I have few friends, but many childhood sweethearts.

Chapter 522. New Year's Eve Party
Their performance was scheduled for the next day. After Xu Qingfan finished communicating with the stage manager, he returned to Xiao Ruanwen and the others.

Xiao Ruanwen was still holding a handwritten copy of the lyrics, afraid that she might forget them on stage, and was cramming at the last minute.

The group sat on plastic stools prepared backstage, their hands and legs trembling to varying degrees.
"Why are you all so quiet? Let's get this party started! Our song is original, so even if we play a wrong note or sing a wrong lyric, the teachers and students won't notice."

Xu Qingfan pulled Wu Shichong and Lai Chenglang up from their chairs and told them to relax.

"I'm not nervous, it's just a bit windy and cold," Wu Shichong said, pulling his coat tighter around himself.

"Let's get this party started!" Lai Chenglang crossed his arms and did a few high knees on the spot. Whether it was intentional or accidental, he kicked Wu Shichong's pants.

"Fuck you!" Wu Shichong was no longer holding back and relaxed a lot, joking around with Lai Chenglang.

Xu Qingfan and He Caiting locked eyes and smiled at each other.

"Hey, Fan-ge, let me finish reading it!" Xiao Ruanwen reached out to snatch the lyric book that Xu Qingfan had "confiscated".

"You can recite it backwards, you have to believe in yourself." Xu Qingfan grabbed her hand and put it in his pocket.

He Caiting's smile instantly froze on her face. Damn it, is this how you kill a dog?
Xiao Ruanwen pouted, letting him hold her hand, and continued to silently recite the lyrics she hadn't finished reading.

"Brother Fan, is it too late for me to go to the toilet now?" Wu Shichong always needs to use the toilet before something important happens, and he started again.

Lai Chenglang was also a little anxious, but he didn't say anything.

Xu Qingfan didn't speak, but gestured with his head to look behind him.

The two turned around at the same time and saw the teacher in charge of the stage walking towards them. "It's your class's turn next. Go and get ready now."

"Okay." Xu Qingfan nodded to the teacher and then shrugged at Wu Shichong. "It's just a matter of ten minutes or so. It won't be a big problem if you hold it in."

"alright."

Wu Shichong and Lai Chenglang took a deep breath at the same time, took off their coats, and handed them to Wang Xuan and Chen Qi, who had come to help.

The two of them, one playing guitar and the other bass, stood behind Xiao Ruanwen and received quite a few stage shots.

After Xu Qingfan took off his coat, he was wearing a gray casual suit underneath. It was smart and well-fitting, giving him a runway-worthy look.

Just as Wu Shichong and Lai Chenglang were about to exclaim, "Damn, Fan-ge, you look so handsome in that outfit!", Xiao Ruanwen took off her down jacket.

"Holy crap!" The two exclaimed simultaneously. Many staff members and students lingering backstage turned their attention to the commotion.

"You look so good, Ruan Wen!" Wang Xuan swallowed hard, so surprised that she spoke in reverse order.

Xiao Ruanwen smiled brightly and handed her the down jacket. Wang Xuan suddenly had the absurd thought that gender doesn't have to be so strictly defined.

"It's alright, just a normal outfit." Xiao Ruanwen tugged at her trench coat and put her hands in her pockets, making her look even more voluptuous.

"Go prepare first, we can talk about it after we get off the stage." Xu Qingfan took Xiao Ruanwen's hand, and the two of them together really looked like the male and female protagonists from an anime.

Noticing that the girl's palms were slightly sweaty, Xu Qingfan gently squeezed them to encourage her.

Xiao Ruanwen also pinched him in return, as if to say "I know".

Wu Shichong and Lai Chenglang carried their guitars and basses on their backs, while Xu Qingfan held drumsticks in his hands. The drum kit would be carried onto the stage by the staff later.

The few minutes passed quickly while waiting. After the previous class finished their performance, whether by coincidence or not, the host responsible for announcing their class's performance was Chen Mengmeng.

"Don't be nervous, juniors, good luck!" Before going on stage, she walked over and had a brief chat with Wu Shichong and Lai Chenglang. Before leaving, she winked playfully at Xu Qingfan.

"Thank you, Senior Mengmeng!" Wu Shichong and Lai Chenglang waved goodbye to her with giggles.

Because it was almost their turn to go on stage, Xiao Ruanwen didn't say anything despite noticing the other person's subtle actions.

"To celebrate our school's centennial celebration, we created a new school song. Do you students think the new school song is good?" Chen Mengmeng handed the microphone to the audience, and a tidal wave of responses rang out from below the stage: "It's good!"

Chen Mengmeng exclaimed in surprise, "Wow!" and said, "Do you know that this song was written by one of our students? Tonight, they will be bringing a new original song!"
"Please, all students from Class 16 of Grade 11, choose C!"

