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Monday and Wednesday shifts were covered by Yushan and Stone, so Yin Mengxi didn’t go to Xiaohongding. However, she diligently submitted her interview outline, which underwent minor adjustments in the department and was approved.
“For the interview, Xixi will still go since Stone and the others aren’t as reliable,” Jiayi arranged during the meeting. “There’s no rush for the final draft; take your time. Focus on writing it thoroughly and meticulously—remember to record the entire interview and take a few photos of Senior Xiao.”
At this point, her smile widened, and she happily rubbed her hands together, exclaiming, “I never expected we’d get to interview Senior Xiao this semester. I heard the school newspaper tried several times but failed—our department is truly amazing!”
The content was finalized on Wednesday, so Yin Mengxi sent Xiao Zhi a QQ message as agreed.
She: Good evening, Senior. Sorry to disturb you.
She: Do you have time to go to Xiaohongding on Friday? We’ve finalized the interview content. Here’s the outline.
She: [Document] Embers Drama Club Series Interview Outline (1).doc
About fifteen minutes later, he replied.
He: Sure, around ten o’clock okay?
She: Mm, that works. Whatever is convenient for you, Senior. Thank you for your hard work.
He: No problem, you’ve worked hard too.
She stared at the last four words, “you’ve worked hard too,” hesitating whether to send an emoji or something. She scrolled through her usual cute cats, dogs, and rabbits but found them all too lively. For some reason, she couldn’t be as bold as last semester and send them out. In the end, she didn’t reply, and the conversation ended with his message.
That night, several messages exploded in the small group chat of the Youth League.
Stone: I sincerely ask, is there some internal conflict within their drama club?
Stone: The atmosphere at today’s rehearsal was really weird.
Yushan: !!!
Yushan: You noticed too! I thought it wasn’t just my imagination!
Stone: Right, right? There’s something off between Sister Tang Fei and Sister Yunqiao, and also between Sister Li.
Stone: And that Sister Yuanyuan has been acting strange all along...
Yushan: Exactly! And on Monday when it was my shift, it was like a battlefield. Sister Fei told the costume team to order a cheongsam, and Sister Yunqiao’s face immediately darkened. Afterward, they kept making sarcastic remarks... almost scared me to death!
Stone: Too terrifying.
Stone: I’m really afraid they’ll fight.
Yushan: Haha, don’t let us report their club’s harmony one moment and then see them fighting and heading to the hospital the next.
When Yin Mengxi saw the group messages, she didn’t think much of it, assuming Yushan and the others were exaggerating. But when she arrived at Xiaohongding on Friday, she realized things weren’t as simple as she thought—the atmosphere was indeed somewhat tense.
Weekday rehearsals lasted only an hour and a half, so all processes were tightly packed. Actors had to start rehearsing as soon as they arrived. Guo Yue, as president and director, had to confirm logistics. He arrived twenty minutes early, and Yin Mengxi entered the theater at 8:45, catching him arguing with Yunqiao.
“Why can’t you just listen to Tang Fei and order her a new cheongsam?” Guo Yue frustratingly ruffled his hair into a mess. “She’s just like that. Why argue with her?”
“Argue with her?” Han Yunqiao was even angrier. “Guo Yue, do you have any principles? All actors’ costumes are rented uniformly. Why does she get special treatment with a brand-new one? Not to mention she’s not even the female lead this time. Even if she were me, I wouldn’t tolerate these bad habits! Whoever wants to cater to her can do so—I won’t put up with this nonsense!”
“Alright, alright,” Guo Yue exclaimed, his head about to explode, nearly tearing his hair out. “Fine, I’ll handle it. I’ll order it for her—is that okay now?”
“Sure, of course,” Han Yunqiao crossed her arms, sarcasm dripping from her voice. “The great president and director can do anything, right? But let me tell you, whoever orders this dress for her, I, Han Yunqiao, will immediately quit the drama club. Find someone else to produce this play!”
“Why are you doing this!” Guo Yue completely collapsed. “Oh, because you two had a disagreement back in freshman year, you’re still holding a grudge?”
“Freshman year? Guo Yue, use your conscience. Is this a freshman issue?” Han Yunqiao’s voice grew louder. “Since the day Tang Fei joined the club, hasn’t she always demanded special treatment? Every play, she insists on being the female lead. As a junior, she pushed out seniors; as a senior, she pushed out juniors. If it weren’t for Teacher Xiao stepping in, she would’ve pushed Zhang Li out again! Does being the vice secretary’s daughter mean she can act so entitled? Are we a private school now?”
…They argued endlessly.
Yin Mengxi accidentally walked in on the argument outside and hesitated whether to enter. She lingered for about ten minutes until other crew members gradually arrived. The noise inside quieted down, probably because the two seniors temporarily ceased fire for the sake of appearances, but the conflict was far from resolved.
Senior Tang Fei was five minutes late that night. Unlike Guo Yue and Han Yunqiao, who were visibly upset, she remained calm and elegant, bringing bubble tea for a few friends in the acting group.
