Chapter 13: Ketchup
An Baili and Chu Jingyi, two beautiful girls, walked hand-in-hand, becoming the most eye-catching sight in the audience. Since An Gulai was sent to prison, An Baili stopped deliberately making herself look ugly. Her face was free of makeup, yet she was radiant and charming. Everyone said that An Baili from Class 1 of the first-year liberal arts program was the school beauty of Chuanhai No. 1 High School. They also said that Lu Li was a womanizer who had already taken advantage of An Baili. There were even rumors about Lu Li having an ambiguous relationship with Chu Jingyi. In short, Lu Li’s name had spread in an unexpected way…
The girls arrived a little late and could only find seats in the last row. The gymnasium was already packed with people. An Baili had to lean close to Chu Jingyi’s ear to make herself heard. “Jingyi, which act is Lu Li’s performance?” Chu Jingyi also pinched Baili’s ear and shouted, “It’s the seventh act~” “Don’t shout so loud…” “I’m afraid you can’t hear me…”
As the girls were whispering, the Chuanhai No. 1 High School 2017 New Year’s Eve party kicked off with the emcee’s passionate speech. A roar erupted from the audience. Looking closer, it turned out that the street dance group from Class 2 of the second-year liberal arts program was on stage. The hot and energetic girls were wearing leather pants and crop tops, their dance moves sharp and their eyes alluring.
An Baili yawned. She didn’t actually like crowded places. According to their original plan, she was supposed to be setting off fireworks with Lu Li at Ping’an Square. Suddenly, she saw a vendor pushing a cart past them. She felt her pockets and found she had a little over ten yuan left. Excitedly, she bought two large bags of potato chips. The kind auntie at the stall, seeing her cuteness, even gave her a small bottle of ketchup. An Baili handed a bag of chips to Chu Jingyi. “Jingyi, Happy New Year! This is my New Year’s gift for you~”
Chu Jingyi giggled. “Who gives gifts like this?”
“Lu Li, he would just casually buy something during holidays and give it away as a gift. So shameless.”
Chu Jingyi’s smile gradually faded as she thought about the relationship between An Baili and Lu Li. She felt a pang of jealousy in her heart. She hated this feeling…
An Baili took Silly Goose’s hand. “Jingyi, don’t frown.”
The Class Monitor asked sadly, “Baili, what are we going to do… after graduation…” Her words were vague, but An Baili knew she was asking about their relationship with Lu Li. An Baili also knew that she was worried about “loss.” A girl like Chu Jingyi had always had everything. Every loss would be deeply etched in her memory.
She was the opposite. She had always experienced loss. Every gain was unforgettable.
“After graduation, no matter what happens, we’ll still be good friends.” An Baili whispered.
“But… but…” Silly Goose couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong, but she instinctively felt that something was amiss. “Baili, you’re not lying to me too, are you?”
“I would never. Lu Li is the liar.” An Baili shook her head vehemently, afraid that the Class Monitor would become suspicious. “Jingyi, open your mouth, I’ll feed you some chips~”
As the performances continued, the atmosphere in the gymnasium became more and more heated. Some students, caught up in the moment, couldn’t help but stand up in the audience and confess their love, drawing waves of cheers. After tonight, who knew how many new couples would be formed in this school?
Suddenly, the stage lights dimmed, and the noise subsided. Just as everyone thought there was a power outage, an ethereal female voice came from the speakers. “Once upon a time, in a beautiful kingdom, there lived a beautiful princess, but no one had ever seen her true face…”
Chu Jingyi’s melancholy vanished, and she said excitedly, “It’s starting, it’s starting, our class’s performance is starting.”
The stage lights gradually brightened, and Lu Li, dressed in a magnificent costume, entered from the side. He was wearing a black and gold court attire, a slender and delicate sword at his waist. His hair was neatly combed, his eyes bright as morning stars, his nose straight and prominent, his figure tall and slender. He was a handsome young man, an elegant prince. “After crossing nine mountains and four rivers, where have I arrived?”
Whispers erupted from the audience. Many were stunned by Lu Li’s appearance, and some girls even secretly inquired about his name and class.
An Baili couldn’t hide the smile on her face. She held her head high, proudly, wanting to tell everyone that this was her beloved, her husband, her soulmate.
But in the next second, her smile froze. The lights on the other side of the stage slowly brightened, and a blonde girl gracefully walked onto the stage. An Baili could even hear gasps of surprise from the audience. The blonde princess wore a pure white gown and a sparkling crown, like a princess from a fairy tale come to life.
The murmurs instantly ceased. The entire gymnasium fell silent, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
The auditorium was dark, only two spotlights illuminated the stage, one on the prince and one on the princess who had captivated everyone. Under the spotlight, Wen Hupo’s every move was elegant and poised, as if the stage was made for her. Her aloof expression was no longer a flaw, but a finishing touch. In front of this ethereal princess, even the handsome prince seemed to pale in comparison.
Beautiful. That was the only word to describe her. Any further description would be superfluous.
Lu Li took a deep breath. Even though he had seen her many times before, he was still rendered speechless by Wen Hupo’s cold and noble beauty. He straightened his collar and recited his lines. “Beautiful lady, you resemble the bright moon in my memory. Have we met before?”
This ordinary line instantly struck a chord in the hearts of two girls, one the princess on stage, and the other An Baili in the audience.
Wen Hupo felt a tightness in her chest. What was this? Was her corset too tight? She would loosen it a bit later… She pressed her hand against her chest and recited her lines:
“Have you ever kept company with ravens on a midsummer night? Have you ever encountered the spirits of the spring by the deep lake? Have you ever…”
An Baili stared blankly at the two on stage, scenes from her first life flooding back like a tsunami. She felt a pang of sadness and whispered to the Class Monitor beside her, “Um… Jingyi, who wrote these lines and this scene?”
“Hupo wrote it.”
Hearing this answer, An Baili slumped back in her seat, feeling lost and defeated. She couldn’t help but think of karma, of good and evil being rewarded accordingly. Back then, on a winter night, she had also seen the prince and princess holding hands on the bridge, while she stood alone like a homeless clown, holding an apple. She had wondered countless times if it would have been better if she had confessed to Lu Li sooner. So… so Wen Hupo was also reborn, right?
The prince and princess on stage recognized each other. It turned out they had fallen in love ten years ago. The princess and the prince made a promise that they would get engaged when the prince returned to the kingdom. The first act ended there. Seeing them exit the stage smoothly, Chu Jingyi finally breathed a sigh of relief. Her biggest worry was that Wen Hupo wouldn’t be able to let go of her aloofness and portray the princess’s innocent and lively temperament. Now it seemed that her cold demeanor was even more captivating.
Baili beside her had fallen silent at some point, not saying a word. The Class Monitor gently nudged her friend’s shoulder. “Baili, Baili, the first act is over, Lu Li did a great job…” An Baili suddenly clutched her chest, quickly pulled out a tissue, and coughed violently, covering her mouth.
“Baili…? Is that blood?” In the dim light, Chu Jingyi could only see a stain on the tissue.
An Baili put on her usual innocent and gentle smile again. “No, it’s just ketchup.” She took out the crushed bottle of ketchup. “I accidentally squeezed it too hard.”
“Oh… oh…” Silly Goose nodded blankly. Before she could think further, she heard An Baili point to the stage and say with a smile, “Look, the second act is starting.”
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