7:42 AM, underground parking lot of X University.
A black car slowly pulled into an empty space.
As the headlights went out and the engine’s hum faded away until silence filled the vast parking area, almost no sound remained.
The world at this moment seemed woven from silence and cold.
Thankfully, the temperature inside the car was still comfortable—not yet turning cold.
Mu Nanqiu kept both hands on the steering wheel, her foot still pressing lightly on the pedals.
She gazed into the distance, her eyes deep and thoughtful.
Beep beep~
After an unknown length of time, a sound broke the quiet.
A message on her phone brought Mu Nanqiu back from her reverie.
She glanced down, and a subtle change appeared on her face.
Her eyes lowered slightly, the corners of her mouth lifting into a faint smile.
The message read: “Senpai, the list for the showcase has been finalized.”
Mu Nanqiu recalled Su Yao waving to her in the rearview mirror just moments ago.
No longer holding back her expression, she smiled—a smile like melting ice and spring breezes, warm and pleasant.
Lady Mu’s smile was even more beautiful than usual, but unfortunately, no one was here to see it.
She got out of the car, locked it, and took the elevator up to the first floor.
Passing the back entrance of the main building, she walked through the library and a little further reached the indoor sports complex.
This indoor sports center was impressively well-equipped.
Inside, there was a large soccer field with spectator stands, seven basketball courts, three volleyball courts on the first floor, five badminton and five tennis courts on the second floor, a huge table tennis hall on the third floor, even a billiards room, and golf facilities on the top floor.
Designed as a multi-purpose indoor sports complex, it was not only vast but also extremely costly—far more expensive than the main academic building.
It was easily one of the top facilities in the entire university district.
She went straight to the second floor, arriving at one of the tennis courts where a group had already gathered.
Mu Nanqiu showed her ID in advance.
The student guarding the entrance greeted her respectfully with a nod, and Mu Nanqiu returned a slight bow, then entered without any obstruction.
Two people stood by the entrance inside.
Seeing Mu Nanqiu arrive, they hastily lifted the curtain for her.
After passing through a three-meter-long corridor, they reached a closed tennis court with spectator seating.
Mu Nanqiu entered the evaluation site.
The review hadn’t started yet, so the atmosphere was still relaxed.
However, everyone grew nervous when they saw Mu Nanqiu arrive.
After all, she was the beautiful senior everyone admired, and naturally, they didn’t want to leave a bad impression—especially with her presence.
There was, of course, another underlying reason.
“Senpai, hello.”
A short-haired young man wearing black-rimmed glasses approached.
He was the main director for this showcase.
There was no need for formal handshakes; he led Mu Nanqiu to the judges’ table and handed her a chair before sitting down himself.
Instead of starting a conversation immediately, he leisurely began brewing tea.
Once ready, he poured a cup for Mu Nanqiu first.
She took a small sip, as a sign of respect.
Her eyes met those of this boy, who was the same age and in the same grade.
He had joined the student council in his sophomore year; Mu Nanqiu had just stepped down from it this year.
That was why he called her “Senpai.”
By the third year, most student council members were nearing the end of their term.
They usually started planning to step down before their senior year.
According to the rules here, fourth-year students would automatically lose their positions, with successors chosen by vote.
So the transition always happened in the third year—either this semester or the next.
The student council wasn’t a fully democratic body.
With so many people, factions and cliques naturally formed.
Most positions were monopolized by close-knit groups.
There had even been power struggles and sabotage in the past.
Some took it as a game, others seriously.
In recent years, school intervention had eased this atmosphere.
This short-haired boy had taken the chairmanship from Mu Nanqiu.
Originally, Mu Nanqiu had wanted to hand the position to a girl—but that girl happened to be this boy’s girlfriend.
“Senpai, you’ve seen the list, right?”
Snapping out of a brief memory of the past, Mu Nanqiu looked at the new student council president and nodded.
“Then you have no objections? If not, I’ll proceed with this.”
“No need to ask me. You’re the president now.”
Mu Nanqiu didn’t care about the student council chair position anymore.
