Standing on the podium, Beizhi first gave a self-introduction.
Her demeanor was poised and graceful, with an otherworldly aura. Led by Zhang Li, the applause thundered through the room.
Then she said a few words to warm up the atmosphere, and the classroom buzzed with energy.
But for Su Yao, it was pure torment.
Beizhi came as a friend of Sister Jing.
She was also eighteen this year, the same grade as Su Yao, but she didn’t attend this school.
She was just here to join the fun and watch the New Year’s Performance.
Her own school didn’t have such a grand event—just a short holiday.
With the atmosphere warmed up, Zhang Li urged her team to start rehearsing.
Thanks to days of coordination, their progress was noticeable.
Yet, perhaps because the end was near and there were outsiders watching, everyone felt a bit nervous, so they made several mistakes along the way.
Su Yao was an outsider, simply watching from the sidelines without feeling the pressure of performing on stage. So she kept quiet about those slip-ups.
But because of what happened yesterday, she paid extra attention to the girl playing the witch.
Knowing the girl’s resentment in her heart, whether subjective or innate, Su Yao felt that this Jiang Xiaoxiao wasn’t very enthusiastic.
None of that mattered much to her.
Today, she cared about only two things: taking photos of Mu Nanqiu and the date they had planned for tonight.
Su Yao took out her broken phone with the cracked screen, opened the photo album, and looked at the blurry picture without Mu Nanqiu playing the piano.
She gently touched her own lips with her finger.
She wanted Mu Nanqiu to do that thing to her again.
Su Yao chuckled softly.
Amidst others’ laughter and noise, she watched the clock tick to noon.
Originally, Su Yao planned to sneak out right after class.
But as she slipped out of a certain classroom, she bumped right into Sister Jing and Beizhi. Seeing Su Yao come out, Sister Jing generously extended an invitation.
“Su Yao, want to eat together?”
“No, Sister Jing, I’m not hungry.”
Su Yao hesitated, her face showing signs of evasion, and she tried to slip back inside the classroom.
Sister Jing pouted but didn’t insist.
Beizhi glanced at Sister Jing, then at Su Yao.
She thought to herself: Sister Jing actually knows Teacher Mantou? What a coincidence. But it looks like Sister Jing lost badly.
Sister Jing felt Beizhi’s strange gaze but didn’t understand its meaning.
She had thought Beizhi didn’t know Su Yao, so she introduced her a little.
“Her name is Su Yao, the same age as you, a bit delicate in personality, easily affected, doesn’t talk much, but actually a very cute girl.”
“Oh, I see.”
Beizhi showed an expression of understanding but was thinking deeply inside.
Teacher Mantou often joked with her online and was already an experienced “net driver.”
Otherwise, how would she have a username like “Big White Mantou Lover”?
She hadn’t expected the offline Teacher Mantou to be so pure and innocent, just looking at her made one want to squeeze and knead.
She pretended to be curious and asked Sister Jing some questions about Su Yao, but Sister Jing didn’t mention that Su Yao was dating Mu Nanqiu.
Back in the classroom, hearing Beizhi and Sister Jing’s voices fade away behind the door, Su Yao finally relaxed a little.
Just Sister Jing alone was headache enough.
Now with a little sister-in-law added, two social butterflies surrounding her social introvert—the picture was almost too much to handle.
Thinking about being with these two people, and in the crowded Cafeteria no less, her stomach churned.
Su Yao obediently sat alone in the classroom. When the room was full, it felt spacious but warm with the energy of others; now, empty, it was cold and desolate.
She picked up her camera and sought out a faint lingering warmth in the mess—the scattered stools and the glass windows gradually growing clearer without heating.
Click.
She took a photo but hadn’t yet checked the result before hurrying to the window.
She slightly cracked it open and stretched out her hand to catch the tiny snowflakes that landed on her gloves without melting.
Su Yao quietly watched them accumulate.
