Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 476: Do You Still Love Me?

The lights in the auditorium suddenly went out.The surroundings plunged into pitch-black darkness.

Then, with a loud snap.

All the spotlights flipped on.

They converged on the very center of the stage.

A figure dressed entirely in red stood right in the middle.

Compared to how she looked just a moment ago, she had indeed applied some makeup and put on lipstick.

However, it was not particularly stunning. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, and the long red dress wrapped tightly around her body, covering her completely.

Still, under the brilliant glare of the spotlights, it did a fine job of highlighting her figure.

Sparse applause began to echo from below.

Su Qing had a bit of a reputation in the Student Union, but there were still many who did not know her. Seeing this young girl take the stage now inevitably sparked some murmurs.

Standing on the side of the stage, Zheng Yanyan was genuinely surprised when she realized it was indeed Su Qing.

'Wait, isn't Su Qing tone-deaf?'

'Why is she singing?'

'Can she even sing well?'

In fact, Zheng Yanyan was not the only one harboring these thoughts. At the very least, all the friends who were familiar with Su Qing were curious about how she was going to sing.

At that moment, the prelude to "Red Rose" began to play.

It was a rapid piano melody.

It carried a slight jazz flavor.

Su Qing scanned the crowd and finally noticed Zhou Yuwen, their four eyes met.

The microphone on stage was the type mounted on a stand.

Su Qing reached out, cupping the microphone with both hands, and softly began:

"Dreaming a dream in a dream from which I cannot wake."

"The red placed under house arrest within the red thread."

The opening two lines were quite standard. This song inherently built up gradually. The initial melody was very flat, and Su Qing held onto the microphone as if she were pouring her heart out, line by line.

"All the stimulation leaves behind only exhausting pain."

"Remaining utterly indifferent."

Su Qing was tone-deaf, but if she practiced a specific song rigorously, she could still catch the tune. At the very least, up until this point, she had not gone noticeably off-key. Of course, she was not singing particularly well, either.

Some people even laughed, feeling that there was nothing special about it.

"When I embrace you from behind."

"The expectation is for her face instead."

"It is truly ironic to say, I do not quite understand."

"Yet I desperately crave for you to understand..."

Su Qing's singing was indeed quite ordinary, but her gaze made people involuntarily shudder. She was already exceptionally beautiful, and while singing this song, her eyes actually revealed a sense of heartbreak and feeling wronged.

Perhaps it was due to the glare of the lights.

Watching her, it felt as though she was on the verge of shedding tears.

Jiang Xinyi clutched Zhou Yuwen's hand tightly, gazing at Su Qing on the stage.

Meanwhile, Su Qing was indeed continuously staring right at Zhou Yuwen as she sang.

After finishing this line, the piano accompaniment required quite a bit of skill. It seemed Su Qing really had practiced specifically for this, as she actually managed to sing it correctly. However, while singing this line, she never stopped staring at Zhou Yuwen.

Zhou Yuwen knew exactly why Su Qing was singing this song. Carefully analyzing the lyrics, it felt as though the song was describing the two of them. And as Su Qing sang this song to him now, it was as if she were questioning him.

"Red Rose" was a song included in an album released by Eason Chan in April 2007, telling a story of love that was obtained but not cherished.

Actually, one could easily tell just by listening to the lyrics. The inspiration for this song originated directly from Eileen Chang's novel, "Red Rose, White Rose."

Just like the lyrics sang.

"Red is the cinnabar mole branded upon the chest."

"Red is also as mediocre as a smear of mosquito blood."

It was just like the relationship between Zhou Yuwen and Su Qing. During their university days, their love had indeed been vigorous and passionate.

But what about now?

The beautification of time left only that fleeting flutter of the heart.

It would eventually grind away all that excitement.

In truth, this song was probably not meant to question Zhou Yuwen.

As she neared the end of the song, Zhou Yuwen could not shake the feeling that Su Qing was actually talking about herself.

