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At 6 in the evening on Saturday, in the center of the first floor of the C1 building, the campus singer/band competition finals commenced. The competition featured ten total performances, with the first eight being from individual singers, while the last two were between two bands.
Ruan Nan’s band were veterans that had formed during their freshman years of university, while the opponent was a newcomer band. Entering this challenge was the best way for up-and-coming artists to gain some popularity at S University; if they won, they would reap the profits, if they lost, there wouldn’t be any harm.
It was already November, and the activity center wasn’t very warm, either. Ruan Nan’s hair was in dreadlocks, tied together with a silver ribbon. She was wearing trendy black attire, decked with Doc Marten boots, and currently sat patiently in the backstage waiting area. Their band had been competing for a long time already, so they didn’t worry too much about this new opponent. Suddenly, Ruan Nan’s phone jolted with a vibration. She flicked on her screen to see a message from Lin Wei stating that he had a dinner party, so he couldn’t attend.
Ruan Nan: 【It’s alright.】
Lin Wei: 【But someone else who you wouldn’t expect just might show up.】
Ruan Nan paused and didn’t follow up any further.
The rest of her bandmates were all chattering excitedly in the waiting room. The girl bass player from the last concert who got asked out to a movie, Gu Xiaoxue, was already properly dating the boy who had asked her. The boy seemed to be very honest and well-mannered; before the show began, he had brought slices of cake for all the performers backstage.
Gu Xiaoxue’s face was lit up with delight. In the manner of a small child, she brought over a slice of black forest mousse cake: “Have some cake, Sister Nan.”
Ruan Nan laughed as she replied, “Thanks, but I’m not hungry right now.”
Gu Xiaoxue frowned, hurried towards the curtain, checked out the crowd below the stage, then ran back. “Sister Nan, Sister Nan, did Senior Qin Juran not come today? I was lucky enough to meet her last time, but we never even got to set up an interview time.”
Ruan Nan seemed taken aback: “Why do you think she’d come?”
Gu Xiaoxue’s eyebrows jumped up. She glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, then leaned close to Ruan Nan’s ear: “Sister Nan, I saw that forum post and everything! I don’t care whether anyone else believes it or not, but I believe it. I’m rooting for you two!” She then pointed to two girls standing backstage who Ruan Nan didn’t recognize: “They’re also like me – we’re Nan-Ju shippers.”
Nan, as in Ruan Nan. Ju, the homonym for Juran’s name. 1
Although Ruan Nan wasn’t interested in such things, she still knew the gravity of having a ship name assigned to a pair. She was mildly embarrassed, yet continued, “Nan-Ju? Why not Ju-Nan?”
Gu Xiaoxue gestured to Ruan Nan’s outfit: “Of course! You’re so cool and bold, Sister Nan, while Senior Qin Juran seems to be the obedient white lotus. I just know that you’d be on the attack, Sister Nan, meanwhile, Senior Qin would be blushing all over…..”
Seeing Ruan Nan’s face turning pink, Gu Xiaoxue paused. “Sister Nan, don’t tell me it’s the other way around??? No way – it’s really Ju-Nan?”
Ruan Nan quickly cleared her throat, reverting back to her usual nonchalant manner: “Of course not.”
Gu Xiaoxue pat her chest, sighing words of relief. She then expressed regret again that Qin Juran hadn’t come, so she would miss the opportunity to relish in their interaction.
As they continued their conversation, Ruan Nan glanced at her phone and saw a notification by the “Vixen’s” contact picture:
【You should eat a meal or candy before going on stage.】
The message was sent five minutes ago, with no other context.
Ruan Nan didn’t respond, but in the end, she called back after Gu Xiaoxue, asking for the slice of cake in her hands.
And so the performances proceeded. Some sang heartbreaking love songs, while others performed upbeat hype songs. One attractive male student, wearing a crisp white shirt, performed an acoustic rendition of a ballad with his guitar, inciting loud screams from the audience. Most of these performers weren’t first-timers and had already gained small fanbases within the university. Many of the students in the audience even held up banners in support of their favorites.
