"Finally, we get to see Miss Robin!"
"Huh? Never heard of this contestant."
"The Skyfolk singer who topped preliminary popularity polls just singing classics—I can't imagine how perfect her original song will be!"
A bespectacled girl clutched her glowstick excitedly. She'd skipped class to witness Robin's coronation live.
Her classmate scoffed. "Doubt she's as amazing as you claim... though closing act does mean something."
Closing slot meant Robin had won the preliminaries—prime position to claim victory, but also bearing immense pressure from preceding performances.
Yet if Robin delivered perfection, the crown was hers beyond doubt!
The girl glanced sideways, spotting a suspicious white-haired man slinking past with a massive banner, squeezing into front-row seats like a thief.
"You—excellent taste."
The odd man nodded approvingly at her Robin sign before vanishing, leaving only bewilderment.
"Xiao Cheng, was that some creep...?" Her friend eyed security guards.
"Maybe just... an ardent fan?"
Xiao Cheng frowned. That silhouette felt oddly familiar.
Lights dazzled as the first finalist took the stage. Their stellar performance made Xiao Cheng nervous. While she'd adored Robin since preliminaries, every finalist tonight brought their A-game.
"So many people..." Annie muttered, settling into her VIP seat. How had Anming scored front-row tickets?
As a music lover, she couldn't resist attending—even on borrowed time. Once, she too had dreamed of this stage. Life had other plans.
Song after song painted the sky in Harmony's hues.
Backstage, Robin adjusted her heels on the lift, turning to Anming.
"Move forward." He raised a blue glowstick—her color. "Don't look back."
"Mm!"
Robin pressed a hand to her chest. Not nervous—just exhilarated.
This moment they'd awaited so long.
Dreams were becoming reality.
Darkness. Only murmurs and held breaths.
Then—
A single spotlight.
The first notes rang out as starlight caught in Robin's eyes. She reached toward the audience—and glimpsed her younger self on that tiny makeshift stage.
Their hands clasped across time.
"How to describe you most right"
"What compares to you, my shining light~♫"
"This feeling burns so bright"
"Yet stays just out of sight~pure delight"
That sunlit afternoon flashed through her—when a boy's piano had resurrected hope.
Music could change worlds.
It had changed hers.
The arena fell silent, holding only Robin's crystalline voice. Untouched by cynicism, it soared like an angel's hymn.
"Cozy as blankets piled high"
"Elusive as the wind's sigh~"
"Like perfume on my wrist so sweet"
"Like red heels dancing on repeat♪"
White wings unfurled—a true celestial gracing the stage. Robin's smile outshone the spotlight.
Anming, do you really think I can be a star?
If it's you, absolutely.
Anming, see? Everyone's cheering for me!
She waved to thunderous applause—especially from a sunglasses-clad man whose [LOVE❤ROBIN] banner spanned like wings, twin glowsticks cutting blue arcs.
"GO ROBIN!"
The crowd erupted anew, glowsticks becoming constellations.
"Loving you's like traffic lights askew♪"
"Madness with no avenue"
"Can you halt this chase untrue"
"Just these red heels, my last clue~♫"
As the final note faded, lights rose on Robin's curtsy.
Her gaze never wavered—anchored to one seat.
Anming's glowstick bobbed in the dark, his smile her true trophy.
Their silent duet needed no words.
Robin's performance ignited the venue. Cheers persisted through scoring.
"The verdict's clear!" The host raised his mic. "Tell me, who's your champion?!"
"ROBIN!"
"MISS ROBIN!"
"ROBIN ROBIN ROBIN—"
The top three might be contested—but first place? Undisputed.
A chorus of voices united under one name. Robin stood bathed in adoration—the little bird now soaring.
Don't believe success comes like dandelions in the breeze.
But do believe some beauties are worth broken wings to reach.
Confetti rained as Robin lifted the trophy—
—not just hers, but that childhood dream's.
The lift took seconds.
The journey took eighteen years.