Zhang Zhaomu rarely ever came to the multipurpose building.
There were no regular classrooms here. The first and second floors were mostly occupied by various school offices, such as the principal's office and the dean's office. From the third floor up were practice spaces for students with specialized talents: dance studios, art studios, music rooms...
The broadcasting station was also in the multipurpose building.
The top floor was supposedly a library, but Zhang Zhaomu had never even been up to the third floor, let alone a legendary place like the school library.
As he climbed the stairs, he actually felt a little instinctive apprehension. This place naturally carried an intimidating air for poor students. After all, they often heard announcements over the school broadcast telling so-and-so to report immediately to the dean's office on the second floor of the multipurpose building.
Not that Zhang Zhaomu had ever been there. When it came to breaking school rules, the worst he did was sneak off to surf the internet, which hardly warranted the dean's intervention. Only those who hid in corners of the school to smoke, got caught dating, or even fought were qualified to meet this school's big boss.
Upon reaching the third floor, Zhang Zhaomu relaxed a little. He walked quietly down the corridor. The room near the stairs had an art studio sign hanging on its doorframe, and he peeked inside.
Oh, there were quite a few familiar faces from Class Nine.
"Huh? Class monitor?"
Xue Jingshu, the arts and entertainment representative, spotted Zhang Zhaomu poking his head in and raised a hand in greeting. "What brings you here?"
"I need to see Song Xuanxuan and the others in the dance studio about something," Zhang Zhaomu said a little apologetically. "I'm not disturbing you, am I?"
"Not at all. Want to come in and have a look around, class monitor?" Xue Jingshu was very welcoming.
The other art students cast curious looks his way. Aside from those in Class Nine, the unfamiliar faces were probably first-years.
There were no third-years, though. He had heard that most students with specialized talents took half a year off from classes in their third year to attend intensive training elsewhere.
"No, thanks." Zhang Zhaomu declined with a smile.
"All right, then. Come hang out next time, class monitor. It'd be even better if you could model for us, hehe." Xue Jingshu waved a hand. "You're looking for Song Xuanxuan and the others about the makeover, right? The dance studio is the second-to-last room down the corridor."
"Thanks."
Zhang Zhaomu left the art studio, feeling somewhat reflective.
School life for students with specialized talents really was a different version from that of ordinary students. The state of these art students offered a glimpse of that. It looked as though the art teacher had not even come, and plenty of them were openly sitting at their easels playing on their phones.
Still, perhaps these students had their own hardships. After all, whichever path they took, they would ultimately have to face competitors from all over the country.
He found the dance studio without trouble. The school had even fewer dance students than art students. Moreover, unlike major categories such as art or music, the school had not assigned them a dedicated dance teacher.
As such, the dance studio was merely a place for students to practice day to day. Most of the time, the dance students chose to leave school and study at specialized institutions instead.
That left the dance studio rather empty at the moment, with only four or five people sitting in a circle on the floor.
Two of them were naturally Wang Lan and Song Xuanxuan, with whom he had already made arrangements. The other three were also from Class Nine, including the boy with the somewhat feminine air.
Zhang Zhaomu knocked lightly on the door, and they immediately turned around.
"You're here, class monitor?" Song Xuanxuan was the first to stand.
"You brought all the clothes, right?" Zhang Zhaomu nodded and walked into the dance studio.
"Of course! I've been looking forward to this for ages!" Song Xuanxuan was a little excited. "Should I go change now?"
"No need. Let me do a little work on your hair first." Zhang Zhaomu set down his backpack. "But is it okay to cut hair in the dance studio? Won't it be hard to clean up?"
"It's fine," Wang Lan said. "There's some cloth in the changing room. We can spread it underneath, and we'll clean up properly before we leave."
"All right, then." Zhang Zhaomu took out his haircutting tools. "Who's first?"
"Me!" Wang Lan raised her hand. "I'm first!"
"Okay." Zhang Zhaomu brought a stool over from the corner and motioned for her to sit. "Since an androgynous, cool, bold style suits you better, I'm thinking of cutting your hair shorter, into a short wolf cut. Something laid-back with a bit of an aggressive edge. But if you can't bear to cut it short, there are alternatives..."
"I'll trust you, class monitor." Although Wang Lan was a little nervous, she still chose to put her faith in him. She said quietly, "I've never had short hair before, anyway. I've always wanted to try it."
"Then I'll get started."
Since there was no way to wash her hair, Zhang Zhaomu had thoughtfully brought a spray bottle. He dampened Wang Lan's hair a little, then raised his scissors, and a series of crisp snips rang out.
"Class monitor, you look so professional."
Song Xuanxuan could not help exclaiming.
Although she did not know much about haircutting techniques, she could still sense the composure and deftness in Zhang Zhaomu's movements.
"I wouldn't take on porcelain work without a diamond drill." Zhang Zhaomu did not act modest about this. After all, this was business; he had to give his clients confidence.
His hands never stopped moving, and dark strands kept drifting down. Before long, Wang Lan's shoulder-length hair had become a neat short cut. The hair at her temples had been trimmed short, while some length remained at the back of her head, forming a little wolf tail.
After finishing the cut, Zhang Zhaomu styled it a little and said, "That's about it. This hairstyle is very easy to maintain. From now on, just do what I did after washing your hair."
Wang Lan stared at herself in the dance studio's wall mirror, her eyes a little surprised. "This feels so unfamiliar... I've never tried this kind of hairstyle before."
She could not say whether it was good or bad. She simply felt that the face in the mirror looked a little unfamiliar, and offered a timid assessment. "The whole look feels a little... weird?"
"You're wearing a skirt. Of course it'll look weird paired with this hairstyle." Zhang Zhaomu smiled. "Go change in the changing room. Combining the hairstyle with the outfit is what makes a qualitative transformation. Of course, your own expression and posture are important too, but I'll teach you how to adjust those later."
"Okay." Wang Lan obediently stood up and slipped into the changing room.
Then Zhang Zhaomu beckoned to Song Xuanxuan. "Your turn."
"Do... do I have to cut mine short too?" Song Xuanxuan was a little scared.
"Of course not." Zhang Zhaomu chuckled. "Her features are more striking and boyish, so short hair suits her. You have a bright, glamorous, elegant look. A slight perm would actually bring out your presence more. Of course, you can't get a perm while you're still a student, so I'll just give it a little trim."
Hearing herself described as bright, glamorous, and elegant immediately cheered Song Xuanxuan up. Her eyes curved with her smile, but she still explained, "Since I do folk dance, I don't really want to cut my hair short. It would look a little jarring with traditional costumes. Wang Lan does modern dance, so she doesn't have to worry about that."
"I understand." Zhang Zhaomu began trimming Song Xuanxuan's hair with practiced movements. Before he finished, the changing room door opened.
Wang Lan walked out a little nervously and looked at everyone. "H-how is it?"
They all looked over at once, but no one spoke immediately.
"Does it still look really weird?"
Wang Lan immediately grew even more nervous.
"No-"
Song Xuanxuan looked a little dazed. "Lanlan, you look really... so handsome now!"
"Exactly!" Another girl could not help voicing her thoughts:
"My heart's beating so fast! Feels like I'm falling in love!"