Chapter 77: The School Flower’s Arrival

Chapter 77: The School Flower's Arrival

The next morning, Qiao Qiao and the others went to the cafeteria for breakfast. While eating, Qiao Qiao suddenly sat up straight and excitedly reminded him, "Brother Yu is actually back!"

He turned around and saw Pu Yu approaching them with a tray.

Pu Yu had left their dorm early that morning when it was still barely dawn. He squinted at Pu Yu, not even remembering what Pu Yu had said to him, leading him to think later, when he was fully awake, that it must have been a dream.

He realized it wasn't a dream when he noticed the redness on the spot where Pu Yu's fingers had rubbed him in the bathroom.

He didn't know such a play existed, rubbing that area, and was quite shocked. Moreover, Pu Yu had large hands and applied considerable strength, not knowing his own force.

Pu Yu sat down across from them and said, "Good morning."

"Brother Yu, when did you get back?" Qiao Qiao asked.

"Last night."

Qiao Qiao looked at Ning Song, seeing how calm he was, and asked, "Did you know?"

Ning Song hummed an affirmative and glanced at Pu Yu.

Last night, Pu Yu looked tired and somewhat haggard, but today he seemed no different than usual... except he looked even more handsome.

Sheng Yan wasn't at school, so Li Qingyuan, who lost his dining companion, came over to eat with them. Their school was impressive; the cafeteria was playing "Tomorrow's Idol," attracting a crowd of boys watching. Ning Song occasionally glanced at the screen, and every time he looked away, his peripheral vision fell on Pu Yu's face.

Love had given him a rosy glow, like someone hiding in the crowd watching a freshly bloomed rose.

His lips were really red, as fresh and tender as if stained by rose juice, contrasting beautifully with his fair skin. The thought that this healthy complexion might be due to his relationship with Pu Yu made those who coveted him curse him repeatedly in their hearts.

On the way back to the classroom after breakfast, Ning Song remained composed. When they arrived, he turned to look at Pu Yu. Pu Yu had already started studying.

He had fallen behind in his studies.

Finally, Pu Yu's seat was no longer empty. His heart was filled too.

In the afternoon, he went to the student council office and saw Pu Yu sitting in the president's chair upon entering.

Mr. Jiang and the others were there, and the office was crowded. He greeted everyone and got to work. After a while, he came to deliver some documents, and Pu Yu was already working.

It was his first day working, so Mr. Jiang accompanied him throughout. Ning Song placed the documents on his desk and said, "This is the budget application for this year's masquerade ball prepared by the Cultural and Entertainment Department."

Mr. Jiang said, "Ning Song was supposed to transfer to our General Office, but since you couldn't take office right away, he's still handling assistant duties."

Pu Yu asked him, "Can you help me a bit longer?"

Ning Song looked at Mr. Jiang and then at Pu Yu, nodding.

This pretense of politeness made him feel a faint excitement.

Pu Yu worked diligently, and Ning Song didn't disturb him. In the afternoon, he went to practice shooting and saw Pu Yu arrive before he finished.

Everyone was looking at him, but Pu Yu didn't care. He came out with his bag and asked, "Have you finished your work?"

Pu Yu said, "Let's do it after dinner."

Pu Yu had returned to protect him, or perhaps to declare his ownership. They began going to the cafeteria together again. Previously, rumors had circulated about their unclear relationship, and many people thought Pu Yu wouldn't be interested in him. Now, things were different. Qiao Qiao said everyone was guessing whether they were dating.

With Sheng Yan absent from school, Ning Song felt a bit more daring. He thought it was good that everyone knew, as having Pu Yu as a shield might deter those who wanted to confess to him, potentially reducing his troubles.

During evening self-study, Pu Yu simply sat beside him.

It was at this moment that Ning Song received a private message from an unknown sender on his phone.

"When you rejected that bastard Qin Yi, I thought you were special, but it turns out you just climbed a higher branch, huh? Slut, so desperate for men?!"

Ning Song frowned and clicked on the sender's profile.

It was a blank profile, a small account, but the content was shocking.

Because it contained photos taken secretly of him.

There were recent ones from the past two days, some from when he first entered school, and even some taken outside Building 4.

He remembered when he first moved into Building 4, there was a period when he always felt someone was peeping at him from behind the trees downstairs.

Pu Yu turned his head, "Focus on your work, don't play with your phone."

Ning Song put down his phone and continued doing his homework.

