Chapter 147: Attending the Celebration

  Q University is located in the southeastern part of Island City, with mountains and sea views, a quiet environment. Entering the south gate, the first thing that catches your eye is a sculpture of an eagle spreading its wings, the roadsides are lined with hibiscus and cherry blossoms, the leaves have begun to turn slightly yellow, adding a touch of autumn beauty.

  The tenth anniversary coincided with Saturday, and many local students' parents also came to join in the fun. As a result, Luo Ye and his group brought some small gifts that were not too conspicuous. The little guy tightly held onto Luo Ye's and Xing Nong's hands, his face flushed red as he visited the university campus, something he had never dared to dream of before today.

  Xīng nòng liàn ài de mō mō dōng dōng xiǎo nǎo dài: "xǐ huān zhèr ma"

  Translation:

  Stroking the little brain of the lovely and gentle Dongdong, "Do you like it here?"

  "Uh-huh!" Dongdong nodded vigorously, his eyes shining brightly.

  "Then you'd better study hard and take the entrance exam for this university, okay?"

  "Uh-huh!" The little guy nodded vigorously again.

  Ying Nu deliberately teased: "It's all over, after Dongdong entered the school, he became a standard 'en' party member. Except for 'en', he won't say anything else."

  "No. Not at all, I just can't say it, I'm too excited."

  "Nuo sister is teasing you on purpose, don't mind her." Xing Nong wrapped Dongdong in his arms and pinched the tender little face.

  Tang Luo rolled his eyes speechlessly: "Yan Xing Nong, I solemnly warn you, be careful or Dongdong will drool all over you and can't stop, in the future you won't be able to find a wife, are you going to marry him?"

  "I'd be delighted to marry her if Dongdong keeps drooling like that all the time. How about it? It's enough to make you angry to death!"

  "What's there to be angry about, pinch and pinch." Tang Luo said with a light pinch on Dongdong's ear: "Remember, in the future if you drool, blame it on Xing Tuo sister. If she doesn't marry, you go to her house and refuse to leave, let her not get married either."

  "Alright, look what they've done to the kid?" Fu Mo quickly rescued Dongdong from their clutches, his face beet red, and pulled him into his own arms. "Dongdong, don't listen to their nonsense. And remember, you can refuse things you don't like in the future, just like when someone pinches your cheeks, got it?"

  "What do you mean? Want to take away my only hobby? Come on. Sister and you have a good argument, Tang Tang, it's your family's fault for not understanding, can't blame me." Xing Nang bared her teeth and pounced on Fu Mo.

  Tang Luo looked at Fu Mo, who was being hugged and nibbled on by Xing Tong, with a puzzled expression: "I really don't understand this girl, is pinching her cheeks that enjoyable? I think she's going to fall for it sooner or later."

  "No big deal, at most just bring back a small boyfriend to show off, for our star's sake, it's not a big deal, and we can openly and freely pinch his face."

  "Nuo Nuo said so. I'm just waiting to see her being entangled and unable to shake it off, hahaha..."

  Xing Nu mysteriously poked Tang Luo: "Tang Tang, you're smiling so smugly, is it because of Fu Mo's heartache?"

  The laughter stopped abruptly, a layer of red flush crept up her cheeks, and the shy and coy expression made Pei Mo's gaze linger on Tang Luo.

  Xing Nong obviously sensed something was off, and followed Fei Mo's line of sight to look over, smiling knowingly. Taking a step forward, she pulled Tang Luo to Fei Mo's side, "I'll leave you two to your sweet time."

  "We were sweet to begin with, I'm so jealous of you!" Tang Luo took advantage of the situation and wrapped his arm around Fu Mo's, pretending to be nonchalant, but the sparkling eyes and the blush that crept up to her ears revealed the girl's shyness.

  Silently spoiled and rubbed Tang Luo's head, then turned to look at Xing Nong: "Don't tease her anymore."

  "Who teased her?" Xing Nong pouted: "You can say it, but you can't do it yourself? Don't be hypocritical!"

  "Alright. I'm not pretending, I like being quiet, are you satisfied?" Tang Luo's small face tensed up, and from the tone, it wasn't a joke.

  "Alright, alright, why are you still annoyed after just joking around?" Luo Ye frowned and looked at Tang Luo: "Did something unhappy happen?"

  Tang Luo's eyes quickly turned red and he sniffled: "Nothing, I just have a bad mood for no reason."

  She looks like that, you can tell at a glance that she's encountered some annoying things and is feeling wronged in her heart. Xing Nong took advantage of the commotion to vent her emotions.

  Lu Ye took out two adjacent admission tickets from the bag: "Fu Mo, accompany Tang Tang to stroll around, and go to the auditorium when it's time."

  Tang Luo looked at several people hesitantly: "Sorry, I... don't want to tell you, it's just that I don't know how to start, let's talk about it after the celebration, okay?"

