Chapter 337: Chapter 337: Longing for You for a Long Time
Ye Xuan unexpectedly became the president of the drama club.
“Um, President Ye, An Mi and I have other things to do, so we probably can’t join this performance,” Chen Jin declined tactfully: “Could you find someone else? I remember the drama club has many members, so you’re not short of just the two of us.”
Ye Xuan did not look at her, but turned his gaze to An Mi and asked, “An Mi, I remember you saying before that you really wanted to act in a play. This time, there’s a rare opportunity, and there’s also a role that suits you well. Don’t you really want to give it a try?”
“…”
“Mimi, when did you ever say such a thing? I don’t remember at all?” Chen Jin asked doubtfully.
Her words were nothing but a show of disbelief in what Ye Xuan had said.
Since yesterday, Ye Xuan had noticed that Chen Jin seemed to really dislike him.
An Mi said with some embarrassment, “It was when I joined the drama club, I said it myself.”
Chen Jin: “Do you want to go?”
Although Chen Jin didn’t really like Ye Xuan getting close to An Mi, if An Mi herself wanted to participate, she would still support her.
An Mi looked at Ye Xuan and said, “Well, Student Ye, I’ll think about it when I get back. This shouldn’t be urgent, right?”
Ever since she found out that Ye Xuan liked her, she indeed didn’t really like being around him much either.
However, since everyone was classmates and saw each other often, it wouldn’t be nice to make things too awkward.
Seeing that she had said as much, Ye Xuan didn’t force her, “Okay, that’s fine, but the latest in three days, because we need to set the roles.”
An Mi nodded, “Alright.”
She had just finished speaking when Chen Jin pulled her away.
“Let’s go, let’s go,” Chen Jin urged.
Ye Xuan squinted his eyes slightly, watching as the two of them left.
After eating lunch and returning to the dormitory.
Chen Jin immediately started interrogating An Mi: “Come on, Mimi, confess, where did you go with Mr. Wan last night? You said you wouldn’t stay out all night, but now you’ve been gone the whole night.”
An Mi saw her excited and gossip-hungry expression and knew she must have misunderstood.
She smiled helplessly, “Put away your rustling imagination. We didn’t go anywhere, just went camping by the seaside, had a barbecue, chatted, and then watched the sunrise on the beach in the morning.”
Chen Jin didn’t believe her: “Just that?”
An Mi nodded: “Mhm, just like that.”
“Nothing more ambiguous and exciting happened? Like kissing or something?”
“No, nothing.”
An Mi got up and went to her wardrobe to get a set of clothes.
She was going to take a shower and change into clean clothes.
Chen Jin continued to press her: “Is Mr. Wan’s self-control that good? He can refrain from making a move on you even when alone together, not even a simple kiss?”
An Mi stood at the bathroom door, one hand on the door, the other propping the door frame, “Jinjin, I’m going to take a bath now, want to join me?”
Upon hearing that, Chen Jin responded, “Sure, I’m not shy anyway.”
Then, she tried to squeeze in.
An Mi was amused by her and laughed, “But I am shy.” She was really fed up with her, so she simply told her, “We kissed, on the way back we kissed, okay? Can the beautiful and kind-hearted gossip queen Jinjin let me go take a bath now?”
Chen Jin nodded in satisfaction, “Go on, you can go.”
During her lunch break, An Mi sent a WeChat message to Wan Muqi. After waiting for five minutes without a reply, she put down her phone and went back to sleep.
…
Three days later.
Ye Xuan came to look for An Mi again.
An Mi saw him and then remembered this matter; she had been a bit busy the past few days and forgot to think about it.
“An Mi, how about it? Have you considered it? We’re rehearsing this time for the National College Student Drama Competition. It’s a pretty meaningful event.”
An Mi was silent for a few seconds, “Okay then.”
Hearing her agreement, Ye Xuan visibly relaxed.
Then he casually asked, “By the way, An Mi, that morning I saw you get out of a luxury car, you…”
Hearing this, An Mi frowned slightly, but replied very calmly to him, “Oh, a family member, anything else?”
Ye Xuan felt instantly relieved upon hearing that it was her family she had mentioned, after being weighed down with concern for the past three days.
He smiled and said, “It’s fine. I wanted to greet you that day, but you left in a hurry. So you didn’t go back to school that day?”
An Mi replied indifferently, “Yeah, I didn’t go back.”
“Since you’re alright, then I’ll be on my way.”
“There’s one more thing.”
“What is it?”
Ye Xuan rubbed the back of his head, looking somewhat embarrassed as he said, “Can I add you on WeChat? I don’t have your WeChat contact, and it would be convenient for us to communicate during rehearsals.”
After he put it that way, An Mi felt it was hard to refuse.
Adding WeChat wasn’t a big deal anyway.
“Alright,” she agreed.
Ye Xuan took out his phone, saying, “Then I’ll scan your QR code.”
“It’s quite embarrassing to say, but we have been classmates for nearly two years and I haven’t added you on WeChat,” he said.
An Mi just smiled faintly and didn’t say anything.
Chen Jin had left early because she had other things to attend to, but she was waiting for An Mi in the canteen.
