A Young Woman's Heart

Taiyin and Tianyin on the stage bowed to the audience and then disappeared behind the curtain.

After a brief silence, a cacophony of sounds erupted.

Many first- and second-year high school students haven't seen them before and are currently discussing them animatedly.

Mo Xueyao clearly heard several people exclaim with the same question: "Huh? That's the teacher?!"

I vaguely remember that she felt the same way when she first met Taiyin, and she said roughly the same things.

Many aspects of Yukong High School seem so unique.

……

(two)

Well-prepared programs are mostly from the first and second years of high school, while the programs from the third year are always particularly simple.

For example, the show in front of us doesn't even have any props; there are only two boys standing back to back.

The light shone right in front of them; turn them over, and you'll see another person.

Essentially, it's just a regular crosstalk performance. One person is the straight man, and the other is the funny man. When they're speaking, the straight man turns to face the audience. If the two of them try to talk over each other, they'll spin around in place like tops.

It added a touch of humor to this otherwise ordinary program.

"Okay, thank you to Class 4 of Senior 3 for the hilarious crosstalk performance. Now, please follow the scene changes on stage and watch how the girls from Class 5 of Senior 1 dance on Swan Lake."

Five girls dressed in ballet costumes walked onto the stage.

However, it is obvious that only the first one has actually practiced, while the latter four were learned on the spot, and they look particularly unfamiliar and clumsy, with relatively simple movements.

“There’s ballet every year…” Mo Xueyao quipped under her breath, “Does that mean every family with money sends their daughter to learn ballet?”

"Because it feels very elegant," Wang Jiale tilted her head and chimed in. "My parents wanted me to learn piano before, but the teacher said I was too short, so I ended up learning piano instead."

"—So you've only been learning for a short while and then you're giving up again, right?"

"Ahem~!" Wang Jiale pinched her ponytail and shook it vigorously. "I've switched careers and become a bassist now!"

"Ugh—returning the title 'others' is so cheesy."

"Humph."

Girls often engage in this kind of sweet and affectionate teasing.

For Mo Xueyao, who prefers to speak seriously, it was still a bit unusual.

“My mother can dance ballet.” Li Wanyan, who had been silent all along, suddenly said. When Mo Xueyao looked at her, she found that Li Wanyan was still looking at the stage and did not turn around.

"Huh, really?"

"Yes, she danced it for me before."

"What did she learn when she was little?"

"Ah."

How does it compare to those on stage?

"...Well, it's not that light, is it?" Li Wanyan said honestly.

After all, when she danced for her, Pan Jiexiang was definitely no longer young, not to mention the burdens of life...

Lightness, perhaps, is something that often belongs only to young girls.

……

(three)

There's basically at least one play in every grade; it's kind of an unspoken rule.

After all, a cultural performance without a play always feels like something is missing.

There's only one play like 'The Little Match Girl' that has a 'traditional' and unconventional style; the other two are quite serious.

If it's meant to be funny, then it's genuinely funny; if it's a faithful adaptation of the script, then almost no lines will be changed—at most, some will be cut due to time constraints.

The performance on stage right now is "The Butterfly Lovers".

"I have to say, first-year high school students have so much free time," Mo Xueyao muttered, resting her chin on her hand.

Li Wanyan reached into her skirt pocket, took out a mint, slowly put it in her mouth, and nodded gently: "Mmm."

"The costumes and props are all very well prepared, and the makeup is also great—"

The senior high school students were seated closest to the stage, and those with slightly better eyesight could even see the details on the actors' faces clearly.

This play is a very faithful adaptation of the original work, and Zhu Yingtai is indeed played by a female actor.

—And it's not the kind of makeup that you can immediately tell is perfunctory; it's clearly done with care. If you don't look closely, you might even mistake it for a handsome young man.

Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai are like Romeo and Juliet in China.

Both of them ended up with equally tragic fates.

However, the former at least has the beautiful imagery of two butterflies transforming into butterflies and flying together, which can somewhat soothe the audience's sad emotions.

Of course, after watching it so many times, I wouldn't feel sad anymore. After all, the plot is practically etched in my mind, so there's no surprise at all.

