Chapter 69: Revelations and Rehearsals

Shen Jiaojiao stood at the door, holding documents, her gaze wandering and her cheeks still flushed.

Facing the eyes of the two people now, she was even more at a loss, stumbling over her words: “Su, Su, I didn’t mean to. I just came to get the rehearsal materials. I didn’t expect…”

Su Muxue gently patted Luo Xiaoyun’s back to soothe her slightly nervous mood, then looked up at Shen Jiaojiao and said calmly, “It’s okay. Since you saw it, you saw it.”

Luo Xiaoyun stood behind Su Muxue, her blush not fully faded, fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her skirt. She wore a navy blue furisode with long sleeves, her silver-white hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall.

The vermilion trim made her skin look like creamy jade, and the water-green skirt swayed gently around her feet.

The pink octopus plush on her chest rose and fell with her breath, making her look like a character who had stepped out of an anime.

Shen Jiaojiao lifted her head and took a serious look at the white-haired woman behind Su Muxue.

In that look, she froze.

The girl before her, no, it should be Luo Xiaoyun, her silver-white hair shimmered softly under the light, setting off her delicate face even more.

Her features were soft, her nose straight, her lips a natural pale pink, slightly pursed with a hint of shyness. The navy blue kimono perfectly outlined her slender figure, revealing a small patch of collarbone as delicate as porcelain.

Shen Jiaojiao’s eyes widened more and more.

“You…” she stammered, “you… are Junior Xiaoyun?”

Luo Xiaoyun nodded, her cheeks reddening further.

Shen Jiaojiao gasped sharply and circled Luo Xiaoyun, muttering, “Oh my god, oh my god… Xiaoyun, you look so beautiful! Is this hair real? And your skin is so fair! This cosplay suit suits you perfectly!”

Embarrassed by the praise, Luo Xiaoyun gave a silly smile and scratched the back of her head. “It’s… it’s okay, I guess…”

Shen Jiaojiao’s gaze drifted downward and landed on Luo Xiaoyun’s chest, there was a slight curve, not obvious but certainly present.

She suddenly recalled the scene she had seen in the office: the lace trim of a pink bra, large patches of fair skin…

Shen Jiaojiao’s expression turned ambiguous.

Sensing where Shen Jiaojiao’s eyes were fixed, Luo Xiaoyun instantly understood, and her face flushed bright red. She quickly shielded her chest with her arms and hid behind Su Muxue.

Seeing her reaction, Shen Jiaojiao couldn’t help asking, “Junior Xiaoyun, do you… have some kind of special hobby?”

Luo Xiaoyun didn’t know how to answer. She turned anxiously to Su Muxue, her eyes full of helplessness.

Su Muxue gently held her hand and gave a slight nod.

Luo Xiaoyun took a deep breath, shed the male voice she had been faking, and used her original clear, soft female voice: “Actually… I’m a girl.”

Shen Jiaojiao nodded. “Oh, so you’re not a pervert, you’re a…”

Before she could finish, she suddenly realized and raised her voice: “What?! You’re a girl?!”

Her eyes flew wide, her mouth gaping as if she could swallow an egg. She stood frozen as if struck by lightning, almost dropping the documents in her hands.

“Wait, wait,” Shen Jiaojiao waved her hands incoherently, “let me process, let me process…”

She looked at Luo Xiaoyun, then at Su Muxue, then back at Luo Xiaoyun, then at Su Muxue again.

Luo Xiaoyun’s female voice was indeed pleasant, sweet and clear, completely different from the deliberately lowered boyish tone she had used before.

And on closer inspection, her features were indeed softer, her figure slender. It was only because she had worn loose clothes and deliberately lowered her voice all along that she hadn’t been discovered.

“Su,” Shen Jiaojiao turned to Su Muxue, her eyes full of confirmation, “is this…?”

Su Muxue nodded, reached out to gently ruffle Luo Xiaoyun’s hair, her eyes full of affection, her tone calm and tender.

“Mm, Xiaoyun didn’t lie to you. She’s always been a girl. She just pretended to be a boy at school because she had no choice. She has her reasons.”

