Backstage.
Preparation Room One.
"Whose notebook is this?"
Wen Tingxue pointed at the black, leather-bound, locked notebook on the makeup table. She scanned the room and asked aloud.
Yu Yahe, who was tidying up at the makeup table diagonally opposite, looked up at the sound of her voice.
"Isn't it yours?"
Although her program had been canceled, she was part of the student council and had been assigned to help out. She was in charge of cleaning Room One, which included tidying the table.
"It was already there when I arrived," she said.
Wen Tingxue was puzzled. "But it's not mine. Could someone have put it in the wrong place?"
The makeup table was white, and the black notebook stood out conspicuously. If it had been there from the start of the room assignments, she wouldn't have missed it. The only possibility was that someone had accidentally misplaced it while she was out for lunch.
Yu Yahe let out an "oh" and lowered her head to busy herself again, casually remarking, "Then open it and take a look. Maybe there's a name on it."
Wen Tingxue: "..."
She called out twice more, but still, no one claimed it. Reluctantly, she picked up the notebook. Just as she was trying to figure out the password, Xie JinYi came out after changing her clothes. Seeing the notebook in Wen Tingxue's hand, her expression changed slightly.
"What are you doing with my notebook?"
"Huh?" Wen Tingxue turned back, her expression a little blank. "It's yours? I thought someone put it in the wrong place and I was trying to find the owner."
She handed the notebook over and casually asked, "What did you write in it?"
"A little girl's secrets, of course."
Xie JinYi smiled, but her hand was quick to snatch the notebook, as if it held some unspeakable secret.
Wen Tingxue couldn't help but tease, "Yiyi, don't tell me you have a crush? You're so protective of that notebook."
"Who is it?" she leaned in and pouted playfully, "Tell me~ I won't tell anyone."
"No, I'll tell you if there is." Xie JinYi reached out and squeezed her face, smiling and urging, "Go get your makeup done quickly, you might be late."
According to the planned performance order, their dance was third. Wen Tingxue hurried to get her makeup done.
"The little sister looks so beautiful today."
The makeup artist had been quite impressed with her during the preliminary makeup session. When the young girl was having her eyes done, she kept blinking her eyes frantically. Afterward, she would look at the makeup artist with a dazed and helpless expression, making it impossible to get angry.
Wen Tingxue smiled shyly. "Maybe it's because of the new hairstyle."
Her hair had grown quite a bit and was a little distracting. She had been meaning to cut it but kept forgetting. At noon, Yu Wenli took her directly to the hair salon and gave her a refreshing short haircut. The hairdresser was very skilled. As she was blow-drying her hair, Wen Tingxue felt like she had transformed into someone else.
The makeup artist hooked her chin and examined her carefully, shaking her head. "It's not just the hairstyle; you were always pretty to begin with, and you've blossomed even more. If you were to put on makeup, you'd probably become the campus belle."
The young girl had a perfect oval face and a pair of watery apricot eyes; anyone who saw her would praise her beauty. Now, with the new hairstyle, her aura was even more enhanced. She looked refreshing, soft, and cute, the perfect embodiment of first love.
Wen Tingxue just thought she was exaggerating and smiled without responding.
Until the entire makeup and styling were completed—
"Is... is this me?"
Wen Tingxue stared at her reflection in the mirror, with her fair skin, red lips, and stunning features, and found it hard to believe.
"Sister, your makeup skills are amazing."
The makeup artist smiled, "I'm just adding the finishing touches. The main reason is that you're beautiful. Alright, hurry and change your clothes."
"Okay, bye, sister."
Wen Tingxue took a quick appreciative glance and turned to run towards the changing room. She was getting a lot of attention on the way and didn't have time to respond.
Changing room.
Wen Tingxue finished changing and came out of the cubicle. While straightening her waistband, she looked up and saw Xie JinYi sitting on a chair, looking dazed. The white shoes she was supposed to wear were at her feet.
"Hm?"
Hadn't she changed already? Why had she taken them off again in the blink of an eye?
Wen Tingxue walked over with concern, "Yiyi?" She reached out to take her hand and found it was ice-cold.
"What happened?" Wen Tingxue asked gently while warming her hands.
Xie JinYi slowly raised her head, her gaze fixed for a moment. Recognizing Wen Tingxue, she managed a weak smile and said, "It's nothing. I lost my notebook. I just went out to look for it but couldn't find it..." She had changed her shoes specifically to avoid dirtying the ones she was supposed to wear on stage.
"Hey!" Xie JinYi grabbed Wen Tingxue, who was about to get up, and shook her head. "It's almost our turn, don't cause any more trouble."
"But your notebook..." Wen Tingxue knew how precious that notebook was to her, otherwise, she wouldn't be looking for it at this time.
"It's fine," Xie JinYi interrupted. "We can still find it after we perform." Even though she said that, her expression was far from happy. She was clearly afraid of the notebook falling into the wrong hands.
Wen Tingxue couldn't bear to see her upset and stood up. "I still..."
Xie JinYi held onto her tightly, her eyes filled with complex emotions, but she spoke softly. "Let's dance first."
"..."
After a moment of standoff, Wen Tingxue couldn't refuse her and sat down to change her shoes. Xie JinYi, assured that Wen Tingxue wouldn't leave, also lowered her head to change her shoes.
