Ah ah ah, Jiang Xiao, you rascal!
Your roommate treats you like an Electronic Pet, and you actually caught feelings? Are you sure you’re innocent—aren’t you just a fool?
Song Qiuyu gritted her teeth, and a wave of exasperation washed over her heart.
But then, all at once, she felt tired—not tired from Jiang Xiao finding out everything, not from her long journey of redemption, and not even from the Stage Play…
It was that the Sword of Dragon-Slaying always becomes the dragon in the end, and those the swordsman protects will ultimately come to hunt him down.
The one who raises an Electronic Pet will eventually become someone else’s Electronic Pet.
She didn’t know when it started, but it felt like she had been toyed with by Jiang Xiao’s messages for quite some time.
She closed her eyes, but only for a second before opening them again.
The person pressing down on her nose opened his golden eyes at the same moment.
The Blind Prince’s eyes were gold like purest metal,
The vertical pupils of an evil dragon.
This was another price for regaining his sight.
So then, how could the ordinary weapons of humans possibly slay a prince who had already undergone Dragonification—there really were so many directions this script could expand.
Thinking this, she laughed.
Jiang Xiao laughed with her.
He knew full well that his Xi’er already had a way to rescue this Stage Play.
He had his own ideas, too, but he was more curious about what method she would use.
Song Qiuyu’s pretty face blossomed into a dazzling smile, tinged with a kind of special charm that made people want to pounce on her right then and there.
She squinted her eyes, grinning mischievously, showing no sign of thinking that lying was wrong: “Hehe, you caught me!”
The moment she said that, Jiang Xiao fell silent, and the commotion below the stage faded as well.
Because the curtains had already fallen, all the audience could do was imagine what was happening onstage.
The Demon Princess in their minds clearly… had a face as innocent as grass.
The Demon Princess had been silent for so long, and it turned out it was just to say this line. Suddenly, everything made sense.
Her reply came too quickly, though—it almost felt lacking.
Anyone could see that the Demon Princess truly loved the Blind Prince.
There was so much hidden behind her silence.
For example, how lucky that the Prince was still alive, how lucky that he still loved her as she loved him.
Right after, from behind the curtain came the Blind Prince’s low laughter, helpless and exasperated all at once.
“My princess, you really are a scoundrel!” “But isn’t it true that you like scoundrels, Prince?”
The spoiled, adorable look of the Demon Princess flashed through everyone’s mind.
Quite a few clutched their chests, nearly unable to keep themselves from tearing open the curtain.
Right now, behind that curtain, it had to be the sweetest, cutest scene ever!
“Hmph… So, I’m already a demon dragon now—are you
willing to come with me?”
Jiang Xiao gripped Song Qiuyu’s hands tightly, pinning her slender body beneath him, not giving her even a second to escape.
Song Qiuyu bit her lip, not daring to move.
“Let’s find a mountain where there’s no one else—just the two of us, living out our days together?”
He really just wanted her to acknowledge his existence, but with how tightly he was pressing her, Jiang Xiao started feeling uncomfortable; the pressure was too much.
“I don’t know.”
Now Song Qiuyu understood: those days when Jiang Xiao’s acting skills seemed to surge, perhaps it wasn’t acting at all.
It was six years of accumulated affection.
“Just say you don’t know, that’s enough.” Jiang Xiao let out a laugh of mixed annoyance and amusement.
“Because I’m a girl, after all~” Song Qiuyu forced herself to stay calm, continuing her lines with utmost seriousness.
“Then I’ll take it as you’ve agreed.”
Jiang Xiao’s heart skipped a beat; he raised his brows, let go of her hands, and stood up, pulling Song Qiuyu up from the Red Carpet.
Then, from beside him, someone cleared their throat, coughed twice, and in a sweet, soft voice like a story’s narrator, began:
“The Blind Prince took the Demon Princess and left the City-State they’d always known, arriving at a strange mountain deep in the wilds, surrounded only by flowers, birds, fish, and insects. In a corner of the world no one else knew, they lived a happy life together.”
“The Stage Play ‘Blind Prince and Demon Princess’ officially ends. Thank you for watching.” “Let’s go.”
