Chapter 662
The Traveler, the Tree Spirit, and the Elf
The repairmen were very efficient, fixing the sound system in less than five minutes. After a short adjustment, the performance continued.
Next up on stage was that celebrity alumnus. It has to be said, celebrities have a lot of clout. As soon as the host announced his name, the audience erupted in cheers, the sound almost lifting the dome of the stadium.
"The girl with the flat chest danced quite well."
In the broadcasting room, Mo Yixia rested her chin on her hand and casually glanced at the monitor. "It's a pity, though. Someone has already overtaken us so quickly."
"These celebrities' shows will not be included in tonight's selections."
Han Zhou shook his head, "I still believe that Guzheng can win first place."
"Are you sure?"
Mo Yixia said unhurriedly, "Among all the performances, dance has always had a low voter turnout. Xiaopingxiong danced well, but that doesn't change that."
She has praised Guzheng's dancing twice in a row, so it seems she wasn't being sarcastic.
"What program had the highest voter turnout?" Han Zhou asked.
"Language-based programs."
Are stage plays considered language-based programs?
"Not counting."
Mo Yixia immediately understood what he meant. She picked up the hot water he had brought when he came in, took a sip, and looked down at the piece of paper in her hand. "Do you think your stage play can win first place?"
"Just do your best."
Han Zhou smiled. He couldn't guarantee anything about this either, since no one could predict the audience's preferences. Seeing that Mo Yixia had been studying the paper for a long time, he asked, "So, have you figured anything out?"
Besides being curious about why Mo Yixia would help Guzheng, he had another purpose in coming to her: to ask her to help him see if there was any hidden secret in this blank piece of paper.
"Are you sure there are words on this piece of paper?" Mo Yixia asked back.
"That's why I came to you, I wasn't sure," Han Zhou said helplessly.
Of all the items that appeared in the status bar, the mysterious pouch was the most perplexing to him. In his memory, this thing seemed to have never provided any useful information, even more useless than chicken ribs, yet its presence was still quite noticeable.
"There are many ways to make words invisible on paper."
Mo Yixia held the piece of paper above her head, its surface shimmering faintly under the light. "But right now, it doesn't seem like anything at all... Don't you have anything you can be sure about?"
Han Zhou thought about it carefully and said something seemingly pointless: "The only thing I'm sure of is that it can provide me with very important information."
Mo Yixia didn't mind. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Perhaps the information isn't recorded on paper, but somewhere else."
"Where?"
"How would I know?"
The girl glanced at him. "If you're willing to tell me everything, I might be able to guess."
"That day will come," Han Zhou said with an awkward smile, "but not yet."
The things in the status bar are not something that cannot be revealed. Even if it means admitting that his encounter with Mo Yixia was not a purely beautiful one, but rather had ulterior motives, he doesn't mind being honest about it.
In fact, Mo Yixia had already realized this long ago. Her initiative to talk to him back then was also for ulterior motives. They both understood each other without saying a word, so there was nothing wrong with admitting it.
The problem is that Mo Yixia is too smart, so smart that she can piece together the truth from just a few subtle clues. She may not be able to guess what she wants to do now, but once she finds out about the status bar, some things may no longer be able to be kept secret.
If he can return safely from the past, he will naturally confess everything. Until then, there is no need to cause unnecessary worry to others.
Mo Yixia didn't press him further, returned the paper to him, and casually asked, "I'm curious, does the flat-chested girl know about these things?"
"She won't know for now," Han Zhou said, shaking his head.
Mo Yixia glanced at him and said nothing more.
Han Zhou wanted to say something more, but his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. It was a message from Xia Qing urging him to go backstage to prepare.
He said something to Mo Yixia, and was about to turn and leave, but then he paused and looked back:
"Um, Yixia..."
"If you're asking me if I'm helping flat-chested girls out of 'liking' them, then you're mistaken."
Perhaps knowing he wouldn't be returning to the broadcasting room tonight, Mo Yixia put her mask and baseball cap back on, concealing most of her expression, leaving only her clear, bright eyes visible.
"On the contrary, I hate her even more now."
"why?"
Moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the girl's delicate profile. Wearing a mask and a baseball cap, she seemed to become enigmatic once more, finally letting out a soft sigh after a long while.