Shen Jiaojiao stood frozen for a long time before her brain finally started working again. She looked at Luo Xiaoyun’s delicate face, her blushing cheeks when shy, her slender figure, and that beautiful silver-white hair,

“So,” Shen Jiaojiao said slowly, “you’re actually a soft, sweet girl?”

Luo Xiaoyun blushed and nodded again.

Shen Jiaojiao’s expression shifted from shock to realization, and from realization to a certain strange brightness.

She stood there thinking for a few seconds, then suddenly remembered something, her tone tinged with gossip and curiosity: “Then… are you two a couple now? I saw Su kissing you earlier!”

Luo Xiaoyun’s face grew even redder, but she still nodded lightly.

Before Luo Xiaoyun could answer, Shen Jiaojiao looked at Su Muxue and Luo Xiaoyun and dropped another bombshell: “So are you two lesbians now?”

Luo Xiaoyun didn’t quite know how to respond. It was Su Muxue who spoke: “No need to ask anymore. It’s just what you think.”

Shen Jiaojiao gave a knowing look and nodded meaningfully. “I see…”

Then she looked at the shy, beautiful girl before her and found her more and more attractive. She couldn’t hold back any longer. She spread her arms and lunged at Luo Xiaoyun:

“Why didn’t you say you were a girl earlier! Little sister Xiaoyun! I want a hug!”

Luo Xiaoyun was startled by her sudden enthusiasm and instinctively reached out, using one hand to press against Shen Jiaojiao’s forehead, keeping her at arm’s length.

“Da-me!” Luo Xiaoyun said with a hint of petulance, waving her hand repeatedly. “No, no, no! Don’t come near me.”

“Oh, just one hug, just one,” Shen Jiaojiao persisted, gently shaking her head, trying to dodge Luo Xiaoyun’s hand, her tone coaxing. “Little sister Xiaoyun’s voice is so nice, soft and sweet, so healing. Just let me hug you once!”

“No!” Luo Xiaoyun refused with a red face, but she didn’t dare use force, afraid of hurting her.

The two were locked in a stalemate, one desperately trying to lunge forward, the other pushing back with all her might. The scene was utterly comical.

Just then, a cool voice came from the hallway: “Jiaojiao, I asked you to get the documents. Why are you so slow?”

Ji Haitang walked in.

She immediately saw Shen Jiaojiao flailing toward a white-haired girl, while that girl was helplessly pushing her forehead away.

Ji Haitang strode over, reached out, and pulled Shen Jiaojiao into her arms, gently pressing her shoulder. Her tone was stern, but her eyes fell on the white-haired girl with confusion:

“Jiaojiao, what are you doing? Have you no manners? This is the student council office. How can you behave like this toward someone?”

Held by Ji Haitang, Shen Jiaojiao turned to look at her expressionless face and instantly started trembling, her voice stammering:

“N-nothing, Ji Ji. Don’t you think… Xiaoyun looks super, super beautiful like this?” She pointed at Luo Xiaoyun, her eyes full of excitement, even forgetting her fear.

Hearing “Xiaoyun,” Ji Haitang finally looked closely at the white-haired girl.

Her eyes lingered on her face for a few seconds before she slowly recognized her, this delicate, beautiful white-haired girl in cosplay was actually Luo Xiaoyun! The sternness on her face instantly vanished, replaced by shock.

Her voice turned unnatural: “Luo, Luo Xiaoyun? Why are you dressed like this?”

“Hehe, Sister Haitang, you finally recognized her,” Shen Jiaojiao quickly poked her head out from Ji Haitang’s arms and said with a smile, “Let me tell you a secret. Xiaoyun isn’t a boy. She’s a girl!”

Ji Haitang’s whole body stiffened, the shock on her face deepening, her eyes full of disbelief. She froze for a few seconds before slowly speaking: “…What did you say? She’s a girl?”

“Yes, yes,” Shen Jiaojiao nodded repeatedly, her tone excited. “Little sister Xiaoyun has always been a girl. She just pretended to be a boy. Su knew all along! But she didn’t tell us. How mean!”

