He wants to adopt a younger sister, but his aloof wife disagrees.

Friday evening.

Luxury cars drove in like a flowing stream outside the auditorium of the Affiliated High School of Jianghai Academy of Arts.

Tonight is the welcome party, an annual showcase of fame and fortune for this elite school. Parents are dressed to the nines, not only to watch their children perform, but also to use this opportunity to expand their social circles.

However, a minor argument broke out in the dressing room of Tomson Riviera.

"Is this one not suitable?"

Shen Qingge held up a light blue haute couture gown studded with Swarovski crystals, her brows furrowing slightly. "This is Dior's latest collection. Only this one can match Lin Shanshan's 'White Swan' persona."

She had already heard from Jiang Che that Lin Shanshan was going to wear a ballet dress worth over 100,000 yuan tonight. As Su Xiaoruan's "older sister," Shen Qingge was even more competitive than Su Xiaoruan and wished she could dress Su Xiaoruan up as the most expensive princess in the room.

"Too tacky."

Jiang Che sat on the sofa, holding an apple in his hand, and shook his head:

"The song 'A Diao' isn't sung for princesses or socialites. Wearing this outfit, the whole thing just doesn't feel right before you even open your mouth."

"Then what should we wear?" Shen Qingge asked, puzzled. "We can't exactly wear the school uniform, can we?"

"Wear this."

Jiang Che stood up, took a set of clothes from a bag next to him, and threw them to Su Xiaoruan.

Su Xiaoruan took it and was stunned.

A plain white cotton shirt without any logo, a pair of faded light blue ripped jeans, and a pair of... dirty white sneakers (the shoes she wore when she was surrounded by thugs that day, and Jiang Che deliberately didn't let her wash them).

"This..." Shen Qingge's eyes widened. "What kind of behavior is this? This is a party, not a begging party!"

That's the spirit we need.

Jiang Che walked up to Su Xiaoruan and personally rolled up the sleeves of her shirt to her elbows, revealing her slender forearms. He then let her hair down completely, without styling it, just randomly ruffling it a bit.

"Xiao Ruan, look in the mirror."

Jiang Che pushed her in front of the full-length mirror.

The girl in the mirror had no jewelry, no fancy clothes, and not even makeup on her face; she was completely bare-faced.

But that white shirt and ripped jeans, combined with her clear yet wild eyes, exuded a tenacious vitality like wild grass.

"This is A-Diao."

Jiang Che nodded in satisfaction. "That's the real you."

Looking at herself in the mirror, Su Xiaoruan's initial unease dissipated. She clenched her fist, feeling a power that needed no embellishment.

"Brother, I like this outfit."

……

Half an hour later.

Backstage at the school auditorium, chaos reigned.

The dressing room was filled with the mixed scents of hairspray and various expensive perfumes. The girls wore all sorts of dresses, like a flock of peacocks vying for attention.

"Hey, isn't this our 'backdrop'?"

A sharp, mocking laugh rang out.

Lin Shanshan sat in her private makeup station, surrounded by several makeup artists. She wore an extremely gorgeous white feathered ball gown, a diamond crown on her head, and exquisite stage makeup, truly resembling a proud white swan.

She looked at Su Xiaoruan, who had just walked in, through the mirror, her disdain undisguised:

"Tsk tsk, Su Xiaoruan, have you wandered onto the wrong set? This is an arts gala, not a beggars' convention. Dressed like that, are you planning to go on stage and beg for food?"

The girls around burst into laughter.

"Sister Shanshan, she came here as a homeless person, this is just her true self!"

"Haha, stay away from her, don't let your shabby air get on our skirts."

Faced with these harsh taunts, Su Xiaoruan neither bowed her head nor lost her temper as she had done before.

She simply stood there quietly, her hands in her jeans pockets, her hat pulled low, and gave Lin Shanshan a cold glance.

That look in his eyes was like he was looking at a clown.

"Laugh."

Su Xiaoruan thought to herself, "Wait a minute, let's see if you can still laugh."

She walked to a corner, put on her headphones, and began to close her eyes to rest, isolating herself as an island in the noisy backstage area.

……

at the same time.

Front row of the auditorium, VIP seating.

School leaders and board members were all smiles as they accompanied several important guests.

"President Shen! We never expected you to grace us with your presence; it truly honors our school!"

Principal Wang, with a full head of bald patches, was bending over as he poured tea for Shen Qingge.

Shen Qingge sat in the center, legs crossed, exuding a powerful aura. Jiang Che, wearing a mask, sat quietly beside her, playing the role of "driver and bodyguard."

"Principal Wang, you're too kind."

Shen Qingge did not accept the tea, but instead casually flipped through the program in her hand.

Her fingers traced the gold-embossed lettering on the form, and her brows gradually furrowed.

"Principal Wang, is there a missing piece in this program?"

"Huh?" Principal Wang was taken aback. "No, all the programs are here."

"Yeah?"

Shen Qingge threw the program on the table, her voice turning colder:

"My younger sister, Su Xiaoruan, has been preparing for this gala for a long time. Why didn't I see her name on the solo performance list?"

"Su... Su Xiaoruan?"

Principal Wang wiped his sweat, his eyes darting around. Of course, he knew who Su Xiaoruan was—the transfer student with the worst academic foundation.

