Chapter 39

After discussion, the group settled on Cinderella.
Su Xiaoxiao would play Cinderella, Jin Qishan the prince, Su Yuan the stepmother, three girls as the stepsisters, and one as the fairy godmother.
Zhang Dongshan got double duty as both the coachman and the prince’s guard.
Su Xiaoxiao and Jin Qishan went around town together, visiting one photography studio after another until they finally secured sponsorship for costumes and props.
Not only did the studio agree to provide outfits and set pieces, but they also promised to send a makeup artist on performance day.
Su Xiaoxiao was pretty Sure the owner’s wife had a crush on Jin Qishan, she’d kept asking if he wanted a free photo shoot.
After more than a month of rehearsals, disaster struck the day before the performance, the girl playing the fairy godmother came down with a fever.
Thankfully, the role only had a few lines, mostly twirling around and saying, “Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!”
Su Xiaoxiao clutched Shen Hua’s leg. “Hua, please, I’m begging you! You’ve seen every rehearsal, you know exactly what to do!”
Cornered, Shen Hua finally gave in despite her nerves.
The fairy’s outfit was a short white dress, and Shen Hua was already stunning. With makeup and the sparkling costume, she was breathtaking.
Su Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, had to look plain for her Cinderella role. She wore a simple blue gown under a shabby black overcoat, making her look deliberately dull.
Zang Xiaoya’s play was scheduled right before Su Xiaoxiao’s.
She was confident, so confident she’d even hired her own stylist and makeup artist, determined to outshine Su Xiaoxiao on stage.
When she ran into Su Xiaoxiao backstage after makeup, she felt instantly smug.
Su Xiaoxiao had only put on a bit of lipstick; her face looked dull compared to usual, even a little dirty. Her hair was tied in a messy bun, and, unbelievably, she was wearing a bulky men’s coat over her dress.
Zang Xiaoya almost burst out laughing. Perfect. She looks drab, sloppy, and ugly. This time, Su Xiaoxiao doesn’t stand a chance.
Zang Xiaoya’s performance went smoothly. As she stepped off the stage, she passed Su Xiaoxiao, who was waiting backstage for her turn.
With a smug and scornful smile, Zang Xiaoya brushed past her, eyes filled with disdain.
Su Xiaoxiao, too focused on calming her nerves, didn’t even notice who it was. And even if she had, so what? Zang Xiaoya had never been worth her attention.
The moment Su Xiaoxiao’s group began performing, the audience was stunned. Their play was entirely in English.
Whispers rippled through the crowd. “No wonder they’re from the experimental class, they even perform their drama in English!”
The principal, sitting in the front row, was clearly impressed. He praised them for not only being entertaining but also educational, “learning through performance,” as he put it.
Then came Shen Hua’s entrance. A spotlight bloomed on stage, and she stepped out gracefully, lifting the hem of her white dress, an ethereal fairy come to life.
At her first “Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!” the “coachman” Zhang Dongshan appeared, pushing out the pumpkin carriage (which was really an orange bicycle).
At her second “Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!” Su Xiaoxiao began to twirl, wiping soot from her cheeks as she spun.
At her third, she loosened her hair and pulled a crown from her pocket, quickly setting it atop her head.
At her fourth and final “Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!” Su Xiaoxiao spun once more and threw off her black coat, revealing a sapphire-blue gown beneath.
The long skirt unfurled in a ripple of light, shimmering like water under the stage lamps.
The audience gasped in delight.
Su Xiaoxiao had spun so many times to make the transformation seamless that her head was spinning, too, literally.
Thankfully, Zhang Dongshan caught her just in time and knelt to help her put on her “glass slippers” (silver heels).
Su Xiaoxiao steadied herself and, with perfect poise, became the picture of a princess.
She lifted her chin, smiled toward the audience, and in that single smile, she stole everyone’s breath.
Down in the seats, the Chinese teacher sat frozen in awe, Suddenly and profoundly understanding why authors wrote about “hidden brilliance revealed at last.”
The scene shifted to the royal ball.
Jin Qishan stepped onstage in a tailored black suit, earning immediate squeals from the audience.
Chen Fei, the homeroom teacher of Class 7, chuckled quietly. Good thing the principal’s here, otherwise these students would lose their minds.
She took out her phone and texted her colleague, Cao Feng.
Chen Fei: “Senior, your class’s little couple is going to keep half the school up all night again.”
Cao Feng: “Mind your wording. They’re good friends.”
Chen Fei: “Right, right. Just like us, good friends.”
Cao Feng: “…”
Onstage, music began to play.
Jin Qishan reached for Su Xiaoxiao’s hand, and the two began to waltz.
