Chapter 60: The Unveiling Performance and an Infirmary Surprise

Bai Chen’s current posture was quite peculiar.

Despite being taller than Mo Qiu, he was presently held in her embrace like a small child.

The girl’s skin was smooth and delicate, as if crafted from the finest porcelain.

Yet, her expression remained unnaturally still, akin to a lifeless doll, devoid of the emotional fluctuations inherent to humans.

Her eyes, which should have been vibrant gems, were instead hollow and vacant, like those of a dead fish, utterly devoid of life.

Bai Chen could discern no signs of life or sparks of a soul within her eyes, yet he found himself profoundly captivated.

A palm, still slightly damp, pressed against his cheek, as if comforting a wailing child.

As Bai Chen became lost in his own world, Mo Qiu spoke, her voice ethereal and melodic.

“Do not worry, my child, all dangers have departed from you.”

“I will be by your side, shielding you from every peril.”

“Sleep soundly now, rest assured.”

‘Was this truly Mo Qiu?’

‘In Bai Chen’s memory, she was a reckless and self-deprecating girl, but the person before him was as gentle as a mother.’

‘This felt like a mother’s touch.’

‘Hadn’t Mo Qiu said she wasn’t interested in acting? Why was she performing with such practiced skill?’

‘Though her face remained expressionless, her voice was imbued with profound affection, sounding utterly unlike a mere performance.’

Even with a towel separating them, moisture seeped through the fabric, gradually dampening Bai Chen’s clothes.

Bai Chen’s mind seized up, rendering him incapable of further thought.

He recalled the previous weekend, remembering that tender, mother-like embrace.

‘He yearned to simply sink into this feeling, to comfortably drift off to sleep.’

*Clap! Clap! Clap!*

The applause startled Bai Chen awake.

When Mo Qiu released him, he nearly tumbled to the floor.

Rewrapping the towel around herself, the girl turned to face the crowd, awaiting the outcome.

The members of the drama club were all stunned into silence, save for President Luo, who was applauding.

His smile alone revealed that Mo Qiu’s performance had been exceptional.

“Those lines, aren’t they from that movie released last year?”

“How did she manage to deliver them so vividly with absolutely no expression?”

“Is her grasp of dialogue truly just from ‘some exposure’?”

Public opinion was shifting favorably.

Mo Qiu watched President Luo approach, a hint of excitement in his demeanor.

“Student, what is your name?”

“Mo Qiu.”

“Mo, your command of dialogue is excellent, probably even better than ours,” President Luo stated earnestly.

“However, I still wish to leave the choice to you two.”

Upon hearing this, Bai Chen immediately rose from behind her, walking to her side to whisper,

“Mo Qiu, are you really going to participate?”

“Whatever Bai Chen says,” Mo Qiu replied, tugging at the towel wrapped around her, her vacant eyes fixed on him.

After the recent unexpected turn, Bai Chen had largely abandoned the idea of Mo Qiu joining the performance.

Yet, Mo Qiu’s gaze made his shoulders feel heavy.

‘If he refused her now, he would surely regret it later.’

‘Having finally discovered a glimmer of brilliance in Mo Qiu, he felt that pursuing this path would surely help her willingly step back into the sunlight.’

“Alright, we’ll participate.”

President Luo suddenly interjected, patting Bai Chen’s shoulder and smiling,

“Then it’s settled.

You two will start rehearsals tomorrow during lunch break.

Don’t worry, it’s quite simple; you just need to be in sync with the others.”

Since the president himself had said so, Bai Chen could only force a grin, pretending to believe every word.

“I think Mo’s talent is quite remarkable.

Are you interested in joining us and having some fun?

As long as you’re a part of our club, we naturally won’t let you be bullied.”

Facing President Luo’s enthusiasm, Mo Qiu offered no reply, instead turning her gaze to Bai Chen.

“Bai Chen, are you going to participate?”

“Ah, how could I possibly…” ‘Bai Chen was already overwhelmed with work and studies; how could he possibly join a club?’

Hearing this, Mo Qiu once again faced President Luo.

“If Bai Chen isn’t participating, then never mind.”

“Oh, I see… Your relationship is really good.”

President Luo chuckled awkwardly.

“If Mo Qiu were to join us for practice, she could quickly take on the lead female role.”

“Wait, President Luo, what are you saying?”

Zhou Yue, who had been standing nearby, immediately cried out.

“You’re giving her the lead female role?”

