School Celebration
"Yun Mi, why did you suddenly run off tonight? I didn't even react before you disappeared."
As soon as she got home, Yun Mi spread out her exercise book and buried herself in solving problems. Ding Yuan was still anxious about tomorrow's school celebration performance, but she was even more curious about why Yun Mi seemed to have taken the wrong medicine tonight.
Looking at the connected call interface, Yun Mi wanted to tell Ding Yuan outright, "Chen Yiyang and Xu Zhiyu never dated," and also wanted to share a secret.
Those indescribable feelings troubled her.
It turned out she didn't dislike Chen Yiyang—she… liked him.
How could she like Chen Yiyang?
Yun Mi rested her chin on her hand in distress, lowering her eyes to the dense handwriting in the exercise book. There was a multiple-choice question on complex numbers; she changed it from A to B and then to D.
Yun Mi said, "I figured something out."
"What?"
"I want to get into Class One of sophomore year."
There was self-mockery in Yun Mi's eyes. She asked softly, "Yuan Yuan, do you think I'm being unrealistic?"
At a school like Shanfu, the admission rate to Tsinghua and Peking University was among the highest in the country every year. Going from rank 572 to the top 50 and breaking into the key science class—how easy was that goal?
Ding Yuan was clearly stunned by Yun Mi's words. She was silent for a long moment before saying, "No, I just think… it will be very hard."
Yun Mi's hand holding the pen suddenly stopped.
Before she could speak, Ding Yuan continued, "But, we don't have to push ourselves too hard." She paused. "Even if you don't make it, you can always try again!"
Yun Mi wished she could crawl through the internet line and hit her. "Is that encouragement or a curse?"
"…Of course I'm on your side!"
Yun Mi pouted. "Better be."
Yun Mi wanted to be in the same class as Chen Yiyang.
Not far away, on the clothes rack, hung the gray-black cap Chen Yiyang had given her a long time ago.
When he wore a cap, his jawline was smooth, and his thin lips would slightly purse, carrying a hint of roguishness.
When Chen Yiyang wasn't talking, he was really handsome.
On the other end of the phone, Ding Yuan finally caught on. "But… why do you suddenly want to get into Class One?"
Yun Mi felt embarrassed again. She looked away and changed the subject at the right moment. "I just want to. Don't worry about it. By the way, what number is our performance tomorrow?"
Mentioning her proud work, Ding Yuan was full of confidence. "Third. Don't worry, with our promotion, my goddess's chestnut stall will definitely be a hit."
-
The school celebration was held in collaboration with the neighboring small auditorium, with nearly four thousand attendees. Class One had applied to the school to let Yun Mi and Xu Zhiyu set up a stall in the corridor outside the venue.
Thanks to the explosive promotion from the play, the chestnut stall became a hit. Yun Mi said she would go find help.
She finally got through to Ding Yuan's call.
"Ding Yuan, where are you? Xu Zhiyu doesn't have enough hands. There are still over a dozen orders to fill, and I see more and more people—some even want to pack several portions to take home…"
Yun Mi entered the venue to look for someone.
The venue was buzzing with noise, and the lights were dazzling.
The audience seats were packed with people. She stood on tiptoe in the aisle, searching for any familiar figure.
No one. Not a single one.
Ding Yuan was a bit troubled. Hiding behind the curtain, she whispered, "I'm with the host. There's a selection later, and the person in charge has to stay here. I can't come…"
Neither of them had expected the chestnuts to be so popular. Ding Yuan suggested, "Why don't you go check on Xie Yue and the others? They're all in the backstage changing room…"
Yun Mi had already sent a message in the group chat, but no one replied.
She had to go personally.
Yun Mi said, "Okay, I'll go find them."
The backstage corridor was lit by old-fashioned chandeliers. In the flickering light, Yun Mi saw many classmates, passing by one figure after another.
The next second, a figure suddenly caught her eye.
Chen Yiyang stood outside the changing room.
He had already changed back into his own clothes—a black windbreaker with gray-black jeans, and a matching cap.
The lights here were dim, and he was looking down at his phone.
The fluorescent green of the screen reflected on his face, highlighting his bone structure.
Yun Mi unconsciously stopped. She came to her senses and called his name.
"Chen Yiyang."
Chen Yiyang was reading a message from Wen Liangyu.
Wen Liangyu: I won't sign your subject selection form.