Su Xiaoxiao forced a polite smile as she leaned closer to whisper, “Why are your palms so sweaty? Are you hot or something? It’s not even that warm today.”
Jin Qishan tightened his grip on her hand, eyes dark. He didn’t answer.
Hot? Of course it’s hot.
Not because of the weather, because of you.
Under the stage lights, they looked like a perfect pair. In the audience, hearts broke and swooned in equal measure.
“Su Xiaoxiao’s amazing, looks like Class 1’s taking first place again.”
“Jin Qishan is so handsome, I can’t take it.”
“I thought Class 15’s Zang Xiaoya had it in the bag, but wow, this is next-level.”
“You can’t even compare them. Though, if they’d done it in Chinese, I might actually understand.”
“You don’t get it because you’re bad at English. They kept it super simple, almost all the words were from the textbook.”
“Oh yeah? You understood it?”
“Of course.”
Another voice chimed in, “You didn’t?”
“You did?”
“Obviously.”
Zang Xiaoya listened to the chatter from behind, her jaw tight. Not only could she barely follow what was happening on stage, she also had to sit there watching Su Xiaoxiao steal all the attention.
She’d spent 1,000 yuan on a personal makeup artist and stylist, only to lose to someone who’d just thrown on lipstick and a random crown.
Her lungs burned with anger. The edges of her vision went dark.
When the results were announced: Class 1 took first, Class 15 second, Class 20 third.
As Su Xiaoxiao received her award, the grade director remarked that it had been years since a science class had ever placed in the drama contest, let alone taken first.
Down below, Cao Feng couldn’t stop smiling.
The competition had been held during evening study, so when it ended, everyone returned to their classrooms for self-study.
As Zhang Dongshan wheeled the “pumpkin carriage” (the orange bike) offstage, he was stopped by Jin Qishan.
“I’ll take it back,” Jin Qishan said, rubbing his sore hand. “You head to class.”
Zhang Dongshan’s eyes lit up. “Thanks, man!”
The bike shed was dark, and he didn’t feel like going back anyway. Plus, Shen Hua was heading toward the classroom, he’d rather walk her there.
He handed off the bike with a grin and jogged away to catch up with the girls.
“Su Xiaoxiao.”
She turned. “Hm? What is it?”
Jin Qishan was pushing the bike toward a quieter corner. “Come here a sec.”
Though puzzled, she followed.
They had already left later than most. After lingering for a few extra minutes, the campus paths were nearly empty, no teachers, no students.
Jin Qishan glanced around, then said, “How about I give you a ride around campus?”
Su Xiaoxiao blinked. “What? Aren’t you going back for study hall?”
He frowned. “Forget it.”
She immediately said, “No, go.”
Jin Qishan smirked. “Hop on.”
Blushing, Su Xiaoxiao climbed onto the back seat. Her heart thudded as her thoughts spiraled.
He really doesn’t like me? Then why would he do this?
If he didn’t like me, he wouldn’t be riding me around the school at night, right?
Her mind spun faster than the bike wheels, but she still couldn’t read him.
Jin Qishan pedaled them in lazy circles around campus. They passed the bike shed but didn’t stop, he just kept going, heading toward the main square instead.
Su Xiaoxiao didn’t ask why, and he didn’t explain.
The early-April air was still cool, but even the spring breeze couldn’t calm the heat in his chest.
He rode another lap, then stopped.
They stood side by side beside the bike.
As they walked back together, their shoulders brushed.
Su Xiaoxiao’s heart jumped wildly, her ears and cheeks burning, but she pretended not to notice.
In the quiet dark, their arms brushed again and again as they walked.
Zang Xiaoya, still fuming from her loss, had skipped study hall and wandered the campus, just in time to see Jin Qishan riding back with Su Xiaoxiao on his bike.
Jin Qishan and Su Xiaoxiao?
Ha.
The two people she hated most, together.
Caught red-handed.
And that stupid “pumpkin carriage”? It was Su Xiaoxiao’s bike, wrapped in ribbons and looking disgustingly cute.
Seething, Zang Xiaoya stormed into the bike shed and began ripping off all the decorations.
But her fury didn’t stop there. She took the ribbons she’d torn off and tied them tightly around Su Xiaoxiao’s bike wheels, front and back, several times over, knotted hard.
When she was done, she crossed her arms and smirked. Let’s see how you get home now, Su Xiaoxiao.
Then, unbidden, the image of Jin Qishan and Su Xiaoxiao walking side by side flashed through her mind, followed by the memory of Jin Qishan rejecting her own attempt to flirt with him.
He doesn’t like me, he likes her?
Fine then. She’d make Sure they both regretted it.
Zang Xiaoya kicked Su Xiaoxiao’s bike once for good measure, laughed coldly, and strutted back to class.