Chapter 42

Xin Mengmeng gave a dismissive snort and waved her hand. "I did want to invite those two over to sit with us. This whole row was allocated by the school to our Super Alliance anyway, and leaving it empty would be a waste. Unfortunately, they kept refusing. They'd rather sit in a corner and gather dust than watch a movie from such great seats..."

Xin Mengmeng shook her head and clicked her tongue. "I thought the two of them had skin thicker than city walls, but it seems they do have a bottom line after all. Tell me, one got pregnant before marriage, and the other stole someone else's wife until his own family was nearly bankrupt... If that happened to me, I'd hide at home every day or find a block of tofu to smash myself to death against. But them? They still have the leisure to wander around everywhere. Truly, once people have no shame, they become invincible."

Hearing this, Zhou Ruixin, who was seated beside Xin Mengmeng, reached over and patted her arm. Frowning, he said, "Watch your words. Today is our film's premiere, and everyone is practically watching you with eight pairs of eyes. Don't ruin our achievements over something so trivial. Mind your poise, mind your bearing. At the very least, you should show the magnanimity of a winner."

Xin Mengmeng snickered and shook her head. "Fine, I get it. I'll stop talking, all right?"

After saying that, she lowered her head and drank half a cup of cola through a straw, waiting calmly for the movie to begin.

After a flash of light, a brightly colored animation accompanied by dazzling sound effects appeared on the big screen. Following the simple animated opening, the first shot was an extremely distant aerial view of the Diwan High School campus. Then, accompanied by musical notes, the camera slowly pushed forward, sweeping past the teaching buildings, the lawn, and the sports field before finally arriving at the gates of Diwan High School.

The plainly dressed, even somewhat old-fashioned heroine, Yang Lin, wore two painfully unfashionable braids and a pair of black-rimmed glasses. Hugging her schoolbag, she stood blankly in the middle of the entrance. Five seconds later, a piercing scream burst from the girl. Yang Lin shut her eyes, stomped her feet, and shouted, "Diwan High School, I'm finally here! I'm going to conquer you!"

As soon as she finished speaking, an eerie silence fell over the area. The other students inside Diwan High School all looked at her expressionlessly. A student officer in charge of school discipline walked up to Yang Lin and said calmly, "Article 93, Clause 68 of the Diwan School Regulations: No loud disturbances in public places."

Like a basin of cold water poured over her head, Yang Lin, who had just arrived at her new school, received the first deduction of her academic career at Diwan—and successfully broke Diwan High School's record for freshmen being punished for violating the rules. She had been penalized before she even entered the school gates.

Because this was a musical, the director arranged a short song-and-dance sequence in the following plot. The students of Diwan High School sang in chorus about certain school rules and disciplinary regulations, expressing the pride and confidence of Diwan students. At the same time, the heroine Yang Lin had a sung inner monologue, initially revealing just how out of place this grassroots heroine was at Diwan High School.

The next part showed the heroine striving to fit into campus life. During club recruitment, she wanted to join Diwan High School's most famous club, the Song and Dance Troupe. This was because the troupe's president, Yu Meimei, was Yang Lin's idol. She wanted to become someone as elegant and beautiful as Yu Meimei, with outstanding grades, eye-catching talent, and dazzling brilliance.

However, during the audition, the heroine played by Yang Lin was politely turned down because her voice was too hoarse and her dancing too stiff.

The heroine was not discouraged after being rejected by the Song and Dance Troupe. Instead, she used her spare time to practice her vocalization and dancing. During this period, she also happened to meet the handsome and hardworking male lead, Zheng Yifei. With his help, she eventually joined the Song and Dance Troupe.

Not long after the heroine joined the Song and Dance Troupe, it was time for the school anniversary celebration. The troupe decided to create a new production to perform at the celebration and encouraged all members to submit scripts and ideas. Drawing on her own experiences, the heroine adapted the fairy tale Cinderella into a modern version and wanted to put it on stage. However, because she lacked seniority, no one trusted her, and she faced unanimous opposition from the other troupe members. Only the male lead stood firmly by her side.

