Heartbroken and lovelorn

  After half an hour's subway ride, she arrived at an underground tunnel near Jiahe Square.

  Jiahe Square is the most prosperous area in G City, so this underground tunnel is bright and bustling with people day and night.

  A year ago, she happened to pass by this place and found that there were many people here, with some showing off their skills or selling small trinkets. She had an idea to use her spare time in the evenings to set up a stall here and draw sketches for passersby to earn some extra money. Perhaps it was heaven's blessing, or perhaps her drawing skills were not bad after all, but gradually more and more people came to visit, including office workers, students, and even little kids. Although she didn't earn much, every extra yuan counted, and so she continued doing this for a year.

  She habitually scanned her surroundings, found the usual spot, put down her backpack, took out a folding stool, an easel and several sample paintings, and started work for the night, only stopping two hours later.

  She stretched out her tired body lightly and looked about ten meters ahead naturally.

  A highly magnetic voice, singing out low and melancholic love songs, making people involuntarily follow the sound of the song to catch a glimpse of that handsome face, and can't help but fix their gaze on him. She is no exception, every time she gets tired of painting or business is slow, she always can't help but look for that figure, watching the man fully devoted to his performance.

  The man sang several new songs today, all of which were very sad, so she listened with great enthusiasm until the man stopped, and only then did she pack up her things and prepare to go home.

  Just out of the tunnel, the sky suddenly started raining, and soon it was pouring. She quickly took off her backpack to get out an umbrella, but just then a pedestrian rushed by, knocking her backpack to the ground. The impact was so great that the zipper burst open, and everything inside slid out, including her treasured paintbrushes, easel, and painting paper.

  She hastily squatted down to pick it up, letting the heavy rain hit her hair and body, soaking her entire body, blurring her vision.

  She had just picked up her things when an umbrella suddenly appeared above her head. Through the blurry vision, she saw a warm and handsome face with a smile, the smile seemed like a soft glow in the rainy night.

  It's him! The man who played guitar and sang in the tunnel!

  "Come, I'll take you there." He pointed to the tall building in front of him and said softly, his voice a little different from when he sang, but both were very pleasant, making people's hearts warm up unconsciously.

  So she didn't refuse and followed his footsteps quickly to the bottom of a nearby skyscraper.

  "Come on, first wipe off the rain." He casually threw the umbrella onto the ground and handed her a paper towel.

  Ling Yuqian only then discovered that his fingers were very long and white, belonging to an artist's hands. She couldn't help but gaze at his refined face again for a moment, reaching out to take the tissue with a "thank you".

  "By the way, I'm Xiao Yifan, and you are?" He added, seeing her not speaking, his handsome face showed a hint of embarrassment, "Sorry, I was too forward."

  Ling Yuqian continued to look at him, her cherry lips slightly parted, slowly uttering three words, "Ling Yuqian."

  A smile reappeared on his face, and his tone also became cheerful. "Ling... Yu... Xuan... is a very nice name. Do you often come here to paint? You know, at first I thought you were a rich girl just messing around, but later I saw that you almost never stop, I think you should be struggling for a living like me. And... looking at you up close, I found that your heart is also weathered."

  The moment he saw her, he was deeply attracted to her, not only because of her breathtaking beauty, but also because of the bitter and desolate aura that surrounded her, especially those eyes that seemed to hold countless stories, making him want to unravel and explore them, and he couldn't help but pay attention to her.

  His kind and friendly appearance, especially that warm smile, made Ling Yu Xuan involuntarily continue the conversation, "Yeah, I used to be a carefree rich girl, but now, I'm just an ordinary person who works hard to make a living."

  Her voice was still soft, almost drowned out by the sound of the rain, her eyes, washed clean by the rainwater, shone even more brightly, like two blue sapphires, deep and lustrous.

  And he, hearing this and looking at her sorrowful and painful face, felt as if his heart had been lightly pulled, and his warm voice revealed a hint of sympathy, "Your elegant and refined temperament remains unchanged."

  "Time can wear away everything." She struggled to hold back her sobs, continuing to stare intently at the dense rain in front of her, her eyes growing darker and more painful.

  Xiao Yifan fell silent for a moment, then changed the subject. "Are you free this Saturday night? I've participated in the TV station's new singer competition and this Saturday is the final round. If you're free, I'd like to invite you to come cheer me on. You know what my biggest dream is - to stand on that colorful stage and show off my singing talent, letting all of China and even the whole world know who Xiao Yifan is."

  In the end, his handsome face couldn't hide his excitement and pride, and his tone was even more high-pitched.

  Ling Yuqian gazed quietly, her heart racing and a faint ripple rising. Once, she had also been like this with him, full of confidence and imagination, dreaming of opening an art exhibition and becoming a world-renowned painter.

  What a pity...

  "In the next few days, I will be fully preparing for the final and won't be coming here to sing temporarily. This is my phone number, if you decide to come, call me anytime." He handed over a piece of paper with a row of flying dragon and phoenix-like handwriting.

  Ling Yuqian still didn't make a sound, but had already taken his phone number. At this time, the rain had lessened a lot. She took out her own umbrella and left him with a faint goodbye before walking into the rain.

  She had barely walked less than a hundred meters when she heard a sudden rush of footsteps approaching. She stopped in her tracks and turned around.

  It was Xiao Yifan, he ran with a gasp, no longer holding an umbrella, raindrops on his hair formed small white dots, and his eyes shone brighter and more determined, "Ling... Yuqian, please remember, as long as there are dreams, there is a future!"

  Facing his encouraging eyes, the moving feeling once again climbed onto Ling Yuqian's heart. She looked back at him steadily and nodded heavily before walking towards the bus station to catch the last bus after he showed a warm smile again.

  The bus moved forward slowly, she looked at his tall figure through the window, getting farther and farther away from her line of sight, with the words he had just said still echoing in her ears.

  As long as there are dreams, there is a future. Do I still have a future? In the past, I hoped to become a famous painter, bringing honor and glory to my ancestors, repaying my parents' kindness in raising me. Now, my dream is for our family to live in peace and prosperity, with enough food and clothing, and to cure my sister's illness, so that she can be a normal person again.

  Will this dream come true? Can one's own day and night hard work be exchanged for this seemingly simple yet extremely difficult dream?