As the music ended, Teng Yi and his four companions took an elegant bow. The applause in the auditorium seemed endless.
The performance had been perfect—synchronized group dancing and stunning solo work. Each dancer’s skill justified every cheer and clap directed their way.
As the curtain closed, Ruan Yu thought that with such a spectacular opening show, the following acts would inevitably suffer from an acute sense of anti-climax.
Sure enough, the second act, a comedy routine, didn’t fare well. Two students in traditional robes with folding fans tried their best to make everyone laugh, but unfortunately, their punchlines were met with silence.
Many girls left under the pretense of using the restroom, only to sneak backstage to see Teng Yi and his group. As the empty seats multiplied, the school leaders’ expressions grew increasingly dark.
Teachers Jiang Weiguo and Tian Cheng, responsible for planning the evening’s program, hadn’t anticipated this situation. Tian Cheng, in particular, had invited the Journey West Dance Crew to anchor the show, but they’d only succeeded in anchoring the beginning—the rest had fallen apart.
Girls continued sneaking out in waves, while those too timid to leave sat listlessly. Finally, Tian Cheng lost patience, stood up, and strode backstage.
“Those girls are in trouble now,” Jian Xiangxiang whispered.
Ruan Yu remained silent, watching the backstage area.
Moments later, Teacher Tian returned, followed by five young men in red. They had removed their masks, and besides Teng Yi, the others were equally handsome in their own ways.
Tian pointed to empty seats in the second row, gesturing for them to sit. The young men protested with their eyes, but Tian pretended not to notice, physically pressing Teng Yi into a chair first. The other four, left with no choice, reluctantly sat down.
“What kind of move is this?” Jian Xiangxiang asked.
“Capture the king first.”
“No, I mean why is Teacher Tian bringing them here instead of dealing with those girls?”
“Bringing them here addresses both the symptom and the root cause.”
Just as Ruan Yu finished speaking, the groups of girls who had left came rushing back. Soon, every empty seat was filled again.
Teacher Tian’s strategy was brilliant, though he must have felt disappointed that his carefully arranged program couldn’t compete with even the back of these five heads.
Ruan Yu wanted to focus on the performances, to help save some face for Teacher Tian, but she found her attention wandering. Like the other girls, her gaze was drawn to the back of one particular head. He sat motionless, his dreadlocks seemingly changing color under the auditorium’s fluctuating lights.
It was hard to believe that the same person who commanded the stage with such an overwhelming presence could transform so completely once the music stopped and he left the stage.
Quiet, composed, even somewhat docile.
While his companions fidgeted restlessly and whispered to each other as if sitting on pins and needles, he alone seemed genuinely absorbed in both the unfunny comedy routine and the formal poetry recitation.
He was quite… quite accepting of things.
Ruan Yu recalled his glance toward her on the rooftop and suddenly felt that even if he had heard her stumbling through those tongue twisters, it wouldn’t matter.