At the most critical moment, the heroine went to President Yu Meimei for help. However, because of the special treatment Zheng Yifei showed the heroine, Yu Meimei refused her plea. The troupe decided to spend money hiring a professional stagewriter to adapt the modern version of Cinderella.

The heroine felt deeply disappointed. Still, she worked hard to sort through her feelings and cooperated with all the troupe's tasks. Because her voice was too hoarse and her dancing too stiff, she failed to win a role during casting and could only become a lowly stage assistant, serving tea, delivering meals, and helping everyone during rehearsals. Yet the heroine, who still held onto her Cinderella dream, secretly practiced Cinderella's scenes in private and even fantasized about acting opposite the prince onstage.

Then, during a chance encounter, the male lead Zheng Yifei discovered the heroine's secret. On the heroine's birthday, he secretly brought her into the Song and Dance Troupe's rehearsal hall, had her change into Cinderella's ball gown costume, and acted out a scene of Cinderella dancing with the prince with her as her birthday gift. Their relationship quietly began to change as well.

Soon, the day of the school anniversary celebration arrived. While the Song and Dance Troupe was holding its final rehearsal in the grand auditorium, Yu Meimei, who played Cinderella, accidentally twisted her ankle and could no longer go onstage. At the crucial moment, the male lead Zheng Yifei recommended the heroine for the role of Cinderella. After a round of evaluation, everyone agreed to let the heroine take Yu Meimei's place.

Thus, on the stage of the school anniversary celebration that night, the heroine finally got her wish and became the brightest person of all...

This was an inspirational story about a Cinderella who ultimately transformed into a princess through her own efforts. The ending was a fairy-tale happy ending as well. The plot was simple, but the simpler a story was, the more enduring it became as long as it could seize the audience's hearts.

The inspirational plot, the handsome men and beautiful women in the cast, the fashionable makeup and outfits of the male and female leads and supporting characters, as well as the dazzling luxury cars, mansions, and haute couture throughout the film all became eye-catching attractions.

After the film ended and the lights came on, thunderous applause erupted throughout the cinema. Li Rongxiu, the Super Alliance members, and the actors in the film walked onto the stage to receive the flashes of cameras and the audience's applause.

Principal Zhang Yaolin also extended his right hand to the Super Alliance members and praised them with a smile. "My students, you did wonderfully. I'm proud of you."

Li Rongxiu and the Super Alliance members firmly shook the principal's outstretched hand, then smiled and thanked him.

The final segment of Diwan's school anniversary ceremony was the vote by all school staff and attending guests for "Diwan Top Student" and "Diwan Top Student Team."

Although the film Above the Elite had only begun its premiere run that day, the financing plan and charity fundraiser previously organized by the Super Alliance had already achieved excellent results. The educational foundation subsequently launched by the Super Alliance was also about to begin operations. Even while making the film, the Super Alliance had not forgotten to promote Diwan High School, cooperate with other campus clubs and departments, and achieve mutual benefit... With all these considerations combined, Diwan Top Student was ultimately awarded to Li Rongxiu, while Diwan Top Student Team naturally went to the Super Wastrel Alliance.

That night, Li Rongxiu and the Super Alliance became the undisputed biggest winners of Diwan's school anniversary ceremony. At the reception after the ceremony, everyone offered their congratulations to Li Rongxiu and the Super Alliance members.

Li Rongxiu stood beside the elders of the Li family, listening as everyone showered him with the most beautiful praise. Those unfamiliar with him flattered Father Li by saying, "A tiger father has no dog son," while those who knew him praised him to Grandpa Li, saying, "He really has improved." All the excessive compliments he had barely heard in his previous life were piled onto him as if they cost nothing. For a moment, Li Rongxiu even had the illusion that he was no longer himself.

Holding a glass of champagne, he stepped out of the overheated ballroom. The night wind rushed toward him, carrying threads of coolness. Li Rongxiu took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled a mouthful of stale air. Before he could even look up at the stars and properly indulge in his emotions, he heard a soft voice behind him say with a smile, "Congratulations. The movie was really great. A very good... Cinderella story."