The acting was quite good, but it was still somewhat tedious. In comparison, Mo Xueyao still prefers plays that are adapted beyond recognition.

Although it doesn't respect the original work, it wins by creating surprises throughout.

……

(four)

As soon as the curtain closed, Shen Kelin and another boy stood on the stage, and the two of them took turns introducing the next program.

"The story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai transforming into butterflies and flying away together is a beautiful hope and aspiration of people."

"At the same time, there was another person who turned into a butterfly, but he was more conflicted about whether he was a butterfly or Zhuangzi—"

"Zhuangzi from Class 6 of Grade 11 has transformed into a fluttering butterfly; he has arrived."

The two quickly walked backstage, and the heavy, deep red curtain was slowly drawn back once again.

"Ah—" The boy, dressed in ancient costume and with a black fake beard, took a few steps forward and then lay down.

A voiceover follows: "Zhuangzi was tired, and when he came across a meadow, he lay down and dreamed that he had become a butterfly—"

The butterfly was played by a girl wearing butterfly wings, although Mo Xueyao felt it looked more like a kite.

"A butterfly flapping its wings creates a gentle breeze, which two weeks later leads to a Category 12 hurricane in the United States. Zhuangzi thus grasped the meaning of the butterfly effect—"

"No!" The student playing Zhuangzi suddenly sat up. "What butterfly effect? ​​Let's start over!"

"Ahem—" the narrator cleared his throat, "So Zhuangzi fell asleep again, and he dreamed that he had become a butterfly once more, and on the way, he met Huizi."

Zhuangzi, who was lying on the ground, suddenly sat up and stared wide-eyed.

The students below the stage burst into laughter.

However, the performance continued.

The girl dressed as a butterfly flew around Keiko as she came on stage.

"Oh, what a happy butterfly!"

"You're not a butterfly, how do you know if a butterfly is happy or not?" Zhuangzi, who was sitting down, glanced at him sideways.

Huizi stopped and said, "You're not me, how do you know if I know whether the butterfly is happy or not?"

Now it was the butterfly's turn to speak: "Because I am a butterfly!"

"So, Huizi left, grumbling and cursing," the narrator said, suppressing a laugh.

But Zhuangzi called out to him again: "Wait, how do you know whether the butterfly is Zhuangzi, or Zhuangzi is the butterfly?"

"I'm not you, how would I know if you're a butterfly or Zhuangzi?"

"The butterfly is Zhuangzi in a dream, and Zhuangzi is the butterfly in reality."

How can you be so sure that you are a butterfly in your dream, and not a butterfly in reality?

It was practically a huge argumentative session, but the students seemed to be having a lot of fun.

People's happiness is actually very simple and not complicated.

Just as they were watching intently, Ye Wen walked over and whispered to Mo Xueyao and the others, "Snow Music Band—get ready, you have two more performances to go! Hurry up and go to the band room to get your instruments backstage!"

"Oh, oh..." Mo Xueyao glanced at the stage again and quickly stood up.

"Is it our turn already?" Mo Zhuyou, who hadn't performed on stage in a long time, seemed a little nervous again.

Wang Jiale walked in another direction: "Then I'll go and call Shu'er?"

"No need, her class's performance was before ours, so she must have prepared in advance."

"That's true."

"Hurry up, hurry up, you only have about twenty minutes to prepare, don't waste time."

"Don't worry, there won't be any problems."

"Could this be considered our last performance at school?" Mo Xueyao took a deep breath.

"No! There will definitely be a performance at graduation! Even if there isn't, we'll still apply for one!"

“But there probably won’t be that many spectators. This time, the whole school is here.” Mo Zhuyou twisted her neck. “You must perform well! Maybe you can attract a few students to join the Snow Music Team, so Shuer won’t be lonely.”

"Okay, do your best~ Especially Youyou, don't rush the shot."

"...Um...Um...I'll try my best." Mo Zhuyou's voice suddenly weakened.

……

Chapter 129 Musical Crosstalk?

Under the bright sunshine, the snow is slowly melting.

Water droplets fell under the eaves, making a crisp sound.

Mo Xueyao picked up her electronic keyboard and couldn't help but stroke this old companion that belonged only to her.