Ning Mufeng was standing under a streetlight at this moment. Just now, because of Lin Anyan’s posture, the person curled up on the sofa also appeared from the phone’s camera screen.
He looked at the delicate figure on the sofa and blinked, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
Who was this person?
The lighting in the lounge was dim, and the person on the sofa had a low hat pulled down. Ning Mufeng couldn’t recall who this person was, no matter how hard he tried.
He had no memory of this person.
As Ning Mufeng was about to take a closer look, the person on the sofa stood up and quickly disappeared from the screen.
Ning Mufeng had no way to confirm, but combining Lin Anyan’s reaction just now, a bizarre suspicion emerged in Ning Mufeng’s mind.
He hesitated and said, “Is that Wang Qing?”
Upon hearing Ning Mufeng’s voice, Lin Anyan realized he hadn’t ended the video call yet. He looked at his phone and said, “You’re really soft-hearted. He’s already scheming against you, and you still don’t hold a grudge.”
Evidently, this revealed that the person was indeed Wang Qing.
Ning Mufeng smiled gently and said, “It’s not a big deal, just a performance.”
“Anyan, you know, if it weren’t for your sake, I wouldn’t have participated.”
Ning Mufeng paused and added with a worried tone, “But since he injured his leg, it’s better not to let him go on stage.”
“You tell everyone for me, I’ll rush back immediately. I believe everyone will understand.”
“Just give me ten minutes.”
Lin Anyan glanced at the stage entrance and said, “He’s already on stage.”
“I see,” Ning Mufeng’s smile faded a bit, and he thought for a moment before saying, “Then be more considerate, so as not to cause trouble and make everyone unhappy, after all, Wang Qing is still injured.”
“I’ve already bought water cups over here, and I’ll be back soon.”
“Alright.”
***
Ruan Qing had already arrived at the stage entrance, and he glanced at the lobby outside.
The venue had a tiered seating arrangement, with one row higher than the next, and it was filled with students, so much so that there was no more room for them to sit.
Because there were no seats left, many students stood at the back or in the aisles, crowding the entire venue.
Most of the audience was highly excited, waving their fluorescent sticks, resembling a popular idol’s concert.
These people were clearly there for Ning Mufeng, indicating how high his popularity at the university was.
The more people admired Ning Mufeng, the harder it became to find the culprit.
Because every admirer of Ning Mufeng could be a suspect, it was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
It seemed that an incident had to occur for any clues about the culprit to surface.
But Ruan Qing didn’t want to be that clue.
Even if he became the target of the culprit, he had to leave the stage alive. If the culprit intended to murder him, they would undoubtedly make a mistake.
On the stage, two round spotlights illuminated the scene, one focused on the emcee, and the other on the grand piano in the center of the stage.
The dim lights highlighted the magnificent piano, as if waiting for its player to arrive.
This was Ning Mufeng’s private piano, which he had moved from his home to the school for the performance’s sake.
It seemed that even if the performer had changed, the event staff hadn’t removed the piano. It was clear that nearly everyone had disdain for the original host.
Even if the original host had secured a slot in the performance, people would likely just laugh at him.
Ruan Qing didn’t pay much attention to the piano; instead, he discreetly looked towards the audience seats.
The culprit might be among them.
It was highly probable that the culprit was in one of the front rows of the audience seats, the best spot to watch the performance. The culprit wouldn’t miss it.
The only uncertainty was whether the culprit knew in advance that Ning Mufeng’s performance had been replaced.
This culprit’s methods were different from the previous instance. They disguised the murders as accidents, and their techniques were extremely sophisticated.
If the culprit was unaware of the performer change, the chances of something going wrong during the performance were relatively low. After all, they hadn’t prepared for this scenario and wouldn’t dare to act in a crowded place.
However, if the culprit knew in advance, the performance would be extremely dangerous.
Maybe he would die on stage.
The emcee was just finishing the announcement when he walked off the stage. As he passed Ruan Qing, he cast a mocking look at him, with a hint of contempt in his eyes, just like Lin Anyan.