Jiang Xiao chuckled lightly, tightened his grip on her hand, and quickly led her offstage.
“Mm!”
Song Qiuyu smiled and nodded.
The audience below was silent for only a few seconds
before thunderous applause erupted in wave after wave.
Everyone thought it would end in tragedy, but this final epilogue—like the Demon Princess telling her own story—was even more heart-wrenching than a tragedy.
After all, a monologue behind the curtain might be true, but it could also be just the Princess’s fantasy after the Prince’s death.
Everyone was completely immersed and unable to pull themselves out—except for Jiang Li, who was sobbing as she replayed the couple’s dialogue behind the curtain over and over in her mind.
The more she thought about it, the more serious it seemed.
Qiuyu-jie, you and my brother, what’s really…
Thinking this, she turned her head and glanced at Sang Tian, noticing her for some reason clasping her hands tightly, her face full of radiant happiness.
Suddenly, she remembered checking on student discipline as Student Council President, once catching a girl secretly reading a romance novel during study hall.
That girl had worn the exact same blissful expression.
In that girl’s words, it’s called “shipping the CP.”
CP…
Jiang Li fell into thought.
Song Qiuyu could never have known how sharp Jiang Xiao’s little sister’s intuition was.
In just one Stage Play, she’d gotten frighteningly close to the truth.
After stepping offstage, the smile Song Qiuyu had forced herself to wear nearly fell apart.
“Jiang Xiao, your hand…”
They were nearly at the Drama Club President and the others, but Jiang Xiao was still tightly holding onto her!
“What is it?”
Jiang Xiao pretended not to understand.
“Let go, quick!”
Song Qiuyu gritted her teeth, but didn’t dare to raise her voice too much.
“No, I like holding your hand. Xi’er’s hands are so soft—I want to hold them forever…”
Jiang Xiao spoke with a blissful smile.
Hearing this, Song Qiuyu was momentarily at a loss, then furrowed her brows, pressed her lips together, lowered her head, and tried to pry Jiang Xiao’s fingers away one by one.
Jiang Xiao watched, said nothing, admiring her fruitless effort and her anxious look, then loosened his grip on his own.
He glanced at the two roommates waving at them from not far away, and at the Drama Club members behind them. His gaze darkened.
He turned to her, and in a deep, almost whispering voice, he slowly said:
“Later, let’s talk more about us, okay?”
Song Qiuyu rubbed her red ears, turned her face aside, and said nothing.
“Prison Jiang, Prison Song, thank goodness we didn’t give up!” Xie Zhuran, crying tears of joy, walked over.
“They almost ran onto the stage just now to drag you down.”
“Ahem…”
Several members who’d tried to rush the stage coughed awkwardly.
“I knew you wouldn’t let me and Prison Lin down!”
With that, Xie Zhuran grinned and gave two thumbs up to his roommates.
Lin An nodded at them in approval.
Seeing this, both Song Qiuyu and Jiang Xiao finally started to relax, but just then, the Drama Club President came over, arms crossed and face purposely stern: “The response was good this time, but you can’t pull something like that again, understand?”
Noticing the two underclassmen seemed a bit scared, he clenched his fists and coughed a couple times before continuing, “If you have issues with the script, just say so. Don’t be afraid just because you’re only freshmen. Giving suggestions isn’t a bad thing—only then can we all improve together.”
With that, he patted both their shoulders with satisfaction and burst out laughing, “You both did great this time. Looking forward to your next Stage Play performance!”
Song Qiuyu paused, a little relieved yet still somewhat guilty. If it weren’t for her, the Stage Play might have been ruined today.
Jiang Xiao glanced sideways at her, eyes narrowed.
And so, amid praise, all the Drama Club members
headed off to the men’s and women’s Changing Rooms to change out of their costumes.
Afterwards, a club dinner awaited them.
The Drama Club President was even footing the bill himself.
Song Qiuyu was looking forward to the meal—because nothing tastes better than free food—but also felt anxious about the upcoming conversation with Jiang Xiao.
When she got to the men’s Changing Room, as always, she tried to find an excuse to change alone, but this time, a few male club members objected, making her heart skip a beat.