"Snoopy!"
Kevin Ding shouted from the center of the dance floor, recognizing his interview subject.
In his impression, Snoopy wasn't the type to seek attention. But now… what on earth was he doing? Sabotaging someone else's declaration of love? Kevin was stunned.
Equally astonished was Xu Yalin, seated nearby. He frowned. Was Snoopy about to steal the spotlight from Justin? Was the low-key Snoopy about to reveal his inner playboy?
At that moment, the stage lighting technician wisely retracted the spotlight, not wanting to embarrass Justin.
Justin then resumed singing.
He sang poorly: the off-notes were off, the pitch wobbled—yet the crowd cheered anyway. The audience didn't care about the singing; they were all about the atmosphere.
"After that accident, you didn't suffer any lingering injuries, right?" Jennifer asked Snoopy. "I remember your head was swollen."
She felt deeply apologetic.
At the time, she had been driving her agent's massive Hummer for the first time, and… she had hit Snoopy. She had panicked.
She feared causing a fatal accident, worried about going to jail, and ruining her fledgling career.
She had even considered fleeing the scene and paying someone to take the blame. But in the end, she stayed. She couldn't ignore a life, couldn't betray her conscience.
When she got out of the car and approached Snoopy to call for help, he suddenly opened his eyes.
"Do you remember the first question you asked me?" Jennifer laughed.
Snoopy shook his head.
"You actually asked me what year it was! Hahaha. I had to hold up two fingers until you correctly said '2' before I could breathe a sigh of relief."
Snoopy felt embarrassed.
"On the way to the airport, you said a lot of strange things. You told me to join a Marvel movie, claimed I would become a great actress…" Jennifer continued. "Do you remember?"
Snoopy shook his head sincerely. "I don't remember at all. Later, I returned went to a hospital for a full checkup. I had mild concussion, which probably made me forget some details."
Jennifer smiled. "You're a very interesting person. We talked a lot, and you even sang me a song… I think it was Uptown Funk."
"Better than him," she said, pointing at Justin, who was still energetically performing on stage.
Snoopy had no memory of singing that song, but hearing its name sparked a flash of melody and lyrics in his mind—a sudden déjà vu.
Meanwhile, Justin finished singing and demanded:
"Jennifer, I want to hear your scream!"
The spotlight returned.
Jennifer looked helpless. She stood up reluctantly, waving her hands. The crowd cheered loudly.
"You really aren't comfortable in this setting," Snoopy remarked.
"God knows why Justin would do this. I barely know him," Jennifer admitted. "Honestly, I just want to leave… but I can't find an excuse."
"Snoopy, can you help me?" she asked, eyes pleading.
"Pretend to be your boyfriend?" Snoopy clarified.
"Yes. I want you to go on stage, sing a song like he just did, and I'll walk up and accept your confession. Hand in hand, we leave together, leaving him speechless."
"Me… on stage?" Snoopy waved his hands. "I have stage fright. Since I was a kid, my parents would push me to perform at parties. I hate performing and I'm terrified of it."
"Please," Jennifer looked at him pitifully. "You're the only one who can help me."
Snoopy felt helpless seeing her like that and nodded. "Alright, but I can't promise I won't go off-key."
"It doesn't matter. Even if you sing worse than Schwarzenegger, I'll go with you tonight." Jennifer smiled.
Snoopy didn't know whether to be happy or worried.
He stepped onto the stage and took the microphone from the DJ.
"Uh…"
Snoopy stammered. He didn't have the ease and poise of other rich kids; he looked like an honest, simple boy.
Then he heard a shout: "Hey!! Snoopy!!!"
He turned toward the voice. Brian Wright, the starting small forward, was standing on a table, waving and calling for his teammates: "That's my teammate! Cheer for him!"
Suddenly, a group of UCLA full-scholarship athletes were cheering loudly: "Snoopy! Snoopy! Snoopy!"
Xu Yalin looked puzzled. Since when did Snoopy know these sports stars?
"I won't say anything else. I'll sing. This one's for Jennifer Lawrence, the girl who ran me over in Beverly Hills in that Hummer."
Snoopy walked to the piano on stage.
The DJ adjusted the microphone for him, and the lighting technician gave him a solo spotlight.
His fingers danced over the keys, releasing a sweet melody that filled the room.
Snoopy looked stunning from the side, like a prince stepping out of a comic book—noble, elegant.
Some girls in the audience screamed uncontrollably.
Jennifer raised her chin, eyes fixed on him.
Then Snoopy began to sing:
Oh! her-eyes, her-eyes.
Make-the-stars-look-like-they're-not-shining.
Her-hair, her-hair.
Falls-perfectly-with.
She's-so-beautiful!
And-I-tell-her-every-day.
Yeah! I-know, I-know…
His voice captivated everyone. It was metallic yet magnetic, sweet yet commanding. The love song was intoxicating, making hearts flutter.
Girls went wild. Phones rose to capture the moment.
Kevin Ding forgot about his previous target. He opened his DV, realizing Snoopy was a shining star, constantly surprising everyone. No basketball player he'd seen had such a beautiful voice and such masterful piano skills.
How could someone so talented not have a girlfriend? Kevin pondered.
Meanwhile, Jennifer's heartstrings were pulled violently. She knew she had fallen hopelessly in love: Mom was right. My first love had arrived before I turned eighteen.
Snoopy finished the song. The audience erupted in cheers.
He stepped to the center of the stage:
"This song is for Jennifer Lawrence."
Before he could react, Jennifer dashed onto the stage, hugging him tightly, and pressed her lips against his.
Snoopy froze.
Her tongue touched his lips.
His mind screamed: Mom was right—drawing attention isn't always a good thing!