  "Tang Tang, I didn't know you were feeling down, don't blame me, haha. As for what's bothering you, whenever you want to talk about it, we won't mind. For now, let Fu Mo accompany you to clear your head, see you later! Xing Nong pulled Dong Dong and ran: "Luo Luo, Nuonuo, we're taking Dong Dong out for a spin, hurry up and follow us!"

  Luoye and Yīng Nuò exchanged a glance, quickly chasing after them. Those two were like window paper, four or five scratches not enough to scratch, it was an embarrassing moment, so let's hurry up!

  ……

  The ceremony was held in the school's grand auditorium, which could accommodate over 5,000 people. Far away, a huge banner on top of the auditorium read "Warm Welcome to City Leaders Attending Our School's Tenth Anniversary Celebration". Xīng Lóng cleared his throat and said: "Luò Luò, do you think your dad will come?"

  "My dad? He wouldn't participate in this kind of activity, especially with my brother around..." Luo Ye said, shaking her head again: "But who knows, he's doing things now that I don't dare to guess randomly. Look at this banner, it's ambiguous, really can't say for sure. Forget it, let's not guess, let's go backstage and see how my brother is preparing."

  Ying Nu took a deep breath: "It's still my first time participating in such a large-scale event, going backstage...". Pausing for a moment: "Dong Dong, are you nervous?"

  "Don't worry, I'm just super excited!" The crisp and tender voice was filled with joy, the eyebrows and eyes on her little face were about to fly away.

  Xing Le's bad temper flared up again: "Is the reason for the tension related to the size of the activity and the background? Is it not because of people?"

  "Xīng nòng, yī shí bù sǔn rén nǐ jiù nán shòu, xiǎo xīn ō, nǐ yě yǒu bèi wǒmen zhuā zhù bǎ bǐng de shí hòu." Yǐng nuò de xìng gé bǐ táng luò ruǎn ruǎn, shuō chū lái de huà yě róu róu miàn miàn.

  "No problem, go ahead and tease me all you want at that time. If I can make you guys laugh, then I, Yan Xing Nong, will have made a contribution."

  Several people arrived at the backstage, and a pungent smell of cosmetics came rushing towards them. Inside, it was a chaotic scene, but one glance was enough to spot Lu Da Shao Ye - his emerald green shirt, crisp white casual pants, tall and straight figure, handsome face, stunning!

  "Older brother."

  "Luò Fēng Gē."

  “……”

  "Yèr, how did you all get in? I mean, how did you manage to enter?" Luo Feng looked at the group in surprise. Non-participants were not allowed in without being accompanied by a familiar face, and after days of rehearsals, the staff could tell at a glance who was an imposter.

  Lu Ye smiled and said: "Considering that we all look quite good to the audience, the staff just let us in."

  "It's impossible, those two are notoriously serious." Luo Feng said with a disbelieving face.

  "Then you don't have to worry about it..."

  A short and stout male classmate hurried over, "Luo Feng, the little actor for the skit can't make it, his mom just called saying that after his grandfather found out, he was adamant that the kid couldn't participate in the performance."

  "It's about time he said he wasn't coming, what can we do? I'll give him a call." Luo Feng pointed to Luo Ye and the others: "Li Liang, this is my sister and her classmates, help take care of them for me."

  Luoye has a black line on her head, they are so big now. Do you still need to take care of them? When she wanted to refute, her brother had already run away without a trace, huh, it's really not in vain that he practiced.

  "Hello, I'm Li Liang." The boy classmate smiled foolishly: "Classmates all call me Pangzi."

  "My name is Luo Ye, this is my classmate Yan Xing Nong, Shang Guan Ying Nu. This little friend is Tao Dong Dong, Li Da Ge. You go ahead and busy yourself, we'll wait here for my brother."

  Li Liang waved his hand: "I'm just a runner, Qu Yue was called by the principal just now, after this incident I must wait for Luo Feng's instructions before going to inform the performance team of this program."

  Xing Nong couldn't help but laugh: "Li Dage is still quite serious."

  Li Liang's serious face: "We can't be careless, the city leaders are coming, we can't afford to make mistakes. Look at the school leader's expression, the officials who come are not small. Originally, this performance was entirely the responsibility of the students. As a result, a few teachers were temporarily added to help from the day before yesterday, but they didn't participate in the early stage, and the specific command is still up to Qu Yue and Luo Feng."

  "Lu Ye? Is it really you? I thought you looked familiar."

  Lu Ye turned her head to see a familiar face, Zhuang Mei Li staring at her with a surprised expression, a traditional blue cheongsam dress making her look gentle and elegant.

  "Beautiful sister, you look really beautiful today." Luo Ye sincerely praised and introduced Xing Nong, Tang Luo and Dongdong to Zhuang Meili.

  A woman's intuition is indeed sharp, and the gaze that Zhuang Meili cast on Ying Nuo was noticeably longer than anyone else's. She hesitated for a moment: "Luo Ye, may I have a word with you in private?"

  "Go!"

  "Luoye, I'll take care of your classmates and this little friend. When Luofeng comes back, I'll tell him you went out with Zhuang Meili."

