darling" online. At first, it was just other people's jokes, but later everyone felt like they wanted to make it real. After all... sometimes you are really quite likable and quite cute, so it's not unreasonable to "favor" you a little.]

[You don't object to this, after all, it's always nice to be loved, but it's frustrating that people subconsciously treat you like a child and tease you, especially after they found out you love sweets. They always like to use that to tease you, which is... kind of frustrating, isn't it?]

And so, to this lighthearted rhythm, you gradually came to the end of your studies... On this day, you all graduated. On this day, you gathered in the school auditorium for the most magnificent ball, a graduation gift from the school.

--------

????~

You can hear everyone singing melodious songs together. Occasionally, someone will deliberately make a funny sound, which will bring laughter to everyone. Among the singing, Eden and Xiwang's voices are always so distinctive that you can clearly hear them.

Gentle, beautiful, and captivating.

When the song ended, the crowd cheered again, then dispersed to play around, some heading to the dance floor, others devouring food, and still others gathering around the band to join in the fun.

Meanwhile, Xiwang and Eden didn't join in the fun. They simply stayed by the window, their gazes shifting between the quiet night outside and the lively dance party inside. They would occasionally sip their drinks, exchange smiles, and quietly enjoy the wonderful feeling of being on the "border."

"Hey, look at our two big stars, what are they doing here? Aren't they going to join the fun?"

A warm and slightly teasing voice rang out from the side. Before she could turn around, Xi Wang felt someone put their arm around her shoulder. Turning her head, she saw that all her familiar classmates had gathered around.

"Or perhaps you'd like to have some time alone together? Should I recommend a quiet place? Hehe..."

"No, I just wanted to rest for a bit."

Xi Wang smiled, not rejecting the other person's closeness.

"Besides... calling someone a big star is an overstatement..."

"Hey kid, being too modest just makes you seem fake, you know? You have millions of fans, don't be like that. Calling you a big star wouldn't be an exaggeration, would it?"

"It was all brought by everyone..."

"You brat... fine, you're right! At least one-tenth of these were brought by me!"

"One-tenth? Who do you think you are? One percent!"

"One percent? One in a thousand!"

"What are you all comparing yourselves to? Is this something to be proud of?"

"It's just a boy's childishness, don't mind it."

"Haha...Shi..."

…………

After another round of playful banter and laughter, the group returned to the topic they had initially been concerned about.

"But seriously, Xiwang, what do you want to do in the future? Although you're a big star now, you're still a person, right? Won't it be too tiring to manage your career? And with your current status... if you debut directly, you should be very popular, right? Or do you want to find a management company to join?"

"Hey, right... I remember Eden already had a company come to sign you... So you weren't with her, Xiwang? I thought you two would debut together..."

"If the two of them debut as a group together, we probably won't even have a chance to survive, right?"

"You're right, so I'm planning to lower my expectations a bit and give it a try, although I think there's still a chance of failure..."

"So what do you plan to do if you fail?"

"If you fail, of course you should go home and inherit the family business, right?"

"Oh right, I forgot you own a mine, damn it."

"We're all in the same boat, aren't we?"

"Hey, hey, hey, what's wrong with you guys? You're chatting again."