Alexander, holding his guitar, bowed to the audience before sitting down on a chair.

He then took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and gently strummed the strings of his guitar.

The notes flowed effortlessly from his fingertips, filling the entire basketball hall with a slightly melancholic prelude that made his nose tingle with emotion. This song, he felt, was as if written for him.

He had once deeply loved Mia, drawn to each other in mutual attraction, their relationship imbued with innocence and naivety. They had relished the sweet blur of first love and the memory of that afternoon kiss.

But, unfortunately, time and feelings had succumbed to material desires, money, and social status, creating an unbridgeable rift that had ultimately driven them apart. These memories now came into sharp focus, moistening his eyes.

He began to sing, his voice slightly hoarse but resonating with a subtle sadness:

In a room painted with our dreams, now grey,

I replay the echoes of your "forever" say.

Once in your arms, a haven so bright,

Now I'm just dancing with memories in the twilight.

Shadows of goodbye, painting my sky,

In hues of a betrayal, I can't deny.

You walked away, left me astray,

In the silence of broken promises, I lay.

Whispers of love, now screams of deceit,

Every tender word, now a bitter repeat.

Your silhouette fades in the dusk of my trust,

Leaving a heart, in the ruins and dust.

His voice, raw with emotion, quieted the noise in the hall significantly. Although some boos remained, they were much less than before. Many in the audience began to discern a unique quality in Alexander's song.

"Is this a campus song?"

"The guitar playing is quite good, better than I expected."

"His voice has a feeling to it, it's making me unexpectedly emotional."

"How come I've never heard this song before?"

Alexander was completely immersed in his emotions, eyes closed, recalling every moment he had shared with Mia, yet knowing their relationship could never return to what it once was.

But in this pain, I find my might,

Rising from the ashes, into the light.

I'm more than the betrayal, more than the fall,

In the mirror of truth, I stand tall.

Shadows of goodbye, but I won't cry,

For in every ending, a new self I find.

You're just a chapter, not my whole story,

In my book of life, I'm the hero, not sorry.

So here I am, in the break of dawn,

With the shadows behind, I move on.

Betrayed but brave, abandoned but free,

In the art of losing, I found me.

After singing the last line, Alexander sat on the chair, eyes tightly shut. True to the lyrics, he 'won't cry', so he fought back his tears.

He remained still, but the basketball hall was no longer filled with boos. It had become utterly silent.

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After a moment, faint sobs could be heard from below the stage. Even those who weren't crying had red eyes. The line "Every tender word, now a bitter repeat" seemed to have struck a chord in everyone's heart.

Backstage, Matthew, who had been tense, finally relaxed. Beside him, host Zoe was hurriedly touching up her makeup, tears in her eyes.

The audience was buzzing with comments.

"It's so moving, it really touches my heart."

"I never cried listening to a song before, but this... wow."

"'Your silhouette fades in the dusk of my trust, Leaving a heart, in the ruins and dust.' Just thinking of these lyrics makes me tear up."

"How can there be such a beautiful campus song?"

"It's beautiful, but so sad."

Unaware of these discussions, Alexander composed himself before opening his eyes and waving in gratitude to the audience. The next moment, thunderous applause erupted, continuing for a long time.

Alexander's voice, inherently magnetic, became even more captivating with its husky quality during the song, adding a unique texture that profoundly conveyed the depth of emotion.

The song's poignant atmosphere touched nearly everyone in the audience.

The applause continued for several minutes before gradually fading away. However, the students started shouting out questions and comments.

"Aren't we able to find 'Shadows of Goodbye' online?"

"It's so good; I want to set it as my ringtone."

"You've had a breakup, right? I can be your girlfriend right now if you want."

"Sing it again."

"Sing it again."

Eventually, the voices from the audience merged into a wave, all urging Alexander to perform the song once more.

Alexander smiled towards the audience and said, "Thank you for the applause. 'Shadows of Goodbye' is my original song, so you won't find it online."

Given that the song was a gift from the system, unknown to anyone but Alexander, claiming it as his own creation went unchallenged.

"It's an original!"

"Wow, Oak Tree University is incredible. First Robert, and now Alexander!"

"I think he's even better than Robert. After all, even Robert hasn't produced an original song."

Backstage, James was overwhelmed with emotion. He was relieved that he hadn't stopped Alexander from performing, as he never expected such high quality in Alexander's original song, surpassing many popular online songs.

"Incredible, incredible. Such a talented musician and yet so humble. In comparison to Robert, Alexander is..."

James didn't finish his sentence, but those standing next to him understood what he meant.

Zoe, having touched up her makeup, glanced at her watch and noted, "We're running out of time."

Due to the audience's enthusiastic response, which caused several minutes of applause, Alexander's stage time had nearly reached ten minutes, even though he had only sung one song. The original plan was for him to sing two songs in a total of ten minutes.

Matthew smiled and said, "It's okay to delay a few minutes for such an outstanding performance."

"Alright." Zoe returned to the center of the stage and loudly asked, "Did you enjoy his song?"

"Yes!!!" came the resounding response from three thousand voices. The atmosphere was incredibly lively.

Zoe was amazed; she had hosted several campus events but had never witnessed a scene like this. Her curiosity about Alexander deepened.

"Junior, your singing is already outstanding in my view. Have you published any other works before?"

"No," Alexander shook his head, "I just broke up with my girlfriend today. This song was written after our breakup, and it's the first time I've sung it."

"Can you tell us why your girlfriend broke up with you?"

"Because I'm not wealthy."

"Uh..." Zoe was taken aback, not expecting such a forthright answer. She quickly added, "Now that you're standing on stage, is there anything you'd like to say to your ex-girlfriend?"

Alexander paused for a moment, then spoke into the microphone: "I have nothing to say to her now. Liking her was me being blind."

The audience was stunned.

Under normal circumstances, Alexander might have been expected to say something like 'I wish her happiness,' but his blunt response left no room for politeness towards his ex-girlfriend.

Zoe could only offer a helpless smile: "Haha, she will surely regret it in the future. Alright, last question: what's the name of the next song you're going to sing?"