The vice principal rushed out, his voice sharp and stern: “Which department are you from?! Don’t you know the leadership is in a meeting?!”
Ye Mingxuan ducked his head. Peering inside, he realized it was an incredibly spacious conference room. Several elderly men sat separately on leather sofas, all gazing over with solemn expressions.
The vice principal, his head as smooth as a boiled egg, fawned, “Mr. Tan, I’m terribly sorry. This is my failure. I mistakenly let this student slip in. I will handle this matter with the utmost severity!”
“Handle it with severity?” Tan Sizhe gave the vice principal a cold, lingering glance. “How do you propose to handle it?”
Vice Principal: “Naturally, we’ll severely reprimand the security guard and enhance training. The intruding student must write a 3,000-word self-criticism to serve as a warning!”
Ye Mingxuan panicked: “Sir…”
“Address him as Mr. Tan!” the vice principal snapped, pointing a finger. “How dare you not know his title? What department are you in? Class and seat number?!”
Tan Sizhe curled his lips in a cold smile. “Everyone says Vice Principal Liu is a man of high moral standing, treating students like his own children. But today, it seems that’s not the case?” ”
Vice Principal Liu: “…”
He’d intended to butter him up, but ended up shooting himself in the foot. Thinking this would strengthen his ties with Tan Sizhe, he was instead exposed by Tan’s remark. With several leaders behind him watching the spectacle, Vice Principal Liu broke out in a cold sweat: “I… I was just joking, Mr. Tan.”
He narrowed his small eyes, shedding his earlier fierceness, and addressed Ye Mingxuan kindly: “Young man, did I startle you? Uncle was just joking.”
Ye Mingxuan: “…”
Two minutes later, Ye Mingxuan sat on the vice principal’s leather sofa, holding a cup of warm milk, and whispered:
“Everything was fine during yesterday’s checkup.”
“I didn’t open the bag once from home to school.”
“I don’t know why this happened…”
Tan Sizhe sat beside him, listening quietly as his brow furrowed. “Bai Yu.”
Bai Yu nodded, took his phone, and left.
After hearing the report, Vice Principal Liu exclaimed: “I never imagined such a heinous incident could occur at our school. It shows utter disregard for the administration!”
“Rest assured, Mr. Tan. I will conduct a thorough investigation and ensure justice is served for Ye Mingxuan!”
Tan Sizhe nodded. “It seems Vice Principal Liu truly lives up to the rumors—a conscientious and responsible leader.”
Vice Principal Liu straightened his posture, immediately dispatching several staff members to handle the matter. He then reassured Ye Mingxuan: “Rest assured, Ye. I hope this doesn’t affect your stage performance.”
Ye Mingxuan nodded with reddened eyes. His phone buzzed with a message—Lin Jiale asking when he’d return. He stood up. “Sorry, teacher, I need to head back now.”
“Mingxuan, your performance costume.” Bai Yu entered carrying a bag and handed it to Ye Mingxuan.
Ye Mingxuan paused, then looked gratefully at Tan Sizhe. “Thank you.”
Vice Principal Liu protested, “Mr. Tan, this matter should be handled by us. How could we trouble you?”
Tan Sizhe raised a hand, and the vice principal fell silent.
Ye Mingxuan grabbed the bag and dashed toward the door. Just before exiting, he glanced back at Tan Sizhe before sprinting out….
“How did it go?” Ye Yufan asked the moment Wang Zilu returned.
Wang Zilu: “It’s cut. Ye Mingxuan can’t wear that outfit anymore.”
Ye Yufan: “Well done.”
Wang Zilu sat beside him: “Yufan, if you didn’t want him on stage, why not just lock him in the dark room?”
Ye Yufan: “What do you know? This is like deliberately flinging your exam paper to make noise in the testing hall—both are meant to disrupt others.”
“By cutting Ye Mingxuan’s clothes, he won’t find a replacement and will definitely lose his composure. Then the chances of him embarrassing himself on stage go way up. That’s way more fun than just keeping him off stage.”
Wang Zilu suddenly understood: “Yufan, you’re so clever.”
Ye Yufan raised an eyebrow smugly: “After today’s show, I’m treating everyone to dinner. You’re coming too.”
Wang Zilu beamed with delight: “Really? Thank you, Yufan!”
