Graduation Party (II)
Next was Li Wenhao's piano performance, "Fantasia of the Stars."
Dressed in a black tailcoat, Li Wenhao walked gracefully onto the stage and sat down at the piano.
He gently raised his hands, placed them on the keys, and adjusted his breathing.
When the first note rang out, it was like the first star twinkling in the night sky, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
His fingers danced nimbly across the keys. The melody was lively at times, like stars twinkling and leaping; at others, it soared with passion, like the Milky Way surging endlessly onward.
His gaze was focused and full of feeling, and his body swayed slightly with the rise and fall of the music.
The audience was entranced by the beautiful music. The entire auditorium was so quiet that only the piano could be heard.
A veteran musician couldn't help praising him. "This child's technique is accomplished, and his understanding and interpretation of the music are exceptionally profound. His future is limitless."
At the climax of the performance, Li Wenhao's hands moved swiftly over the keys, notes cascading out like flowing water and carrying the audience into the vast, boundless universe to experience the mystery and beauty of the stars.
When the final note fell, the entire auditorium erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers. Li Wenhao stood up and bowed deeply to the audience, a satisfied smile on his face!
After some discussion among the judges, Li Wenhao received a final score of 9.4!
As time passed, the party continued in full swing, and before anyone realized it, it was already more than halfway through.
Backstage, Chen Ze and Song Ruoli were ready to go on at any moment.
"Chen Ze, do you think we can take first place?" Song Ruoli asked.
"You need to have confidence in yourself. Besides, I'm the one singing, and you're just accompanying me. You only need to perform the way you usually do when we practice. Leave the rest to me!" Chen Chen patted her head again, feeling rather like he was petting a puppy.
"Next, let's give a round of applause to Zhao Xiaolei from Class 057! He's bringing us a song called 'Memories of Youth.' Please welcome Zhao Xiaolei!" the female host announced excitedly!
Wearing a short white suit jacket, a prince skirt embroidered with flowers and birds, and a white beret, Zhao Xiaolei walked onto the stage with a smile.
As the accompaniment began, the audience gradually quieted down.
"I once poured all my feelings into you, I once spent all my time trying to please you..."
His clear voice followed the rhythm, giving listeners a feeling of heartbreak so intense it was suffocating.
The audience, some happy and some sad, remembered the days when they had been licking dogs, weaving themselves into beautiful dreams until, at last, they woke up and realized how naive they had been!
Someone in the audience was already weeping softly. Perhaps I never should have met you in the first place. I gave you everything, only to be left covered in wounds...
The veteran music producer said to the assistant beside her, "That boy's voice is incredibly moving. Contact him after the party."
When the song ended, enthusiastic applause rose from the audience!
The judges whispered among themselves for a while before giving him the highest score since the party began: 9.6!
Zhao Xiaolei bowed to the audience and walked happily offstage.
"Next, let's welcome several students from Class 056 to perform the skit 'We Are All One Family.' A round of applause, please..." The host's announcement rang out.
Backstage, Chen Ze and Song Ruoli were talking in low voices when Zhao Xiaolei walked over, looking smug.
"Great campus belle Chen, I reckon you're going to lose this time!" Zhao Xiaolei said smugly.
"Oh? Is that so? You're celebrating a little too early, Zhao," Chen Ze said mildly.
"Do you know what score I got? I don't mind telling you: I got 9.6, the highest score so far. How are you going to compete with me?" Zhao Xiaolei said, rather like a petty man intoxicated by success.
"Then let's wait and see!" Chen Ze said.
After Zhao Xiaolei had gone a good distance away, Song Ruoli said indignantly, "That man is awful! I used to like him quite a bit. I never thought he was that kind of person!
"Hehe, there's no need to pay him any mind," Chen Ze said with a chuckle.
"But he got such a high score. Do you think we can still beat him?"
"So we'll have to do our best next, or he'll come mock us again!"
"Okay!" Perhaps her anger had diluted her nerves, for Song Ruoli had now completely calmed down.
"Next, let's give a round of applause to Chen Ze and Song Ruoli from Class 052, who will bring us an original song, 'You at the Desk Beside Me.' Please welcome Chen Ze and Song Ruoli!" the host announced!
The two took deep breaths and slowly walked toward the stage!
When the judges and veteran music producers in the audience heard that it was an original song, their eyes lit up slightly.
Chen Ze carried a guitar, with Song Ruoli behind him holding a harmonica. Both wore light makeup, adding even more charm to their already striking looks.
Chen Ze wore a white long-sleeved shirt with the cuffs rolled up slightly, black dress pants, and black leather shoes. The outfit made him look a little more mature.
