Chapter 21

There weren’t many student clubs in Second High School, and the number of arts and entertainment clubs could be counted on one hand.

Therefore, for the upcoming school anniversary evening performance, the dance club was certain to perform.

Recently, the president of the dance club required members to use their lunch breaks every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for rehearsals.

In fact, the group dance that Qin Xiaoxiao participated in had already been fully rehearsed. Each time she went, she would perform it once at the beginning, then again before leaving, with over an hour of free time in between.

After going twice, she simply brought a pocket-sized English vocabulary book with her. During the waiting time, she would find a quiet corner to memorize words.

That day, Qin Xiaoxiao had just memorized a few words when she vaguely heard someone mention her name.

“…No idea what she’s here for.”

“Shh—”

Qin Xiaoxiao didn’t change her posture at all and calmly continued memorizing her vocabulary words.

The original Qin Xiaoxiao didn’t get along well with these girls, and she had even had some fierce arguments with a few of the more aggressive ones. However, because of her self-created persona as a wealthy and beautiful socialite, she avoided making harsh remarks. On top of that, she wasn’t quick-witted enough, so she always lost in these confrontations.

Fu Chunying gave a warning glance at the two girls gossiping about Qin Xiaoxiao. “Have you rested enough? If so, let’s continue practicing.”

She didn’t like Qin Xiaoxiao, but she also didn’t want to see conflicts erupt among the members in the club.

The girl wearing light purple eyeshadow was the main one gossiping about Qin Xiaoxiao. She was also the one who had argued with her in the past. With a sarcastic tone, she said, “We’re always practicing 《Soldier》. I’m about to drop dead from exhaustion, while some people are so free they’re doing other things.”

Her gaze, full of insinuation, intentionally darted toward a certain spot.

The girl with light purple eyeshadow didn’t believe Qin Xiaoxiao would stay silent. Based on past behavior, Qin Xiaoxiao should have stood up and glared at her by now.

However, Qin Xiaoxiao didn’t even lift her eyes. Her lips moved slightly as she softly murmured vocabulary words under her breath.

Her complete lack of reaction to the provocation left the girl with light purple eyeshadow feeling stifled and frustrated.

This caused her to make frequent mistakes during the dance practice.

When one person made a mistake, the whole team had to start over to stay in sync. The repeated resets caused by the girl with light purple eyeshadow began to irritate the others who were dragged down by her errors.

Sensing their silent discontent, her frustration only grew worse.

“I’m tired of dancing. I need a break,” the girl with light purple eyeshadow said, leaving the group on her own and sitting down in the rest area.

The others stopped and looked at each other in confusion.

Fu Chunying’s expression darkened. “Li Jiaping, what’s the meaning of this?”

“It doesn’t mean anything. I just want to sit like Qin Xiaoxiao does.”

“You…”

“The dance I’m involved in has already been fully rehearsed. How about the one you’re in?”

Everyone turned to look at Qin Xiaoxiao, who had finally spoken. Her expression remained calm, with no trace of anger.

Li Jiaping stomped her foot in frustration. “So just because you’ve finished your part, you think you can do other things? Look at Lin Yi and Wen Xiaozhen! None of them act like you, only caring about themselves and ignoring the other dances in the club. You don’t even watch us rehearse.”

Qin Xiaoxiao raised her eyebrows slightly, finding the girl’s logic truly bizarre. “Does it matter whether I watch or not?” Dance practice was done by following a video and practicing in front of a mirror. She wasn’t the club president—why should she supervise a dance she wasn’t even involved in?

She didn’t say the rest, avoiding any unnecessary misunderstanding from Fu Chunying—such as thinking she still had her eyes on the position of club president.

“You! How can you have the nerve to do other things during practice time?”

Qin Xiaoxiao replied unhurriedly, “To be precise, it’s during the rest and waiting time.”

“Qin Xiao…”

“Li Jiaping!” Fu Chunying raised her voice, stopping her. “Enough, all of you, stop talking.”

Fu Chunying was known for being fair when managing the club’s affairs. “Especially you, Li Jiaping. If you don’t want to participate in this performance, then quit early. Otherwise, focus and practice quietly. This dance doesn’t need someone like you.”

