The next morning, the gates of the No. 1 High School cafeteria, the auditorium entrance, the outdoor basketball courts, and the front of the dormitory buildings were all draped with festive, bright red banners.
"XXX Dessert Shop wishes No. 1 High School's Art Festival a resounding success..." Yu Qianyi read aloud as they walked toward the cafeteria. "Xingyue Piano Shop hopes the students of No. 1 High School will showcase their new talents on the Art Festival stage." After finishing, she grumbled, "There seem to be even more advertisements this year than last."
"The Student Union pulls in sponsorships, so various businesses naturally seize the chance to advertise," Li Menglai said.
"But who actually reads the slogans?" Yu Qianyi thought for a moment and asked, "Does advertising like this really work?"
Zhou Xuan reminded her, "You just read every single one of them out loud."
Li Menglai laughed and turned to Lin Murun. "If Yu Qianyi hadn't brought it up, I almost would have forgotten something important."
"What is it?" Lin Murun asked.
"The owner of Xingyue Piano Shop is coming to watch the performance tonight," she said. "I heard it from my cousin. The owner lent the Student Union a lot of instruments and even secured a product placement spot for the gala."
Li Menglai’s cousin was a full-time violin teacher at Xingyue Piano Shop, so her information was naturally more up-to-date.
Seeing Lin Murun’s flat reaction, she nudged him. "Your boss is coming to see the show! You’d better perform well tonight!"
"I don't work at the piano shop anymore," Lin Murun explained, understanding her meaning. "Boss Yuan found a more suitable violin teacher."
"Huh?" Li Menglai was stunned. "Since when?"
"Just last week," Lin Murun said. "But thanks for telling me Boss Yuan is coming."
"No problem, no problem." Li Menglai thought about it and added, "Actually, not working there might be for the best. You can finally sleep in on the weekends."
Lin Murun smiled and replied, "Yeah."
Seeing that there were no more teachers or students eating nearby, Zhou Xuan finally closed his mobile game and looked up. "What time is it?"
"Oh! It’s almost nine!" Li Menglai glanced at the time and stood up in a panic. "We’re going to be late!"
"Oh! Right, right, right!" Yu Qianyi finally reacted. "I heard from Huang Hao that they’re taking attendance at the opening ceremony!"
"It’s already 8:50." Zhou Xuan checked the time and said unhurriedly, "Since we’re going to be late anyway, we might as well walk slowly."
"No way!" Yu Qianyi shook her head. "The school leaders start their speeches at nine sharp. It would be too embarrassing to show up late in front of the whole school!"
Zhou Xuan and Lin Murun exchanged a look.
"How about we just don't go?" At the mere mention of running, Zhou Xuan’s bones felt lazy.
"You students over there!" a teacher shouted from behind them. "What time is it? Why are you still loitering here?"
Zhou Xuan froze, then hurriedly grabbed Lin Murun and started running. "It’s Teacher Tang!"
"Which Teacher Tang?" Lin Murun asked.
"The Dean of Students!" Zhou Xuan said tensely. "Run! If he catches us, we’re getting a lecture."
"Are you tenth graders?" Teacher Tang shouted behind them. "Which class? This is outrageous!"
"We’re ninth graders!" Zhou Xuan shouted back as he ran.
The four of them sprinted across the empty playground and past the teaching buildings toward the indoor basketball court in the distance.
It was a beautiful day. The sky was a clear, washed cerulean, the clouds were faint, and the wind trailed behind them. Sunlight danced on the boys' hair and the girls' school skirts. In the quiet campus, even the chirping of birds seemed amplified.
"I’ve never been yelled at by Teacher Tang before," Li Menglai panted as she ran. "And I’ve never been late. If my mom found out, she’d nag me for ages."
"But you don't look nervous at all," Yu Qianyi noted.
Li Menglai smiled. "Once in a while is fine!"
"Menglai is clearly a 'good girl' type." Yu Qianyi couldn't run anymore and stopped, gasping for air. "And Lin Murun too. You can tell just by looking at him that he’s a model student."
Lin Murun turned to ask her, "Why?"
"Just a feeling..." Yu Qianyi fanned her face with her hand. "You don't look like the kind of bad student who causes trouble, breaks school rules, smokes, drinks, or gets into fights. Not like Zhou Xuan..."
Suddenly called out, Zhou Xuan asked in confusion, "Huh?"
