NOVEL WEB Chapter 63
Chapter 63
“Only the last two performances tonight were worth watching!”
“Totally. Everything else was a waste of time.”
“By the way, do you think that little angel has a boyfriend?”
“Bro, are you dreaming? The guy next to her was Jiang Zhou.”
“So what if it’s Jiang Zhou?”
“Don’t you remember Fang Youcai?”
“…”
“Forget it. That guy can dig a hole so deep, you’d lose even your underwear.”
As people chatted and began to leave, a sudden announcement came from backstage: The angel on stage had gone missing!
Everyone’s heart skipped a beat.
What?! The angel is missing?!
What are we waiting for? Go find her!
That delicate, pitiful angel, how could they let her be alone?
In a surge of youthful impulsiveness and energy, the entire hall practically emptied out. That’s youth — always full of passion, acting on impulse like madmen.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhou was already sprinting through the campus.
“Feng Siruo!
“Feng Siruo, where are you?!”
It was night, and the campus was pitch black. Without her standing near a streetlight, it would have been hard to find her.
Luckily, her dress had silver leaf and floral decorations, reflecting bits of moonlight even in the dark.
Feng Siruo was crouching by the stone boat at Nameless Lake, gasping for breath with her head tilted up slightly.
“Feng Siruo!” Jiang Zhou saw her silhouette and finally relaxed.
This girl wasn’t good at socializing and rarely talked, but she had one special ability — she could run really fast.
One time, he joked about chasing her romantically, and she got so scared she sprinted away. Even his tall 6-foot frame couldn’t catch her.
If she wasn’t suffering from shortness of breath right now, he might never have found her.
“Deep breaths. Take it slow.
“Don’t panic. Try to think of people and things that make you feel safe.”
Jiang Zhou crouched next to her, gently patting her back.
Feng Siruo looked into his face and gradually calmed her breathing.
Cold sweat soaked the hair by her temples. She looked so delicate and pitiful.
“How are you feeling now?” he asked.
She took a deep breath, then suddenly giggled.
It was the first time she had ever smiled so boldly.
Jiang Zhou was confused. “Why are you smiling at a time like this? Do I have something on my face?”
“I’m happy.”
“Happy? About what?”
“I performed on stage…”
Jiang Zhou’s gaze softened, and a smile curved on his lips.
He knew her well. In their past life, they had lived together for over a decade.
She always seemed quiet and indifferent, but she deeply cared about her social anxiety.
She desperately wanted to change — to be unafraid of people, to be cheerful and outgoing.
So performing on stage was the biggest challenge of her life.
A girl who was afraid of strangers had just performed in front of thousands.
It was risky but so worth it.
“Can you breathe better now?”
“Yes, I can.”
“That’s a major victory for someone with social anxiety, isn’t it?”
Feng Siruo nodded happily. “Yes, it’s my victory!”
“Then… would you want to perform again in the future?”
“Hmm… yes.”
“Then should I tell you a secret?”
“What secret?”
Jiang Zhou leaned close and whispered, “I wrote another new song. Want to perform it next time?”
Her eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly in surprise. “A new one?”
“Brand new. Not even my brother has heard it. You’re the first to know. It’s called The Whale That Became an Island”
The night was peaceful, the moonlight like flowing water, and the lake as still as a mirror.
Only the occasional breeze rippled the surface, while the willow leaves rustled like a soft song.
Feng Siruo cupped her cheeks in her hands, gazing at him with sparkling eyes.
Jiang Zhou knew that look. She wanted to hear a story.
“You want to know why she’s lonely?”
She nodded, her eyes full of curiosity.
“Because normal whales vocalize at 15–25 Hz, but Alice sings at 45 Hz.
“To her species, she’s mute — destined to be alone.
“No one can hear her frequency, just like no one understands her heart.
“So she sang while swimming from warm seas to the freezing North Pacific.
“She only had one wish: to find someone who could hear her voice.
“But after migrating her whole life, she never received a reply.”
Jiang Zhou turned to her. “Doesn’t it remind you of someone?”
Feng Siruo nodded. “It reminds me of me.”
“No, not like you. Many people can hear you. I can, Ding Yue can. You’re not alone.”
“Then… can you sing it?”
—
Meanwhile, near the path into Nameless Lake, a strange shadow stretched longer and longer in the darkness.
It looked like a patch of overgrown bushes, except it wasn’t.
It was hundreds of students crouching together, quietly watching.
“Move over! Don’t crowd me, damn it!”
“Bro, you’ve been hogging the view. Let me have a turn!”
“Shh! Even if we can’t see, just listen. Jiang Zhou’s gonna sing again!”
“For real? I’m recording this!”
“Do you think it’ll be as good as The Wind Rises?”
“That song was a stroke of genius. Don’t expect another miracle.”
These students had all run from the hall, supposedly to look for the “missing angel.”
But when the first one arrived and saw Jiang Zhou crouched beside her, curiosity made him stop and watch.
Then the second joined, then the third, fourth, fifth…
Eventually, it became a massive crowd hidden in the darkness, like a new hedge lining the lakeside trail.
Even Ding Yue, who had come looking for Feng Siruo, was among them.
They all held their breath, silently watching.
“You want to hear it?”
“Yes!”
Under Feng Siruo’s eager gaze, Jiang Zhou stood and began to sing.
His voice soared into the night.
“I’m a blue whale who’s become a lonely island, with the largest shadow in the sea.