Li Jiaping reluctantly shut her mouth.

Fu Chunying instructed, “Get into formation and continue practicing 《Soldier》.” She didn’t criticize Qin Xiaoxiao, as there was nothing to fault her for.

At the same time, she felt a bit puzzled. Qin Xiaoxiao hadn’t taken this opportunity to stir up trouble or find fault with her? Recently, the once openly and covertly dissatisfied Qin Xiaoxiao seemed to have become much calmer and quieter…

Practice ended at 2:00 PM, and the group disbanded.

As usual, Fu Chunying stayed behind to pack up the equipment and props.

“President.”

Fu Chunying looked up in surprise. Qin Xiaoxiao hadn’t left—and she actually called her “President”?

“I’d like to make a suggestion,” Qin Xiaoxiao said in a casual tone.

Fu Chunying straightened up. “Alright, go ahead.”

In truth, her feelings toward Qin Xiaoxiao were quite complicated. She envied Qin Xiaoxiao for her beautiful face and graceful figure and admired her for her excellent dancing skills. At the same time, she felt a tinge of jealousy over her natural advantages and disliked her proud and pretentious personality.

“Each practice session, let’s complete 《Flowers in the Rain》 or 《Soldier》 in one go first.”

Fu Chunying didn’t rush to respond. Earlier, when Li Jiaping stirred up conflict, she had already vaguely realized that her arrangements weren’t thorough enough. Each time, members who only participated in 《Flowers in the Rain》 ended up wasting a lot of time waiting.

“I’ll consider it,” Fu Chunying replied.

Qin Xiaoxiao wasn’t expecting an immediate answer. She nodded, picked up her bag, and left.

…

As Qin Xiaoxiao walked out of the dance studio, the bell signaling the end of the lunch break had just rung, and a cheerful melody played from the roadside broadcast.

“Good afternoon, everyone. This is Voice of the Campus…” The campus radio host began with a short introduction.

“Today is a special day. Up next is 《When You》 requested by a student from Class 3 of the first year for Feng Maoxing from Class 7 of the first year, with the message: ‘I love your smile. I hope you’re happy every day.’”

Cousin?

This classmate’s confession was truly innocent and reserved.

Qin Xiaoxiao walked under the tree-lined path, listening to the soft love song while basking in the sunlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves. She felt so comfortable and relaxed that her beautiful peach blossom eyes narrowed slightly in contentment.

Ah, the subtly sweet excitement between boys and girls…

The youthful days of high school are truly wonderful.

Qin Xiaoxiao arrived at the Class 8 classroom, where only two students who didn’t return to the dormitory during lunch break were present.

The classroom felt somewhat spacious and tranquil.

The afternoon breeze gently tugged at the curtains and brushed over the pages of books on the desks. Qin Xiaoxiao listened to the broadcast as she rested with her eyes closed.

“…Up next is 《Confession Balloon》 requested by a student from Class 1 of the second year for Qin Xiaoxiao from Class 8 of the second year, with the message: ‘Goddess, I like you.’ By the way,” the broadcaster interjected, “we’ve received several song requests for this Qin Xiaoxiao. However, due to time constraints, we can only feature five lucky messages this afternoon…”

Qin Xiaoxiao’s heart remained calm, her only thought being that the song was quite pleasant.

As the song neared its end, the classroom gradually filled with the sound of voices.

Qin Xiaoxiao roused herself from her brief rest and took a sip of cool boiled water.

“Xiao ah, I heard it!” Before reaching her seat, Yang Min’s voice arrived first.

“Someone dedicated a song to confess to you—no, wait, it was several people!”

Qin Xiaoxiao twisted the cap back onto her bottle. “I heard it too.”

“Let me interview you—what are your thoughts on this?”

Qin Xiaoxiao shook her head speechlessly and began searching for the textbook she would need for the next class.

The peace didn’t last long.

“Xiao ah, do you know what kind of girls your cousin likes?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Ah…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, just asking casually.”

