I Can Still Salvage It

Due to the tight schedule and urgent tasks, Shen Mian had missed one class in the past two evenings of self-study to rehearse with the dancing girls.

The practice room they used was next to Pei Zhiyi’s classroom, so when Shen Mian got tired from practicing, he would lean against the back door and catch a glimpse of his boyfriend.

Pei Zhiyi seemed to have a radar installed because whenever Shen Mian appeared sneakily at the back door, even though most of his body was hidden in the shadows, Pei Zhiyi instinctively turned around and locked his gaze onto him, bypassing the long row of tables.

Shen Mian would stick out his tongue and make mischievous gestures from afar, smiling in a cute and adorable manner.

He didn’t want to disturb Pei Zhiyi’s studying, so he would return after a while, back to the rehearsal room to practice with his classmates. He had a good personality, and although initially he only nodded with the dancing girls, after a few days of interaction, they became familiar with each other. When he got tired from practicing, the girls would give him ginger juice cola and biscuits, treating him like an icon.

When a girl got tired from dancing, she would take a look at Shen Mian’s music scores and hum the songs they were going to perform on New Year’s Day, asking Shen Mian, “Why do you want to sing this song? Do you like this movie that much?”

The final choice Shen Mian settled for was the theme song from the movie “Flipped.”

Shen Mian leaned against the mirror in the practice room. Of course, he couldn’t say he was singing it for his partner, but he couldn’t come up with any other answer, so he just smiled at the girl.

He had no idea how much impact his smile had. He already had delicate features, and the deep blue sweater made him look even more refined. His long and dense eyelashes drooped down, giving him a slightly shy appearance. He was like an arrow that hit the bullseye.

The girl couldn’t help but cover her heart, silently repeating to herself three times that she had a boyfriend.

But seeing Shen Mian smiling so sweetly, she suddenly felt a wave of happiness and started smiling too.

She thought, maybe the person Shen Mian liked would be sitting in the audience on New Year’s Day, which was why he chose that particular song.

.

New Year’s Eve was quickly approaching. Shen Mian and the others had already rehearsed the day before, and now they were waiting backstage.

In fact, Shen Mian had participated in several performances before, mostly helping his friends warm up the stage, so it wasn’t a new experience for him.

But that day, he was feeling a bit nervous. He sat in front of the mirror, waiting for the makeup artist to do his makeup and tried to be charming, saying, “Sister, make me look more handsome.”

The girl next to him burst into laughter, “That’s enough, Shen Mian. Do you want to be more beautiful than us and steal our spotlight?”

“How could that be? You all are naturally beautiful,” Shen Mian smoothly teased, “I can’t compare. I have to rely on the make up artsts skills.”

Everyone laughed even more, and the backstage was filled with laughter.

Because his makeup wasn’t done yet, Shen Mian looked at himself in the mirror from different angles, but he couldn’t tell if he looked good or not. Stage makeup was always a bit exaggerated, and he was worried about looking like a monkey’s behind.

It was really distressing.

Why was it so difficult to look cool in front of someone he liked?

Meanwhile, while he was preparing backstage, Pei Zhiyi had already taken his seat in the auditorium with his classmates. The performance hadn’t started yet, and there were conversations all around, discussing and commenting on the program lineup.

“Poetry recitation again. When will our school stop being so dull?”

“Let it be, let it be. They invited an outside singing and dancing group, not bad.”

“Lu Yue will have a piano solo. She’s my idol!”

…

Pei Zhiyi sat motionless in his seat, quietly becoming a background character, ignoring the subtle glances from those around him.

He looked at the program lineup, and Shen Mian’s performance was the sixth.

Song: “Let It Be Me.”

There were a few other dancers’ names listed afterward, but Pei Zhiyi ignored them completely, not even seeing them.

He vaguely remembered that that song was the theme song from a movie, perhaps about the blossoming love between two neighboring children.

.

The evening party started thirty minutes later, and it was finally time for Shen Mian’s performance.