On Friday, he received several messages from the same sender, apologizing.

"I'm sorry, I was too upset and spoke without thinking. You don't know how much I love you."

The following messages contained several indecent photos.

Ning Song felt genuine mental distress.

He reopened the sender's account and carefully examined each photo. The sender was experienced; most of the photos were saved from forums, and the few suspected personal shots were taken in public places.

He checked the school forum again because Qiao Qiao mentioned that there was a dedicated thread about him, where a few perverts indulged in fantasies.

Not looking would have been better; he found it wasn't just one or two people. There was a small circle within their school, where a few rich kids engaged in wild behavior.

Ning Song's suppressed anger, which Pu Yu had almost extinguished, resurfaced.

On Friday, they had a holiday, and Pu Yu went home early because Mrs. Pu had returned.

Ning Song didn't go home and stayed at school to solve problems. He stayed in the classroom until past nine in the evening.

Because it was the start of the semester, very few students stayed at school to study over the weekend. There were three of them, including Chen Mo. He didn't know the other boy well and didn't even know his name; he seemed very honest.

He also posted on FB with a picture of his math problem.

After these two classmates left, he sat in the classroom for a while longer.

In the empty classroom, with darkness outside, Ning Song finished his problems and reached out to turn off all the lights.

After turning them off, he didn't rush to leave but sat in the dark for a bit before exiting through the back door.

Sure enough, he saw a figure dart behind some bushes.

Ning Song locked the door and hummed as he walked towards the dormitory.

Pu Yu called him.

He answered the phone, and Pu Yu asked, "Have you taken a shower yet?"

He responded with a "Mm," walking and chatting idly with Pu Yu.

His voice echoed in the darkness, sometimes close, sometimes distant. Instead of taking the usual main road, he chose a path lined with dense flowers and trees, turning a corner, then another, disappearing behind the teaching building.

The person following him paused, looked around, and quickly realized he couldn't have vanished into thin air. Rushing back, he turned around to see Ning Song standing there with a chocolate bar in his mouth.

Bathed in moonlight, Ning Song smiled slightly, defiant and alluring: "If you're going to follow me, do it openly. I won't eat you."

The stalker was an ordinary-looking guy, even unkempt. Such a person would blend into a crowd easily. Ning Song was a bit disappointed; he had hoped for someone more like Qin Yi.

The guy turned to run but only took two steps before Ning Song kicked him away.

Ning Song caught his breath, approached, and said, "Just because you sent those photos to boys doesn't make it any less malicious."

He then took the phone from the guy's pocket, unlocked it with his face, and directly opened the guy's FB account.

Confirming it was the right person, he tossed the phone back and pulled out his own phone to take a photo.

The guy finally spoke, covering his face: "I did this because I like you; I meant no harm."

"Since you've taken so many photos of me, isn't it fair that I take one of you?" Ning Song put his phone away: "If I catch you following me again, I won't let it go so easily."

With that, he left the guy behind.

It was boring; he had hoped for a fight.

He had been feeling restless lately, eager to vent.

But just as he took a few steps, the guy shouted from behind: "I have photos of you and Pu Yu! The day before yesterday, when you were hugging, I took pictures!"

Ning Song turned around and looked at him.

The guy got up, his previously ordinary face now twisted and lecherous: "You don't want me to expose you, right? Do your families know?"

Ning Song tilted his head and sighed.

Reborn into this life was too good; he didn't mind being a little wife, but people like this made him angry, reminding him of a different kind of pleasure.

He acted weak and soft in front of Pu Yu because he liked him.

Why did these people think he was an easy target for seduction or intimidation?

Brother, when I went down fighting, you weren't even around.

He walked towards the guy.

When Pu Yu was about to sleep, he called Ning Song again. Ning Song placed his phone on the bathroom sink, washed the blood off his hands, and said, "I'm washing up."

Pu Yu asked, "Didn't you wash up already?"

Not easy to fool. Ning Song turned off the faucet, shook his hand, picked up the phone, and spoke in an unusually gentle tone: "I ate something again, brushing my teeth now."

While chatting with Pu Yu, he left the bathroom. In the corridor outside, a person sat on the ground, leaning against the wall. Seeing Ning Song approach, he shivered and tried to cover his face again. Ning Song walked past him, softly asking, "Are things settled at home?"

Pu Yu responded with an "Mm," saying, "Just finished my shower."

Ning Song continued walking and chatting with Pu Yu, feeling refreshed and light-hearted.