Then she shook her hand, letting them all fall, and looked up at the sky, which was no longer as gloomy as before.
She pouted and complained, “Really not the right time…”
As if hearing her, the snowflakes gradually weakened and finally stopped completely.
Su Yao lowered her head and looked at the beautifully wrapped box in her coat pocket.
At that moment, her heart suddenly fluttered.
A wave of inexplicable anxiety overwhelmed her, leaving her at a loss, then she suddenly smiled for no reason.
In that instant, she recalled the very first colorful illusion.
She couldn’t remember clearly anymore—it had been almost a month, and it was only a vague, hazy dream.
Now only fragments remained in her mind, which might soon be forgotten altogether.
She once thought it was just a dream and that waking up would end it.
Later, she began to feel that maybe it wasn’t a dream, but a Prophecy of Divergence—a branching point of the world.
At this divergence, she became a girl and met Mu Nanqiu.
Through various accumulated factors, she set foot on a path completely different from before.
When people finally get what they want, they often become fearful and uncertain. Su Yao was no exception.
She was afraid it was only a beautiful dream born from her longing, afraid that the moment she woke up, she would have nothing, alone in her room, with tomorrow just another repeat of today.
Su Yao’s eyes drooped slightly, her fingers feeling the cold glass.
But now she no longer felt afraid…
When one longs for something, time subjectively passes slowly.
The hours in the afternoon were pure torture.
Only when the 4:50 PM dismissal bell rang did Su Yao feel a sense of relief.
After class dismissed, they were told to gather quickly after eating because the New Year’s Performance would start at 6 PM.
Even though their performance was after 8 PM, they had to arrive early for preparation.
No one could be absent.
Su Yao stayed in the Activity Classroom all afternoon without going anywhere, eventually eating a packet of Egg Yolk Pie that Luo Yu had brought to stave off hunger.
She had to eat a little at the Cafeteria afterward.
In a corner of the Cafeteria, Su Yao dared not look where the crowd was.
She was visibly nervous, unable to stop shaking her leg.
She sat at a table meant for eight but was the only one there.
She was really scared someone might suddenly sit beside her and start chatting as if nothing was wrong.
She remembered when she first came to school, she wasn’t this afraid to eat big meals at the Cafeteria.
But once, she had quietly found a spot and was peacefully eating when five or six people sat beside her.
They chatted loudly while eating, and in the commotion, one of them accidentally spilled a bowl of seaweed soup on Su Yao.
The soup was freshly served and very hot.
Her leg burned red and hurt badly.
She didn’t know what to do and was too afraid to tell a teacher.
She endured the pain through a whole day of classes and never ate at the Cafeteria again.
Now, she was sitting here again.
Even though Luo Yu was running errands to get food for her, she still thought she was really brave!
Bang!
The clatter of an iron tray hitting the table startled Su Yao.
She jumped, but seeing it was Luo Yu returning with food, she calmly sat back down.
She handed Luo Yu her chopsticks, took her own bowl, and said, “Thanks. I’ll transfer the money to you.”
“No big deal. I’m not afraid.”
Luo Yu held her head high and patted her flat chest.
Although Luo Yu also didn’t talk much normally, she wasn’t afraid to speak and occasionally chatted with people.
It was just that few shared her interests, making her seem quiet.
Su Yao envied her a little.
Compared to Luo Yu, she didn’t dare queue up at all—not just psychological resistance, but physical repulsion.
She felt she was probably sick, but now showed some signs of recovery.
While eating, Luo Yu curiously asked Su Yao about her plans.
“Are you going to watch Sister Jing tonight?”
As she ate and thought, she heard Luo Yu’s question and nodded silently.
Once Sister Jing was mentioned, Luo Yu got excited and babbled on about all the information she had gathered about tonight’s show.
Su Yao wasn’t very interested until Luo Yu mentioned Mu Nanqiu. Then she started to listen carefully.