Ruan Nan glanced around at the crowd. Some of the banners for this young man even had the words “Mini Fan Chuan” printed on them.
Fan Chuan…..
He had gone abroad to attend a team competition after the midterm exams and hadn’t been seen since. Ruan Nan couldn’t help sneering, feeling that the name was already a distant memory.
By the halfway point of the concert, the atmosphere of the entire room was lively and energetic. Once the hip-hop dance group performed, the loud and upbeat rhythm increased the energy level of the room even further.
Suddenly, there was some commotion backstage. Ruan Nan had just finished eating her cake when she saw the band members crowding around the door. She followed suit and noticed a young delivery boy wearing rabbit-ears, clutching a large bouquet of flowers. His eyes flit across all the heavily made-up and elaborately dressed performers, and his face seemed to be filled with confusion, as if he was thinking, “Who am I and why am I here?”
He asked, “Is the band Midsummer here?”
That was Ruan Nan’s band.
The lead singer walked over: “That’s us. Can we help you?”
The young man read off from the form on his phone: “An anonymous sender ordered these flowers for the members of Midsummer band, wishing you all a smooth performance and a victorious night.”
The students standing nearby all erupted in a cheer, except for the members of the opposing band “Under the Blue Sky,” whose faces with plastered with sour and jealous expressions.
The lead singer expressed a word of thanks and reached out to accept the flowers when the delivery boy quickly stepped back: “The sender requested for each bouquet to be delivered individually.” He proceeded to glance at his phone and announced the guitar player’s name.
The guitar player laughed, then walked over to receive the flowers.
Ruan Nan glanced towards him. It was a typical bouquet of mixed flowers.
“Shan Zhuo”
It was the vocalist’s name.
“Gu Xiaoxue”
Despite the boy’s bunny ears, his voice was as serious as if he was awarding knight medals, creating an amusing contrast. Once the five other names were briskly announced, everyone looked towards Ruan Nan in unison, but her name wasn’t announced.
And there were no more bouquets left in the delivery boy’s arms.
Shan Zhuo cleared his throat softly: “Are you missing a bouquet? Our band has 6 members.”
The boy looked over the order form: “It says here that there are only 5 people, I wouldn’t have miscounted! What’s wrong, is there still someone left?”
The stares of everyone backstage once again landed upon Ruan Nan. Only the female drummer of “Under the Blue Sky” let out a loud snicker.
An awkward atmosphere filled the backstage area.
In reality, Ruan Nan wasn’t really interested in these kinds of flower deliveries, but it was just that this time, she felt expectant for some reason.
This was just the disappointment that came with expectations.
Gu Xiaoxue reacted the quickest. She immediately held out the bouquet in her hands: “Sister Nan, they probably made a mistake. I don’t like flowers, so you can have mine?”
Shan Zhuo also walked over: “A grown man like me also doesn’t need flowers. You can take mine, Ruan Nan.”
The “Under the Blue Sky” drummer retorted loudly, “Well, well, well, look at Miss High and Mighty, being pampered wherever she goes.”
The guitar player beside her echoed in the same mocking manner: “Hey, hey, don’t speak too loudly – the Missus just lost face, if you’re not careful, she might beat you so bad you can’t even go on stage anymore.”
Ruan Nan didn’t accept the flowers from Gu Xiaoxue or Shan Zhuo. She looked around at each member’s bouquets and soon noticed that, although they were all mixed flowers, the flower with the tallest stem in each of their bouquets were all Japanese roses, except for the guitar player Wang Yan’s. Only in his bouquet was there a delicate red rose protruding.
Wang Yan…
Ruan Nan thought back to the girl in the bathroom who was trying to cheat.
She let out an icy laugh as she pushed aside Gu Xiaoxue’s and the other’s bouquets and walked up to Wang Yan. She plucked out the singular rose: “I’d never accept such cheap roses.” With this, she gently loosened her grip, letting the rose fall into the nearby trash can.
Gu Xiaoxue and the others quickly realized that something was unusual about the flowers. The bouquets were clearly a gift meant for Wang Yan in particular, used to spite Ruan Nan at the same time.
Gu Xiaoxue pursed her lips, angrily shoving the bouquet to her boyfriend.
