Lu Xingyan was blank for a few seconds, glancing at the tickets on the desk, and then at Shen Xingruo.
“I have to say, as a girl, I admire you. You always have self-praise ready on your lips…”
Lu Xingyan was stunned by Shen Xingruo’s words. He stumbled for a moment, paused for a few seconds, then asked, “Do you know how to write the word ‘shame’?”
“With your Chinese scores not even reaching a hundred, and you, the one who rummages through other people’s bags when they’re not around, do you qualify to lecture someone on writing ‘shame’?” Shen Xingruo retorted, raising her eyes to him for a moment, enjoying the process of seeing his expression change from pure innocence to embarrassment.
This process lasted for about thirty seconds, and Lu Xingyan finally reacted, “Who told you I rummaged through your bag?”
After a pause, he admitted, “Well, I did, but I was just looking for some study materials that I couldn’t find. I wanted to see if they were in your bag.”
Shen Xingruo gave him a look that seemed to say, “What study materials could you possibly have?” before quickly averting her gaze and returning to her exercises. She couldn’t be bothered to listen to his flawed explanations anymore.
Shen Xingruo certainly hadn’t become so conceited as to believe that Lu Xingyan had gone through all this trouble just for her.
– Backstage at the auditorium rehearsal, she ran into Chen Zhu.
At first, she didn’t recognize her, she just thought the girl was pretty, dazzling even, and vaguely familiar.
It wasn’t until she got closer that she remembered.
“Hey, you’re Shen Xingruo, right? I’m Chen Zhu from Class Three. I heard you play the piano during the talent show, you’re talented!”
Shen Xingruo didn’t react, so Chen Zhu added, “I know Lu Xingyan, your desk mate, and Li Chengfan and Zhao Langming from your class, we often hang out together.”
“Oh, hi,” Shen Xingruo replied.
When she heard Lu Xingyan’s name, she finally connected the girl in front of her with the one she had seen crying by the Falling Star Lake as if her world was about to end.
Shen Xingruo had seen her many times at school, after all, they were on the same floor, and they could bump into each other on the way to the restroom between classes.
Plus, Chen Zhu was somewhat of a celebrity in their grade, with Li Ting often mentioning her in the dormitory. Even if Shen Xingruo had a bad memory, she should have some impression of her.
But these impressions from school were far less memorable than the one from that time by the Falling Star Lake.
Before the two of them went on stage, Chen Zhu particularly came over and struck up a conversation with Shen Xingruo.
Shen Xingruo didn’t respond much, just listened to her while resigning her bow.
When girls chat, they always find something they have in common to break the ice. Chen Zhu couldn’t help mentioning Lu Xingyan several times.
Listening to her tone and attitude when talking about Lu Xingyan, Shen Xingruo felt that she might have had some misconceptions about their relationship before.
It seemed like they weren’t just former boyfriend and girlfriend.
After the rehearsal, Shen Xingruo went to the restroom.
When she came out, she heard Xu Chengzhou and another boy talking in the hallway, supporting Chen Zhu.
Xu Chengzhou was teasing, “Looks like someone’s moved on. Lu Xingyan was the one who said he liked Chen Zhu before, remember during Truth or Dare, you were there too…”
Unfortunately, Shen Xingruo only heard the latter half of the sentence. After that, she didn’t hear anything else as Xu Chengzhou and his friends, being tall and having long strides, quickly turned the corner and left. That was all she heard.
Back in the classroom, when Ruan Wen mentioned Lu Xingyan rummaging through her bag, and then the incident in Wang Youfu’s office… piecing everything together, Shen Xingruo suddenly had a different view of Lu Xingyan.
Wasn’t he just chasing after girls?
He seemed quite innocent, taking such a roundabout approach.
Perhaps it was because the rehearsal during the day was too exhausting, but during the self-study session in the evening, Shen Xingruo seemed a bit absent-minded.
Lu Xingyan took three tickets, the ones given by Wang Youfu on behalf of the school. There were still seven or eight left. Shi Qin and the others had already found their tickets, so the remaining ones were of no use to Shen Xingruo. She kept one for Ruan Wen and returned the rest to He Siyue, asking him to help distribute them.
On the way back to the dormitory at night, as usual, Shen Xingruo walked with Zhai Jiajing and Shi Qin.
Shi Qin asked about her rehearsal, genuinely concerned. However, Zhai Jiajing, sensitive as she was, sensed something amiss in Shen Xingruo’s response and suddenly asked, “Xingruo, don’t you play the piano?”
“I can’t use the piano for this performance,” Shen Xingruo replied.
