Chapter 42: Blushing
The next day, during the preliminary auditions, Xiao Luohan went to the other world through a dream again.
The auditions were held during lunch break. There were about twenty minutes left before they started. When she arrived, the girls were changing clothes in the rehearsal room.
As always, Xiao Luohan appeared beside Jiang Xue. However, this time, she saw Jiang Xue wearing only a bra.
Such undergarments didn’t exist in ancient times. Xiao Luohan hadn’t expected to see this as soon as she arrived, and before she knew it, she had already taken in the young woman’s smooth and toned back.
She felt her face heat up and quickly averted her gaze to the floor before Jiang Xue could turn around.
She didn’t know why she was panicking—other girls in the classroom were also changing like this. There were no screens, and no one seemed bothered, only she felt uncomfortable.
It was truly… improper.
“Huh? You’re here so early?” Jiang Xue quickly noticed her, hurriedly put on her costume, and started pulling on her school pants. “As you can see, we’re still changing into our costumes!”
Xiao Luohan hummed in response and continued staring at the floor.
“You can watch our audition from anywhere you like.” Although the preliminary audition was just a formality and not as important as the actual performance, Jiang Xue still patiently explained. “Choose a seat far away from others in the audience, so you don’t have to keep moving when people come and sit down. You can also watch from backstage, but it’s easy to get bumped into by the other performers…”
She muttered as she changed into her skirt.
Xie Xitong, who was nearby, heard the very soft murmurs and couldn’t help but turn around.
Then she saw the two girls, one talking to herself and the other staring at the floor, not making eye contact.
She almost burst out laughing, finding the situation amusing. She walked over with her costume and deliberately asked, “Is there something dirty on the floor?”
Jiang Xue, who had been chattering, stopped abruptly, glanced at Xiao Luohan, then followed her gaze to the floor. “…There’s nothing there?”
“Look closer,” Xie Xitong said slowly. “She’s been staring at the floor for a long time. Either there’s something dirty, or she has something on her mind.”
This time, Jiang Xue looked directly at Xiao Luohan. She wasn’t so dense as to not understand the implications of her friend’s words.
Then she noticed that Xiao Luohan’s face, usually pale due to her chronic illness and being indoors, was now unnaturally flushed.
Jiang Xue: …
She glared at her friend, quickly tied her sash, and pretending to be oblivious, asked Xiao Luohan, “What’s wrong? Do you have a cold?”
To make her misunderstanding seem more genuine, she deliberately touched Xiao Luohan’s forehead with the back of her hand. “You don’t have a fever… Oh, are you nervous for us?”
Xiao Luohan also felt embarrassed. Since Jiang Xue had provided an excuse, she nodded quickly. “Yes, I’m very nervous. Performing on stage is a very important matter. Even though it’s just a preliminary audition, as long as we pass, we can perform in the actual show.”
She had seen in the diary how lively the New Year’s Eve galas were in Jiang Xue’s first and second years of high school. At the time, Jiang Xue had been a member of the literature club and had organized their performance.
But club performances were a major part of the gala. Usually, every club’s performance had a chance to be performed on stage for all three grades, without needing to worry about being rejected.
Class performances were different. The judging criteria were stricter, and the possibility of being “rejected” was quite high.
However, Xiao Luohan actually had full confidence in them.
The group dance was well-synchronized, and the details had been adjusted according to each individual’s strengths. The most difficult part, the solo dance, because of the powerful reinforcement, had retained the essence of the original video while adding the dancer’s own interpretation.
The meaning of wielding the sword, the support for women walking alone in the world with a sword… that older sister’s adaptation was so meaningful that she felt that if the judges rejected this performance, their judgment would be as poor as her father’s.
As she pondered with a smile, Jiang Xue secretly pinched Xie Xitong and glared at her.
The two had been used to communicating silently with glances and lip reading since they were young, and now was no exception—
“Stop hinting at things in front of the Third Princess!”
“I just think it’s a possibility!”
“Nonsense!”
“Then why is she blushing and not daring to look at you?”
“It’s normal! Ancient women are reserved!”
“A-Xue,” Jiang Mei’s voice suddenly interrupted their silent argument. “It’s almost time. Go backstage and get ready.”
Before Jiang Xue could reply, Xie Xitong raised her hand and replied with a drawn-out “Okay”—this girl never missed an opportunity to talk to her older sister!
There was no need for makeup for the preliminary audition. For the actual performance, they would have to come early in the morning for makeup, and if they were being meticulous, they would even hire a professional makeup artist. Jiang Xue had experienced this in the previous two years and was quite experienced in this aspect.
After the girls left, Jiang Xue put on her winter coat and followed, along with Xiao Luohan.
Jiang Mei also followed, dressed in a striking red outfit, carrying a sword case containing her beloved sword.
“Xiao Luo is here too?” she asked softly.
Compared to Jiang Xue in her bra, Xiao Luohan was even more hesitant to look at her.
She was afraid that if she looked too much, she would choose to “let go,” focusing all her attention on being here, instead of… instead of using this last opportunity to avenge her elder sister.
