Chapter 20

The day before the competition, Shi Ya received a few harsh slaps, but fortunately, no major injury occurred. However, her mindset completely broke down, and with the skin allergy caused by the itching powder, she had no choice but to withdraw from the competition without even leaving the house.

Backstage in the grand auditorium, the girls preparing to go on stage were busy—some doing their makeup, some changing clothes, all in a flurry of activity.

One girl leaned over the vanity and quietly told Shu Mengfei that Shi Ya had withdrawn from the competition due to illness.

Shu Mengfei showed a sympathetic expression on her face. “I hope she recovers soon.”

“You’re so kind, Feifei,” the girl said.

“Although Shi Ya is quite pitiful, this means you no longer have your biggest competitor. After winning this competition, you’ll have a three-time streak of winning the Star Cup Campus Talent Competition. How exciting!”

Shu Mengfei smiled gracefully. “Who knows, there may be an even stronger competitor.”

“Feifei, don’t be modest. Who can compete with you in singing and dancing? That tone-deaf fool?”

As soon as these words were spoken, several girls burst into laughter.

Shu Mengfei also smiled, but her smile was restrained, and her eyes held a sharp edge—

“Please, don’t say that. Let’s keep a low profile.”

A makeup artist approached with a blush palette, ready to apply blush to the girls.

Shu Mengfei looked over at Lu Yan and noticed that Lu Yan hadn’t asked the staff to do her makeup. Instead, she was sitting alone in front of the spotlight, doing her own makeup.

In this era, not many high school girls knew how to do their makeup. Similarly, whether amateur or professional, makeup artists at the time didn’t seem to have very advanced skills. This was related to the prevailing beauty standards of the time—people hadn’t been exposed to the light, natural makeup looks of the future and believed that the makeup styles of the time were the best.

Even the variety stars on TV had subpar makeup. Either their blush was too heavy, their lipstick too bright, or their eyeshadow too dark.

The entertainment industry was like this, so it was no surprise that this less formal performance event had the same issue.

Makeup artists tended to apply thick blush to the girls, to the point where several of the girls around Lu Yan had blush on their cheeks so intense it looked like a sunburn—making them look almost comical.

It was astonishing for the girls around her to see Lu Yan doing her own makeup—

“Can she actually do makeup?”

“I don’t know, let’s watch.”

“She might look terrible.”

—

However, when Lu Yan finished her makeup, the surrounding girls were all stunned.

Unlike the thick, heavy stage makeup that everyone else had, her makeup was extremely natural, yet it still stood out without losing any of its impact. This makeup perfectly highlighted her exquisite facial features, giving them a three-dimensional contour.

The makeup artists backstage, who couldn’t even apply shadow, just piled thick foundation and eyeshadow on the girls. Now, seeing Lu Yan’s natural and refreshing makeup, they couldn’t help but compare it with their own looks, which seemed like a total disaster—a horrifying sight.

Even the makeup artists were stunned when they saw Lu Yan’s look.

She somehow managed to make her makeup look so natural that it seemed like she wasn’t wearing any at all, yet she perfectly concealed all her imperfections. This skill was extraordinary.

Many of the girls rushed over to ask Lu Yan to help them touch up their makeup. Since Lu Yan had nothing to do, she helped without refusal, treating it as practice for her makeup skills.

In her previous life, she had done beauty live streams and was better at makeup than most professional makeup artists. No makeup style was too difficult for her.

Most of the girls at the scene had their makeup touched up by Lu Yan, and they looked much better afterward.

Shu Mengfei looked at her own cheeks, which were covered in heavy blush, resembling a monkey’s backside, and felt utterly horrified.

Although unwilling, she still smiled and walked over to Lu Yan, saying, “Student Lu Yan, could you please help me fix my makeup too?”

Shu Mengfei was one of the most popular girls in school, known for her outstanding talents and strong leadership. No girl ever refused to be her friend, and no one would ever deny her request.

However, Lu Yan bluntly replied, “No.”

Shu Mengfei’s face changed slightly, and she found herself in an awkward position. Of course, Lu Yan had no intention of letting her off the hook. The best way to deal with someone like this white lotus was to take her down directly—

“You dumped Lu Zhen and now want me to do your makeup? What kind of face do you have?”

Shu Mengfei struggled to maintain a dignified smile, saying, “There’s been a misunderstanding between me and your brother. Our views just didn’t align, so we broke up amicably. After the breakup, we’re still friends. So there’s no need for us to act like enemies, right?”

Lu Yan sneered. “Enough. Only someone who’s heartlessly stomped on another person’s feelings without an ounce of guilt would say something like ‘we’re still friends after breaking up.’ Do you know how hurt Lu Zhen is?”

Before Shu Mengfei could respond, Lu Yan answered for her. “Of course, you don’t know. You only care about yourself. Everyone praises you for being so pure and above materialism, right? Well, to me, you’re nothing but a selfish brat.”

Shu Mengfei’s smile finally faded, and, feeling the curious gazes of the surrounding girls, she didn’t want to humiliate herself any further. She turned around and returned to her position.

Lu Yan felt a sense of satisfaction after confronting Shu Mengfei. Just then, Qi Yuzhi leaned over to whisper in her ear, “Your brother, Lu Zhen, is outside. He’s looking for you.”

Lu Yan walked out of the makeup room and saw Lu Zhen casually leaning against the window, his brows furrowed slightly, a lollipop dangling from his mouth.

Lu Yan walked over and patted his shoulder. “Watch your image. There are girls around here. Stop acting like a thug.”