The modern dance club was naturally performing a dance, scheduled just before their class by less than twenty minutes.
Mu Nanqiu was also a member of the dance club…
Su Yao poked at the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks.
If it wasn’t loosened up, the heat would make it hard to eat. Luo Yu laughed and said,
“I heard all the dancers are seniors with dance backgrounds. Not only are they beautiful, but their figures are top-notch—long legs, slim waists.”
“Uh… say something else.”
Su Yao looked embarrassed at Luo Yu’s drooling expression.
As her first friend, this was a bit embarrassing!
Although Su Yao was also appearance-oriented and often looked at pictures of school beauties before, she had settled down now.
Luo Yu grinned and said,
“Su Yao, make sure you take clear, good photos for me to enjoy tonight.”
Su Yao said nothing, silently eating another bite.
Having company made the Cafeteria seem less scary.
If it were with Mu Nanqiu, Su Yao still wouldn’t dare.
Mu Nanqiu attracted too much attention, and many people knew her.
If spotted, they might come over to talk, leaving Su Yao awkwardly eating by herself.
After eating, they rushed back to the classroom.
Once gathered, they prepared to move equipment to the backstage waiting room.
Under Zhang Li’s arrangement, everything proceeded in an orderly manner.
Luo Yu was a girl, so neither she nor Su Yao was assigned to carry anything.
They walked empty-handed at the back of the group.
The class of nearly forty students formed a long, noisy procession heading toward the Football Field.
Su Yao watched everyone laughing and chatting along the way.
Time flew—it was already the day of the performance, which she had thought would be unbearable before.
They entered backstage through the performers’ special passage.
This time, the Football Field was set up with a stage and an eight-meter-high digital screen, plus many mechanical devices, striving for a TV studio-quality production.
Passing through the narrow, crowded square corridor, Su Yao saw a massive curtain.
Thinking about what lay behind it made her heart race.
Thousands of spectators—just thinking about it made Su Yao tremble.
If she had to perform on a stage like this, watched by so many, she’d probably twitch and foam at the mouth just from looking down once.
Too terrifying!
She definitely didn’t want that.
Su Yao hurriedly withdrew her gaze and silently followed the group.
But even without looking, a trace of anxiety remained in her heart.
Although she wasn’t going on stage, she had to go out and take photos of Mu Nanqiu.
Thankfully, she could face away from the audience.
As the saying goes, out of sight, out of mind—it should be okay.
Besides, she just needed to keep staring at Mu Nanqiu.
Su Yao thought this, but her hands still trembled uncontrollably, and even her breathing was uneven.
Despite this, she muttered faintly to herself all the way.
I can do it.
I can do it…
She took out the Photography Pass Mu Nanqiu had given her earlier.
With it, she could move freely backstage.
Glancing at her group, Su Yao slowed her pace, planning to find a chance to slip away secretly.
“Hey, hey, Su Yao, we can sneak off, it should be fine~”
Just as she thought this, she heard Luo Yu’s voice and looked back at her serious expression.
Seeing Luo Yu wasn’t afraid but rather excited, Su Yao thought this girl must have been ready all along.
After hesitating, Su Yao nodded.
With Luo Yu by her side, her pressure eased somewhat.
They found a moment to break from the group and hurried away.
Only after they were completely out of sight did they stop and look around.
Seeing no one paying attention, Su Yao relaxed a little.
“There’s a way over there, the outside passage!”
In a corner, there was a hole where many people came and went.
This must be the passage for photographers and videographers.
As Su Yao adjusted her mood, cheers came from outside, followed by music from the speakers.
It had begun.
Su Yao took off the hood covering her head.
Luo Yu, with a look of “told you so,” watched her.
Su Yao took a deep breath, lifted the camera Mu Nanqiu had given her, and walked toward the stage.
I am not afraid…
Because this is reality.
I have never lived in a dream.
Mu Nanqiu, I can change myself for you.