Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 475: Red Rose and White Rose

Zhou Yuwen took Zheng Yanyan's phone to take a look and found a picture of Lu Lin. In the photo, Lu Lin stood alone under the dim streetlights, seemingly in one of the school's small pavilions, wearing a knit sweater paired with her black jeans.She had a new hairstyle, but she was truly thin.

"She's so thin she hardly looks like herself anymore," Zhou Yuwen commented.

"When did she get a new hairstyle?" Zhou Yuwen asked.

Zheng Yanyan hummed smugly, "Bet you didn't expect that."

"Isn't she beautiful? I permed Linlin's hair myself." The old Lu Lin always had long, straight black hair, but the Lu Lin in the photo now sported long hair with slight curls. Looking at Zheng Yanyan's triumphant expression, Zhou Yuwen found it hard to believe. "You actually have that kind of skill?" he asked.

Zheng Yanyan shot back, implying it was a piece of cake. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Someday I'll give you a perm too."

"I wouldn't dare risk it."

As they spoke, someone came over looking for Zheng Yanyan. It turned out that the Arts Department's performance had finished, and as the head, she needed to go over and give her members some instructions.

Zheng Yanyan asked Zhou Yuwen to wait for her, promising to be right back.

Zhou Yuwen nodded, telling her to go right ahead.

After Zheng Yanyan left, Zhou Yuwen chatted with Shen Yu for a while before she too was called away.

Zhou Yuwen noticed that Su Qing, who was in the distance, seemed to be bustling about but was actually doing nothing of substance.

He hesitated for a moment before walking over to greet her.

"I heard from Shen Yu that you passed your TOEFL," Zhou Yuwen said.

"Yes."

Su Qing nodded. Going to study abroad was one of her regrets from her past life. She already possessed more than enough professional knowledge, so going overseas was not really about learning something new; it was more about giving herself a grander stage.

Thinking about it now, their rebirth was actually quite nice. They were both able to make up for their respective regrets.

Behind the stage, the other students were rushing around in a noisy frenzy.

Zhou Yuwen asked Su Qing when she planned to leave.

Without looking at him, Su Qing hesitated for a moment before answering, "Next week."

This genuinely surprised Zhou Yuwen. So soon?

The main reason for his shock was that he had absolutely no idea.

He had specifically asked Tao Tian to accompany Su Qing to handle these matters, so why hadn't Tao Tian mentioned a single word to him?

Seemingly noticing his confusion, Su Qing clarified, "I was the one who told her not to tell you. You have a new relationship now, and I will never interfere with your life again."

For some reason, hearing her say this left Zhou Yuwen utterly speechless.

He decided to change the topic. "Actually, this is pretty good."

"You have your goals, and I have mine. We've both managed to make up for the regrets of our past."

Hearing this, Su Qing actually felt a surge of irritation.

Zhou Yuwen was always like this. He never wanted to face things head-on and always shied away from taking responsibility.

Everyone had said that getting a divorce was entirely her fault.

But the truth was that Zhou Yuwen could be far too passive at times. When faced with a problem, his first instinct was never to tackle it, but rather to just say that it was fine as it was.

That was not how a marriage worked.

Without knowing why, Su Qing could not stop her eyes from turning red.

She bit her lips, finally managing to hold back her tears.

Zhou Yuwen failed to notice her expression.

That was, until she spoke again.

Her expression had returned to its usual placid state. "I do not know what your regret is," she said.

"But my biggest regret was divorcing you."

"I tried to make up for it, but I failed."

"The reason I am going abroad is not to make up for any regrets, but simply to settle for the next best thing."

Su Qing stared at him as she delivered those words, pausing deliberately after every syllable.

Once she finished, Zhou Yuwen could only remain silent.

He wanted to say something.

But Su Qing no longer wanted to listen.

What could he possibly say?

The only thing he could say was something along the lines of: Ah, I already have Yan Yan and Linlin now.

I cannot just abandon them, right?

So, right as Zhou Yuwen opened his mouth to argue, Su Qing turned and walked away first.

It left him feeling incredibly awkward.

A man's wealth can mask all of his flaws.

In other words, to all other women, Zhou Yuwen might seem absolutely flawless. He was handsome, talented, and wealthy.

But only Su Qing knew the real Zhou Yuwen.