  Luoye smiled and nodded, following Zhuang Meili out, secretly laughing in her heart. This Li Liang is quite interesting, probably knowing that Zhuang Meili had a crush on her brother.

  Arriving at a deserted corner, Zhuang Meili smiled awkwardly: "Luo Ye, I'm looking for you about Liang Jing's matter, it's a bit presumptuous, please forgive me."

  A hint of surprise flashed in Luo Ye's eyes, "Speak."

  "You also know that Liang Jing and I are from the same hometown, but my family's economic situation is better than hers, so I'm naturally more fortunate than her. She's a bit jealous of me about this, which I'm aware of."

  She liked Luo Feng. This thing used to make me very disgusted with her, but after thinking about it, everyone has the right to pursue happiness, and I really have no qualifications to say anything about her, so I forgave her.

  What puzzles me is that she suddenly left the island city, and a few days ago I received a letter from her saying that if I had the chance to meet you, would you help her ask one thing: can she return to the island city?

  She also said that she guarantees not to see Luo Feng again, and told me that this matter must not be asked of Luo Feng, nor can Luo Feng know about it. It can only be asked directly from you. Originally, I was worried when I would be able to see you, but unexpectedly, it's so coincidental.

  Luoye remained silent, Zhu Meili hesitated for a moment before continuing: "Luoye, I don't know what happened between you two, but she's really pitiful. Her family locked her up for the dowry money, if it wasn't for her brother, she would have been forced to marry by now."

  For her, even if she's having a tough time outside, she wouldn't dare go back to ask for help from family members. I guess she couldn't find a suitable job in Weicheng, so she had no choice but to come to you... Can we not hold it against her?

  Lu Ye gave a faint glance at Zhuang Mei Li: "I didn't bother to argue with her, the legs are on her body, let her remember what she said, otherwise she'll have to bear the consequences!" After walking a few steps, he turned back and added: "Some things, it's best not to interfere when you don't understand the situation."

  Zhuang Meili stared blankly as Luo Ye's figure disappeared, still not understanding where she had gone wrong. She thought to herself that she shouldn't be blamed for helping a good friend without considering past grievances, but rather should be praised.

  "Is this going to be Dongdong replacing your absent little actor?" Luo Ye turned around and saw that Dongdong was already being made up in his seat.

  Luofeng sighed: "Yes, that girl's grandfather was criticized for acting in the past and has a shadow on this matter. No matter how his family persuaded him, he couldn't be convinced. When he got excited, his high blood pressure relapsed. What can we do? Time is too urgent, so Dongdong will dress up as a girl."

  Lu Ye's face was filled with puzzlement: "Where did you find her?"

  Her cousin was one of the backbone members of the student union, and at that time, she said to find a little actor, and someone volunteered to do this thing, who knew there was such a play?

  "What's going on? Why aren't the key people here?"

  "Sneaked back home and tried to persuade for half a day but didn't succeed, only then informed us that we can't come, probably will be back soon."

  "This backbone is really unreliable, by the way, are there not many lines?"

  "Just two sentences, it's okay to walk on the court, just stand next to the main character with a smile, the main character is Qu Yue, I'll tell him to lead Dongdong intentionally later."

  Xing Nu hugged her daughter and examined her carefully: "But does she look like a little girl? Why do I think she looks like Hong Hai'er?"

  The girl who was putting on makeup rolled her eyes in dissatisfaction: "How can I look like a little girl? I haven't even finished yet!"

  Lu Ye frowned: "Forget it, I'll do it myself. These two cheeks look like they've got frostbite or something. I think 'Red Boy' is quite fitting, but whatever you do, don't confuse him with the Red Boy from Journey to the West - that would be an insult to the classic image."

  "Who are you? How can you talk like that?" The girl looked at Luo Feng: "Luo Feng, can't you make these idle people stop gossiping?"

  "I'm this little boy's sister. You can turn others into whatever you want, but don't ruin our family's child's face. If not, we won't participate in the performance. It's up to you."

  "Liu Yan, you go busy elsewhere, this is my sister, her skills are definitely better than yours."

  "Luofeng, your sister is really beautiful, sorry Lu sister, it's me who doesn't know a good thing when I see it. You mustn't take me seriously."

  Looking at that smiling face, Luo Ye suddenly realized that this was her brother's admirer. She probably thought she and Xing were rivals in love earlier, but her eyesight is really bad. The real rival, Ying Nuodai, is standing right next to her.

  Hurriedly walking, Qu Yue's line of sight touched Luo Ye who was helping Dongdong with makeup, and his footsteps suddenly stopped. Such ordinary blue jeans and white shirt on her body were so elegant and refined. Her focused expression, slightly furrowed eyebrows, and shiny skin... Qu Yue struggled to move his gaze away from Luo Ye's face, laughing at himself in ridicule, when had he become so lacking in self-control?

  Today was busy, I'm completely exhausted, covering my face, owe two thousand words, will make up for tomorrow's more.