Ruan Qing paid no attention to the emcee’s sarcasm and carefully noted the first three rows of students. He casually picked up a flute as he passed by backstage and slowly walked onto the stage.
Ruan Qing was a piano player, but he wouldn’t dare to touch Ning Mufeng’s piano.
He had already taken Ning Mufeng’s performance slot, and if he dared to touch Ning Mufeng’s piano, he would probably have a hard time leaving the stage alive.
The backstage lighting technician saw someone coming up, but regardless of who it was, they diligently carried out their duty and focused the spotlight on Ruan Qing.
As the audience below saw the person on stage more clearly, the cheers weakened, and questions began to arise.
“Is that Ning Mufeng? Why doesn’t he seem quite like him?”
“I feel the same way, and Ning Mufeng doesn’t seem to have worn clothes of this color, has he changed his style recently?”
“What change in style? Isn’t this guy supposed to be the school grass? Who is this person? Where is the school grass?” (T/N: School grass referred to a student who is not only academically successful but also considered attractive or handsome.)
“No, didn’t they say that the closing performance tonight was by Ning Mufeng?”
“Aren’t they deceiving us? I came here for Ning Mufeng, and now you’re telling me it’s not Ning Mufeng performing??”
“Yeah, what a waste of my time! I’m speechless!”
“Get off the stage!”
The audience began to directly express their dissatisfaction, and many people were getting emotional, and some even left the venue directly.
Ruan Qing had no mood to pay attention to the clamor, which told him to get off the stage.
He walked to the piano, adjusted the microphone’s height, and then placed the dark green flute by his lips.
The next moment, a melodious flute sound filled the air.
Smooth and melodious, like a song and a cry, it was like a gentle breeze blowing through the mortal world, stirring up a thousand layers of resonance. The lingering sound seemed to touch the depths of people’s hearts.
Because of the microphone and the noisy atmosphere, the sound he produced was actually quite light, and it was almost inaudible. However, for some reason, the noisy audience had calmed down a bit and was now listening with a mixture of disdain and seriousness.
“His flute playing still has some level of skill, but it’s not as impressive as how Ning Mufeng plays the piano.”
A classmate nearby, listening attentively, immediately made a disdainful expression and chimed in, “Exactly, who wants to listen to him play the flute?”
“His flute playing is just average, a far cry from Ning Mufeng. I really don’t know where he gets the courage to replace the school grass.”
Although the audience wore expressions of disdain, they still gazed at the young man on the stage.
The young man on the stage wore somewhat oversized clothing, looking delicate and slender. Due to wearing a hat, only a glimpse of his fair chin was visible.
Although his appearance couldn’t be seen clearly, many people had an intuitive feeling that the young man on the stage must have an outstanding appearance.
The dim yellow stage lighting cast a gentle and enchanting aura on the young man, making people feel unusually calm in their hearts.
It was as if time had slowed down imperceptibly.
The audience gradually fell silent, even speaking in hushed whispers, no longer reacting as intensely as they had at the beginning.
In reality, Ruan Qing wasn’t as relaxed as he appeared. He wasn’t focused on the flute playing but remained highly vigilant of his surroundings.
After entering the venue, he hadn’t consumed anything or touched anything. His death couldn’t be attributed to poisoning or similar issues.
If the murderer intended to kill him, it would only be possible by using something present in the venue.
What could the culprit use?
An explosion? An electrical malfunction? The chandelier?
As Ruan Qing continued to play, he seemed to hear a faint sound, like something breaking.
And that sound was coming from above him.
It was the chandelier!
Some people in the audience also seemed to have noticed something and began shouting in fear, “Be careful!!!”
“Get out of the way quickly!!!”
“Ahhh!!!”
Because Ruan Qing had remained vigilant of his surroundings, he didn’t get caught off guard. He didn’t even raise his head. Upon hearing the sound, he swiftly moved backward.
He judged that he could evade it, at most suffering from some minor injuries from the falling chandelier fragments but not a fatal outcome.
It shouldn’t be a big deal.
Unexpectedly, someone was quicker than him.
After some students in the audience noticed something was amiss, one of them swiftly climbed onto the stage and forcefully pushed Ruan Qing aside.
