On the first day of school, the school beauty in black stockings took me to a hotel.

She was taking a deep breath.

Once, twice, three times.

She told herself: Calm down, calm down, don't lose your temper, don't swear, don't ruin the awards ceremony, and save face for Liu Yu.

But inside her heart, a million alpacas were already galloping through her mind.

On stage, Chan Ho-nam raised his hands and waved to the audience, looking as if he wanted to jump up.

He turned around and extended his hand to Liu Yu: "Thank you for the concession."

Liu Yu grasped his hand and said calmly, "Congratulations."

Su Wanqing knew that Liu Yu must be feeling terrible.

It wasn't because we didn't win the championship, but because we lost to someone we shouldn't have won against.

Su Wanqing took a deep breath and stood up.

Lin Xiaoyu grabbed her arm: "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find my husband," Su Wanqing said, her voice eerily calm.

She walked through the crowd toward the side of the stage.

On stage, the awards ceremony is underway.

Chan Ho-nam stood on the highest podium, holding a golden trophy in his hand, grinning like a fool.

Liu Yu stood in the runner-up position, holding the silver trophy in his hand, his expression calm.

Su Wanqing stood in the side of the curtain, looking at Liu Yu, her eyes reddening.

But she didn't cry.

She held back.

After the awards ceremony, the contestants walked off the stage one after another.

Liu Yu, holding the silver trophy, walked towards the side of the stage.

Su Wanqing went up to him and hugged him tightly.

"Honey, you've worked so hard."

Liu Yu paused for a moment, then smiled and patted her on the back: "It's okay, second place is good too."

"Not bad my ass," Su Wanqing said sullenly. "You should be the champion."

Liu Yu didn't say anything, he just hugged her tighter.

Beside him, Chan Ho-nam was surrounded by a group of people, including reporters, staff, and his two assistants.

He held up the golden trophy, posed for the camera, and smiled like a flower.

Su Wanqing glanced at him and whispered, "Look at how smug he is, like a peacock spreading its tail feathers. I really want to go up and snatch that trophy from him, smash it on the ground, and stomp on it."

Liu Yu laughed: "Don't be silly, that belongs to someone else."

"What do you mean 'someone else's stuff'? That's your stuff! He stole it!" Su Wanqing became increasingly angry as she spoke. "Do you know that I heard his father bribed the judges? Otherwise, how could he have won the championship?"

The two stood on the side of the stage for a while, waiting until most of the reporters had left before heading outside.

When I stepped out of the art center, it was already completely dark outside.

......

In the hotel bathroom, the sound of running water could be heard.

Su Wanqing was taking a shower inside, while Liu Yu was packing things outside.

He put the guitar away, placed the trophy on the bedside table, prepared his clothes for tomorrow, and then sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the silver trophy.

runner up.

Second place nationwide.

It would be a lie to say I have no regrets.

But as he said, being able to stand on that stage is itself a form of recognition.

He ranked second out of 48 contestants, which is already quite impressive.

Moreover, Su Wanqing is right, Chen Haonan really doesn't deserve to win the championship.

But that's how competitions are; sometimes the outcome isn't determined by skill alone, but by many other factors.

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the night view outside.

The nights in Shanghai are different from those in northern Beijing.

Both styles have their own beauty.

Just like him and Chan Ho-nam.

One relies on ability, the other on connections.

But in the end, time will tell.

Behind me, the bathroom door opened.

Su Wanqing came out wearing a black slip dress that barely covered her upper thighs.

She walked barefoot on the carpet behind Liu Yu and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind.

"Honey, what are you thinking about?"

Liu Yu held her hand: "I wasn't thinking about anything, just looking at the night view."

The two walked to the bedside. Su Wanqing sat on the edge of the bed, while Liu Yu stood behind her, holding a hairdryer, fiddling with her hair in one hand and holding the hairdryer in the other.

Su Wanqing closed her eyes, humming a song: "Today is a good day, all my wishes will come true..."

