At first, everyone was resistant to the idea of the "Snow White" play, but they grew increasingly excited about it later on.
Seeing that the cast list was to be finalized that afternoon, Ji Zhaoxi gritted her teeth and went to find Jiang Shiyi anyway.
The classmates around Jiang Shiyi stopped talking the moment they saw Ji Zhaoxi approach, simply staring at her.
Ji Zhaoxi felt a bit awkward under their gaze but still spoke softly, "Class Monitor, I don't want to play a dwarf. I want to play the princess."
The air fell silent for a moment.
The others exchanged glances before looking back at Jiang Shiyi.
Jiang Shiyi gave her a calm look. "Then you play the princess."
"But..." Ji Zhaoxi hesitated, "Then who will play my dwarf?"
"It's fine, you can go back. I'll handle it."
Looking at Jiang Shiyi's impassive face, Ji Zhaoxi replied flatly, "Oh."
The atmosphere between the two was incredibly subtle, something everyone around them could feel.
Her deskmate watched Ji Zhaoxi return and knew immediately.
Even if Jiang Shiyi went to play that wild boar, Ji Zhaoxi would surely follow right behind her without a second thought.
Watching Jiang Shiyi cross out Ji Zhaoxi's name, Xu Kezhi found it somewhat amusing. "Ji Zhaoxi really is targeting you, isn't she? Whatever role you play, she wants it too."
She didn't know how Jiang Shiyi had offended Ji Zhaoxi to make her care so much.
Jiang Shiyi responded quietly, "It's fine, let her be."
Besides the main roles, there were also three trees, a stone stump, a magic mirror, a wild boar, and a narrator. Because there weren't enough roles to go around, the number of dwarves was increased to eleven.
During every rehearsal, the dwarves would swarm out, all talking over each other.
The homeroom teacher had aggressively commandeered a rehearsal room from the arts class, insisting that students from their class check on it daily.
With too many classes putting on plays, the school's rehearsal rooms were insufficient, so it was common to see some classes rehearsing directly on the sports field.
The Queen was played by Jiang Shiyi.
The two had many scenes together, but apart from their lines, they hardly spoke to each other otherwise.
Jiang Zhen shamelessly squeezed his way in, insisting he would play the huntsman, directly bumping the original student cast as the huntsman to play a tree instead. That student, thrilled not to have any lines, was overjoyed.
Jiang Shiyi and Ji Zhaoxi stood facing each other. Jiang Shiyi was half a head taller than Ji Zhaoxi, and her bearing really did resemble the Queen from the fairy tale.
"Hey, you're blocking my shot!"
"What shot do you dwarves need? Move aside."
"Did you get my tree in the frame? Trees need screen time too."
The dwarves in the back were jostling and accidentally pushed Jiang Shiyi off balance. Ji Zhaoxi quickly grabbed her to steady her.
Huntsman Jiang Zhen was darting around everywhere. Seeing the two leads still standing there dazed, he yelled loudly, "Are you two, Princess and Queen, filming a romantic drama? The Prince is waiting right here!"
Xie Sili, however, showed little expression. He fetched a few large boxes to block off the edge of the stage area, then subtly pulled Ji Zhaoxi to his side.
Jiang Shiyi glanced up at him but said nothing.
Because Ji Zhaoxi had taken this role from Jiang Shiyi.
She was afraid that making a mistake would lead to criticism, so she had memorized her lines early on and would even prompt others when they forgot theirs.
Xu Kezhi looked at her in surprise. "Ji Zhaoxi, you've even memorized the other characters' lines?"
Ji Zhaoxi's ears turned slightly red as she denied softly, "No, I just had some impression from reading the script."
"Then you have an amazing memory."
"Really, she remembered the dwarves' lines just now too."
"No wonder her grades are so good. She just needs to glance at something to remember it."
Dressed in her princess costume and standing in the middle, Ji Zhaoxi's face flushed bright red as she looked around at her classmates, completely at a loss.
She rarely had moments like this, moments where she was the center of attention.
Ji Zhaoxi looked very embarrassed. Xie Sili watched her from the side and chuckled softly.
Although she didn't speak, her eyes were sparkling, clearly enjoying being treated this way.
In every subsequent scene rehearsal, Jiang Shiyi and Ji Zhaoxi performed with remarkable chemistry.
Jiang Zhen, for some unknown reason, kept taking photos of the two of them. In the end, on the class poster, aside from the other characters, the ones standing right in the middle were actually the Queen and the Princess, with even the Prince relegated to a spot behind the Princess.