His feelings toward her were equally complicated. He could not say that he disliked her. In fact, on some level, he had always enjoyed the feeling of being pursued by her.

A man will encounter two women in his life: a white rose and a red rose.

If he marries the red rose, the white rose becomes a cold gleam of moonlight by the bed, while the red rose becomes a smear of mosquito blood on his clothes that he cannot wash off.

But if he marries the white rose, the red rose becomes an unforgettable cinnabar mole on his heart, while the white rose becomes a despised grain of rice stuck to his clothes.

"Yuwen!"

Just as his mind was wandering through countless thoughts, Jiang Xinyi called out to him.

He turned his head and asked how she ended up there.

Jiang Xinyi countered with her own question, "Why are you spacing out over here? I've called you several times already."

Zhou Yuwen let out a sound of realization. "Did you?"

Jiang Xinyi sighed helplessly. "My mother is outside. I came to get you so you can go say hello to her."

Zhou Yuwen chuckled in amusement. "Why did she come here?"

Come to think of it, he had not seen Liu Jing in a long time.

They had started off with a pretty good relationship, but somewhere along the line, they had both stopped caring much for each other.

Well, it was not exactly that Liu Jing disliked him.

It was just that when Zhou Yuwen found out Liu Jing had gone to look for Su Qing, it had made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

"What do you mean by that?" Jiang Xinyi asked, clearly dissatisfied. "Did you forget that my mother is friends with your principal? She came to watch the evening performance today."

"Oh," Zhou Yuwen replied plainly.

Seeing that he had nothing else to add, Jiang Xinyi grew angry and asked if he was not going to go see her mother.

"I probably don't need to, right?" Zhou Yuwen said.

"I still have a performance to do soon."

"Isn't your performance near the very end? My mom is already here, so there's no reason not to see her. Besides, it's not like you haven't met her before. Hurry up, let's go!"

With that, Jiang Xinyi grabbed him and dragged him off to see Liu Jing.

Zhou Yuwen knew that no matter how he looked at it, he really should go meet Liu Jing face to face.

And so, he allowed Jiang Xinyi to pull him all the way over to where Liu Jing was standing.

Liu Jing was currently chatting and laughing with the principal.

He had originally assumed that no school leaders would attend this evening gala, but to his surprise, quite a handful had shown up.

Many teachers were seated right in the middle, including their counselor, You Changjin.

Liu Jing still viewed Zhou Yuwen through a bit of a rose-tinted lens. Seeing him approach and take the initiative to call her Aunt Jing...

She was quite pleased. She gave a slight nod and smiled. "You're here?"

"Mom, Zhou Yuwen is going on stage to sing in a bit!" Jiang Xinyi bragged with a bright smile.

The principal was an intellectual and elegant woman. Pushing up her glasses with a smile, she said, "We specifically came here just for Yuwen. Director Liu, look at them. Standing together like that, they truly look like a match made in heaven!"

Liu Jing smiled and nodded. Indeed, setting aside his inner qualities, Zhou Yuwen's outward appearance was another aspect she highly valued. The first time they met, she never would have guessed that he was a freshman. He exuded an aura of mature reliability, which was only enhanced by the suit he had been wearing at the time.

Liu Jing reasoned that since her daughter had already slept with him, he was essentially her son-in-law anyway, so she should not always keep a stern face around him.

So, she took the initiative to ask, "What song are you planning to sing later?"

Zhou Yuwen replied that it would be a folk song.

Liu Jing nodded approvingly. She remarked that folk songs were wonderful, recalling that back when she was studying, many boys in her class loved singing them.

"Mom, people actually sang folk songs back in your day?" Jiang Xinyi burst out laughing at the thought.

Clearly displeased, Liu Jing scolded, "What are you laughing at?"

"Do you not believe me?"

Jiang Xinyi covered her mouth, giggling softly. "No, it's not that."

Zhou Yuwen stayed with them and watched a few more performances, which surprisingly included an act by Chang Hao and Li Qiang. The two of them had gone on stage to perform a cross-talk comedy routine.

Chang Hao looked as if he had been dragged on stage against his will, his face full of reluctance.

Li Qiang, on the other hand, played the role of a comedian and genuinely seemed to be enjoying himself.

Truth be told, Li Qiang was riding high on a wave of success lately. Even though his girlfriend was a bit older, she knew how to take care of him and could even share the burden of rent.

