Am I Also a Love Brain

Tonight, the living room of Chen Zhi's house was even livelier than during the Chinese New Year.

"Oh, Second Aunt, just put your mind at ease!"

Zhang Guifang sat cross-legged in the middle of the sofa, sending a barrage of voice messages to the family group chat. "Tonight at eight, Zhejiang TV! Yes, yes, yes, the show with the spinning chairs! Our Wanwan is going to be on TV! What do you mean whose Wanwan? Lao Lin's daughter, my future daughter-in-law! Oh, they aren't married yet, but it's only a matter of time..."

Lao Lin, who was usually mature and steady, sat in front of the TV, looking unusually nervous.

Chen Zhi sat in the corner of the sofa, holding half a watermelon in his arms.

Looking at a room full of adults, he found it funny but also felt an inexplicable sense of warmth.

Ever since the college entrance examination ended and he and Lin Wanwan finally confessed their feelings, the relationship between the two families had grown even closer. Zhang Guifang, in particular, wished she could directly transfer Lin Wanwan onto their family register.

"It's starting, it's starting! Quiet!"

Following a passionate drumbeat on the TV, the host Hua Shao finished reading a long list of sponsors.

The scene shifted, and the stage lights suddenly dimmed.

With a snap, a spotlight hit the center of the stage.

On the TV screen, a girl in a simple white dress stood there quietly, holding a microphone.

The Lin Wanwan on the screen looked quite different from the girl he usually saw—the one who wore a school uniform, climbed over balconies, acted spoiled, and gave him hickeys.

Wearing light makeup and her hair styled in soft curls, she seemed to be glowing under the halo of the stage lights.

She was breathtakingly beautiful.

As expected of my girlfriend, Chen Zhi thought to himself.

The prelude began, a low and narrative piano melody.

Lin Wanwan raised the microphone and closed her eyes, her eyelashes casting small shadows on her cheeks.

"My dear, where are you hiding in a daze~"

"What's on your mind that you still can't let go of~"

The moment her singing voice came out, Chen Zhi felt that the watermelon in his hands was no longer sweet; no matter how sweet it was, it couldn't compare to Wanwan.

Her voice was ethereal with a hint of huskiness, like an unsent love letter from a first love, full of emotion, instantly capturing the audience's ears.

The camera gave a close-up of the four mentors; Na Ying's hand was already hovering over the button.

Both families held their breath, quietly watching Lin Wanwan shine on the stage.

On the TV, the song reached its climax.

"You are the love I never want to lose touch with in this lifetime..."

"Why cruelly force me to gently let go of your hand..."

When Lin Wanwan sang this line, she suddenly opened her eyes and looked directly into the camera lens.

Those eyes were shimmering with tears, hiding a certain emotion that only one person could understand.

Looking at the screen, Chen Zhi's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

He had the illusion that this girl wasn't singing to the national audience, but solely to him.

Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!

All four mentors hit their turning buttons almost simultaneously!

When the song ended, thunderous applause erupted from the audience.

During the interaction segment, the mentors frantically tried to recruit her.

Mentor Wang Feng, who always asked "What is your dream," pushed his glasses up and asked, "Little girl, you sang this song with so much emotion. I want to ask, why did you choose this song? Is there a special story behind it?"

The air in front of the TV suddenly froze.

The four adults from the two families, eight eyes in total, turned in unison to look at Chen Zhi, who was shrinking in the corner.

Chen Zhi: "..."

He dug out a spoonful of watermelon, stuffed it into his mouth, and feigned calmness: "Why are you looking at me? Eat the melon, this melon is quite sweet."

On the TV, Lin Wanwan took the microphone.

She lowered her head and smiled somewhat shyly. The smile was bashful and sweet, as if she had recalled something happy.

"Because..."

Lin Wanwan's voice was soft and gentle, carrying her usual adorable charm.

"This song has the essence of that person."

"I want to tell him that no matter where he is, no matter how high I fly, I will never lose touch with him."

Zhang Guifang beamed with joy. "You brat! Did you hear that? Wanwan is confessing to you! Oh my, young people nowadays really know how to play. So romantic, too romantic! Much better than your dad back in the day!"

Chen Zhi's face flushed red.

The TV show continued, and Lin Wanwan ultimately chose Mentor Li Jian, who was the youngest and most skilled at singing love songs.

It was already past eleven o'clock at night when the show ended.

The living room finally quieted down.

Chen Zhi returned to his room.

Lying on his bed, he tapped on Lin Wanwan's WeChat profile picture.

The last message was from yesterday afternoon, where she said she was going to record a preliminary interview.

[Chen Zhi: Big star, congratulations on advancing. You sang that song well just now, maybe only a tiny bit better than the original singer.]

The message was sent, but it sank like a stone in the ocean.

Chen Zhi stared at the screen and waited for five minutes.

No reply.

He dialed her number.

"Sorry, the subscriber you dialed is powered off..."

Chen Zhi tossed his phone aside and stared blankly at the ceiling.

An inexplicable sense of loss welled up in his heart.

The Lin Wanwan on TV was radiant, surrounded by spotlights, fought over by mentors, and watched by a national audience.

While he could only watch her through a screen.

"What should I do, I miss her a little. Am I also hopelessly love-struck?"

Chen Zhi rolled over and buried his face in the pillow.

"What big star, she doesn't even reply to a WeChat message. Bad review."

Chen Zhi muttered to himself and forced his eyes shut to sleep.

Time ticked by, minute by minute.

The cicadas outside the window were annoyingly loud.

Why are the cicadas so noisy today?

1:00 AM.

Chen Zhi still couldn't sleep; his mind was filled with Lin Wanwan's backward glance on the stage.

Just then.

"Tap."

A soft sound.

It sounded like a small pebble hitting the glass window.

Chen Zhi's eyes snapped open.

An auditory hallucination?

"Tap, tap."

Two more sounds.

He heard it clearly this time; it was coming from the window.

Chen Zhi leaped out of bed like a carp, rushed to the window in a few strides, yanked the curtains open, and pushed the window wide.

The muggy air of the summer night rushed in.

He leaned out and looked down.

The dim yellow streetlights downstairs cast long shadows of the trees.

In those dappled tree shadows stood a slender figure.

She was wearing a large, loose T-shirt, with a pink suitcase standing by her feet.

Hearing the sound of the window opening, the girl looked up.

The streetlight shone right on her face.

She didn't have the exquisite makeup from the stage; she was bare-faced and looked a bit tired.

But the moment she saw Chen Zhi, her eyes instantly curved into crescent moons.

Lin Wanwan stood downstairs, flashing a goofy grin up at Chen Zhi.

In that instant, Chen Zhi felt all of his sense of loss and sentimentality completely washed away by that silly smile.

What big star.

Wasn't this still the same little fool who wouldn't sleep in the middle of the night and liked to climb over the balcony to sneak into his bed?

"How come you're back?" Chen Zhi lowered his voice, afraid of waking up his parents who were already asleep next door.

Lin Wanwan didn't speak. She placed a finger to her lips and made a "shh" gesture.

Then, she pointed to the familiar gap between their two balconies.