Ye Yufan stood up: “Come on, let’s go check out the dressing room.”
The two headed toward the dressing room with eager anticipation. As soon as they reached the doorway, they heard a chorus of gasps: “Wow—”
Ye Yufan entered, puzzled, only to see Ye Mingxuan emerge from the dressing room in an exquisitely beautiful white sequined gown. A low-key, delicate feather brooch adorned his chest, and his hair was combed immaculately—he looked like a little prince of art.
Xu Liang exclaimed, “Holy crap! Mingxuan, you look stunning!!”
The crowd echoed: “So handsome!”
“That’s a Van Cleef & Arpels feather brooch!”
“This whole outfit must cost a fortune!”
Ye Yufan stared at him in shock: “What’s going on…”
Where did he get such gorgeous clothes?!
Princess Lu was stunned too: Yufan, Ye Mingxuan actually changed into such a gorgeous outfit! What about our plan?”
Ye Mingxuan blushed bright red like a ripe apple, utterly embarrassed by all the compliments.
“Oh right!” Ye Mingxuan grabbed a bag from the dressing room and handed it to Huang Xiaochu. “Senior, there’s another outfit for you right here.”
“!!!” Huang Xiaochu snatched it in shock. “Mine?!”
Ye Mingxuan nodded. “Yep.”
Huang Xiaochu stammered, “You could’ve just changed into it yourself—why did you have to get me one too—
“!!!” Huang Xiaochu snatched it in shock. “Mine?!”
Ye Mingxuan: “Mhm.”
Huang Xiaochu: “You could’ve just changed yourself! Why get me one too—eighteen thousand yuan!! Ahhh! No way, I can’t accept this!!”
Lin Jiale: “Senior, you and Mingxuan are on the same team. How could Mingxuan wear something fancy while you don’t?”
“Besides, these outfits are… provided by the alumni association’s sponsors. Go ahead and take them. They’re gifts for you both.”
Huang Xiaochu was so touched she nearly cried: “Really? For me?! Then… then I’ll take it! But if I change my mind later, I’m not giving it back—once I accept it, it’s mine!”
Ye Mingxuan and Lin Jiale exchanged knowing smiles.
Wails erupted everywhere: “Is it too late to cut up my outfit now? Sponsors, please throw me a bone too!”
Xu Liang clapped his hands. “Now that this is settled, I can relax. Mingxuan, I hope this didn’t affect your mindset. Keep up the good work.”
Ye Mingxuan nodded. “Mm!”
“Which sponsor is being so generous?” Wang Zilu asked Ye Yufan from the corner after overhearing.
Ye Yufan was so furious she felt dizzy. “Why should…”
Why does Ye Mingxuan have such incredible luck? He keeps running into benefactors everywhere he goes!!
Wang Zilu whispered, “Yufan, what should we do now?”
“…,” Ye Yufan bit his lip in thought, “Do as I say.”
…
Earlier, Xu Liang had specifically requested to delay their segment by a few slots. Now, Ye Mingxuan and Huang Xiaochu had both changed into their formal attire, with the makeup artist giving them a quick touch-up.
Huang Xiaochu sat waiting when suddenly her expression changed, and she clutched her stomach.
The makeup artist asked, “What’s wrong?”
Huang Xiaochu: “My stomach hurts. Could it be my period? I need to use the restroom…”
He’d seen girls suffer through menstrual cramps before—it looked excruciating. She’d slumped over the desk, barely able to straighten up, her face drained of color.
Though Ye Mingxuan didn’t have periods, he imagined it must feel like needles piercing his stomach.
The makeup artist set down her brush and retrieved some medicine from her bag: “It’s okay, I have some medicine here. It’ll help.”
A few minutes later, Huang Xiaochu emerged. The makeup artist handed her the pills. Huang Xiaochu said, “Thanks. Do you have any warm water?”
Ye Mingxuan pushed his own warm water over. “Senior, I haven’t touched this.”
Huang Xiaochu gratefully accepted it. The pain subsided not long after she took the pills. Ye Mingxuan helped her prepare to go on stage.
Behind the dark red curtain, Ye Mingxuan secretly watched the performance on stage when a sudden commotion erupted behind him.
He turned to see Huang Xiaochu clutching her stomach, bent over in agony. “Senior, is your stomach still hurting? Should you take another pill?”
