NOVPUBSix people walked into the campus just as a short tune for the long break started playing on the broadcast.
They simply skipped the long break too, sat at the school’s snack shop for over twenty minutes, and only returned to class after the exercises ended, so it didn’t cause any stir.
As boarders were not allowed to have mobile phones, naturally, people at school had no idea what had happened last night at Gualv Square. Interestingly, however, they discovered that some of their classmates were humming the melody of "Little Apple."
The six just shared a knowing smile, and nobody said more.
Life then returned to its peaceful routine.
A week later, their two-hour performance video successfully made it onto Licheng TV and Li City Radio 7M89.
"Damn, those are my classmates!"
"I was there at the scene!"
"That song ’Anhe Bridge’ is pretty good."
"..."
Through word of mouth, the names of the six of them spread throughout Li City, a city with a population of over a million, and they became somewhat famous.
Ruan Wen edited two new songs and posted them separately on Tudou, both videos surpassed one million views within three days, and countless netizens left messages in the comment section:
[I couldn’t stop grinning the whole time, haha.]
[Did you feel your heart skip a beat?]
[So jealous, why didn’t I have such a youth?~]
[I’m this old and still only know how to be mediocre...]
...
As June approached, the days became hotter.
Xu Qingfan, like on numerous summer evenings before, had dinner and then reclined on a swing seat with a halved chilled watermelon in hand, accompanied by Little White and his younger brother waiting for a share.
He scooped a piece of watermelon into his mouth, bit it in half, threw one half to the dog, and handed the other half to his younger brother.
Occasionally, a breeze would blow, causing the wind chimes hanging on the wall to make a crisp clinking sound, complemented by the chirping of cicadas, creating a perfect sound effect.
Though there was no orange-flavored soda, the combination of summer, youth, cicadas, and watermelon was still fantastic.
After finishing the watermelon, Little White stuck out its tongue begging for more, and Xu Qingfan, chuckling, shook his head and scooped another spoonful for it.
"Here, eat."
In his earphones, he listened to Mayday’s "Like Smoke." At seven, he thought he could grasp summer by catching a cicada; at seventeen, after kissing her face, he thought he could be with her forever.
"Such a good song, too bad it’s lip-synced which ruins it," Xu Qingfan said and then switched the song to the next one, Xu Song’s "Duan Bridge Snow," which was too sentimental for the moment.
He skipped through seven or eight songs, none quite fitting. He suddenly felt nostalgic for a movie that would come out in the future, "Your Name." The soundtrack seemed to be perfect for consumption in midsummer.
Just as he was removing his earphones and closing his eyes to recall the melody from memory, he suddenly heard Ruan Wen’s voice.
"Brother Fan, come inside for a moment!"
"Coming!" Xu Qingfan broke the nearly finished watermelon in half and tossed it into Little White’s bowl.
After washing his hands at the yard’s faucet and drying them on his school uniform, he walked into the living room asking, "What’s up?"
"Brother Fan, come and see this, someone in a private message said they are a talent scout from Jiyun Culture Company," said Ruan Wen, "He wants to sign me up as a singer!"
When Xu Qingfan arrived at the computer room, the five girls were already there, all gathered around looking at the screen content.
"Let me see."
"Um, Brother Fan, have a seat," Xiao Ruawen considerately vacated her spot.
After Xu Qingfan sat down, he started browsing through the private messages on it. The content was quite lengthy, amounting to over a thousand words, essentially boasting how powerful Jiyun Culture Company was and how signing Xiao Ruawen would surely make her a popular star.
He felt like he had heard of Jiyun Culture somewhere before, so he opened a browser to search, but couldn’t find any useful information.
After thinking for a while, Xu Qingfan simply typed "Scram" in the chat box, then blocked and blacklisted them in one smooth motion.
"Ah, Brother Fan, why did you do that? Is it a scammer?"
"Don’t bother with these people, not a single talent agency is good, just look at Korea and you’ll know," he said, turning to the girl.
"They might end up giving you an exploitative contract, make you dine with old men, and even, you know, cough cough..." The suicide incident of Zhang Ziyi had just happened in March this year, and the five girls shuddered when they heard what Xu Qingfan said.
"Brother Qing Fan is definitely right, Ruan Wen, don’t get deceived!"
"I wasn’t planning to sign anything anyway; I just wanted you guys to see. I was recognized by a scout, you know," Xiao Ruawen said, crinkling her nose adorably.
Xu Qingfan turned back to look at her, laughed, and said, "If you really want to sign, don’t rush. I’ll buy a talent agency to sign you in the future. Since it’s all about unofficial rules, rather than benefiting others, I might as well benefit myself, hahaha... hey, hey, eh...."
"Brother Fan, are you out of your mind!"
"Thinking about exploiting Ruan Wen? I think you should exploit Little White instead!"
Xia Xiaoxiao and Xiao Ruawen took turns playfully punching him, as Xu Qingfan repeatedly begged for mercy, "Stop hitting, can’t you even take a joke!"
"Hmph~ I’ve noticed you’re getting naughtier and naughtier, Brother Fan," Xiao Ruawen threatened with her little fist clenched.
It wasn’t that he was becoming naughtier; it’s just that some jokes suitable for childhood were no longer appropriate as they grew up.
However, not every girl thought this way, evidently.
[Being exploited by Brother Qing Fan... hehehe...]
[If it’s Brother Fan, I guess it wouldn’t be so bad...]
"Brother Qing Fan, are you really going to start a talent agency in the future?" Lin Wanning asked with wide eyes.
"That’s also possible. If any of you want to become a big star in the future, I’ll just buy one and take care of you all." Owning a multimillion entertainment company was just pocket change to him, Xu Qingfan said.
"But I can’t act, I can only draw, and Yiyi can’t act either," Lin Wanning said, biting her finger.
"What’s so great about being a big star, having to be watched by crowds every time you step out?" Xia Xiaoxiao said disdainfully; she had been ogled like a rare animal last month because of her singing.
Seeing Xu Qingfan looking at her, Wu Lingyu quickly waved her hands in refusal: "Fan... Brother Fan, I can’t do it."
"How about you? Our class leader Xiao, do you want to be a star? If you do, I’ll start an entertainment company in the future and make sure you become famous."
"I’m not sure yet, is it a long-term offer?" Xiao Ruawen asked with a beaming smile.
"Long-term for sure."
"Hehe~ Brother Fan is the best!"
"Of course, Brother Qing Fan is the best!" Not wanting her line to be stolen, Lin Wanning also said resolutely.
"Brother is the best!"
"Brother Fan is a superhero, capable of everything," Wu Lingyu thought, finding the most fitting description of Xu Qingfan in her mind.
"Ugh~ A smelly dog, what’s so great about that!" Xia Xiaoxiao pinched his cheeks from behind and quickly ran away after the mischief.
"Dead woman Xia Xiaoxiao, stop right there!"
She ran, he chased, and the room instantly became a scene of chaos.
"Hahaha..."
