Chapter 3: Dreams
The third day after school started.
After two days of settling in, most of the new students had already become familiar with the new campus and their new classmates.
People with similar interests had quickly become friends and were happily sharing stories about their past experiences.
Even the quieter students would softly chat with the classmates sitting beside them.
Every break between classes, the classroom was filled with laughter and lively conversations.
None of that had anything to do with Li Nuo.
Whenever class ended, he simply sat quietly at his desk and stared out the window.
The reason was simple, he did not have a deskmate yet.
To be more accurate, the student assigned to sit next to him still had not come to school.
But he did not really care.
He had never been good at socializing, so he actually enjoyed the peace and quiet.
Fortunately, the school was not very strict.
Students were allowed to bring their phones into the classroom, probably because many students lived in the dormitories.
During breaks, Li Nuo liked putting on his earphones and listening to some of his favorite lesser-known songs.
Sometimes he would quietly hum along.
Whenever a gentle breeze drifted through the window, his thoughts would wander far away.
Time passed slowly, and before long, school was over for the day.
As someone who preferred being alone, Li Nuo naturally belonged to the "go-home club."
Social activities and club events were completely irrelevant to him.
To him, spending time on club activities was far less appealing than going home, uploading a new song cover, and watching a few episodes of his favorite anime.
After taking the bus back to his neighborhood, Li Nuo did not return directly to his apartment.
Instead, he jogged down the street to an old noodle shop.
After putting down his school bag, he called toward the kitchen.
"Aunt Ye, I'm here."
"Is that Xiao Nuo? Great! We're extremely busy right now."
The noodle shop was small, but it was always full of customers.
Since it was dinner time, the shop was noisy and crowded.
Li Nuo worked there as a waiter, taking orders and delivering food.
It was a small part-time job he had found for himself.
He only needed to help from five o'clock to seven-thirty every afternoon.
The pay was not very high, but it was still decent.
More importantly, the job included a free meal.
For someone who liked saving money, it was a great deal.
As for why he worked so hard and saved every bit of money he could, it was because he had a dream.
After graduating from high school, he wanted to study abroad at a famous music academy and learn music at a higher level.
Becoming an outstanding musician was both his dream and the hope his late parents had placed on him.
To achieve that goal, he needed to save enough money before graduating from high school.
Once the dinner rush ended, the noodle shop finally became quiet.
Only a few customers remained, silently eating their noodles.
After cleaning the remaining tables, Li Nuo finally sat down to rest.
Even though the shop had air conditioning, he was still sweating from all the work.
"Here, your noodles. Eat while they're hot."
A kind-looking middle-aged woman placed a steaming bowl of noodles in front of him and smiled warmly.
"Thank you, Aunt Ye."
Without wasting any time, Li Nuo picked up his chopsticks and began eating eagerly.
"Slow down. If it's not enough, there's more."
"Mhm..."
After finishing the noodles and drinking every last drop of soup, Li Nuo patted his stomach in satisfaction.
By the time he got home, it was already eight o'clock in the evening.
After washing away the day's exhaustion with a shower, he climbed onto his bed and turned on his old laptop.
While browsing the internet, he checked the trending topics on Weibo.
The number one trending topic was…
[The Girls] girl group temporarily disbands after its lead singer leaves the entertainment industry.
Li Nuo had heard a little about the group before.
It was a girl band made up of four young women.
The youngest member seemed to be only sixteen years old, the same age as him.
They had debuted only two years ago.
I didn't expect them to disband so soon, Li Nuo thought.
Still, he was not particularly interested in idol groups.
After taking a quick look, he moved on.
The affairs of real-life girl groups had nothing to do with a virtual-anime-style singer like him.
After logging into his account on Li-Station, he saw that his private messages had exceeded ninety-nine.
A slight smile appeared on his face.
In real life, he was an ordinary and unremarkable teenage boy.
On the internet, however, he transformed into a beloved anime-style singer admired by countless fans.
"You're a goddess."
"Big sis has such a beautiful voice."
"I love it! Sending hearts!"
"Big sis, please notice me!"
Reading the many different comments from his fans, Li Nuo could not help but laugh awkwardly.
He enjoyed being praised.
But being called a goddess or big sister was still hard for him to accept.
Then again, with a voice like his, unless he started making videos or livestreaming, nobody would believe he was actually a boy.
"Should I try livestreaming?" he muttered to himself.
But when memories of being called a freak and a sissy during middle school came back to him, he hesitated.
If things ended up like that again, he felt he might completely break down.
After staring blankly at the computer screen for a long time, he finally chose to shut it down.
"Maybe... things are fine the way they are."
That was what he thought to himself.