260: 256 Girls’ Prayer 260: 256 Girls’ Prayer “Mr.
Liang.”
From a certain direction in the auditorium.
A few guys glanced at Liang Zhenlun.
“Why are you all looking at me?”
Although he was elusive, for such an important event as the New Year’s celebration, Liang Zhenlun hadn’t missed it.
As his ex-girlfriend, Ai Qian took the stage.
It was reasonable for others to notice him,, but Liang Zhenlun himself seemed indifferent, watching the stage with a calm and composed expression.
Not coincidentally.
“Ai Qian is on stage now.”
Zheng Jingjing, having returned to her own class’s area, looked towards the stage.
Her makeup was still exquisite, only now, due to the cooler temperature, she had donned a coat, wrapping her youthful body.
Li Shuru didn’t shy away either and, like several of her roommates, quietly watched the girl who walked onto the stage.
The girl wasn’t wearing heavy makeup or dressed up.
She wore sneakers, jeans, and a hoodie, her soft cheeks exuding an understated elegance that didn’t quite fit with the solemnity of the occasion.
A few meters from the stage.
A certain young lady in attendance as a guest gently narrowed her eyes, adjusting herself to a more comfortable sitting posture, her fingers tapping on the armrest at an even pace.
The prelude slowly started.
“Along the journey with him,
loving in the train carriage like eloping,
never letting go no matter how crowded,
praying for no obstructions on the road,
to prevent a happy journey from turning into sorrow.”
With the low and husky Cantonese melody, the original bright lights dimmed into a hazy darkness.
“Passing through two green lights in one breath,
a few more kilometers in love with him,
when this light turns red, we’ll have to part,
leaving my fate to luck.”
The audience’s visual experience was greatly diminished; they could only see the faint and delicate silhouette on the stage, and at the same time, their sense of hearing was amplified.
“Praying for the world to spare a pair of lovers,
hoping that what’s feared never happens.
I’ve never
been fortunate enough to encounter good fortune,
how could I regain confidence.”
In the vast auditorium, filled with tens of thousands of spectators, there was complete silence at this moment,, except for the girl’s singing voice floating and echoing.
“Praying to the Heavenly Father to be kind for ten minutes,
grant me his kiss,
as if pitying a sinner.
I love the Lord,
but also love a mortal.
Praying not to change heart along the way,
please grant me Your protection.”
The girl’s Cantonese pronunciation was very authentic, but she didn’t show off her singing skills.
It was just like a regular person singing, not too fast, not too slow, steady and unhurried,, as if she were sharing her innermost feelings in deep solitude of the night, narrating earnestly.
In the dim light.
Bai Zheli adjusted his glasses and exchanged a look with Li Shao.
Both of them had complex expressions in their eyes.
The girl’s prayer.
Essentially everyone had heard this song.
Ai Qian choosing such a song tonight probably wasn’t coincidence.
“For him,
I’d dare to pray even without knowing how,
who would care for such a devotee?
Too in love to think,
how terrifying it is
to cry and beg at the traffic light…”
As she sang this, the accompaniment softened, leaving almost just the girl’s acapella.
“…However, the Heavenly Father didn’t pity the good man,
by the time I opened my eyes,
there was no guiding light.
I love the Lord,
why did He let my beloved
leave me and get off the car?
How could You consent.”
The singing voice slowly faded.
The auditorium plunged into utter silence.
The light didn’t recover, remaining dim and blurry.
The girl’s voice rose again.
“Today should be the last New Year’s Day I spend at school, and before long, many of you sitting here will, just like me, have to leave this place.
We’ve spent the most wonderful four years of our lives here, encountering numerous people and events.
Because of these people and events, we’ve experienced joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, and it’s because of them that we were able to grow.”
Under the dim lights, the girl’s face on the stage was hardly clear, but her calm voice could be heard.
“Although our youth is about to come to an end, I believe the memories we have here will forever be preserved in everyone’s minds, never to fade…”
The girl seemed to have more to say, but she held back.
She smiled.
“Thanks to the school’s nurturing, and lastly, I wish everyone a rich and fragrant life ahead.”
“Clap, clap, clap…”
Applause started, gradually getting warmer.
When the lights brightened, the girl was already gone from the stage.
“Li’er, why do I suddenly feel a bit of sympathy for her?”
The freshman zone.
Wei Chuyin frowned and muttered.
Luo Li’er was both amused and perplexed, teasing, “You’ve gotten over your ‘heartbreak’ that quickly?
You even have sympathy for others, why not have some for yourself?”
“You…”
Wei Chuyin felt like a sore spot had been prodded, and immediately put on a mournful face.
“Praying for the world to spare a pair of lovers, hoping what’s feared never comes to pass…”
Luo Peng hummed softly along with everyone else’s applause, seemingly still immersed in the reverberations.
“Brother Luo, can you stop singing?”
Bai Zheli said.
Luo Peng stopped, lowered his hands, and the emcee began announcing again, but he was no longer much interested in the upcoming act.
“Ah well, to err is human, to forgive divine.
I won’t hold grudges against her any longer,” Luo Peng sighed.
Bai Zheli and the others, of course, knew who “her” referred to.
Ever since Ai Qian broke up with Jiang Chen, Luo Peng had never shown her any kindness whenever they crossed paths, not caring that they were classmates, and freely exchanged harsh words.
“We’re about to graduate, there won’t be any ‘later.'”
Li Shao mumbled.
Yes, indeed.
Just as Ai Qian said on stage earlier.
Tonight would likely be their last New Year’s Day spent at school.
Meaning that youth was about to come to a close.
It seemed time to put a period to past loves and hates.
The event continued until nine-thirty at night.
Jiang Chen and the others also stayed until nine-thirty, not leaving early.
After the final act, four eloquent male and female hosts appeared together, delivered the closing speech, and announced the evening’s best performance.
“The most popular program of the night is—Ai Qian, ‘A Girl’s Prayer.’
Upon hearing this result,
many were taken by surprise.
“Why?!”
Zheng Jingjing was indignant.
Not that she felt entitled to the award, but as an opening act that received such a positive response, how could it lose to a solo singing performance?
Moreover,
results were usually announced the next day or even days later, not this quickly.
There was no time for a proper tally or survey.
Fix!
There must have been a fix!
Right.
Zheng Jingjing had indeed guessed correctly.
There was, in fact, a fix.
Just as Jiang Chen and the others were about to leave, they were caught off guard by this announcement.
“What’s going on?”
Luo Peng was baffled.
Although Ai Qian sang well, it wasn’t to the extent of winning the best of the night.
“Ding Dong…”
Suddenly,
a WeChat notification sounded.
Jiang Chen fished out his phone from his pocket.
“Aren’t you going to thank me?”
It was “Devil.”
Jiang Chen instinctively looked forward, but he still couldn’t see the other person’s figure.
Before he could reply, his phone vibrated again.
Another string of text popped up in the chat box.
“I still have to exchange pleasantries with your school leaders.
Find a place and wait for me, of course, you could choose not to do that.
Then I’ll just have to go and chat with that Ai Qian.
I’m quite interested in the story behind that song.”