Li Rongxiu turned around and looked at Shen Manyao, who stood before him with her swollen belly. She was holding a glass of champagne too, though she had already drained it. Li Rongxiu frowned. He remembered that pregnant women should not drink alcohol. It seemed Shen Manyao was not only an unqualified fiancée, but also an unqualified mother.

Thinking of how Shen Manyao and this child had also been fated but unable to stay together in his previous life, Li Rongxiu felt a trace of pity for the unborn child and could not help advising her, "You're pregnant now. You should stop drinking. It's bad for the baby."

Shen Manyao smiled faintly. As she swirled the champagne glass in her hand, she tilted her head and smiled. "I never expected you to be such a gentle and considerate person... Even you know pregnant women shouldn't drink, yet I've been pregnant for so long, and no one has ever cared about me."

In truth, Shen Manyao had been having a terrible time ever since the Li family broke off the engagement. After seeing the film today, she felt even worse. She believed Li Rongxiu had invested in this movie with ulterior motives, that it was all meant as a pointed message aimed specifically at her.

What princess, once held high above everyone else, lost her chance to perform because she twisted her ankle? What Cinderella rose up and became a princess? Every scene in the movie seemed to strike Shen Manyao's heart. She felt that she was Yu Meimei in the film—clearly a goddess in everyone's eyes, yet ultimately reduced to a supporting character and forced to leave the stage in despair. She was even worse off than Yu Meimei. At least Yu Meimei had not been dumped by her fiancé or become pregnant before marriage...

Look at her now. What kind of life was she living? Shen Manyao thought as she viciously swallowed the last mouthful of champagne in her glass.

Seeing that Shen Manyao was on the verge of pouring out all her grievances to him, Li Rongxiu, who had no intention of getting tangled up with her, frowned deeply once again. Though his family upbringing prevented him from saying anything too sharp or cruel to a pregnant woman, that did not mean he could forgive what Shen Manyao had done in both lifetimes.

"I think you're drunk. I'll go call Chi Junrui to take care of you." Li Rongxiu deliberately mentioned Chi Junrui's name to make Shen Manyao understand that she was already another man's woman.

However, just as he turned sideways to pass Shen Manyao, she suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist. Her face, chest, and protruding belly pressed against Li Rongxiu's back as both hands clutched tightly at his waist. Crying, she said, "Rongxiu, I know you still hate me. I also know your hatred comes from love. Since that's the case, please help me for the sake of our childhood friendship. I know you're so kind that you can't bear to see me like this. Please talk to your family and ask them not to take their anger over our engagement out on the Shen family anymore, okay? It was all my fault. You can punish me however you want. But I can't just watch my father and mother grow so old and still suffer because of my mistakes. When children wish to be filial, their parents may no longer be there. You can't be so cruel as to deprive me of the chance to fulfill my filial duty to my parents. Please, let me return to the Shen family. Please."

Before she had even finished speaking, Chi Junrui, who had come looking for his missing female companion from the ballroom, found them. Seeing the scene before him, his face immediately turned livid, and he shouted uncontrollably, "What are you doing?"

Chapter 42

Li Rongxiu turned around and saw that the other guests at the reception had looked over, deliberately or otherwise, because of Chi Junrui's shout. Their gazes were brimming with gossip. Li Rongxiu's heart stirred, and a mischievous impulse suddenly rose within him. Pretending to be innocent, he spread his hands, shrugged at Chi Junrui, and said with a smile, "Obviously, your female companion is throwing herself at me. It seems she's very dissatisfied with everything that's happened to her."

Before he had even finished, Chi Junrui's expression darkened further.

In contrast, Li Rongxiu's mood kept improving. Taking advantage of Shen Manyao's flustered release of him, Li Rongxiu even had the leisure to straighten his slightly wrinkled formal jacket. Then, with an expression of concern, he offered Chi Junrui some advice. "Women are usually sensitive and vulnerable during pregnancy. Judging from Manyao's behavior, you, as the prospective father and husband, aren't being very responsible."