On Sunday, they gathered for the final of "Tomorrow's Idol" and went to Xingyue to sing karaoke. Ning Song's spirit had fully recovered to how it was when they first met, singing loudly with Qiao Qiao, relaxed and cheerful.

Pu Yu remained unchanged, sitting quietly in the corner.

Qiao Qiao said, "Last time we came here, Brother Yu wanted to sing, right? I remember the song was..."

Pu Yu said, "I can't sing; I'll just listen."

"Even if you can't sing, could you be worse than those two?" Fan Duoduo said.

Ning Song said, "He cares too much about his idol image, never mind." He leaned over to continue picking songs.

Pu Yu asked him, "Why are you in such a good mood today?"

Ning Song replied, "I'm very satisfied with my current life!"

As Ning Song was about to sing another song, someone knocked and entered, bringing them two fruit platters. His former colleagues came to see him.

Several people surrounded Ning Song in the corridor, complimenting his looks, their eyes fixed on his face. Pu Yu, probably worried, came out to check on him. Ning Song introduced them, "This is my boyfriend."

Pu Yu was taken aback but greeted them.

"Your boyfriend is so handsome!"

Ning Song said, "It's all about this face."

Pu Yu was very happy for the next few hours, always ready to help.

In the evening, they entered the recording venue. Ning Song went to the restroom and upon coming out, suddenly heard a familiar voice calling his name.

Ning Song turned around and saw Shen Lingsi.

He hadn't seen Shen Lingsi in over two months.

Shen Lingsi looked at him with a smile, surprised, and said, "I almost didn’t recognize you."

"Senior. Did you come to watch Ah Yan’s competition?"

Shen Lingsi raised his entry ticket and said, "I came with a friend."

Ning Song glanced at his friend, who was an extremely handsome man, and nodded at him.

"Haven't you started school yet?" Ning Song asked Shen Lingsi.

Shen Lingsi said, "I start in mid-September."

As he spoke, he looked around: "Just you?"

"I came with Qiao Qiao and the others."

They all had tickets for the main area, and once inside, Shen Lingsi immediately spotted Pu Yu.

He greeted Pu Yu and the others with a smile.

Very gracefully.

Li You and Zheng Xiaobo arrived last. Seeing that Li You seemed injured, Ning Song switched seats with Liu Fang to sit beside him and asked, "What happened?"

Li You said, "Just a minor injury."

Zheng Xiaobo pursed his lips and looked at Ning Song, saying, "It's not a minor injury; a tendon in his hand is..."

Li You frowned at him, and Zheng Xiaobo stopped talking.

Ning Song was taken aback, fell silent for a moment, but the competition was about to start, so he didn't say anything else.

Liu Fang leaned over: "Ning Song, switch back?"

He didn't want to sit with Pu Yu! In such a lively atmosphere, he naturally wanted to sit with his good friends. Sitting with Pu Yu wouldn't be as fun!

So Ning Song switched back.

The competition of "Tomorrow's Idol" was live, different from the variety shows they had previously participated in. The format was also complex, and before the competition began, the host explained a lot, which was hard to follow. Li Qingyuan explained, "In short, just know that Ah Yan is guaranteed to win!"

There were two rounds in total. Only the top four truly competed, while the rest only performed. At the beginning, all the contestants came on stage, nearly a hundred, filling it completely.

Sheng Yan stood in the center, his hair dyed silver again. Every move he made was ethereal. The entire audience was cheering his name, white light sticks lit up, making everyone else seem like mere background.

Ning Song joined in the cheers, raising the support stick Li Qingyuan had given him.

Only then did he realize his support stick was different from everyone else's—it was multicolored!

Whether it was Sheng Yan's idea or Li Qingyuan's didn't matter now.

He felt his life couldn't be more complete, and Sheng Yan had found his rightful glory. Tonight, he would give all his cheers.

Indeed, as Li Qingyuan said, Sheng Yan was a standout in this talent show. In the first round, his popularity soared far ahead, leading by over a million votes. Ning Song checked the trending topics and saw Sheng Yan and Bai Yujie, a popular contestant from "Talent Show 101," trending together under the hashtag "Sheng Yan or Bai Yujie."

Opening it, he saw fans from both sides fighting fiercely. He immediately liked the top comment.

After the first round ended, Li Qingyuan suddenly called him: "Come here."

Ning Song followed Li Qingyuan out of the audience area to the entrance backstage.