Seeing her arrive belatedly, Chen Jin said, “Where have you been? If you hadn’t come, I was ready to call the police to look for you.”
She had messaged saying she would arrive in five minutes, but Chen Jin had waited for fifteen.
An Mi briefly explained to her.
Chen Jin asked: “So, you’ve agreed to perform?”
An Mi nodded and “hmmed” in response: “I know what you’re worried about, but don’t worry, it’ll be fine. I’m just playing a role. I can’t just avoid him because he likes me, and besides, I haven’t done anything wrong, why should I hide? As long as I limit my contact with him, that’s enough. Even if we do have contact, it’ll be related to study matters. Just keeping things professional will be fine.”
Chen Jin: “All right, you make sense. Since you’re going, I’ll apply for a role as well, to keep you company.”
…
An Mi had agreed to rehearse with the drama club, so she needed to use her free time for rehearsals, which meant that she’d have even less time to meet with Wan Muqi.
She informed him about this the night she had agreed to Ye Xuan’s request.
The man didn’t oppose or show any discontent; on the contrary, he was quite supportive of her going.
Since the venue for the competition was set at University A, the school also placed a lot of emphasis on this drama performance.
This time, they were going to perform Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”.
The two female leads were played by An Mi and another girl from the dance department.
The story recounts how the twins Sebastian and Viola are stranded in Illyria after surviving a shipwreck during a sea voyage.
An Mi’s role in the play is Viola, who disguises herself as a man and stays by the side of her beloved, Duke Orsino, yet Duke Orsino is in love with another Countess, Olivia.
Olivia, the other female lead, rejects Duke Orsino’s love and instead falls for the disguised Viola.
After a series of amusing complications, Viola and Duke Orsino become a couple, and Olivia ends up with Sebastian, resulting in happy unions for both pairs.
Previously, Ye Xuan told her that the script contained a character she liked, but in fact, it was the meaning conveyed by the script itself that she appreciated.
Because “Twelfth Night” praises the humanistic ideals of love and friendship, showcasing the beauty of life and of love.
“Mimi, why do I feel like Ye Xuan is doing this on purpose?” said Chen Jin.
An Mi: “On purpose? What do you mean?”
“To play your love interest,” Chen Jin explained: “He’s playing Duke Orsino, which pairs him with you.”
An Mi hadn’t thought about it that much, considering it was just a role in the script.
After reading the script, she saw there wasn’t excessive physical contact, at most holding hands, embracing.
“Uh, that shouldn’t be it, right?”
“Oh, my naive Mimi, he has been eyeing you for a long time, he’s definitely trying to find ways to get close to you,” Chen Jin analyzed. “Now that he has this opportunity, he’s surely going to seize it.”
An Mi pursed her lips and blinked, “But he wouldn’t do anything inappropriate, right?”
Chen Jin shook her head, “I don’t know about that, but from what I’ve seen so far, he doesn’t seem to be the sleazy type.”
“Then that’s fine,” An Mi said. “As long as it’s not excessive and doesn’t cross my boundaries, I can choose to ignore it.”
Chen Jin: “Let’s hope he keeps up his gentlemanly behavior then.”
…
Friday afternoon.
The rehearsal room in the comprehensive building.
“Everyone, let’s run through it one more time, and then we can call it a day,” Ye Xuan said to the crowd, “Let’s all perk up.”
“President, I think we’ve rehearsed enough, how about we resume the day after tomorrow?” one of the male students suggested.
They had been rehearsing for two hours already, and to continue would indeed be tiring.
Ye Xuan said firmly, “Just the last half-hour, and then we can all go home.”
Suddenly, no one dared to speak up.
This script involved thirteen characters, and Chen Jin snagged the role of Olivia’s maid, Maria.
Though it wasn’t the role she wanted, she had no choice in the matter.
It wasn’t that she despised the role, mainly she just didn’t want to act alongside Wu Xiaomin.
“Ye Xuan, I don’t think I’m suited for the role of Olivia. How about I swap roles with An Mi while there’s still time?” Wu Xiaomin suddenly proposed.
The crowd exchanged glances.
Chen Jin, holding An Mi’s hand, whispered into her ear, “See, what did I tell you? She just loves to cause drama.”
That was also why Chen Jin didn’t want to share scenes with her; during these past days of rehearsal, Chen Jin felt her own patience wearing thin because of her.
She felt nothing but helplessness.
In every rehearsal, Wu Xiaomin would complain about one thing or another; even a pampered princess wasn’t as high-maintenance as her.
Ye Xuan frowned, “You chose this role yourself in the beginning, why do you think it’s not suitable now?”
Wu Xiaomin stated confidently, “I didn’t know if I was suitable or not without practical experience.”
“…”
The crowd watched silently, daring not to interrupt.
An Mi, as one of the parties involved, didn’t want to get entangled in this either.
But there was someone who clearly wouldn’t let her off the hook.
Wu Xiaomin looked directly at An Mi and said, “An Mi, I know you don’t want to play this character either, so it’s perfect—we can swap.”
An Mi looked puzzled; when had she ever said anything like that?
