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

"Ah Diao, are you going to wander far away tomorrow?"

"You've become accustomed to it; hunger is a belief."

"Ah Diao, reality won't wear down your edges."

"You're not from this world, you don't need to care about the truth..."

Su Xiaoruan's voice resonated throughout the huge auditorium through top-of-the-line sound equipment.

At first, it was low-pitched, even with a slightly rough feel, like it had been sanded.

After getting used to Lin Shanshan's sweet and mellow bel canto singing, this sound seemed somewhat "harsh".

Many parents and students in the audience looked puzzled.

"What is this singing? It sounds like spoken word!"

"No skill involved, just pure emotion?"

"That outfit is way too casual. Is she here to cause trouble?"

However, as the melody progressed, the piano sound hidden in the shadows of the stage began to become urgent and heavy.

Jiang Che's fingers danced across the piano keys, each accented note seeming to strike the heart.

In the center of the stage, Su Xiaoruan's knuckles turned white as she gripped the microphone.

She had her eyes closed.

At this moment, she couldn't see the questioning gazes from below the stage, nor could she see Lin Shanshan's mocking sneer.

In her mind, only those images remained:

The heavy rain at my mother's funeral when I was ten years old.

The despair of being locked in the basement by my uncle for three days and three nights when I was thirteen.

When I was fifteen, I was chased by a stray dog ​​for two blocks while trying to steal an expired loaf of bread.

And just a few days ago, in that dirty alley, I was slapped while I was standing in the mud.

All those humiliations, the hunger, and the nights spent licking their wounds alone in the darkness have now become the fuel for this song.

"A life fraught with hardship! Yet, I remain detached and indifferent!"

"Farewell to youth, countless train stations!"

Su Xiaoruan suddenly opened her eyes.

Those eyes, which used to be so evasive and filled with self-doubt, now burned with two flames.

Her voice began to rise, no longer suppressed, but carrying a tearing, exhilarating quality, soaring straight to the sky!

The whispers that had been taking place in the audience gradually faded away.

Everyone unconsciously sat up straight, stunned by the energy emanating from that small, thin body.

This isn't singing at all.

This is clearly a soul crying out!

Even Lin Shanshan, who was standing on the side of the stage ready to watch the spectacle, froze with a cold smile. Looking at Su Xiaoruan on stage, who seemed like a completely different person, she felt a strange sense of panic.

The piano music grew faster and more passionate.

Like the waves before a storm, one wave higher than the next, pushing emotions to that critical point.

Su Xiaoruan took a deep breath, mustered all her strength, and shouted that earth-shattering lyric into the microphone—

"Content with mediocrity! But unwilling to rot away in mediocrity!!!"

"You are A-Diao! You are a free bird!!!"

boom--!!!

That high note, like a sword drawn from its sheath, instantly pierced the dome of the auditorium!

It was hoarse, imperfect, and even bordering on breaking.

But it is precisely because of this that it possesses a shocking power that makes people's scalp tingle and their skin crawl!

That was a roar against the injustice of fate!

That was the roar of the monkey that had been imprisoned under the Five Finger Mountain, breaking free of its seal!

It was a bird with broken wings, its wounds dripping with blood, resolutely soaring back into the blue sky!

"Oh my god..."

In the audience, Principal Wang's glasses slipped down, and his mouth was agape enough to fit an egg.

Shen Qingge sat in the VIP seat, gripping the armrests tightly, her nails almost digging into her flesh.

Looking at the radiant girl on the stage, her eyes welled up with tears.

She always thought that Su Xiaoruan was just a parasite that needed to be protected.

But at this moment, she saw a soul with a terrifyingly tenacious vitality.

The shock was even greater than when she signed a billion-dollar deal in the business world.

"Just like you'll never know what you'll look like in the future..."

As the last line of lyrics faded away, the piano music gradually returned to calm, leaving only a long, lingering note trembling in the air.

Su Xiaoruan remained in the microphone-holding posture, her chest heaving violently, her head covered in sweat.

The spotlight shone on her.

Her ordinary white shirt was soaked with sweat, and her ripped jeans looked so shabby.

But in everyone's eyes, at this moment, she was ten thousand times more dazzling than Lin Shanshan, who was wearing a haute couture gown worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

The entire auditorium remained silent for a full ten seconds.

then.

"Smack."

I don't know who clapped first.

Followed by.

"Whoosh—!!!"

The applause erupted like a mountain roar and a tsunami, almost lifting the entire roof off!

"Awesome!!!"

"It's so beautiful! It almost made me cry!"