Shi Qin also noticed something strange in her words and followed up, “So you switched to playing the violin?”
She looked surprised, her tone incredulous.
Shen Xingruo simply replied with an “Mm.”
Everyone assumed that since she had participated in the talent show, she would also perform on the piano at the school anniversary. These days, when she went to the piano room to practice, everyone assumed she was practicing the piano. No one asked, and Shen Xingruo naturally didn’t mention it, so apart from He Siyue, no one in the class knew that she had changed her performance.
“Oh my god, you can also play the violin! Can you tell me if there’s anything you can’t do?”
“I can’t believe I’m just finding out now, Xingruo, you’re amazing!”
Shi Qin, being a dedicated fan, showered her with rainbow-colored compliments, each more extravagant than the last.
Zhai Jiajing, on the other hand, remained silent, but something seemed to have occurred to her.
The next day was Thursday, and the weather was perfect, with the sun shining brightly. Decorative banners celebrating the school anniversary were hung at the Mingli Gate, and the entrance was adorned with celebration flower baskets sent by alumni. On the right side of the entrance, the electronic screen usually used for announcements was displaying welcoming messages. It seemed that some important figures were visiting, as the names of distinguished alumni were specially mentioned.
The morning classes proceeded as usual, but everyone’s attention was elsewhere. School leaders occasionally led groups of people through the corridors, and both students inside classrooms and passersby outside couldn’t resist peeking at each other.
Shen Xingruo felt it was like tourists observing monkeys in a zoo, with everyone looking at each other, creating a lively atmosphere.
As another wave of visitors passed by, Shen Xingruo was lost in her thoughts when Lu Xingyan remarked beside her, “What are they looking at? What’s so interesting? I feel so uncomfortable. It’s like that show ‘Road to Wealth’ on CCTV7, where a bunch of people pass by a pigsty and start judging and commenting, ‘Hey, these pigs are raised pretty well. Authentic pork from purebred pigs.'”
Shen Xingruo: “…”
Was this guy a fool?
Someone likened himself to a pig in a pigsty.
She paused for a moment before saying, “I didn’t expect you to be so ambitious, watching ‘Road to Wealth.'”
Lu Xingyan instinctively explained, “No, it’s my dad who sometimes watches it. It’s not me… What’s with that look?”
Shen Xingruo: “The look you give to pigs.”
Lu Xingyan: “…”
Finally, they endured the morning classes and everyone was particularly excited. In the afternoon, they had half a day off. Those with tickets could go watch the school anniversary, while those who didn’t want to attend could arrange their time freely.
In the three scarce years of high school where time was rarely at their disposal, every break seemed especially precious.
Shen Xingruo, pressed for time, had to change into her performance costume and do her makeup quickly before heading to the auditorium.
Lu Xingyan, with a forced smile, took three tickets from Shen Xingruo. It felt odd to go alone, so he dragged Li Chengfan and Zhao Langming along, saying that as a thank-you for buying him memorabilia, Wang Youfu insisted they must attend.
Li Chengfan couldn’t understand, “Is Wang Youfu crazy? Why force us to attend the school anniversary?”
Lu Xingyan glanced at him sideways, “If you don’t attend, who knows what trouble you’ll cause outside during this half-day? You’re not exactly a model citizen yourself.”
Li Chengfan: “…”
This approach of offering rewards while secretly exerting control was quite in line with Wang Youfu’s personality. Li Chengfan grumbled for a bit but didn’t question further.
At two o’clock in the afternoon, the school ceremony began on time. The tickets Lu Xingyan had secured were quite close to the front, but a bit too close… They were sitting right next to Wang Youfu.
Lu Xingyan discreetly performed a swift maneuver, positioning himself in the middle to separate Wang Youfu from Li Chengfan and Zhao Langming.
Li Chengfan and Zhao Langming didn’t want to sit next to Wang Youfu either; they felt uncomfortable even playing with their phones.
For the first half hour, it was mostly the emcees’ introductions and speeches from prominent alumni and school leaders. Lu Xingyan was absent-minded, constantly on guard against Li Chengfan and Zhao Langming’s potentially outrageous comments, fearing they might cross the line and ask Wang Youfu why he forced them to attend the school anniversary.
Luckily, Li Chengfan and Zhao Langming had a strong survival instinct. They didn’t dare to be too outspoken in front of Wang Youfu, afraid that once they started talking, they wouldn’t be able to stop, and they’d end up getting roasted from head to toe, questioning their existence.
After the lengthy speeches, the formal performances finally began. Shen Xingruo’s performance was scheduled sixth, following choir, recitation, dance, solo singing, and comedy sketches.
