There really was—yes, in a sense, they liked the same person, but visually, Jiang Xiao ended up falling for someone he really shouldn’t have.
Trouble. Things were only getting more and more complicated.
What a headache.
Gradually. She was almost struggling to breathe.
At that moment, drip drip—two droplets of water fell gently onto her cheek.
They were somewhat warm.
She froze slightly, her eyelashes trembling twice.
Only then did she belatedly catch the scent of cedar and soap nut from Jiang Xiao’s body, wafting from behind her.
She lifted her little face.
Jiang Xiao had already finished showering and come out at some point, standing behind her, lost in thought as he watched her answer the call.
“Mm… Jiang Xiao, you’re out of the shower—why didn’t you say something?”
Song Qiuyu blinked.
“You looked so deep in thought. I didn’t want to disturb you,” Jiang Xiao said with a soft laugh.
Song Qiuyu suddenly felt at a loss for words. Where had he learned this terrible habit of answering questions with questions?
“Since you’re out, you keep talking to her, then.”
With that, she said a quick word to Jiang Li on the other end, handed the phone to the person behind her, and walked into the bedroom to get a change of clothes.
Jiang Xiao lowered his eyes, letting out a low chuckle as he dried his hair.
Holding the phone to his left ear, he began catching up with his little sister, whom he hadn’t spoken to in ages.
When Song Qiuyu came out of the bedroom with her clothes, Jiang Xiao had already finished dealing with his siblings and was now blow-drying his hair.
“So, are they really coming?”
“Mm, I already told them to book tickets right away and leave now. Who knows, they might even make it in time to see our Stage Play.”
Jiang Xiao switched off the hair dryer and turned to see Song Qiuyu’s conflicted expression, falling into thought.
“If they can make it, that would be nice.”
Song Qiuyu walked into the bathroom, deep in thought, and locked the door behind her.
She picked up her phone, gripping it tightly.
Perhaps, it’s time to end things between them.
Those who have done wrong must accept punishment.
If she keeps running, the guilt she has to bear will only keep piling up—a prolonged pain is worse than a short one!
She opened her phone’s QQ, switched to Shen Xi’s account, and opened the chat with Jiang Xiao.
[Jiang Xiao]: Xi’er, just a few more hours before we go on stage for the Stage Play. I’m a little nervous. If you were still here, you could comfort me.
Heh.
Once Jiang Xiao learns Shen Xi’s true identity and the lover’s filter shatters, he probably won’t keep pining after Shen Xi—or Song Qiuyu—anymore…
Although Jiang Xiao will be hurt when he finds out the truth, but still, as always—a quick pain is better than a long one!
Song Qiuyu sighed, quickly finished typing a message, then closed her eyes and fumbled to send it.
With a soft ding, Jiang Xiao received a new QQ message on his phone.
[Xi]: Jiang Xiao, tonight at midnight, at the entrance of Song Opera House. Wait for me—don’t be late.
Seeing this message, Jiang Xiao fell silent for a moment, then turned to glance toward the bathroom.
This seemingly brave gesture to face the past—right now, she’s probably trembling inside.
Song Qiuyu bit her lip, opened one eye to look at the sent message, and took a deep breath.
She’d face it, yes, but the longer she could put it off, the better.
Let the me of midnight deal with the angry Jiang Xiao—right now, I only need to focus on the Stage Play!
Countdown to Stage Play: 2 hours and 40 minutes.
“Big sis, what’s a Stage Play?”
Just off the plane, Jiang Yu looked up at the pretty sister who came to pick them up, tilting his head and asking cutely.
“A Stage Play? You can think of it as a live-action cartoon performed on stage, or maybe a live-action tokusatsu show,” Sang Tian said after some thought.
“Anyway, your brother Jiang Xiao is busy with the Stage Play right now, so he asked me to pick you up.”
“Thanks for the trouble, Sister Sang Tian.”
Jiang Li lowered her head politely, giving a small, courteous smile.
Then, the three of them headed straight there, just in time to take their seats inside Song Opera House before the Stage Play began.
The Stage Play began.
The entire Opera House fell silent—so silent, you could hear a pin drop.
Jiang Li and Jiang Yu sat quietly, watching. When the Blind Prince appeared, both of them froze.
The Blind Prince’s eyes were covered by white cloth, dressed in princely finery, every gesture carrying the air of a born ruler…
On the way over, Sang Tian had already explained the basic plot of the Stage Play, including the roles played by Jiang Xiao and Song Qiuyu.
But when they actually saw the Blind Prince on stage—
Their brother had changed so much, the two of them almost didn’t recognize him.
Exclamations rippled through the audience. Jiang Li quietly picked up her phone, snapped a picture of her brother as he was now, and sent it to their mom.
Soon after, the Demon Princess entered the stage with light steps.
She wore a simple white dress, bare feet treading on the red carpet of the stage, her long silver hair trailing to her ankles. Her bright crimson eyes curved, sparkling with a carefree smile.
She was like a carefree spirit wandering through the woods, singing freely, instantly drawing everyone’s gaze.
Including the Blind Prince on stage.
When the princess and prince met, the exclamations in the audience grew even louder.
Even Jiang Yu got swept up, joining in the cheers.
Only Jiang Li’s expression grew heavier, almost losing her composure, so she picked up the milk tea she’d bought on the way and took a sip to steady her nerves.
The entire Stage Play wasn’t very long; soon, it was approaching the finale.
The once cheerful mood grew oppressive.
The Blind Prince defeated the demon dragon, regained his sight, but lost his princess forever.
At his side remained only a speechless creature, uttering only the cryptic, crow-like calls of the Crow Demon.
In the end, the Blind Prince protected this creature, only to be slain by the very people he once protected—he fell to the ground.
It wasn’t until he closed his eyes for the final time that he suddenly realized: the princess had never left his side.
His princess was the very creature he used the last of his life to protect.
–The curse of Blue Moongrass was still in effect.
At this point, tears were streaming down Jiang Li’s face, but she kept holding back.
Glancing at those around her, seeing everyone’s faces streaked with tears, she finally felt free to cry.
Amid thunderous applause, the curtain fell.
The Stage Play was over.
“Whew…”
Song Qiuyu breathed a sigh of relief.
After a month of grueling rehearsals, it felt wonderful to see so many people enjoying their Stage Play.
If nothing went wrong, surely someone would record the performance and post it online.
Just waiting for those views to start rolling in.
With that hope in her heart, she looked down at Jiang Xiao, still lying obediently on the red carpet, lost in thought, and sighed helplessly, reaching out a small hand to him.
In a voice only the two of them could hear, she teased, “Prince, it’s time to get up.”
Jiang Xiao looked at her, raised his left arm, and grabbed the little hand she’d offered.
Before she could help him up, Song Qiuyu’s vision blurred—she was suddenly pressed down onto the stage by Jiang Xiao!
So, behind the closed curtain that should have been quiet, the Blind Prince’s voice rang out again:
“You think you can keep fooling me? You think I’m a fool?”
Everyone: “?”