"This is what singing is! This is art!"

The students in the back rows went wild, with many even standing up and whistling. The reserved parents in the front rows couldn't help but applaud enthusiastically, and many sentimental ladies were even secretly wiping away tears.

This resonance from the soul transcends class.

Standing in the shadows, Lin Shanshan listened to the thunderous applause that even she hadn't been able to enjoy earlier, and felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

She lost.

We lost completely.

Her "Moonlight Lover" is just performing an exquisite mannequin, while Su Xiaoruan's "A Diao" is portraying a blood-stained life.

Faced with true vitality, all expensive packaging seems so pale and laughable.

……

on the stage.

Su Xiaoruan was somewhat dazed by the overwhelming applause.

Looking at the gazes below the stage, now filled with amazement and fervor instead of mockery, she finally couldn't hold back her tears.

She did it.

She didn't let her brother down.

She subconsciously looked towards the darkness on the side of the stage.

Although she couldn't see clearly, she knew that the man was there.

Behind the piano stand, Jiang Che slowly withdrew his hands, a proud smile playing on his lips.

【Ding! 】

[Detected that the character being trained, Su Xiaoruan, has completed her "God-level Stage Debut".]

[Achievement: A meteoric rise to fame.]

The overall impact of the performance reached 999+.

Su Xiaoruan's self-confidence has been completely rebuilt, evolving from an "insecure delinquent" into a "powerful queen (in its early stages)."

[Reward: One guaranteed admission to Jianghai Academy of Arts without examination (although she'll most likely get in on her own, this is a must-have honor).]

[Reward: 3000 million in cash.]

Jiang Che stood up, but instead of going on stage to steal the spotlight, he quietly retreated behind the scenes, concealing his achievements and fame.

……

After the performance.

The backstage area turned into a massive fan gathering.

The girls who had been mocking Su Xiaoruan just moments before now all surrounded her.

"Oh my god, Little Softie! You were so cool just now!"

"What's the name of that song? Did you write it? It's so good!"

"How did you hit that high note? Teach me!"

Surrounded by people, Su Xiaoruan felt somewhat helpless.

She looked at Lin Shanshan in the corner.

Lin Shanshan was carrying the enormous dress, slinking away as she prepared to leave. Her followers had all betrayed her, and no one paid her any attention.

"Lin Shanshan".

Su Xiaoruan suddenly called out to her.

Lin Shanshan stiffened, turned her head, and her face turned extremely ugly: "What? Trying to show off?"

Su Xiaoruan looked at her calmly, without the fear she had shown before, nor the arrogance of someone who had gotten their way.

"I didn't mean to show off."

Su Xiaoruan said calmly:

"I just wanted to tell you that backdrops can also glow."

"Also, this outfit isn't for begging."

Su Xiaoruan pointed to her white shirt:

"My brother picked this out for me. It's a million times prettier than your dress."

After saying that, Su Xiaoruan ignored Lin Shanshan's flushed face, turned around, squeezed out of the crowd, and ran towards the figure waiting at the door.

"Sister! Brother-in-law!"

Su Xiaoruan rushed out of the backstage passage and immediately saw Shen Qingge and Jiang Che standing at the end of the corridor.

Shen Qingge crossed her arms, her face still showing a cold demeanor, but the smile in her eyes was impossible to hide.

"You sang well."

Shen Qingge commented, "You didn't embarrass me."

"It's more than just good!"

Su Xiaoruan excitedly rushed over, wanting to hug Jiang Che, but seeing Shen Qingge beside her, she abruptly stopped and instead grabbed Jiang Che's sleeve and shook it.

"Brother! Did you hear that? They're all clapping for me! I felt like I was flying!"

Jiang Che smiled and patted her head, then handed her a bottle of warm water.

"Don't you want to lose your voice? Why are you yelling so loudly?"

"Hehe..." Su Xiaoruan took a big gulp of water and chuckled foolishly, "Refreshing, isn't it!"

"Alright, stop grinning like an idiot."

Shen Qingge glanced at the Patek Philippe on her wrist, a slight smile playing on her lips:

"To celebrate the birth of a big star in our family."

"Tonight, it's my treat."

"I'll take you guys to eat something even more expensive."

The three walked out side by side.

Behind me, the auditorium was still buzzing with excitement, and countless voices were still discussing "who exactly is that girl who sang 'A Diao'?"

As for Su Xiaoruan...

Starting tonight, Su Xiaoruan, who was trampled in the mud, is dead.

Instead, a bird of freedom has truly spread its wings and is ready to fly to a higher sky.