This was not Zhou Yuwen being narcissistic; rather, it was because tears clearly welled up in Su Qing's eyes as she sang the final parts.

Or perhaps, she was not just singing about herself either.

Instead, both of them were at fault.

After they got married, Su Qing had eventually started to grow tired of him just the same.

He remembered back in university, Su Qing had said she simply loved Zhou Yuwen's calm, uncontentious personality.

But what happened after they got married?

"Is happiness so light that it becomes too heavy?!"

"Overused until it brings neither itch nor pain?"

"Overripe and thoroughly red, leaving the pupils hollow."

"Finally hollowed out, finally having a beginning but no end?"

The essence of the song lay precisely within these two lines. The subsequent lyrics would change, but the melody remained the same, progressing gradually from low to high.

Everyone had originally assumed Su Qing would not be able to hit the notes, but to everyone's surprise, she sang entirely in tune. Nobody knew just how much effort she had poured into this single song.

Yet, this was undeniably her final song before heading to study abroad. As she sang, Su Qing never stopped staring at Zhou Yuwen. As their four eyes met, the lyrics inevitably dredged up all sorts of memories from their past!

"What cannot be obtained is forever in turmoil!"

"Those who are favored always act without fear?"

"The red of the rose, a dream so easily wounded..."

Singing up to this point, Su Qing paused for a moment. The entire venue was dead silent.

However, some could not resist whispering amongst themselves.

"This girl..."

"Why does it feel like she just went through a horrible breakup?"

"You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"She's Zhou Yuwen's first love. The two of them have been together since high school."

"Huh? You mean that entrepreneurial genius Zhou Yuwen?"

"Yes! That's him!"

"Isn't he with that Jiang..."

At the mention of this, the onlookers could not help but quietly cast their gazes toward Zhou Yuwen, who was still standing nearby and had not yet left.

At this moment, Jiang Xinyi was still tightly clasping Zhou Yuwen's hand.

But Zhou Yuwen simply kept his eyes fixed on Su Qing.

Hearing the whispers floating around them, Jiang Xinyi felt a surge of resentment.

She could not help but glare at the few gossiping spectators over there.

The spectators' voices paused for a second before they resumed their hushed murmurs.

"Su Qing chased after Zhou Yuwen for an entire year, you know!"

"Yeah, we all knew about it back then. She almost knelt down before him!"

"Sigh, I originally thought the two of them were going to work out. Who knew someone else would pop up and get in the way."

Just as everyone was softly discussing the drama.

At that moment, Su Qing sang the final two lines of the first half of the song.

Unlike the transition in the original track.

Su Qing deliberately paused for a second.

Then, as if slowly confiding in someone, the delivery felt even more poignant.

"Clenched in my hands, yet slipping through the crevices of my fingers."

"Falling through once again."

After singing those two lines, Su Qing lowered her head and took two slight steps back.

"Clap, clap, clap!"

The audience below began to applaud once more.

But what shocked everyone even more was what came next.

As Su Qing stepped back, the rhythm of the piano grew faster than before, sounding somewhat like a tango.

(Dun-dun-dun-dun-dun!)

Su Qing had originally been wearing a long red dress that wrapped her up tightly. People had actually found it quite strange, feeling that the long dress looked somewhat awkward and out of place.

Until this moment, flowing with the rhythm of the piano.

Su Qing reached behind her head and gently pulled out the hair tie securing her hair.

"Whoosh."

Along with the cascading fall of her smooth, flowing long hair.

The restrictive, fully-covering red dress fell right along with it.

Suddenly, it was like a magic trick.

The conservative long dress instantly transformed into a red slip dress.

The young girl on stage abruptly morphed into a mature, sophisticated woman.

The high slit of the red dress, the graceful curves of her slender waist.

Along with her exposed ankles and red high heels.

Every frown and smile on that stage was imbued with a completely different allure.

The rhythm of the backing track remained fast. Coordinated with the music, only the spot where Su Qing stood was illuminated by the spotlight, leaving the rest of the stage in absolute darkness.

