Chapter Twenty-Three: Nightfall

After the team dispersed, Lu You and Li Yu sat at a round stone table outside the canteen, each with a carton of milk and a straw in front of them.

"Comrade Li Yu, have I ever offended you? Why are you setting me up like this?" Lu You stared at the person across from him with a cold gaze.

Li Yu looked indifferent. "Not at all. I just thought that since you have this talent, you should show it off. Besides, no matter which option you chose, you would have had to sing anyway. It’s better to just let you go on stage and perform yourself; it makes things easier for the rest of us in the performance camp."

"Then why didn't you go up yourself? Damn it, are you trying to gaslight me?" Lu You felt even more annoyed.

"How could this be gaslighting? With great power comes great responsibility. You sing much better than I do."

"Am I Spider-Man now? Stop feeding me that inspirational drivel."

"Actually, I'm helping you. You were already relying on your looks to get Tang Wan's attention, and now, with this added talent..."

Before Li Yu could finish, a voice came from behind him.

"Are you calling me, classmate Li Yu?"

Li Yu quickly swallowed his remaining words and replied, "No, nothing. We were just talking about something in a game, right, Lu You?"

Lu You had already shifted his focus to Tang Wan. As for Li Yu? Who was that? Just a troublemaker.

"Are you here for a late-night snack, too?"

"Yes," Tang Wan said, walking over to sit next to Lu You. "You sing really well. Did you study it specifically?"

"It's just passable," Lu You said, not letting the praise go to his head. "It's mostly because of my natural vocal tone and some techniques my mother taught me. She’s the one who’s truly amazing—great breath control and a beautiful timbre."

Tang Wan was curious about his mother, but their relationship had only taken a small step forward; it wasn't the time to pry. She decided to save that curiosity for later.

"Do you have any thoughts on the song for Friday night?" Tang Wan changed the subject.

"I have some ideas for the duet. Once I find a suitable partner, we can start practicing."

Tang Wan hesitated for a brief moment before asking, "Who are you going on stage with?"

Lu You turned his head and shot a playful look at Li Yu. Li Yu, who had been trying to stay invisible while eating his bread, suddenly realized both of them were staring at him.

"No way. You want me on stage with you? Are you joking?"

"Do I look like I'm joking? Since you dared to sell me out, you should be prepared to be dragged down with me."

Li Yu grew anxious. "You could ask Tang Wan! A boy and a girl would be a perfect match."

"Don't rush. I can sing the female parts, so it'll work out well with you. It’ll even show off my range better."

"I, I..." Li Yu was turning bright red, but Lu You cut him off.

"It’s decided." Ignoring him, he turned back to Tang Wan. "I haven't decided on a solo yet. Do you have any suggestions for what you'd like to hear?"

"You can sing in a female register?"

"A little bit, though I can't handle anything too high; I can't reach those notes."

"Can you sing 'Wish'? I really like that song, and I feel like it's perfect for military training," Tang Wan said, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Lu You froze.

Seeing no response, Tang Wan assumed she had made things difficult for him and quickly added, "It’s okay, it was just a suggestion. If you don't want to..."

"It's not that," Lu You interrupted her gently. "I like this song. I like it very much. I should be thanking you for reminding me of it."

"Are you really sure it's not a bother?" Tang Wan’s tone remained slightly uneasy.

Lu You reassured her, "It's no trouble at all. Besides, National Day is coming up soon, and 'Wish' is perfect for the occasion. How about you help me critique it when you have time in the next few days?"

"Sure!" Tang Wan readily agreed. "I'm going to the canteen now to buy a few things. I'll get going—see you tomorrow." She stood up and left.

"Wow, you're really going to sing 'Wish'? Can you even hit Faye Wong's high notes?" Li Yu teased.

Lu You didn't back down. "It's fine. If I can't hit the notes, at least you'll be there to embarrass yourself with me. That's a win in my book."

"Do I really have to go? Can't you find someone else?"

"No. I only know you, and I wouldn't trust anyone else."

"What about Tang Wan? She has a beautiful voice and she's pretty. You two would be a perfect match on stage," Li Yu continued to struggle.

Lu You sneered. Trying to drag Tang Wan into this? "Heh, I can't bear to put her on stage, so stop bringing her up."

"Damn! You really do have designs on her! You pervert!" Li Yu cursed.

"A silly otaku like you has the nerve to call someone else a pervert?"

"You're a friend who abandons others for a girl!"

"So what if I am?"

...

After finishing their late-night snack and washing up, Tang Wan picked up her small portable fan, lay on her bed, and stared blankly at the ceiling, waiting for the lights to go out before falling asleep.

Xu Nian, who was on the bed next to her, saw her staring and quietly poked her head over. "Are you thinking about Lu You?"

Tang Wan was startled and quickly shook her head in denial. "No, I'm not thinking about anything."

"As if," Xu Nian pouted. "Your eyes didn't leave him all night. When he was singing on stage, your eyes were practically sparkling."

"I'm sleepy, time for bed, stop talking!" Tang Wan hurriedly put on her eye mask to hide her embarrassment.

"Are you talking about our class monitor?" A voice came from the bed below Xu Nian's.

Tang Wan and Xu Nian happened to be in a dormitory with girls from Class 3.

Hearing the voice, Xu Nian poked her head out. "Yes, do you know him?"

"We're in the same class, but we've never even spoken."

