Courir partout et jouer des rôles mineurs

Chapitre 49

She woke up early in the morning to find no one there, and had no idea how worried her family was. Luckily, he noticed that Erhu wasn't in the room and guessed that she must have gone to school to practice early in the morning, which put Qiu Xialin at ease.

Shang Lin smiled, her face pale: "I wasn't throwing a tantrum. The performance is the day after tomorrow, and my teacher said I still don't play this piece very well, so I just want to practice more."

Chang Sheng remained noncommittal, pushed the lunchbox closer, and asked, "What time did you arrive?"

He opened it; the bottom layer was thin porridge, the second layer contained several egg pancakes, and the third layer was pickled cucumbers and small pickled vegetables. He took out his chopsticks and wolfed down the food, answering in a hurry, "30 o'clock."

Unable to sleep, she simply got up and came to school. The old man guarding the gate was quite elderly; he went to bed early and got up early, and he was also strolling around the school early in the morning. She came and knocked on the door, and he had been practicing in the small auditorium until now.

Her right hand, which was holding chopsticks, was trembling slightly, a sign of over-practice.

Changsheng remained silent, waiting for her to finish eating.

The atmosphere at home has been strange lately, even he, who is slow to react, has noticed it. Shanglin treats Xialin the same as always, with no change on the surface, but Changsheng can sense the awkward atmosphere between the siblings.

Changsheng knew that Qiu Xialin was addicted to playing games.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with it—who doesn't love to play? Even he himself enjoys video games, and if it weren't for his deep-rooted obsession with martial arts, he would probably be a regular at the arcade.

He thought Shanglin was overreacting. That girl is always like that, she blows small things out of proportion. She gets anxious about anything related to Xialin, afraid Xialin will go astray—but it's not that easy. Being a bad guy takes talent. Xialin is very clever; she won't turn bad.

Xia Lin told Chang Sheng about what happened that day. Chang Sheng thought that since Shang Lin hadn't gotten angry, it meant he tacitly approved, but he warned Xia Lin not to keep playing like this. Games are just a way to relax and have some fun occasionally; you can't let yourself get so caught up in playing that you forget to eat.

Anyone who has ever been obsessed with video games knows that once you're hooked, it's not something you can simply control.

I knew I shouldn't go, but it felt like some unseen hand was pulling me, and before I knew it, I was at the door. I thought I'd only play for a little while, just a short while, but once inside, I lost track of time.

Xia Lin is at an age where he loves to play and has little self-control. His usually strict older sister has been neglecting him lately, and as a result, he spends all his time outside of class and practice in the arcade.

As soon as school was over, he would run to the arcade and stay there until the moon was high in the sky before going home. Zhang Hongwei and Qiu Jianguo didn't know that his grandmother couldn't persuade him to stay. As for Shanglin, even if he didn't practice or study, he would just stay in the house watching TV. Xialin didn't get home until nine o'clock, and she didn't even blink.

This gave Qiu Xialin an even stronger sense of unease. Although he was still feeling anxious and couldn't play with complete peace of mind, the temptation kept drawing him back to the arcade.

Seeing that he was coming home later and later, Li Changsheng secretly told him a few times, but Xia Lin was so infatuated that he wouldn't listen. He would just agree to it in person and then turn around and leave it aside.

After about ten days, Xia Lin gradually realized that he had no money left.

I asked my parents for it, but they wouldn't give it to me. Should I borrow from Shang Lin? I haven't paid back the two hundred yuan he borrowed last time.

Unable to go to the arcade, Qiu Xialin was so anxious he was scratching his head and fidgeting, easily losing his temper. Shanglin watched coldly, thinking the time was right and it was time to close the net. He planned to give him a day or two, and settle the score after the National Day performance.

The plan was flawless, and her parents listened to her advice and agreed with her idea. But how could Shanglin not feel angry when she saw her usually well-behaved younger brother smashing plates and bowls at home all day and throwing tantrums at the drop of a hat?

With the performance approaching, the teachers wanted to give them a good rest, so they only scheduled one hour of practice time each day. Shimori was overjoyed, thinking he had an extra hour to play games, but he didn't have any money. Even though Xu Lishui and his sister had a good relationship, she couldn't pay for him every time.

He hadn't been to the arcade for several days and felt unwell. At dinner, his grandmother only nagged him once, but Xia Lin got angry and refused to eat dinner.

Grandma felt he was giving her the cold shoulder, so she went back to her room to wipe away her tears. Shanglin went to comfort the old woman for a while, but when he came out, he ignored Xialin and stared at the cold plates and bowls for a long time, ultimately failing to finish his dinner.

