Crossing the Clouds and Sky to Fall in Love with You - Chapter 49

Tonight, Plato was packed as usual. I could clearly hear the cheers and screams coming from outside, as I was quite close to the stage. The TV in the room was like watching a live broadcast, allowing me not only to confirm the performers’ progress but also showing the view from the stage looking down at the audience.

I wasn’t in the lounge. The rehearsal room was currently occupied by members of “Banilla.” I was in the performance prep room, a small space right next to the stage. Even though I was close with Human-Faced Fish, this was my first time stepping into this space.

A space that belongs to the performers.

I wasn’t alone here.

Tao Yi’an had his eyes closed, looking completely relaxed and enjoying the live singing transmitted through the speakers. The Human-Faced Fish’s performance had just begun. Senior Saya was singing and dancing in sync with the music. For the next two hours or so, the audience below could fully indulge in their frenetic music.

Just watching this scene made my hands tremble.

I had attended a few rehearsals after Ivy left, but this kind of pre-show preparation wasn’t enough to calm me down… I was still very nervous. After all, I was only suddenly informed that I would be performing on stage with Human-Faced Fish today after I entered the rehearsal room!

That’s why I couldn’t eat dinner. Even though Senior Monk was very considerate and ordered me a six-inch Margherita pizza, which was usually a serving I could finish by myself.

“Xiaoning, do you understand why Saya said that to you?” Tao Yi’an suddenly spoke to me. It was his first sentence in the half-hour we had been in the prep room.

“What did she say to me?”

“‘Let him know that you, after leaving him, are doing better and are braver than before’—that line.” He finally turned to me, pushing his wheelchair slowly until he was in front of me.

“I don’t know.” I must have been pale with nervousness right now. “I don’t want to prove anything. Siqi and I are doing fine… And why use this method?”

He shrugged. “I’ll confess, this was actually my suggestion.”

“You?” I was so surprised I jumped up! “You!” So, I wasn’t just being thrown into the deep end; I was completely set up from the beginning?

“Mmm, and I think this is absolutely necessary for you.”

“I just feel like you guys are messing with me!” I sank my face, genuinely displeased this time.

He shook his head. “Do you remember what Lu Hanjun said to you last week?”

“Of course, I remember. And I think that was enough; he hasn’t bothered me since.”

“It seems you haven’t fully grasped his intentions. Let me put it this way… He hasn’t given up on you yet.” Tao Yi’an said with absolute certainty. “You’re right; to gain the status he wanted, he chose a ladder that could take him to the top. He’s clearly achieved his goal now, so he decisively dumped that arrogant woman and has come back looking for you.”

I couldn’t help but glare at him sideways. “You talk like you know him well.”

“As a man, I can understand his mindset.”

I sneered. “Siqi and I are not something he can interfere with.”

“He doesn’t care about that. Perhaps he’s already made multiple assumptions. He might believe you’re just being temporarily stubborn or pretending to date a girl to avoid his pursuit… even though we both know you’re not. Moreover, I’ve imagined the most likely scenario—what if Tao Siqi goes abroad again? Like before? Gone for six months or even longer.”

I was speechless for a moment. Tao Yi’an’s gaze, through his glasses, was so sharp it seemed to pierce through my thoughts. “My sister has come home twice recently, although just to peek in. Thanks to her willingness to be open with my mom, I’ve learned quite a bit about her plans.”

I was a bit surprised to know Siqi had secretly made time to go home in the last two weeks; she hadn’t told me anything! “So, you and her…” Did you make up?

He looked away. “We’re still in a cold war. Anyway, it shouldn’t be a huge fight like before. After all, after learning the most surprising truth, it’s been a while, and things should have calmed down. No matter how much I disapprove of her actions, she is still my sister.”

I smiled, inexplicably feeling relieved. “That’s good.”

He smiled too. “Back to you—even if she cares about you a lot, she has never given up on continuing to travel and pursuing her career. Xiaoning, that’s what she worries about most. Being beyond her reach.”

When she’s abroad, she can’t be by my side. Does her being beyond reach mean an opportunity for Lu Hanjun?

“Although it will be painful without Siqi’s company, I will prove that I can live my life! I’m not the same as before!”

He shook his head decisively. “I don’t doubt that. I’m worried about what unexpected thing Lu Hanjun might do to you. He’s not exactly a gentleman!”

I frowned, turned around, and sat back down on the sofa. “Talking so much, why not just hire a bodyguard for me! And what does this have to do with me getting on stage to sing?”

“It does.” He smiled smugly. “Do you know the most effective way to crush a man’s ego?”

“What way?”

“To shine brightly in a field he believes you can’t succeed in, especially when it happens to be his greatest strength, and this is still his stage.”

He turned his head sideways. The light illuminated half his face while the other half was shrouded in shadow, making him look strangely inscrutable. “Men aren’t afraid of the women they pursue being strong and dazzling; they are afraid when it overlaps with their own area of expertise. You were deeply hurt by him once, and because of that, you painfully gave up an innocent life… Against all this, simply finding another relationship and getting back on your feet is not enough. You need to slap him hard across the face to completely chase him away from your sight.”

And this “slap” would be delivered through my song, my ukulele, and… Human-Faced Fish’s final time slot at Plato.

I finally understood.

The real reason they went to such lengths to get me on stage to sing.

Yes! Lu Hanjun once controlled my life. Even though his departure led me to meet Siqi, he still came back, carrying excessive self-confidence hidden beneath that apology and humility.

The fact that he could heartlessly abandon me, then dump Ivy after achieving his goal, and then reappear in front of me as if nothing happened, is the best proof.

An arrogant man. And one who never knew repentance!

