When evening fell on Sunday, Lin Feiran and Gu Kaifeng returned to campus for the start of a new week of school.
Just like last week, Lin Feiran continued to stick to Gu Kaifeng’s side every moment of the day, regardless of whether it was before class, after class, while practicing piano, eating, bathing, or sleeping. In the eyes of others, the two’s interactions were more nauseating than lovers.
It was soon Thursday, the day of the Arts Festival. All the students and teachers gathered in the school’s auditorium at 1:30 pm to watch the performances. The venue was already fully setup. The students who were participating had all changed into their costumes backstage, with the girls putting on light makeup and the boys fixing their hair into simple yet elegant styles. Gu Kaifeng, wearing a dark custom-tailored suit, was casually leaning against a wall with one hand in his trousers pocket and the other hand holding two sheets of paper, silently reviewing his lines as he waited for the time for opening remarks to be made.
Right at this moment, Lin Feiran, who had just finished changing, opened the dressing room curtains and quickly walked up to Gu Kaifeng, poking him to absorb his Yang energy.
Gu Kaifeng lifted his head and looked at Lin Feiran, his eyes flickering imperceptibly.
Lin Feiran was wearing a formal black suit with a white collared shirt and bow tie. For the sake of looking good on stage he had endured the discipline masters stare and did not cut his hair. His bangs had gotten somewhat long and hung low over his forehead, slightly covering his eyebrows. The dim lighting backstage created an impression of a melancholic beauty that did not match his usual aura.
The formal suit he wore was likely specifically made for stage performances. It appeared to be custom-tailored, from its high-quality fabric, cuffs, collars, and buttons… Every last detail was exquisitely designed, transforming the usually endearingly cute Lin Feiran into an entirely different person.
Gu Kaifeng’s mouth suddenly became dry, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he tried to swallow.
Lin Feiran made a full turn in front of Gu Kaifeng and asked while already knowing the answer, “Do I look good wearing this outfit?”
Hurry, say how handsome I look! Praise me!
Gu Kaifeng’s eyes darkened as he said softly, “You look very good, this outfit suits you very well.”
Lin Feiran, whose little ego was satisfied, felt great delight. His beautiful eyes were brimming with joy as he replied, “Thanks, you look particularly handsome today as well.”
Gu Kaifeng raised his eyebrows and said, “Can’t compare with you.”
Lin Feiran felt even more ecstatic on the inside, but maintained his calm appearance on the outside. “How can that be? The school’s most handsome boy is just being modest.”
Constraining the smirk that was forming on his lips, the school’s most handsome boy Gu Kaifeng praised with a calm and sincere tone, “It’s true, haven’t you noticed that you have a special artistic temperament? There are many good looking people, but there are few who possess a character and temperament similar to yours.”
Lin Feiran’s face reddened and he rubbed his nose. He suppressed a smile and feigned indifference. “I’m not as good as you say.”
“Why not? My spotlight today has been completely stolen by you. All the female students were staring at you just now,” Gu Kaifeng said, unable to hide the narrowing of his eyes, but Lin Feiran was not looking at him as he was focused on keeping his head down as he blushed. Upon hearing Gu Kaifeng’s last remark, Lin Feiran was completely overwhelmed by the flattery and simply turned to face the other way, staring jubilantly at the props box in the corner with a silly smile. His little phantom tail was lifted high, revealing the little thing underneath.
Although Gu Kaifeng could not see Lin Feiran’s face, he could guess what sort of expression he had on right now. Therefore, the Adonis Gu could not help but reveal a devious smile, though he quickly put it away before Lin Feiran turned back and instantly donned an innocent facade.
“A senior sister is calling me, I have to go style my hair.” Lin Feiran nodded to the senior female student who was waving at him from a short distance away and walked over to get his hair styled. Because he had just been bombarded by a large quantity of sugar-coated projectiles, each step he took felt like he was floating. He was feeling so happy inside that he was questioning why he disliked Gu Kaifeng in the first place.
Gu Kaifeng is such a good person, was I sick before? Lin Feiran thought with some heartache.
At this time, Wang Yao, who had finished getting ready, walked over to Gu Kaifeng while holding a script. Since she was the Arts Festival emcee, she was dressed today in a relatively formal gown and had done her hair and makeup. Her already delicate and attractive appearance, combined with her outfit, became even more stunning. Whether intentionally or not, nearly all the male students present were stealing glances at her, the exceptions being Lin Feiran, who had been staring at his reflection through the front-facing camera of his mobile phone the entire time, and Gu Kaifeng, who had been staring at Lin Feiran the entire time.
Wang Yao’s eyes twitched a little: “……”
She used to be interested in Gu Kaifeng, but nothing more than that. After probing once, she realized that Gu Kaifeng had no interest in her so she planned on taking no further action. As a goddess who was used to being the target of many pursuers, she initially felt a bit like a failure. But now, seeing the burning gaze that Gu Kaifeng had fixed on Lin Feiran, those feelings vanished instantly.
If this old lady’s eyes are not blind, then those two are definitely gay! No wonder!
“Should we go over our opening speech?” Wang Yao walked up to Gu Kaifeng gracefully and stood beside him.
Gu Kaifeng withdrew the gaze that seemed capable of burning a hole in Lin Feiran and stated with total seriousness, “Yes.”