Ruan Qing, trying to avoid the attention of the students, couldn’t react in time and was pushed directly.
The next second, there was a loud crash.
Ruan Qing had just narrowly avoided the crystal chandelier, which fell and smashed onto the grand piano below.
Ruan Qing, unable to stabilize himself after the push, fell heavily to the ground. The falling chandelier knocked his hat off, revealing his original appearance with slightly disheveled hair.
However, Ruan Qing was too focused on the pain to care about his appearance. The force of that person’s push was too strong, combined with the weight of the student, he fell hard to the ground, and his head also took a significant blow.
“Ouch!” The pain pierced through Ruan Qing, and he instinctively tilted his head, his hair slightly disheveled, his brows furrowed, and his vision momentarily blurred, with a hint of mist in his eyes.
Not only was his head injured, but his ankle also twisted due to the delayed reaction. This time, his foot was genuinely injured.
The male student who had pushed Ruan Qing quickly helped him up, saying, “Are you okay, classmate?”
The male student’s words were cut short halfway through.
Not only the male student but the entire venue fell into complete silence. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Although the audience and the stage were not particularly close, they could still clearly see the redness in Ruan Qing’s eyes due to the intense pain.
Tears welled up in Ruan Qing’s eyes, and his long eyelashes trembled like wings. And because of the crystal chandelier, a shard grazed his face, causing a minor cut, bleeding slightly.
Ruan Qing’s naturally fair skin looked even paler with this hint of blood, giving him an alluring yet somewhat fragile appearance, but the misty layer in his eyes added a touch of vulnerability.
However, due to the eye corners and the tear mole, he gave off a sense of purity and temptation.
Not only was there one chandelier on the stage, but the other chandeliers had also been turned on by now.
The dim yellow light poured down from above, casting a soft glow over Ruan Qing, as if he was draped in a dawn-like halo, making him breathtakingly beautiful.
The eyes of the onlookers couldn’t help but be drawn to the redness in Ruan Qing’s eyes.
Ning Mufeng was standing under a streetlight at this moment. Just now, because of Lin Anyan’s posture, the person curled up on the sofa also appeared from the phone’s camera screen.
He looked at the delicate figure on the sofa and blinked, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
Who was this person?
The lighting in the lounge was dim, and the person on the sofa had a low hat pulled down. Ning Mufeng couldn’t recall who this person was, no matter how hard he tried.
He had no memory of this person.
As Ning Mufeng was about to take a closer look, the person on the sofa stood up and quickly disappeared from the screen.
Ning Mufeng had no way to confirm, but combining Lin Anyan’s reaction just now, a bizarre suspicion emerged in Ning Mufeng’s mind.
He hesitated and said, “Is that Wang Qing?”
Upon hearing Ning Mufeng’s voice, Lin Anyan realized he hadn’t ended the video call yet. He looked at his phone and said, “You’re really soft-hearted. He’s already scheming against you, and you still don’t hold a grudge.”
Evidently, this revealed that the person was indeed Wang Qing.
Ning Mufeng smiled gently and said, “It’s not a big deal, just a performance.”
“Anyan, you know, if it weren’t for your sake, I wouldn’t have participated.”
Ning Mufeng paused and added with a worried tone, “But since he injured his leg, it’s better not to let him go on stage.”
“You tell everyone for me, I’ll rush back immediately. I believe everyone will understand.”
“Just give me ten minutes.”
Lin Anyan glanced at the stage entrance and said, “He’s already on stage.”
“I see,” Ning Mufeng’s smile faded a bit, and he thought for a moment before saying, “Then be more considerate, so as not to cause trouble and make everyone unhappy, after all, Wang Qing is still injured.”
“I’ve already bought water cups over here, and I’ll be back soon.”
“Alright.”
***
Ruan Qing had already arrived at the stage entrance, and he glanced at the lobby outside.
The venue had a tiered seating arrangement, with one row higher than the next, and it was filled with students, so much so that there was no more room for them to sit.
Because there were no seats left, many students stood at the back or in the aisles, crowding the entire venue.
