This humble Taoist priest wants to take the college entrance exam.

Chapter 268 Who doesn't know how to use a Taoist priest?

"Zhizhi—!!"

As soon as they returned backstage, Chen Shian and Wen Zhixia were surrounded by their friends.

The girl's group of best friends were incredibly excited, chattering excitedly, "You guys sang so well! So much better than in rehearsals! It was perfect, oh my god!"

"whee……"

Wen Zhixia, however, was only focused on smiling. Her little face was flushed, and she breathed a sigh of relief after successfully completing the duet with the Taoist priest.

Having gained experience from her previous performance, she didn't feel nervous about the following skit.

Lin Mengqiu gave the two of them a somewhat resentful look.

This stinky Taoist priest and stinky cicada, why do they sing so well?! Are they going to hold a concert?!
Ugh... Now all the pressure is on her.

If her duet with Chen Shi'an doesn't go well later, wouldn't it be obvious who is better and who is worse?

Ugh, I should have changed the program so she and Chen Shi'an could have gone on stage first...

"...You sang well."

Lin Mengqiu handed a bottle of mineral water to Chen Shi'an.

Chen Shi'an thought she was drinking it herself, but it turned out to be something she had prepared for him.

The mineral water had been warmed by the class monitor for a long time, and it was now lukewarm, just enough to soothe my throat after singing.

"Thank you monitor."

These little actions naturally didn't escape Wen Zhixia's eyes. When the two girls' eyes met, Wen Zhixia secretly raised her eyebrows. Lin Mengqiu knew exactly what this stinky cicada was going to say!
[See? This is how Taoists use it!]
[×××××!]
There was no time to savor the moment any longer. Taking advantage of a segment featuring other performers, the group quickly rested and prepared for their upcoming skit.

Chen Shi'an went to the changing room and changed into the specially made 'old school uniform'.

Wen Zhixia and the others quickly went over the lines and procedures of the skit again.

……

Soon, amidst the expectant gazes of Li Wanyin in the audience, the host announced the program again:
"Next, please enjoy the campus skit 'Traveling Through a Classroom Over Thirty Years' performed by eight students from Class 5, Grade 11: Chen Shi'an, Lin Mengqiu, Qiu Yufu, and Xu Zihan, and Class 21, Grade 12: Wen Zhixia, Yao Jingyan, He Yeye, and Shen Yatong!"

A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience, and the stage lights dimmed again.

When the lights came back on, the curtain was drawn back, revealing two distinctly different main and secondary scenes.

The main scene is a modern classroom in 2023, while the secondary scene is a classroom in 1993 with a sense of nostalgia.

[Act One - The Older Senior's Intrusion]

The curtain rises - (Lin Mengqiu's group is discussing on a tablet)
Lin Mengqiu: "Look, the program has already rearranged and optimized the seating based on each student's grades, height, and vision information."

Yao Jingyan (turning to the audience with a surprised expression): "Wow! This efficiency is even faster than when my mom urges me to do my homework!"

"Hahaha! Xiaoyan!"

The audience spontaneously chuckled, especially those who knew Xiaoyan, who found it hilarious.

(Suddenly, a figure descended from the sky at the back of the classroom.)
[Smack!]
"Wow——!"

Upon seeing this commotion, the teachers, school leaders, alumni, and students in the audience were all startled, thinking that the ceiling had suddenly collapsed!
The school leaders, especially those who were unaware of the situation, were all very worried. Whether it was a ceiling falling down or a student getting injured, it was a performance accident!

Fortunately, it seems to be part of the show...

"Ouch!"

Wearing an old, outdated school uniform, Chen Shi'an sat on the stage floor, clutching a shabby aluminum lunchbox, looking around blankly: "Where...where am I? Wasn't the school out of power, and we were studying by candlelight in the classroom? What am I doing here? Wow...this light! It's so bright! Brighter than the tower crane lights at the construction site next door?"

Familiar internet memes and humorous lines came from Chen Shi'an's mouth, and combined with the atmosphere of the scene, the audience laughed non-stop and applauded and cheered for Dao Ye's dedicated appearance.

Wen Zhixia (hurriedly stepped forward to support her arm): "Student, your outfit...you've come to the wrong film set, haven't you? We haven't arranged any period dramas here."

Lin Mengqiu (also took a step forward, serious and calm): "Where did you fall, classmate? Which class are you in?"

Chen Shi'an (standing up and looking around): "I am Chen Shi'an from Class 5, Grade 12. The school lost power, so I was studying in the classroom by candlelight..."

As he finished speaking, the stage lights shone on the secondary scene: 'Classroom 5, Senior Three, 1993'.

On the outdated double desk, only Xu Zihan sat alone. A candle was lit beside him as he studied diligently. Looking at the empty seat next to him, Xu Zihan scratched his head and asked the audience in confusion, "Wait, where's my big deskmate?"