Lu Zhen straightened up, his left cheek puffed out by the lollipop. “My image has always been great.”

“So, what’s up? What do you need?”

“Do you still stand by our agreement from last time?”

“What agreement?”

Lu Zhen leaned in closer and whispered in her ear, “The one about getting our parents back together.”

“Of course, it still stands.” Lu Yan replied, “If I can get them to remarry and get rid of that woman, Shi Xuexian, then half of my mission will be accomplished.”

“Great, that’s settled then. Both of them are coming to the competition this time. You need to sing a pitiful song, something like ^[1]“A child with a mother is precious, but a child without one is like a blade of grass” conveys the idea that a mother’s love and care provide a child with a sense of security, value, and … Continue reading‘A child with a mother is precious, but a child without one is like a blade of grass.’ You know, make our mom realize how poor and pitiful we are.”

“……..”

Lu Yan frowned. “Do I really have to sing ‘The Best Mother in the World’? I’m not a little kid in kindergarten.”

“Well, you still need to sing something along those lines. Our parents are both coming to the show. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We need to let them know the importance of family!”

“But…”

But she had promised Shen Kuo that she would sing a song for him, and he had even lent her his CD. It wouldn’t be right to go back on her word.

“But what ‘but’?” Lu Zhen pulled out a fresh strawberry-flavored lollipop and tapped it lightly on Lu Yan’s head. “Is it really that hard to sing a song?”

“I’ve already prepared my songs.”

Seeing her indecisiveness, Lu Zhen peeled the wrapper off the lollipop and shoved it into her mouth. “I get it, it’s sudden for you to change the song last minute, but our parents hardly ever get a chance to be together. Don’t you want us to be a complete family?”

“Of course I do, but…”

“No buts. I’ve never asked anyone for anything in my life. Just this once, please help me out. Will you?”

Lu Yan looked up and met Lu Zhen’s sincere, determined gaze.

She could tell just how much he wanted their parents to get back together.

It wasn’t just him, perhaps all children from divorced families across the world dream of seeing their parents reconcile, even if one of them made a mistake or has already started a new family.

“I… I’ll think about it.”

Lu Zhen pressed her head down, slamming it against his chest. The impact made Lu Yan’s head hurt.

Lu Yan covered her head as she returned to the makeup room, feeling a deep sense of melancholy.

She had already promised Shen Kuo. He might have already arrived at the auditorium by now, sitting in the audience, waiting for her performance.

Just as Lu Yan was lost in her thoughts, the instructor called out to the makeup room, “Next, Lu Yan, get ready. After that, Shu Mengfei, please be prepared.”

“Okay!”

Lu Yan quickly stood up, touched up her makeup, and prepared to go on stage.

Shu Mengfei’s eyes flickered with disdain.

The order of appearance had been intentionally arranged by Shu Mengfei, who had asked the entertainment department teacher to let her perform after Lu Yan. The excuse she gave was that she and Lu Yan were good friends and wanted to perform together.

But her true intention was to let Lu Yan take the stage first, hoping that if Lu Yan made a fool of herself, her own performance would stand out even more.

Lu Yan walked up to the stage slowly, guitar in hand.

The spotlight shone on her, and her skin appeared so pale that it seemed to glow.

The male students in the audience were stunned.

In the past, they hadn’t admitted that Lu Zhen was handsome, let alone the school’s heartthrob. They thought his seductive peach blossom eyes were too alluring, even too effeminate.

But when they saw Lu Yan, who was just like him, with those same beautiful peach blossom eyes on her face…

Words couldn’t express their amazement. She was stunning.

Even the stars in the sky would pale in comparison to her.

Lu Yan ignored the astonished looks from her classmates. Holding her guitar, she scanned the entire auditorium, searching for that familiar figure.

Shen Kuo.

He didn’t come.

Lu Yan searched every seat and corner of the auditorium, making sure she didn’t see Shen Kuo.

Shen Kuo was the kind of man who could be spotted in a crowd with just one glance, not only because of his handsome face but also due to his cold, aloof aura, which set him apart from everyone else.

Shen Kuo hadn’t come, and Lu Yan finally felt a little relieved.

As long as he wasn’t there, changing the song wouldn’t be considered breaking her promise.

Lu Yan’s performance didn’t require any background music, and the quality of the music effects back then was poor anyway. She preferred to play the melody herself on the guitar and sing acapella.

“I’m going to sing a song that you’ve never heard before. It’s not one I wrote… but I want to dedicate it to my dad. My mom left me at a young age, and it was my dad who raised me.”

“When he was young, he was reckless, but ever since I came into this world, he had to learn to grow up and learn how to take care of a girl.”

Lu Yan’s gaze fell on Lu Zhen, who was sitting upright in the front row. She gave a faint smile at the corner of her mouth.

“My dad is the best dad in the world, and I want to dedicate this song to him.”

Lu Yan gently strummed a smooth and beautiful melody, just about to sing when, suddenly, the door of the auditorium was pushed open…

The harsh sunlight flooded in as a man walked in, backlit.

Lu Yan furrowed her brow slightly, then recognized his face—it was Shen Kuo.

Shen Kuo had a bruise at the corner of his mouth, and his clothes were messy.

He seemed to have run all the way here, stumbling as he entered the auditorium.

After coming in, he tried his best not to disrupt the performance. He leaned against the wall, wiping the faint bloodstain from his mouth with the back of his hand. He lifted his gaze to meet Lu Yan’s panicked eyes.

Fortunately… he made it.