The crowd’s gaze instantly shifted towards her.
“…”
Wu Xiaomin was essentially putting her on the spot; if she claimed she never said such a thing, she would offend Wu Xiaomin, but if she agreed she had said it, she would be offending everyone else.
Offending both sides wasn’t an option, but… although An Mi was easygoing and amiable, she wasn’t someone who could be easily manipulated by others.
With an innocent face, she replied, “I never said that.”
But the very next second, her tone shifted as she continued, “However, if you really want to swap, I’m fine with it. I have no objections.”
Having said that, Wu Xiaomin was left with no grounds for argument.
But Wu Xiaomin felt embarrassed by her direct confrontation.
However, since An Mi gave her a way out, she naturally wouldn’t be ungrateful.
She turned back to Ye Xuan and suggested, “See, she has no objections. Let’s just swap then.”
Nobody knew why she was so insistent on swapping.
But Ye Xuan didn’t agree with her.
“Since we’ve settled on the roles from the start, let’s not change them. We’ve finally come together after much effort; swapping now would waste all the rehearsals we’ve done.”
Ye Xuan’s words made the atmosphere heavier, with a hint of awkward tension hanging in the air.
An Mi stopped talking after saying her piece, as she didn’t want to join the conflict, having made her position clear.
To swap or not to swap, she had no opinion.
Seeing Ye Xuan stay firm, Wu Xiaomin wanted to get angry but didn’t dare to, feeling only frustration.
In the end, she turned her head and gave An Mi a glare before leaving.
The crowd: “…”
The innocent An Mi: “…”
“I didn’t provoke her, did I?” An Mi muttered as she looked at Chen Jin.
Chen Jin consoled her: “Don’t mind her, she just loves drama.”
Then, she looked towards Ye Xuan and asked, “President Ye, with one lead actress gone, we can’t continue the rehearsal, right? Can we go back now?”
Others chimed in: “Yeah, Wu Xiaomin left, it’s meaningless for us to stay.”
Ye Xuan glanced at An Mi, and finally had to say, “Well, that’s it for today, thank you everyone for your hard work.”
Upon hearing this, everyone started to pack their things and left.
An Mi and Chen Jin naturally hurried to leave as well.
But just as they took a step, Ye Xuan called out, “An Mi, wait a second.”
An Mi had to stop.
“What is it?”
Ye Xuan stood in front of her and asked, “Do you really want to switch roles?”
An Mi: “I’ve made myself very clear just now.”
She didn’t understand why he was still asking these meaningless questions.
“I’m fine with it, I don’t mind. Don’t worry about me, if Wu wants to switch, I’m okay with it any time,” she stated once more.
Ye Xuan: “But I think the role suits you well, do you really want to give it up?”
An Mi: “It’s not about being suitable or not, as long as one puts their heart into it, any role can be suitable. But if someone has no interest in a role, no matter how suitable it is for her, she can’t bring out its essence.”
“Although I don’t agree with Wu’s sudden decision to switch roles, if she’s not dedicated to her current role, it’ll only slow down everyone’s progress. So, if she insists on switching, then let her switch. After all, I can accept it.”
“Moreover, ‘giving up’ is not the right word. I haven’t given up; I’ve just switched to another role. I’m still part of this drama troupe.”
Ye Xuan’s expression slightly changed, but he didn’t say anything else, as what An Mi said was watertight and reasonable.
“Alright, I got it. I’ll communicate with Wu Xiaomin about this.”
“Mhm, thank you for the trouble, then. We’ll be leaving now.”
After saying that, An Mi pulled Chen Jin away to leave.
As the two of them just stepped out onto the first floor of the comprehensive building, they ran into Wan Muqi.
Chen Jin nudged her with her shoulder and said, “Looks like I, the third wheel, should make myself scarce.”
An Mi: “…”
“Mr. Wan, since you’re here, I’ll leave Mimi in your care,” Chen Jin said very perceptively.
Wan Muqi greeted her with a polite smile and nodded, “Okay, thank you.”
Chen Jin raised her eyebrows at An Mi: “Then, I hope you two have a pleasant weekend. Bye.”
“…”
“Let’s go, I’ll take you out to eat first, then drop you off at home,” Wan Muqi said as he stepped forward. He reached out his hand, intending to hold hers, but remembering they were still at the school, he quickly withdrew it.
An Mi watched his actions and found them amusing, bursting into laughter involuntarily.
“If you laugh again, I won’t care that this is a school,” he said.
An Mi immediately controlled her smile.
“I’m done laughing, I’m hungry, let’s go eat.”
They had just taken a few steps when Ye Xuan came down from upstairs.
And happened to run into them.
“An Mi.”
He called out excitedly.
Both turned around to look at him.
When Ye Xuan saw Wan Muqi’s face, he paused; wasn’t this teacher from their school?
He had seen him eating with An Mi in the cafeteria before, but since Chen Jin and the others were there too, he hadn’t paid much attention.
But why was it just the two of them now?
“Professor Wan, it’s you. I’m An Mi’s classmate, my name is Ye Xuan,” he greeted proactively.