Then, all of a sudden, a girl dressed somewhat in the style of Michael Jackson materialized out of nowhere.

It was a guest appearance by Shen Yu.

She wore a black suit with a white shirt left unbuttoned underneath, and a fedora perched on her head.

Su Qing stepped back. Her red dress contrasted beautifully with Shen Yu, the two bringing out the best in each other.

To everyone's amazement, the two of them actually began to dance a tango right then and there.

At this moment, Su Qing was bold and passionate.

She was like a completely different person from her usual self. This was especially true whenever she lifted her leg with clean, sharp movements. Clad in high heels, her long legs appeared exceptionally pale and radiant under the spotlight.

"Holy shit! She's a fucking goddess. Did she really kneel just to chase after Zhou Yuwen?"

"Why would I lie to you? Our entire college knows about it!"

"Zhou Yuwen is so badass!"

After finishing a segment of the tango, Su Qing picked up the microphone once more.

"Is it too heavy to speak of love?"

"Overused until it brings neither itch nor pain."

"Burning a fiery red, slithering and wrapping around the heart."

"Finally frozen, finally having a beginning but no end?!"

The rhythm of the song grew faster and faster, much like an interrogation directed at a beloved, with each subsequent line soaring higher than the last.

Tossing and turning, yet returning to just two lines.

"What cannot be obtained is forever in turmoil?"

"Those who are favored always act without fear."

By the end, it sounded almost as if she were simply screaming the words out.

"The red of the rose, a dream blossoming from a wound."

"Clenched in my hands."

"Yet slipping through the crevices of my fingers."

"Falling through once more."

As Su Qing sang the final notes, tears unconsciously slipped from her eyes. Unable to hold back any longer, she covered her face and wept.

Meanwhile, the audience below remained enveloped in total silence.

Whether Su Qing had sung well or not, no one really knew.

But it was truly an outpouring of genuine emotion.

Especially those final two lines: "What cannot be obtained is forever in turmoil."

Su Qing had screamed those two lines until her voice went hoarse.

At the end, she fell into a violent fit of coughing, yet she stubbornly held on.

At this moment, everyone was genuinely silent.

Especially after learning about the history between Zhou Yuwen and Su Qing, everyone was incredibly envious of Zhou Yuwen. Why did he have a first love like this, someone who had constantly followed him with such devotion?

If a girl treated them like this, they would swear never to let her shed a single tear in this lifetime.

This song felt like an interrogation of a lover.

Yet it also felt like agonizing remorse directed at oneself.

In short, it was a profound mix of emotions.

It forced countless people to respond with heavy silence.

That is, until an unknown person broke the stillness.

They started to clap.

Then, clap-clap-clap, the sparse applause swelled once again.

"If I were Zhou Yuwen, I wouldn't want anyone else. I'd only want Su Qing."

"Give me a break, you're not Zhou Yuwen. He has plenty of girls chasing him. The white moonlight might be nice, but his current girlfriend is a wealthy young lady!"

"Hmph, what's the use of being a wealthy young lady! That female is a whole six years older than him!"

Amidst the applause, such remarks were constantly bandied about.

This made Jiang Xinyi extremely unhappy. She even had the urge to grab Zhou Yuwen and just leave without a trace.

As for Zhou Yuwen, his mood seemed somewhat complicated. He didn't say a word, only asking her to wait a little longer.

The conclusion of Su Qing's song signaled the official end of tonight's gala.

Continuous applause rolled through the audience below.

Having finished her backup dance for Su Qing, Shen Yu let out a long sigh of relief. 'Thank goodness nothing went wrong. It's finally over,' she thought.

"Shen Yu, your dancing was pretty good. I didn't even know you could dance," Zheng Yanyan said with a smile as she walked over.

Hearing this, Shen Yu blushed slightly. "Ah? Don't even mention it," she replied. "I was panicking so much on stage just now, terrified I'd mess up the routine."

"Well, you did have two moves that weren't quite accurate."