He smiled but didn’t press the matter.
After sipping his tea, he stood up and excused himself—he had other things to attend to.
Not only did the students and clubs showcase their programs through this evaluation, but their photography team also used it as rehearsal.
So the student council president had a busy schedule.
Being chair didn’t guarantee the directorial role; he had also competed for it.
Mu Nanqiu glanced at the young man bustling around, issuing commands.
She had heard he was from a poor background and had gotten involved with one of her friends.
Her friend’s social standing was far above his, but the girl insisted on him.
Her father finally agreed to the match, on one harsh condition—the boy had to take the girl’s surname.
He accepted.
Everything he was doing now was probably to prove himself.
Mu Nanqiu had seen enough melodrama to be unfazed.
Her thoughts were entirely with her friend Yao Yao, and just thinking about Su Yao and their plan to go shopping lifted her mood.
She was already wondering what to wear that day.
The program list had obviously been prearranged.
The evaluation was just a formality.
They might add a few decent acts to make the list seem less fake.
After all, only a handful of people would see the list before the showcase.
Although Mu Nanqiu hadn’t handled such matters during her time as president, she knew the procedures and some of the unspoken rules.
At 9:30 AM, Su Yao entered with her classmates.
There were many people, and the enclosed space, filled with cameras and lighting equipment, intimidated her.
She swallowed nervously, took a deep breath, and steadied herself before moving further inside.
They only had three minutes to set up, so hesitation was not an option.
Zhang Li noticed the vice class president looking a bit lost and took charge.
Luckily, they had prepared in advance and calmly began setting the first scene.
The tennis court net had been temporarily removed, making the whole venue appear spacious.
They had plenty of room—not like a cramped study classroom.
Su Yao was glad she was just taking photos from the side.
Once the setup was complete, the narrator began.
Scene One: Background introduction.
Legend told of an ancient dragon who held the power to grant wishes in exchange for a price.
A cardboard prop shaped like a black dragon swept through the clouds.
The shifting clouds formed mountain peaks.
The dragon prop changed angle, descending into a cave nestled among the clouds.
It slowly lay down and closed its eyes.
Dormant… dormant… suddenly!
The dragon’s eyes snapped open, fixing its gaze on a certain direction.
Scene Two: The witch appeared, walking on a steep mountain battered by relentless winds, chanting incantations.
A girl wearing a witch’s robe stepped onto the stage, followed by the princess and knight.
Su Yao was unconsciously absorbed by the performance.
Under intense pressure and high expectations, they had done better than ever.
To save time, they spoke lines faster and changed scenes quicker, making the story’s pace breathless.
Though the performance lasted seven minutes, as the creator seeing her script come to life, Su Yao felt an indescribable pride.
She wanted to share this joy but had no one here to share it with.
It was like when she scored well on the college entrance exam and got into a great university nearby—there was no one to congratulate her because she was alone.
That was before, but now things were different…
Su Yao thought of Mu Nanqiu.
After this, she wanted to tell her senior about how it felt to see their script performed by others.
Unable to hide her excitement, her previously tense face relaxed, even showing a small smile.
She took many photos, camera in hand.
Unnoticed by her, a gentle gaze watched her from the judges’ seats.
Mu Nanqiu rested her head on one hand, quietly observing Su Yao’s slight nervousness.
By coincidence, Su Yao glanced toward the judges’ table and saw the person she was thinking about at that moment.
A bright smile immediately appeared on Su Yao’s face.
She wanted to run over to Mu Nanqiu and share her happiness.
But her feet wouldn’t move…
Less than ten meters apart, but to reach Mu Nanqiu, she had to pass through many people in the open.
In public, walking over would feel like hell—a far scarier challenge than standing up to introduce herself.
Seeing Su Yao noticed her, Mu Nanqiu winked and smiled softly.
She then took out her phone and waved it, signaling Su Yao to communicate through messages.
Su Yao understood instantly and hurriedly pulled out her phone.
A message from Mu Nanqiu had already arrived.
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