"The next segment is the family and friends part. The production team invited the contestants' families to join them on stage. No one from Ah Yan’s family came. Do you want to go up with me?"

"A what?"

Li Qingyuan looked at him and said, "If you go up, Ah Yan will definitely be very happy."

Ning Song looked backstage and saw a group preparing to go on. The host was still stirring emotions, saying, "Tonight, we have prepared a surprise for the contestants by bringing their loved ones to the stage. What do they have to say? Let's welcome the parents of contestant number three, Deng Siyu!"

Ning Song asked, "No one from the Sheng family came?"

"His father not blacklisting Ah Yan is already good enough; who would dare come?" Li Qingyuan was angry. "Ah Yan didn't let anyone come originally. I often visited him, so his PD knows me and told me about this. Everyone else has a bunch of family members cheering them on. I don't want him to feel too lonely. Are you going up?"

Ning Song nodded: "Okay."

He took out his phone and sent a message to Pu Yu, telling him what Li Qingyuan had said.

Pu Yu replied, "Go ahead."

Ning Song went to meet with the production team and, before handing over his phone, told Pu Yu, "Don't be jealous."

Pu Yu said, "I understand."

Ning Song handed over his phone.

Because time was tight, there was no time to get nervous. He and Li Qingyuan went on stage.

When Sheng Yan saw them, he clearly was taken aback, proving this wasn't scripted.

He hugged them both, and Ning Song whispered, "Ah Yan, good luck."

Sheng Yan looked at him with a smile. It was very hot, and after being on stage for a while, he had broken into a sweat, even his eyes glistened with moisture.

The host came over to cue them, saying many polite words about how Sheng's parents were too busy to attend the event, so they invited two good friends instead. He then kept complimenting Ning Song on how handsome he was. The photographer understood the mood well and gave Ning Song a close-up shot. When Ning Song's face appeared on the big screen, the audience erupted in screams.

Li Qingyuan was very nervous, stuttering as he spoke. It was Ning Song who remained composed, delivering many eloquent remarks. The big screen undoubtedly magnified his beauty; he was slender and photogenic, not at all overshadowed by Sheng Yan. Every expression and gesture of his was graceful and charming, and his speech was smooth and natural, causing constant commotion in the audience. Pu Yu, sitting in the audience, heard a girl next to him say, "Wow, even the ordinary people here are so handsome."

Shen Lingsi stared at the big screen, somewhat dazed. A friend who had come with him leaned over and asked, "Is this the person you can't have? I take back what I said about him being blind; it makes sense now."

Standing beside Ning Song, Sheng Yan listened as Ning Song said, "Ah Yan really loves music. In my heart, Ah Yan shines when he makes music, and I hope everyone can see that light. I want to tell him, the first time I heard you sing, I knew you would one day shine brilliantly! To us, you are more radiant than any morning glow!"

He intentionally exaggerated the last sentence, making everyone laugh, including Sheng Yan, whose eyes sparkled with tears. This moment of emotion transcended love, it was simply because of Ning Song himself. On the big screen, his features shimmered, and this young man ignited the summer, his tearful eyes captivating countless girls.

After this segment ended, they went backstage together with the host. Li Qingyuan said, "Thank goodness for you; if I had to do it alone, I'd have embarrassed Ah Yan terribly with my stuttering!"

Ning Song held out his hand and said, "Actually, my palms were sweating."

That was just like him, always putting up a good front!

Soon, Sheng Yan also arrived backstage during a commercial break. Staff members surrounded him, helping him change clothes and touch up his makeup. He and Li Qingyuan smiled at Sheng Yan, knowing it was now his solo performance.

Once Sheng Yan was ready, they headed back to the audience seats. Ning Song collected his phone from a staff member, and Sheng Yan called out to him. Ning Song stopped, and Li Qingyuan patted his shoulder before leaving.

Sheng Yan looked at him and whispered, "Thank you."

Ning Song smiled, "Are you going to sing 'Jasmine' next?"

Sheng Yan nodded.

Ning Song said, "I'm ready to scream."

Sheng Yan laughed, and Ning Song laughed too. Suddenly, Sheng Yan didn't want to ruin this perfect moment and said nothing more.

This was the best way it could be.

When Ning Song bent down to return to the audience, everyone inside was looking at him. The stage was alive with energetic performances and dazzling lights. Qiao Qiao grabbed the phone and shouted, "Aning, you're trending for being so handsome!"