OSTF - 8

At seven o’clock in the evening, the ceremony began on time.

After tonight’s performances, the degree conferral ceremony would begin tomorrow morning, so tonight was also the last gala at the school.

Backstage, the speeches of the leaders and the host’s words could be heard clearly.

Chi Suisui sat on a chair, calmly tuning her cello. This cello was a birthday gift from her family three years ago and was very expensive.

The bow looked long but not clumsy.

“Suisui, did Zhou Qingya really think you couldn’t play the cello?” Having waited too long, a girl came over to ask.

They were in a group performance and had heavy stage makeup on.

“What do you think?” Chi Suisui raised an eyebrow at her.

“I think what you said before was very right.” The girl smiled. “Otherwise, given her relationship with you, how could she have signed you up?”

It would have been good enough if she hadn’t secretly removed it.

Chi Suisui nodded without saying much.

The girl muttered to herself, “After the performance, you’re giving flowers to He Xingwang. I’m so envious of you, but I can take pictures from down below.”

The selection of the flower presenter was initially based on outstanding graduates from each department. The Department of Journalism and Communication was a top-tier department in the school, so its outstanding graduates were naturally even more exceptional.

Chi Suisui said, “Afterwards, can I see your photos?”

The girl smiled sweetly. “Of course, I’ll take a lot of pictures then and make sure you look beautiful. My photography skills are excellent.”

Chi Suisui couldn’t help but smile.

The two of them added each other on WeChat. The girl’s WeChat was like a normal person’s, filled with various daily posts. In contrast, Chi Suisui’s was blank, visible for only three days, with no Moments posted.

Fewer and fewer people were backstage.

Until the female host at the front announced, “Let us welcome the cello solo brought to you by Chi Suisui from Class 1 of the Journalism and Communication Department.”

A burst of exclamations erupted from the audience.

Only a few days had passed since the “brain for decoration Zhou Qingya” incident, and all the students were waiting for Chi Suisui’s solo. Even some teachers couldn’t help but sit up straighter.

The stage dimmed, and when it lit up again, there was only one spotlight.

Chi Suisui sat on a special chair, the exquisite cello in front of her, covering most of her side profile.

The light shone down on her from above, from head to toe. Her long black hair was scattered behind her, with a few strands falling in front of her chest. Her fair and slender neck was delicate and perfect, highlighting her exquisite collarbones. The skirt of her gown was voluminous and beautiful.

Like the moon goddess in the deep night.

The audience immediately screamed.

“How is Chi Suisui so beautiful today?!”

“I’m dizzy—so cool and so beautiful, I ask who can compare!”

“Suddenly, the little idol I’m chasing feels so boring, sob sob sob, so exciting.”

“President Sui, go go go!!!”

Su Mian almost broke her roommate’s arm by pinching it. “My god! That’s my President Sui! So beautiful!”

The huge auditorium was packed with people.

Chi Suisui was already used to such scenes. The corner of her lips curved into a smile, and her gaze first fell on the first row, although she couldn’t see people clearly due to the darkness.

But she knew He Xingwang was sitting there.

“This is Chi Suisui, an outstanding graduate from our Department of Journalism and Communication.” A school leader beside He Xingwang explained, “Xingwang probably doesn’t know her.”

He Xingwang’s gaze swept over Chi Suisui before he responded to the school leader with an “Hmm.”

She was indeed outstanding.

Outstanding enough to tease him.

He Xingwang’s gaze was deep, his lips pressed into a thin line. The words Chi Suisui had openly said a few days ago were still clear in his ears—

Too conservative?

Think about it again?

Looking at Chi Suisui, who was playing with her eyes lowered on the stage, He Xingwang was silent for a long while before a faint smile appeared on the corner of his lips, and he chuckled softly.

It was the dress he had personally chosen.

It was indeed very beautiful.

Few people would actively go to listen to a cello solo.

Unless they were interested in this aspect, even the audience for violin and erhu would be larger than that for cello.

The bright light of phones being used to take pictures flashed occasionally in the audience.

Chi Suisui had already begun to play. One hand pressed on the strings, the bow touched them, and a smooth string of notes jumped out, echoing in the auditorium.