Xu Nian asked, puzzled, "Is he very cold and aloof?"

At this, Tang Wan, wearing her eye mask, pricked up her ears.

"No," the girl explained. "He's very easy to talk to with the boys and very polite to the girls. But I don't really dare to face him. Even the vice monitor who sits in front of him rarely turns around to chat with him."

Li Womeng, from the other side, joined the conversation. "It's true. If it weren't for tasks assigned by the head teacher, we wouldn't interact at all. It feels like he's on a completely different level. Even knowing he's approachable, whenever I see his face, I just don't know what to say."

"Exactly! That's exactly how I feel!" the girl nodded repeatedly. "And whenever I see him, he's either doing practice papers or reading something entirely in English. I don't understand it, but it seems impressive."

Li Womeng sighed, "Let me tell you, when he's studying, he is incredibly handsome! That look of seriousness and calm—it's just unbeatable."

"Really? I'll have to take a look sometime!" the girl said excitedly.

Xu Nian leaned over to Tang Wan's ear again. "Did you hear that, Wanwan?"

Tang Wan didn't say a word, pretending to be asleep. But in her heart, she compared the Lu You she knew with the class monitor they were describing.

The Lu You she saw was handsome, active, and a bit of a goofball. Yet the one they described was confident, gentle, and serious—it was as if they weren't talking about the same person.

"Someone like the class monitor is best watched from afar. Just getting close makes me feel like I’ve done something wrong."

"Hahaha~" Li Womeng found it funny. "It's not that serious. He's just a normal person; you're making him sound like a god."

"It's not much different. He even showed off that talent today; it was absolutely amazing."

Tang Wan's thoughts slowly drifted away.

...

On the other side, the "god" was lying on his bed, blowing his small fan and chatting with his roommates.

"Damn, this weather is killing me. No ceiling fan—how is anyone supposed to sleep?"

Lu You enjoyed the breeze from his small fan and said in a lecturing tone, "You guys are just too active. A calm heart naturally keeps you cool."

"Give me your fan, then talk to me about a calm heart."

"That's not happening. I'd die of heat," Lu You firmly refused.

"Hey, monitor, what did you do over the summer break?" someone else asked.

"Hmm... I tutored, read some books, worked out, and played some games, that sort of thing."

"Damn!" everyone exclaimed.

"You actually spent your wonderful, homework-free summer break studying?"

"I had no choice. My foundation was weak, and my parents had high expectations for high school. I couldn't afford not to," Lu You responded seriously.

"Didn't you think about traveling or anything?"

"Couldn't. My sister is only a year old; it's not convenient to go far."

Just then, the lights-out bell rang, and a voice blared from the loudspeaker outside: "Lights out! Sleep! No more talking!"

The lights in the dormitory went out. However, a large floodlight outside the window meant the room was still quite bright.

"Finally, lights out. I'm going to the toilet to take a dump."

Two others chimed in: "Me too."

Lu You's dormitory, 208, was at the end of the hallway and had three stalls.

Ten seconds later, an angry voice came from the toilet: "What the hell! Which little brat is in the next stall? Why does it smell so bad? What did you eat!"

Before long, a stench filled the entire room.

"Damn it, the three of you aren't allowed to use the toilet in here anymore! Go to the public restroom outside!" This voice came from the bunk closest to the toilet.

Lu You, who was by the window, quickly opened it, pulled out some oil balm, put a few drops on a tissue, and pressed it firmly over his nose and mouth.

For a moment, the dormitory was filled with complaints.

"Ah~ refreshing." A figure walked back into the room from the balcony.

"If you dare poop in here again, I'll pick it up and stuff it in your mouth!"

"You're disgusting!"

Lu You listened to their banter, finding it quite a new experience. Whether in his past life or his current one, he had never lived in a large dormitory with others.

Once the smell dissipated, someone started whispering again.

"Monitor, did you have a girlfriend in middle school?"

"Huh?" Lu You was very surprised. "You guys were allowed to date in middle school? That's ridiculous, isn't it?"

"I did know a few couples back then."

Lu You recalled the original owner's memories of middle school and said, "My family didn't care much about grades, but they were very strict about that sort of thing. I barely even spoke to girls."

"I see. So, did many girls ask for your WeChat or anything? After all, you’re so good-looking."

"Does family count?"

"What do you think?"

"If not, I think I only had one in my entire life up to now," Lu You said, digging through his memories again.

"No way, just one? Shouldn't there have been a ton of people asking?"

Lu You laughed. "Stop reading so many urban romance novels. Setting aside whether I’d give it out or not, I'm only in the first year of high school. I don't go out much, so one is already plenty."

"High school is for focusing on studies. Besides, this is Chunhua; everyone has their minds on their books. Why would so many people come to ask for my contact info?"

"Fair enough. We all thought you were a veteran of the dating scene."

"Who started that rumor?" Lu You said, exasperated. "I haven't even held a girl's hand! Don't go around slandering my innocence!"

"Uh... everyone just sort of assumed."

"Damn!" Lu You hadn't realized his image was like this. "Listen up, everyone, help me clear my name immediately, or don't blame me for using my authority as monitor to make your lives miserable!"

Suddenly, there was a violent pounding on the door.

"Do you think you don't need to sleep? How long has it been since lights out, and you're still talking? If you have that much energy, get down here and do a hundred push-ups!"

Everyone in the dorm immediately lay flat, closed their eyes, and didn't say another word.