So what if she was older?

Didn't Old Zhou have a girlfriend who was five years older than him?

On top of that, Li Qiang was now the Vice Minister of the External Liaison Department. Everything in his life seemed to be moving in a positive direction.

As for Chang Hao, he had been incredibly stubborn at the start of the school year, absolutely refusing to join the Student Union. Yet, two semesters later, he had either suddenly figured things out or had a change of heart.

Nearing the end of his freshman year, he had unexpectedly joined the Student Union, which was precisely why he ended up partnering with Li Qiang for this performance.

The final punchline of their routine involved Li Qiang placing a green hat on Chang Hao's head—the classic symbol of a cuckold—and declaring, "This green hat suits you perfectly!"

The audience roared with laughter. Chang Hao promptly snatched the hat and slapped it onto Li Qiang's head instead, shooting back, "I think it suits you better!"

The crowd laughed even harder at that.

The two of them bowed and exited the stage.

Their act was scheduled fairly late in the lineup, but the comedic effect was undeniably great. Even the principal praised them, remarking that the two young men were quite good.

"The students these days are truly getting more and more interesting," the principal noted.

Liu Jing nodded in agreement.

Jiang Xinyi was laughing along with the crowd. She tugged on Zhou Yuwen's arm and asked, "I remember those two—aren't they your roommates?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

Distracted and still absent-minded because of the incident with Su Qing, Zhou Yuwen gave a perfunctory reply. He then told Jiang Xinyi that he needed to head backstage to prepare for his performance.

Jiang Xinyi nodded, briefly holding onto him to wish him good luck.

Smiling, Zhou Yuwen nodded back and assured her he would do his best.

Time slipped by unnoticed, and before they knew it, it was eight-thirty.

Shen Yu, who was filling in as the host, went through a spiel of customary formalities before finally announcing, "Alright, next up is the performance we have all been waiting for tonight!"

"Our musical genius, Zhou Yuwen, will be bringing us an original folk song—'North of Anhe Bridge'! Let's give him a huge round of applause!"

"Clap-clap-clap!"

Thunderous applause immediately erupted from the audience. Over the past year, Zhou Yuwen had built quite a reputation for himself. Not only had he composed several popular songs, but he excelled in both academics and the arts. He had even started a company and made a significant amount of money.

It was safe to say that he had already amassed a dedicated fanbase.

They were clapping wildly just hearing the title, without even knowing what the song was about.

The principal pushed up her glasses, her interest fully piqued. She turned to Liu Jing and remarked, "I never expected Yuwen to be this popular."

Liu Jing nodded. She was also harboring quite a bit of anticipation for his new song.

Backstage, Zheng Yanyan, who had stuck around the whole time, was practically jumping with excitement as she pulled out her phone to record a video.

"Ahhh! My hubby's new song! Linlin, you're going to regret missing this!"

The atmosphere in the venue was fantastic. Only Su Qing, standing quietly in the corner of the auditorium, felt a profound sense of loss as she listened to the familiar melody, not entirely sure why.

The curtains slowly parted to reveal Zhou Yuwen sitting perfectly in the center, a guitar resting in his arms. He began by unhurriedly tapping on the body of the guitar, creating a rhythmic beat.

The music resonated with a deep, rich tone, carrying an indescribable sense of sorrow.

At first, the audience had been brimming with excitement.

But when the music truly began, a wave of confusion rippled through the crowd.

The intro seemed a little too long.

"Let me look at you one more time, from south to north."

As Zhou Yuwen began to sing, his gaze unconsciously drifted over to Su Qing.

"As if the Fifth Ring Road has blinded my eyes."

"North of Anhe Bridge" couldn't exactly be classified as a masterpiece; it was merely a decent song. However, it was more than sufficient for an evening gala like this.

Zhou Yuwen hadn't really prepared much for the performance. The day he saw Su Qing in the auditorium, he simply felt a sudden urge to sing this particular song, overwhelmed by the memories of everything they had shared since they met.

Putting the lyrics aside, the melody itself was undeniably melancholic.

Then came the next few lines.

"I know those summers"

"Are like youth, never to return"

"And what replaces our dreams is just forced reluctance."

This song didn't even completely fit Zhou Yuwen's usual style. It was a good song, but to the listeners, it felt somewhat strange, as if it were missing a certain something.