Surprisingly, Zheng Yanyan pointed it out directly. Placing her hands on her hips, she said rather indignantly, "Honestly, you two! For something this show-stopping, you didn't even breathe a word to me!"

"I have such a great foundation in dance. Su Qing really should have sought me out as her dance instructor!"

Shen Yu instantly felt a bit awkward upon hearing this. "Ah, well..."

The audience was still clapping. By all rights, the event should have ended right there, and even the principal was preparing to leave.

Truth be told, she was highly satisfied with this gala. Su Qing's performance at the end, in particular, had left a profound impression on the principal. She had even gone out of her way to ask the teachers sitting below for the girl's name.

Then, bursting with pride, she asked Liu Jing, "So, President Liu, what do you think? Our school's students aren't half bad, are they?"

She completely failed to notice that Liu Jing's facial expression was rather stiff. It was only upon hearing the principal's question that Liu Jing managed a forced smile.

From the teachers, the principal learned that the girl on stage was named Su Qing.

She was originally expected to become the next president of the Student Union.

Unfortunately, she was soon leaving to study abroad.

"Leaving to study abroad? That truly is a shame."

Hearing this piece of news, Liu Jing's expression softened considerably.

Over on the other side, Zheng Yanyan was still complaining that she should have been involved in the performance.

Shen Yu, however, just smiled and assured her, "Alright, alright. Next time there's something like this, we'll definitely make sure you're a part of it."

"Let's stop chatting and quickly get on stage."

Just as Shen Yu was trying to wrap things up.

And just as the applause below gradually died down.

Su Qing stared intensely at Zhou Yuwen.

She raised the microphone. After a long moment, she slightly parted her lips. "Thank you,"

"Thank you all for listening to me sing this song."

Su Qing truly looked breathtaking in that red slip dress, and her voice was incredibly sweet.

Seeing her begin to speak, everyone stopped clapping, curious to hear what Su Qing was going to say.

Su Qing wiped the tears from her face.

With a wry smile, she admitted that learning this song had actually taken an immense amount of effort.

"Because ever since I was little, I've had zero talent for singing. I'm completely tone-deaf."

Laughter rippled through the audience below. People murmured, 'That counts as tone-deaf?'

'Didn't she sing pretty well?'

Holding the microphone, Su Qing continued, "Because next week, I'm going away."

"Originally, I wanted to just leave without a trace, but I didn't want to leave with any regrets. So, thank you all. Really, thank you all for listening to me finish this song."

Su Qing seemed to feel extraordinarily wronged. As she finished her sentence, the corners of her mouth had already turned downward.

She wiped away her tears. She did not know why, but she simply felt the overwhelming urge to cry.

Only after her emotions stabilized did Su Qing let out another long breath. She announced to everyone present, "Today is Zhou Yuwen and I's five-year anniversary."

"Whoa..."

The crowd instantly swiveled to stare at Zhou Yuwen. A five-year anniversary? Didn't that mean they had been together since their first year of high school?

No, had they been together since middle school?

It had been that long?

Faced with the numerous gazes shooting his way, Zhou Yuwen's expression remained perfectly calm. Because today was no dating anniversary.

Rather.

It was their wedding anniversary.

Zhou Yuwen watched Su Qing on the stage, waiting for her to continue speaking.

Su Qing wiped away her tears with her hand. Her voice was slightly choked with sobs as she said, "After he and I broke up, I listened to this song constantly. And then I..."

Su Qing covered her mouth, looking as though she was about to cry, yet no tears fell.

She forcibly steadied her emotions and continued, "And then I realized, I'm just like what the lyrics describe. I really... I regret it so much."

"That things between him and me have come to this today, it's entirely my own fault."

"We're already over."

"And I haven't harbored any thoughts of continuing with him."

"I just..."

"I just wanted to ask him one single question before I go."

Su Qing wiped her tears once more.

She sorted out her feelings, locking her eyes onto Zhou Yuwen.

She exhaled a long breath.

"Zhou Yuwen, do you still love me?"