"You don't look like a 'good student,'" Yu Qianyi joked.
"That's unfair..." Zhou Xuan defended himself. "I haven't done a single thing on that list you just mentioned."
Seeing that they were already late, the four simply sat down on a stone bench by the road to rest. Yu Qianyi and Zhou Xuan began bickering about looks and vibes. Li Menglai watched for a moment, then leaned in and whispered to Lin Murun with a smile, "I think Yu Qianyi is right. You look more like a good student than Zhou Xuan does."
Lin Murun asked, "Is it just my face?"
"The face is part of it..." Li Menglai thought for a moment and explained, "But it’s mostly your overall aura. I can't imagine you smoking or fighting."
Lin Murun gave a soft "mm" and fell silent.
In the end, the four had their names recorded and were scolded for being late, but this minor interlude didn't dampen Yu Qianyi’s good mood. After the opening ceremony ended, she chattered to Li Menglai about the performances she was interested in and planned to invite friends for hot pot the following evening.
In the blink of an eye, evening arrived. After a quick dinner, Lin Murun and Li Menglai were taken to the music building by Teacher Li.
"Teacher Zhang, the students from my class are here." She knocked on the door of a small classroom.
"Come in, quickly." Teacher Zhang, who was in charge of logistics, was run off her feet. She took the program list and asked, "Which act are you?"
"The fifth," Lin Murun replied.
Teacher Zhang nodded and gestured for them to go to the side to pick up the performance costumes that had been prepared during the rehearsal.
"Teacher Zhang! Do you have any extra foundation?" a student who had already changed into their costume ran over to ask. "I can't find mine."
"I do!" Teacher Zhang was too busy to help personally, so she told the two, "The costumes have class names and student names on them. Find yours yourselves."
The two acknowledged her and began searching for their outfits in the wardrobe area.
"Remember to come back for makeup after you change!" another teacher reminded them.
Students preparing to change gathered in the restrooms on each floor of the music building. Fortunately, the building was spacious, with two restrooms per floor, which helped distribute the crowd so that not everyone was crammed outside a single one.
Students in various colorful costumes stood in the hallways; at a glance, it was a kaleidoscope of hues.
Lin Murun entered the restroom, took off his framed glasses, and put them in their case. Then, after washing his hands, he skillfully put in his contact lenses while looking in the mirror above the sink.
When he returned to the first-floor classroom in his performance outfit, he happened to see Li Menglai standing by the door applying makeup.
Seeing him, Li Menglai tucked away her small mirror and said in surprise, "Oh? You took off your glasses?"
"I'm wearing contacts," Lin Murun replied.
Li Menglai found it novel and circled him to take a look. She laughed. "You look great! You should wear contacts every day."
"Student, come over for makeup!" Teacher Zhang saw him return and called him into the classroom.
The group in the room had changed; most of the girls who were just getting their makeup done had left. Lin Murun stood obediently as Teacher Zhang sprayed his face with mist and applied primer.
"Oh, Teacher Li, this student of yours is far too good-looking." Teacher Zhang held a makeup sponge and looked him over. She praised, "His skin is so fair; none of the foundations here are a good match for him."
Another logistics teacher heard this and leaned over to take a look. She suggested, "Just trim his eyebrows and put on some light lipstick. The stage lights are bright; if he doesn't wear lipstick, he'll look washed out."
"No problem." Teacher Zhang picked up an eyebrow razor and told Lin Murun to close his eyes.
"If only every student who needed makeup was as easy to deal with as you."
The "easy to deal with" Lin Murun stood there docilely until the teacher was finished, then stepped aside.
Teacher Zhang turned to several boys who were reluctant to wear makeup and said pointedly, "Look at this student, see how cooperative he is? If you were as good-looking as him, I wouldn't have to spend so much time on your concealer and contouring."
"This is called having a masculine look," one of the boys grumbled defiantly.
"What masculine look?" Teacher Zhang said forcefully as she dabbed foundation on him. "Is being uncooperative and having a face full of acne what you call masculine?"
Seeing that he wanted to argue further, Teacher Zhang picked up a lipstick. "Save it for later."
The boy shot Lin Murun a resentful look but obediently shut his mouth.
In a flash, it was 7:10 PM. All performers were ready, and the seats in the music building's auditorium were packed with spectators.
Li Menglai, holding up her long skirt, sat down in the front row next to Lin Murun, waiting for the show to begin.