“Fish and shrimp swim by my side, even birds rest on my back.
“I’ve passed too many breathtaking sights, like a paradise from Eden.
“But the sea is too calm and quiet, my stories go unheard.
“I love the sunny days of the Mediterranean, the snowy views of Siberia, the eagle flying high, the seaweed beneath my belly.
“I pour my heart into being full of love. Until that day…”
His final notes grew longer and longer, fading into silence, like an unheard frequency dissolving into the vast ocean.
Feng Siruo held her breath.
The “hedge” of students did too.
Until that day… what happened?
Jiang Zhou picked up a pebble and tossed it into the lake. Then he sang again.
“Your clothes were worn, but your song was gentle,
“Accompanying me as I drifted aimlessly.
“My back like a barren hill, yet you smiled and called it your universe.
“You waved to the sun, greeted the seagulls,
“Roamed with me across the world in love.
“Only… in the end, you could not rest on my chest,
“To gaze at the eternal stars in the sky.
“To hold the starlight in your eyes…”
In that instant, countless people felt their hearts pierced.
The song was simply too perfect.
It vividly portrayed the loneliness and the soul that pretended to be strong.
Especially that final line “To hold the starlight in your eyes.”
That kind of imagery was heartbreakingly beautiful.
But sadly, that person would never be able to rest upon the singer’s chest.
So, everyone instinctively looked up.
They discovered the sky was full of stars, as if in sync with the lyrics.
And similarly, in Feng Siruo’s eyes, a galaxy sparkled.
“How was it? Were you mesmerized by my talent and now want to offer yourself to me?”
Feng Siruo blushed. “No…”
Jiang Zhou feigned regret. “Too bad then. I won’t sing the best part.”
“Why not?!”
“Because no one can withstand the final part of this song. The moment I sing it, someone will definitely jump out and say they want to marry me!”
At that moment, the “bush” suddenly shouted, “Stop stalling and just sing already!”
Huh?
Jiang Zhou jumped in shock.
What the hell just spoke?
But looking around, it was just an ordinary patch of landscaping.
Could something weird be lurking by the lake?
He and Feng Siruo were both pure. What if something popped out and took them?
Jiang Zhou turned to Feng Siruo. “Did you hear something just now?”
“No.” Feng Siruo shook her head naively.
She had no idea the “bush” was made of real people.
“Let’s go. I’ll walk you back.”
Feng Siruo refused to move. “Sing the rest first.”
Jiang Zhou thought for a moment. “Fine, but you have to kiss me after I sing.”
“No, no, no!”
“Free song with no benefits? What a rip-off!”
The “bushes” were getting impatient.
Stop dilly-dallying!
Just sing already, we’ll all marry you!
We’ll all kiss you!
Of course, Jiang Zhou was only teasing Feng Siruo.
He had always planned to sing the last part.
He wanted her to hear it.
“Here… a candy.” Feng Siruo opened her little hand.
In her palm was a White Rabbit candy.
“Is that okay?”
“You’re bribing me with candy?”
She nodded, eyes full of expectation.
That expression… not even a monk could resist.
“Fine, you win.” Jiang Zhou stood up and walked to the lakeside.
Then, keeping a perfect distance from Feng Siruo, his playful expression faded, replaced by sincerity and seriousness.
“Your fingertips were gentle,
“Stroking all my scars left by wind and waves.
“In your eyes are spring and autumn,
“More beautiful than all the rivers and mountains I’ve ever seen or loved.
“I once thought my shoulders broad enough,
“To carry the coral palaces beneath the sea.
“But since your arrival,
“They seem so thin and frail…
“I want to give you shores to run on,
“So you can be queen.”
When his voice fell, silence blanketed the crowd.
What kind of talent and deep emotion could produce lyrics like that?
From the perspective of a lonely blue whale, the song confessed to someone who had accompanied her through solitude, across the seasons, and endless migrations.
That person, dressed in rags, but with stars in their eyes.
At that moment, everyone realized that Jiang Zhou wasn’t lying earlier.
After hearing the last verse, the girls hidden in the “bush” really did want to jump out and propose.
Even though the rumors of him being a playboy had already been debunked, the girls in the crowd suddenly hoped he was one.
That way, they wouldn’t have to compete with the little angel.
They could all wash clean and throw themselves into his arms!
At that moment, Feng Siruo suddenly stood up.
She stared blankly at Jiang Zhou, her heart pounding like a startled deer.
She felt that this song was written for her.
That lonely whale, swimming across endless oceans, had seen many people, many sights, but never found someone to depend on.
Until she met the boy in ragged clothes.
In that instant, it felt like she had found her anchor.
And she wanted to give him everything she had.
But it seemed she had nothing to offer.
Because his eyes held spring and autumn, outshining all the mountains and rivers she had ever loved.
“…It was beautiful.”
At that moment, Jiang Zhou suddenly became alert.
His expression changed as he grabbed Feng Siruo and ran.
She was still dazed. “What’s going on?”
“There’s definitely something weird going on in this school!
“I just accidentally heard that patch of bushes behind us say it wanted to marry me!”
Jiang Zhou looked horrified.
Marry me?
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You’re just a bush, where the hell would I even… plug in?
—
Meanwhile, Ding Yue slowly stood up.
She didn’t know what was happening.
Why did she suddenly feel like…
Maybe Feng Siruo and Jiang Zhou were actually perfect for each other?