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Wen Wei and Yang Tingfang both laughed at their son Jun Xuan's words.
Junxi, feeling embarrassed, shot a glare at his younger brother before pulling their parents over for a group photo.
"I want to join too! I want to!" Jun Xuan ran over and squeezed himself between Junxi and their mother, Yang Tingfang.
"What do you want? Aren't you going to wait for your brother-in-law?" Wen Wei teased his son.
"We'll take one with just our family first, and then brother-in-law can join later," Jun Xuan said with a grin as he wrapped an arm around Junxi's shoulders and planted a playful kiss on his cheek.
This warm scene was captured by the camera and noticed by Zhou Ziyan, who was running over from a distance.
"Uncle Wen! Aunt Wen!" he waved his hand. "Come take a picture with me too."
"Sure, sure! Your aunt just mentioned that after seeing Junxi, we should come see you. I didn't expect you to come find us first," Wen Wei said, patting Zhou Ziyan on the shoulder.
Zhou Ziyan exchanged a knowing glance with Xiang Han, who had followed him over.
Xiang Han quickly stepped forward, nodded at Junxi's parents, and obediently called out, "Uncle Wen! Aunt Wen! It's nice to meet you."
"And who is this?"
Zhou Ziyan wrapped an arm around Xiang Han's waist and pulled her closer as he introduced her. "This is my girlfriend, Liu Xianghan. Xiang Han, this is Uncle Wen and Aunt Wen; you addressed them perfectly."
"Brother Zhou Ziyan has a new girlfriend again," Jun Xuan remarked with a smirk, not holding back as he exposed Zhou Ziyan's romantic history in front of Xiang Han.
Zhou Ziyan didn’t bother defending himself. Xiang Han knew how many girlfriends he had had. But those women had never mattered to her.
The only one that had ever bothered Xiang Han was Wen Junxi, who had never been labeled as "Zhou Ziyan's girlfriend."
Zhou Ziyan always remembered the day when that talented art student confessed to Junxi while holding a sushi roll, and he was dragged along as a "boyfriend" to act as a shield. At that moment, he had thought about going along with the plan and turning the fake into reality.
However, before he could say anything, Junxi told him that the reason she rejected others' confessions was not because she didn't want to give them a chance, but because she didn't want to give herself a chance. She said that for the past four years, it was impossible for her to live solely for herself. For her, being able to continue attending university was already a luxury; she couldn't afford to waste that precious time on another romantic relationship.
Afterward, just as she had said, she busied herself working multiple jobs to earn money, leaving no time to even glance at men, let alone date.
Since there was a reason for her not wanting to date, Zhou Ziyan naturally was willing to wait.
At that time, Xiang Han only knew that Zhou Ziyan had someone he liked, but she didn't know who it was. She had been curious, not about who he liked, but why, if he truly cared for someone, he still sought out girlfriends.
Zhou Ziyan said, "I want to wait for her, but I'm afraid that if she knows I'm waiting for her, it will burden her. So naturally, I need to find some people to keep me company while I wait."
His flirtatious nature was merely a smokescreen; this reasoning seemed rather flimsy at first but became inexplicably touching upon reflection.
Later on, after getting drunk, Zhou Ziyan inadvertently revealed Junxi's name. It was then that Xiang Han realized the person he cherished so dearly was indeed his childhood sweetheart.
"You little rascal!" Zhou Ziyan rushed over and pretended to scold Jun Xuan. "You always expose my weaknesses. It's because of you that I never managed to pursue your sister back then."
"What do you mean pursue? When did you ever pursue me?" Junxi shot him a glare.
This guy really had no sense of discretion; with his girlfriend right there, he spoke so openly without considering whether Xiang Han might feel jealous.
"It's fine. My Xiang Han is magnanimous," Zhou Ziyan said as he nudged Xiang Han's shoulder and asked her, "Isn't that right?"
"No," Xiang Han shook her head without giving him any face.
"Ouch..." Zhou Ziyan pinched Xiang Han's cheek and whispered, "Is my family discipline not strict enough?"
Xiang Han ignored him and looked at Junxi instead. "I may be generous, but Junxi, you should remember your place; after all, in terms of seniority, you are now his little aunt. You can't just joke around without knowing the boundaries. Little Uncle might get jealous."
Junxi smiled.
Xiang Han also smiled.
"Hey, speaking of my uncle, why hasn't he arrived yet?" Zhou Ziyan turned around and glanced a few times.
The green field was bustling with people, but there was no sign of Zhou Xuanyu.
"Xuan Yu is on a business trip, but since he said he would rush back, he will definitely make it. Let's head inside; the graduation ceremony is about to start."