"We can watch two acts," Li Menglai said, checking the program and whispering to Lin Murun. "We need to go backstage to prepare before the third act starts."
Lin Murun nodded.
All the acts had been rehearsed, so the content was no longer fresh to the participating teachers and students, but everyone was still looking forward to the final effect once the costumes, makeup, and props were all in place.
Yu Qianyi, sitting diagonally behind them, had sharp eyes. When she saw Li Menglai and Lin Murun, she waved to them.
Li Menglai smiled and waved back.
"Huh?" As if seeing someone else, her waving hand paused. She tapped Lin Murun and pointed toward the back rows. "Si Bin is here too."
Lin Murun turned around at her words and indeed saw Si Bin and Gao Yuan sitting in the back.
"I thought he wouldn't come to watch the performance," Li Menglai whispered to Lin Murun.
"Why?" Lin Murun asked. Just then, Si Bin seemed to notice the movement over here.
Li Menglai said without thinking, "He really doesn't like crowded places."
Meeting Lin Murun’s gaze, Si Bin’s lips curved slightly upward.
"But..." Li Menglai glanced at Lin Murun and didn't finish her sentence.
"But what?" Lin Murun asked.
Li Menglai pursed her lips and sat up straight. "Nothing."
The performance was about to start. The previously bright lights dimmed, and the host in a long gown stepped out from behind the red curtain, gently reminding the audience members who were still moving around to take their seats as quickly as possible.
Gao Yuan squinted at the front rows, nudged Si Bin with his elbow, and whispered, "Were you just waving at that girl in the white dress?"
He was referring to Li Menglai.
"No," Si Bin replied. "I saw Little Teacher Lin."
"You mean Little Teacher Lin from our piano shop?" Gao Yuan craned his neck. "Where is he?"
"In the first row," Si Bin said.
The light was too dim and the seats were too far apart; Gao Yuan really couldn't distinguish which one was Little Teacher Lin from a sea of stranger's backs, so he gave up.
"You can see him from this far away?" Gao Yuan found it incredible.
Si Bin replied, "Mm."
Gao Yuan rubbed his chin and asked, "You two seem pretty close."
He had expected that, given Si Bin’s temperament, the reply would be something like "not really" or "just okay." To his surprise, Si Bin nodded and said frankly, "We are quite close."
Gao Yuan: "?"
He felt something was off with Si Bin. "During the summer break, you didn't even know Little Teacher Lin's name."
"I found out later," Si Bin said calmly. "Now, I don't just know his name; I also know today is his birthday."
Gao Yuan: "???"
He took a moment to find his words. "Si Bin, I think you're being unfair."
Si Bin tilted his head, asking silently with his eyes.
"I'm your childhood friend, yet you can't even remember my birthday..." Gao Yuan felt a bit wronged and was about to denounce their "plastic brotherhood" when he suddenly realized something.
"Wait! You said before that you bought that fountain pen as a gift?" Gao Yuan deduced, "For Little Teacher Lin?"
Si Bin looked at him and didn't deny it.
"Holy crap!" His exclamation drew the ire of the parents in the row behind them.
"Young man, please keep it down," a middle-aged man with glasses tapped the back of his chair and protested in a low voice.
"Sorry, sorry!" Gao Yuan apologized quickly.
Si Bin withdrew his gaze and quietly began watching the performance.
Gao Yuan nudged his arm, about to say something, but Si Bin cut him off first.
"Don't disturb the others."
"I think you've changed!" Gao Yuan protested in a whisper. "You weren't like this before! You'd rather remember a stranger's birthday than mine."
Si Bin looked at him as if looking at a fool. "Be a good boy and watch the show."
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
一中 | No. 1 High School | Short for 第一中学 (First Middle/High School).
艺术节 | Art Festival | A school-wide event featuring performances and arts.
星月琴行 | Xingyue Piano Shop | A music store where Lin Murun used to work.
汤老师 | Teacher Tang | The Dean of Students (年级主任).
年级主任 | Dean of Students / Grade Dean | A faculty position in charge of student discipline and affairs for a specific grade.
隐形眼镜 | Contact lenses | Lin Murun wears these for the performance.
发小 | Childhood friend | Specifically a friend one grew up with from a very young age.
塑料兄弟情 | Plastic brotherhood | A slang term for a superficial or "fake" friendship that breaks easily.
