Prelude to the Welcome Party

  The second day, early morning.

  The sunshine spilled all over the vast land, the early autumn leaves were still dark green and luxuriant, the birds hid among the branches, chirping happily. People began another busy day of life, full of vitality.

  Tian Tian was doing her homework on the table when Xu Yi Tian walked in, threw his backpack onto the table and sat down, remaining silent.

  Tian Tian raised her head and glanced at Xu Yi Tian's dark face, asking casually, "Who offended our young master Xu? Why is his face so gloomy?"

  Xu Yitian let out a low hum, his voice muffled, and lay on the table, refusing to speak.

  Tian Tian poked him and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

  "What's going on?" Xǔ Yìtiān got up from the table, saying angrily, "When I woke up in the morning, that little brat was gone, and all the money was gone with him."

  Tian Tian's face turned white in an instant, and she exclaimed "ah" in a low voice, saying "How could this be?"

  "It's not just that, he ate everything edible in our kitchen and even broke a Song Dynasty porcelain vase, which is an antique."

  Tian Tian rolled her eyes and muttered, "He's been making such a fuss, and you still haven't woken up? You're really just a pig..."

  Xu Yitian slammed his hand on the table, his bright eyes wide with anger. "What did you say? How dare you call me a pig! If it weren't for you letting that thief into our home, would we have been robbed? I didn't even get to eat breakfast this morning, and all the food was eaten by that little scoundrel."

  Tian Tian silently took out a delicate small cake from her backpack and handed it to Xu Yi Tian, saying "Here... you eat."

  Xu Yitian took it over without hesitation, tore open the bag, and started devouring it in big mouthfuls. With his mouth full, he said indistinctly, "I didn't think you still had a conscience. Actually, not much money was lost, I just didn't expect that kid to be a scammer, and your good intentions were wasted."

  Tian Tian suddenly felt a sour feeling in her heart, she didn't think that Xu Ge Tian was angry because of the child. She looked down at Xu Yi Tian's wolf-like devouring appearance and said faintly, "Sorry, I didn't think..."

  Xu Yitian waved his hand, the pink tip of his tongue licked his lips, "It's okay, you can just bring me a piece of cake from home every day, it's quite delicious."

  Tian Tian nodded and said casually, "The welcome party for new students is about to start, are you still looking for a singing partner?"

  Xu Yitian widened his sapphire-blue eyes and blinked twice, looking quite captivating. "You agreed?" he asked.

  "Right, why not agree."

  Xu Yitian shook his head and sighed, "A woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the ocean, it's really impossible to figure out."

  "Girl, I'm in a good mood today, but who knows, maybe I'll regret it tomorrow," Tian Tian said with a sly smile.

  "Don't embarrass me," Xǔ Yìtiān handed over the sheet music to Tián Tián, "Practice well and don't lose face for me."

  Tian Tian shot him a glance, "Do I look like that kind of girl?"

  "Treaty, aren't you going to let me be your female lead anymore?" Du Xiaomo poked Xu Yitian's spine and asked with a disdainful face.

  "Hey! Little fatty, don't use your little meaty hands to poke at Young Master's shirt!" Xǔ Yìtiān said with righteous indignation.

  "Look at you, when you're quiet, you look quite like a young master, but with one mouthful, the whole image is ruined," Du Xiaomo sighed, "It's really ruining the aesthetics."

  "Hey, little fatty, wipe the bread crumbs off your mouth first before talking, you're always eating at home. Ah, ah, ah, not yet? You're so clumsy!" Xǔ Yītiān said while holding a pen and turning it around, then gently brushed away the bread crumbs from Dù Xiǎomò's face with the pen.

  Du Xiaomo blinked her eyes and stared at Xu Yitian, muttering, "How did your mom give birth to you, your eyes are so beautiful."

  Xu Yitian burst out laughing, "She doesn't have this skill, I, the young master, had already chosen this face while still in my mother's womb."

  Then, Tian Tian, Du Xiao Mo and Cheng Yi were all black-lined, Cheng Yi sighed, "I didn't expect humans to have evolved to the stage where they can choose their own models..."

  "Get out!" Xi Yitian rolled his eyes.

  In the following days, Tian Tian devoted himself to studying the score, which was a vulgar song written by Xu Zitian. The content was roughly that it was difficult for lovers to end up together, and the lyrics were extremely ambiguous. The background was desolate, making people clench their fists in sorrow.

  Xu Yitian stood beside her, holding a small wooden stick and seriously instructing Tian Tian. Although this girl was bold and dared to do anything, in front of the five-line staff, she completely fell apart, unable to recognize those "small tadpoles". Xu Yitian had no choice but to switch to simplified notation, teaching Tian Tian one sentence at a time, and if all else failed, he would use the small wooden stick.

  Tian Tian wanted to go crazy, she also opened her eyes which were not smaller than Xu Yi Tian's at all, blinking and winking hard, making a pitiful face, but didn't get any sympathy. Xu Yi Tian looked at her with disdain and said calmly, "This trick has been used too many times by me, come up with a new one."

  Tian Tian fainted.