The deep, resonant sound of the cello was like mellow wine, the more you listened, the more fragrant it became.

Although the timbre was low, Chi Suisui had chosen a slightly cheerful piece with a touch of lyricism, sounding like a free concert.

The melody was pleasant, the sound was beautiful, and the performer was stunningly beautiful.

The students’ reactions were like when they saw the live broadcast on the campus forum, going from being onlookers to being shocked.

Although they were a bit far from the stage, they could see the slender hands dancing on the strings and the bow, beautiful and mesmerizing.

Zhou Qingya sat in the audience, her eyes red.

That day was the school’s anniversary, and she happened to be in the dorm. As soon as her roommate came back, she told her that Chi Suisui’s cello playing was very unpleasant.

Coincidentally, she had a friend in the student union who was also responsible for part of the graduation ceremony performances, so she asked her friend to add Chi Suisui’s cello solo.

She wanted to see Chi Suisui make a public fool of herself.

As for embarrassing the school, that was unlikely because the program had rehearsals, and rehearsal videos would also be leaked, so her goal would be achieved.

The friend beside her couldn’t help but say, “Qingya... you were really wrong.”

She was wrong too.

She shouldn’t have helped Zhou Qingya with this in the first place. Now, Chi Suisui was radiating brilliance, and after today, Chi Suisui’s reputation would rise to another level.

Zhou Qingya said with red eyes, “I don’t believe she’ll always have smooth sailing!”

The road ahead was long, and the workplace wasn’t as peaceful as the campus. She didn’t believe Chi Suisui could always be so lucky.

Her friend shook her head, seeing that she seemed to be stuck in a rut.

Su Mian was the most excited, slapping the thigh of her roommate next to her. “Our President Sui is so amazing! I haven’t heard her play for so long. It’s so worth it to hear her once more before graduation!”

Although most people weren’t musicians, some were.

They couldn’t help but marvel that Chi Suisui wasn’t just cramming at the last minute. That basic skill combined with her movements would take at least a decade to achieve.

The melody gradually became calmer.

Chi Suisui was immersed in the music. At this moment, she slightly raised her head and looked at the audience in front. Her bright eyes were dazzling.

The notes finally came to a stop.

The students in the audience were excited at first, but then they listened to the performance quietly. Now, they immediately burst into applause.

A boy took the lead in whistling.

Chi Suisui stood on the stage, elegant and graceful.

Her eyesight was excellent. She saw He Xingwang’s tense expression and figured he probably knew she was teasing him a few days ago.

Chi Suisui curved her eyebrows, her lips slightly upturned, and gave him a light wink, a playful one.

Her slender and beautiful figure complemented the cello beside her, her features were bright and generous, exuding a delicate and cold beauty under the light.

She had always been seen as a very capable person by the students, and this wink, once captured, immediately caused screams.

He Xingwang received this look, and the corners of his lips twitched.

Behind him were the students’ seats. A boy, whose voice was particularly loud, yelled, “Our Suisui is too cute! That wink must be for me!”

The others started arguing with him.

“It was clearly directed at my angle!”

“It was for me! Look at the straight line, her eyes just glanced in my direction.”

The boys argued back and forth, almost getting into a fight over which angle Chi Suisui’s eyes were looking at.

He Xingwang: ?

He glanced back at the few people behind him, then turned his head and said to the school leader, “It seems some students are affecting others.”

Upon hearing this, the school leader immediately stood up and looked back, his eyes widening. “If you make any more noise, you can go listen outside.”

The boys quieted down like quails.

The school leader sighed, “If only these students could be like you, we wouldn’t have to worry about their future after graduation.”

“They won’t be.”

He Xingwang lifted his eyelids slightly.

He tapped his fingers on the chair a few times, not feeling any guilt for being the reason they quieted down.

He, for one, couldn’t do that.

Chi Suisui went backstage.

There were still a few performances left. After all the performances were over, He Xingwang and the school leader would give speeches together, encouraging this year’s graduates.

The person in charge pushed open the door, holding a bouquet of flowers. “Chi Suisui, you’ll present these later. You know the procedure, right?”

