Chapter 16

At seven o’clock in the evening, Yan Ning and Qiao Yingxue met up with a few others at the school gate. They had originally planned to go to their usual hangout spot, but the boss closed the shop too early on Saturday night. So, they had no choice but to gather first and find another place.

Around 10 minutes past 7, Zhao Xiaolu hurriedly arrived. She greeted Yan Ning and Qiao Yingxue and immediately pulled them toward the bus stop across the street. “Let’s go to the dance studio, Shi Lei and Zhou Ye are already there.”

Zhao Xiaolu had been learning dance for a while and had won several awards. Aside from when the teacher was holding class, she liked to practice alone. So, after discussing with her parents and the dance teacher, they had arranged a special studio just for her to use, of course, at an extra cost.

Lately, besides practicing on her own, she occasionally brought Yan Ning there to practice as well.

When the three of them took a taxi to the dance studio, Shi Lei and Zhou Ye were waiting at the door.

When Shi Lei saw them, he complained, “Why did you take so long?”

“Traffic was bad. Let’s go inside,” Zhao Xiaolu said, taking the lead like she was the host.

Once inside the dance studio, they all sat down, and Zhao Xiaolu spoke up first. “Ningning, there are a few people in the preliminary list that you should pay attention to. Let me tell you about them first.”

The second round would be a talent show, and as Yan Ning’s talent coach, she was full of enthusiasm.

“Okay,” Yan Ning obediently listened to the lesson.

“Ningning, what do you think the school belle will perform?” Zhao Xiaolu asked.

“Hmm—probably piano. I don’t know her very well, but I heard from Uncle Zheng that she plays the piano well.”

“Yan Ning, are you really sisters with the school belle?” Shi Lei asked.

“Well, surface-level sisters,” Yan Ning answered directly.

“Tsk.”

“Yingxue, take out the stuff,” Zhao Xiaolu reached out toward Qiao Yingxue.

Qiao Yingxue took a stack of paper out of her bag, and to their surprise, it was the printed preliminary list, complete with photos.

Zhao Xiaolu took the stack of papers. “Among these twenty people, you need to pay attention to Yan Wan. You heard correctly, she plays the piano extremely well and has won many awards. This guy, Qin Li, is the president of our Minghua Student Union, and he’s very good at playing the violin, also having won awards. And this girl, Chen Nuan, from the third year, she loves dancing and was the previous… Do you have any questions?”

Zhao Xiaolu noticed that when she mentioned Chen Nuan, there was a look of surprise in Yan Ning’s eyes.

“Ah, no, nothing,” Yan Ning responded quickly.

The four pairs of eyes stared at her without blinking. Yan Ning scratched her head, feeling a bit awkward. “I think I’ve met this girl before. She seems to be Lu Fengfeng’s girlfriend.”

“Really? Chen Nuan was the previous school belle, and they’re together?” Shi Lei, suddenly interested, was shocked.

“I just happened to see them together. Anyway, let’s get back to the competition, it’s on the 30th, and there are still many issues to resolve,” Yan Ning quickly changed the topic. “Are there any other people to watch out for?”

Zhao Xiaolu lowered her head and pointed at Lu Fengfeng’s photo. “This person also needs attention. Yingxue checked, and Lu Fengfeng is a transfer student, he just transferred to Minghua this semester and is in the first-year class 9.”

“He looks like just a handsome transfer student, and apart from what Xiaolu said, we have no other clues about him,” Qiao Yingxue added. “There’s definitely something hidden behind him.”

“Mm, he is indeed a bit of a special person. But I think, if it’s just a competition, there’s no need to worry too much. After all, in a competition, isn’t it the one with superior skills who wins?” Yan Ning said, taking out the revised plan from her bag. “This is the stage performance plan I want to do. You guys take a look first.”

“Ningning, are you sure you want to do it this way?” The four of them crowded together, quickly scanning through Yan Ning’s plan, with Zhao Xiaolu finishing first.

“Isn’t it good?” Yan Ning asked, feeling a bit nervous.

She had no experience, and this plan, written purely with passion, seemed good to her, but it was probably just a misconception. Perhaps in Qiao Yingxue, Shi Lei, and the others’ eyes, it was just something very boring.

Qiao Yingxue also finished reading, and her expression was completely different from before. “This… this is amazing!”

Shi Lei and Zhou Ye looked up, their eyes filled with shock, contemplation, and affirmation, but there was no disappointment as Yan Ning had imagined.

“Really?”

“Really. It’s a very complete design. If it can be fully presented, it will definitely be eye-catching,” Zhao Xiaolu confirmed.

“However, is two days enough? Also, if we follow this plan, we’ll need two more people to cooperate. Do you have anyone in mind?” Zhou Ye asked.

Yan Ning’s stage performance would require at least three people to complete. One of the reasons she had been worried was that the talent show might require a solo performance, which would completely prevent her plan from being realized. However, in the new set of rules, the sponsors placed no restrictions on the second-round performance, and her worries were suddenly resolved.

“Mm, I want Yingxue to play the role of a good friend. I think you perfectly fit the image I have in mind,” Yan Ning said, looking at Qiao Yingxue.

Qiao Yingxue was very surprised. “Me?”

“Yes. As for the other role, I haven’t decided yet. But first, I want to confirm if it’s technically feasible, because many scenes will require 3D projection to be realized,” Yan Ning explained.

If 007 were here, the effect she wanted could be achieved effortlessly.

The interstellar brain technology had already reached a level unimaginable to humans on Earth, and 3D projection was just a tiny branch of that technology, already widely used in daily life.

Thinking about this, Yan Ning’s desire to gather 300 million became even more urgent.

“I know someone who might be able to create the effect Ningning wants. However, he’s usually very busy, so let me contact him first. Also, the cost might be a bit high,” Qiao Yingxue said.

“Really?”

As she spoke, Qiao Yingxue took out her phone and dialed a number.

After a while, Qiao Yingxue put down her phone and said, looking disappointed, “He’s too busy. Sorry, Ningning.”

“It’s fine. We’ll find another way,” Yan Ning said.

“Wait a minute, he’s calling back.” Qiao Yingxue answered the phone, and when she hung up, her face lit up. “He said he’s coming over right now.”

“What made him change his mind?” Yan Ning asked, curious.

“Ningning, do you know Gu Han?” Qiao Yingxue asked.

Yan Ning shook her head.

“That’s strange. He had clearly rejected me earlier. But when he called back just now, the first thing he asked about was you. After I told him a few things about you, he said he’s coming to see you right away,” Qiao Yingxue said.

Yan Ning thought for a moment and realized that she didn’t know this person.

Half an hour later, a young man with a black backpack pushed open the door of the dance studio.

The young man was tall and thin, with a good-looking appearance, and his clothes suggested he had good taste. Before he spoke, those in the dance studio who didn’t know him silently labeled him as a “cool and aloof boy.”

He didn’t look at anyone else and walked straight to Yan Ning. He knelt on one knee, placed one hand on his chest, and took Yan Ning’s hand. “Hello, my princess. I am Gu Han, your future knight. Please allow me to kiss your fingertips.”

“……” Yan Ning looked at Qiao Yingxue, puzzled and seeking help.

Qiao Yingxue covered her face, having forgotten that this guy was a “chuunibyou” (a term for someone who behaves in an over-the-top, delusional way).

Most chuunibyou boys tend to outgrow this phase around the time they graduate from ninth grade. After entering high school, they’d rather forget their middle school memories and would be mortified even thinking about it.

But Gu Han started showing symptoms in the second year of middle school, and by the second year of high school, he still hadn’t recovered, even showing signs of getting more “chuunibyou.”