Without giving it much thought, Qin Xiaoxiao covered her mouth and let out a delicate yawn.

“Xiao ah, by the way, today is May 20th.”

Qin Xiaoxiao waited for a few seconds. “And?”

“520! How could you not know such a special day?” Yang Min exclaimed, wide-eyed.

“I’m aware of it,” Qin Xiaoxiao replied calmly. Back when she was in college, this day—artificially given significance—only gained attention due to the rapid development of the internet and some merchants’ marketing efforts.

High school students these days… they really have nowhere to channel their youthful energy. January 14th is Diary Valentine’s Day, February 14th is Valentine’s Day, March 14th is White Day… Aside from the Qixi Festival on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, which is the traditional Chinese Valentine’s Day, every 14th of the month is celebrated as a Valentine’s Day. In addition, there’s May 20th, May 21st, Christmas, and more. If one is so inclined, there’s a reason to celebrate every month.

“World Nutrition Day,” Qin Xiaoxiao said with a serious expression.

“Huh?” Yang Min looked at Qin Xiaoxiao with the gaze of someone regarding an old-fashioned relic. “That’s not all! It also sounds like ‘I love you’ (wǒ ài nǐ). It’s a day for people in relationships to be with their partners, and for single people to confess their feelings.”

“Oh.”

…

“Are you a caveman?” Although eight out of ten outings were initiated by Ji Wenchen, Jiang Zhousi rarely received an invitation from him. Still, Jiang Zhousi turned him down. “Today is May 20th, a day perfect for couples to be sweet together. My girlfriend wants me to spend time with her. Sorry, Wenchen.”

May 20th. Ji Wenchen appeared thoughtful.

“Hey, aren’t you curious how I, who just ended my last relationship, managed to get a girlfriend so quickly?”

“Not interested.”

Jiang Zhousi felt a bit hurt.

Even in his hurt state, he didn’t forget to show concern for his friend. “Why don’t you just spend time with Junior Xiaoxiao at school? By the way, has she done anything special?”

“No.”

Jiang Zhousi cleared his throat lightly. “Some girls are just like that, a bit reserved…” Thinking about how Wenchen had mentioned Junior Xiaoxiao wanting to break up not long ago, he added, “Last time, when she threw a little tantrum, did you manage to cheer her up? Did you follow my advice and make an effort to care for her and show her love?”

Ji Wenchen thought about how, two afternoons ago, he had brought her bottled water, only to receive her money transfer that evening. His lips pressed into a straight line.

He had told her there was no need to pay, yet she insisted on doing so.

Was this her way of drawing a clear boundary?

Back then, it was Qin Xiaoxiao who confessed first. It was also her who started treating him like a stranger, and it was her who brought up breaking up. What exactly did she mean by all this?

Could a person’s heart really be this fickle?

“No,” Ji Wenchen replied, lowering his gaze, a trace of discomfort flickering in his eyes.

“No?” Jiang Zhousi was shocked. “Aren’t you trying to win Junior Xiaoxiao’s heart back? Why aren’t you following my advice? Don’t tell me you don’t trust me…”

“Win her heart back?” Ji Wenchen frowned.

“Exactly! If you still want to be with her, you can’t just sit back and do nothing,” Jiang Zhousi said, patting his friend on the shoulder. “When you meet someone great, and you’re still in the stage of liking her, don’t let small issues drive you apart.”

“Like her?”

Jiang Zhousi’s tone was filled with disbelief, mixed with an indescribable sense of so it’s true. “Don’t tell me you haven’t realized you feel differently about Junior Xiaoxiao. Don’t tell me you still haven’t seen your own heart clearly.”

Ji Wenchen’s heartbeat quickened slightly.

Jiang Zhousi, that idiot… What nonsense was he spouting?

Did he… like Qin Xiaoxiao?

Ji Wenchen subconsciously reached into his pocket, gripping the metal casing of his lighter.

As if holding the lighter could calm his unusually pounding heart, as if it could cool the blood that seemed to boil more than usual…

After a minute that felt both long and fleeting, he released the lighter.

His fingertips were still trembling slightly.

He had come to a realization.