I discovered a secret.
It seems like he touches his neck whenever he lies.
- "Su Zai Zai the Little Fairy's Diary"
Su Zai Zai was stunned.
So, did he think that all the water she brought him, and the photos and videos she took, were just because she coveted that silver medal?
The handsome guy's way of thinking is truly different...
Su Zai Zai licked her lips.
She watched his back as he walked away and obediently didn't follow him.
She stood there for a while before turning and slowly heading back to her class's tent.
As she walked, she replayed the scene in her mind.
He had taken a step forward, his face devoid of any emotion.
There was the scent of sunlight on him, mixed with a bit of sweat.
It smelled really nice.
When he placed the medal over her head, his fingertips had unintentionally brushed against her hair.
As he spoke, his faint breath had brushed her face.
Su Zai Zai grasped the silver medal, and suddenly her face felt like it was on fire.
It made her heart start beating faster.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Ye Zhenxin's expression wasn't looking good. She asked jokingly, "Zhang Lu Rang, is she your friend?"
Zhang Lu Rang didn't answer.
Another girl quickly chimed in, "Why did you give her the silver medal?"
Zhang Lu Rang paused and then replied indifferently, "She wanted it."
If he didn't give it to her, she would never stop bothering him.
...Consider it repayment for that bottle of water.
But the girls clearly misunderstood his meaning.
Ye Zhenxin's face turned extremely sour, and she immediately turned and walked off in a different direction.
One of the girls followed her.
The remaining two girls awkwardly laughed and shifted the conversation to tonight's school event.
After the afternoon competition, Su Zai Zai went to the cafeteria with Jiang Jia for dinner.
Since there was another event in the evening and she was worried she might sweat, she didn't go back to shower, but instead returned directly to the classroom.
Su Zai Zai wasn't participating in the class's performance for the evening event but in the Eco-Fashion Show for the Science Festival.
Each class had to make two outfits and send a male and female model to walk the runway, which was the first event of the evening.
Su Zai Zai went to the restroom to change into her dress.
The dress was just above mid-thigh, overall beige, with paper-folded flowers adorning it, forming a floral pattern. A translucent white ribbon cinched the waist, and layers of mosquito netting were sewn onto the skirt, giving it a puffy and playful look.
She wanted to check herself in the mirror, but the class's arts committee member, Huang Yuanjuan, dragged her back to the classroom to do her makeup and hair.
While Huang Yuanjuan was doing Su Zai Zai's makeup, Jiang Jia was behind her, gathering all of Su Zai Zai's hair and braiding it into a fishtail braid that hung from behind her ear to her chest.
Then she clipped several small floral clips into the braid.
Jiang Jia worked quickly and was done in no time. She then sat to the side, watching Huang Yuanjuan apply Su Zai Zai's makeup. "By the way, Zai Zai, did you bring high heels?"
Su Zai Zai nodded and, taking advantage of the moment when Huang Yuanjuan's hands left her face, said, "I brought a pair of black ones. My mom bought them for me. I feel like I'll be almost 1.8 meters tall when I wear them."
Jiang Jia sighed, "Being tall isn't all good. It's hard to find a boyfriend."
Su Zai Zai felt insulted.
She scoffed and retorted, "As if being short guarantees you'll findone."
Besides, how tall is the handsome guy anyway? It's not like she wouldn't be able to find a boyfriend.
Since it was the first event, Su Zai Zai went directly to the backstage area after arriving.
Her partner for the runway was Guan Han, whose outfit was far less elaborate than hers. As she had expected, it was a set of clothes hastily made out of black plastic bags.
When Guan Han saw her, he nearly exploded with frustration, "What the hell? This is so unfair!"
Su Zai Zai, suppressing her conscience, praised him, "It's okay, you still look handsome in it."
"Heh."
"Suddenly, I feel like we're in a stage play."
"...What?"
"A little fairy saving a beggar."
"Get lost!"
With ten minutes left before the runway show began, Su Zai Zai,feeling bored, wandered over to the backstage staff and stared at the program schedule in his hands.
1. "Eco-Fashion Show"
2. Grade 11 (Class 13) Solo: "Ambiguity"
3. Grade 10 (Class 1) Stage Play: "What to Do When You're Robbed"
Su Zai Zai: "..."
So, what role is Zhang Lu Rang playing...?
Is he supposed to be someone getting assaulted?
Su Zai Zai briefly imagined Zhang Lu Rang being mistreated and immediately covered her nose.
She took a deep breath to clear her mind of the unsettling thoughts.
After what felt like a long speech, lively music began to play in her ears.