“I only meant to say she’s very talented.”

Zhou Yue’s body swayed precariously; she steadied herself against a table, her face looking even more corpselike than before.

‘This wasn’t how I envisioned it.

I only wanted to drive them away, yet not only did I fail, I almost let them join the club?’

‘The mere thought of both Bai Chen and Mo Qiu being in the club made Zhou Yue feel as if her heart would explode.’

‘No, this isn’t right.

My plan was so perfect, why did it fail?’

Forcing her rusted brain to churn, Zhou Yue’s breathing grew increasingly labored.

‘Right, Mo Qiu!’

‘If she hadn’t suddenly displayed her acting skills, things wouldn’t have gone awry.’

‘It’s all her fault!’

Aware that Mo Qiu possessed a stronger command of dialogue than herself, a wave named jealousy surged within her heart.

With eyes as resentful as a vengeful spirit, she secretly glared at the girl surrounded by others, biting down hard on her lower lip.

“This basin, I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before.”

Old Zhu suddenly picked up the green plastic basin that Bai Chen had kicked away, stroking his chin.

A moment of silence fell over the room, then Bai Chen was the first to speak:

“Old Zhu, do you know who did this?”

“I don’t know, but I have an impression of this basin,” Old Zhu shrugged.

“Wasn’t it in our activity room before?”

“What, it was an inside job?”

The crowd immediately erupted in chatter.

Old Zhu, meanwhile, was racking his brains, trying to recall where this impression of green had come from.

Just as the gears in his mind were about to mesh, a cold voice interrupted his thoughts:

“Would you mind moving aside?”

Zhou Yue’s terrifying gaze sent shivers down Old Zhu’s spine.

As he stepped aside, he grumbled, ‘The path is so wide, why must she pass right by me?’

With that disturbance, Old Zhu’s train of thought vanished completely, and he couldn’t recall anything.

The others reluctantly gave up the search for the culprit for now.

Watching Zhou Yue’s figure storm out, slamming the door behind her, Bai Chen couldn’t help but ask, “President Luo, why do you have such a volatile person here?”

President Luo heard him and offered a bitter smile.

“Actually, she wasn’t always like this.

Although she’s proud, she never used to force others.

Otherwise, we wouldn’t have let her take on the sole lead female role for the performance.”

“She was the lead actress?”

“Not anymore.

As you’ve seen, in her current state, she can’t perform anything.”

“Has something happened?”

“Alas, it’s a family matter.

We can’t interfere; we can only try our best to comfort her.”

Since it was a family matter, Bai Chen refrained from probing further.

Instead, he bid farewell to the others and led Mo Qiu away.

Before returning to the classroom, Bai Chen first took Mo Qiu to the infirmary.

The teacher on duty, seeing Mo Qiu completely drenched, widened their eyes in surprise.

“Did she fall into a lake?”

“Someone played a prank on her.”

Bai Chen quickly boiled a kettle of hot water for Mo Qiu, so she could warm herself up.

Mo Qiu sat on the bed, removing her shoes and peeling off her socks.

Her feet, having been soaked in water, appeared sickly pale.

Her drenched uniform clung to her body, subtly revealing her fair skin and a cute bra beneath.

Bai Chen quickly averted his gaze, realizing this wouldn’t do.

He couldn’t let Mo Qiu attend class in wet clothes, but he also couldn’t let her wear nothing at all.

“Mo Qiu, you wouldn’t mind wearing my clothes, would you?”

Since he would sweat during physical education class, Bai Chen always kept a spare school uniform, and conveniently, there was no PE class today.

Mo Qiu took a small sip of the boiled water.

“As long as it’s Bai Chen’s clothes, I don’t mind.”

‘Don’t say such strange things…’

Bai Chen immediately rushed out of the infirmary, went back to the classroom to grab the clothes, and then hurried back.

The round trip left him parched and gasping for breath.

“Mo Qiu, the clothes are here, quickly put them on…”

The moment he opened the infirmary door, the sight that greeted him nearly made him drop the clothes in his hands.

The teacher on duty was absent; only Mo Qiu was there.

The girl stood before the bed, her untied black hair fanning out over her shoulders.

Her smooth back was like a piece of exquisite jade, and her waist was slender and alluring.

However, the strap of her bra was undeniably a slight distraction from the aesthetic.

Mo Qiu reached her hand behind her back, grasping the strap.

*Snap*, the distraction slipped from her shoulder and fell to the floor.