She wanted to create a grand masterpiece, spanning many scenes and symbolizing the entirety of three years in high school.
Xia Hua immediately ruled out the painstaking, time-consuming detailed drawing techniques, instead opting for a style similar to sand painting— using minimalist lines as the main approach.
With a grand sweep of her hand, she sketched the outline of No. 1 High School…
Choosing an English song had its own purpose.
As she hummed the first song she’d chosen, ‘proud of you,’ Xia Hua muttered to herself, “Out of a hundred Chinese songs, at least ninety are overly sentimental love songs, and the rest are just picking the best among the mediocre.”
“As for Japanese songs, they’re way too otaku.”
“Korean songs are all just electronic music…”
After weighing her options, she simply decided to go with an English song.
proud of you, also known as: Proud of You, has a Chinese adaptation that everyone has probably heard.
That’s the widely popular ‘The Girl Who Flaps Her Wings.’
From the moment Xia Hua drew the first stroke, time no longer belonged to her.
As a Ceramic Designer, she was first and foremost a painter, then a designer, so painting wasn’t difficult for her.
What was difficult, on the contrary, was something Xia Hua had to overcome.
Her Artisan’s Heart.
She had only gotten halfway through the first painting when Xia Hua turned off the Camera, staring at her work in distress, “Even though I’ve tried to use minimalist lines, I still can’t break my habit of striving for perfection.”
“If I keep going like this, there just won’t be enough time.”
“I can’t bring myself to make a bad painting.”
“It’s just too hard for me…”
Xia Hua used to work in Fine Ceramics, so what does ‘fine’ really mean?
To put it simply, take two vases: for some, you’d only be willing to spend a few yuan, but for others, just one look and you know you might end up spending hundreds.
If you opened up her painting, you’d see that even a background character had a lifelike expression.
Every flower, every blade of grass, every tree seemed alive.
It’s not that making something fine is bad, but there just isn’t enough time.
With this level of detail, Xia Hua might not even finish half by the time of the Evening Gala.
“Reduce the quality!!!” She made a tough decision.
She’d thought that the minimalist line art was already her lowest standard.
She hadn’t expected that she’d have to go even lower. For Xia Hua, this was undoubtedly a challenge, like driving a car.
At first, she used 97-octane fuel, then, due to special circumstances, switched to 92.
The only consolation was that she hadn’t needed to use diesel yet— otherwise, Xia Hua might have just thrown in the towel.
A day in the mountains, a thousand years in the world.
That described Xia Hua’s current state.
One day, two days, and even on the third day, she rarely stayed up late.
In the noisy classroom, no one dared disturb the sleeping Xia Hua anymore.
This was something she never imagined before, but there was one person who nudged Xia Hua and called, “Xia Hua, Xia Hua…”
“Mm, hmm~~~” Xia Hua opened her sleepy eyes.
“Teacher Ye Ling, what’s up?”
“What’s up?” Ye Ling seemed even more anxious than Xia Hua, raising her voice, “You’re asking me what’s up? Where’s your work? The piece you promised for the Evening Gala? The Event Organizing Group is already urging me.”
“The Evening Gala is tonight!!”
“Don’t let me down!!!”
Xia Hua sat up straight, rubbing her eyes.
She scratched her messy, slightly itchy hair, looking utterly dejected.
No wonder Ye Ling was anxious. Look at the other students performing in the show— each one brimming with youthful energy. But Xia Hua just looked completely unreliable.
Smacking her dry lips, Xia Hua said slowly, “Teacher, don’t worry! If I’d let anyone down, it wouldn’t be you. I just stayed up late last night…”
“Enough talk.” Teacher Ye Ling pressed both hands on the desk, urging, “Quickly show me your work. Let me check it first!”
“Ah—this!!” Xia Hua kept scratching her head and said, “I can’t show it now~~~”
‘Hiss~’ Upon hearing this, Ye Ling drew in a sharp breath.
Sister—no, bestie, my good bestie! You can’t do this to me!!
If you can’t show it, does that mean you can’t do it at all?
