It was just a love letter; I'm really no great writer!

Lu Ran stood there, lamenting the passing of spring and the coming of autumn.

One moment he is deeply melancholic, the next he is filled with sorrow and longing.

"It sounds great, it sounds great!" Di Lingyan ate sunflower seeds and clapped enthusiastically.

"Ha!" Xia Liang said smugly, "I knew Han Zhi sang well!"

"That way, tomorrow's performance will be guaranteed." Li Xingping's lips curled up, as if she could already see the performance becoming a huge hit and sales soaring.

Lu Ran: ...

No, didn't you guys hear it?

This word.

This artistic conception.

This is an astonishing talent.

In his dream of the Tang Dynasty, after Bai Juyi's death, Emperor Xuanzong wrote a poem in mourning: "Children can recite the Song of Everlasting Regret, and barbarian children can sing the Ballad of the Pipa."

An immortal poem that has been passed down through the ages, and this is your reaction?

"This song..." Zhao Yishuang said thoughtfully.

Lu Ran quickly perked up his ears.

"You sang really well," Zhao Yishuang said approvingly.

"Thank you," Zuo Hanzhi said reservedly. "It's all thanks to Lu Range's excellent writing."

"This song will be the finale tomorrow. Xingping, you can put on a dance yourself." Xia Liang made the decision.

"Yeah, I've practiced a lot of dances for ancient-style songs, hehe!" Li Xingping said confidently.

"Okay, then I'll set up the guzheng, and Xiao Di will play the xiao." Xia Liang snapped her fingers. "Yi Shuang, the pipa part is yours."

"Hmm." Zhao Yishuang took a picture of the sheet music with her phone and nodded slightly.

"I've discovered you guys are all incredibly talented," Lu Ran couldn't help but remark. "Di, you can even play the flute?"

"Mind your own business, get ready for your live stream," Di Lingyan said irritably.

Lu Ran's lips twitched slightly; why did he feel like he was being ostracized...?

Rather, it's more accurate to say that the five of them were originally a single entity.

Also, everyone, apologize to Bai Juyi!

Lu Ran was annoyed and sulked in a corner, but she soon felt relieved.

Wild boars simply can't stomach fine bran.

"The Song of the Pipa" is indeed a famous piece.

But how should I put it?

With this modern melody, they mistook it for an ordinary traditional Chinese style song...

This phrase, "曲套," is equivalent to "金佛漆泥像" (a type of lacquered clay Buddha statue).

It's still the same old problem: poetry needs to be appreciated.

Which of the ancient poems in the textbooks isn't a timeless classic?

Few students could empathize with that at the time.

Often, years later, at some point in the night, one suddenly understands that sentence.

At first listen, one does not understand the meaning of the song; upon listening again, one becomes a character in the song.

The girls quickly decided on the songs for the performance and took turns singing karaoke. At this point, Li Xingping's karaoke-loving nature quickly became apparent—the entire line of songs was for her.

Suddenly a microphone was handed to me.

"Do you like my singing?" Li Xingping asked naturally.

"I'm sorry to make a fool of myself." Lu Ran took the microphone, looked at the prompt on the screen, and, gathering his strength, raspy in his voice, said, "I like you~ Give me your coat~"

"Get lost! It sounds awful!" Xia Liang laughed and cursed, snatching the microphone away. "Give it to me, give it to me."

Lu Ran slipped away without revealing his presence: "You guys sing, I'm going to the restroom."

After closing the door to the private room, his mind calmed down.

Even with the air conditioning blowing so coolly, I still broke out in a cold sweat.

Something's wrong! Something's wrong!

Lu Ran always felt a murderous aura emanating from him.

—Every time he looked away, someone was staring at the back of his neck.

Huaizhong is so lenient in its management that there are one or two couples in each class.

As long as their grades aren't affected, the homeroom teacher will turn a blind eye, and the two of them getting into a prestigious university hand in hand is considered a wonderful story.

But another situation often occurs: when a crush is exposed or confessed, the original friendship becomes distant, until they become like strangers.

Some things are better left unsaid; once they're out in the open, it's impossible to remain friends.

Lu Ran is an exception.

This is related to personality.

He's the kind of person who's very self-centered, one-dimensional, and narcissistic, completely indifferent to others. So if you reject me, it's okay, I can tolerate it.

To paraphrase a line from the novel "The Way of Heaven," his consciousness was unconsciously positioned in a superior position.

Even when he actively pursues a girl, he holds the attitude that "it's not about what I want to do for you, but about the value I see in you to me."

Some boys, on the other hand, treat their partners as goddesses from the very beginning, placing themselves in an unworthy position, thus losing their sense of self and agency.

Lu Ran washed his hands thoroughly before going to the toilet, a habit stemming from his childhood obsession with cleanliness.

In addition, he had a peculiar habit.

He believes that liking himself is a form of being in a relationship, so he focuses on identifying his own shortcomings to prevent himself from becoming too narcissistic.

In addition, he never masturbates, which he sees as potentially homosexual; nocturnal emissions do not count, because self-awareness is not involved.

