Redemption from the Abyss: The School Beauty Insists on Pulling Me Out of the Mire

[December 31, 8:30 PM, Art Building Auditorium]

"Next, please enjoy the special program presented by Class 1 of Senior Three - 'The Wind Rises'."

As soon as the host finished speaking, while the more than 3,000 teachers and students in the auditorium were still buzzing with conversation, the stage lights suddenly went out without warning.

"Snapped!"

A blindingly white spotlight suddenly shone on the very front of the stage.

Lu Yi stood expressionless in the halo, dressed in a medieval vampire-like black trench coat, with a white scarf around his neck and a roll of parchment in his hand.

He looked up at the dark ceiling of the auditorium at a 45-degree angle.

"Youth is a bright sorrow."

The chilling voice, transmitted through the lavalier microphone, instantly resonated throughout the entire venue.

"In this prison called 'Senior Year,' we watch the wind outside the window blow away the exam papers, scatter the vows, and leave us... without a trace."

There was a moment of silence in the audience, then it erupted into chaos.

At the teachers' table, Old Li covered his face in anguish, wishing he could crawl under the table.

"That brat... my lifelong reputation is ruined!"

On stage, Lu Yi ignored the commotion, slowly lowered his head, and adjusted his glasses:

"Next, please listen to... the elegy in the wind."

After saying that, he turned around and disappeared into the darkness like a ghost.

"Zheng—"

Just as the entire audience was still immersed in the atmosphere of the underworld, a clear piano note pierced the darkness!

In the center of the stage, a warm, yellow light cascaded down.

Su Qinghe, dressed in a champagne-colored starry night gown, sat gracefully in front of a black grand piano.

Her slender fingers danced nimbly across the black and white piano keys, and the iconic and highly penetrating prelude flowed out like a stream.

The gloomy atmosphere vanished instantly!

Clean, grand, the prelude instantly captivated everyone's ears.

"Holy crap! What a beautiful back view! Is that Su Shen?!"

Just one second before the prelude was about to end.

The second beam of light shone on the standing microphone next to the piano.

Xie Wang held the microphone stand with one hand.

He was wearing a minimalist black shirt with a subtle pattern, the collar slightly open, and he didn't look at the more than three thousand audience members below the stage.

His gaze remained fixed solely on the girl playing the piano from beginning to end.

As the last piano note faded, Xie Wang raised his head and parted his thin lips slightly.

"We traveled this route, stopping and starting along the way—"

"Following the trail of the boy's drifting journey..."

"I hesitated for a moment before stepping out of the station—"

His deep voice boomed throughout the entire auditorium.

The entire venue was deathly silent.

For a full three seconds, no one spoke.

Then.

"Aa ...

I don't know which girl let out a very piercing scream first.

The entire auditorium was instantly overturned!

"His first words are absolutely mind-blowing! Damn, he really is mind-blowing from the first word!!"

"You delusional god, I want to have your babies!"

The audience went completely crazy.

On stage, Xie Wang was completely unaffected by the noise from the audience.

He unplugged the microphone, lazily walked around the piano, and went to Su Qinghe's side.

"I was once overwhelmed by the vastness of the world—"

"Also indulging in sleep-talking—"

"Neither truth nor falsehood, no struggle, no fear of being laughed at—"

The last notes of the piano slowly dissipated in the air.

Xie Wang put down the microphone, turned around, and bowed slightly to Su Qinghe, who was sitting in front of the piano, extending a hand in an extremely gentlemanly manner.

Su Qinghe stopped what he was doing.

She looked up at the boy who was reaching out his hand to her in the light and shadow, her eyes sparkling.

She stood up and placed her hand in his palm.

Xie Wang led her to the center of the stage and bowed deeply to the audience.

"Click—"

In a corner of the stands, Lu Yi held a Leica camera and pressed the shutter.

In the scene, light and shadow intertwine, the boy holds the girl's hand tightly, and behind them shines a dazzling light.

Lu Yi adjusted his glasses, looked at the photo on the screen, and commented in a low voice:

Let's call it "Coronation in the Wind".

……

[22:00 · Side entrance backstage of the auditorium]

"It's crazy! All the girls outside have gone crazy!" Qiao Yue excitedly rushed over.

"Thank you, Wang! God Su! You've achieved godhood in this battle!"

Xie Wang ignored Qiao Yue's frantic output.

He picked up his coat and draped it over Su Qinghe's shoulders to block the cold wind seeping in from the corridor.

"Are you coming or not?" Xie Wang asked her, looking down at her.

"Let's go." Su Qinghe pulled his coat, still warm from his body heat, tighter around himself. His ears were slightly red, but his eyes were full of laughter. "It's too noisy."

The two slipped out through a secluded side door, leaving all the noise and flashing lights behind.

On the last day of December, the winter night in Jiangcheng was bitterly cold, but the night sky was exceptionally clear.

The two ran all the way to the open-air rooftop of the teaching building.

Here, far from the noise of the auditorium, one could only faintly hear the countdown and cheers coming from afar.

Su Qinghe leaned against the railing on the rooftop, slightly out of breath, her cheeks flushed with a healthy rosy glow from her run.

"Well done, lead singer." She looked up at Xie Wang in front of her.

Xie Wang braced himself on the railing beside her, enclosing her in his own territory, his deep, captivating eyes shining brightly in the night.

"Since you've performed well, Ms. Su, is there any tangible reward?"

"What kind of reward do you want?" Su Qinghe raised an eyebrow, a sly smile playing on his lips. "You got eighth place in the city in the mock exam, didn't I already reward you?"

That's not enough.

Xie Wang leaned closer to her, his warm breath brushing against her nose.

In the distance, the school's loudspeakers suddenly broadcast the New Year's countdown.

"Ten! Nine! Eight..."

"Su Qinghe." Xie Wang's voice lowered, carrying an undisguised seductive quality.

"Um?"

"Seven! Six! Five..."

"Close your eyes."

Su Qinghe's heart skipped a beat.

Looking into the boy's eyes, which reflected the starlight, she did not refuse, but obediently and slowly closed her eyes.

"Three! Two! One!"

"Happy New Year!!!"

The cheers from the entire school reached their peak at this moment, and in the distance, dazzling fireworks could be faintly seen rising into the sky over the river.

And in a corner of the rooftop.

It was a burning kiss.

Fireworks burst in the night sky, illuminating the two people who were tightly embracing.

After a long while, Xie Wang reluctantly let go of her.

He pressed his forehead against hers, his voice ringing out in the noisy New Year's Eve, meant only for her:

Happy New Year, my dear Teacher Su.

"Please guide me in the new year."