Opening Ceremony

The cafeteria incident died down within a few days, just as Jimo had expected.

If he had been a special-class student, that group of students would probably have come after him long ago.

For some peace and quiet, Jimo hid in the library every day. Ke Yueyi hadn't appeared on campus either, so both people involved had vanished from sight.

The post quickly lost its popularity and was replaced by a new trending topic.

After reading all day, Jimo looked up from his heavy books, only to find his vision blurred. He waited a moment before opening his messages.

The message was from Zhuang Zhe. "Seven tonight. Don't forget to attend the opening ceremony."

Jimo looked up again and realized there was hardly anyone left in the library. No wonder it was so quiet today.

He didn't really want to go. Classes had already been underway for two months, so what was the point of holding an opening ceremony now?

Besides, the professors wouldn't take attendance, and it wouldn't affect his participation grade. Jimo was about to turn him down when he suddenly remembered Jiang Wangshu.

Jimo opened his chat with Jiang Wangshu. "Are you going to the opening ceremony today?"

Jiang Wangshu replied instantly. "I'm already here, gege."

Since they'd parted at the dorm, Jiang Wangshu had grown much closer to him and called him Mo-ge in private.

Jimo had always thought it sounded odd, like an octopus at the bottom of the sea.

Jiang Wangshu felt that Jimo had helped him so much that he ought to call him ge, so he switched to gege.

While Jimo was distracted, Jiang Wangshu sent several more messages.

"Are you coming?"

"I'm giving a speech as the student representative tonight. Will you come watch, gege?"

Jimo's eyelid twitched at that. He had a feeling nothing good would come of it.

He replied, "Wait a moment. I'll be right there."

Jimo put away his phone and headed straight for the auditorium.

[System, is there a mission tonight?]

This was the perfect occasion to pull something that would ruin Jiang Wangshu's image in front of the teachers and students. Jimo had good reason to worry.

The system replied, [No. If there is a mission, I'll notify you in advance.]

Jimo felt a little reassured.

But why had Jiang Wangshu been chosen to speak on behalf of the freshmen?

By the time Jimo arrived, he was still a step too late. The opening ceremony had already begun.

The lighting inside was rather dim, but even with Jiang Wangshu rows of seats away, he spotted Ke Yueyi standing onstage at first glance.

He was born to be the darling of the spotlight. The light outlined his perfect features, making him absolutely dazzling.

His concise, cool voice carried throughout the auditorium. Even when he said something gentle, it sounded like an order that allowed no objection.

"I also hope you will all have four wonderful years to remember at Easton Academy. Thank you..."

Ke Yueyi swept his gaze over the audience. A little light shone through the auditorium entrance, where someone was standing.

He paused, then coolly looked away.

Thunderous applause rang out and continued for quite a while.

After Ke Yueyi stepped down, the host came onstage and began making the usual remarks.

Standing at the back, Jimo took out his phone and sent a message. "Xiao Shu, where are you?"

In the last row, people huddled with their heads together, whispering.

"There's a good show coming. I heard... next up is... Huang Zhenghao... just waiting for him to go on and perform."

Jimo's fingers paused as he caught the key words.

Huang Zhenghao? A good show?

The next speaker should be Jiang Wangshu.

What was that guy planning this time? Jiang Wangshu hadn't replied to his message either.

Jimo frowned.

Keeping low, he took a shortcut from the back row and ran straight to the backstage lounge area.

The moment he entered, he froze. Countless dressing rooms lined both sides of the corridor. Jimo had never known the auditorium could be so big.

Jimo wandered along, stopping now and then. Just as he was at a loss, Huang Zhenghao's raised voice caught his attention.

Jimo followed the sound and quietly pressed his ear to the door, listening for a while.

Sure enough, it was him.

If he couldn't find Jiang Wangshu, finding the culprit would do just as well.

Jimo looked around, then picked out a chain and a clothes hanger from the prop box.

He fashioned a makeshift lock on their door. Without someone outside to help, there was no way to open it from the inside.

Jimo worked swiftly, winding the chain tightly around the door handle, though the clinking still caught the attention of the people inside.

Huang Zhenghao demanded warily, "Who is it? Who's out there?"

He soon discovered that the door wouldn't open.

"Fuck, which dumbass locked me in? Open the door!" He gave it a heavy kick.

Jimo watched coldly until he heard footsteps at the end of the corridor, then ducked into hiding.

A student council member let him out. Jimo, hiding in the corner, felt a little regretful, but this way, Huang Zhenghao probably wouldn't be in the mood to mess with the male lead.

