Chapter 491 - Reaching the Summit
Students flooded into the auditorium like a surging tide as everyone searched for their seats.
Zhai Hao sat near the front row. As he looked around and spotted Nie Yan and Xie Yao walking in, he hurriedly waved them over.
Nie Yan and Xie Yao walked over to Zhai Hao and a few other friends sitting with him.
“Li Rui, Nie Yan is here!” Zhai Hao said. Ever since the incident with the Mo siblings, Zhai Hao and Li Rui treated Nie Yan as their sworn brother. If they heard anyone speaking ill of him, they’d be the first to stand up for him.
“Nie Yan, Class 3 sits here. I picked a few good seats for us,” Zhai Hao greeted.
“Thanks, Xie Yao and I will sit here,” Nie Yan said. There were too many people in the auditorium. He worried something would go wrong. So, he chose a seat in the corner for Xie Yao and himself.
“No problem! We’re brothers. This is only natural!” Zhai Hao laughed heartily.
Nie Yan and Zhai Hao smiled at each other.
“Today’s the graduation ceremony. Everyone is here. Many people want to meet you. You’re practically a celebrity in our school, after all. Even the people who never show up to class have come!” Zhai Hao said.
“Let’s wait until the graduation ceremony is over,” Nie Yan replied.
Everyone sat down. Xie Yao and Xia Ling were next to each other, giggling and whispering. From time to time, Xia Ling would look over in Nie Yan’s direction.
“You guys haven’t done that yet, have you?” Xia Ling asked.
“W-what, of course not!” Xie Yao denied in a fluster.
“Hehe. I figured Nie Yan wouldn’t have the guts either. If he tried to touch you, your dad would break both his legs,” Xia Ling giggled.
Only then did Xie Yao breath of sigh of relief. She then began berating Xia Ling for teasing her.
Gazing at the auditorium, and then at Xie Yao happily chatting and smiling next to him, Nie Yan felt a surge of warmth in his heart. It was as if he was in a dream. He could still recall how he would sneak peeks at Xie Yao from far away in his past life. At that time, just a simple glance would fill his heart with happiness. He never thought in this life he and Xie Yao would be together. The heavens worked in mysterious ways.
In the previous timeline, after attending the three-hour long performance, everyone dispersed. Nie Yan threw a final glance in the distance, where the beautiful Xie Yao sat with her friends. As of that day, they would live in different worlds. As realization dawned on him, he felt as if a giant hole was being carved out of his heart, as if he lost his soul. When he finally left, together with Zhai Hao, Li Rui, and Liu Xuchen, he made his way to a karaoke bar, where he drowned his sorrows in alcohol and sang until sunrise.
At the lowest point of his life, these brothers were always there for him. Even in his darkest days, when he met with tragedy and many people began shunning him, Tang Yao, Zhai Hao, Li Rui, and Liu Xuchen stuck with him through thick and thin. What he didn’t know in his past life was that Xie Yao hadn’t left him either. She had just used a different method, using her online identity as Yao Yao to be with him. It was a pity he failed to realize this at that time.
Thinking about his past life, Nie Yan realized all those painful memories were now washed away.
“How are things with you and Xia Ling?” Nie Yan turned to Zhai Hao and asked. He was rooting for these two. He hoped they would attain happiness and continue their relationship in this life as well.
As soon as Xia Ling was mentioned, Zhai Hao let out a heavy cough. “E-erm, same old, same old. I recently asked for her number, so we can stay in touch after graduation.”
Nie Yan faintly smiled. It was the same in the previous timeline. These two dated long distance for quite a few years before finally finding happiness together. Zhai Hao was as dense as a rock when it came to romance. It was only after graduating university that Xia Ling saw the good in him, and they got married.
As more and more people entered the auditorium, a blur of noise filled the hall. Everyone sat down in their seats. Before long, the principal walked up on the stage and went over the academic achievements of the year. He especially wasn’t stingy with praise when Nie Yan came up.
Everyone in the auditorium focused their attention on Nie Yan and started quietly discussing. He had both gazes of jealousy and admiration aimed at him, but he still remained calm. After experiencing so much in his two lives, this type of honour and attention was nothing to him.
After the principal finished their speech, the students began their performances. Due to Huahai High having many art students, each performance was of a fairly high quality.
“Jiang Yingyu is up next with her Dance of the Peacock,” Zhai Hao nudged with a mischievous smile.
“Oh? Aren’t you chasing after Xia Ling?” Nie Yan asked.
“T-this… I’m just appreciating the arts! It’s different!” Zhai Hao laughed.
Nie Yan was very familiar with Zhai Hao. This fellow wore his feelings on his sleeves. He was deeply devoted to Xia Ling. Even if Jiang Yingyu asked him out on a date, he wouldn’t necessarily accept. This was simply guy talk, who had the prettier face, who had the better figure…
Nie Yan didn’t have any special feelings toward Jiang Yingyu. As for her ending up marrying a rich businessman, whether this was right or wrong, he had zero desire to comment. Everyone had the right to decide how they wanted to live their lives. Sometimes people didn’t get a choice. He had no idea what her circumstances were in the previous timeline, or now. Whatever the case, blindly judging was wrong.
