Amid her tangled thoughts, the Hope Cup finals began.
"Hurry up and put on your costume, Jiang Jinran!" Shi Hui pointed at the costume piled in a backstage corner, loudly ordering Jiang Jinran around.
The others had already finished their makeup and looked radiant. At the thought of the completely bare-faced Jiang Jinran having to put on that ridiculous costume shortly...
They all couldn't help chuckling.
Jiang Jinran didn't move. After a moment of silence, she took the bag she had prepared long ago out from under a nearby table.
"What's that?"
At the sight, everyone frowned curiously.
Jiang Jinran curled her lips and opened the bag with a smile-
She took out a long, blue-green robe.
"I don't think that costume suits my temperament at all," Jiang Jinran said, arching an eyebrow as her smile grew even brighter. "So I designed a performance outfit for myself."
Jiang Jinran still couldn't get past her own reservations.
Although the costume looked quite cute, and although she'd thought wearing it once for the finals should be fine...
She really didn't want to play a big, round tree spirit!
So, the day before the finals-last night-she had rushed to make a reasonably presentable performance outfit.
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone fell silent, not a crow's cry or sparrow's chirp to be heard.
After the silence-
"Jiang Jinran, what are you doing?" Shi Hui finally lost her composure, undisguised anger creeping onto her face. "Who gave you permission to do whatever you please? You won't follow directions at all..."
"Jiang Jinran, our play was carefully planned. You can't just act on every whim!" The others began reproaching Jiang Jinran too.
"Unbelievable. Do you think you're so amazing? This isn't playing house. Get that straight!"
The teacher beside them looked troubled and turned a puzzled gaze toward Jiang Jinran. "Jiang Jinran, you really don't need to..."
Jiang Jinran hugged her performance outfit tightly, her tone firm. "My outfit clearly fits the theme better."
"If you won't let me wear it, there's no reason for me to go onstage."
Hearing this, Shi Hui couldn't help clenching her fingers.
Irritation churned in her chest, with nowhere to vent it.
It seemed her calculations had gone awry.
At first, she'd only wanted to embarrass Jiang Jinran. She'd assumed that once this taciturn girl agreed to perform, she would obediently do as she was told and let Shi Hui twist her around her little finger...
But she hadn't expected Jiang Jinran to have her wrapped around her finger instead!
If Jiang Jinran refused to perform, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Shi Hui breathed deeply, trying hard to calm herself. Only after a long while did she say, "Suit yourself."
Seeing Shi Hui give in, the others could only change their tune as well. "Just don't end up digging yourself into a hole! Those rags of yours are nowhere near as good as our costume..."
Jiang Jinran couldn't be bothered to pay them any more attention and walked into the changing room on her own.
She was going to change.
Jiang Jinran's performance outfit was a forest-girl-style long robe suffused with woodland green. After putting it on, she placed a lively-looking headpiece of branches and leaves on her head.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Jiang Jinran nodded in satisfaction.
Like this, she looked neither ridiculous nor comical, but rather like a forest elf brimming with ethereal charm.
Jiang Jinran walked out of the changing room.
Numerous gazes instantly landed on her in unison.
Seeing Jiang Jinran come out in her new outfit, Shi Hui and the other girls were just about to speak-
But as their gazes swept over her, their eyes widened slightly, surprise flashing through them.
For a moment, the air fell silent.
Just then, a staff member suddenly came to the doorway and knocked. "It's almost your turn. Hurry up and get ready to go onstage."
It was time to go onstage.
For a moment, the previously quiet air seemed to be shrouded in tension.
Everyone's expression tightened.
It was impossible not to be nervous. After all, they were only teenagers, stepping onto such a large stage for the first time...
The only one who wasn't nervous was probably Jiang Jinran.
For her, performing onstage was incidental. Unraveling the secrets of those iron pieces was her real goal.
"All right, everyone, don't be nervous. Just do what we rehearsed." At the last moment before they went onstage, the female teacher encouraged them in a gentle voice.
Everyone nodded, then silently left the backstage area.
Jiang Jinran followed at the very back. Their group arrived behind the stage, with only a curtain separating them from the stage out front.
Then the curtain was drawn back, and bright, blazing light flooded in.
The staff beckoned them onto the stage. Shi Hui went out first, and Jiang Jinran entered last.
Only when she reached the front of the stage did Jiang Jinran realize-
There were so many people in the audience below.
From top to bottom, row upon row, they stretched like a vast sea of people, with nothing but heads as far as she could see.
Several professional cameras were set up directly in front of the stage.
The Hope Cup finals would be broadcast live on television.
At the very front of the audience sat the judges.
Looking down the row of judges, Jiang Jinran saw nothing but elderly men and women she didn't recognize, all wearing glasses, their hair graying.
But seated right in the center was a dazzling young man.
Jiang Jinran blinked.
This young man was her second brother, Jiang Chuji.
Jiang Chuji's hair wasn't particularly short. If her other brothers' looks leaned more toward heroic handsomeness, then Jiang Chuji was simply beautiful.
Under the spotlights, his features seemed to radiate a fantastical magic, so lovely that it was impossible to look away.
Even his strands of hair were beautiful and flowing.
Jiang Jinran thought that the charm demons of ancient legends might have looked just like Jiang Chuji.
It was a beauty that could steal one's soul.
Every member of the Jiang Family was good-looking, each blessed with flawless features.
Unfortunately, Jiang Jinran wasn't a member of the Jiang Family.
She was a fake heiress with no blood relation to them.
At this moment, Jiang Jinran was merely a reasonably cute "little potato." As for whether she would grow into her looks later, even she didn't know.
As though noticing Jiang Jinran's gaze, Jiang Chuji abruptly turned his head from his seat among the judges-
Caught completely off guard, Jiang Jinran met Jiang Chuji's eyes, which resembled water-tinted glazed glass.
She froze slightly.
Jiang Chuji, however, curled his lips faintly and waved at Jiang Jinran.
"Aaaaaah!"
"Jiang Chuji is waving at me..."
"No, I think he's waving at me!"
Beside her, the girls' shrieks assaulted Jiang Jinran's eardrums.
Only Jiang Jinran knew that Jiang Chuji was greeting her.
The beautiful man soon withdrew his gaze and looked straight ahead.
"Jiang Chuji is so handsome!"
"Oh my god, getting to see Jiang Chuji in person today means I can die without regrets, sob..."
The people around her remained immersed in their excitement, unable to calm down for a long time.
"If only he'd look over here one more time!"
"He's so gorgeous. My eyes have been purified..."
Meanwhile, the play was about to officially begin.