Luo Ye was stunned.
The audience was stunned.
The host was stunned too.
Su Baizhou stood onstage, her face expressionless.
This was a freshman welcome party, and the invitation came from a freshman. In principle, she could accept it; refusing might not look very good.
But this was Su Baizhou. Expecting her to agree to something like this had to be a joke.
Just as the host thought Su Baizhou would refuse, she said calmly, "Sure."
The host was a little surprised to hear that.
He had already figured out how to smooth things over, only for Su Baizhou to actually agree.
Wang Dachui nudged Luo Ye.
Luo Ye was dumbfounded.
"Are you serious, Brother Hammer?"
"Quit dithering, Wild Kid! I've handed you the chance. Get up there!"
Wang Dachui hauled Luo Ye to his feet.
Then Luo Ye steeled himself and walked onto the stage.
He looked out at the audience, where pair after pair of puzzled eyes stared back at him.
Luo Ye couldn't help feeling nervous. He looked terribly shy, with an unmistakably inexperienced air.
The host handed Luo Ye the other microphone.
"What songs can you sing?"
Su Baizhou asked in her cool, clear voice.
Her presence was overwhelming.
Onstage, Su Baizhou radiated such an imposing aura that Luo Ye felt he wasn't worthy of standing beside her. He barely dared to speak.
"A-anything's fine."
Heh... little stutterer.
Su Baizhou laughed inwardly, then said, "Since it's a male-female duet, let's sing something fairly simple: 'A Little Sweet.'"
A Little Sweet?
Luo Ye froze for a moment.
Luo Ye was still silent, while Wang Dachui was practically losing his mind in the audience, frantically signaling with his eyes for him to agree.
Seeing that, Luo Ye suddenly found it rather funny, and even his nerves eased considerably.
"Okay!"
In the audience, Wang Dachui was the first to cheer and clap. Following his lead, countless audience members began applauding hesitantly.
Many of them had never heard about anyone singing "Rainy Day" during military training. Although the video of Luo Ye singing had been posted on the campus confession page and earned a little attention,
it hadn't reached that many people. Even Wang Dachui had been gambling on whether Su Baizhou had heard it, but his gamble had paid off.
After hearing Su Baizhou's heavenly voice, the audience had felt that no one could possibly sing alongside her.
Now, their gazes held a measure of doubt as they looked at Luo Ye.
At the host's direction, the backing track for "A Little Sweet" began.
The first verse was the male part. Luo Ye took a deep breath.
The next moment, he closed his eyes.
His meeting with Fairy Senior came to mind, and Luo Ye gradually began to relax.
When he opened his eyes again, they were filled with tenderness.
Since it was a love song, he ought to immerse himself in it.
He turned toward Su Baizhou and slowly opened his mouth.
"I picked an apple, waiting for you to pass my door."
"I'll place it in your hands to quench your thirst."
Seeing the tenderness in Luo Ye's eyes at that moment, Su Baizhou felt a slight stir in her heart.
This boy really did know how to sing.
"Like cola in summer, like cocoa in winter."
"You're the right person at the right time."
They traded lines. Although Su Baizhou's expression remained unchanged, her eyes were no longer as cold as before.
Luo Ye wouldn't let this chance to perform alongside Fairy Senior slip away.
This time, he would give it everything he had and sing to the very best of his ability.
The audience had long since gone from skeptical to absorbed.
Looking closely, Luo Ye was rather handsome, and his shy personality made him the very picture of a sweet, innocent boy.
Everyone listened attentively to the song the two of them sang onstage.
"I don't know why, before my wounds had healed,"
"you burst into my heart just like that."
"With the most romantic chorus,"
"you softly sing along too."
"Our eyes affirm the choice we've made."
The performance ended.
Applause erupted from the audience, even louder and more enthusiastic than before.
The host walked onto the stage, took the microphone from Luo Ye, and said excitedly, "I never expected to hear a performance like that at our freshman welcome party. Thank you to Su Baizhou and this freshman for making tonight all the more meaningful."
"I hope your university lives will be rich and colorful, and I wish you all success in your studies."