This person is something else. When she gets angry, she beats up Qiu Xialin, and no one says anything about it. Qiu Xialin has thick skin and tough flesh, so a beating doesn't hurt her much. Why do the siblings always mess up when it really matters?

On one hand, he was angry at Xia Lin's recent abnormal behavior, and on the other hand, he felt sorry for Shang Lin's right hand, which was trembling with nerve spasms. Tsk, it's chafed again, isn't it?

Carefully wiping away the bloodstains on the erhu, she pulled out a crumpled handkerchief and frowned: "Where's your handkerchief?"

Without waiting for a reply, he approached her, his hand encircling her, reaching into his pocket. He inhaled the scent of rice porridge and pickled cucumbers, mixed with the sweet aroma of body lotion and milk, and a faint smell of blood. The eleven-year-old boy's heart tightened; his hand paused, his fingers touching the soft handkerchief, which he then pulled out.

Shanglin, observing discreetly, did not notice his unusual behavior.

Relieved, I pretended to be impatient and pulled her hand away, gently wiping the blood from her fingers. Hearing her hiss and gasp in pain, I felt both heartache and anger. I wrapped a band-aid around her hand and scolded her:

"If you ruin your arms from practicing, let's see how you perform on stage!"

Shang Lin just smiled good-naturedly.

The door closed with a slight creak, and the two turned their heads simultaneously. Changsheng called out, "Who is it?" There was no answer. He opened the door, and outside, the sun shone brightly. The corridor was empty, with only the sunlight casting its rays, reflecting the tiny dust particles in the air.

The performance was a big event, and the teachers started getting busy a few days in advance, hiring vehicles, arranging manpower, and reminding the children of important things to do.

First-grade students were on holiday, but from second grade to fifth grade, the entire school mobilized. Seven buses were rented and packed to capacity. Class teachers and subject teachers were running around, worried that something might happen to the children.

The provincial capital's experimental primary school is considered to have the strongest teaching staff in the entire province. The students are all from wealthy and influential families. Their parents either work in government agencies or public institutions, or they are simply rich. It can be considered an early form of elite primary school. It has nothing to do with tuition fees, but rather with the annual donations from various sponsorships. Children from rural areas really can't afford to attend.

The two schools held a joint performance, which was attended by provincial leaders and sponsored by several large enterprises. The provincial television station even came to interview them, praising them as pioneers in education, working hand in hand with rural primary schools to educate urban students while also broadening the horizons of rural students.

Heaven knows, Zifang Town Central Primary School is mainly for students in the town, and how many families in the countryside rely on the weather for their livelihood? If they really want to work hand in hand with rural schools, they might as well go find a primary school in a rural area; that would truly broaden their horizons!

It's just a publicity stunt to gain fame and recognition.

Muttering to themselves, they got off the bus. After all, the students were young and grew up in a small town, so they didn't have the experience of children from big cities. When they arrived at someone else's place, they were a little timid at first, but they obediently lined up and followed the teacher to the auditorium to assemble.

Interestingly, the auditorium was sponsored by Mocha Cat for construction—on the condition that Mocha Cat would provide the school uniforms for the Experimental Primary School students.

Upon entering the auditorium, the banners floating in mid-air caught Shang Lin's eye.

Ignoring phrases like "warmly welcome the provincial leaders to visit and provide guidance," what's floating on the left?

"Mocha Cat Clothing Sponsorship"? The huge cat head looked down at Qiu Shanglin with a mocking gaze. In an instant, she understood why, out of so many rural primary schools in the provincial capital, they had specifically chosen Zifang Town.

Hua Qianshan never likes to suffer losses in business. Since he has sponsored this event, he should naturally choose one of his own people to cooperate with the primary school. If it is one of his own people, who else but Qiu Shanglin's school should he choose?

He didn't even report it to the authorities and arbitrarily decided on Zifang Town Primary School. When Shanglin finally understood this connection, he was filled with resentment... "If I had known, I would never have agreed to it. Let them find whoever they want, and I would have saved myself from practicing the piano until my hands cramped up!"

The erhu solo was scheduled in the middle, which puzzled her. It was a large event, so why wasn't there a rehearsal or anything? It wasn't until she saw the impressive demeanor of the other party's young host that she realized they didn't take their performance seriously at all; it was just a diversion.

The other party's young host was a children's program host on the provincial TV station. She was lively and cute, but her nostrils were a bit upturned. Shang Lin was worried that the rain might choke her... When he teased the uneasy Pan Ling, she covered her mouth and giggled, which earned her a charming eye roll from the young host.