Wen Wei put an arm around Junxi's shoulders. Although the words were meant for everyone, Junxi knew it was her father's way of comforting her.
The graduation ceremony began promptly according to the schedule.
The speech by the student representative was scheduled before the cultural performance. When Junxi left her parents to wait backstage, Zhou Xuanyu had not yet arrived. Although it was understandable that he was busy with work, Junxi still felt a twinge of disappointment.
The stage was large, with the podium placed in the center.
Standing on stage, the intense lights shone down on her, making her feel inexplicably anxious. Her restless gaze scanned the crowd until she suddenly spotted Zhou Xuanyu at the entrance of the auditorium.
Zhou Xuanyu had arrived at some point. He did not sit with his parents Zhou Ziyan and the others but chose a conspicuous spot in the last row by himself.
In that moment, all the figures in front of her faded into the background; that man seemed to embody all the warmth in the room, shining brightly on his own.
He sat calmly and elegantly. Even from such a distance, she could see the encouraging smile curving at the corners of his mouth.
Junxi instantly felt empowered.
Her speech had been well-prepared, and combined with her heartfelt sincerity, she delivered it with poise. In those brief fifteen minutes, Junxi received thunderous applause three times, joyful cheers twice, and a moment of silent reflection... ultimately concluding perfectly.
Throughout this process, Junxi furrowed her brows at times, laughed lightly at others, bowed her head occasionally, and held it high at moments. Her tear-filled eyes sparkled with emotion, while Zhou Xuanyu's gaze never wavered from her.
She was such a vivid and real presence; his heart beat in sync with hers.
The speech concluded, and Junxi bowed in gratitude to the teachers who had educated them for four years, representing all the graduates seated in the front row.
This bow lingered for a few seconds, and when she lifted her head, she found Xue Waiwai had already approached the stage.
Xue Waiwai stepped up with a large bouquet of flowers, smiling as she handed it to Junxi.
"These are from Mr. Zhou," Xue Waiwai explained softly to Junxi. "But he said if he delivered them himself, it might give people the wrong impression that you were seeking attention, so he entrusted them to me."
Junxi looked at Zhou Xuanyu while holding the flowers; this was typical of him. He understood what today was about—this graduation ceremony belonged to every graduate present, not a place for them to flaunt their affection.
Zhou Xuanyu stood up, his hands tucked into his pockets, doing nothing but nodding at Junxi.
But Junxi knew he was saying, "You did well."
Yes, she did well. Wherever he was, she could do everything well.
Junxi embraced the flowers and stepped off the stage to the sound of applause.
Following her was the artistic performance segment that was a staple of graduation ceremonies.
The first group of performers was already waiting backstage. Junxi exchanged glances with the event coordinator and was about to go find Zhou Xuanyu when she was stopped by the coordinator, who exuded an artistic flair.
"Are you Wen Junxi? I'm Tim, the coordinator for today's event. Your speech was absolutely wonderful; even I, an old man who left school over ten years ago, couldn't help but tear up," Tim said enthusiastically.
"Thank you," Junxi replied politely, always cautious of such warmth from strangers.
"When you were on stage earlier, I heard people mention you. I heard you play the Gu Zheng?" Tim suddenly asked.
Gu Zheng... It had been a long time since she had touched it. If Tim hadn't mentioned it, she might have forgotten that she once had such a skill.
"Yes," Junxi said, looking at Tim. "May I ask why you're asking about that?"
"It’s like this. Tonight, we originally had a Gu Zheng performance scheduled as the third item on the program, and it was about to be their turn. However, the guest who was supposed to perform the Gu Zheng can’t make it due to some family issues. I really have no one else to find as a substitute, and I was wondering if you, Junxi, could help me out."
"Me?"
"Yes, you. Your voice was so impressive earlier; I thought you could definitely add a touch of brilliance to your alma mater's ceremony." Tim raised the banner of their school, effectively cutting off any chance for Junxi to refuse.
"But..."
"Wen, just consider this a favor I'm asking of you. Don’t say 'but'; time waits for no one, and it’s almost your turn to go on stage." Tim turned around and pointed to the Gu Zheng not far away. Next to it was the performance outfit.
It was a simple white long dress.
"We're all set. Fortunately, the program only states 'Gu Zheng performance' without specifying the piece to be played, so you can just go up and play any song to get through."
Junxi remained silent.
This request wasn’t unreasonable for her at all. The reason she hesitated was that she knew when she sat in front of the Gu Zheng wearing that white dress, Zhou Xuanyu in the audience would think of someone.
He would surely think of Lin Jingming.
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