The senior sister was a little slow in styling Lin Feiran’s hair; more than five minutes had already passed. Feeling a chill run through his entire body, Lin Feiran was horrified to see there was a female ghost inside of the mirror in front of him. She was fully dressed in a stage costume and was combing her hair, her comb held with her fingers in the orchid position. She could be considered pretty and her appearance was not scary, except for her very pale face and bright red lips that made it look like she had just finished eating someone. Noticing Lin Feiran make eye contact with her, the female ghost smiled playfully and started to imitate Lin Feiran’s actions. When Lin Feiran was scared and shrank back his neck, she shrank back her neck. When Lin Feiran widened his eyes, she widened her eyes.
Lin Feiran trembled with fear as he stood up to leave. “You’re almost done, right, senior sister?”
The female ghost also trembled as she stood up, and mimicked, “You’re almost done, right, senior sister? There is a female ghost inside the mirror, I am very scared sob sob sob!”
She even portrayed Lin Feiran’s personal thoughts!
Lin Feiran’s mood was very complicated: “……”
The senior sister readjusted the hair hanging over Lin Feiran’s forehead and said, “Okay, go.”
“Thanks senior sister.” Though Lin Feiran was scared to death, he still did not forget to say thank you. As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and took large strides towards Gu Kaifeng, but because he was too anxious he knocked over a stool along the way.
The female ghost in the mirror gave a shrill laugh, “Hahaha, so adorable!”
The terribly harassed Lin Feiran: “……”
Thus, Gu Kaifeng, who was in the middle of reviewing his lines with Wang Yao, saw Lin Feiran suddenly stare in his direction and stomp over with the speed of a shooting star before firmly patting him on the shoulder.
Phew, saved! Lin Feiran sighed with relief. With fear lingering in his heart, he stood within two centimeters of Gu Kaifeng.
Gu Kaifeng glanced at Lin Feiran, whose expression seemed not quite right, then glanced at Wang Yao, who looked particularly radiant today, and came to a realization.
This little thing is quite capable of jealousy, Gu Kaifeng thought, feeling a surge of warmth in his heart.
Gu Kaifeng turned his hand and gently squeezed Lin Feiran’s fingertips, saying to Wang Yao, “It’s good enough, let’s leave it like this.”
Wang Yao nodded. “Go rest for a bit, there are still five minutes before the show starts.”
Gu Kaifeng pulled Lin Feiran with him and found two chairs to sit down.
Lin Feiran observed the situation outside, his fingers bounced over his legs as he replayed his performance piece in his head.
Gu Kaifeng glanced at Lin Feiran, who was obviously jealous but was putting forth a calm facade as if nothing was amiss, and wanted to laugh. He bumped his knee against Lin Feiran’s and asked, “What are you thinking about?”
Lin Feiran responded candidly, “Thinking about my piano piece.”
When he selected his piece for the festival’s program he did not have the Yin-Yang eyes, so naturally he had not taken the duration of his performance into consideration. The piece took six minutes to play on the piano, plus additional time was needed for him to go on stage and answer the curtain call. Even if he played faster, he could not finish within five minutes. Therefore, Lin Feiran pointed to the side of the stage and sought to verify, “Will you be standing there while I’m performing?”
It was necessary to confirm this because he would immediately have to steadily and ferociously absorb yang energy at the end of his performance!
“Right,” Gu Kaifeng’s tone of voice was very gentle. “I will stand there and watch you.”
Lin Feiran foolishly felt relieved…
Without realizing his fate as a gay man had been sealed!
The Arts Festival officially began.
Lin Feiran’s piano solo was ninth on the program. After the completion of the eight act, a modern dance performance, Gu Kaifeng went on stage to announce, “Next, let’s invite our fellow student, Lin Feiran, a second year from Class 4, to perform a piano solo for us…”
Backstage, Lin Feiran was gearing up, preparing for a grand performance and his moment in the limelight.
Gu Kaifeng walked offstage after finishing his announcement. Meanwhile, all the stage lights were dimmed and the stage crew used this time to roll the piano onto the stage. Lin Feiran walked to the edge of the stage and stood there, ready to make his appearance, Gu Kaifeng standing beside him. The moment the lights went up again, Lin Feiran sought to reach out and touch Gu Kaifeng to absorb some yang energy, but before he could touch him, Gu Kaifeng took the initiative and reached out to affectionately pat his butt.
Lin Feiran’s ears turned hot and his body abruptly stiffened.
“Go on, little prince,” Gu Kaifeng said gently.
The words had hardly left his mouth when Lin Feiran’s legs inexplicably turned soft. He felt like he was walking on cotton candy as he made his way to the piano. He did not calm down until his bow and greetings were complete and he had sat down on the piano bench.
It had been a long time since his last public performance. He felt nervous. Lin Feiran sought to detach himself from his current mental state and took a deep breath before he started to play. Flowing, clear, and enchanting music resounded throughout the auditorium. The entire stage was dark except for the spotlight that shone on the piano. Lin Feiran’s refined and elegant appearance, coupled with the effects of the lighting, became even more eye-catching. His hair appeared somewhat silky under the strong light and looked like it would be enjoyable to touch.
Lin Feiran exuded a very strong presence when he played the piano making the audience completely transfixed. There was not a single whisper. Everyone’s gazes were firmly glued to the stage, including Gu Kaifeng’s.
How can he be so captivating? F**k… Gu Kaifeng stared at Lin Feiran’s willowy waistline that was emphasized by the tapering in the suit, his Adam’s apple bobbing. The surging emotions he felt these past few days became a little harder to suppress.