The rehearsal began with warm-up vocal exercises. There wasn’t much to shoot, so Yin Mengxi went backstage to help the crew sisters. They were confirming props based on the script—some Republican-era furniture needed to be borrowed, and various items had to be gathered, with detailed lists made into Excel sheets.
Yin Mengxi took a few photos while quietly learning from them. Not long after, Han Yunqiao stormed in, plopping onto a chair in a huff. Several sisters close to her knew why she was upset and came over to comfort her: “Alright, don’t be angry. Tang Fei has always been like this. We’re about to graduate—why bother arguing with her?”
“I just can’t stand her princess syndrome! And I can’t stand how Guo Yue keeps giving her preferential treatment without principles!” Han Yunqiao was furious. “And that Yang Yuanyuan, always fawning over the princess—what’s the point? Her GPA isn’t even 3. Does Secretary Hong plan to recommend her for grad school?”
“Only Teacher Xiao can handle her,” she continued grumbling. “Heaven forbid he gets infatuated with that princess disease. I hope she never catches up to him and gets so frustrated her nose goes crooked!”
Ah.
These words...
Yin Mengxi had always been uncertain about Xiao Zhi and Tang Fei’s relationship—it seemed like they might be a couple, yet also maybe not. Only then did she feel she received a definitive answer, though her feelings were incredibly complicated—partly relieved and happy, yet filled with lingering anxiety and worry. Perhaps her adolescence had indeed come later than others, so even at eighteen, she was still easily tangled up.
But—
Did this mean... she still had a chance to answer that exam paper?
At ten o’clock, Xiao Zhi arrived as promised.
“Sorry to set the time so late,” he seemed to have rushed from somewhere, his tone a bit hurried. “Have you been waiting long?”
Perhaps because she had just heard Yunqiao’s words, emotions suppressed throughout the winter break suddenly threatened to overflow. Sitting with him in the relatively private space of the rear audience seats, she found it hard to contain her thoughts.
“No problem. I have to stay on duty until 10:30 anyway,” she replied flatly, then couldn’t resist asking more about him. “Has Senior been very busy recently?”
“Not particularly, just met with my advisor today,” he naturally told her. “It took some time on the road.”
“Is it Mr. Jia?” Her eyes slightly brightened. “Did Senior visit Mr. Jia’s home?”
“Mm,” he affirmed, amusement in his eyes. “Mr. Jia’s house is a bit far.”
She said “Oh” softly, secretly delighted. A young girl’s heart is easily satisfied—just talking about everyday things with someone she liked made her feel incredibly happy.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t chat casually for long, or they wouldn’t finish the interview. She reluctantly put aside her scattered thoughts, took out the interview outline, and began asking questions based on her pre-prepared list—mostly about the script. He was patient, answering each question, and the progress was quick. By the time the rehearsal ended, their interview was complete.
“We’ll publish this article on the school media. I’ll send the text to you for confirmation after I organize it,” she honestly explained. “Also, we might need a few photos of Senior for illustrations—may I take them?”
He initially showed no reaction, but upon hearing about taking photos, he raised an eyebrow, seemingly hesitant, perhaps unwilling.
“Just one,” she didn’t want to give up this opportunity, choosing to push back despite sensing his reluctance, her tone carrying a small plea. “Senior can just sit without moving—I’ll find the angle myself.”
Her cautious tone.
He looked at her, finding her pitiful, especially the gesture of extending her slender fingers to emphasize “just one” looking particularly obedient.
This...
…seemed hard to refuse.
He coughed, feeling a bit uncomfortable: “Can I just sit?”
That was agreement.
Her eyes lit up, seemingly very happy, nodding like a little chick pecking rice, quickly standing up before he could change his mind. By the time he realized, her eyes were already glued to the viewfinder.
“It’ll be quick, just a moment…”
She confidently guaranteed, sounding credible, but she had already solemnly circled around him several times, adjusting the lighting and angles. After a long while, she squatted on the ground and snapped several photos, giving instructions: “Senior, don’t look at the camera. Look elsewhere casually—tilt your face a bit—can you prop your hand up?”
…Far from “just a moment.”
He was a bit helpless but couldn’t renege midway, so he adjusted accordingly, looking rather unnatural. She, however, was delighted, smiling at the photos on the display, with two shallow dimples on her cheeks.
“Don’t they look good?” She happily ran to his side, showing him like presenting a treasure. “The lines are there, the light is there—”
She got a bit too close.
Close enough to smell the faint fragrance of her hair.
He coughed, glancing at her. She suddenly realized she had gotten carried away in her excitement, immediately blushing to her ears, moving away from him, and lowering her head to apologize softly: “Sorry, Senior, I, I…”
“What?”
She couldn’t explain, but fortunately, he didn’t press further. She vaguely heard him cough again, then he stood up. Before leaving, he said, “It’s fine,” and added, “Goodbye.”
“Goodbye?”
Sigh.
She truly was…already looking forward to seeing him again.
Author’s Note:
Teacher Xiao: Cough, cough, I’m quite natural, cough, cough.
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