Just because I wrote "Zhu Xian," the school beauty sent me razor blades.

As night falls, the large playground of Jinghua Film Academy is brightly lit.

The open-air concert was already more than halfway through, and the lawn was packed with graduates. Looking out, glow sticks intertwined to form a sea of ​​stars, and the banyan trees in the distance rustled softly in the evening breeze.

On stage, the host, Su Zhiyuan, walked to the front of the stage with a smile, dressed in a neat dress.

As the top student in the broadcasting department in dormitory 404, her first words were delivered in a standard CCTV-level tone, instantly drowning out all the noise in the room:

"Dear teachers and students, the next performer has quite a few identities—director, writer, musician, and... the chief director of 'Chinese Paladin 3'."

Upon hearing that last sentence, the audience erupted in good-natured laughter and groans, completely shattering the atmosphere!

"Let's give a warm round of applause to welcome—Lin Yuan!"

Su Zhiyuan shifted to the side, and the entire audience erupted in deafening screams!

Lin Yuan, dressed in a very simple white T-shirt and old jeans, carrying a faded wooden guitar, walked up the steps onto the stage.

He wore no haute couture gowns and acted like a big brand. But the moment he stood under the spotlight, he instantly drew all the attention of the entire room.

"Director Lin, look at me! Please, please give Zixuan and Changqing a happy ending!"

"You old bastard, you dare show your face! My roommate cried so hard watching 'Chinese Paladin 3' that he had to be taken to the school hospital, you're going to pay for that!"

Hearing the rising and falling "condemnations" from the audience, Lin Yuan walked to the microphone, smiled helplessly, and pressed his hand down.

That nonchalant yet highly controlling aura resonated throughout the venue via the sound system:

"Good evening, everyone. I was thinking of wearing a helmet on stage tonight, in case I got attacked with knives. But then I thought, this is my alma mater, and I'm sure everyone here is reasonable—at least they won't throw rotten eggs at me."

The audience burst into laughter again.

Sitting in the middle of the first row, Gu Zhiwan looked at Lin Yuan joking and scolding on the stage, and couldn't help but smile slightly, her eyes full of warm light.

"I've written many other people's stories, and I've also cut the hearts of many viewers." Lin Yuan plucked a string, and the crisp sound of the guitar echoed in the night sky. "Today, I won't go for anything too intense. I'll sing a song I wrote for ourselves—'The Crossroads of Phoenix Flowers'."

As the clear and melodious guitar intro began, the moment Lin Yuan started singing, most of the previously noisy noise in the venue instantly subsided.

"It's phoenix flowers blooming again, and I think of an old friend I haven't seen in a long time. Memories slowly come alive with my feelings, the hillsides dyed red, the crossroads of farewell..."

His voice was deep and warm, with a unique storytelling quality.

The lyrics don't pile up fancy words or trivial campus matters. They only use phoenix flowers and the crossroads of parting to depict the farewell of young classmates who accompany each other and eventually go their separate ways, and to cherish the precious friends who have walked with them in life.

"The river of time flows into the sea, and finally we go our separate ways. No port is a permanent stop. In my mind, there is a crossroads where phoenix flowers bloom, and there are my most cherished friends..."

The noise from the audience completely disappeared.

Zhou Zixuan, who had been carefree and playful at some point, put his arm around Qian Zhuangzhuang's shoulder and stared blankly at the stage; Chen Mo stood at the front of the crowd, his professional SLR camera shutter clicking incessantly, capturing Lin Yuan under the spotlight and countless young faces below the stage; Shen Qingci and Xie Wanyin linked arms, their eyes slightly red; even the usually serious college leaders in the front row nodded slightly, their eyes filled with relief and sighs.

For these students about to leave the ivory tower, this song was like a gentle stab to the heart. There were no heart-wrenching cries, only a profound resonance within its simple narration.

"Through countless blooms and witherings, moments of joy and moments of sorrow, I am grateful to have shared a certain period of my life with you..."

As the last chord faded away from the fingertips, the entire audience remained silent for a full two seconds before erupting into a tidal wave of applause and cheers!

Lin Yuan placed the guitar at his feet, picked up the microphone, and prepared to give his routine thanks and leave.

"Thank you everyone. I wish you all a smooth road ahead, may you shine brightly as you journey through mountains and seas. My part is now..."

"Don't leave! One more song!"

Before Lin Yuan could finish speaking, Zhou Zixuan's loud voice suddenly exploded from the front row. He stood up, cupped his hands to his mouth, and shouted frantically, "Brother Yuan! Cut in line! You're not leaving the playground tonight without singing ten songs!"

This was like lighting a fuse; Qian Zhuangzhuang also joined in, pumping his fist and shouting, "One more song!"

The students below the stage instantly found their anchor, and their cheers rose in waves, overwhelming them like a tidal wave.

"One more song! One more song!"

"Director Lin, don't go! Sing the theme song from 'Chinese Paladin 3' live!"

Su Zhiyuan covered her mouth and laughed beside the stage. Not only did she not go on stage to help, she also gestured "continue" to the sound control console, showing that she was a person who loved to watch the fun.

Lin Yuan stood on the stage, raised his hand to scratch the back of his neck, revealing a rare hint of awkwardness.

He looked down at Gu Zhiwan in the first row. Gu Zhiwan was tilting her head and looking at him with a smile in her eyes. She even clapped lightly along with the others, completely in a spectator's mood.

Lin Yuan shook his head with a slight chuckle and picked up the wooden guitar from beside his feet again.

"Fine, I guess I've fallen into your trap tonight."