On her wedding day, she would definitely go to the Eastern Palace. This was Daying’s custom. Whether the Crown Prince was marrying a wife or taking a concubine, the first night had to be spent in the Eastern Palace for good luck.
As for after the wedding night, whether the concubine would reside in the Eastern Palace or remain in her own assigned quarters was a different set of rules.
According to Xiao Luohan’s initial plan, she would only stay in the Eastern Palace until the wedding night, then leave that world completely.
Once she went to the Eastern Palace and did what she needed to do, she would have no other obsessions and would live peacefully by Jiang Xue’s side, doing her best to repay her kindness.
“Yes, she came while I was changing,” she heard Jiang Xue say with a smile. “Even if it’s just a preliminary audition, with such an important audience member, I have to work harder… Achoo!!”
There was no heating in the hallway, and although their costumes were lined with fleece, the wind was still cold.
“Oh, it’s sunny today, and the temperature is high, but the wind is still so cold!” she heard Jiang Xue complain. “We definitely need to use heat packs on the day of the performance. I remember the temperature dropped in the past two years, it was freezing!”
Xiao Luohan recalled the day she was punished by kneeling in the snow.
Because she was sensitive to the cold, she had used the heat patch Jiang Xue sent as soon as she felt cold. Although she had been exposed to the cold, her body hadn’t suffered much damage, thanks in part to the heat patch.
So she said, “Thank you for the heat patch. It was very useful.”
“Don’t mention it!” Jiang Xue laughed. “By the way, how many do you have left? If you’re running low, I’ll buy you more.”
Xiao Luohan thought for a moment. “I probably have enough for three to five days? You gave me a large bag last time.”
The two girls chatted softly.
Jiang Mei watched from the side. Although she couldn’t see or hear Xiao Luohan, she could sense something unusual.
Firstly, their intimacy. Although her younger sister had many friends and a “childhood sweetheart” she had grown up with, she had never treated anyone like this before.
And the two had gone through a lot together, matters concerning Xiao Luohan’s life and death. In her eyes, their relationship was already subtly crossing the line of friendship.
As for when that line would truly be crossed, it depended on how both sides defined their relationship.
Secondly, she noticed that the Third Princess was avoiding her.
This was a more subtle observation, difficult to confirm without careful attention.
Whether the young woman avoided her was secondary; the key was why she was avoiding her.
She had heard Ms. Wei’s concerns that day. Knowing that Xiao Luohan had lost a very important elder sister, Ms. Wei was afraid that she would become fixated on it and not be able to come over.
But there were too few clues now, and it was difficult for Jiang Mei to deduce the reason. And based on her understanding of Xiao Luohan, her younger sister was probably also unaware of the reason for Xiao Luohan “avoiding her.” Otherwise, she would have immediately discussed it with her.
“I need to get A-Xue to pry more information out of her,” Jiang Mei thought.
Many senior year students were already waiting backstage in the auditorium. Dan Yuanyuan, as the arts committee member, received their performance number, submitted the required audio, arranged their seats, and then all they had to do was wait for the judges to arrive and announce the start of the evaluations.
Jiang Xue deliberately chose a seat on the outermost edge, with Xie Xitong beside her. Turning her head, she could see Xiao Luohan and her older sister.
Jiang Mei, as someone from outside the school, dressed in red and carrying a sword case, exuded an aura that kept people at a distance. And since the students participating in the preliminary auditions weren’t enough to fill the entire auditorium, no one would bother sitting in the “empty seat” next to her.
In Jiang Xue’s opinion, this was the best arrangement. No one would disturb Xiao Luohan while she watched the auditions.
But Xiao Luohan was very nervous.
Jiang Xue and the others were huddled together at the front, making final arrangements, such as making sure their positions on stage were correct, discussing the reference points…
She had been listening to their conversation when the person beside her suddenly spoke:
“Although they’re still students, they’ve actually been gradually discovering their strengths and ‘presentable’ academic subjects since their first year of high school. Even special talents and hobbies are taken seriously during this period.”
“After all, the subjects they choose in their second year are related to the universities they’ll likely attend—the highest level of educational institutions here—and their career paths after graduation.”
“But precisely because they’re students, young and inexperienced, the major activities they can participate in during their school years are limited to campus events. Even if they participate in social practice during summer and winter breaks, they can’t truly experience society.”
Xiao Luohan didn’t know much about this, and Jiang Mei’s perspective as a “member of society” was different from Jiang Xue’s as a student, so her attention was immediately captured.
Jiang Mei continued, “So, they come to us for advice. We’re both outsiders and experienced, and although the advice we give might not be suitable for them, it can still serve as a reference, helping them avoid some detours.”
“If one ‘experienced person’ isn’t enough, or if they don’t feel confident, they can ask more people, ask more questions. In short, try to balance their talents, aspirations, preferences, and societal needs.”
She paused, finally getting to the point she truly wanted to make. “Since you’ve already decided to come over, it’s time to make some preliminary plans for your future.”
“A-Xue is very interested in this topic, but unfortunately, she can’t stop talking once she starts, and rarely finds an audience. If you have the opportunity, you can talk to her more about it.”
She used seemingly unrelated topics to indirectly extend a hand to this girl from another world, sincerely hoping, even praying, that she would grasp it soon.
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