119: Chapter 119 (Full Stop)

As Qi Wanyin finished singing the first chorus, the air in the playground seemed to sink along with it.

No in-ear monitors, no reverb, no pitch correction. Just one voice, one electric keyboard, and an open-air playground.

The LED lights hit the side of her face, and her long hair was blown up by the wind before falling back down.

"No need to wait for the lights to come on, no need to wait for anyone to look back."

As the second verse began, Li Li's fingers pressed firmly on the keys. He glanced ahead out of the corner of his eye.

Shen Jue was crouching in the camera's blind spot, crying like a sprinkler, with snot bubbles even appearing. Qin Xiaoshan stood beside him, half a sausage hanging from his mouth, his chewing motion noticeably slowing down. It wasn't that the sausage didn't taste good; it was that he was too preoccupied to chew.

Han Su stood straight at the edge of the playground, motionless, his Adam's apple bobbing twice.

During the bridge transition, Qi Wanyin's breath sank a level deeper.

"Walk out that door, and there is everything outside."

She sang this line very softly. So softly that Li Li's hands on the keyboard almost couldn't keep up.

It wasn't a technical issue.

It was because he had revised these lyrics seven times while writing them, and the final version differed by only two characters from what Qi Wanyin had said in the hallway.

"Someone hid for seven years, only to be unilaterally denied in the end."

The final chorus.

Qi Wanyin's eyes were wet. She didn't wipe them. Moisture clung to her eyelashes, sparkling under the streetlights, but her pitch didn't waver in the slightest.

Five minutes and thirty seconds.

The final note ended.

The playground was silent for three seconds.

The comment feed exploded. This wasn't a figure of speech—the server literally lagged for two seconds.

[I'm crying like a dog, does anyone understand?]

[Qi Wanyin is back!! The Qi Wanyin of the Chinese music scene is back!!!]

[If it's this explosive in an open-air a cappella performance, what will it be like in a recording studio??]

[The song was written by Li Li?? How many more skills does this guy have hidden away??]

Number of online viewers: 14 million. And still rising.

Qi Wanyin took a step back. She turned to face Li Li.

"Thank you."

The microphone picked it up clearly.

She turned back to the camera, her voice still nasal.

"This song, 'by name and surname,' is something I asked Li Li to customize for me. He did all the lyrics, composition, and arrangement, and he played it too. He did the work of four people; I'd be embarrassed to pay for only one."

Li Li stood up from behind the electric keyboard and walked in front of the camera.

"First, thank Sister Qi. She donated two million to our Qingcheng Orphanage."

The comment feed went wild.

Qi Wanyin raised her hand.

"Let me correct that. I donated one million. The other million was his fee for writing the song, which I sent directly on his behalf."

Li Li: "..."

"I added one hundred." She held her thermos. "I felt the song was worth that price."

"Sister Qi."

"Don't call me Sister Qi, just call me Sister."

The comment feed had gone crazy.

[Qi Wanyin × Li Li, new CP is out! I'm claiming this spot first!]

[Su Nianzhi, Jiang Rumu, Qi Wanyin, Li Li, who are you actually choosing!!]

Shen Jue was crouching off-camera, wiping his nose, frantically sending messages to the backstage team— "No! Don't ship them blindly! Brother Li is taken! He's taken!!!"

Of course, no one saw it; the comments were too dense.

A few different comments popped up in the feed:

[So what is this song actually about? Seven years... silver ring... being denied... isn't this the standard plot for a secret marriage?]

[Zou Xiaoou just got engaged, and Qi Wanyin sings this song; the timeline is too coincidental.]

These comments were pushed to the top. In a livestream with 14 million people, they were very conspicuous.

Qi Wanyin looked down and glanced at them.

She didn't answer. Nor did she deny it.

She looked up at the camera.

"I hope everyone can have a real, open love. The kind that doesn't need to be hidden."

The comment feed boiled over.

But she wasn't looking at it anymore. She turned and nodded at Li Li.

"Thank you, and thank you everyone."

Her canvas shoes stepped on the carpet as she walked out of the frame.

Her back was straight. Her steps were steady.

In the corner of the playground.

Tao Qianzhi held a thermos that had gone cold, his hand frozen in mid-air.

A scene popped into his mind. An entertainment news interview from a few years ago. The reporter asked Zou Xiaoou: "May I ask what the relationship is between Heavenly King Zou and Ms. Qi?"

Zou Xiaoou's expression was puzzled.

"Ms. Qi? Qi Wanyin? Ms. Qi Wanyin and I are just normal industry colleagues. Let's stop those rumors; they aren't good for me or for Ms. Qi Wanyin."

His secret wife at the time was addressed by him by name and surname.

Tao Qianzhi lowered his head.

by name and surname.

14 million people were listening to the song, but no one knew the weight of those four words.

He tightened the lid of his thermos and turned to walk toward the dormitory.