Most of the audience was highly excited, waving their fluorescent sticks, resembling a popular idol’s concert.
These people were clearly there for Ning Mufeng, indicating how high his popularity at the university was.
The more people admired Ning Mufeng, the harder it became to find the culprit.
Because every admirer of Ning Mufeng could be a suspect, it was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
It seemed that an incident had to occur for any clues about the culprit to surface.
But Ruan Qing didn’t want to be that clue.
Even if he became the target of the culprit, he had to leave the stage alive. If the culprit intended to murder him, they would undoubtedly make a mistake.
On the stage, two round spotlights illuminated the scene, one focused on the emcee, and the other on the grand piano in the center of the stage.
The dim lights highlighted the magnificent piano, as if waiting for its player to arrive.
This was Ning Mufeng’s private piano, which he had moved from his home to the school for the performance’s sake.
It seemed that even if the performer had changed, the event staff hadn’t removed the piano. It was clear that nearly everyone had disdain for the original host.
Even if the original host had secured a slot in the performance, people would likely just laugh at him.
Ruan Qing didn’t pay much attention to the piano; instead, he discreetly looked towards the audience seats.
The culprit might be among them.
It was highly probable that the culprit was in one of the front rows of the audience seats, the best spot to watch the performance. The culprit wouldn’t miss it.
The only uncertainty was whether the culprit knew in advance that Ning Mufeng’s performance had been replaced.
This culprit’s methods were different from the previous instance. They disguised the murders as accidents, and their techniques were extremely sophisticated.
If the culprit was unaware of the performer change, the chances of something going wrong during the performance were relatively low. After all, they hadn’t prepared for this scenario and wouldn’t dare to act in a crowded place.
However, if the culprit knew in advance, the performance would be extremely dangerous.
Maybe he would die on stage.
The emcee was just finishing the announcement when he walked off the stage. As he passed Ruan Qing, he cast a mocking look at him, with a hint of contempt in his eyes, just like Lin Anyan.
Ruan Qing paid no attention to the emcee’s sarcasm and carefully noted the first three rows of students. He casually picked up a flute as he passed by backstage and slowly walked onto the stage.
Ruan Qing was a piano player, but he wouldn’t dare to touch Ning Mufeng’s piano.
He had already taken Ning Mufeng’s performance slot, and if he dared to touch Ning Mufeng’s piano, he would probably have a hard time leaving the stage alive.
The backstage lighting technician saw someone coming up, but regardless of who it was, they diligently carried out their duty and focused the spotlight on Ruan Qing.
As the audience below saw the person on stage more clearly, the cheers weakened, and questions began to arise.
“Is that Ning Mufeng? Why doesn’t he seem quite like him?”
“I feel the same way, and Ning Mufeng doesn’t seem to have worn clothes of this color, has he changed his style recently?”
“What change in style? Isn’t this guy supposed to be the school grass? Who is this person? Where is the school grass?” (T/N: School grass referred to a student who is not only academically successful but also considered attractive or handsome.)
“No, didn’t they say that the closing performance tonight was by Ning Mufeng?”
“Aren’t they deceiving us? I came here for Ning Mufeng, and now you’re telling me it’s not Ning Mufeng performing??”
“Yeah, what a waste of my time! I’m speechless!”
“Get off the stage!”
The audience began to directly express their dissatisfaction, and many people were getting emotional, and some even left the venue directly.
Ruan Qing had no mood to pay attention to the clamor, which told him to get off the stage.
He walked to the piano, adjusted the microphone’s height, and then placed the dark green flute by his lips.
The next moment, a melodious flute sound filled the air.
Smooth and melodious, like a song and a cry, it was like a gentle breeze blowing through the mortal world, stirring up a thousand layers of resonance. The lingering sound seemed to touch the depths of people’s hearts.
Because of the microphone and the noisy atmosphere, the sound he produced was actually quite light, and it was almost inaudible. However, for some reason, the noisy audience had calmed down a bit and was now listening with a mixture of disdain and seriousness.
“His flute playing still has some level of skill, but it’s not as impressive as how Ning Mufeng plays the piano.”
