WG - 9

At the same time, the background music for the dance performance began to play.

Chi Zhiyu lowered her gaze across the audience, moving rhythmically to the beat. With one hand extended, she began her routine. Beside her, Jiang Jinxu matched her pace, smoothly closing the distance between them. His hand gently wrapped around her waist, lifting her in a half-circle spin.

The hem of her skirt swayed elegantly as she landed lightly on her toes, twirling out of his embrace.

The sequence flowed seamlessly, her movements graceful and full of poise. Paired with the handsome Jiang Jinxu, the performance was truly a sight to behold.

Each classical dance evaluation lasted only three minutes.

As the music ended, Chi Zhiyu held her final pose for a few seconds before standing up and walking to the center of the stage. Together with Jiang Jinxu, they bowed and exited the stage.

Applause erupted from the audience. Backstage, Jiang Jinxu handed her a tissue. “Wipe your sweat.”

“Thanks.” Chi Zhiyu accepted it, dabbing at her forehead. “Was it okay?”

Jiang Jinxu nodded. “No issues.”

“That’s good.” Chi Zhiyu smiled faintly.

They walked to their class’s rest area, where Jiang Jinxu sat beside her and quietly asked, “Do you want some water?”

Chi Zhiyu noticed the bottle of water he had prepared and was about to decline when Wu Xuan appeared, carrying her own water bottle. Spotting Jiang Jinxu’s gesture, she raised an eyebrow.

She approached the two and greeted them before teasing Jiang Jinxu. “Wow, Jiang Junshi is quite the dancer, isn’t he?”

With that, she handed the water bottle to Chi Zhiyu.

Seeing this, Jiang Jinxu subtly withdrew his hand. “It’s nothing. Practice makes perfect.”

“You mean your kind of practice can’t compare to mine,” Wu Xuan teased, glancing at Chi Zhiyu.

Chi Zhiyu silently approved of Wu Xuan’s timely intervention, giving her a subtle nod of appreciation.

Wu Xuan caught her glance and glanced at Jiang Jinxu’s expression, finding it amusing. She asked casually, “Did you see Xie Ye and the others earlier?”

“Yes, they’re sitting toward the back,” Chi Zhiyu replied, opening the cap and taking a sip of water.

Jiang Jinxu paused, surprised. “Xie Ye is here?”

“He’s just bored and came to watch the performance,” Chi Zhiyu explained casually.

Jiang Jinxu didn’t respond, sensing her tone.

Feeling the shift in atmosphere, Wu Xuan cleared her throat lightly. “Well, since we saw them, let’s go find them.”

“Sure, let’s go.” Chi Zhiyu didn’t want to linger either. Standing up with her water cup, she turned to Jiang Jinxu. “Rest well, Jiang Junshi. I’ll head off now.”

“Okay.”

“Didn’t my男神 just try to offer you water?”

The moment Wu Xuan stepped out of the rest area, she turned to ask Chi Zhiyu.

Chi Zhiyu raised an eyebrow. “Is your eyesight that bad?”

“I’m not blind.” After rebutting, Wu Xuan thought carefully and asked, “If I hadn’t shown up, what would you have done?”

“What else could I do?” Chi Zhiyu blinked innocently. “He’s your男神. Of course, I wouldn’t steal him from you.”

Wu Xuan scoffed. “You’re such a fake. You just didn’t want to accept it yourself.”

Chi Zhiyu chuckled as they walked backstage. “Can you leave me some dignity?”

Wu Xuan laughed. “True. That’s my男神. I can’t say anything bad about him.”

The two walked side by side up the stairs along the edge of the audience seating.

Wu Xuan glanced around. “Where are they?”

Chi Zhiyu tilted her chin upward. “Up there, third row from the top. Look for the guy who looks like he’s about to cry.”

“Huh?” Wu Xuan didn’t understand at first, but following her instructions, she quickly spotted Li Taoran nursing his chin with a pitiful expression.

Noticing the movement, Li Taoran looked up and saw the two approaching. He hurriedly stood up and ushered them over. “Sit here. I’m not sitting with this guy.”

Before she knew it, Chi Zhiyu found herself seated next to Xie Ye, thanks to Li Taoran pushing her shoulder. She blinked. “What’s wrong?”

“You ask him.” Li Taoran sat beside Wu Xuan, two seats away, launching into his grievance. “I was peacefully watching the performance when this guy suddenly slapped me in the face—”

Li Taoran paused, pointing to his chin for emphasis. “Right here! There’s definitely going to be a mark! What if I get disfigured because of him?”

“...”

“It was just a slap to the chin,” Wu Xuan couldn’t help but interject, glancing at his flawless, unblemished chin. “Where’s the mark? It’s not like he poured acid or dumped trash on you. Are you insane?”

“You don’t understand.” Li Taoran suddenly lamented. “This is... my dignity being trampled upon.”

“...”

This almost seemed somewhat poignant.

Deciding to seek justice for him, Chi Zhiyu turned to the assailant. “Why did you slap his chin?”

Xie Ye opened his eyes slightly. “I didn’t slap his chin.”

“?” Chi Zhiyu raised her eyebrows. “Then what did you slap?”

Xie Ye glanced at her. “A mosquito.”

Chi Zhiyu: “...”

