Yan Heng's face was truly handsome, still carrying a hint of youthful innocence, but the closer one got, the more one could appreciate the superiority of his features; he had a real 'manga character come to life' vibe.
She muttered to herself, This is more like the world's most handsome man. What does Murong Beichen even count as?
Too close!
Zhu Yaya couldn't hold back anymore. As the tissue was about to touch her face, she took a few steps back until she leaned against the dressing table. Yan Heng followed her retreat, taking a few steps forward.
"Don't move."
Yan Heng's voice sounded by her ear, clear yet slightly husky, sending a shiver through Zhu Yaya's heart. Her face flushed like a ripe tomato.
Zhu Yaya lowered her eyelashes halfway, obediently staying still, seemingly at Yan Heng's mercy.
Yan Heng's movements were very gentle. Zhu Yaya felt the tissue lightly dabbing at the corner of her lips, a little ticklish.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly before she finally looked up, gazing at the enlarged face before her, at his sharp eyebrows, his deep eyes, his tall, straight nose...
The moment Duan Zong returned to the area, he saw the scene before him: a handsome, tall young man had a petite, cute girl trapped against the dressing table, kissing her.
The script in Duan Zong's hand was clenched tightly, his gaze turning gloomy.
"All done."
By the time Yan Heng said this, Zhu Yaya hadn't snapped out of it yet. Her gaze was still fixed on Yan Heng's face before she hurriedly looked down.
"Ah, thank you."
Her head was bowed, her expression unclear, but her two exposed ears were visibly bright red.
Yan Heng chuckled softly, "I'm heading to the audience seats now."
"Mhm."
"Don't be nervous."
"Okay."
"I'll be watching you the whole time."
Zhu Yaya felt a sweet sensation in her heart, as if she'd eaten a huge ball of cotton candy. "...Okay."
Her voice still carried a hint of shyness.
Only after Yan Heng left did Zhu Yaya manage to calm her emotions a little. But as soon as she looked up, she saw Xu Baoying wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
Xu Baoying said with an ambiguous look, "Oh, I saw everything. In broad daylight, in front of everyone, all that intimacy. Tsk tsk, how times have changed!"
Zhu Yaya shot Xu Baoying a glare. On the surface, she maintained her composure, but inwardly, flowers of shyness were blooming. "Wh-what nonsense are you talking about? Yan Heng was just helping me wipe off some smudged lipstick from the corner of my mouth."
The teasing glint in Xu Baoying's eyes grew stronger. "Oh, really? Hmm, seems it was quite an... intense situation!"
"What on earth are you imagining! The opening ceremony is about to start. I need to go get ready."
Zhu Yaya simply ignored Xu Baoying and walked away, her ears still red.
There were only a few minutes left before the New Year's Eve Gala would begin.
Wu Jie, Shen Wandang, and Shen Wandang's bodyguards had all returned just in time.
The three hosts stood to one side of the stage, waiting.
Zhu Yaya quietly lifted a corner of the thick curtain, peeking out to see a vast sea of dark heads.
I wonder where Yan Heng is sitting, she thought.
Duan Zong moved a bit closer to her. "Junior Zhu."
Zhu Yaya let the curtain fall and turned her head. "What is it?"
Duan Zong seemed hesitant. "You, you were just now, with Yan Heng..."
Hearing this and seeing his expression, Zhu Yaya understood he had misunderstood, just like Xu Baoying.
The tips of her ears turned red again. "That... the makeup artist didn't apply my lipstick properly, and some got smudged near my mouth. Yan Heng saw it and helped me wipe it off."
"Oh! So that's what happened! I thought..."
"What was Senior Duan thinking? Yan Heng and I are still high school students."
"My mistake then." Duan Zong gave a gentle smile.
A few minutes later, the New Year's Eve Gala officially began, and the curtains were drawn open. Zhu Yaya took a deep breath and walked to the center of the stage with Duan Zong and Wu Jie.
Zhu Yaya performed excellently. Her hosting style was humorous, balancing out Duan Zong and Wu Jie's steadiness. Beaming with smiles, her two small dimples were clearly visible as she spoke and laughed.
Her deep blue evening gown sparkled with scattered silver specks, beautiful like the night sky. The strapless style revealed her lovely collarbones.
Li Hao stroked his chin. "With this getup today, our junior is way prettier than those celebrities on TV and in movies."
Yan Heng, sitting next to Li Hao, didn't speak. He focused all his attention and energy on Zhu Yaya standing at the center of the stage, feeling a small swell of pride.
This was the girl he liked; of course she radiated boundless light. But as her brilliance was gradually revealed, more and more admirers would appear.
A dark glint flashed in Yan Heng's eyes.
Chen Zicheng sat in his class's section of the audience, staring blankly at the beautiful figure at the center of the stage. Only when she walked out of his sight did Chen Zicheng seem to snap out of his daze.
"Wearing that kind of dress, and baring her shoulders! It's truly indecent!" Chen Zicheng's face flushed as he muttered under his breath.
After finishing the lead-in for the first performance, Zhu Yaya and the other two hosts returned to the backstage waiting area. Ms. Wang, who had trained them, gave them a thumbs-up.
Seeing this, Zhu Yaya's eyes curved into happy crescents.
Performances went on one after another, and soon it was time for the sixth act. Xu Chun, who was supposed to go on seventh, still hadn't arrived.
Ms. Wang was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth. "What's going on? Where is the performer for the seventh act?"
"Haven't seen her."
"What are we supposed to do now? Do we have to go look for her?" Ms. Wang was furious.
Zhu Yaya tried to comfort her. "Teacher, don't worry! They'll definitely come. They might just be running a bit late."
The novel's plot for The Overbearing Him, The Pure Love had written that their performance even won cheers and applause from the entire audience.
Ms. Wang frantically ran her hands through her long hair. "A bit late? Is this just 'a bit late'?"
"They're here!"
Murong Beichen appeared before them, strolling leisurely with Xu Chun's arm in his.
Seeing Murong Beichen, Ms. Wang's expression softened somewhat, but she still spoke to Xu Chun with a touch of irritation. "Hurry up and get ready. You're the seventh act. The sixth one is already on stage."
Before Xu Chun could speak, Murong Beichen took the lead.
With an arrogant expression, he addressed the three hosts, Zhu Yaya and the others. "Hosts, I'll trouble you to change the lead-in for Chun'er's performance from 'solo dance' to 'duet dance'."
"Understood," Duan Zong nodded.
Murong Beichen then tossed a USB drive to a staff member, who hurriedly caught it. "Use the music on this later."
After Murong Beichen arranged everything, he turned to Xu Chun, speaking with deep affection. "Chun'er, don't be too nervous. I'll be with you for the upcoming performance. You have to believe in me, and believe in yourself. Our performance will definitely cause a huge sensation and be loved by all the teachers and students!"
Xu Chun nodded, visibly moved.
Zhu Yaya's mouth twitched. She was curious to see just what the stunning duet dance performance described in the original novel plot would look like.