Could it be because their expectations had been too high?

Regardless, after listening to it, an inexplicable sense of heaviness settled over their hearts.

Thinking about it, it made sense.

For the seniors, they were about to graduate. A person only gets to experience university once in their lifetime.

After today, they would truly be saying goodbye to their college days.

At that thought, the seniors sitting in the front rows couldn't help but feel a hot sting in their eyes.

The lyrics were somewhat mundane. Lines like, "The badass boasts we made back then, laughed off with our fading youth," and, "Leave me trapped in this city, to remember you."

"Let me take one more sip of autumn's wine."

Line after line, the words cast a somber mood over the audience.

Zhou Yuwen kept his eyes fixed on Su Qing.

He didn't even know why he had chosen to sing this song.

Zheng Yanyan, however, displayed a rare moment of brilliance. She nudged Su Qing's arm and whispered, "Hey, Su Qing. Zhou Yuwen definitely wrote this song for you! It's absolutely for you!"

Su Qing said nothing.

Her face didn't betray even the slightest fluctuation of emotion.

Meeting Zhou Yuwen's gaze.

Su Qing turned around and walked off to the backstage area without uttering a single word.

"Hey, Su Qing, why are you leaving?" Zheng Yanyan called out, somewhat irritated. She felt that Zhou Yuwen had already done more than enough.

Seeing Su Qing leave, Zhou Yuwen felt a wave of helplessness, but also a sense of relief.

Just like the lyrics he was singing.

"I know, that summer."

"Like our youth, will never return."

"So hello, and goodbye."

"So,"

"Hello,"

"And goodbye."

As the final lyric faded, the song came to an end. The hall was met with absolute silence for a brief second before erupting into a roaring ovation.

Within that applause were the genuine emotions of those who had resonated deeply with the song, suddenly realizing that their youth was gone forever.

And of course, there were Zhou Yuwen's devoted fans, whose frenzy had only escalated after hearing the performance.

Sure enough, his talent was truly unmatched.

Even Jiang Xinyi and Liu Jing thoroughly enjoyed the song.

In Liu Jing's own words, while the song might not have made her eyes light up the way his previous tracks had, the melody was undeniably thought-provoking. It was a solid, well-crafted song.

After Zhou Yuwen finished his performance, Jiang Xinyi went up to the stage to present him with flowers.

Zhou Yuwen offered a warm smile as Jiang Xinyi openly and confidently grabbed his hand, leading him down the steps.

Watching this from the sidelines, Zheng Yanyan was consumed by jealousy, practically biting down on her clothes in frustration.

When Zhou Yuwen reached Liu Jing and the others, she flashed him a subtle smile. "This song is beautifully written. How long did it take you to write it?"

"I wrote it quite a long time ago," Zhou Yuwen replied.

Since Zhou Yuwen was now standing in the audience seating area, many female students were openly staring and whispering about him.

Some could be heard saying he was so handsome.

"He really is so handsome."

Truthfully, Zhou Yuwen didn't have much interest in the rest of the gala. He asked Jiang Xinyi if they should leave first.

Jiang Xinyi nodded and agreed, "Of course we can."

Up on stage, the performances were still ongoing.

Shen Yu, the guest host, spoke into the microphone. "Alright, thank you to Zhou Yuwen for that beautiful song."

"Every gala must come to an end, and every song must reach its final note. But our youth will not simply be laughed off like in the lyrics. Years from now, we will still gather together. I hope that when that time comes, we will still hold onto our passions."

By now, Zhou Yuwen was already preparing to leave.

But then he heard Shen Yu continue from the stage.

"Next, please welcome Su Qing from Architecture Class 13-1, who will be bringing us the final performance of the evening."

"Who?"

"Su Qing?"

Su Qing had quite a bit of influence across the school. She was even on the verge of becoming the Student Union president.

Yet, out of nowhere, she had suddenly withdrawn from the union.

So why was she suddenly participating in a performance now?

Singing?

Wait, wasn't she completely tone-deaf?

The crowd stared with burning curiosity.

Shen Yu looked out at the audience.

And smiled gently.

"For the final song tonight, Su Qing will be performing..."

"Eason Chan's 'Red Rose'!"

"Let's welcome her with a round of applause!"

"Snap!"

The moment those words left Shen Yu's lips.

All the lights in the auditorium suddenly went completely dark!