The freshmen’s comedy sketch was well-received, igniting the atmosphere in the auditorium. When the performance ended, applause thundered like waves.
The emcees delivered a few more lines, then announced, “Next, let’s welcome Shen Xingruo, a student from Class 1 of the sophomore year, with her violin solo of ‘Canon.'”
Upon hearing Shen Xingruo’s name, the sophomores were filled with anticipation. Lu Xingyan, who had been expressionless throughout a comedy sketch, finally raised his eyelids, sensing something was amiss.
Before he could voice his concern, Li Chengfan asked, “Hey, isn’t Shen Xingruo supposed to play the piano? Why is it a violin solo?”
Before anyone could respond, Shen Xingruo, dressed in a knee-length white formal dress with her long hair cascading down her shoulders, walked gracefully from backstage to the front of the stage, holding her violin and bow in hand.
The stage was dim until the emcees announced her performance. Spotlight followed her as she made her way to the center of the stage.
Despite the thousands of people sitting in the audience, the auditorium was quiet. Shen Xingruo bowed gracefully, then positioned the violin under her chin, her head slightly tilted, resting her jaw on the chin rest, as the bow elegantly glided across the strings.
The students from Class 1 were stunned by the performance. Lu Xingyan leaned back in his seat, eyes fixed without blinking. Today, she had put on a bit of makeup, her lips slightly redder than usual, but the rest was hard to discern. He simply felt her standing there, straight and aloof.
When the spotlight shifted, her dress shimmered with silver fringe, and as she moved slightly, it sparkled even more brilliantly.
“Canon” was suggested by Teacher Liu Fang for Shen Xingruo. In a public performance setting, overly complex pieces would alienate the audience. Considering this, she originally wanted to play the G Major Violin Concerto or a Hungarian Dance, both suitable for performance. However, Liu Fang insisted on something more mainstream, something everyone had heard before.
Sure enough, as the performance reached its climax, many in the audience began swaying to the music.
Li Chengfan was still in shock, whispering, “Damn, what can’t Shen Xingruo do? Is she some kind of fairy?”
Lu Xingyan ignored him. He wasn’t particularly surprised that she could play the violin, given that her mother was a renowned violinist. It was to be expected, but he couldn’t tell Li Chengfan that.
Midway through the performance, He Siyue came over with a bouquet, saying to Wang Youfu, “Mr. Wang, the flowers are ready. Shall I go and deliver them upfront?”
Wang Youfu, still caught up in the music, was about to nod when he remembered something. “No, go find Teacher Deng for me.”
Then he turned to Lu Xingyan. “You, Lu Xingyan, get up and go to the front to wait. You’ll be giving the flowers to Shen Xingruo.”
Cued unexpectedly, Lu Xingyan remained slouched in his chair, arms crossed like an old man.
Beside him, Li Chengfan and Zhao Langming were more proactive, clamoring, “I’ll do it, Mr. Wang, let me go!”
“I’ll go, I’ll go!”
Wang Youfu glanced at the two of them, with a hint of disdain in his eyes, before finally dragging Lu Xingyan to his feet. “I specifically had He Siyue use the class fund to buy such a big bouquet. It’s about saving face for our class. Look at Shen Xingruo, so beautifully dressed. The one delivering the flowers needs to have a good image too. Look at the two of you, not even wearing your uniforms properly…”
Lu Xingyan chuckled nonchalantly, getting up and casually pulling up half of his uniform zipper, looking quite carefree.
Li Chengfan and Zhao Langming were utterly baffled.
???
Did Lu Xingyan dress properly?! Apart from having a handsome face, he had no sense of style at all. How could his image be considered good?
What kind of appearance-obsessed homeroom teacher was Wang Youfu?
Even Wang Youfu felt like his excuse was a bit weak and had embarrassed the students. He cleared his throat and changed the subject, saying, “Isn’t Lu Xingyan Shen Xingruo’s deskmate? What’s going on between you two?”
“Off you go, Lu Xingyan, hurry up,” he added.
Seeing Lu Xingyan take the flowers from He Siyue and start walking forward, Wang Youfu pulled him back again. “This way! How can you be so clueless with such a handsome face!”
Lu Xingyan: “…”
After Lu Xingyan had walked a bit farther, Wang Youfu, looking quite pleased with himself, muttered to himself, “Shen Xingruo and Lu Xingyan, your names even sound good together, so neat and tidy.”
Li Chengfan: “…”
Zhao Langming: “…”
Neat and tidy, my ass.