"That concludes our freshman welcome party. Please leave in an orderly fashion."
After they left the venue, Wang Dachui draped an arm around Luo Ye's shoulders.
"So, Wild Kid, how did it feel to sing onstage with Goddess Su?"
Luo Ye answered without hesitation, "It was an absolute honor."
"Then..." Wang Dachui gave him a sly grin. "Your pal Dachui gave you that chance. Aren't you going to show your appreciation?"
"Would a week of breakfasts do?"
"A month."
"No. Two weeks at most."
"Deal."
Seeing Wang Dachui's scheme succeed, Luo Ye's face darkened.
I got played...
But then he recalled the moment Wang Dachui had stood up at the welcome party.
Warmth filled Luo Ye's heart again.
Wang Dachui might usually be unbelievably sleazy, but when it mattered, he stepped up without hesitation and never let anyone down.
Wang Dachui, the nation's finest roommate.
When they returned to the dorm, Shen Qiao was still gaming in bed.
"Not bad, you two."
Shen Qiao marveled, "The video of Luo Ye's duet with Su Baizhou is everywhere in the campus group chats and on the confession page."
"Everyone's saying you're a match made in heaven."
Wang Dachui leaned close to Luo Ye with a wicked grin. "Wild Kid, do you really have a thing for Su Baizhou?"
"No."
Luo Ye's expression changed, and he denied it without hesitation.
Seeing his reaction, Shen Qiao and Wang Dachui exchanged a glance and grinned at each other.
This kid really couldn't lie.
"Wild Kid, if you like her, go for it. Daddy's got your back."
Wang Dachui said, "But if you actually got together with Su Baizhou, I reckon every guy on campus would want to kill you. Of course, I don't think Su Baizhou would ever fall for you anyway."
"It's not that I'm looking down on you, buddy. Whatever you say, there's a reason people call her the Iceberg Goddess. She might not be interested in males at all."
"What are you talking about?"
Li Haoyang walked in, positively glowing.
"Holy shit, why do you look so radiant? Were you out on a date?"
Li Haoyang gave a sheepish smile and said, "Liu Bingxin invited me to eat at the cafeteria."
"What? Liu Bingxin?"
Wang Dachui stared at Li Haoyang as though life had just screwed him over.
"Bingxin obviously likes me. Why would she ask you out?"
Luo Ye and Shen Qiao were utterly speechless.
Liu Bingxin had a cute, girlish face and long legs, and she was a full 170 centimeters tall. Girls tended to look taller than boys of the same height, so if Wang Dachui walked beside Liu Bingxin, she would probably look taller than him.
Then there was their buddy Haoyang. A muscular guy paired with a long-legged cutie-wasn't that only natural?
"Who knew? Coach usually looks a little slow on the uptake, but when it comes to dating, he leaves the rest of us in the dust," Luo Ye sighed.
"Don't talk nonsense. I went to the office to help the counselor with something, and Liu happened to be there too. We just grabbed a meal together afterward."
"Oh, you just grabbed a meal together afterward~"
All three teased him sarcastically, their faces full of suspicion.
"Get lost, you lot. Let's team up for a game."
"I'm in."
"You joining us, Luo Ye?"
"Of course."
Opening his phone, Luo Ye suddenly remembered that he hadn't checked WeChat in ages. He took a quick look and found several unread messages.
They were from Xu Xiaojia:
"Is that muscular guy who pretended to be a senior in your dorm?"
"He was there when I saw you at the cafeteria last time too. So he's the acting class rep now?"
"That muscular guy is so handsome!"
"Not bad, Luo Ye. I heard you sang during military training."
"What are you doing, Luo Ye?"
"You seriously don't check your messages? I don't believe it. You're deliberately ignoring me."
"...You really aren't replying. Unbelievable."
Luo Ye was puzzled for a moment.
Who was this again? He hadn't memorized everyone in his class yet.
But soon, the corner of Luo Ye's mouth twitched as he finally remembered.
How had he forgotten this chatterbox of a young lady?
Before you continue