"Mr. Shen, it's like this... The selection process for this gala was very rigorous. After all, Ms. Su's foundation was weak, so Professor Zhang arranged for her to be in the choir..."

I won't listen to any explanations.

Shen Qingge interrupted him and took out a check from her bag, which was a new donation she was making to the school as a member of the school board.

"Here is five million, originally intended for renovating the school's practice rooms."

Shen Qingge held the check between two fingers and waved it in front of Principal Wang:

"But I'm very unhappy right now."

"I think this program needs to be revised."

"Cutting in line isn't too much to ask, is it?"

This is blatant capital pressure.

Principal Wang looked at the check, then at Shen Qingge's unquestionable gaze, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

"No...not at all! Not at all!"

Principal Wang immediately turned to the backstage director and yelled, "Quick! Adjust the program immediately! Add a solo performance by Su Xiaoruan before Lin Shanshan's closing act!"

"But what about the principal... and Chairman Lin (Lin Shanshan's mother)..." the director said, somewhat embarrassed.

"Chairman Lin my foot! President Shen is the biggest board member! Do as I say!"

Shen Qingge withdrew her hand with satisfaction, turned her head to look at Jiang Che beside her, blinked, and revealed a sly little woman's expression:

"How was it, honey? Did I do a good job of 'bullying others' this time?"

Jiang Che squeezed her hand under the table and chuckled softly:

"President Shen is awesome!"

"This is the effect we wanted. Placing her before Lin Shanshan is to climb to the top by stepping on that swan."

……

The party officially began.

The lights were dazzling, and applause was thunderous.

One program after another was performed. Piano solos, folk dances, violin concertos... It has to be said that the talents of these rich kids are indeed built with money, and the level is not low.

Finally, the climax arrived.

The host walked onto the stage and announced:

"Next, please enjoy a solo performance of 'Moonlight Lover' by Lin Shanshan, the most beautiful girl in the vocal music department!"

The applause from the audience was thunderous, clearly showing Lin Shanshan's high popularity.

Lin Shanshan, carrying her enormous feather dress, walked onto the stage like a proud peacock. The spotlight shone on her, making her diamond crown sparkle.

The music is ringing.

She spoke.

Her voice was sweet, her technique was skillful, and she could hit the high notes.

But that's about it.

Her performance was like that of a delicate porcelain doll—beautiful, yes, but utterly soulless. She sang sad love songs while wearing a practiced, fake smile, her eyes even searching for which camera was filming her.

"Great! That's fantastic!"

After she finished singing, Lin Shanshan's friends, family, and sycophants cheered wildly and threw flowers onto the stage as if they were free.

Lin Shanshan enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention and bowed proudly to express her gratitude.

She felt that she was the perfect Queen tonight.

however.

Just as she was about to leave the stage, the host awkwardly went back up and glanced at the new card that had just been handed to him:

"Um... please be patient, everyone."

"We have a special program that we've added before the end of the evening."

"A solo performance of 'A Diao' will be presented by Su Xiaoruan, a freshman from the Vocal Music Department."

wow——

The audience erupted in uproar.

"Su Xiaoruan? Who's that?"

"Is that the transfer student, the delinquent girl?"

"A Diao? What a terrible song! I've never even heard of it."

Lin Shanshan, who hadn't yet stepped off the stage, paused, turned around, and showed an expression of disbelief on her face.

That beggar actually sang a solo?

She was about to lash out when all the lights in the room suddenly went out.

"Smack."

The entire auditorium was plunged into darkness.

There was no fancy background music, no backup dancers, and not even a spotlight.

Just as everyone was starting to get impatient and preparing to cause a ruckus.

in the dark.

A clear, solitary, yet incredibly pure piano note slowly began to play.

Ding... Dong...

The piano music wasn't amplified by the speakers; it came directly from the shadows on the side of the stage.

It was an extremely catchy melody.

Followed by.

In the center of the stage, a pale, lonely spotlight shone down directly.

Within the aperture.

There was no glamorous dress, no exquisite makeup.

There was only one girl wearing a white shirt and ripped jeans, holding a microphone stand.

She kept her head down, the brim of her hat obscuring her eyes.

It looked so thin and frail, like a wild grass growing on the edge of a cliff.

The entire room fell silent.

This minimalist style, after the extravagant bombardment of the previous two hours, creates an extremely strong visual impact.

Lin Shanshan stood in the shadows at the side of the stage, watching the figure, and couldn't help but let out a cold snort:

"Playing tricks."

However, the next second.

Su Xiaoruan raised her head.

She didn't look at the audience, nor at the lights.

She simply gripped the microphone tightly, recalling those days running in the rainy nights, remembering her pride being trampled in the mud, and remembering Jiang Che's words to her, "You are the protagonist."

She opened her mouth.

That husky voice, kissed by God, instantly filled every corner of the auditorium through the top-notch sound system.

"Ah Diao~"

"Living in a village in Tibet..."

Just one sentence.

The audience, which had been whispering amongst themselves, fell into a deathly silence.

Shen Qingge sat in the audience, watching the radiant girl on stage, her palms sweating slightly.

Jiang Che, sitting in the darkness, looked at the masterpiece he had created, a proud smile curving his lips.