"Hiss~"
Exclamations of pain sounded in succession.
At the same time, in the grand auditorium.
Jiangcheng No. 1 High School was the most prestigious high school in Jiangcheng, comparable to No. 12 High School in terms of scale and financial resources. The grand auditorium was naturally well-equipped, boasting impressive stage design and seating capacity. It was certainly presentable enough to receive a distinguished guest like the second master of the Fu family. The only thing that worried the principal was the program itself. The young master of the Fu family from the capital had experienced everything since childhood. Their small-scale performances might not impress him. However, the mayor had specifically recommended him, and if they failed to impress...
The principal's heart pounded with anxiety. He asked nervously, "Is the second master interested in anything?"
The man called "Second Master," seated in the center, was actually not very old, around twenty-three or twenty-four. However, his demeanor was sharp and stern, and the impeccably tailored black suit further enhanced his powerful aura, making it difficult for anyone to look directly at him. Even among the forty or fifty-year-old leaders seated around him, few dared to meet his gaze. Only the principal could exchange a few words with him. The man in the suit, with a faint smile, flipped through the program. When he heard the question, he rubbed the paper and chuckled, "Jiangcheng No. 1 High School has produced many talents; I am looking forward to it."
This was a polite platitude, implying he wasn't particularly interested. The principal's face flushed with embarrassment and he quickly changed the subject.
Auditorium.
Because of the unexpected arrival of the second master of the Fu family, the audience was already buzzing with discussion.
"Who is this person? He's so handsome!"
"Men look so handsome in suits, especially the reserved type. They're just too captivating!"
"I heard the principal call him the second master of the Fu family. Are there any wealthy families named Fu in Jiangcheng?"
"He's not from Jiangcheng; he's from the capital."
"The capital?!"
"Yes, and from a top-tier wealthy family in the capital."
"Holy crap!"
Everyone was shocked. Someone who had found information began to elaborate.
"Second Master Fu, real name Fu Yuchuan. He won the International Mathematical Olympiad gold medal at fifteen and was admitted to A University with advanced standing. He returned from studying abroad at twenty with a double master's degree and became the CEO of Fu Group in the same year..."
As each achievement was read out, the gasps from the surrounding people never ceased.
Chi Zerui sat next to Yu Wenli, sipping a drink, and asked, "Why do you think he suddenly showed up to watch the evening party? What's he up to?" As someone from the same aristocratic class, he knew better than anyone that these people never did anything without a reason. Without a motive, he wouldn't waste his time coming here.
Yu Wenli's expression was indifferent. "Whatever." He couldn't care less about Fu Yuchuan's reason for being here.
Chi Zerui: "..."
Chi Zerui: "Jiang Tu is an artist heavily promoted by his company. You caused his popularity to plummet. Aren't you worried he'll cause trouble for you? Also, I heard that the Jiang family has a close relationship with the Fu family, and Jiang Tu even calls him Uncle."
Yu Wenli looked down at his phone and replied dismissively, "He wouldn't come here for Jiang Tu." In Fu Yuchuan's eyes, artists were nothing, even if that artist was the young master of the Jiang family.
Chi Zerui was puzzled. "Then why is he here?" If he simply wanted to watch an evening party, many schools in the capital would invite him. There was no reason for him to come to Jiangcheng to watch.
Yu Wenli ignored his curiosity, his expression changing slightly as he stood up.
"Hey!" Chi Zerui sensed something was wrong and followed closely. "What's wrong?"
Backstage.
When Yu Wenli and Chi Zerui arrived, Wen Tingxue and Xie JinYi were already surrounded by a group of people. The atmosphere was grim.
"What are we going to do?"
"We're going on stage soon."
"Can't we postpone our performance?"
"How can we postpone it? All the times are calculated, it's impossible to postpone!"
"Even if we could postpone it, they wouldn't be able to perform!"
"That's right. It was glass! It cut their feet. Forget resting for half an hour, even a day's rest wouldn't allow them to dance!"
After bandaging their wounds, the doctor stood up and said, "Do not let these areas get wet during this period. And don't even think about dancing. The glass cut very deeply; you must rest well."
Wen Tingxue bit her lip, looking troubled. "But we have a performance..."
"We'll figure out the performance," the student council president comforted. "You two just rest well." He then noticed Yu Wenli and Chi Zerui at the doorway and his heart skipped a beat. "Why are you here?"
Yu Wenli stared at the two bloodstains on the floor, his expression extremely grim. "What happened?" he asked, his voice so cold it could freeze.
The student council president frowned. "I don't know who put glass in their shoes. They didn't notice and stepped on it... We're already investigating." The only trouble was the performance, especially with distinguished guests present. If this was messed up, the consequences would be unthinkable.
"Have you found anything?" Yu Wenli exuded such a strong aura of killing intent that people around him instinctively retreated, and even the doctor wanted to slip away. The student council president, under his intense gaze, was sweating profusely, as if he wasn't facing a student, but a judge deciding his fate.
Wen Tingxue, afraid he would lose his temper, softly called out, "Yu Wenli, it hurts." She couldn't bring herself to call him "Brother Yu" in front of so many people. But she knew that as long as she spoke, he would soften his attitude.
Busy with three-dimensional matters, there's one more chapter, which will be available in the morning~