Li Wenwen didn't stand on ceremony at all. She went and chatted with the other actors' team for a while. When she came back, she raised her chin to her curious classmates and said, "My third cousin went to elementary school in the provincial capital. She and Sun Yihan were classmates!"

A murmur of understanding rippled through the students, tinged with envy.

Shanglin remembered: Sun Yihan was the name of the young host.

The music teacher came over to help everyone with their makeup. Except for Li Changsheng, who was spared because he had to perform a tough martial arts routine, everyone else was inevitably smeared with makeup and made up to look like ghosts. They looked at each other and laughed at each other.

When it was Shanglin's turn, looking at the bright red rouge, the pale foundation, and the blood-red lipstick in her hand, she politely declined, saying, "Teacher, I don't need it, do I?"

Pan Ling's cheeks flushed red, and she nervously pursed her bright red lips: "Why? Everyone else is wearing makeup!"

Since I am dead, fellow Daoists, do not expect to escape this fate. The embarrassed yet amused classmates all shared the same thought, staring intently at Shanglin, as if to say, "If you dare not wear makeup, we will swarm you and beat you to death."

"I'm playing the erhu solo, and the erhu is inherently a melancholic instrument. Teacher Qiu made me up too beautifully, doesn't that match the atmosphere?" She didn't dare say that if she were made up like a ghost, she was afraid of scaring the children.

Who doesn't love to hear flattery? When Teacher Qiu heard this, she smiled broadly, looked her up and down, and nodded in agreement. But after all, it was under the lights and there was a TV station recording, so she wouldn't look good without makeup. After much effort, she only applied a little foundation to make her skin look more delicate and fair.

The students in the choir had all changed into their performance costumes, all wearing white shirts and black trousers, looking as solemn as could be. Li Changsheng wore a white silk practice uniform and white-soled blue cloth practice shoes that he had made himself. It looked no different from the other practice uniforms. Only Shang Lin knew that his silk practice uniform was purchased from Suzhou and was handmade by an old craftsman. It was quite valuable.

Qiu Xia Lin and his partner were wearing blue robes borrowed from the school's arts troupe. The little boy wearing adult clothes looked utterly ridiculous. The teachers quickly tied them up, but they still hung loosely and didn't fit properly. Shang Lin had originally planned to buy them separate robes, but he was currently angry with Xia Lin. He had already bought them and put them in the closet, stubbornly refusing to give them the robes—"You think you're so rich you don't care about mine? Fine, you'll have to rely on your own abilities!"

When the time came, seeing her younger brother waving the ill-fitting sleeves, she regretted it; she shouldn't have been stubborn and refused to change them for them.

Others were less impressive; some wore costumes borrowed from the teachers, like Pan Ling; others bought their own clothes, like Li Wenwen; but none could match Qiu Shanglin's eye-catching presence.

She didn't realize it herself, but as soon as she entered the backstage area, she became the focus of attention for the other girl.

Also purchased in Suzhou, this handmade Tang suit features a modified white three-quarter sleeve top and a matching embroidered ancient skirt with a wide hem. Intricate blue lotus leaves and pink lotus petals on the white skirt create a breathtaking sight.

Her hair was styled in an updo, secured with an antique-looking silver magpie hairpin, and a round pearl necklace hung on her fair neck. It looked understated but was actually quite ostentatious; you couldn't find another outfit on campus that was more expensive than hers.

Actually, she didn't buy these clothes herself.

Hua Ge was in charge of promoting Mocha Cat in the south. He heard from someone that she was going to participate in a performance, so he specially bought this outfit from the south. Shang Lin has a good eye; the intricate embroidery on the skirt alone was probably much more expensive than Li Changsheng's clothes. Hua Ge said it was a small gift from him, and Shang Lin accepted it without hesitation. However, she still felt it was a waste, since the child's size was not yet complete, and she wouldn't be able to wear it once she grew up.

She didn't realize it, but the other group of outstanding girls had already been rolling their eyes at her non-stop.

She was tuning her erhu when Li Changsheng walked over, pulled up a chair, and casually sat down. He crossed his legs and chatted with her casually.

Li Changsheng is 1.5 meters tall and is already a few years older than others. Years of martial arts training have given him a more mature and composed look. Although he is tanned, he has thick eyebrows and big eyes, which perfectly match the image of the idol in the little girl's mind. He moves naturally and generously without the slightest hesitation, naturally becoming the focus of everyone's attention.

Sun Yihan glanced at him a few times and exclaimed, "Aren't you the demon king from the Mocha Cat commercial?"

Changsheng lifted his eyelids and snorted through his nose as a reply.