1novels Chapter 27, Hello~ Take good care of yourself!
Chapter 27, Hello~ Take good care of yourself!
She closed her eyes, clasped her hands together, and silently made a wish:
"I hope that one day I can meet Gao Huan."
I opened my eyes and blew out the candle.
Shen Meng led the applause, and Li Xiaoxiao and Zhang Xiaoya joined in. Guests at the next table also looked over, and someone shouted "Happy Birthday." Zhang Ruonan blushed and nodded in that direction.
The cake wasn't big; one slice was just enough for each person.
The cream is made from animal-based cream; it melts in your mouth and isn't greasy.
Zhang Ruonan took a bite and thought it was the best cake she had ever eaten in her eighteen years.
After dinner, the four of them took a walk along the West Lake.
A night breeze blew across the lake, carrying moisture and coolness.
The Baochu Pagoda in the distance was lit up, like a glowing needle piercing the sky.
A couple sat on a bench, embracing and whispering sweet nothings. The girl's laughter was carried away by the wind, drifting onto the water and then back.
Shen Meng linked arms with Zhang Ruonan and walked very slowly.
"Ruonan, what did you wish for?"
"I'm not telling you~ It won't work if I tell you!"
"Is it about Gao Huan?"
Zhang Ruonan didn't answer, but her ears turned red.
Shen Meng smiled: "I knew it."
The two walked in silence for a while, then Shen Meng suddenly said something.
"It will happen."
Zhang Ruonan turned to look at her.
Shen Meng didn't look at her, but stared at the distant lake, her tone as certain as if she were stating a fact she already knew the answer to.
"If you like him so much, he'll definitely like you too if he meets you."
Zhang Ruonan paused for a moment, then lowered her head and said softly, "Don't talk nonsense."
But she didn't refute it.
It was almost 10 o'clock when I got back to the dormitory.
After Zhang Ruonan finished showering, she sat on the bed drying her hair when her phone screen lit up.
Shen Meng sent me a WeChat message.
Why don't you give that cover song contest a try?
Zhang Ruonan stared at the message, hesitating for a long time. She typed, deleted, typed again, deleted again. Finally, she sent a single line.
I really sing terribly.
Give it a try! [Grinning face]
[It sounded awful even after trying it.]
What if? What if Gao Huan likes awful music?
Zhang Ruonan was amused by her words, but then fell silent.
What if?
She imagined the scene in her mind.
Gao Huan sat in the recording studio, wearing headphones, listening to her off-key cover. His brows furrowed deeper and deeper. Finally, he took off his headphones and said to the beautiful manager, "Who is this?"
Then there is no more.
But another voice in my heart said: If you don't try, there will never be a "then".
Zhang Ruonan took a deep breath and started typing.
"Well... shall I give it a try?"
That's right! I'll sing with you! Let's sing together, even if we're off-key, it's not embarrassing!
Zhang Ruonan looked at the message, and her nose started to sting again.
Shen Meng isn't a good singer either. But she's willing to embarrass herself with her.
【it is good. 】
Zhang Ruonan got out of bed, opened her laptop, and found the instrumental version of "Unfortunately, If Only".
Shen Meng moved a stool over and sat down. The two of them squeezed together in front of the desk, took a deep breath while looking at the lyrics scrolling on their phone screens.
"Are you ready?" Shen Meng asked.
"no."
"Let's begin then."
Zhang Ruonan turned on the recording function on her phone.
The intro begins.
The sound of the piano flowed over like water; the high notes were like shattered glass, sparkling and bright, while the low notes were like the undercurrents in deep water—inaudible, yet perceptible.
She remembered that the song was written and composed by Gao Huan, and that every note came from his mind. Suddenly, she felt a little closer to him.
The first line is sung by Zhang Ruonan.
"If we avoid making the mistakes we can afford to make, and miss the ones we can afford to make, then it should still be time to repent."
Ran.
The tune was like a kite with a broken string, drifting away to who knows where.
Her voice trembled at the end of the note, as if she realized she was off-key and wanted to get back on track, but it was too late.
Shen Meng didn't laugh, and continued singing the second line.
"If everything hadn't been said outright, that little incident would have been easily forgotten—"
They ran away too.
But the two ran in different directions, one veering to the left and the other to the right, like two crooked lines intersecting and pulling at each other, yet together they created an absurd harmony.
Zhang Ruonan couldn't help but laugh, and then continued singing.
When they got to the chorus, their voices blended together, some were off-key, some had gasps for breath, and some lost their rhythm only to try and get back on track...
It's not exactly a mess, but it's definitely going in the opposite direction!
But Zhang Ruonan didn't care.
She sang with all her might, as if she were stuffing all the unspoken feelings of affection, the gazes hidden behind the screen, the late nights spent scrolling through social media alone under the covers, and the grievances of being ignored by her family for eighteen years into those few minutes.
Her voice trembled slightly as she sang the last line.
"Unfortunately, there are no 'what ifs'—"
The accompaniment has ended.
The dormitory was silent for a second.
Li Xiaoxiao peeked out from the top bunk and said earnestly, "It sounds nice."
There's a hint of perfunctoriness, but more of it is the kind of pleasant sound that says, "I know you're off-key, but you're so cute, so I genuinely think it's not bad."
Zhang Xiaoya chimed in, "Get rich! Get rich! After you get rich, you'll be Gao Huan's woman!"
Zhang Ruonan listened to the recording with a flushed face. After listening, she shrank back in her chair and covered her face with her hands.
"No, no, no! It sounds awful."
"Even if it sounds awful, we'll still publish it."
Shen Meng snatched her phone, opened Bilibili, found the event page, uploaded the video, and added tags.
Zhang Ruonan tried to snatch it, but Shen Meng had already raised the phone high.
"Shen Meng, put it down!"
"Not posting this isn't the mark of a star!"
The two of them started arguing.
I sent it in the end anyway.
Zhang Ruonan squatted on the chair, hugging her knees, staring at the "upload successful" message on the screen, her heart pounding like it was on a roller coaster.
She opened the comments section.
0 comments.
0 like.
Video views: 3 times.
She looked at it for two seconds, locked the screen, and threw the phone onto the bed.
Forget it.
I've tried it.
enough.
Shen Meng hugged her from behind, resting her chin on her shoulder.
"Ruonan".
"Um."
"Happy birthday."
Zhang Ruonan looked out the window.
The night sky over Hangzhou was mostly starless, but the city lights were reflected on the surface of West Lake in the distance, twinkling like someone had lit a lamp underwater.
She thought that in a certain direction, there was a person who sang beautifully, acted brilliantly, and stood there like a painting.
She will always love him.
Regardless of whether he knows her name or not, regardless of whether anyone listens to her covers.
The fact that she likes this thing is already the best birthday gift she could give herself.
At least at this moment, in this small dormitory, someone ordered food for her, someone sang songs with her, and someone wrote "Forever 18" on her cake.
These are real. Enough for her to draw upon repeatedly for many years to come.
Zhang Ruonan smiled, turned off the light, and crawled into bed.
The wind blew the curtains, and moonlight leaked in through the gaps, drawing a thin line on the ceiling.
She closed her eyes, smiled, and murmured to herself: "Hello, eighteen years old~ Love yourself well! Hello, Gao Huan~"