“You are no longer the Yu Xiaoning he can control. The quickest way is to do his most proud/skilled thing in a place that is familiar to him,” he emphasized again.

My left hand was still trembling. As we had this conversation, time continued to tick away. Senior Saya had just finished singing “Little Love Song,” and Plato was already packed, with everyone holding a cocktail, raising their glasses to cheer for them. 8:35 PM… There was less than an hour left until the changeover at 9:30.

They hadn’t called my name yet.

I instantly gripped my ukulele tightly.

“I understand, Tao Yi’an.” Taking a deep breath, I was finally persuaded and willing to go on stage. The nervousness I felt was now even more real.

But I wasn’t afraid. I had Senior Saya, I had Human-Faced Fish.

I touched the amethyst hidden under my collar.

I also had Siqi.

Lifting my head, I looked through the screen at the crowd of fans below the stage.

I suddenly wished… how wonderful it would be if she could be here in person?

9:12 PM.

One of the members of “Banilla” had just poked their head in. They had finished rehearsing and were getting ready to wait here.

After another song ended, Senior Monk sneaked into the prep room to use the restroom while Senior Saya was interacting with the audience. When he came out, he specifically reminded me, “It’s going to be your turn soon, Little One. We plan to have you sing the finale tonight.”

The finale!

Facing my surprise, Senior Monk nodded firmly. “You can do it.” He held out his fist, smiled at me, and hurriedly returned to the stage.

I turned my head and whispered, “Tao Yi’an! I’m the finale?”

“That’s entirely their arrangement. Maybe Saya and Jack think a mystery guest singing the finale will be the most shocking,” you calmly analyzed, resting your chin on your hand! That was completely unhelpful!

My heart had never been so out of control.

The finale!

Can I really sing in front of so many people?

While I was doubting myself, I heard Senior Saya interacting with the fans. “Next… usually I’d ask what you want to hear, and… you’d all shout ‘GLAMOROUS SKY,’ right?”

“Yes!” A group of people below the stage shouted “GLAMOROUS SKY.” That overwhelming roar was truly astonishing. Even without being on stage, I could feel the excitement.

“But tonight… we’re going to give you something special!” Some of the fans below cooperated with an “Ohhh,” making sounds of combined confusion and anticipation. “Tonight, we have a very, very mysterious guest who’s going to join me for the grand finale! This friend… is a great sister I’ve known for a long time. She’s really amazing, but she only recently started showing her talent in singing…”

“She’s really good at stirring up the atmosphere!” Tao Yi’an couldn’t help but chuckle. I couldn’t laugh at all; I just desperately took deep breaths to control my runaway heartbeat.

No! I… can I really sing? In front of everyone!

“Now, everyone please wait a moment while I personally invite her out!” As soon as Senior Saya finished speaking, she left the stage. Less than five seconds later, she slipped from the stage into the prep room.

The Senior Saya who appeared before me was sweating but looked relaxed and natural.

She exuded the charm of a born superstar.

The exact opposite of me.

“It’s time for you to take the stage, Little One.”

I clutched my chest, breathless before I even spoke. “Senior, I…”

“I know you must be extremely nervous right now, so nervous you feel like you might pass out at any moment. Actually, I feel this way every time before I perform at Plato, but once you stand up there, you’ll find you can’t see the people below.” She took my hand. Her clear voice, usually full of powerful energy, was incredibly gentle now.

“The spotlight is too bright. You can’t see them. All you see is the microphone in front of you and the ukulele in your hands.”

I forced a weak smile. “But I feel like, right now… I can’t sing it out!”

“Then wait until you can sing it out. They will wait. I guess Little Kai must have told you a lot, right? Stepping onto the stage is very important for you.”

“No matter how I sing, I can’t sing better than Lu Hanjun!”

“No, nobody is asking you to actually sing better than him.” Huh? I looked at my Senior Saya in surprise. She gently patted my face. “Just being able to stand on the stage and sing is already incredible. You did something you never thought you would do. That alone is enough!”

Is that alone enough? Just that alone…

My left hand, holding the ukulele, was already completely damp. I stared blankly at the instrument, and then the other door opened again. The “Banilla” members finally arrived.

This became the pressure that forced me onto the stage. “Let’s go! I’ve got your back!”

This was the last thing she said to me before going on stage.

I walked out of the prep room, following Senior Saya step by step onto this dream-like stage.

How many campus singers dream of stepping onto Plato’s stage? And I was standing here simply because I knew Human-Faced Fish.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone! Let’s welcome tonight’s mystery guest, Little One!” The one speaking was Senior Jack. He built up the atmosphere by drumming.

Walking the approximately ten-meter distance, I felt like I was blind, needing Senior Saya to practically guide me to the center of the stage.

The spotlight was very bright and hot. I truly couldn’t see the faces of the fans below, but the fervent passion of so many people packed into the same space, restless and excited, still transmitted through the surrounding air onto the stage.

“It’s her first time on stage, let’s give her a round of applause!”

The microphone was right in front of me. Now, all that was being transmitted through the speakers was my panting.

Two or three hundred fans in Plato were all staring at me, shaking and gasping for breath on the stage.

Sing! Say something, at least! “I… I’m going to bring you… ‘Little Love Song!'” No, I, my voice was trembling too much. My voice… so strained!

Senior Saya smiled beside me, nodding at me, pointing to my ukulele, signaling that I could start whenever I was ready.

I frantically searched for the right position on the fretboard. The pick I usually used couldn’t find the right angle in this moment.

What was the first note? What was the first lyric?

Overcome with nervousness, my mind was completely blank!

Even though I had practiced countless times, could I, having never stepped onto a stage, deliver a performance to everyone?

No! I’m shaking, I…

I can’t sing it out…