Rebirth: A Cinderella's Counterattack

Chapter 138: Chapter 127: School Anniversary (Part 5)

The school anniversary arrived at Class Nine without much anticipation, beginning with the performances of the ninth graders.

Luo Qianqian tugged at the Hanfu beneath her uniform, her face etched with dilemma. Who would have known that the class’s art committee member Xia Qi could pull this off? Who knew that Xia Qi was actually the daughter of the head of the opera house, where a shortage of costumes and props was the least of their problems?

But, given Xia Qi’s and Pei Yuhao’s inclusion, as well as the availability of wigs, Luo Qianqian suppressed the urge to complain.

”Qianqian, can you see?” The first-year students seated behind in the auditorium were slightly higher up but could still be blocked by the people in front, especially since a taller boy from Class Seven was in front of Luo Qianqian.

”It’s fine, just go over your lines again in your head so you don’t forget them later,” Luo Qianqian said with a light chuckle as she watched Li Qi excitedly taking in the program. Not everyone in the class was participating in the poetry recitation; they had selected twenty-four people, including Pei Yuhao and Xia Qi, who would link the sections together.

”As if I could forget. That ninth-grader is so handsome, and even playing the violin, he’s cool,” Li Qi said, gazing at the stage with sheer admiration.

Luo Qianqian pondered for a moment, ”Is the male protagonist in the novel you’re reading now playing the violin?”

”No,” Li Qi shook her head, ”It was the previous one.”

Luo Qianqian thought to herself, as expected.

”Qianqian, I’m kind of nervous,” confessed Xia Qi, sitting at the side and touching her hair from time to time with a worried expression.

Luo Qianqian rolled her eyes and carelessly said, ”Here, follow my lead—relax, just relax. Deep breaths, in, out, in, out, in, out, out, out...”

”Cough, cough, cough...” Xia Qi suddenly started to cough violently.

Luo Qianqian quickly patted Xia Qi’s back, with an innocent look, explaining, ”I didn’t think you’d actually do it the way I said. Don’t be mad, okay? I’ve heard that if you write the character for ’person’ three times on your palm and then act like you’re swallowing it, it’ll calm your nerves.”

Looking a bit aggrieved, Xia Qi touched her hair, then wrote the character three times on her hand while saying, ”But don’t three ’person’ characters mean ’crowd’?”

”Whatever you say it means, as long as you’re not mad,” Luo Qianqian had originally thought Xia Qi, being Sun Xuan’s deskmate, must have heard a fair share of poisonous talk about her, and thus, didn’t have a very good impression of her. She hadn’t intended to cozy up only to be rebuffed and certainly hadn’t expected Xia Qi to have such a temperament.

”Why would I be mad? You’re just like what Yuhao said, truly an interesting kid,” Xia Qi laughed, her tangling nerves seeming to dissipate, and Luo Qianqian’s worries eased.

”Who’s ’Yuhao’? Pei Yuhao?” Luo Qianqian asked softly, looking at her boisterous classmates with a sense of world-weariness.

”Yeah, Yuhao was worried you wouldn’t perform well, so during the selection, he deliberately didn’t choose Wang Wei or Sun Xuan,” Xia Qi thought for a moment and added, ”My relationship with Sun Xuan is just that of ordinary classmates, nothing as good as you think. I’m closer to Yuhao and the others.”

”Why are you telling me this?” Luo Qianqian was surprised; whatever she thought, she didn’t show it on her face, so why bring this up?

Xia Qi blinked and said, ”You normally don’t talk to me because of that, don’t you? Yuhao said you’re petty, and if things aren’t explained clearly, you’ll hold a grudge.”

”I am quite petty, so Pei Yuhao is doomed,” Luo Qianqian said with a calculating look toward Pei Yuhao seated in the row beside her. Pei Yuhao felt a sudden chill, attributing it to the overzealous air conditioning of the auditorium, and didn’t pay it much mind.

”I really like you, let’s be friends,” Xia Qi continued.

Luo Qianqian was taken aback, ”Uh...?”

”You look pleasant to me, have good grades, and a nice personality. Plus, you’re not someone who gets bullied easily,” Xia Qi counted on her fingers the reasons she wanted to be friends as she gazed into Luo Qianqian’s eyes.

Luo Qianqian’s mouth twitched slightly, ”I thought we were already friends,” though it was more of a courtesy.

”Let’s go, it’s Class Five’s turn now, and the students from Class Ten are getting ready,” Pei Yuhao interrupted the cheerful group with a smile.

”We don’t have much in the way of props, no rush,” Xia Qi chuckled lightly. Their act was more about staging and accompaniment, which they had rehearsed several times in the classroom that morning. There should be no issue. As the only poetry recitation in all three grades, Class Nine as a whole didn’t care too much, including the class president and the art committee person herself.

”It’s Class Six’s turn now, let’s head backstage. We’ll leave our uniforms on our seats so we don’t mix them up later,” Luo Qianqian suggested, looking at the program.