Huang Zhenghao was still cursing, saying he would find out who had done it.

Jimo tried to slip away quietly, but, as ill luck would have it, he kicked a wooden board.

Clatter!

Huang Zhenghao immediately looked over and raised his voice. "Who's there? Get out here!"

Jimo dropped what he was carrying and immediately ran off in the other direction.

"Fuck!"

Huang Zhenghao chased after him.

In his panic, Jimo opened a random door and rushed inside.

The moment he entered, he found himself looking into a pair of dark green eyes.

"Why are you here?"

Ke Yueyi raised an eyebrow.

The sounds outside the door drew closer. Jimo gritted his teeth and shut the door. He took a deep breath, then turned around with a smile on his face.

"Ge, I was so surprised just now that I didn't know how to react. What a coincidence."

He was explaining his instinctive rudeness just now.

Ke Yueyi leaned back in his chair with a book open on his knees. He simply watched Jimo with a detached expression, saying nothing.

Jimo suspected Ke Yueyi didn't recognize him and added, "We met the other day, ge, in the cafeteria. Remember?"

The cursing outside continued.

Jimo felt cold sweat trickling down his back. If Ke Yueyi drove him out now and Huang Zhenghao caught him...

As his thoughts ran wild, Ke Yueyi finally spoke in his usual cool tone. "Come here."

Jimo hesitated, then slowly walked over to him, like a naughty student summoned by a strict teacher.

"Looking for you?"

"Mm."

Jimo didn't dare lie. A little asking around would reveal the truth. "Zhenghao-ge seems to have misunderstood something..."

Before he could finish, Ke Yueyi interrupted him. "Do you call everyone ge?"

Jimo's mind went blank. Not understanding what he meant, he looked at Ke Yueyi's expression and said, "No. He's my senior, after all."

Whenever he saw Ke Yueyi, he felt an inexplicable chill over his head.

Another long silence followed.

A knock at the door broke the peculiar atmosphere.

Ke Yueyi gave Jimo a meaningful look, then turned to open the door.

"Young Master Yi, did you see someone run this way?"

"Yes, yes, yes. Sorry to disturb you, Young Master Yi. I'll keep my voice down. It's just that someone locked me in a room just now..."

Jimo stood in the shadows, his face impassive as he listened to Huang Zhenghao's excessively polite tone.

Once Ke Yueyi closed the door, the corridor became completely quiet.

Jimo stepped out of the shadows, looking deeply moved. His overlong bangs covered half his face, giving him a timid air. "Ge, thank you. If it weren't for you, I really wouldn't know what to do."

Jimo waited for a moment, but Ke Yueyi showed no intention of speaking and looked at him indifferently.

Jimo noticed that he seemed very good at putting the person he was talking to in an awkward position. Was it because he was used to ignoring others?

He rubbed his hands together, somewhat at a loss. "Then... I'll be going. I won't disturb your rest, ge."

Jimo turned as soon as he finished speaking. He had just taken a step when he heard Ke Yueyi speak.

"Stop. Did I say you could leave?"

Jimo stiffened. "Ge, is there something else you need?"

Ke Yueyi, however, was in no hurry to answer. He sat down, crossed his legs, and settled into a comfortable position. "Were you the one who locked Huang Zhenghao in?"

He was holding Jimo accountable on someone else's behalf. Jimo became fully alert.

"No, ge, this really is a misunderstanding. I was passing his door just now, and then I heard him shouting behind me. He suddenly started cursing, and it gave me a fright. Before I knew it, I was running."

"He was cursing, so why did you run?"

As though afraid of being misunderstood, Jimo looked anxious. "Ge, you know how timid I am. I panicked and got flustered."

Ke Yueyi raised his head and fixed him with a half-smile. "Oh? Are you sure?"

Jimo was a little unsure. He didn't know how much Ke Yueyi actually knew. What if he was bluffing?

Besides, he'd already said it, so he gritted his teeth. "I'm sure."

"You know what? The people I hate most are liars."

A distracted thought crossed Jimo's mind. That's probably the longest thing Ke Yueyi has said so far.

"I didn't lie," Jimo insisted.

Ke Yueyi walked over and studied him for two seconds. "There are surveillance cameras all over the backstage corridors. Huang Zhenghao has probably already gotten hold of the footage by now."

Jimo's face instantly went deathly pale.

He had specifically checked before making his move and hadn't found any cameras in the corridor.