I turned reality into a romantic comedy.

On weekdays, the campus before evening self-study sessions is always filled with a hurried and oppressive quiet. After students hurriedly finish their dinner, they have to rush back to the classroom. Occasionally, someone will quietly recite vocabulary words in the corridor. The broadcasting station will play soothing instrumental music on time to remind everyone to focus and prepare for the last period of study time of the day.

But today, the rare evening self-study session was suspended, and in its place was the annual campus top ten singers competition. Although it is an annual event, thanks to the popularization of knowledge by the older students, even the first-year students themselves know that this is definitely the largest and most special competition in history. There is no need to attend evening self-study, and you can also meet the legendary mysterious and beautiful online singer Yi Qiu. More importantly, in order to cooperate with the filming of the TV series "We Live in Guoning", the school specially arranged the auditorium and playground as an unprecedented scale.

Just after dinner, the school gate gradually became lively. Buses dropping off and picking up students stopped and left one after another. Students came in from the school gate in twos and threes, their school uniform hems swaying gently in the early summer evening breeze, chatting and laughing about the upcoming competition.

"I heard the stage is completely different from before!"

"Of course it's different. The entire film crew is here, okay? I just passed by the auditorium and saw a row of cameras."

Will they really film us?

"What if we get filmed? Maybe when the promotional video is released, we'll be the background actors for Guoning Middle School."

"Your ambition is too high."

"Even the background actors are actors!"

Class teachers and class officers stood in front of the teaching building to maintain order. At the entrance of the auditorium, signs were already set up on both sides, with gold lettering standing out under the lights against a dark blue background.

The 10th Top Ten Singers Competition of Guoning Middle School (Senior High Division).

Below is a line of slightly smaller text:

Special filming scenes for "We Live in Guoning".

The students who had already arrived lined up to enter the auditorium from the entrance, but as soon as they crossed the threshold, many of them stopped in their tracks.

"Wow--"

Almost simultaneously, gasps of amazement arose; the once familiar auditorium seemed to have been given a completely different appearance.

The stage extended forward, forming a semi-circular open platform. Lights hung from the towering trusses on both sides, with warm white, deep blue, and magenta lights intermingling and casting layers of light and shadow in the air. The large screen in the center of the stage was no longer a typical competition backdrop but had been transformed into a dynamic display. Tracks were laid in front of the audience seating, with cameras quietly mounted on them. On the other side, a crane camera was suspended in mid-air, its lens slowly sweeping over the seats. It looked quite professional and grand, a setup completely different from what you'd find at a typical campus event.

"This is too exaggerated! I feel like I'm here to film some kind of variety show, not to participate in a school competition?"

"You should say that the production team invested money in it. I heard that some of these facilities were originally built specifically for shooting promotional videos and competition scenes."

Will they film the audience tonight?

"Definitely, look at that camera over there, the lens is pointed in our direction."

"Is my hair messy?"

"You've already looked in the mirror eight times."

"What if I appear on camera?"

"You really want to be an extra?"

"Why wouldn't I want to? If the camera pans over, I at least need to leave a beautiful profile for my future self. If I actually appear on camera, I won't ask them for money for my image rights."

The auditorium gradually filled with people, the noisy voices and laughter mingling with the soft thuds of chairs overturning, like the overture to a grand performance.

Outside the auditorium, in another passageway at the school gate, the atmosphere was different from inside, since tonight, in addition to the students, there was also a special group of audience members.

The graduating high school seniors, who had just finished the college entrance examination a little over a week ago, were given the opportunity to return to school to participate in the competition.

They no longer need to wear school uniforms or carry heavy backpacks. Some wear simple short-sleeved shirts and jeans, some have dyed their hair a light color that they dared not dye when they were in school, but some still habitually carry their old backpacks, as if they are just like countless evenings in the past, rushing back to attend evening self-study after dinner.

This time, however, they don't need to go into the classroom. Instead, they can stand proudly at the school gate, greet their familiar teachers, reunite with their classmates, and talk about the freedom they finally gained after the college entrance examination.

On one side of the school gate, Chen Junqian was standing at the registration desk for returning to school. He was one of the main people in charge of this event, and he would also be bringing his younger sister and Lin Guo in later. His meticulous and serious attitude caused many adult and graduating senior high school girls to deliberately line up in front of him, leaving another student from the school's Youth League Committee next to him speechless.

"Zhou Yu'an, Class 1, Senior 3".

"exist."

"Okay, sign your name here, and then enter the playground through the east passage in a bit."

