On a hazy, rainy day, Yin Chao stood in the rain, his surroundings dimmed by the mist rising from the water.
It looked like an ink painting, with only the ivy climbing the walls on either side of the alley adding a touch of green.
Amid the patter of rain, Yin Chao heard someone humming a song.
The cheerful tune seemed out of place in the gloomy weather.
The girl's voice was sweet, with a carefree, languid quality. As her singing grew clearer, a girl in a white dress rounded the corner of the alley, holding a transparent umbrella.
Her long black hair had a natural curl to it, spilling down her back like seaweed.
"The dark, dark sky hangs low~"
"The bright, bright stars follow~"
"..."
At first glance, the first thing he noticed was her bright eyes.
Like the lyrics she sang, they shone like brilliant stars.
Raindrops dripping from her umbrella soaked the hem of her white dress.
Yin Chao recalled An Huai's words. "She was like a night-blooming cereus, gone in an instant."
The singing grew more distant, and the girl's figure gradually receded.
The scene shifted, and Yin Chao saw the girl enter a hotel.
The furnishings in the ground-floor lobby were very familiar. It was the very hotel they were staying in.
"Hello, I'm here to compete in the dance competition."
Xin Ya politely approached a staff member to ask about it, mainly because the hotel had no signs about the competition anywhere.
That left Xin Ya feeling uneasy.
The staff member looked Xin Ya up and down. The stare made her deeply uncomfortable, but she could only force a smile in response.
"Do you have an invitation?"
The staff member asked.
Xin Ya hurriedly took her invitation out of her bag. It was