The stage suddenly went dark, and Chen Mengmeng left the stage, but the gasps of surprise lingered for a long time.

What did they hear?
"Misaligned Time and Space" was written by a classmate from school, and tonight they will also be bringing a new original song.
"We're all high school students, why are you the only one who's so awesome?!"

"Seriously? You're going to fry fish like this for the New Year's Eve party?"

Offstage, staff members hurriedly carried the keyboard and drum set onto the stage. Xu Qingfan and his six friends formed a circle and gave each other a final shout-out, "Go for it!"

When the stage lights came on again, the five of them were already standing on the big stage in the order of one, two, two.

The murmurs suddenly subsided, and the cameraman gave Xiao Ruanwen a close-up shot. The next second, the entire square erupted in cheers.

Current makeup habits still tend to favor heavy makeup, especially during stage performances. Many actresses are accustomed to using heavy foundation, paired with intense eye makeup and blush to create a striking visual effect.

Xiao Ruanwen was already quite beautiful, with well-defined features and fair skin; heavy makeup would only obscure her beauty.

Therefore, the makeup artist only applies a thin layer of foundation to enhance the skin's radiance.

To accentuate the sparkle in her eyes, pearlescent eyeshadow was applied to her eyelids, preserving the teary-eyed effect. False eyelashes were applied, and a light eyeliner was drawn to enhance the depth of her eye contour.

Finally, a touch of blush was added, and the eyebrows were tweezed. The exquisite makeup made her look like a character straight out of an anime.

This unique sense of refinement is like seeing the Seven Fairies for the first time when you were young. Many years later, you may not remember their faces, but you still remember the feeling you had back then.

Japanese JK (high school girl) style is supposed to represent purity, but because of Xiao Ruanwen's stunning figure and the green trench coat she's wearing, she gives off a feeling that's both pure and sophisticated.

It's not that pure desire, it's the "mature" of a mature woman.

"Hey Fan, you always get first place in exams, do you have some kind of secret?" Lai Chenglang said into the microphone, following the pre-rehearsed script.

The camera then turned to Xu Qingfan, who said, "There are no secrets to learning; it's simply a matter of studying hard and making progress every day."

"Haha, I know Fan-ge's secret: he never knows the multiple-choice questions on the exam."

"Choose C for everyone!"

The camera zooms out and slowly zooms back in on Xiao Ruanwen, "Every song is a C, here it is for everyone!"

Before anyone could react, a few soft guitar strums were followed by a sudden burst of drumming. Xiao Ruanwen's unique voice seemed to burst forth from the clouds, instantly freezing the entire world in place.

"You always ask questions."

"ABC is hanging on the back"

The lyrics were catchy, and the melody was addictive. Before long, everyone was dancing along to her voice.

"Scorched by the flames of pursuing dreams"

"Don't just breathe in mediocrely," Xiao Ruanwen was completely in character. She took the microphone off the stand and started singing and dancing on stage.

"Can you turn on your flashes?" she shouted into the microphone as she took a breather.

In August of this year, Lei Jun released his first mobile phone, priced at 1999 yuan, which caused a significant drop in mobile phone prices.

Nowadays, almost every student has a mobile phone.

One, two, more and more flashes lit up the stage below. Xiao Ruanwen, standing on the stage, saw it most clearly; as far as the eye could see, it was a sea of ​​light.

You asked me what I'll be like when I grow up?

"Scientific research or flying airplanes?"

The song wasn't as good as the previous ones, but it was powerful because the lyrics and music were so touching that they resonated with every student in the audience.

The students were completely hyped up. They didn't remember the lyrics, but they would definitely shout "Choose C!"

"Choose C! Choose C! Choose C!"

The singing stopped, and Xiao Ruanwen gasped for breath. She immediately turned to look at Xu Qingfan, and then she saw someone who surprised her even more.

"Mom?" Xiao Ruanwen was stunned in surprise.

Zhao Yuemin wore special makeup tonight, and when the faces of the mother and daughter appeared on the screen at the same time, many male audience members subconsciously swallowed.

"Wenwen is amazing, you are your mother's pride!" Zhao Yuemin's voice rang out through the microphone, and thunderous applause erupted instantly.

Xiao Ruanwen's eyes instantly reddened, and she choked out, "Yes!"

Zhao Yuemin didn't linger. After patting her head and presenting the flowers, she left.

The applause was thunderous and prolonged. Xu Qingfan, He Caiting, Wu Shichong, and Lai Chenglang came to the front of the stage. Xiao Ruanwen picked up the microphone again and said:
May everyone's future be easy, and may you be able to choose the easiest stroke for every question!

Many students spontaneously stood up from the stage. This simple New Year's Eve party gave them the experience of a star concert.

