Chapter 69: The Waters Run Deep—You Cannot Grasp Them!

Inside the gymnasium, at least a thousand students filled the space, a sea of heads surging. In the blink of an eye, silence fell. It was as if no one else existed; as the music began, he gently plucked the strings, and a sound as pure as the voice of heaven drifted through every corner like a spring breeze.

Just loving you is beautiful enough.
I have shed tears of happiness more than once.

Cheng Yao mastered pitch, rhythm, and timbre to perfection, gradually pouring emotion into his singing and voicing what was in everyone’s heart.

I tolerate your whims and your bad temper.
Devotion is all I have to offer.
In the next life, I may not meet you again,
So I cherish you now, not daring to be careless.
With all my strength, I love you carefully,
Afraid of losing you, afraid there will be no time.

Faces throughout the gym grew tense, and a ripple of excitement spread.

“This is incredible! Was his voice kissed by an angel or what?”
“This year’s Top Ten Singers is on a whole new level compared to last year. I mean, just look at him…”
“Want to bet? He’s definitely the champion.”
“Do you think if he became a celebrity, he’d get famous? Good-looking and talented…”

In the next life, I may not meet you again,
So I hold you tight, never letting go.
For this, I’m willing to give you all of myself,
Never letting you cry in grievance.

As the commotion subsided, the song drew to a close. Cheng Yao’s voice was calm, yet beneath that calmness was a depth of feeling that echoed the hearts of many.

When he finished, Cheng Yao bowed and left the stage.

Since he was the last performer, the Top Ten Singers contest had come to an end.

Next was the simple award ceremony. Cheng Yao stood at the center, holding the certificate of honor and the trophy, along with a cash prize of five thousand yuan.

The school’s forum exploded with excitement, but he paid it no mind. He edited a clip and uploaded it to TikTok, then left the gym.

By then, Wang Wenbo and the others were already waiting at the entrance.

Everyone had anticipated this outcome and had already agreed to celebrate that evening.

Cheng Yao glanced at the group. “You and Chen Qian…”

“It’s over,” Wang Wenbo shook his head, looking a little glum.

No wonder Lu Mengyao hadn’t shown up. If Chen Qian had broken up with Wang Wenbo, she naturally wouldn’t appear either.

Cheng Yao nodded lightly. “Let’s go. Hot pot?”

“If you’re buying, we have no objections. Let’s go.”
“Yeah, it’s way better than the cafeteria. I haven’t had hot pot in two weeks.”
“Didn’t we just have that spicy Japanese place on Saturday?”
Liu Hanyue rolled her eyes. “That Japanese place was awful. Influencer restaurants are such a scam.”

Cheng Yao sent a message to Zhang Ya, and sure enough, Lin Ketong replied, asking what company he was considering.

He didn’t respond right away and followed Liu Hanyue and the others out of the school gates.

Wang Churuo grinned, “Cheng Yao, you’re practically the new heartthrob of the university now. Most of the girls want a piece of you.”

“Priority in choosing a mate, huh!”

“How did I become the campus heartthrob? Is it really that easy?” Cheng Yao scratched his head, half amused, half exasperated.

Liu Hanyue shot back, “Don’t be so humble—it’s almost annoying.”

“Sigh, let me be annoying for once, just for fun. By the way, someone still owes me something, don’t they?”

Liu Hanyue crossed her arms over her chest, then lowered them awkwardly when she realized she had nothing to emphasize, and looked at Cheng Yao. “Alright, name it.”

“Now?”

“Yeah, now…”

Her wide, mischievous eyes sparkled; with so many people around, she was sure he wouldn’t ask for anything outrageous, so she was unfazed.

Just then, a familiar figure approached.

Wang Yuting waved, “Cheng Yao, congratulations!”

“Thank you, senior.” Cheng Yao smiled and nodded, glancing at her.

Wang Yuting came straight to the point. “I came to invite you to join the student council.”

“The student council?”

“Yes. Joining can improve your social skills—it really can help.”

Cheng Yao shook his head, changing the subject. “I’ll pass. I already have a lot on my plate. Senior, we’re just heading out to celebrate. Care to join us?”

“I’ll pass, I’ve got some things to attend to. You all have fun. By the way, could we add each other on WeChat? It’ll be easier to contact you in the future.”

“Of course, no problem.”

After exchanging contacts, Wang Yuting left.

Wang Churuo whispered mischievously, “I think her real reason for inviting you to the student council was just to get your contact info.”

“Who cares? Let’s get going. My sister’s already waiting.”

“Yeah.”

They took the subway and quickly arrived at Golden Eagle. Cheng Cheng waved, “Brother.”

She no longer felt awkward around Liu Hanyue and the others.

“Why did you bring it out?”

“It got poop on its backside and was all dirty, so I brought it for a bath. It’s still little, so it only costs twenty yuan.”

Cheng Yao nodded. “Go ahead. We’ll wait upstairs.”

“Okay.”

Since they’d already made a reservation by phone, there was no need to queue. Seven people sat at one table, and Cheng Yao ordered a generous spread.

As they ate and chatted, Cheng Cheng looked at him in awe. “Champion of the Top Ten Singers—impressive!”

“First out of tens of thousands in the whole school. Of course it’s impressive.” Wang Churuo was enjoying the conversation.

Cheng Cheng glanced at Cheng Yao, surprised at how capable her older brother really was.

Cheng Yao kept an eye on the forum. With some free time, he browsed the forum and TikTok—he used to prefer Weibo, but since it had become a cesspit of online drama and pseudo-feminist rants, he’d stopped visiting.

Half the posts were videos from the Top Ten Singers contest, which he found quite satisfying.

Liu Hanyue leaned over, her face full of disdain.

Cheng Yao ignored her and glanced at his private messages, noticing that Zheng Yuechan had messaged him again, requesting to exchange contact information.

He thought for a moment—if he remembered right, Zheng Yuechan was a manager in this field.

He tapped into her TikTok profile, and his eyes couldn’t look away.

He wasn’t sure if the woman in the videos was really her; the account didn’t have many followers, just a few hundred thousand. But what caught his attention was how stunningly attractive the woman was.

Until yesterday, he’d thought Lin Ketong had the best figure he’d ever seen, but now that was history.

Even more, she had a refined, elegant face—one of those women whose beauty grows on you, though she looked about thirty.

She was the kind of woman whose figure in short videos was simply explosive.

Cheng Yao guessed that even with both hands, she’d have trouble keeping hold.

Surely… it couldn’t all be surgically enhanced, could it?

He replied to her message decisively—not because of her looks or figure, but mainly to learn about companies and the manager’s business. They quickly added each other on WeChat.

Zheng Yuechan: “Good evening, I finally got in touch with you. It wasn’t easy!”

“Sorry, I just saw the message.”

“No problem. The contest is over, right? I listened to your last song—it was flawless. You absolutely have the potential to become a star. I’m a professional; you should trust my judgment.”

Cheng Yao: “…Actually, I’m not interested in being a celebrity. I plan to go solo.”

“Take my advice, this industry is deep water. You won’t be able to handle it!”

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