A classmate nearby, listening attentively, immediately made a disdainful expression and chimed in, “Exactly, who wants to listen to him play the flute?”
“His flute playing is just average, a far cry from Ning Mufeng. I really don’t know where he gets the courage to replace the school grass.”
Although the audience wore expressions of disdain, they still gazed at the young man on the stage.
The young man on the stage wore somewhat oversized clothing, looking delicate and slender. Due to wearing a hat, only a glimpse of his fair chin was visible.
Although his appearance couldn’t be seen clearly, many people had an intuitive feeling that the young man on the stage must have an outstanding appearance.
The dim yellow stage lighting cast a gentle and enchanting aura on the young man, making people feel unusually calm in their hearts.
It was as if time had slowed down imperceptibly.
The audience gradually fell silent, even speaking in hushed whispers, no longer reacting as intensely as they had at the beginning.
In reality, Ruan Qing wasn’t as relaxed as he appeared. He wasn’t focused on the flute playing but remained highly vigilant of his surroundings.
After entering the venue, he hadn’t consumed anything or touched anything. His death couldn’t be attributed to poisoning or similar issues.
If the murderer intended to kill him, it would only be possible by using something present in the venue.
What could the culprit use?
An explosion? An electrical malfunction? The chandelier?
As Ruan Qing continued to play, he seemed to hear a faint sound, like something breaking.
And that sound was coming from above him.
It was the chandelier!
Some people in the audience also seemed to have noticed something and began shouting in fear, “Be careful!!!”
“Get out of the way quickly!!!”
“Ahhh!!!”
Because Ruan Qing had remained vigilant of his surroundings, he didn’t get caught off guard. He didn’t even raise his head. Upon hearing the sound, he swiftly moved backward.
He judged that he could evade it, at most suffering from some minor injuries from the falling chandelier fragments but not a fatal outcome.
It shouldn’t be a big deal.
Unexpectedly, someone was quicker than him.
After some students in the audience noticed something was amiss, one of them swiftly climbed onto the stage and forcefully pushed Ruan Qing aside.
Ruan Qing, trying to avoid the attention of the students, couldn’t react in time and was pushed directly.
The next second, there was a loud crash.
Ruan Qing had just narrowly avoided the crystal chandelier, which fell and smashed onto the grand piano below.
Ruan Qing, unable to stabilize himself after the push, fell heavily to the ground. The falling chandelier knocked his hat off, revealing his original appearance with slightly disheveled hair.
However, Ruan Qing was too focused on the pain to care about his appearance. The force of that person’s push was too strong, combined with the weight of the student, he fell hard to the ground, and his head also took a significant blow.
“Ouch!” The pain pierced through Ruan Qing, and he instinctively tilted his head, his hair slightly disheveled, his brows furrowed, and his vision momentarily blurred, with a hint of mist in his eyes.
Not only was his head injured, but his ankle also twisted due to the delayed reaction. This time, his foot was genuinely injured.
The male student who had pushed Ruan Qing quickly helped him up, saying, “Are you okay, classmate?”
The male student’s words were cut short halfway through.
Not only the male student but the entire venue fell into complete silence. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Although the audience and the stage were not particularly close, they could still clearly see the redness in Ruan Qing’s eyes due to the intense pain.
Tears welled up in Ruan Qing’s eyes, and his long eyelashes trembled like wings. And because of the crystal chandelier, a shard grazed his face, causing a minor cut, bleeding slightly.
Ruan Qing’s naturally fair skin looked even paler with this hint of blood, giving him an alluring yet somewhat fragile appearance, but the misty layer in his eyes added a touch of vulnerability.
However, due to the eye corners and the tear mole, he gave off a sense of purity and temptation.
Not only was there one chandelier on the stage, but the other chandeliers had also been turned on by now.
The dim yellow light poured down from above, casting a soft glow over Ruan Qing, as if he was draped in a dawn-like halo, making him breathtakingly beautiful.
The eyes of the onlookers couldn’t help but be drawn to the redness in Ruan Qing’s eyes.