And thus this little show came to an end, with no one having gain or lost anything, just a free spectacle for the onlookers.
The solo performances were coming to an end, and the two bands “Midsummer” and “Under the Blue Sky” began to prepare for their acts.
“Under the Blue Sky” was first up. The band members were all first or second years, and their households were quite well-off, giving them an unapproachable aura. Although they chose a difficult song, it was upbeat and lively, and the crowd was in full rage as soon as they were announced. All the members were trying to show off to their fullest, and the drummer girl even threw her drumsticks high up in the air during the climax—
Only to fail to catch them.
But this was just a small slip-up that didn’t detract from the overall show. Once they finished, the judges gave them a high score.
Once it was time for “Midsummer” to go on stage, the host purposely stirred up some excitement, walking towards Shan Zhuo’s side: “As a senior and the leader of Midsummer, do you have any words for your fellow underclassmen, Senior Shan Zhuo? Do you feel any pressure after that stellar performance from your new rivals?
The large screen on the stage lit up with Shan Zhuo’s face breaking into a smirk. Although his appearance wasn’t anything special, he had a certain charm that only musicians had. The current smile on his face could only be described as disdainful.
He received the microphone and spoke calmly: “We initially considered giving the newcomers a chance, but now, we’ve changed our minds.”
His declaration was punctuated with a burst of screaming from the audience.
Unlike the high-energy song, characterized by loud shouting, that Under the Blue Sky performed, Midsummer brought out a new song that they composed themselves.
The lights upstage dimmed, and the crowd gradually simmered down as well. The roaming spotlights slowly rested upon the center of the stage as a clear, husky voice echoed throughout the stadium. The music seemed to project a kind of glow, as if transporting the listeners on a long journey.
It was impossible to tell where this journey began or ended.
The instrumentals blended harmoniously. For the listeners, it felt as if someone was enveloping them from behind, someone who was encouraging them to embrace their passions, someone who would not cower in the dark night. They would continue on this journey, continuing to accept themselves for who they were no matter how long it’d take.
Once the song concluded with a roaring climax, Ruan Nan put down her drumsticks and raised her eyes to look over the crowd.
She still hadn’t shown up.
Without fail, Midsummer once again obtained first place. As the audience began leaving after the show, many campus publication clubs came rushing over for interviews. All the members spoke, and when it was Ruan Nan’s turn, the question asked was: “During the performance just then, what was on your mind while you played the melody?”
Ruan Nan hesitated, then shook her head. “Nothing in particular.”
The November night air was quite chilly. Gu Xiaoxue’s boyfriend draped his coat over her shoulders, while Shan Zhuo asked Ruan Nan whether she’d like a ride back. She shook her head, indicating that her car was right in the parking lot.
Ruan Nan walked backstage, slipped into her black windbreaker, pocketed her phone, then followed the swarming crowd towards the exit.
There seemed to be some news club remaining outside, blocking the exit and hampering the crowd. Ruan Nan frowned as she watched the surrounding crowd grow increasingly large. She didn’t know which contestant could possibly be that popular, but she didn’t have the heart to check it out and instead made a beeline for the door.
“Ah-Ruan.”
Someone called out to her.
Ruan Nan halted in her step. The crowd blocking the door suddenly parted ways, and the group of girls standing by the exit quickly shoved each other to the side.
The cool night air brushed against her face. From the activity center’s glaring lights that passed through the doorway, Ruan Nan’s eyes looked directly across the mass of people and landed upon Qin Juran.
Qin Juran stood in the midst of the crowd, holding a large bouquet of sparkling white gypsophila flowers. Her long, black hair trailed against her waist, the glimmering starlight shone upon her refined face, and her long trench coat outlined her poised figure.
The flower blossoms swayed along with the breeze. Qin Juran gazed at Ruan Nan, and the initial anxious expression on her face suddenly turned to relief. Her face broke into a warm smile as she slowly stepped towards Ruan Nan:
“Sorry, I’m late.”
Footnotes
The girl uses the word ‘Ju’ which is spelled the same as QJR’s name but means ‘orange’