The audience burst into laughter again.

Especially those guys who know Zihan well, seeing that Zihan is actually playing the role of a diligent and studious top student, the contrast is really hilarious.

"Zihan is all alone in her empty room!"

"Hahaha! I never thought Zihan would play a top student!"

The skit on stage continued, and as Chen Shi'an narrated, everyone suddenly realized what was going on.

Qiu Yufu: "Yunqi High School?! Isn't that the predecessor of our school?!"

Yao Jingyan: "Hey! A senior from my school has fallen from the sky!"

The skit uses the humorous generation gap as dramatic conflict, with several classmates taking Chen Shi'an to witness the changes in the school over the past thirty years.

They visited the modern classrooms, dormitories, cafeteria, and school playground. It was impossible to set up so many scenes and props on stage at the same time, so the actors mainly relied on virtual performances to show off their acting skills.

Wen Zhixia: Senior, did you really use candles during evening self-study back then?

Chen Shi'an: (slaps his thigh) Absolutely! The voltage is unstable and there are frequent power outages. The classroom goes dark in a flash, and then the candlelight comes on (his eyes are nostalgic). From a distance, it looks quite romantic, but it's a bit of a hair killer—some students have had half of their bangs singed off.

Everyone: (Laughs)

Lin Mengqiu: Senior, I heard that you guys take showers like you're fighting a war?

Chen Shi'an: (Getting excited, standing up and gesturing) A 500-meter sprint! Summer is fine, you can just take a cold shower, but in winter, seeing that tap is like seeing a long-lost relative! A bucket of hot water costs one cent, you have to be quick... like that (pointing to Xu Zihan in the sub-scene).

While introducing the current campus life, Xu Zihan, as the control group, is simultaneously depicting the life of fetching water and meals thirty years ago.

Xu Zihan: "Auntie, please, give me another piece of meat, it's all shaken off!"

He Yeye: "Who are you calling 'Auntie'!"

Xu Zihan: "Sister! Give me another piece of meat! Stop shaking!"

He Yeye: "They're all hidden inside the potatoes!"

Xu Zihan: "It's a piece of ginger!"

"Ha ha ha ha……!"

The skit was packed with natural laughs, offering both a humorous recreation of past campus life and a stark contrast from the perspective of modern students. The witty lines and exaggerated expressions of the performers kept the audience laughing throughout the performance.

Teachers and alumni who experienced that era were especially moved by this skit, which evoked memories of their youth from two or three decades ago.

The short, lighthearted skit, lasting just over ten minutes, flew by.

After Wen Zhixia and Lin Mengqiu concluded by shouting, "Eat more and live up to our youth!", all eight bowed in unison, successfully ending the skit.

It also successfully garnered thunderous applause and continuous laughter.

……

The principal, sitting in the very center of the first row of leadership seats, was also extremely happy at that moment.

Ever since Mengqiu went on stage, Lin Ming has been recording videos on his phone. Seeing his daughter reciting those lines so seriously, the old father couldn't help but smile.

No matter how many sketches are performed on the Spring Festival Gala, nothing brings as much joy as my own precious daughter standing on stage.

Not to mention the young boys and girls who worked together seamlessly and performed quite well.

My daughter's show is next!
...As the party drew to a close, the atmosphere grew increasingly lively, and the host's announcement rang out once more:

"The last performance is the song 'My Deskmate' performed by Chen Shi'an and Lin Mengqiu from Class 5 of Grade 11!"

"Whoa~~~~!!"

As two of the school's most famous figures, Chen Shi'an and Lin Mengqiu are known to almost everyone. Everyone also knows that the two who monopolize the top two spots in the science stream are deskmates.

Now that the two are sitting at the same desk, they are going to play "My Deskmate" together. How could the young boys and girls not laugh and joke with each other, and cheers of anticipation rise and fall?

As the lights dimmed, a spotlight immediately fell on the right side of the stage.

Lin Mengqiu sat upright beside the grand piano, her slender fingers gently resting on the keys. Unseen by the audience, her fingertips trembled slightly with nervousness.

This was the first time the girl had played the piano in front of so many people.

Chen Shi'an, who was standing in the middle of the stage when he sang with Wen Zhixia, is no longer standing in the middle of the stage.

He took the microphone, moved a chair over, and sat down next to her piano in a very intimate and natural manner.

Their posture was so natural, like chatting casually under the shade of trees on campus, that it immediately created a pleasant atmosphere.

The students below the stage had bright eyes, smirked, and burst into a series of ambiguous "ooh ooh" sounds.

With Chen Shi'an by her side, Lin Mengqiu immediately felt less nervous.

She took a deep breath, lifted her fingertips slightly, and then lowered them.