Shen Mian had a good reputation in his class and grade, so the applause started before he even came out. Xu Jing and Han Chao even shouted Shen Mian’s name loudly, trying to create a superstar-like atmosphere.

But the supposed superstar Shen Mian felt a bit nervous.

He stood on the stage with his guitar, and the spotlight flashed on him, making it almost impossible to see the faces of the audience below.

However, he quickly found Pei Zhiyi.

…

In the dark auditorium filled with people, Pei Zhiyi stood out as if he had his own radiant glow, instantly catching Shen Mian’s attention.

Shen Mian didn’t know if it was because of his own heavy filter, but the moment he saw Pei Zhiyi, his heart started pounding again. It was as if he had returned to that night on his birthday when he cried and told Pei Zhiyi that he liked him.

Now, he had to confess his feelings to Pei Zhiyi once again.

The location had changed, the time had changed, and he had to confess to Pei Zhiyi once again, but the content and emotions were completely different now.

Shen Mian took a deep breath, and the crystals on his face sparkled in the spotlight, shining like stars.

He heard the sweet voice of the host announcing, “Now, please enjoy the performance brought to you by Class 2 of Grade 11, the song ‘Let It Be Me.'”

The auditorium gradually quieted down.

A few girls in white dresses positioned themselves behind Shen Mian, while he stood in front of the stage, gently strumming the guitar strings.

It  was not a lively song, but a gentle and soothing one, slowly confessing to his beloved.

Shen Mian sang:

“I bless the day I found you

I want to stay around you

Now and forever 

 Let it be me..”

His pure voice flowed through the microphone, filling the entire auditorium.

Everyone could tell it was a passionate and sentimental love song.

Shen Mian felt a little embarrassed. The entire audience consisted of his classmates, with the principal and teachers sitting in the front row. He even saw teacher Ding, who was staring at him on stage.

But through that performance, he was confessing his love to his partner.

It was essentially an early love confession, and he was exposing it to the whole school.

But he didn’t care about that anymore.

He just wanted Pei Zhiyi to understand his feelings.

Brother, loving you is not enough.

I want to be with you forever.

No matter how much time passes, I will love you.

He looked up at Pei Zhiyi in the crowd and gave him a gentle smile.

He stood in the center of the dazzling stage, performing only for one person.

.

From the moment Shen Mian appeared on stage, Pei Zhiyi’s gaze never left him.

Shen Mian looked even better that day than usual. The makeup artist didn’t disappoint him and put extra effort into his makeup. They drew scattered silver-blue stars under his eyes, attached sparkling crystals and even stuck lightweight feathers on the side of his head.

They even used deep blue-colored contact lenses.

Standing under the spotlight, he resembled an elf who had escaped from the forest—pure and ethereal, with deep emotions.

Although it wasn’t an upbeat song to set the mood, the atmosphere in the auditorium seemed to elevate.

Pei Zhiyi could hear whispers and murmurs from the people around, with girls whispering about how good-looking Shen Mian was and some even asking for his phone number.

In the past, he might have been displeased due to possessiveness, but at that moment, all the gossip seemed to fall on deaf ears.

His gaze was focused solely on Shen Mian in the center of the stage.

A hidden pride arose in his heart.

Even if everyone was captivated by Shen Mian, so what?

That boy, shining like a little sun, belonged to him and him alone, in the past and in the present.

They had never been apart since birth.

And they would never be apart in the future.

Pei Zhiyi couldn’t help but smile.

He softly hummed along with Shen Mian.

“So never leave me lonely, say that you love me only, say you’ll always, let it be me…”

.

The song Shen Mian sang wasn’t long. After finishing, he bowed to the audience, stood up straight, and gracefully smiled before blowing a kiss to the crowd.

The atmosphere reached a small climax, with everyone thinking he was thanking the audience, and some even whistling in response.

Only Pei Zhiyi knew that the kiss was meant for him alone.

In front of everyone, in the center of the stage, his boyfriend gave him a kiss.