"Who knows?"
……
Celebrities, singing, cheers and screams, spotlights, songs, and deafening screams... all of this made Zhong Yin momentarily dazed, but she quickly calmed her breathing and turned to look at Wang Lengqiu, who had already stood up.
Where are you going?
"Backstage."
Wang Lengqiu, who was usually very quiet, spoke a few more words than usual at this moment, "Sister Zhongyin, I'm already taller than you now."
After saying that, he turned and left.
The Zhong sisters were both stunned. Apart from Xiao Xiaoxiao, no one present knew why she would suddenly say such a thing.
"What's so great about being tall..."
She muttered something under her breath, looking a little depressed, then nudged Zhong Yin's shoulder and asked curiously, "Sister Zhong Yin, is something on your mind?"
Zhong Yin snapped out of her daze and forced a smile: "No."
Perhaps because Xiao Xiaoxiao looked so much like a child, she was less on guard and unconsciously relaxed.
"Your expression doesn't suggest you don't have it." To her surprise, Xiao Xiaoxiao saw through her act without any mercy.
As the younger sister, Zhong Ling should have defended her older sister, but at this moment she also nodded quickly, indicating that Xiao Xiao was right.
She clearly has something on her mind, so why won't she admit it?
Is there something that even she can't tell?
But the thought of her own secret that she couldn't tell her sister made Zhong Ling feel downcast again. Even with two pairs of eyes staring at her, one of which was from her most beloved younger sister, Zhong Yin remained unmoved and calmly said, "I drank a little last night and still have a bit of a headache. I'll be fine after a good night's sleep."
"I don't like to meddle in other people's business..."
Xiao Xiaoxiao yawned, shrugged, and said, "But you know Han Zhou, he loves to meddle, especially in things like yours, Sister Zhong Yin. You don't want to wait for him to come and ask you personally, do you?"
Zhong Yin frowned slightly, but not because she was angry at the harmless threat. Instead, she was puzzled: "What does 'especially' mean?"
"You'll have to ask Han Zhou about that."
Xiao Xiaoxiao gave her a deep look and said in a low voice, "'As long as you keep it from everyone, you're doing everyone a favor'—that kind of thinking is wrong."
"I can not understand what you say."
"If you don't understand, you don't understand. Anyway, someone else already understands."
Xiao Xiaoxiao leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms, and said in a mature tone, "As long as you don't regret it in the future, that's fine."
Zhong Yin glanced at her sister subconsciously, confirming that she hadn't heard anything and couldn't possibly be the one who "understood." She became increasingly confused, but simply looked away and didn't ask any more questions.
The three of them were preoccupied with their own thoughts and had no interest in watching the show until the stage play in which Han Zhou and the other two participated began, which brought their attention back to the stage.
They all knew that Mo Yixia was watching from the broadcasting room right now. Watching the guzheng performance before was one thing, but now she had to watch Han Zhou perform on stage with two other people. They wondered what Mo Yixia's feelings were...
No... I know.
Zhong Yin could understand this feeling.
Long, long ago, in that ancient forest where even the moonlight refused to set foot, slept a beautiful tree spirit. For thousands of years, the forest withered and flourished, flourished and withered, but no one ever saw her awaken... until that day—
The curtain slowly opened as the host began his opening remarks.
The stage was bathed in a cold, pale blue light, like a frozen night. In the very center stood a massive ancient tree, its trunk rough and its branches lush, casting large shadows under the light.
Wang Lengqiu lay nestled among the tree roots, dressed in a long, emerald-green dress, adorned with a floral crown, her cheeks decorated with green leaves, her long hair spreading like ink across the tree roots and moss, her hands gently resting on her lower abdomen, her eyes closed, her breathing even, as if she had become one with the ancient tree, her beauty serene and deathly still.
That's what a tree spirit that has slept for hundreds of years should look like.
It must be said that Xia Qing had a very accurate grasp of the audience's psychology; just seeing this scene, the audience fell completely silent.
No one dislikes a beautiful woman, especially one as stunningly beautiful as this.
At this moment, whether they had met Wang Lengqiu before or had never met her before, everyone had a completely new understanding of the nickname "Princess Who Doesn't Smile".
The next second, Han Zhou appeared.
