The stage performance came to an end. Ji Nian stood with colorful streamers still atop her head, her chest rising and falling as she squinted at the audience below, who were screaming wildly. Among them, she spotted a few familiar faces—especially Ji Tingzhou, seated in the prime viewing spot, clapping his hands in applause, alongside Wei Yang and Zhiliao.
Ji Nian waved in their direction.
Wei Yang, bursting with excitement, grabbed Zhiliao and Ji Tingzhou’s hands, swinging them wildly in response.
"Thank you all for coming to our performance," Ji Nian said.
"To those who love us, we hope you’ll vote for us."
She blinked, her usually cool school demeanor replaced with a playful charm, her cheeks flushed a shade of pink even her foundation couldn’t conceal.
"Ahhhhhhhh! Baby, we’ll vote for you! We’ll give you our lives!!!"
"Ji Nian, wuuuuu, Dad’s so moved! Dad loves you!!!"
A male fan’s excited roar was abruptly cut short when he sensed a murderous aura emanating from a certain direction in front of him. His voice shriveled into a choked squawk, like a rooster whose neck had been squeezed.
Ji Tingzhou slowly averted his gaze.
"Lu Jinghuai, say something! Lu Jinghuai, say something! Lu Jinghuai, say something!!"
The chant rose in unison from Lu Jinghuai’s fan club.
Ji Nian thought this was the perfect opportunity for vote-pulling and turned to look at Lu Jinghuai, who stood behind the piano.
The young "imperial grandson" had one side of his hair braided. When Shen Qingtang noticed his pierced ear earlier, she had eagerly fetched an ear chain with a serpent-shaped gemstone pendant.
But he seemed reluctant to remove his original earring.
In the end, it was Ji Nian who persuaded him with a few words. He finally took it off and handed it to her for safekeeping. "This is very important. Keep it safe for me, okay?"
Now, that very earring—the one she had given him three years ago—rested in her pocket.
As Lu Jinghuai walked toward her amid the crowd’s screams, Ji Nian instinctively touched it.
Still there. She hadn’t lost it while bouncing around onstage.
She exhaled in relief.
Lu Jinghuai stopped beside her, took the microphone she offered, and smiled faintly at the audience chanting his name.
"Please vote for the Calf Band."
"We’re counting on you," he said softly, his eyes curved in a plea.
His usually reserved classmates, who had never dared to confess their admiration for him, erupted in cheers.
Why hold back? Everyone else was doing it—might as well let loose.
Ji Nian made sure every member got their turn to campaign for votes.
Yang Xinyu gave an exaggerated bow, his voice full of dramatic flair. "Senpai, this is our performance! Please give us your votes!"
Xiang Wan, more timid, only managed a few words before the audience egged her on to say more.
Finally, the grand finale fell to the female lead.
No surprise—Shen Qingtang’s popularity alone commanded half the crowd’s loyalty.
Sure enough, the moment she spoke, waves of agreement surged, with even rival class supporters joining in.
Someone even shouted, "Shen Qingtang, can you get Ji Nian’s WeChat for me?"
Shen Qingtang grinned, pulling Ji Nian close as she replied, "No way. She’s mine."
"Ahhhhhhh! I ship it!!"
"Yes!!! Keep it up, Ji Nian! You’re not allowed to talk to boys, you hear me?!"
This was the only shout that earned a nod of approval from Ji Tingzhou.
As the Calf Band members left the stage, the audience’s cheers showed no sign of stopping.
"Hey, Old Wei? It’s over. They’re gone. Quit staring!"
The green-haired guy beside him couldn't help but praise a few more words, though it all seemed quite youthful, the overall atmosphere was great.
After speaking, he turned to the others for agreement, only to find Wei Junze—who was rumored to have no interest in high schoolers—staring intently at the young girl, his gaze lingering even after she disappeared from sight.
Wei Junze slowly glanced at him and pushed him aside.
"Hey? Where are you going?"
Without looking back, Wei Junze replied, "To find my little fiancée."
Amid the green-haired guy's confused "Huh??", Wei Junze narrowed his long, fox-like eyes, brimming with delight.