Ji Haitang turned to look at Su Muxue, her eyes full of inquiry. Su Muxue nodded. “Mm, it’s true. Xiaoyun is a girl. I didn’t tell you before because I was afraid her identity would be exposed and cause her trouble.”

Ji Haitang was silent for a few seconds, slowly digesting the news. She looked at Luo Xiaoyun, then at Su Muxue, the shock on her face gradually fading, replaced by a hint of understanding.

She looked at Luo Xiaoyun and said gently, “I’m sorry. I always thought you were a boy before. I hope I wasn’t too offensive.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Luo Xiaoyun quickly shook her head, a faint smile on her face. “It was me who hid my identity. You’re not to blame.”

Seeing that Ji Haitang was no longer angry, Shen Jiaojiao started to stir again. She poked her head out from Ji Haitang’s arms, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Luo Xiaoyun: “Little sister Xiaoyun, just let me hug you, okay? Just once!”

“Alright, Jiaojiao, stop acting up,” Ji Haitang said helplessly, rubbing her temples and pressing her shoulder. This girl always does this when she sees a pretty lady. Such a headache.

“The opening ceremony rehearsal is about to start. We need to head to the stage on the field. If we’re any later, we’ll miss it.”

Shen Jiaojiao had no choice but to reluctantly withdraw her hand, pouting. “Fine, fine. I’ll stop. But little sister Xiaoyun, after the performance ends, you have to let me hug you!”

Luo Xiaoyun smiled helplessly but still nodded lightly.

The group walked out together.

Shen Jiaojiao walked beside Luo Xiaoyun, chattering nonstop: “Little sister Xiaoyun is so pretty… Is that hair real? How is your skin so good? This cosplay suits you perfectly. It’s so accurate…”

Luo Xiaoyun blushed all the way from being praised. Su Muxue was suppressing a laugh beside her, while Ji Haitang helplessly dragged Shen Jiaojiao forward to prevent her from pouncing again.

The group walked out of the teaching building and headed toward the sports field.

From a distance, Luo Xiaoyun could see the enormous stage.

The construction of the stage occupied almost half the field, grander than in any previous year. The main backdrop was a huge LED screen, currently playing the art festival’s theme animation in a stream of flowing colors, beautiful and magnificent. On both sides of the stage stood tall light towers, with various colored lights interweaving, illuminating the entire field as if it were daytime.

In front of the stage was a wide performance area, the floor covered with smooth black mirror surface that reflected people’s shadows.

Behind it were layered step-like sets, with the glowing words “The 27th Sea University Art Festival” at the top, especially striking in the twilight.

Sound equipment on both sides was stacked into towers, with staff doing final adjustments. Smoke machines at the edge of the stage occasionally sprayed thin mist, creating dreamy colors under the lights.

The audience seating area on the field was already arranged, extending from in front of the stage all the way to the edge of the track.

The front row was for judges and guests, with name cards and bottled water on the tables. The seats behind were divided by college, each section marked with signs.

Temporary tents were set up on the side of the stage as backstage rest areas for performers. Students in various performance costumes were coming and going inside the tents, some applying makeup, some rehearsing lines, some warming up. It was a busy scene.

Shen Jiaojiao sighed in admiration: “Wow, this year’s stage is so impressive!”

Ji Haitang nodded. “The school allocated a lot of budget this year, saying they want to host the most magnificent art festival ever.”

Lin Wan walked over from a distance: “Muxue, you’re finally here. Come on, we need to start going over our lines.”

Seeing Lin Wan approach, Luo Xiaoyun subconsciously hid behind Su Muxue, groaning inwardly: Oh no, how could I forget about Senior Lin Wan? Now she’ll know everything…

At that moment, Lin Wan seemed to notice something. Her gaze fixed on Luo Xiaoyun behind Su Muxue, and she said in a puzzled voice: “Luo Zhiyao? Are you Junior Luo Zhiyao?”

Luo Xiaoyun’s heart skipped a beat. She froze in place.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

What Should I Do When Girls Keep Trying to Win Me Over After Rebirth?

CampusRomanceHaremlove

Read Now →
Not interested