Life is a tale of two worlds. Teacher Ye Ling fell into an icy hell, while not far away, Fang Qiao, who had been eavesdropping, was overjoyed, feeling she’d entered a warm paradise.
Great! If Xia Hua hasn’t prepared the key for the performance,
Doesn’t that mean my chance has come?
Now Xia Hua will lose face, and I’ll be in the spotlight.
I, Fang Qiao, will become Fang Qiao the Savior.
Rescuing the Class’s honor from the depths of despair, saving the building as it’s about to collapse, turning the tide at the brink… She’d even already planned how to humiliate Xia Hua later.
“If she doesn’t kneel three times and kowtow nine times, carried in a grand sedan and beg me sincerely, how could I possibly come to the rescue?” Fang Qiao was already curling her lips.
Yes, her mindset had changed again.
At first, she’d hoped Xia Hua would give up soon, so she could return to her rightful place.
If it’s supposed to be Fang Qiao’s performance, it should be Fang Qiao’s.
But now, seeing with her own eyes and believing Xia Hua ‘couldn’t do it,’ she instantly felt triumphant.
Now it was: if you don’t beg me, I might not even step up.
Thinking of this, she almost burst out laughing.
“But I have a UPan.” Xia Hua took a UPan out of her backpack.
I have a UPan, enough to illuminate mountains and rivers— Xia Hua didn’t spare Fang Qiao a single glance.
Teacher Ye Ling took the UPan with suspicion.
She’d thought it would be a live performance with real people, or at the very least, a traditional singing or dancing talent show.
But Xia Hua handed her a UPan, so it was obvious it must contain a video file.
There had been video talent performances before,
But the results were never great.
“You’re sure there’s no problem?” Teacher Ye Ling was still doubtful.
“If you don’t believe me, Teacher, just go check it first. If you’re not satisfied, worst case, just swap me out at the last minute…” She said this both to Teacher Ye Ling and to Fang Qiao.
After Teacher Ye Ling, holding the UPan like a treasure, left with it,
Xia Hua wanted to lay down and rest for a bit.
She’d rushed to finish last night, almost staying up until three or four in the morning.
But before her dizzy head could settle,
She heard some whispering. Fang Qiao, with a mocking tone, wasn’t loud but just loud enough for Xia Hua to hear: “Some people! Always trying to act big, forcing themselves into things they can’t do.”
“Now she can’t even come up with a decent Performance.”
“She’s going to embarrass herself, isn’t she?”
“Not my problem anyway.”
“What?”
“Beg me?”
“Aiyo, I’m old now, can’t be begged anymore…”
Well then, seeing Xia Hua come empty-handed, Fang Qiao was convinced she was done for.
She couldn’t even get a nap— so noisy that Xia Hua stood up from her seat.
She walked straight up to Fang Qiao, reached out to grab Fang Qiao’s collar… Uh, realizing her action wasn’t great, she quickly changed and put her hand on Fang Qiao’s shoulder instead.
Xia Hua’s eyes were smiling, but her voice was firm: “Don’t worry, I won’t beg you. Even if I die, even if I have to jump out of here, I absolutely won’t beg you.”
Her actions and words finally angered Ye Tingzhu, who had been holding back for a long time.
She seized the opportunity, walked over, and scolded loudly, “Xia Hua, that’s enough. Before was one thing, but now you’re treating the Evening Gala Performance as a joke? This is about our Class’s honor.”
“If you can’t do it, just say so.”
“If you can’t do anything, it’s not shameful to admit it in front of the talented Fang Qiao.”
“……”
Oh ho? Xia Hua smiled, half amused, half not.
She just waved her hand, as if to say, the more you say this, the more I’m determined to participate.
“Just wait and see!”
She tossed out those four words, not wanting to argue any further.
And completely shattered Fang Qiao’s psychological defenses: By then, I hope the talented you will give me your guidance. No matter if the Performance is good or bad, the main thing is that my Performance gets on stage.
And you, you’re just a loser.
You’ll never have the chance to stand on that stage.