The familiar yet slightly melancholic prelude to "My Deskmate" flowed like a clear spring from the piano keys, instantly calming the lively noise brought about by the skit in the auditorium, replacing it with a tranquil and nostalgic atmosphere.

The audience on stage gradually quieted down as well...

At first, the girl's fingertips were a little clumsy, but as the first section ended, Lin Mengqiu was completely immersed in it.

Her eyes were lowered, and her long, thick eyelashes cast faint shadows under her eyelids.

His expression was as focused as if he were solving the most complex math problem, but the melody flowing from his fingertips was full of tenderness, kneading the delicate emotions unique to adolescence into the piano music.

Just as the piano music transitioned, Chen Shi'an picked up the microphone, and his clear, emotional voice, uniquely that of a young man, rang out:
Will you remember tomorrow the diary entry you wrote yesterday?

Will you still remember the you who used to cry the most tomorrow?

His voice was clear and bright, unique to a young person, yet gentle and narrating, like a spring breeze brushing across a lake, subtly and delicately entering everyone's heart.

As soon as the first line was sung, students in the audience unconsciously hummed along.

Chen Shi'an held the microphone steadily. He didn't look at the audience, but at Lin Mengqiu's eyes.

Her voice carried a natural intimacy, as if she were not performing on a stage, but whispering to her deskmate.

Even Lin Mengqiu, who was playing the piano, couldn't help but raise her eyes and meet his gaze at that moment.

The girl's heart pounded wildly, and her little ears, hidden among her hair, gradually blushed...

Wen Zhixia, hiding in the aisle behind the curtain, puffed out her cheeks;

Wanyin, who was recording with her phone, also blinked...

One person plays the piano, and the other sings; the music and the singing blend together perfectly.

Chen Shi'an seemed to be able to accurately capture the emotional changes in the girl's piano playing. Whenever her piano playing became gentle, his singing would also become softer, like a thin veil wrapping around the piano playing.

When the piano melody is accompanied by a few low notes, his singing voice will also carry a touch of melancholy, echoing the melody.

"You once mentioned it casually~"

"You like being with me~"

The stage lights cast a soft, gentle shadow on the two figures.

Lin Mengqiu would occasionally glance up and meet Chen Shi'an's gaze, then quickly look away, which softened the melody playing at her fingertips.

The audience below the stage was already completely immersed in the singing and piano music.

The principal in the front row smiled, his phone held still, the camera firmly focused on his daughter on the stage.

He had never seen a girl like this before—focused, tender, and radiant.

Most of the students around sat quietly, some with their chins in their hands, their eyes full of longing;

Some secretly glanced at someone in the crowd, their eyes glazed over...

"The sky was always so blue back then~"

"Time always seems to pass too slowly~"

You always said graduation was a long way off, but in the blink of an eye, we're all going our separate ways.

Chen Shi'an's singing is full of nostalgia for his school days and the friendship with his classmates. Combined with Lin Mengqiu's lyrical piano playing, it perfectly expresses the pure, innocent, and slightly melancholic emotions of youth.

Unlike the enthusiastic performance when he sang with Wen Zhixia, the auditorium was unusually quiet during Chen Shi'an and Lin Mengqiu's performance.

The entire venue fell silent for a moment until the last note faded.

A thunderous round of applause erupted immediately, and many alumni who had turned around and were now "in the music" even secretly wiped away tears...

The students raised their hands and clapped enthusiastically, with cheers and shouts of approval rising and falling.

"It sounds great!!"

"Whoa~~~!!"

"This couple is so cute!"

Cheers and applause were heard continuously.

The principal clapped his hands vigorously until his palms were red, and his eyes were full of approval as he looked at the two people on the stage.

On stage, Lin Mengqiu stood up and stood side by side with Chen Shi'an, bowing deeply to the audience.

The flashing cell phone lights in the audience made Lin Mengqiu a little dizzy, her heart still pounding with unfinished business.

She turned around and looked up at Chen Shi'an beside her.

Finally, a radiant smile of relief appeared on his face.

……

In the dimly lit corridor with curtains.

Xiao Yan clung tightly to Wen Zhixia, dragging her backstage:
"Zhizhi! Don't listen! Don't look! It's all bad reviews outside!"

"Hey, hey, Xiaoyan, move aside! I want to see!"

"Would you like the fan? I brought it down for you beforehand..."

Thinking ahead, Xiao Yan quickly waved a de-escalator for her.

The little cicada had puffed up like a little frog.

(▼皿▼#) Ouch!
Who taught your deskmate to sing the song like that?!

　Book Recommendation: On graduation day, Lin Mo, as a representative of outstanding students, delivered a speech.

　　"I have made outstanding contributions to solving the problem of students dating!"

　　"Because I graduated."

　　
　
(End of this chapter)