After drying his hair, Liu Yu turned off the hairdryer and put it aside.

Su Wanqing turned around to face him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him down.

Caught off guard, Liu Yu lunged forward, bracing himself on either side of her body with his hands, almost crushing her.

The two were very close, their noses almost touching.

Su Wanqing looked at him with a smile on her lips: "Honey, you've had a hard day."

Liu Yu steadied himself and looked into her eyes: "You already said that."

"Did I say I couldn't say it anymore?" Su Wanqing blinked. "I just wanted to say it. You've worked so hard. You've been wronged. You should have been the champion, but Chen Haonan took it from you. It hurts me."

Liu Yu reached out and gently stroked her cheek: "Don't be sad. I'm not sad, so why are you?"

"I'm just feeling terrible," Su Wanqing pouted. "I'm feeling even worse than you."

Liu Yu lowered his head and gently kissed her lips: "Are you feeling better now?"

Su Wanqing blushed after being kissed by him, but she still retorted, "You ambushed me."

Liu Yu raised an eyebrow: "You call that a sneak attack? Then I'll try again."

He kissed her again.

Su Wanqing's face turned even redder, and her voice became softer: "Liu Yu, you're being a pervert."

Liu Yu laughed: "I learned it from you."

The two looked at each other for a few seconds, then laughed at the same time.

Su Wanqing reached out, grabbed his shirt collar, and pulled it down.

Liu Yu pressed his entire body against hers, their bodies pressed together, and they could feel each other's body heat.

"Honey," Su Wanqing's voice was very soft, almost like a mosquito's hum, "let's... celebrate."

Liu Yu looked at her: "How are you going to celebrate?"

Su Wanqing blinked: "Guess."

Liu Yu grabbed her fidgety hand: "I won't guess, just tell me."

Su Wanqing whispered in his ear, "We should celebrate even if we get second place. No matter what place we get, you'll always be my husband."

Liu Yu felt a warmth in his heart and lowered his head to kiss her.

After cuddling together for a while, Su Wanqing's hands started to wander.

Slowly slide down Liu Yu's chest to his stomach, drawing circles on his abs.

Liu Yu grabbed her hand: "What?"

Su Wanqing looked completely innocent: "I didn't do anything, I just touched them. Your abs feel nice, what's wrong with me touching them? Is it illegal?"

Liu Yu's lips twitched: "Didn't you just say you wanted to celebrate? Is this what you call a celebration?"

Su Wanqing said matter-of-factly, "Touching is also part of the celebration! The celebration has several steps: first, emotional exchange; second, physical contact; third... you know."

Liu Yu was both amused and exasperated: "Who decided on these steps?"

"I made the decision!" Su Wanqing said. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, you can continue."

Su Wanqing nodded in satisfaction, continuing to draw circles on his abs with her hand.

As she drew, her hand became restless and started sliding down.

Liu Yu grabbed her hand: "Su Wanqing, what happened to the steps you agreed on?"

Su Wanqing blinked, looking completely innocent: "It's the third step! We've finished the emotional exchange, and the physical contact is over. It's time for the third step!"

Liu Yu took a deep breath: "Did you press the fast-forward button?"

Su Wanqing laughed, a smile both innocent and alluring: "Honey, stop pretending. You clearly want it too, so why pretend to be a gentleman?"

She flipped over, pinning Liu Yu beneath her, and looked down at him.

"Honey, I'm going to treat you tonight."

Liu Yu looked at her: "How will you treat me?"

Su Wanqing leaned down and whispered a few words in his ear.

Liu Yu's face flushed red instantly.

The bedroom light went out.

Outside the window, the cruise ships on the Huangpu River remain unchanged.

Inside the window, spring colors stretched as far as the eye could see.

(Five thousand words omitted here; those who understand, understand. Those who don't, you'll understand once you're in a relationship.)

(The finale, thank you everyone!)