Chapter 9

On Sunday, Yue Bai slept in until noon. After grabbing a meal at the cafeteria with her roommates, she climbed right back into bed. Her lounging around like this caught the attention of her other roommates.

“Yue Bai, are you planning to spend your entire day in bed except for brushing your teeth and eating?” Xu Nuo sat in a chair, scrolling through reality TV shows. She looked quite shocked to see Yue Bai crawling back onto the bed.

“Classes start tomorrow. Right now, I just want to cuddle up with my bed.” Yue Bai lay there indifferently. She rolled over, settling into a comfortable position.

“Fine, whatever.” Xu Nuo went back to her shows.

“Are you all going to tonight’s Freshman Welcome Party?” Chen Han, who always loved a good time, kicked her legs hard. She and her chair slid back a bit as she rested her folded hands on the backrest.

“Yeah, let’s go. The A University parties in past years have always been pretty fun.” Zhao Yu chimed in.

Xu Nuo hit pause. She had no objections, of course. “I’ll doll myself up first. Who knows—maybe I’ll meet my soulmate tonight.”

“Eww~” The three of them jeered at her in unison.

“Yue Bai, you’re not going?” Chen Han looked up and asked when Yue Bai stayed silent.

“I don’t really feel like it.” Yue Bai said.

At four in the afternoon, the counselor posted in the group chat: “Tonight’s Freshman Welcome Party starts at six and will be live-streamed on the campus official account at the same time. Please have each class organize properly to watch. Attendance isn’t mandatory.”

Yue Bai quickly skimmed the message. She silently rolled over, opened the chat app, and searched for the school’s account.

Welcome parties usually started streaming an hour or two early, featuring nothing but random interviews with freshmen about their impressions of the school.

“Boring.” Yue Bai closed the app.

By five o’clock, everyone in the dorm except Yue Bai had gotten ready to head to the sports field for the welcome party. Before leaving, Xu Nuo asked Yue Bai one more time. Once she confirmed Yue Bai wasn’t coming, the three of them finally departed.

The dorm suddenly felt a lot emptier. Yue Bai happily played on her phone.

The new class group chat—without the counselor—suddenly popped up with several messages. Then it started flooding at an erratic pace. Annoyed by the nonstop notifications, Yue Bai opened the chat app, ready to mute the group.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar name. Her scrolling finger paused, and her slender hand slid the screen upward.

“Rumor has it tonight’s Freshman Welcome Party is being hosted by sophomores.” A boy posted in the class group.

Yue Bai couldn’t match the name to a face yet, so she simply ignored it and lurked quietly.

“The female hosts are Wen Mo and Zhou Qingyan. The male hosts are Jia Bing and Li Ci.” Another boy replied.

Yue Bai’s gaze lingered on the names Zhou Qingyan and Wen Mo for a few seconds before she scrolled on.

…

“The finale is Sang Wan. She’s doing a solo—kinda looking forward to it.”

“Senior Sister Sang?” Yue Bai murmured in surprise.

Last night, Senior Sister Sang had asked if she was going to the welcome party. Yue Bai shot upright and checked the time. Eight o’clock. The party had already been underway for an hour and a half.

Panicked, Yue Bai jumped to her feet. She threw on some clothes and shoes in a rush, not forgetting to type into the group chat.

“Does anyone know when it ends?” Yue Bai.

Someone replied almost immediately: “Program schedule says three acts left.”

Three more acts. Yue Bai bolted out the door and jogged toward the sports field. She could faintly hear the hosts’ voices outside. As music swelled, she picked up her pace.

She kept lifting the hand clutching her phone to check the time on the screen and the group chat updates. Those told her who the current performer was.

She ran all the way to the sports field entrance and leaned against the green iron fence to catch her breath. On stage, the host was introducing the next act.

Yue Bai took a deep breath. “Made it.” She steadied her breathing and slipped forward along a side path.

The host’s voice grew louder and louder. Yue Bai’s heartbeat quickened in tandem. She wove through the crowd to find her class’s seating area and squeezed into an empty spot amid the throng.

Just as she sat down, the host reached the final announcement: “And now, let’s welcome Sang Wan for a solo performance. Give her a big hand!”

The sports field erupted in thunderous applause.

“Yue Bai, didn’t you say you weren’t coming?” Xu Nuo blinked in surprise.

Yue Bai panted, her face still flushed from the long sprint. “Got bored in the dorm, so I figured I’d come check it out.”