He never expected to run into the person he’d been longing for all this time—and most importantly…
She turned out to be the Ji family’s young miss.
For the first time in his life, Wei Junze felt his face stinging from being proven wrong, yet instead of embarrassment, he hummed a cheerful tune.
Once he reached a quiet spot, he dialed a number he knew by heart.
"Auntie, it’s me."
"It’s been a while since I’ve seen you. I’ve missed you. How about dinner?"
...
As soon as Ji Nian stepped offstage, she spotted Ji Tingzhou and the others waiting backstage.
Originally, the school principal and others had been there too, but Ji Tingzhou found the place too crowded and shooed them all away.
The only people moving around were Ji Nian’s classmates helping out, all of them stealing glances at Ji Tingzhou with barely concealed excitement.
"Dad! Uncle Mo!"
Ji Nian rushed over, calling out to her father and uncle, but after the two barely opened their arms, she dove straight into Zhiliao’s embrace instead.
Ji Tingzhou: "……"
Chen Mo: "……"
Zhiliao gently brushed aside the sweat-dampened bangs sticking to Ji Nian’s forehead and murmured, "You sang beautifully."
If not for her stage makeup, Ji Nian would’ve nuzzled into her like an affectionate kitten.
Aside from Shen Qingtang and Lu Jinghuai, this was Xiang Wan’s first time seeing Ji Tingzhou in person.
The two of them looked back and forth between Ji Tingzhou and Ji Nian before exclaiming in unison, "They look so alike…"
Ji Tingzhou’s sharp ears caught the remark, and his gaze flicked over.
Both froze for a second, but Xiang Wan recovered first, lowering her voice. "Hello, Uncle."
Yang Xinyu quickly followed suit.
Ji Tingzhou pulled Ji Nian out of Zhiliao’s arms and flicked her forehead.
"So, Dad, how was our performance?" she asked, grinning, unfazed by the light tap.
Ji Tingzhou gave a slight nod. "Not bad."
Beside them, Chen Mo turned his face away, barely suppressing an eye roll, before turning back with unreserved praise. "It was fantastic. The coordination was seamless, and the energy onstage was even better than during rehearsals."
The genuine smiles on everyone’s faces widened at the professional’s approval.
After catching up with her family, Ji Nian soon noticed Gu Xiuyuan’s deadpan expression—wearing the exact same T-shirt with his own face printed on it.
Ji Nian: [……This just keeps getting funnier.]
Seemingly aware of the comedic effect of his stern glare meeting a group dressed in his own likeness, he coldly curled his lips, his voice laced with gritted teeth. "What’s wrong with you people?"
Ji Nian and Shen Qingtang both sighed dreamily.
"Hearing him scold us like this makes all the hard work worth it," Ji Nian mused.
Shen Qingtang nodded in fervent agreement.
Yang Xinyu, who had been the most enthusiastic about wearing the shirt, was now the most terrified, crouching behind Ji Nian to hide.
Gu Xiuyuan shot them a fierce glare.
"Speak."
"Whose idea was this?"
Ji Nian and Shen Qingtang immediately positioned themselves behind Lu Jinghuai without hesitation.
Lu Jinghuai: "……"
That decisive, huh?
Gu Xiuyuan’s icy gaze landed on Lu Jinghuai’s deceptively innocent, pretty face. He raised a hand and drew it across his throat in a slicing motion, then turned away with a disgruntled huff.
The voting deadline was midnight tonight.
Having just finished their onstage appeal, they now had to campaign offline.
Other classes, initially relaxed, suddenly felt a deep sense of urgency after witnessing Ji Nian’s team’s performance and sprang into action.
Ji Nian whispered to her teammates, "Remember, our goal is second place. Don’t get carried away and accidentally aim for first."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
They barely had to lift a finger—the moment they stepped out, they were swarmed.
Ji Nian earnestly engaged with every bold soul who approached her, caught up in the excitement, guiding them through the app to locate their band’s name and cast a vote.
Amid the bustle, a pale hand suddenly appeared before her, veins faintly visible on its back. It turned over, presenting a phone.
"How do I vote?"
A voice laced with amusement and a hint of mischief drifted down from above her.