Actually, it was just to mention those two lines of dialogue. It's clear that graduation and adulthood can indeed change a person's appearance drastically in a short period of time. Girls who have put on makeup, styled their hair, and changed their clothes do look much better than the monotonous school uniforms and ponytails. It's just a pity that because of the existence of a certain literary girl who was Chen Junqian's assistant, several girls who had put a lot of effort into their appearance still felt a bit overshadowed when they came over, even though she was still wearing a bare face and a school uniform.

It must be said that Zhu Wenyun, who attacks as a shield, is indeed very useful. She is much more intimidating than the childhood sweetheart. She is the type who can be relied upon simply by standing there.

More and more senior high school students are returning to campus. Many of them, seeing that the competition has not yet started, simply bypassed the route to the playground and chose to run back to the senior high school building first.

The corridor, which was originally covered with countdowns and inspirational slogans, has been cleaned up by the school. However, the classroom doors are still open, and the blackboards still bear the words written at the last class meeting before the college entrance examination. Class signs, slogans, and even the ranking charts are still preserved. Several girls are taking pictures next to their former seats, enjoying the right to openly take out their phones at school.

It was truly passionate, and it was also truly sad.

After the college entrance examination, they finally had time to look back seriously at the campus that had trapped them and also supported them for three years.

At that moment, a taxi slowly came to a stop outside the school gate.

The car door opened, and Gu Lingguo was the first to jump out. She was wearing a bright yellow short-sleeved top, carrying a small bag, and clutching two unopened glow sticks in her hand. As soon as she landed, she couldn't wait to look into the school gate. When she saw Chen Junqian, she waved to him, full of energy.

Compared to her energetic friend, Chen Xi moved much more slowly. She was wearing a light blue dress and her hair was tied in a neat high ponytail. Compared to Gu Linguo's excitement, she seemed much calmer. However, when she looked up and saw the words "Guoning Middle School Senior High Division" on the school gate, she couldn't suppress her curiosity. After all, she would be studying here in the second half of the year.

When Chen Junqian saw them, he picked up the two special guest passes on the table and went over to them.

"We've finally arrived."

"Yeah, senior, we're not late, are we?"

"No, there are still twenty minutes before entry."

As the focus of everyone's attention, whether intentionally or unintentionally, Chen Junqian's actions undoubtedly attracted most of the attention. Moreover, Gu Linguo and Chen Xi were indeed visually stunning girls. At first, when they saw that neither of them was wearing a school uniform, they thought they were also returning senior high school students. But then they thought that there were no such pretty girls in their senior year, and they looked a bit young. Later, Chen Xi was recognized first, and that's when they found out that she was Chen Junqian's sister and her sister's friend.

After registering, Chen Junqian asked Zhu Wenyun to cover for him, and then led the two of them from the school gate to the auditorium.

Gu Lingguo's mouth barely stopped moving the whole way. She had taken her high school entrance exam in the junior high section, so this was her first time visiting the senior high section, and she kept looking around with curiosity.

"Is that the branch venue on the playground?"

"Yes, once the auditorium is full, some students will watch the live broadcast on the playground."

"Wow, there's even a live streaming screen."

"After the competition, there will be nighttime scenes on campus. The crew will film the atmosphere outside the playground and auditorium."

"Should I fix my hair first?"

"There's no need to worry about that, because Lin Guo is already very cute."

"Right, right? I made sure to tidy up at home beforehand, and I spent a long time choosing my clothes."

Leading the two women into the auditorium, Chen Junqian immediately arranged for them to sit in a separate area, which was the staff area. This area was closer to the stage and easier to keep an eye on. After finding them their seats, Chen Junqian pointed to the audience seating area outside.

"Look, that's Class 1. Class 9 is over there. If you're bored, you can go chat with Mu Mu or You You. If any students ask, just say you're my family member."

"Xiao Xi is indeed a relative of the senior student. I didn't expect that I am too. Can I say that I am my brother's distant cousin?"

Hehehe, I feel like this identity is about to trigger classic scenarios like summer vacation in the countryside or temporary accommodation for studying.

Unlike Gu Linguo, who was lost in her own fantasy and then laughed, Chen Xi merely tugged at Chen Junqian's sleeve as he turned to leave:

"Is brother going back? I thought you would stay with us."

"I've had too much to do today, and I really can't stay with you all the time. I'm sorry, Xiaoxi, please understand. I'll be going now."

"Oh, okay."

Compared to watching the campus's top ten singers competition or Shen Nianqiu's singing, Chen Xi came today mainly hoping that her brother would accompany her. However, seeing that he was indeed very busy and had specially brought the two of them over, she nodded understandingly and then let go of his hand.