  She sang the wrong note again, closed her eyes tightly and leaned on the table, waiting for Xu Yitian's small wooden stick. But before the small stick hit her head, she heard a mocking voice, and the girl said, "Killing pigs, Tian Tian?"

  Tian Tian opened her eyes, gazed blankly at the girl for a moment, then turned cold and said in a flat tone, "I'll keep my voice down."

  "We've all been bullied by you for how many days, if not, let's change the partner! Xu Yitian, will you or won't you choose a person, don't give our class a bad name." The girl held a small mirror, tidied up her slightly messy hair, and raised an eyebrow.

  "Classmate, don't like taking detours, okay? Won't block your ears, right?" Du Xiaomo said casually.

  "Fatty, if you don't speak up, nobody will think you're mute, how is that? The heroine's position has been snatched away, and you still want to speak for others, are you an idiot?" The girl closed her compact mirror, saying mockingly.

  "You..." Du Xiaomo's face turned bright red as she pointed at the girl, unable to say a word.

  "Can you?" Xi Yitian said coldly, "You sing one, I'll listen."

  The girl looked at Xu Yi Tian, her facial expression began to soften, and she smiled lightly. "I won't, Xiao Wei will, she's been studying music since elementary school!" She said, pointing to the girl wearing a white school uniform, with shoulder-length hair and a slightly red face.

  The girl called Xiaowei heard someone calling her name and slowly raised her head, a faint smile spreading across the corners of her lips.

  Xu Yitian walked over, his hand on Xiao Wei's desk, and asked in a low voice, "Do you understand?"

  The girl nodded slightly, "A little..."

  "Why don't you apply for the program yourself? I'm afraid that if you go on stage with me, it will overshadow your own light." And as for Tian Tian and me, we two are the only ones suitable to perform together on the same stage. You're not qualified enough. Xu Yi Tian's eyes were serious, sharp, piercing through everything, unlike their usual sparkling brightness. His thin red lips lightly curled up, like a seductive rose petal.

  He stood up and said to Tian Tian, "Let's go outside to practice."

  "You shouldn't have let me be your backing vocalist." Tian Tian leaned against the railing, gazing down at the crowd below from the sixth floor, her expressionless face a mask, the strong wind whipping her disheveled hair into a frenzy as she narrowed her eyes, losing focus.

  "Then who is it?" Xǔ Yì tiān raised an eyebrow.

  "Whoever it is. I've never participated in this kind of activity, except for that one damn sports day. And to make matters worse, I even fainted, how embarrassing." Tian Tian said with a self-deprecating smile.

  "You've never talked about your past," Xǔ Yìtiān said slowly, looking at her.

  "It's too painful, so I don't dare," Tian Tian smiled lightly. "But it's also good to spend every day quietly and peacefully like this."

  "Was your childhood very dark?" Xu Yi Tian asked tentatively.

  Tian Tian nodded slightly, "Being pushed down from the rooftop, my brother was kidnapped, I had a feud with the triad boss, got into fights, and bloody. Tonglin Mountain almost swallowed me whole, as an orphan, I only have myself to rely on to become stronger." The words omitted the terror that came from the darkness, the inner struggle, it's just that lightly written.

  Xu Yitian let out a soft sigh, the wind blowing into his eyes made them slightly sour. That girl, she had gone through things that weren't supposed to be her burden at this age, it was as if she had lived for over a decade, yet never truly happy.

  Tian Tian seemed to have guessed what he was thinking, and she said, "I'm so happy, those years. I had my lovely little brother, who was like the crystal ball of the Little Prince, radiating dazzling light, music, and crisp sounds. No matter what happened, the Little Prince would do his best to protect it. With it, the Little Prince had the motivation to live on, it was the Little Prince's faith. But one day, the crystal ball suddenly disappeared, and the Little Prince also became dull." Tian Tian smiled bleakly, "It turned out that the crystal ball was the Little Prince's soul."

  "It's a good story," Xǔ Yìtiān smiled and asked softly, "Can the crystal ball be found again?"

  "The crystal ball has its own life too, it doesn't just sprinkle snowflakes and play music for one person."

  "Then find another one!" Xu Yitian shrugged his shoulders, "They're all over the street, haha! Several dozen yuan each, do you want one?"

  This guy is really not serious, always with a playful and irreverent attitude. Tian Tian swept him a boring glance, said indifferently, "No need." Then, she quietly returned to the classroom.

  It arrived with a swagger, amidst the anticipation of most people and the fear of a small handful.

  The city's First Middle School has a large cultural and sports activity center, where all major events are held. Under the leadership of teachers, students from each class found their seats and sat down, with girls and boys chatting and laughing together.

  In the distance, a sea of black heads surged forward. On the stage, various special effect lights were placed, occasionally shining towards the audience seats. The huge stage was shrouded in darkness, with only one beam of light shining on the host, who stood upright, holding a microphone and announcing the start of the welcoming party in a clear and melodious voice.

  At this moment, Tian Tian and Xu Yi Tian were preparing for their performance backstage. Xu Yi Tian had moved the piano from home over here, with its sleek black cover hiding the black and white keys underneath, looking elegant and luxurious.