Lu Ran walked out of the restroom, washed his hands again, and felt completely at peace.

When he returned to the private room.

Li Xingping collapsed, looking like she was exhausted from singing.

Di Lingyan and Zuo Hanzhi laughed and hugged each other, while Xia Liang and Zhao Yishuang whispered to each other...

Good harmony.

How heartwarming.

Why did they have a cold war before?

"How much longer?" Di Lingyan asked.

"There's only half an hour left. Lu Ran is back. Let him sing," Xia Liang said casually.

"Forget it, he's tone-deaf." Li Xingping complained.

"Then let's go back?" Lu Ran said dismissively.

"No, let's play a game instead." Xia Liang came up with a crazy idea on a whim. "Let's play that one, Truth or Dare (Never Have I Ever)."

"Hmm!" Li Xingping immediately sat up, full of energy. "Come on, come on!"

"What?" Di Lingyan asked in confusion.

Xia Liang explained: "For example, if I say something I have done, and any of you have done it, then I will have to accept the punishment of telling the truth."

"Conversely, if none of you have done it, even if I win, I can designate someone to be punished."

"Wow~ That sounds so fun!" Di Lingyan chuckled.

Zhao Yishuang had a bit of a headache: "Are we really going to play this kind of elementary school game?"

"Let's play. I've already said we can't have any secrets between us." Xia Liang's voice was sickeningly sweet.

Zhao Yishuang: ...

Lu Ran picked up the microphone: "Actually, I can sing pretty well... Your dimples and long eyelashes are your most beautiful features~"

"Aren't you a member of the literary society?" Xia Liang asked angrily.

Lu Ran: ...

So everyone gathered around and spun the bottle to decide who would start.

Initially, he transferred to Di Lingyan.

"Hehehe~" Di Lingyan let out a strange laugh, "I was still wetting the bed when I was ten!"

Everyone: ? ? ?

"Elementary school student, hahaha!" Xia Liang laughed until her stomach hurt.

"You're a little genius, you didn't even wet the bed in kindergarten..." Li Xingping shook Di Lingyan's arm, "Who do you choose to be punished?"

"Hmm~~~" Di Lingyan looked around and said with a smile, "Lu Ran!"

Having anticipated this, Lu Ran braced himself and said, "Go ahead and ask."

"You have to answer the truth. Liars will have to swallow a thousand needles," Li Xingping threatened from the side.

Lu Ran nodded.

"Hurry up and ask!" Xia Liang urged.

"Don't rush, I'm thinking..."

Di Lingyan demanded imposingly, "Lu Ran, have you ever thought of yourself as a scumbag?"

In the darkness, Lu Ran rubbed his forehead. "Cough cough, I've never been in a relationship... Okay, okay, I have." (See Chapter 8 for details)

This immediately drew Xia Liang's disdain: "Ugh~ Men."

"Judging by actions, not intentions, and judging by intentions, no one in the world is perfect." Lu Ran was quite frank. "Actually, I'm a 24k pure love advocate, and I most admire one person for life."

In the second round, it was Zhao Yishuang's turn.

Without hesitation, Zhao Yishuang replied, "I was once ranked first in the entire school."

"Wow, wow, wow!" Xia Liang asked, "Who are you asking about?"

Undoubtedly, everyone's eyes turned to the trembling person.

"I want to know, between Hanzhi and me, who is your favorite person?" Zhao Yishuang's eyes were like a sharp, gleaming knife.

silence.

Time seemed to have been paused.

"Now?" Lu Ran hesitated.

"Um."

The answer is, I don't like any of them.

Under the girls' gaze, Lu Ran spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Why? You were writing love letters to Hanzhi in a big way not long ago, and now, just a few days later, have you already turned your back on me so heartlessly?" Xia Liang's eyes were already looking at him like he was trash.

"Who says that if you like someone, you have to stay with them forever?"

"You can get divorced after marriage, and you can remarry after divorce. Can't I reflect on my past immaturity?"

"I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused them—as for now, I think a peaceful and ordinary life is just fine."

"That's great!" Di Lingyan said happily. "I warned him a long time ago not to cause trouble in our literary society and make a mess of things."

"At that time, I didn't know that Zuo Hanzhi would join the literary society, let alone that Zhao Yishuang had once been in the literary society." Lu Ran said, embarrassed.

"Yeah, it's a truth game, so just say it all," Li Xingping said impatiently. "It's only fun when everything's blown out of proportion. Next round, next round."

This game has become a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to torture Lu Ran.

The atmosphere had become rather delicate...

The third round moved to the front of Zuo Hanzhi.

Zuo Hanzhi's eyes, like the flickering light of a candle, gazed at Lu Ran.

Lu Ran broke out in a cold sweat.

This is bad, this is really bad, when will this lousy game end...?

Xia Liang was afraid that she hadn't understood the rules, so she explained them again.

Zuo Hanzhi continued to look at Lu Ran, her expression aloof and cold, as she extended her slender, white index finger toward him.

"I like Lu Ran..."