Chapter 54: An Unexpected Incident

October 21st.

Saturday.

Weather: Cloudy turning clear.

Temperature: 16 to 26°C.

Jiang Ning was still wearing her school uniform today, with her high ponytail tied up as usual. However, she had added a snug cotton long-sleeve layer underneath.

It gave her an indescribable sense of comfort.

8:30 AM.

The sun was slightly dazzling.

Jiang Ning stood at the school gate alongside several girls of similar height, holding flags and making welcoming gestures.

Needless to say, she had been “volunteered” for this.

Apparently, it was Yang Mei’s doing, securing her this opportunity so she could make an impression on the visiting officials. The hope was that this exposure would give her an advantage in future selections for city-level “Three-Good Student” awards and similar honors.

What kind of advantage, exactly?

Her looks?

Honestly, while appearance could be considered an asset, Jiang Ning didn’t care much about that.

She would rather be recognized for her abilities than for her looks.

Half an hour later.

The officials finally arrived, rocking up in a minibus that rolled right past the welcoming girls without even slowing down.

Jiang Ning was immediately annoyed.

A glance at the other girls from different classes revealed they were equally disgruntled.

“What the hell? Did they just bring us out here to be human props?”

“Seriously! Standing in the sun all this time—my skin’s getting darker!”

“Students have no rights!”

Listening to the complaints, Jiang Ning chimed in at the right moment.

“Exactly! These inconsiderate bastards!”

However.

Jiang Ning never expected that standing at the gate was only the first step in the officials’ disregard for them.

The second step? Picking two of them to be campus guides.

These unlucky two had to lead the officials around, showcasing the selected classrooms’ blackboard displays and listening to the students’ prepared speeches—both in Chinese and English.

Luckily, there were always people eager for the spotlight.

That meant Jiang Ning was spared from a day of running around.

With nothing else to do, she headed to the school auditorium.

Since it was Saturday, most students had already left campus. Only those stuck with “volunteer” duties or preparing for the afternoon’s performances remained.

Qi Wen, chosen for a dance performance, was among those who had to stay, just like Jiang Ning.

At that moment, the auditorium was a chaotic blend of singing, shouting, and noise.

A complete mess, with no semblance of order.

Then again, they were all high school students—so many teenagers full of excess energy. It would’ve been strange if they were actually quiet.

Jiang Ning ignored the rowdiness, weaving through the crowd until she spotted Qi Wen in a relatively spacious corner, dressed in her performance costume.

Flowing silk ribbons, elegant and light.

A red outfit like the robes of an immortal.

Paired with Qi Wen’s sweet features…

Jiang Ning’s heart skipped a beat.

“Hey, little lady, miss me?”

Qi Wen shot Jiang Ning a glare.

Without a word, she focused on raising her leg onto the practice barre, starting her warm-up stretches.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning set down the bag in her hands, grinning as she scooted closer to Qi Wen.

She reached out, first touching the fabric of Qi Wen’s outfit.

Smooth. Thin.

Then, her hand slid downward along the hem until it reached Qi Wen’s long legs.

In an instant.

Qi Wen jolted as if electrocuted, nearly losing her balance.

Luckily, Jiang Ning caught her in time.

“Jiang Ning!!” Qi Wen’s face flushed red as she scolded.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ning scratched her head, feigning innocence.

“Oh… I didn’t know your legs were so sensitive…”

“Just like Shan Shan’s steamed buns…”

Of course, she only muttered that last part to herself—no one heard it.

Otherwise, Qi Wen might have flipped out on the spot and ended Jiang Ning then and there.

“Jiang Ning!! Can you stop messing around?!”

“The performance is this afternoon, and we haven’t even finished rehearsals!”

Hearing the frustration in Qi Wen’s voice, Jiang Ning chuckled and backed off.

Then, she pointed to the bag on the ground.

“There’s bottled water, juice, and soda in here.”

“Take whatever you want. I’ll go grab you something to eat.”

She turned to leave—only to almost bump into someone.

Looking up, she saw a boy she didn’t recognize.

He held a form in his hands, his head lowered, his face slightly red as he murmured, “Sorry.”

Then, he quickly walked toward Qi Wen.

Looking for Qi Wen?

Jiang Ning’s eyes flickered.

No way—she had to see what was up.

She followed after him.

Only to be met with Qi Wen’s sorrowful expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“Mr. Du suddenly got acute gastroenteritis… He’s at the hospital on an IV drip,” the boy mumbled, head still lowered.

Oh. The teacher was hospitalized.

So?

Wait…

Jiang Ning suddenly realized something, frowning as she asked,

“Does that mean Mr. Du won’t be here this afternoon?”

“What about your performance’s accompaniment?”

Unlike in later years, finding a backing track wasn’t as simple as plugging a phone into a speaker.

In this era—

Accompaniment tracks were either on cassette tapes or played live.

And Mr. Du Xinrui’s role was precisely that—live accompaniment.

Now that he was hospitalized with gastroenteritis…

They were screwed.

“What do we do now?”

Jiang Ning turned to the boy beside her, her clear eyes locking onto him.

Her gaze was so piercing that the boy momentarily froze.

“Hey, handsome?”

“Oh, oh! Mr. Du left me a key. He told me to take you to his office to see if there are any usable backing tapes,” the boy stammered, still looking down.

Well.

That was an option.

Jiang Ning frowned but said nothing to him, turning instead to Qi Wen.

“Wenwen, what do you think?”

“Let’s go.”

However.

It turned out that finding a suitable accompaniment was easier said than done.

Despite Mr. Du’s well-stocked cabinet, most of the tapes were recordings of piano pieces or popular songs.

There were only a few traditional-style tracks.

And those were all lighthearted tunes—clearly for casual listening, not dance performances.

What now?

Dancing without music?

Sure, Qi Wen was beautiful, and her flowing costume was stunning.

But performing without any music…

Jiang Ning couldn’t even picture it.

“Jiang Jiang, what do we do?”

“Without music, I can’t even stay on beat properly…”

“Don’t panic. Let me think.” Jiang Ning frowned deeply, scanning the room.

Her gaze landed on an Orange Music poster in the corner.

A thought suddenly flashed in her mind.

If there’s no accompaniment…

Why not just play one live?

——