He walked slowly alone from the edge of the right-hand side of the stage, wearing a black cloak, breathing rapidly, his face pale, with a few snowflakes on his shoulders, clearly having just trekked through the snowstorm.
After the beautiful women came the handsome men, and even some of the female audience members sat up straight, their expressions becoming expectant.
Han Zhou ignored the commotion below the stage and walked to the designated spot. He immediately saw the tree spirit sleeping beneath the ancient tree, but did not rush to approach. Instead, he carried a dim lantern and quietly watched the sleeping figure, lost in thought.
He really didn't know what he was thinking, because it wasn't written in the script at all. But even if it were written, Han Zhou didn't think he had the ability to act it out, so he could only follow Xia Qing's advice—just play himself.
As required, he stood still for a full five seconds before stepping forward. There were clearly no fallen leaves on the stage, yet his feet made a soft rustling sound, as if he were truly in an ancient forest.
This is precisely why stage plays must be rehearsed repeatedly; if they are not rehearsed in advance, they may not even be able to hit the beat.
Under the gaze of countless spectators, he knelt on one knee in front of the tree roots and placed the lantern aside.
Han Zhou didn't know why he had to kneel on one knee. According to the script, he was supposed to be a major villain and had nothing to do with the sleeping tree spirit, but there was nothing he could do. That's how the script was written, so he had to do it.
Just then, from the depths of the stage's darkness, another beam of light quietly appeared, and a new character took the stage.
A beam of light slanted down from the treetops, and Guzheng stood in the light. Her neat short hair curled slightly outwards, adorned with a silver hairpin. She wore a silver-white short blouse with a gradient gauze skirt, and her light, translucent crystalline wings fluttered gently with her steps. She held a bow and arrow in her hand, and had long, pointed ears. She was clearly a forest guardian spirit.
She remains a stunningly beautiful woman, and many people recognize her as the lead dancer in the recent dance performance. It's surprising how busy she is, participating in two performances simultaneously.
"I remember now!"
A girl in the audience whispered, "Didn't these three participate in the sports meet together? I remember that boy could drift in a wheelchair..."
Her companion glanced at her speechlessly, seemingly exasperated by her slowness: "You only just recognized me?"
"Traveler, halt!"
Just then, with the appearance of the elf, the stage play finally ushered in its first line. Gu Zheng was also asked to just play herself, so her shout was full of energy, and the emotion in her eyes when she looked at Han Zhou was just right.
Even playing herself, she managed to produce such an effect. It seems their relationship has really reached the point I suspected… Backstage, Xia Qing stared at the monitor, sighing inwardly. If that's really the case, then following the original plot development would be far too unfair to her…
But there was nothing that could be done; the performance had already begun, and it was too late to change the plot. That would be irresponsible not only to the actors but also to the audience.
At the same time, Han Zhou also forced himself to say his awkward lines: "I heard that as long as you water it with sincerity, you can awaken this tree spirit that has been sleeping for thousands of years."
Gu Zheng sneered, already drawing her bow and nocking the arrow, aiming it at him: "Then do you know what the price will be for her to wake up?"
It was clear that she was truly intent on killing. Although the arrows were fake, the bow in her hand was real, and the bowstring was almost snapped, demonstrating her fury. Xia Qing, watching from backstage, was terrified and quickly looked at Tang Hai, the vice president and assistant of the student council, behind her.
Are you sure that's a real bow?
"determine."
Tang Hai broke out in a cold sweat. "The prop bow was broken by that girl during rehearsals, so I had to borrow a real bow from someone."
"Then what do you think..."
Xia Qing swallowed hard. "With this kind of force, if it were a fake arrow, could it kill someone?"
"Probably not."
Tang Hai seemed unsure as well, and said hesitantly, "But it'll probably hurt a lot..."
At this moment, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the taut bowstring, Han Zhou felt a chill run down his spine, but he could only reply calmly, "I don't care."
Traveler, tree spirit, and elf.
At this point, viewers had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen next. They expected a clichéd moralizing scene where the traveler's sincerity moved the elf, thus awakening the tree spirit that had been sleeping for a thousand years. But to their surprise, the elf suddenly revealed a sinister smile:
"Don't care? Then go die!"
Before the words were even finished, the bowstring twanged, and the arrow shot through the air. (End of Chapter)