”True, I didn’t mark mine either. But yours definitely won’t get mixed up,” Li Qi teased with a snicker, ”No one else wears such a small size.”

Luo Qianqian looked on with an exasperated expression as the class president gathered the other performers to go on stage.

”Next, please enjoy the poetry recitation ’Song of Water’ by the students of Class 1-9,” announced the host.

Standing on the chorus platform were 22 students: girls in white dresses on the first row, and boys in blue shirts on the last. Hidden in the middle row were six members of the English group, their colorful robes completely obscured by the second row.

Pei Yuhao: ”Glazed moonlight may be present. The faint scent of wine can be absent. Over a hundred years ago, Dongpo, a scholar, admired the moon under the glazed light and wrote the timeless ’Song of Water.’”

The stunning red robe on Xia Qi’s body was slightly enchanting, while the black long shirt on Pei Yuhao’s body made him look even taller and more upright.

Xia Qi: ”’Song of Water’ has tasted the helplessness of drinking under the moon; ’Song of Water’ also fully captures the moon’s endless grace and mysterious charm.”

Pei Yuhao, Xia Qi: ”May we all live long and share the beauty of the moon even if we are a thousand miles apart. Let us follow in the footsteps of the literary man Dongpo and begin our ’Song of Water’ today.”

Class 1-9: ”When does the bright moon shine? I raise my glass to ask the dark blue sky. I do not know what year it is tonight in the halls of heaven. I wish to ride the wind to return there, yet I fear the jade towers and crystal pavilions, too high and too cold to bear. As I dance to cast my shifting shadow, how can the human world compare?”

Turn past vermilion towers, through low brocade doors, shining on those who cannot sleep. Surely there is no resentment, so why do we only see the full moon when we are apart? People have their sorrows, joys, unions, and partings. The moon has its phases of dimness and brightness, waxing and waning; such is the way since ancient times. But may we live long and gaze upon the moon together, though a thousand miles apart.”

The six people slowly walked out from the second row with the final line, their colorful Confucian robes blossoming across the smiling faces of Pei Yuhao and Xia Qi.

Li Qi: ”Bright moon, when did you first appear? Lifting my wine, I question the dark night sky. I wonder what year it is in the heavens tonight?”

Shen Yan: ”I would like to ride the wind and settle there, yet I fear in a jade room of a grand mansion, the heights are too chilly to endure.”

Luo Qianqian: ”So I rise and dance with your pure rays, for how can this human world compare with yours?”

Han Lei: ”Circling red chambers, moving through curtained doors, you shine on those without sleep. Surely you bear us no resentment — why then are you full when we humans are apart?”

Li Tianci: ”People experience grief and joy, union and separation. The moon goes through its phases, full and missing, which has been hard to complete since ancient times.”

Pei Yutian: ”Perfect situations have been rare since the old days. We just hope for long lives, so we can admire the moon’s beauty even a thousand miles apart.”

Class 1-9: ”May we live long and share the beauty of the moon, though a thousand miles apart.”

When the performance was over, Xiu Xian looked at the classmates with a moved expression: ”Well done, you all did great.”

”Teacher, we’re going to leave first.” Seeing the class teacher with tears brimming in his eyes, Pei Yuhao, ever the responsible class president, spoke because they needed to change their hairstyles and clothes, which were uncomfortable to wear.

Watching the classmates leave, the backstage teacher enviously said to Xiu Xian, ”Only your class could pull off such an outfit.”

”Of course, you see who we have in our class.” Xiu Xian said proudly. He hadn’t held out much hope, as even the practice sessions were done in his office while the class president oversaw them.

”Look at you, all smug. But that’s thanks to your students, not you—you’ve hardly taught them for a month.”

Xiu Xian returned to the teacher’s seat with pride.

”Qianqian, how come you are still flat...” Li Qi asked in surprise while changing clothes with Luo Qianqian in the restroom.

”Old deskmate, I’m only nine years old, haven’t even lost all my baby teeth, what do you expect? You want to reach the sky?” Luo Qianqian looked at Li Qi’s already prominent chest without envy, for having good family genes, albeit late development.

”I’m telling you, a lot of girls in our class have already started their period.” Li Qi said with a secretive air.

”Don’t corrupt the kid.” Xia Qi quickly stopped Li Qi from continuing.

Li Qi quickly said, ”This is normal health education, okay? You only get pregnant and have kids once you’ve started your period.”

”...I look forward to your time,” Luo Qianqian said to Li Qi after a long pause.

”That’s the sign of maturity, what kind of look do you all have?” Li Qi took off her clothes, straightened up her bra, and Luo Qianqian looked at her own flat chest, feeling suddenly shy and quickly put on the summer school uniform.

”You’ll be there soon,” Shen Yan said, changing her clothes with a significant curve.

”Yours are the most troublesome to alter.” Xia Qi held Luo Qianqian’s clothes, showing her the large section of skirt that was stitched in.

”Blame me then.” Luo Qianqian spread her hands in resignation.