Some things were not his place to say, but he felt a tightness in his chest.

—

Li Li watched Qi Wanyin walk away, then turned to glance at the livestream.

15 million online.

The song was over, she had left, and it was time to wrap up.

He raised his hand toward the camera.

"Tonight was mainly Sister Qi's premiere performance, everyone disperse..."

A connection request popped up on his phone screen.

His thumb was already resting on the cancel button.

Then he saw the profile picture.

A side-profile photo of a gray and white husky holding a slipper in its mouth.

Jiang Rumu.

His thumb hovered above the screen.

The comment feed exploded first.

[Jiang Rumu??? Jiang Rumu is connecting???]

[Does the person who evaded taxes still have the nerve to show her face??]

[Jiang Rumu! Go for it! Don't be afraid of those paid trolls!]

Li Li clicked accept.

The screen split.

The moment the right side lit up, the comment feed froze for a frame.

Her high ponytail was tied neatly, loose strands fixed with hair gel, and a pair of silver earrings on her ears. Full makeup. Her base makeup was clean, her eyebrows sharp, and her lipstick was a true red.

A black slim-fit blazer with a white silk shirt underneath, the shoulders crisp and structured.

From head to toe, the whole person screamed three words: battle attire.

There was not a hint of the disheveled state of someone who had been "cursed by the entire internet for three days." No bare face. No red eyes. No playing the victim.

Li Li looked at her on the screen.

Beautiful.

Jiang Rumu tilted her head at the camera and waved at the audience.

"Hello everyone."

Shen Jue's head popped out from behind Li Li and shoved itself to the top of the screen.

"Sister Mu!!!"

Jiang Rumu smiled. "Little Juezi, what is that hanging under your nose?"

Shen Jue reached out to wipe it—the snot wasn't wiped clean yet.

"This is sweat! Training sweat!"

"Sweating on the nose. A new species."

Shen Jue's head was slapped back by Li Li.

At this moment, the comment feed flooded with a row of question marks:

[Why didn't she greet Li Li? She greeted Shen Jue, but not Li Li?]

[Did they have a falling out? Because of the tax evasion thing?]

[It's over, it's over, my CP is sinking.]

Jiang Rumu glanced at the comments and tilted her head.

"Do I still need to greet Li Li?"

The comment feed paused for a second.

Just this one sentence had enough information to chew on for half an hour.

But Jiang Rumu didn't give them the chance to chew.

She stepped back, and the camera zoomed out.

What was behind her was revealed.

A simple performance area. It wasn't big, rough but clean. Three young people were sitting in their spots.

On the left, a girl, fifteen or sixteen, holding an acoustic guitar, her fingers pressing on the strings, her fingertips white.

In the middle, a girl, sixteen or seventeen, sitting behind an electric keyboard, her shoulders tensed straight.

In the back, a boy, seventeen or eighteen, behind a drum kit, drumsticks gripped in his hands, constantly spinning—people repeat the same action when nervous.

Li Li stared at the screen.

The guitarist is Zhao Xiaoyu, who only started learning the instrument last year. The keyboardist is Lin Youran, whose goal is the Sichuan Conservatory of Music. The drummer is Zhang Mingxuan, one of the "fierce" older kids Jiang Rumu had mentioned.

When did they rehearse?

Someone in the comment feed asked:

[With over 10 million people watching, why not find a professional band?]

[Amateur players are going to crash and burn, right?]

Jiang Rumu looked at the comments, not in a hurry.

"They are children from the Qingcheng Orphanage. They are all very good children, and I am willing to be with them."

Qingcheng Orphanage.

Five words smashed into the comment pool. The livestream of 15 million people went silent for a fraction of a second—for a livestream, this was an astronomical level of silence.

Then the comment feed exploded in a different direction.

[Qingcheng Orphanage? Isn't that Li Li's orphanage??]

[She just said "Do I still need to greet Li Li" — because she is at his orphanage!!]

[When Jiang Rumu was being cursed by the entire internet for tax evasion, she was taking care of kids at the orphanage???]

Li Li sat in front of the electric keyboard, looking at the three children on the screen who were shaking with nervousness, and Jiang Rumu standing in front of them.

Full makeup, formal attire.

Not to look good on camera. But to back up the three children behind her.

Jiang Rumu turned back and made eye contact with each of the three children.

Zhao Xiaoyu's fingers landed on the strings again. Lin Youran sat up straight. Zhang Mingxuan's drumsticks stopped and were gripped firmly.

Jiang Rumu turned back to the camera.

"This song is called 'Full Stop'."

15 million people stared at the screen.

"It's been five years; it's time to draw a full stop."

She raised her right hand and pointed gently behind her.

Zhang Mingxuan's drumsticks went down.

Zhao Xiaoyu's guitar followed, the first chord played half a note off.

15 million people heard that off-key note.

Jiang Rumu didn't look back.

She opened her mouth.