Song Ruoli, meanwhile, wore an emerald-green dress printed with flower petals and a pair of pink high heels. Her looks, already a nine out of ten, were both gorgeous and somewhat innocent.
The moment the two appeared, they were greeted with a wave of applause and cheers! All the students of Class 052 stood up to cheer them on, especially the giant loli Zheng Yanxi, who was clapping so hard her hands were almost swollen.
"Will you remember tomorrow the diary you wrote yesterday? Will you still think tomorrow of the you who once cried more easily than anyone..."
The melodious sounds of guitar and harmonica slowly rose through the glamorous party venue, followed by a clear male voice, full of deep feeling, drifting through the air.
The applause and cheers from the audience fell silent at once. Almost instantly, their emotions were drawn back to the days of their youth.
The veteran music producer stood up in shock, exclaiming inwardly, This is an entirely new kind of music, a singing technique never heard before!
At the same time, her memories came flooding back: classrooms, the sports field, the dormitory, and the boy who had sat beside him. She remembered the notes they had secretly passed in class, the nights they had stayed up studying for exams together, and that innocent, bittersweet farewell at graduation...
"The teachers have all forgotten you, the one who couldn't guess the answers. It was only when I happened to look through old photos that I remembered My Old Classmate."
Chen Ze's singing flowed through the air, every note seemingly imbued with the magic of time, drawing people's thoughts back to the past.
Some members of the audience closed their eyes slightly, immersed in the memories brought back by the song; others gazed into the distance, as though looking through everything before them to see their former selves. A middle-aged woman whose hair had already begun to gray had tears glistening in her eyes.
She remembered her deskmate, the boy who had always loved to smile. In those innocent days, they had studied and played together, sharing their little secrets with each other.
Later, the tide of graduation swept them apart, sending them along different paths in life. So many years had passed that she had almost forgotten what the boy looked like, but now those long-buried memories gradually grew clear in the song.
"Who married the sentimental you? Who read your diary? Who pinned up your long hair? Who made your wedding dress?"
The song continued, and the atmosphere at the party grew increasingly solemn and tender.
A young man rested his head gently on the shoulder of the woman beside him, his eyes full of emotion. He remembered his school days and the deskmate who had always quietly looked after him.
She had patiently explained difficult problems when he was troubled by them and passed him notes filled with encouraging words when he felt down. After graduation, they too had lost touch.
It wasn't until he saw her again at a class reunion years later that he realized she was no longer the innocent girl in his memories, yet that pure affection still echoed in his heart.
He turned to look at his wife beside him, his heart filled with emotion. Fate was so wondrous: the deskmate he had once thought would be with him for life was now only a warm memory.
"You used to be so careful, asking to borrow half an eraser. You once mentioned without thinking that you liked being with me."
Those few lines brought knowing smiles to the faces of many in the audience. Those seemingly insignificant little things had been so precious in their youth.
Sharing an eraser or casually saying you liked someone had once sent ripples spreading through young hearts. A girl in a school uniform listened with particular absorption.
To her, her deskmate was the person she most looked forward to seeing every day.
They worked hard together for the college entrance exam, encouraging and competing with each other. Though the future was full of uncertainty, the song made her cherish every moment she spent with her deskmate all the more.
She quietly resolved that, wherever she went in the future, she would never forget this wonderful time.
As the song went on, the atmosphere reached its peak.
Many in the audience hummed softly along to the rhythm, their voices joining together and echoing throughout the venue.
It was a longing for youth, a remembrance of the past, and a tribute to the pure feelings they had once known.
At that moment, regardless of age, identity, or status, everyone was immersed in the same melody, moved by the same emotion.
"The teachers have all forgotten you, the one who couldn't guess the answers. It was only when I happened to look through old photos that I remembered My Old Classmate."
When Chen Ze sang that passage again, a teacher in the audience couldn't keep her eyes from reddening.
She remembered the class after class of students she had taught. Those children who had once caused mischief and listened attentively in her classroom had all grown up and gone their separate ways.
She tried to recall what each student had looked like, as countless moments from the past surfaced in her mind.
He marveled at how swiftly time had flown and felt deeply gratified to have been part of those children's youth.
"La... la..." With the final humming, Chen Ze's song gradually drew to a close, but the atmosphere in the venue remained unsettled for a long time.
The audience lingered in the afterglow of their memories, applause and cheers rising one after another.
"You at the Desk Beside Me" was like a key, opening the door in people's hearts that led back to their youth and bringing those forgotten beautiful moments before their eyes once more.
It made people understand that, no matter how the years passed, memories of youth would forever be life's most precious treasure, and those innocent feelings would always shine brightly in their hearts.