"Wan Ning, do you want to stand too? I'll carry you."

"Okay!"

"Xiaoxiao, your Fan-ge is amazing! I heard that he wrote all the songs that Ruan Wen sings. Is that true?"

"It's alright," Xia Xiaoxiao said with a faint smile, pursing her lips.

"Ruan Wen looks so beautiful tonight, like a big star. Is she in the same class as that brat?"

"Yes, Ruan Wen and Fan Ge are in the same class!"

"Why didn't Xiaoyu perform on stage at the New Year's Eve party? Auntie remembers that Xiaoyu can sing. Let Qingfan write a song for you too."

"Hehehe, it's me, Fan Ge and the others, back!"

Xu Qingfan and his group, who came down from the stage, just happened to help Wu Lingyu out of the predicament.

"Mom, what brings you here!" Xiao Ruanwen excitedly rushed into her mother's arms, and after she finished being affectionate, she greeted Lin Jing and Yao Jinping, "Hello, Auntie!"

"Great." Lin Jing smiled slightly, already seeing Xia Xiaoxiao walking towards them.

“Ruan Wen is this one.” Yao Jinping gave a thumbs up.

Wu Shichong and his group were a bit shy, so after a brief greeting, they slipped away.

"Put your clothes on first, we can talk more when we get back to class." Xu Qingfan helped Xiao Ruanwen put on her coat, and then put on his down jacket himself.

Xiao Ruanwen wrinkled her nose at him. Since her mother was here, she knew without asking Agui that it was Brother Chou Fan who had kept it from her.

"Mom, did I sing well?" After putting her down jacket back on, Xiao Ruanwen turned back into that loud and boisterous girl, jumping and skipping on the tiled floor.

"It sounds beautiful! Mom loves listening to Wenwen sing!"

"Then Mom, how about I become a singer in the future, and sing for you every day!" Xiao Ruanwen pressed on while the iron was hot.

"Of course Mom supports Wenwen, but she has to convince Dad and Grandpa." Zhao Yuemin didn't want to spoil the mood, but it was pointless to say anything.

Sure enough, after hearing this, Xiao Ruanwen felt as if she had been doused with a bucket of cold water. She was still excited, but she stopped hopping around.

Xu Qingfan saw this and knew he had the ability to solve Xiao Ruanwen's troubles, but now was not the time.

He felt that the main reason why Xiao Lijian and Xiao Jianbiao opposed Ruan Wen becoming a singer was because of the precedent set by her cousin, which created a stereotype about the entertainment industry.

It's not so much a stereotype as it is a case of the common people's imagination being lacking, like the scandal involving a certain American rap superstar in later years.

But none of this bothered Xu Qingfan. Those who could afford to offend him wouldn't be so foolish; those who couldn't afford to offend him would be killed on sight.

As for why he didn't tell Xiao Ruanwen these things, firstly, he wasn't sure how determined Xiao Ruanwen was to sing, and secondly, Xu Qingfan didn't want to be exposed to the spotlight too early, neither he nor the five girls.

However, judging from the girl's disappointed look, Xu Qingfan guessed that she probably still really wanted to sing.

[Let's wait a bit longer and talk to her when we have time.]
When everyone returned to Class 10's formation, Zhang Yiyi had already pushed Lin Wanning there, waiting for them to arrive.

"Hello, Auntie!" Lin Wanning greeted her sweetly the moment she spoke.

"Poor pig, is your foot any better?" Yao Jinping squatted down and held her hand. "It's cold, you should wear more clothes."

"Auntie, I'm wearing so many clothes!" Lin Wanning squinted, revealing her eye bags. "My hands are warm!"

The principal and their homeroom teacher took the time to come over and say hello. Song Dongsheng's rank was not high enough to know Zhang Chunxue, so he was very polite to Yao Jinping.

After everyone left, Yao Jinping said to Xu Qingfan, "Your principal was quite polite."

Xu Qingfan almost burst out laughing. He didn't explain the reason to her, but simply said, "Maybe it's because our mom is beautiful."

"No matter how pretty she is, your dad still goes fishing every day. I don't know what's so great about fishing. He gets as tanned as an African. Let me tell you, when you marry a wife, never be like him." Yao Jinping's lecturing started again.

Xu Qingfan ignored them and turned to join the girls' conversation. "What are you talking about? Why are you laughing so happily?"

"Brother Qingfan, we're talking about Senior Sister Mengmeng. She winked at you!" Lin Wanning winked playfully.

Xu Qingfan:
"Don't listen to Xiao Ruanwen's nonsense. She probably just got an eyelash in her eye and it's uncomfortable." Xu Qingfan rolled his eyes speechlessly.

"Hahaha!"

(End of this chapter)