Just because I wrote "Zhu Xian," the school beauty sent me razor blades.

He dodged it!

Du Ming was overjoyed.

Despite the imposing presence of Fulong Xiangtian, his attack ultimately missed its mark.

The spear whistled past him, carrying a giant dragon formed from magical battle aura, just missing his character.

Many audience members at the scene had already let out regretful sighs.

ended.

At least this round of confrontation should be over.

Du Ming thought so too.

His hand was already on the keyboard, ready to seize the moment when the opponent's skill missed and launch a counterattack.

But at this very moment—

The dragon on the screen suddenly moved.

The dragon's head, which had already passed by the swordsman, was suddenly lifted up in mid-air.

A turn of events that completely defied everyone's expectations.

Improve!

look back!

Take a bite!

Du Ming's smile froze.

boom!

A massive burst of magical energy exploded in the center of the screen.

The swordsman was hit squarely by the blow, and was instantly sent flying.

The scene suddenly fell silent.

It wasn't a cheer.

Not amazed.

It was an almost eerie silence.

On the professional players' bench.

The few people who had been casually watching the game suddenly sat up straight.

Someone's eyes widened.

Some people subconsciously looked towards the competition stage.

Some people have already blurted out:

"Depend on……"

Just one second later.

Somewhere in the stands, someone suddenly stood up.

"The dragon raises its head!!!"

The sound was like something being smashed into a pot of boiling oil.

The entire venue exploded!

"The dragon raises its head!"

"It really is the dragon raising its head!"

Holy crap!!

Countless spectators stood up.

Shouts, exclamations, and discussions instantly filled the entire venue.

Because Honor players are unlikely to mistake this move.

The Dragon Soaring to the Sky is not scary.

Battle mages who can use the Dragon Soaring Sky skill are a dime a dozen in the professional scene.

but--

The Dragon Raising Its Head is different.

That's a person's mark.

A person who has left this arena, yet no one has truly forgotten him to this day.

Spectator seating.

Chen Guo stared blankly at the screen.

Tang Rou was also stunned.

In the professional players' seats, one gaze after another had already crossed the arena and landed on the figure sitting in front of the computer.

This moment.

The same name came to everyone's mind.

— Ye Qiu.

[End of Chapter]

"That's it?!"

"You old scoundrel, stop right there! You finished writing 'Dragon Raises Its Head' and ran away??"

"I've waited this long and this is all you've written?"

"You old fool, please update! I'm begging you!"

The trending search terms appeared twice as fast as usual.

#AllStarDragonRaisesHeadAndAscensionToGods# surged to the top spot, followed closely by #OldWildManGoesCrazyWithOutOfChapter#, the two hashtags hanging side by side, the comment section filled with a mix of curses and calls for more updates, creating a heated argument.

According to some readers, it took less than twenty minutes from the time this chapter was published to the time it became a trending topic.

Lin Yuan scrolled through a few comments in the background and then closed the window.

He always understood the logic that the harsher the readers criticized it, the better it was.

My phone vibrated; it was a WeChat message from Gu Zhiwan.

Are you free? It'll be 6 PM in the school's music room. I'll be waiting for you there.

Lin Yuan stared at the line of text for two seconds, then his fingertip hovered over the screen.

The music room.

During the filming of "Secret", that room was filled with too many things. Lu Xiaoyu and Ye Xianglun met for the first time, played the piano together, experienced the regret of time, and finally reunited.

After each scene was filmed, he knew that Gu Zhiwan was taking it seriously and wasn't just acting.

He knew he had to take this seriously. There were some things left unsaid, not because no one wanted to speak, but because they felt the time wasn't right.

Gu Zhiwan has now taken the initiative to send this message.

Lin Yuan let out a soft breath and replied with a single word: 【Okay.】

At exactly six o'clock in the evening, he pushed open the door to the music room.

The setting sun slanted in through the west-facing glass window, cutting the floor into warm golden pieces that fell on the yellowed piano keys. The scent of old wood still lingered in the air, as if the room had preserved some of the atmosphere from the photoshoot, not completely dissipating.

Gu Zhiwan sat on the wooden chair next to the piano, her long wine-red hair hanging loosely, wearing a light white knitted sweater. She immediately looked up when she heard the door open, and the unease in her eyes was not well hidden.

"You've arrived."

"Hmm." Lin Yuan casually closed the door, shutting out the buzzing sounds from the campus outside. He slowly walked to the piano, sat down, and lightly placed his fingers on the cool keys.

"Just finished reading the readers' comments urging for more updates; it's quite a heated debate."

Gu Zhiwan chuckled softly, "Serves you right, who told you to cut the passage so ruthlessly?"

Lin Yuan didn't speak, his fingers unconsciously pressing a note on the piano keys. The low, single note echoed in the practice room for a moment before slowly dissipating.

Gu Zhiwan looked at his profile, remained silent for a few seconds, and then lowered her voice slightly:

"When filming 'Secret,' I often thought in this music room, 'How wonderful it would be if Lu Xiaoyu and Ye Xianglun's story didn't have to span twenty years to reunite.'"

Lin Yuan glanced at her sideways, his eyes showing no mockery, but rather listening attentively.

"In a fictional timeline, twenty years would be a regret," he said. "In reality, we don't have to wait that long."

After he finished speaking, he didn't continue. His fingertips returned to the piano keys, and he gently plucked them.

A light and cheerful melody flowed from the music room, dreamy and clean, like starlight floating in the sky. The intro to "Welcome to Wonderland" filled the entire room.

Lin Yuan lowered his head, his voice softly following the melody:

Welcome to Wonderland, we've got it all

Potions and pastries that make you grow tall

Forests and cottages, castles and carts

……

Holding your hand under sapphire skies

Let's go exploring or we could just go for a walk

The setting sun cast a soft, almost unbelievable glow on his profile.

Gu Zhiwan didn't speak or look away; she just listened quietly, the unease in her eyes slowly transforming into something else.

The last note dissipated into the air, and the music room fell silent.

Gu Zhiwan stood up, walked to the side of the piano, locked her gaze on him, her voice trembling slightly, but she didn't beat around the bush and said directly:

"Lin Yuan, after listening to this song, I realized something. No matter how beautiful a fairyland is, I don't want to be just a passerby who visits briefly, sees the scenery, and leaves. I don't want to be just the leading lady in your movie, or just a friend who occasionally walks alongside you for a while. I want to stay, to stay with you forever."

The air was silent for almost two seconds.

Lin Yuan looked up at her, his eyes clear, without surprise or panic, just as he had been waiting for these words for a long time—from spending every day with her on set, to walking side by side on the playground, to the quiet care she gave her late at night, all the feelings of attraction hidden in the gaps of daily life had now surfaced clearly.

He closed the piano lid, slowly stood up, looked directly at the girl whose eyes were slightly red, and spoke in a steady tone, yet with a warmth that had been hidden for a long time:

"Rather than saying you wanted to stay, it's more accurate to say I've been waiting for you to come in. From the moment we filmed that scene in the music room, I never intended to leave this paradise to just me."

As soon as she finished speaking, Gu Zhiwan stepped forward, buried herself in his arms, and gently wrapped her arms around his back.

In the old music room, bathed in the setting sun, the piano stands quietly to the side.

The house that once held the regrets of time has now been filled with something else—something down-to-earth, something that moves in both directions, something that doesn't require crossing twenty years.

The evening breeze rustled through the sycamore trees outside the window.