Chapter Seventy-Six: Together

Wang Yuqing stared blankly at the jasmine in Xiao Lin’s hand, as two streams of tears slowly traced down her cheeks—tears of happiness. The blue and white school uniform, the faint scent of jasmine, the handsome boy from her memories—everything felt so familiar, as if she had returned to that innocent era.

"Excuse me, could you let me pass?"
"Hello, my name is Xiao Lin. I’m from Class One. The teacher said..."
"Hey, can I borrow this?"

One fragment of memory after another flashed through her mind. Unconsciously, Wang Yuqing's right hand once again reached for the pen cap hanging around her neck. This tiny cap preserved the scene of her first meeting with Xiao Lin. From that day on, it had never left her side; even when bathing or sleeping, she kept it with her.

Leaving Wang Yuqing’s reminiscences aside for now, the atmosphere beneath the stage was lively and bustling. Xiao Lin’s confession had stirred an uproar among the crowd, who broke into animated discussions.

"Tsk tsk, this year’s New Year’s gala has turned into a confessions night. First it was Young Master Gao, and now Prince Xiao—do you think Wang Yuqing will accept?"

"No way. My goddess is still waiting for my confession," a lovesick boy declared narcissistically, ignoring the disdainful looks thrown his way.

"If someone confessed to me like that, I’d pledge to be with him until the seas ran dry and the rocks crumbled," a girl said tearfully, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

"Ah, to be young again," sighed a middle-aged male teacher, genuinely moved.

"Mr. Zhou, when we were young, we weren’t nearly as wild as these students," agreed the bespectacled female teacher next to him.

Meanwhile, Tan Linlin and Xu Tong were beside themselves with excitement. Tan Linlin’s round face was flushed red as she laughed heartily, "That Xiao Lin, he finally made his move! He has to treat us to dinner—let’s think of a good place so we can really make the most of it!"

"Always thinking about food," Xu Tong thought wryly, but he was genuinely happy too. Seeing his brother find someone he liked was a good thing.

"‘On the islet in the river, the gentle and graceful lady, a fine match for a noble youth.’" Lin Xudong couldn’t resist quoting an ancient verse.

Wang Tao, meanwhile, watched the excited Kang Yan beside him, lost in thought. As for Yuan Weiye, he was sulking—he’d missed Meng Ranran’s dance performance.

Old Yan, the head teacher of Class One, sat in the second row of the teachers’ section. "This Xiao Lin, always causing trouble. I just spoke to him recently, and now he’s gone and confessed in front of the whole school. This is disgraceful," he muttered, his face dark with annoyance.

Backstage, Director Zhang was fuming, pacing back and forth, jabbing his finger toward the stage. "Go, go, pull them down right now! Is this a performance or what? What are you all doing?"

But no one moved. Everyone knew that whoever intervened in a situation like this would be asking for trouble. Best to let things run their course, thought the backstage crew.

Gao Zheng’s face was pale. Compared to Xiao Lin’s confession, his own gesture just now seemed utterly feeble. "You win this time," he said bitterly.

"Hey, what’s Yuqing doing? It’s been two minutes—why hasn’t she moved? She’s not so shocked she’s frozen, is she?" Tan Linlin wondered, seeing Wang Yuqing still standing motionless, not taking the jasmine.

"Maybe she doesn’t like Xiao Lin?" Wang Tao suggested.

"Impossible. Their relationship is as thin as paper—one poke and it’s through," Xu Tong retorted immediately.

"Be together!" Tan Linlin, growing impatient, suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs—a bellow that rivaled the sound system, making Xu Tong’s ears ring.

The entire hall fell silent for three seconds, then a few voices echoed her call.

"Be together! Be together!" At first, only a few joined in, but more and more voices swelled the chant, even a few young teachers joining in, until the three words—be together—became a unified roar.

This overwhelming chorus finally roused Wang Yuqing from her reverie. She returned to her senses and, seeing the excited crowd below, blushed deeply. Her sudden radiant smile sent Xiao Lin’s heart fluttering as he gazed at her. Without further hesitation, Wang Yuqing reached out both hands to accept the jasmine. In a low voice, she muttered, "Xiao Lin, you big rascal, this is so embarrassing—get up already." Only Xiao Lin heard her words. He rubbed his nose and grinned as he stood.

When Wang Yuqing took the flower, another wave of cheers erupted from the audience, the atmosphere reaching a climax. For everyone present, witnessing a heartfelt confession succeed was a joy in itself.

As Wang Yuqing looked at Xiao Lin, who was grinning sheepishly before her, she suddenly had the urge to throw herself into his arms, but quickly suppressed it. She tossed him a coquettish glance, gathered her skirt, and shyly ran offstage.

Xiao Lin watched Wang Yuqing as she ran backstage. Then, with a swift turn, he somehow managed to don his tailcoat once more. He bowed deeply to the audience and said sincerely, "Thank you all—the magic show is over." With his prop case in hand, he exited the stage to thunderous and unending applause.

As soon as Xiao Lin reached the backstage area, he saw Director Zhang, face like thunder, berating Wang Yuqing while Gao Zheng tried to interject. Sensing trouble, Xiao Lin hurried over.

"Explain yourselves! What do you call this? No organization, no discipline! This is a stage, not a place for romantic confessions!"

"Oh, Uncle Zhang, calm down. It’s all over now, and the audience seemed to enjoy it, didn’t they?" Gao Zheng tried to placate him.

"Director Zhang, this was my idea—it has nothing to do with Wang Yuqing. If there’s any punishment, let it be mine," Xiao Lin said, stepping to Wang Yuqing’s side.

"No, it was my idea," Wang Yuqing, who had been hanging her head, suddenly looked up with determination.

"Neither of you will get away with this," Director Zhang replied, though their earnestness almost made him laugh.

"Alright, we’ll deal with this later. For now, get the next act ready! Gao Zheng, why are you still standing here? Go announce the next performance!" No matter what, the show couldn’t be left hanging, or that would be a real disaster. Director Zhang waved his hand, and seeing Gao Zheng still rooted to the spot, gave him a stern look.

"On it, Uncle Zhang!" Gao Zheng replied, and as he passed Xiao Lin, he shot him a thumbs-up. "You played this round well, Xiao Lin. I concede."

The following acts were excellent, but after Xiao Lin and Wang Yuqing’s confession, the audience’s enthusiasm for the performances had waned; most were still caught up discussing this unprecedented event in the history of Innovation High School. Finally, with a closing speech by Secretary Wang Yuan, the 2014 New Year’s Eve Gala came to an end. From that day on, Xiao Lin became one of the most renowned figures at Innovation High School.