The teachers and students at the backstage of Xinyan Junior High suddenly found the curtains of the back door being pulled aside before five guys in matching Air Force jackets and black half-masks filed into the room.
Everyone was taken aback by this sudden scene, the originally noisy area instantly falling silent. The teachers and students all raised their heads blankly, staring atâŚthese five guys who had suddenly sprung out of nowhere.
âSo cool!â Su Nannan whispered in Xiang Ningâs ear.
âYeah!â Little Xiang Ning excitedly nodded, feeling that she could already guess their identities.
The next moment, everyone else also felt the same. From their height, these five guys were clearly not students of their school. Meanwhile, two of them were also carrying guitarsâŚsoâŚ
âHi, teachers and studentsâŚweâre RebirthâŚis it our turn yet?â
A masked Xu Tingsheng revealed two rows of clear white teeth, smiling brightly as he asked cordially.
âRight away,â A teacher stood up and responded rather panickedly, next telling someone beside him, âHurry up and notify them. We can announce them now. RebirthâsâŚjust suddenly arrived.â
Xu Tingsheng was rather surprised at seeing Xiang Ning as she hid behind a bunch of student performers. He thought for a moment before navigating through the crowd, next bending down as he handed her his guitar. Then, he took Fu Chengâs guitar and passed it to Su Nannan who was standing beside her.
Then, he said warmly, âKids, help big bros to hold our guitars for a while, then stand by the side of the stage to watch our performance. When weâve finished singing the first song, help to bring the guitars up, okay?â
âOkay,â Beneath many envious gazes, Su Nannan happily responded.
Little Xiang Ning did not speak, her face filled with puzzlement, âThis voiceâŚâ
âNext up, let us welcome, as former graduates of Xinyan Junior High, Rebirth!â
The loud, sonorous voice of the emcee cued in the five members of Rebirth who now began walking outside. Hugging the guitar, Su Nannan stood up and tugged at Xiang Ningâs hand, excitedly urging, âCome, letâs hurry on outside.â
âŚâŚ
The teachers of Xinyan Junior High had specially prepared a rousing opening sequence and twenty-four lamps that brightly illuminated the small stage. Cheers resounded throughout the entire school field and beyondâŚeveryoneâs curiosity reached a peak at this moment of revelation.
Rebirth was here in their first public performance.
Amidst cheers and applause, five guys in Air Force jackets and black half-masks filed out. They did not give any greeting, directly entering a two by three formation, awaiting the opening beat.
As soon as they appeared, everyone in the audience felt at a loss.
This scene was somewhat different from how they had imagined itâŚ
Shouldnât it have been two people in normal clothes carrying guitars? Why did they have such a crazy cool appearance, wearing Air Force jackets and black half-masks? Was this the route of a youth idol group?
Werenât there just two of them? Why were there five? Aside from Apple, there were still five other people in Rebirth?
While they hadnât revealed their faces, from the looks of it, they shouldnât be ugly!
What shouldnât be ugly? They were super handsome and super cool, alright? âWoah, Rebirth!â Seeing how they looked, feeling especially drawn in by the feeling of mystery and sense of distance brought about by the black masks that hid half their faces, the girls couldnât take it as they all began shrieking loudly.
Also, what were they doing? Not having brought their guitars, and with those positions, could it be that they were going to dance? What was this?
âŚâŚ
Right, it was dancing.
The opening sequence of played.
âA new song,â Those who were familiar with Rebirthâs songs realised at once.
âItâs a new song, and it seems to be a dance melody as wellâŚhow unexpected.â
The five guys up on stage began to move. Their actions were stiff, wooden, unnatural, uncoordinatedâŚwhat was this? âŚFor Rebirthâs new song in this first ever public performance of theirs, what came at the start was not applause, but laughter from everywhere around.
Xu Tingsheng didnât mind this at all. He knew what the standard of their dancing was, having already long since predicted that the audience would react like this, also having told the other four what they should expectâŚ
It was best if they laughed. This song had originally been intended by Xu Tingsheng to coax Xiang Ning to laugh. So many people were laughing. She would definitely be laughing as well? That would be great.