The classmates had no objections to this poster.
After all, the main scenes were between the Queen and the Princess, and they had rehearsed together the most.
The day before the school festival.
The homeroom teacher looked at the noisy rehearsal hall, a faint sense of foreboding stirring in his heart.
He cleared his throat forcefully.
"Students, the teacher has a few words. Everyone, quiet down, please."
Once everyone had settled, the homeroom teacher instructed, "The school festival stage is very important. Not only will people from our school be watching, but also people from other schools. You must all perform well."
"Remember the music cue for your character. You must wait for the music to play before coming on stage, especially you dwarves. Don't get impulsive."
The more people there are, the harder they are to manage.
He had looked at the other classes' programs and still felt theirs was the best. Whether in academics or regular activities, their class aimed for first place.
Finally, the day of the school festival arrived. The spectacle was enormous. The principal had even invited back all the notable alumni who had studied at A High over the years.
The honor guard, orchestra, and greeting team were all in perfect order. The principal, wearing a suit that seemed ready to burst at the stomach, shook hands with the VIPs, his face beaming.
Since they had come, they might as well make a donation before leaving.
The reason A High was so wealthy, aside from its inherently high tuition fees, was an even more important one: alumni donations.
Where there are people, there is competition. Regardless of the amount, everyone who came had to donate something.
The homeroom teacher sat in the front row. Today he wore his most expensive suit and even had some makeup on. Holding his camera, he waited to take plenty of photos of his students later.
Program followed program. The students in the audience were getting sleepy, but the school leaders at the front remained alert.
After what felt like an eternity, they finally heard the host announce,
"Next is the program from Class 1, Grade 2: 'Snow White'!"
The homeroom teacher immediately sat up straight. He nudged the other dozing teachers beside him awake. "Stop sleeping, everyone. It's our class's turn."
It was fine to sleep through other programs, but theirs was so exciting; it couldn't be missed.
The students, dressed in their costumes, took their places on stage one by one. The lights dimmed, and a spotlight shone on the girl standing center stage.
"A long, long time ago, there was a beautiful princess whose skin was as white as snow..."
While the performance unfolded on stage, whispers continued in the audience.
"When can we leave?"
"Watch the dean's expression. We can sneak out later?"
The homeroom teacher was so angry the veins on his forehead bulged. He looked at the students in the back and clicked his tongue sharply. The few students in the back immediately quieted down.
But as soon as he turned back, the discussions started up again behind him.
"Look, their class even has people playing trees. So lucky, no lines at all."
"That Queen is quite pretty. Who is she?"
"We should have performed this too. It looks like so much fun."
The homeroom teacher was utterly despairing.
Alright, art can only truly be appreciated by those who understand it!
The classmate managing the music backstage was flushed, holding it in. He looked towards a boy not far away: "Come over and watch this for me."
The boy walked over, took a glance: "So troublesome, I don't want to."
The classmate felt his legs trembling: "I'm begging you, okay? I really can't hold it anymore."
The boy clicked his tongue: "Fine, fine, fine. Be quick about it."
"When you switch the music, you must follow this sheet. There are notes on the computer too, don't play the wrong one."
"Stop nagging, just go already!"
The classmate hurriedly covered his lower half and ran off.
The boy frowned at the music list: "There's so much."
On stage, the performance continued.
The narrator was shouting at the top of his lungs: "Just as everyone was grieving, a prince passed by and saw all of this."
Ji Zhaoxi lay on the flower bed. She could sense Xie Sili was already beside her. Waiting for the music, her mind began to wander.
She had taken Jiang Shiyi's princess role. Would she be very angry right now?
At that moment, a beautiful piece of music suddenly began to play. The narrator froze—why was the music starting now?
Hearing the music, Ji Zhaoxi was also stunned. The princess was supposed to awaken, but hadn't the kissing scene even started yet?
The narrator fell silent. The music had already reached its climax, as if urging the princess to get up quickly.
"Everyone, follow the music!"
The homeroom teacher's voice suddenly echoed in their minds.
Gritting her teeth, Ji Zhaoxi abruptly sat up from the flower bed. But she never expected that Xie Sili, who should have been standing to the side, was now leaning down.
Both of them froze. Due to momentum, Ji Zhaoxi had no time to dodge and collided directly with Xie Sili's face.
The kiss landed on the corner of Xie Sili's mouth. Xie Sili braced one hand on the bed, the other holding her tightly.
The narrator stared at them in shock. The audience below fell completely silent.
The homeroom teacher completely lost it.
It's over!