Chi Suisui nodded. “Don’t worry.”

The school obviously attached great importance to this. The bouquet had many types of flowers and was huge, covering her entire upper body when she held it, leaving only her collarbones visible.

A silk ribbon bow was in the center of her palms.

The last performance ended, and the host also returned backstage. Seeing Chi Suisui sitting there, she walked over. “President Sui, your cello playing was really amazing.”

“Zhou Qingya definitely couldn’t miss today’s graduation ceremony. She’s probably furious sitting down there,” the host sighed.

Indeed, one’s own excellence was the most useful thing.

Even if one was temporarily caught off guard and plotted against, they would have enough capital to turn the situation around and make it their own advantage.

“You were also very good,” Chi Suisui praised.

“If you praise me like this, my roommate will be jealous.” The host excitedly took out her phone to take a picture together. “Let me show off.”

Chi Suisui didn’t object.

The host was also a pretty girl. After thinking about it, she only used a low level of beauty filter, so as not to end up looking ugly like celebrities who overdo it.

“Chi Suisui, come out.”

The person in charge pushed the door open again.

Chi Suisui stood up holding the flowers. She hadn’t changed her makeup or her dress. An hour or two had passed, but her makeup looked even more exquisite.

Coming out from backstage, she saw He Xingwang on the stage.

The school leader’s final remarks ended, and he gave Chi Suisui a look, signaling her to go directly onto the stage.

This time, the stage was fully lit.

Chi Suisui stepped onto the stage in her high heels, walking towards the center step by step. The rich fragrance of the flowers surrounded her nose, making her feel a little dizzy.

She handed the flowers over with a bright smile.

He Xingwang’s deep black eyes looked at her. He took a step forward and reached out to take the flowers. Their hands brushed against each other, separated only by the thin silk ribbon.

A temperature that was both cold and warm was transmitted both ways.

The moment Chi Suisui withdrew her hand, she lightly scratched his hand with her little fingernail, a fleeting touch, like an illusion.

He Xingwang’s eyes flickered slightly, his gaze only lightly sweeping over her.

The time their hands touched was only a few seconds.

The class committee members and her roommates sat below, taking pictures and talking. “I told you to trust Chi Suisui. Look at her eyes, so open and straightforward.”

“Look at God He, he’s also very calm. You can tell he’s very reassured. It was indeed the right choice for me to nominate Chi Suisui.”

“Chi Suisui is really calm. If it were me, I would be so excited I’d die.”

“So, others get to go up and present flowers, while you take pictures down here.”

“...That’s a stab in the heart, sister.”

Apart from them, the girls taking pictures couldn’t help but whisper, “Don’t you think President Sui and God He look really good together?”

“This ship is too cold, sister.”

The school leader continued his concluding remarks. Chi Suisui didn’t leave the stage but stood on the side, zoning out while facing the audience.

This dazed look was easily captured by the sharp-eyed students, who all found it very funny. So even the cold and glamorous President Sui had moments like this.

After who knows how long, the school leader finally finished speaking.

Chi Suisui came back to her senses at the right time and applauded along with everyone else, giving a shallow smile before lifting her skirt and slowly walking off the stage.

The applause in the auditorium lasted for a long time.

Chi Suisui deliberately slowed her pace, falling behind step by step, finally stopping at the edge of the stage, which was also a blind spot for the audience.

“He Xingwang.”

Chi Suisui called out.

He Xingwang stopped and stood in front of her, slightly lowering his head, his eyes narrowed as he looked at her. “Was the wink fun?”

His gaze rested on her eyes.

These eyes were extremely beautiful and moving, like a lake, captivating the soul, so the looks she cast out were fought over by many.

Chi Suisui didn’t answer but said in a soft voice, “He Xingwang, I think my eyes feel a bit uncomfortable.”

The auditorium was noisy, and this corner didn’t attract any attention. He Xingwang’s hearing of her voice also became hazy.

Even the truthfulness of the content couldn’t be determined.

Chi Suisui said, “Help me take a look.”

She reached out to rub her eyes, but her wrist was caught by a slender and powerful hand.