Also, the reason for Xu Tingsheng having chosen this song was that there was something that he wanted to say to Xiang Ning, yet usually wouldnât have the chance to, âYou are my flower.â
The music continued. The stiff dancing of the five guys up on stage continuedâŚ
âOhâŚyou are my flower
I want to have you inserted in my heart
OhâŚyou are my flower
I want to enable your smooth journey alwaysâ
The song itself wasnât bad, being pretty interesting. This was what many people felt after having listened to it for a while. As for the dancingâŚbecause the discrepancy between the actual scene before their eyes and what they had expected was really too great, because the stiff movements of the five were really too funny, coupled with their frequent mistakes, with the hand and foot on the same side moving simultaneously, turning in the wrong direction, following the wrong beatâŚ
It would really be very hard not to laugh!
âOhâŚyou are my flower
Even if there are many small pebbles beside you
OhâŚyou are my flower
I want to be tireless in loving youâ
The five up on stage seemed not to realise that they were being mocked by the audience at all as they continued dancing robotically and stifflyâŚgradually, the laughter dissipated, everyone seemingly beginning to realise what was different, beginning to comprehend that feel which Fang Yuqing had not voiced out.
That was the feel of a man who didnât know how to dance at all tolerating his embarrassment and drawing on his courage to extend his stiff limbs for the one he loved, working hard, working even harder as he determinedly tried his best to perform a dance for her.
Behind their stiff limbs and their somewhat clumsy movements was the sincerest, most heartfelt expression of their feelings.
âTheir dancingâs pretty earnest,â Someone on the hill suddenly said.
âYeah, donât they say that earnest men are the cutest? Also, I feel thatâŚâ
This person âfeltâ for a long time yet was unable to say anything, with it being a girl beside her who completed her sentence, âI feel that theyâre flipping moe. Right, really moe, super moe.â
The girl used a word which still hadnât become that popular yet, moe.
As soon as the words had left her mouth, all the girls present seemed instantly to grasp this feeling. Right, the indescribable feeling within their hearts-wasnât it exactly this?
Whilst being dressed so flashily, their dancing was just so infantileâŚalso, their clumsinessâŚalso, the earnest following of the steps even despite all the laughterâŚthis really was super crazy moe!
âRebirthâs so cute!â
âWahâŚâ
Laughter finally turned back into applause and shrieking.
On the school field.
âThis really seems rather fun. The movements are simple too. This dance might just go viral,â A reporter who often attended press conferences said to the person beside him.
âRight! I feel that even though everyoneâs laughing now, this song itself is actually pretty good. And the song, like you said, maybe it will actually go viral,â The reporter beside him replied.
âA great chance to enter showbiz!â Someone said jokingly, clearly seeing this as another successful stirring up of Rebirthâs value which they would make use of to enter the music industry.
âSomeone already asked Apple about this yesterday. Apple said that these guys from Rebirth seem like they have no intention of entering showbiz at all, and alsoâŚ.havenât the time for it.â
âRight, what Apple said is: He hasnât the time.â
Someone immediately rejected his opinion, even though they too did feel that it was rather a pity for Rebirth not to make use of this chance to officially enter showbiz.
âWho is he? Hasnât the time to enter showbiz? Something with both fame and benefitsâŚhasnât the timeâŚhow is that possible?â
âOne of those on the stage, I guessâŚwho hasnât the time. Thatâs indeed what Apple said.â
ââŚâ
As if confirming the earlier judgment of the reporters, this dance would soon go viralâŚ
When the chorus of resounded for the second time, more than a thousand students before the stage suddenly collectively rose. Then, they began dancing together with those five people on the stage.
The same dance was being simultaneously performed by a thousand over children all at once. The scene turned interesting, making for a shocking sight.
At a time like this, mass dancing had still not become a phenomenon. It was rare indeed to see dancing organised on as large a scale as this. Also, it was such an interesting dance with over a thousand participantsâŚ
âAs soon as this is released, itâs definitely, truly going viral,â The reporter said to his colleague who was currently focused on unceasingly adjusting the angle of his professional video camera.
Up on stage, Xu Tingsheng secretly snuck a glance at Little Xiang Ning who was standing by the side of the stage as he sung, âOhâŚyou are my flowerâŚâ
Xiang Ning spotted this glance. While she logically shouldnât have spotted this fleeting glance, shouldnât have felt the meaning that Xu Tingsheng intended to convey, there was this feeling that just suddenly surged within her heart.