After leaving his sister, Chen Junqian didn't go back to the registration desk at the school gate. Instead, he went directly to the backstage of the auditorium. At that moment, Shen Nianqiu had already changed into her performance costume in the backstage dressing room.

She was wearing a simple, misty blue long dress, the hem falling below her knees, with a thin white knitted shawl draped over it, creating a distinct sense of layering without seeming out of place in the campus atmosphere.

A warm light surrounded the dressing table, on which lay foundation, loose powder, an eyeshadow palette, and several soft-toned lipsticks. Next to it were the program for the evening and the sheet music for the song she was to sing. Shen Nianqiu sat in front of the mirror, her hair already styled, half of her long hair loosely tied up, revealing her slender neck.

The makeup artist was busy touching up another host's makeup and didn't have time to come over right away.

Shen Nianqiu looked at herself in the mirror and heard two soft knocks on the door.

"Enter."

Chen Junqian pushed the door open and walked in. The moment Shen Nianqiu saw him in the mirror, a genuine smile naturally appeared on her face.

"I thought you were surrounded by that group of senior high school students at the gate."

"Wenyun was blocking the way. I just dropped my sister and the others off, so I came over to take a look. I figured it was about time, so I came to help my sister with her makeup."

Since it was something that had been agreed upon in advance, Chen Junqian sat down next to Shen Nianqiu as soon as he arrived, which made the female host who was having her makeup done on the other side feel a little uneasy.

To be honest, she felt a little ashamed. When she first came to compete for the position of host of the final of the campus top ten singers competition, she thought that her male co-host would be Chen Junqian. However, as the person in charge, he was extremely busy and needed to coordinate the entire process tonight, so he really couldn't take on the role.

When she saw Chen Junqian skillfully using that whole bunch of makeup tools, she stared in astonishment. How could a boy at this age be so adept at doing someone's makeup? Aren't we all the same age? She herself only knows a few basic techniques, which are more like skincare than makeup.

"Don't move—yes, that's it."

Ignoring the gazes of others, Chen Junqian simply looked at Shen Nianqiu, then gently twisted the lipstick into a small circle and lightly pressed it against her lips, applying a little pressure.

For Shen Nianqiu, who has also gone through adulthood and graduation, everything in the past is in the past.

Let's start now.

Let's paint those dark and gloomy days anew with the most dazzling red.

P.S.: Thank you for reading and subscribing.

Chapter Fourteen: I Only Like You, I Only Accept You

As the start time of the performance drew ever closer, the lights in the auditorium gradually dimmed, and the once noisy audience fell silent, leaving only the soft rustling of glow sticks being bent. The host's voice came from the side of the stage:

"Welcome, teachers and students, to the final of the 10th Annual Top Ten Singers Competition of Guoning Middle School High School Department tonight. Now, let's give a warm round of applause to our special guest and judge for this year's Top Ten Singers Competition – Yiqiu!"

In an instant, the auditorium seemed to be set ablaze.

"Ah ah ah ah Yiqiu!"

"Sister is so beautiful—"

"It really is him!"

Cheers rose in waves, and even faint screams and applause could be heard from the large screen in the playground sub-venue. A warm white spotlight shone in the center of the stage, and Shen Nianqiu walked out from the side curtain. The moment she stood in the center of the stage, she easily captured the attention of the entire audience.

There was no warm-up or self-introduction; the intro immediately started playing—her signature song, "Fairy Tale Town."

Upon realizing this, the screams in the auditorium grew even louder, but quickly subsided to avoid disturbing the singers on stage.

Shen Nianqiu's voice was less polished than the studio version, but it had more of the unique breath and warmth of the live performance. The clean tone passed through the high speakers in the auditorium, like a soft mist, slowly enveloping everyone. Some people held up glow sticks and swayed gently to the melody, while others looked down and turned on their phone flashlights. The crew's camera moved smoothly along the guide rail, the lens sweeping across the excited and young faces in the audience.

On stage, after Shen Nianqiu finished singing the first verse, her gaze naturally swept towards the front row.

She first looked to the left side of the audience and waved to the students holding up support signs; then she looked to the middle area and smiled in response to those who were shouting her name.

Finally, her gaze fell on the staff area, or more precisely, on Chen Junqian alone.

Chen Junqian was sitting near the side aisle. To facilitate handling any issues on-site, he had a walkie-talkie, a schedule, and a spare headset in front of him. The auditorium was dimly lit, with only the occasional blue-purple light from the stage falling on his shoulder, but Shen Nianqiu still spotted him immediately.