Sang Wan had already taken the stage. The field lights dimmed, leaving only a single spotlight in the center.

The light swayed gently. Sang Wan wore a flowing white gown, her long hair draped over her shoulders and subtle makeup enhancing her features. A faint smile graced her lips, as serene as ever.

Her simple outfit only highlighted her elegant air.

In the surrounding darkness, she alone gleamed brightly.

The applause from below gradually faded. Sang Wan smiled warmly, adjusted the microphone stand, and placed her hands on the piano keys.

Her fingertips danced. Notes wove together into a captivating melody as the prelude swelled. Sang Wan’s voice flowed forth with the music—her flawless singing paired with the soaring tune. In that moment, the entire sports field saw nothing but her.

Yue Bai lost herself in the song.

When the piece ended, Sang Wan rose and bowed to the audience. “I hope you all enjoyed it.”

Her clear voice snapped everyone back to reality. The applause thundered on without end. Sang Wan exited the stage amid the cheers.

“One more, Senior Sister Sang!” Someone in the crowd shouted first. Soon, a tidal wave of voices followed.

“Senior Sister Sang, one more! Senior Sister Sang, one more!”

Wen Mo, Zhou Qingyan, Jia Bing, and Li Ci—the four hosts—returned to the stage. They could only smile helplessly at the enthusiasm.

“Your Senior Sister Sang only prepared one song. Next time there’s a chance, we’ll have her sing a couple more. Sound good?” Zhou Qingyan called out clearly.

Sure!

Cheers of agreement rippled through the crowd.

A rare warmth flickered in Wen Mo’s usually cool eyes. “Welcome, everyone, to A University. Here, a new chapter of your lives will begin…”

The hosts took turns delivering their blessings.

When the party wrapped up, Yue Bai walked back to the dorm with her roommates.

“Tonight’s party was so lively. I loved all the seniors’ performances.” Xu Nuo said.

Chatter erupted—gushing over which senior sister or brother was the hottest, or which freshman guy had the looks.

Yue Bai opened her chat with Sang Wan. After agonizing over it, she typed out a message.

“Senior Sister, your performance tonight was amazing.” After a second thought, she added another: “You looked even better.”

She topped it off with a cute emoji.

Yue Bai stared at Senior Sister Sang Wan’s contact name at the top. Then, the words “The other person is typing…” appeared.

Yue Bai’s heart pounded faster as she eyed the two messages she’d sent. Was that too forward?

“Thanks, glad you liked it.” Sang Wan replied.

Right after came another: “Didn’t you say you weren’t coming?” Followed by a sly grinning emoji. Yue Bai could scarcely picture Senior Sister Sang using something like that. She blanked out for a moment—and realized she’d already fired off a reply.

“Because I wanted to see you, Senior Sister.”

Oh crap—recall it quick! Senior Sister definitely hasn’t seen it. Yue Bai screamed internally. Her finger trembled as she long-pressed the message to unsend.

But “The other person is typing…” dashed her hopes once more.

“I see.” Sang Wan replied. “I’m at the Artificial Lake right now. Want to come?”

“Just me here.” Sang Wan.

“Yue Bai! Yue Bai!” Zhao Yu’s voice called out.

“Huh.” Yue Bai responded on reflex.

“What are you spacing out for? I’ve called you like a dozen times.” Zhao Yu furrowed her brow lightly, teasing her. “Don’t tell me you’re still thinking about Senior Sister Sang’s performance.”

Nailed it. Yue Bai licked her lips and flashed an awkward smile. “No way. What’s up?”

“We’re heading to the cafeteria for late-night snacks. You in?” Zhao Yu asked.

“I… I’m good.” Yue Bai glanced at her lit-up phone. Sang Wan had sent another message.

“I’ll wait for you here.” Sang Wan.

“Senior Sister, heading your way now.” Yue Bai.

“I’m gonna swing by the Artificial Lake. You guys go ahead and eat.” Yue Bai said. She turned and headed toward the lake.

“What are you going there for? Be careful—the lights are pretty dim.” Chen Han called after her.

“Got it!” Yue Bai waved over her shoulder without turning.

“She’s acting weird.” Xu Nuo said as they walked. “Is she dating someone? Why’s she rushing off like that?”

“Probably not. It’s just this one time.” Chen Han replied.

By the Artificial Lake, Sang Wan sat on a bench in the white gown from her performance. A gentle breeze lifted the hem of her skirt.

“Senior Sister.”

Hearing the voice, Sang Wan turned her head. She smiled softly. “You came.”