He adjusted the microphone height, tested the string tuning, and the sound lowered:

"Originally, I only prepared one song. But since everyone is so enthusiastic... let's sing another one. A song about youth, about parting, about those of us left in the old days—'Yesterday's Blue Sky'."

The noise from the audience instantly subsided, and everyone spontaneously sat back down on the lawn. Thousands of cell phone lights were lit up again, like an endless sea of ​​stars.

The guitar music resumed, and Lin Yuan closed his eyes, leaned against the microphone, and softly sang:

"Growing up suddenly in an instant, like a painting blurred by the hand of time. Where are we all going? The question is so silly, and who can answer it..."

Some looked at their roommates with whom they had joked and played for four years and suddenly lowered their heads; some held the tassel of their graduation caps and quietly wiped away the tears from the corners of their eyes; and many more held up their flashlights and swayed gently to the rhythm of the piano music.

Lin Yuan plucked the strings, his fingers gliding lightly across the fingerboard, the sound lowered, carrying an overwhelming sense of longing:

"Longing never speaks, farewells that never come are too noisy. I watched the rain fall with you, my heart dripping with moisture, and with tenderness, I thought of you again..."

"Those names shouted out, those unfulfilled promises, all bloom into lonely flowers deep in my heart. How are you? Why do we have to drift apart when we grow up...?"

Hearing this, many girls in the audience couldn't help but quietly sob.

This is what university is like.

When I entered university as a freshman, I thought four years was a long time, long enough to squander every summer. But when it came time to say goodbye, I realized that all the names I shouted and the scenery I didn't get to see together could only remain in my memories, carried away by the wind to the unknown distance.

The singing gradually intensified, and emotions surged like waves.

Where are you now? How far away are you from me? Are you flying bravely? Is there anyone who loves you? Whenever I think of you, the world suddenly goes silent, do you feel the same way...?

Lin Yuan opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the young faces below the stage, and the guitar strumming under his fingertips suddenly became heavier!

"Youth is here, not to let you be absent! I want to run towards you along the path of memories! Yesterday's blue sky disappeared into the crowd as the boy waved goodbye... Are you there? Can you hear me? I miss you!"

At first, there were only a few scattered choruses, but they quickly spread and converged, eventually transforming into a huge torrent of warmth that resounded throughout the night sky of the entire campus!

"I miss you so much! On this windy night! I miss you so much! Through the gaps in the crowd! Can you hear me? This 'I like you'... Can it catch up with your retreating figure?!"

Thousands of graduates stood up, waving their glow sticks and cell phones, and sang along with the boy on stage.

Zhou Zixuan joined in the loud chorus, but suddenly rubbed his eyes hard and cursed, "Damn, this wind is really getting in my eyes." Qian Zhuangzhuang silently handed him a tissue, but he also sniffed.

Gu Zhiwan sat below the stage, quietly watching Lin Yuan.

The scene of this large-scale chorus overlaps with the singing competition that took place on the playground four years ago.

Back then, they were still young and inexperienced, and they met because of a joke; now, they stand at the tail end of their youth, and he bids farewell to four years with two songs.

As the song drew to a close, the guitar strumming gradually softened, and Lin Yuan gently stroked the strings, ending the performance with the most tender voice:

"Are you there? I hope you'll be happy... I miss you."

As the music ended, the lingering notes remained.

The entire venue erupted in the loudest and longest applause and screams of the night, mixed with countless cries and cheers of youth bidding farewell.

Lin Yuan, holding his guitar, bowed deeply to the audience.

"Yesterday's Blue Sky" is dedicated to everyone present tonight.

Lin Yuan straightened up, his gaze gentle yet firm: "We always say that youth leaves many regrets, but there's no need to be afraid. Yesterday is in our memories, and tomorrow, we will move forward on our own. Happy graduation, everyone!"

After saying that, he didn't linger and walked straight off the stage with his guitar.

Behind them, the waves and songs never ceased.

As soon as I stepped down the steps, Gu Zhiwan was already waiting beside me, handing me a bottle of mineral water with the cap already unscrewed.

"After singing two songs, quickly drink some water and rest." Gu Zhiwan's eyes were slightly moist, but her smile was exceptionally beautiful. "Director Lin, you've earned everyone's tears again tonight. Are you satisfied?"

Lin Yuan took the water and drank a big gulp, letting out a long sigh of relief: "This isn't about making me cry, it's about escaping death. When Zhou Zixuan yelled just now, I thought he was going to lead the way in lifting me up and throwing me into the pond."

"Brother Yuan! Don't slander me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Zixuan and a group of people from 602 and 404 swarmed around him.

While wiping his eyes, Zhou Zixuan shamelessly put his arm around Lin Yuan's shoulder: "What I did just now was to give you stage presence! Look at the whole audience singing along, that's going to be number one on the trending topics tomorrow!"

Qian Zhuangzhuang added with a silly grin, "Zixuan was crying so hard his snot was bubbling out, and Chen Mo took a picture of it all."

"Qian Zhuangzhuang, whose side are you on?! Delete it! Chen Mo, you delete it right now!" Zhou Zixuan instantly lost his composure and chased after Chen Mo, trying to snatch the camera.

Everyone burst into laughter, and the somewhat somber atmosphere of farewell was completely dispelled by the playful noise.

Not far away, the singing on the stage continued, and the night breeze rustled through the banyan leaves, bringing with it the unique fragrance of summer flowers.

Lin Yuan stood in the center of the crowd, held Gu Zhiwan's hand tightly, and looked back at the brightly lit and star-studded playground in the distance.

His university years came to an end here.

But their story has only just begun.