The fashion show went in order by grade, starting with the lowest and going from Class 1 to the last class.
So, the first up was Grade 10, Class 1.
A boy and a girl entered the stage from opposite sides, walking straight ahead. When they were about a meter apart, they turned and faced the audience, then walked to either side of the stage andtook their positions.
Each pair didn't take long, and soon it was Su Zai Zai's turn.
Aside from her shoes, her entire outfit was in light colors. Despite the subdued tones of her dress, it didn't diminish her vibrant personality; in fact, it made her stand out even more.
The two had rehearsed beforehand.
When they reached the front, Su Zai Zai was supposed to turn slightly, so her entire face was toward the audience.
Guan Han would then kneel on one knee, take Su Zai Zai's hand, and pretend to kiss it.
They quickly separated and found their places to strike a pose.
Finally, when it was time to exit the stage, Su Zai Zai breathed a sigh of relief and began to walk back along the original route.
As soon as she reached backstage, she immediately spotted Zhang Lu Rang standing off to the side, preparing to go on stage.
Su Zai Zai's eyes lit up, and she called out to him, "Zhang Lu Rang."
He didn't respond. He was leaning against the wall, his expression a bit lazy, lost in thought.
Su Zai Zai walked over and took the opportunity to explain, "The guy who competed with you today, our class calls him 'Nan Shen'-'Nan' as in 'Pumpkin' (Nan Gua)."
Zhang Lu Rang lifted his gaze slightly.
Su Zai Zai thought for a moment and added, "But I've never called him that."
He didn't seem to care much, asking nonchalantly, "So who did you call that?"
Hearing this, Su Zai Zai's heart started pounding.
Did he hear her calling "male god" earlier?
Did he really hear that?
Su Zai Zai swallowed nervously and instinctively looked away.
At the crucial moment, she chickened out.
She wanted to say it, but she didn't dare.
...No, she couldn't back down now.
You can't be timid when chasing a guy!
Su Zai Zai gritted her teeth and forced herself to say it, "You."
Zhang Lu Rang stayed silent.
After she said it, the nervous tension immediately faded.
Su Zai Zai's courage surged, and she lifted her head, earnestly repeating, "I was calling you."
The atmosphere fell silent.
At that moment, it felt like Su Zai Zai couldn't hear anything else; she was entirely focused on waiting for his reaction.
But the waiting was agonizing.
Her courage felt like air being pumped into a balloon.
The plastic balloon was fragile and easily burst with just one look from him.
"Pop!"-and it was gone.
Zhang Lu Rang's lips parted slightly, just as he was about to say something, but Su Zai Zai interrupted him.
She anxiously pinched her fingertips, and the words slipped out without thinking.
"But maybe you didn't hear it clearly when you were running-I was actually saying 'male neurotic."
Zhang Lu Rang: "..."
She chickened out again...
And made it worse.
Su Zai Zai lowered her head in frustration, feeling speechless toward herself.
She pretended nothing had happened, pointed at herself, andchanged the subject: "How do I look?"
"..." Zhang Lu Rang completely ignored her.
"Don't I look amazing? The crowd was cheering so loudly when I came out!"
Su Zai Zai just wanted him to forget what she had said earlier; her mind was a jumbled mess, and she was babbling nonsense.
Zhang Lu Rang: "..."
She cautiously looked up, checking his expression.
He didn't seem to be angry...
Su Zai Zai let out a sigh of relief.
But she also noticed that he still wasn't looking directly at her, which made Su Zai Zai a bit annoyed.
She muttered under her breath, "Just one look won't cost you anything."
Hearing this, Zhang Lu Rang suddenly found it a little amusing.
He finally lowered his gaze and looked at her seriously.
His eyes moved from her rosy lips to her delicate nose, finally resting on her bright, clear eyes.
They were vivid and bold, like they were inlaid with glass.
Moist and smiling, they seemed to be drawing him in.
His heart gave a sudden jolt.
Caught off guard, he quickly looked away.
Seeing that he didn't respond, Su Zai Zai rephrased her question: "Do I not look good?"
A few seconds passed.
"Mm," Zhang Lu Rang responded with a low grunt.
Su Zai Zai didn't mind and lifted her head, smiling, "You have terrible taste."
Zhang Lu Rang didn't respond.
He lowered his gaze, his thick eyelashes hiding his emotions.
In the dim light, his expression was hard to discern.
Shadowy and vague.
But his actions were clear and undeniable.
Su Zai Zai saw him lift his hand.
His movement was slow, trying to appear nonchalant as he touched the back of his neck.
Just a brief touch, and then he let go.