Since she was going to sing, naturally, it couldn't be at Wanmin Restaurant.
Although Chef Mao probably wouldn't mind—he might even welcome it.
But Fang Qiu refused!
The reason was that she was thin-skinned and felt embarrassed to sing in front of so many people.
Heyu Tea House was also vetoed by Yun Jin.
Although the old veteran actors in the troupe sincerely loved their art, they loved it a bit too much.
In their eyes, aside from Liyue Opera, other music—including Rock 'n' Roll—was unorthodox and heretical.
Therefore, every time she came back after listening to Xinyan's rock performance, she would be nagged by them for a long time.
Reasoning with stubborn elderly people was simply too difficult. To suffer a bit less, she could only find ways to make up excuses.
In the past, her excuse was that she was going out with Master Fan's adopted daughter, Miss Xingyan, to discuss Liyue Opera.
The old veterans had asked Master Fan and, after receiving confirmation that such a person existed, they believed her.
And previously, when she told those old veterans that she was going out to eat with Fang Qiu and Hu Tao, it was clear that their impression of Fang Qiu was quite good.
Next time she wanted to go to Xinyan's concert, she could say she was going out with Miss Fang Qiu to discuss how to write opera.
That way, she wouldn't have to trouble Master Fan anymore.
But if those old veterans heard Fang Qiu singing, they would probably treat Fang Qiu with the same disdain they had for Xinyan.
Speaking of which, Xinyan's concert is in two days...
She had to remember that.
Thus, only one place remained.
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
"Sure, no problem. Wangsheng Funeral Parlor happens to have few people right now."
Hu Tao agreed immediately without the slightest hesitation.
So, after Fang Qiu snatched the bill and paid, the three of them walked all the way toward Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
The night was like water.
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was exceptionally quiet at night. Even though the light of the lanterns illuminated the front of the parlor brightly, it still carried a hint of eeriness.
At this moment.
On the second floor of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Quiet moonlight shone into the room.
At the desk, Zhongli was flipping through Sword and Fairy.
A good book was worth reading repeatedly.
In the book, it was the part where Jing Tian and the others rushed to the Divine Realm. Upon seeing Xi Yao, Xi Yao silently shed a single clear tear.
"Huu."
Zhongli gently exhaled a breath, picked up the slightly cool tea by his hand, and took a shallow sip.
"This kind of tea is best drunk when warm; once cool, the flavor is always somewhat lacking."
Zhongli sighed lightly, put down the teacup, and cast his gaze out the window.
A gust of wind blew past, and the osmanthus tree outside the window rustled as it swayed.
Was the weather turning cold?
Just then, a lively voice drifted over.
"Alright, Fang Qiu, you can start."
Hmm?
Zhongli raised his eyebrow and cast his gaze downstairs.
He saw three girls standing in front of the notice board; they were Hu Tao, Fang Qiu, and Yun Jin.
Yun Jin and Hu Tao sat on stone stools, while Fang Qiu stood quietly in front of them with her eyes gently closed.
Start?
What were they planning to do?
Just as Zhongli felt somewhat puzzled, as the wind stirred Fang Qiu's hair, a burst of gentle singing flowed from Fang Qiu's mouth.
"How far have we walked in silence..."
"The forever we agreed upon has broken the line; what we hoped would remain unchanged has all changed..."
Accompanied by the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the osmanthus tree, Fang Qiu's melodious and tactful singing voice drifted and circulated continuously in front of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
The breeze brushed past, causing the lanterns illuminating the front of the hall to sway.
Yun Jin stared blankly at Fang Qiu, whose figure swayed gently in the waning lights, and a line of clear tears slid from the corner of her eye.
This song was attached to the main text where Jing Tian returned to the Divine Realm and met Xi Yao.
When reading that part of the plot, she had already cried, cried until she lost her voice.
In a trance, she seemed to see Xi Yao sitting alone under the cold and desolate Divine Tree, quietly waiting for her beloved's return.
Waiting, waiting.
Ten years passed, twenty years passed, a hundred years passed, three hundred years passed, five hundred years passed, a thousand years passed, several thousand years passed.
The time was so long she no longer remembered how long she had waited.
She had forgotten the flow of time.
Finally, she waited until that familiar face appeared.
That face she could only see in her memories when she closed her eyes tight.
But, he was not Feipeng; he was Jing Tian.
Feipeng would never return.
She pretended to be very calm as she saw off Jing Tian and Tang Xuejian.
And so, Jing Tian left.
Taking Tang Xuejian, upon whom she had pinned all her hope and love, he left, and she returned to being one person.
No one knew that after Jing Tian left with Tang Xuejian, she shed a line of tears, just as no one knew the sorrow surging in her heart.
She would guard the Divine Tree and continue to wait, waiting for the person who would never return to come back.
And say one sentence to her.
"Sorry, I kept you waiting."
But Xi Yao knew better than anyone that Feipeng had already vanished between heaven and earth, and would never return...
Thinking of this, Yun Jin sobbed even more uncontrollably.
Hu Tao, sitting to the side, also couldn't help but wipe her tears.
She had read every single one of Fang Qiu's books carefully, so naturally, she also knew that the position where this song appeared in the book was that plotline.
It was Xi Yao.
That woman who waited for her lover for thousands of years.
At the second-floor window.
Looking at the osmanthus tree before him, rustling in the wind with falling leaves drifting down, Zhongli's gaze was profound as he fell into deep reminiscence.
"I wish to buy osmanthus to carry wine... but alas, old friends..."
After a long while, Zhongli sighed steadfastly, a touch of gloom faintly surging in his expression.
Wasn't Xi Yao in the book just the same...
After remaining silent for quite a while, he finally sighed deeply and once again cast his gaze toward Fang Qiu, who was singing at the emotional peak of the song.
"This child could actually come up with this form of expression. If one reads the book while accompanied by the song, it would indeed add a few degrees of feeling."
Zhongli nodded thoughtfully.
As the sound of the wind paused, the song ended.
Fang Qiu exhaled a long breath, expelling the repression in her heart from her chest. She looked at Hu Tao and Yun Jin, only to see them frozen in place.
"What's wrong? Why is no one speaking? Did I sing too uglily?"
Fang Qiu asked.
Her words had just left her mouth when she saw Hu Tao rise from the stone stool and reach out toward her face.
"Eh?"
Fang Qiu was stunned. Before she could react, Hu Tao reached out and touched her cheek.
"How did you manage to sing yourself to tears?"
Hu Tao wiped away the two lines of clear tears flowing down Fang Qiu's cheeks and said.
"Uh, did I cry?"
Fang Qiu was slightly stunned, only then realizing that the corners of her eyes were wet.
In her past life, when watching Sword and Fairy and playing Sword and Fairy, she had cried more than once.
She guessed that singing while recalling the memories made her too absorbed, so she shed tears unconsciously.
"To sing opera, one must first enter the role. To be able to sing until you cry yourself shows that Miss Fang Qiu sang with total absorption."
Yun Jin praised, "Miss Fang Qiu's singing is truly pleasant to listen to."
"Thank you for the praise, Miss Yun Jin."
Fang Qiu smiled slightly and said.
After a round of polite mutual admiration, Fang Qiu continued to sing the next song.
________________________________________
🌸 Help Love Bloom!
Our girls need a little push... and you can help!
💖 Gift for Everyone: Once we hit 50 Powerstones, I'll release +1 bonus chapter to warm your hearts.
🚀 Community Reward: If we reach 10 supporting members, we'll have a +5 chapter marathon across all stories! The romance won't stop.
👻 Come to our secret corner: Search for GirlsLove on (P). You know that's where the magic happens... 😉