Huang Xiaochu shook her head. “No, it’s not period pain… I suddenly feel like I need to use the restroom…”
Ye Mingxuan was startled. “What?!”
Xu Liang heard the commotion and hurried over. “Sis Chu, what’s wrong?!”
Ye Mingxuan was also frantic. “Senior, she’s having stomach pain!”
Xu Liang gasped, “But… but we’re about to go on stage!”
Huang Xiaochu couldn’t hold it in any longer: “I can’t do this! I’m going to have to go on stage like this! I need to use the restroom!”
Ye Mingxuan called out, “Senior—”
“Now, let’s give a warm welcome to Huang Xiaochu and Ye Mingxuan, who will perform the piano piece ‘Always with Me’!”
Unexpectedly, the host announced them so quickly. Ye Mingxuan panicked, his mind going completely blank. After the host stepped down, he grabbed the other person’s arm: “Sorry, can we delay our performance?”
“Postpone it again?” the host retorted impatiently. “You’ve already been pushed back to third-to-last. How much longer do you need? Why not just skip the whole thing!”
Ye Mingxuan spoke frantically: “My partner is in the restroom, he’ll be right back! Could you make an exception…”
Host: “An exception? I’ve already announced your segment. If you don’t go on stage, your act is canceled. There’s no way I’m giving you special treatment over and over! Are you going on or not? If not, I’m announcing the next act—the gala is about to end!”
“We’re on!” Ye Mingxuan shouted. “I’m coming up right now!”…
After the host finished announcing the segment, no one appeared on stage. Bai Yu leaned forward, “Hey, where are they?”
Tan Sizhe sat calmly in his seat, “What’s the rush?”
Bai Yu scoffed, “Tsk tsk. You say you’re not anxious, but you’re probably dying inside.”
Tan Sizhe: “…”
The dark red curtain fluttered twice. Ye Mingxuan walked onto the stage alone and bowed to the audience.
Bai Yu exclaimed, ” Isn’t this a four-hand piano piece? Where’s Mingxuan’s partner?”
Seeing Ye Mingxuan bow alone and sit down at the piano by himself, Tan Sizhe’s brow gradually furrowed.
Whispers began to ripple through the audience.
“Wasn’t it supposed to be two people? Why is there only one?”
“That’s Ye Mingxuan. Pretty handsome, huh.”
“Wasn’t it supposed to be a four-hand piano piece? Did someone else take over?”
Ye Yufan looked puzzled: “Why is Ye Mingxuan on stage? Didn’t you put the laxative in his cup?”
Wang Zilu: “I did! But Ye Mingxuan didn’t seem to drink it. Did Huang Xiaochu drink it instead?” ”
Ye Yufan: “What?”
Why does Ye Mingxuan have such incredible luck! He even dodged the laxative!
I was ready to throw caution to the wind and make sure Ye Mingxuan couldn’t take the stage, but he actually made it up there unscathed—wait a minute!
Ye Yufan’s eyes flashed with sharpness: “Wang Zilu, good work.”
Wang Zilu: “?”
Ye Yufan: “Ye Mingxuan going up alone actually makes things easier. I’ll see how he manages to play by himself.”
Ye Mingxuan had only ever practiced four-hand piano duets. Now that his partner was incapacitated, he couldn’t possibly play a complete piece alone!
…
Ye Mingxuan sat motionless at the piano for a long while, his solitary silhouette the only thing visible.
Tan Sizhe, seeing this, started to rise but was swiftly restrained by Bai Yu: “What are you doing? You’re not going up there to help him, are you?”
Tan Sizhe: “Let go.”
Bai Yu: “Bro, don’t be ridiculous. If you go up now, you’ll be front-page news tomorrow. And do you have any idea how much gossip you’d bring down on Ye Mingxuan? Do you even want him to finish school properly?”
Tan Sizhe froze. The school administrators’ eyes were already fixed on him. Grinding his back molars, he sank back into his seat, his fists still clenched tight. His gaze remained fixed on the stage.
A voice inside him kept whispering: Trust Mingxuan.
With that thought, Tan Sizhe calmed down.
He watched as Ye Mingxuan took a deep breath, straightened his back, and slowly placed his hands on the piano keys.
Then, a melodious and flowing piece began to pour from Ye Mingxuan’s fingertips—not the announced “Always with Me,” but “Canon.”