Wow, impressive.

“Go to hell! You did it on purpose!” Li Taoran wasn’t buying it. “If there was a mosquito, why didn’t you warn me first before laying hands on me?”

“If I told you,” Xie Ye sneered, “would you even be able to hit it?”

“If I couldn’t, I’d still rather let it bite me!”

“Tsk.” Xie Ye grew impatient. “Just one slap. Did I hurt you?”

“Of course not.”

“Then why are you making such a fuss?” Xie Ye tilted his head and suddenly remarked, “Are you feeling particularly cheerful today?”

At these words, Li Taoran immediately fell silent.

Wu Xuan couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Amidst the laughter, Li Taoran shot her a glare. “Why aren’t you dancing yet?”

“I’ve got time.” Wu Xuan raised an eyebrow. “Why do you care? Did you enjoy the dance?”

Li Taoran: “Of course. Pool Girl and Jiang Jinxu’s duet was quite eye-catching. How could I not watch?”

Chi Zhiyu smiled faintly. “Was I the eye-catching one, or was it Jiang Jinxu?”

“Obviously you.” Li Taoran backtracked. “Jiang Jinxu’s a guy. Why would I look at him? I don’t like him.”

Wu Xuan glanced up and suddenly said, “Not necessarily.”

“?”

“Jiang Jinxu’s looks appeal to both men and women. Maybe you…”

She trailed off, her gaze sweeping over him.

After a brief silence, Li Taoran broke the tension with a curse.

“Damn.”

“What’s with that look? I’m a man—a real man!” Li Taoran protested. “And even if I were interested, I wouldn’t go for Jiang Jinxu. And definitely not Xie Ye.”

“Why not Xie Ye?” Wu Xuan countered. “Pool Girl thinks he’s hotter.”

Xie Ye lifted his eyelids slightly but remained silent.

Li Taoran was taken aback. “Pool Girl, you think Xie Ye’s hotter?”

Chi Zhiyu nodded matter-of-factly. “Yes, I said it.”

She gestured toward Xie Ye’s handsome face. “The face universally acknowledged by boys and girls alike, brimming with distinctive aloofness and that arrogant little gaze—how is that not hot? Not captivating?”

Finishing her spiel, she retracted her hand and gave a thumbs-up. “I’m blowing this guy up.”

“...”

Beside her, Li Taoran’s lips twitched. He was about to comment on how overly formal that praise sounded and how going overboard wasn’t necessary when the praised individual himself chimed in, still in his usual sardonic tone.

“Oh, you’re blowing me up.”

“...”

By the end of all the evaluation performances, it came as no surprise that the highest score in the classical dance category went to Chi Zhiyu and Jiang Jinxu’s duo.

But Chi Zhiyu wasn’t particularly thrilled. She was used to it by now.

Su Le took the empty seat in front of Xie Ye, turning his head slightly to glance at Chi Zhiyu. “Did you sleep well last night?”

Chi Zhiyu yawned again, rubbing her eyes lazily. “Not really. I barely slept.”

“Huh,” Su Le smirked, clearly amused. “Looks like someone’s not used to waking up early.”

Chi Zhiyu shot him a glare but didn’t bother responding, instead leaning back against her chair and closing her eyes. The lack of sleep was catching up with her, and she could feel her energy draining rapidly.

Xie Ye, who had been silently observing the exchange, finally spoke up. “If you’re so tired, why didn’t you just stay home?”

Chi Zhiyu cracked one eye open, glaring at him. “And miss the first day of school? Please.”

“Well, you don’t look like you’re ready for anything,” Su Le teased, leaning back in his seat. His gaze flickered between Chi Zhiyu and Xie Ye, clearly entertained by their dynamic.

Xie Ye ignored him, focusing instead on the notebook in front of him. He flipped it open casually, skimming through the pages without much interest.

Chi Zhiyu, on the other hand, was struggling to keep her eyes open. She rested her chin on the desk, trying to muster enough energy to stay awake. After a few moments, she muttered under her breath, “I hate mornings.”

Su Le chuckled softly. “You’re not alone there.”

The classroom gradually filled with students, the noise level rising as everyone caught up after the summer break. Some were comparing notes on their vacations, while others complained about the upcoming workload. Despite the chaos, Xie Ye remained unfazed, his expression calm and detached.

A few minutes later, the class monitor stood up, clapping his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Alright, settle down! Let’s start by handing in our summer assignments.”

Chi Zhiyu groaned inwardly, reluctantly sitting up straight. She rummaged through her bag, pulling out two notebooks—one for herself and one for Xie Ye—and handed them to Lin Jie, the student sitting in front of her.

Lin Jie accepted them hesitantly, glancing at the cover of the notebook labeled with Xie Ye’s name. His eyes widened slightly when he noticed the additional character scribbled next to it.

“Uh… excuse me,” Lin Jie turned around, addressing Chi Zhiyu nervously. “Is this… supposed to say ‘dog’?”

Chi Zhiyu blinked, momentarily confused. She leaned forward to take a closer look, her lips twitching when she saw the offending word. Beside her, Xie Ye glanced down at the notebook, his brow furrowing slightly.

Sure enough, written in bold, flowing strokes next to Xie Ye’s name was the word—狗 (dog).

Xie Ye: “...”