In rehearsal

It’s no wonder Qin Yu would think this way. Back in high school, Li Ruoying was always proud and constantly bullied the other girls in the class. Especially Qin Yu—after she started dating Yu Qian, trouble seemed to come knocking at her door more often. Although Li Ruoying liked Feng Han, seeing Qin Yu with Yu Qian made her jealous; after all, Yu Qian came from a good family.

The events of that afternoon never leaked out; even Xu Ting, after changing clothes, arrived at evening study on time. Yet after that, Xu Ting kept casting odd, furtive glances at Qin Yu. Mu Qingxi didn’t know what had happened between them, but looking at Xu Ting’s state, it was clear something unpleasant had occurred.

Mu Qingxi thought, as long as Qin Yu hadn’t suffered any real harm, she wouldn’t ask more. Everyone has their own secrets, their own affairs to resolve. Just like before, Qin Yu had been waiting for her to reveal the old story, but Mu Qingxi had already gone to bed, and by the time she woke again, a string of events prevented her from telling Qin Yu—until Qin Yu somehow already knew.

There was little point in dwelling on such idle chatter; it was better to go practice their performance. Although Confucius had assigned Qin Yu to organize the event, in the end, it was Mu Qingxi herself who coached the rehearsals.

That day, she mentioned needing one more person, and by evening, someone had appeared—brought along by Xi Haifei: Xu Hongliang.

The moment Mu Qingxi saw Xu Hongliang, she applauded. He was perfect—his appearance, his demeanor. Xi Haifei truly understood her mind, and it was indeed an excellent choice.

Qin Yu and the other two looked at Mu Qingxi curiously, wondering to themselves, What’s gotten into Mu Qingxi? Why is she so delighted?

Thus, the rehearsal group was set: Mu Qingxi, Qin Yu, Xi Haifei, and Xu Hongliang.

Beneath the plane trees, Mu Qingxi gazed at the four of them and conceived an inspired idea for a performance—something effortless and time-saving.

After she shared her plan and asked their opinions, they all agreed it was excellent. Especially Qin Yu and Xi Haifei—one was eager to try, the other couldn’t hide their smile. Only Mu Qingxi and Xu Hongliang remained composed.

“I say, you can start imagining how you might perform your parts. Tomorrow, I’ll bring the tape, and we won’t need to rehearse during evening study; practice during breaks will suffice,” Mu Qingxi declared resolutely.

“Mumu, I’ll check our costumes, and Xi Haifei and Xu Hongliang should watch the video closely. That way, we won’t be so unfamiliar during rehearsal, and the performance will feel right,” Qin Yu suggested insightfully.

Xi Haifei and Xu Hongliang agreed.

Suddenly, Xi Haifei frowned and looked at Mu Qingxi. “Well, there are six days left. Let’s all put in our best effort. The monthly exam is right after New Year’s; use self-study time for review. Mumu, focus on your courses as well. Xiao Gang, Chen Bin, and I will help tutor you further.”

That commanding tone—so fitting for someone who’d been class president—left no room for debate.

“Alright, I know you’re all responsible. This time, even Xiao Gang and Chen Bin aren’t joining the performance—how vexing! Just watch as I…”

“Heh, Mumu, Chen Bin and I truly aren’t up to it; otherwise, wouldn’t we support you? Chen Bin, since the student council president is your friend, share the news,” Xiao Gang said, appearing ahead with Chen Bin following.

“Alright. Mumu, the student council president, Guo Chen, has invited you and Qin Yu to be hosts for the evening gala. He mentioned four hosts—two men and two women. The male hosts haven’t been decided yet,” Chen Bin explained.

“Fantastic, I agree!” Qin Yu exclaimed, jumping up in delight and quickly accepting. She turned to Mu Qingxi, saying, “Mumu, let’s do it. We’re already famous enough—what’s one more achievement?”

“Then let’s join. Just write the speech; I won’t have time,” Mu Qingxi said.

Hosting—Mu Qingxi was secretly excited. She’d never been a host before and would have to prepare well.

(Do you want to know who the male hosts are? And what program the four main characters will perform?)