With a flip of the switch, the lights in the auditorium dimmed and the curtains rose. Jiang Yingyu appeared on the stage. With the spotlight shining down on her, she wore a pale yellow leotard. The entire audience fell silent and focused their attention on her.
Nie Yan heard a few whispers around him.
“Damn, Jiang Yingyu has the perfect body.”
“What a devilish figure!”
Jiang Yingyu started her graceful dance. Resembling a peacock in the moonlight, she mesmerized everyone’s hearts. Her nimble and flexible body was perfectly suited to dancing. This was presumably the reason why she got accepted into the Top Military Academy’s art department.
Her flawless figure and alluring legs filled the hearts of many people with desire.
Nie Yan picked up a few conversations here and there. Young men discussing how they’d give up 10 years of their lives for only a night with Jiang Yingyu. This was undoubtedly the sentiment of an overwhelming majority of the guys in the auditorium.
Nie Yan chuckled. In the previous timeline, he had once had similar thoughts about Jiang Yingyu. However, those were only the impulses of adolescence. After he matured, he realized he could never be together with a girl like her. He might have lusted for her before, but those feelings were only fleeting. His love for Xie Yao, however, was unshakeable and had followed for two lifetimes.
Nie Yan lost himself in the memories of his past life. To Xie Yao who was seated beside him, it looked like he was entranced by Jiang Yingyu’s performance. She couldn’t help but get slightly jealous.
“Are you enjoying the view?” Xie Yao whispered in Nie Yan’s ear.
“It’s not bad,” Nie Yan replied. Seeing Xie Yao pouting, he explained himself, “I’m just talking about her performance. She’s doing really good at expressing the elegance and charm of the peacock.”
Xie Yao had to admit that not only was Jiang Yingyu’s figure great but her dancing skills were superb too. This was an undeniable fact.
“Y-you know, I can also perform the Dance of the Peacock! It’s just that I haven’t practiced in a long time...” Xie Yao said.
“Oh really now? Why don’t you perform for me next time,” Nie Yan chuckled. Under the dim lighting, Xie Yao looked lovely. He gently pinched her hand. Her skin was exquisitely soft, causing his heart to tremble.
“Alright, I’ll show you when we get back home!” Xie Yao still wasn’t willing to lose to Jiang Yingyu.
“I hope it’ll be in that lace nightgown,” Nie Yan whispered into Xie Yao’s ear, a mischievous smile on his face. He could already picture the scene in his head. Xie Yao’s figure didn’t necessarily lose out to Jiang Yingyu’s. It was just that Jiang Yingyu was particularly flexible as a dancer. Xie Yao was also healthy and slender. Her growth was pretty good too, especially in the chest department. He could hardly cup his hands around those pair of mounds anymore. Furthermore, because she trained in Taekwondo, her legs were well toned. In a few years, she would mature into a world class beauty. He recalled their reunion many years later in the previous timeline. She was absolutely dazzling, brimming with a mature charm that made his heart palpitate wildly.
Xie Yao or Jiang Yingyu, both were goddesses in the eyes of men. If people were controlled only by lust and desire, they would be no different than animals. Love was what mattered the most. If it wasn’t for the fact that Xie Yao was too young, Nie Yan would’ve long since eaten her up.
Xie Yao’s face instantly turned as ripe as a tomato. After looking around and making sure no one else heard Nie Yan, only then did she feel relieved. However, her heart was still racing frantically. She pouted and gazed at the side of his face. He was simply too lecherous! However, he had already seen everything there was to see. So be it, she would dance for him. She wasn’t afraid!
Xie Yao would love nothing more than to bind Nie Yan to her will, and make it so that he wouldn’t even think about looking at other women, especially Jiang Yinyu. Other women were her rivals and would receive her full hostility.
Nie Yan and Xie Yao chatted for a while. After 10 more minutes, the dance ended.
Jiang Yingyu was like a dancing fairy. Her unique dance conveyed her youthfulness and beauty. On this stage, she was the sole star. This was her performing solo. As the lights dimmed with a click, and the spotlight focused on her once more, her dance had ended. The audience sighed, feeling a sense of disappointment that it was over.
However, everyone lifted their spirits and continued watching the following performances.
There were more dancers showing their skills, all of them talented in the art of dancing. But non were as eye-catching as Jiang Yingyu. One of the dancers, a good looking young girl, offered Nie Yan flowers as part of her act. However, Nie Yan couldn’t even remember who she was or where they’d met before, so he brushed it off with a laugh.
“Who knew you were so popular.” Zhai Hao nudged Nie Yan on the shoulder
Nie Yan chuckled. This seemed like something straight out of a movie.
“After you enter the Top Military Academy, make sure not to forget us brothers,” Zhai Hao sighed.
“Have you guys entered Asskickers United yet?” Nie Yan asked. In the previous timeline, Zhai Hao, Liu Rui, and Liu Xuchen were decently talented players.
“Yeah.” Zhai Hao nodded.
“Zhai Hao… want to reach the summit together with me?” Nie Yan smiled.
“Really?” Zhai Hao asked with a serious expression. His heart was set ablaze. Which man didn’t dream about being the best and rising to the top? He was filled with an inextinguishable passion!