A Young Woman's Heart

Many people swallowed hard, feeling that the scene was somewhat strange.

Hua Yinyin bowed deeply, as if the performance had already ended.

Many people breathed a sigh of relief and were about to applaud when they saw her raise her head again, smiling with innocent eyes, but without a smile: "Excuse me, can you see me?"

The sparse applause that had just started stopped again.

The lighting technician also cooperated by turning off the lights that were shining on everyone else, leaving only one beam of light on Hua Yinyin.

At that moment, she was the only one on the stage, and all eyes were on her.

"I can see it!" Someone shouted, and the others couldn't help but shout along.

Many people felt a sense of exhilaration after shouting it out, as if they had participated in the story and changed the ending.

"visible!!"

"I can see you!"

"visible--!"

The sound grew louder and louder, wave after wave.

Hua Yinyin lowered her head, as if she were really crying.

"Thank you..." she said softly, trying to steady her trembling voice. "I... am back."

Welcome back!

Welcome back to reality!

"oh--!!"

Many people shouted, as if cheering for her.

Hua Yinyin slowly retreated, but the beam of light remained still.

The lighting technician was clearly improvising; he may have hesitated about whether to let the light move away with her, but ultimately kept the light in place.

No one knows how much time had passed, maybe a minute, maybe three minutes, but the lights in the entire auditorium came on, startling many people who instinctively looked toward the stage.

However, everyone had already left.

All that's left is a blank space.

This was the first time they had ever seen a play that created such an atmosphere.

The vice principal stood up and began to applaud vigorously.

"The younger generation is truly formidable!" He looked at Mo Kong and smiled freely. "Perhaps, we should also recognize our mistakes."

"What did you see?" the head of the teaching department asked respectfully with a smile.

“Everyone might see things differently… If I say it, it becomes a standard answer, so I won’t say it.” The vice principal rarely made a joke, but there was actually a hint of seriousness in that joke.

Backstage, Mo Xueyao looked at Hua Yinyin, who was crying with tears streaming down her face, licked her lips, and gently placed her hand on Hua Yinyin's shoulder. Wang Jiale, who was standing next to her, took the initiative to hug her.

"Yinyin!"

The girls all hugged her in their arms.

"What's wrong? The performance is over."

"That didn't sound like acting, did it?"

"That's right, that's right. I never thought Yinyin was so eager for others to care about her child..."

"No way! I already said it was just an act. The fact that you were all fooled proves that I'm a great actor!"

"Tch, I don't believe it." Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes, thinking about what had happened before.

"Really—!" Hua Yinyin laughed through her tears. "It really was just an act. I'm not that fragile at all..."

"Yinyin—" Mo Xueyao interrupted her, "We can see you!"

"Yes, I can see it!"

Everyone echoed loudly.

Hua Yinyin pouted, smiling as she lowered her head.

A few glistening water droplets fell to the ground with a 'plop'.

……

Chapter 248 The Little Match Girl (New Version)

This year's performance seemed even more spectacular than last year's, and the open-minded school spirit appears to have influenced many students.

It is difficult to make progress if one is complacent and closed-minded. The only way to make progress is through openness, but it cannot be complete openness; rather, it must be openness to a certain extent.

Principal Mo Kong seems to have grasped this point very well.

When everyone returned to their seats, Ye Wen gave each of the participating students a bottle of Coke. Hua Yinyin, who was the lead actress, even received a piece of cake.

"Amazing!" Ye Wen gave a thumbs up and said approvingly, lowering her voice with a hint of pride, "We were praised by the vice principal this time. That old Gu... the vice principal with his rather outdated ideas, it's rare for him to praise something so creative."

"Oh dear, Wen, stop praising her. She'll get all cocky!" Mo Xueyao said with a light laugh. "By the way, why don't we have any cake?"

"You're not the main characters, what kind of cake do you want from a bunch of extras?" Ye Wen said with a sly smile. "The school will give out snacks around three or four in the afternoon."

"Oh right, what are snacks again?"

"Sandwiches, milk, and... cherry tomatoes."

In this day and age, being able to eat a sandwich is something to look forward to.

For many people, portable fast food such as sandwiches and hamburgers are still considered luxury items.

In fact, it's very likely that the ingredients inside are not as plentiful as those in a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger).

Although the play has ended, Mo Xueyao still feels quite emotional when she thinks about it now.

The main character at the time was Hua Yinyin, but she, who was standing in the background as an extra, couldn't help but want to respond to her voice at the end.

The script wasn't originally written this way. Originally, the protagonist couldn't bear the loneliness any longer and jumped off the building.

That's how it was performed even during yesterday's rehearsal.

The cardboard prop representing the rooftop was all made, but it was never used.

However, this improvisation seems to be better than the original script, at least it evoked the audience's emotions. Even though there are still many rough parts due to the last-minute changes, it is enough.

It took Mo Xueyao a while to calm down, but then she felt a weight on her shoulder. Turning her head, she saw Hua Yinyin holding a half-eaten cake, leaning against her and falling asleep with a smile.

Sitting next to Hua Yinyin, Mo Zhuyou quickly caught the cake box that was about to slip from her hands, closed it again, and placed it on the armrest.

Mo Xueyao and Mo Zhuyou exchanged a smile, then simultaneously turned their attention back to the performance on stage.

It seems that such an empathetic performance has left even the energetic Hua Yinyin feeling exhausted.

Did she practice for a long time on her own after she got home last night?

Just as such thoughts popped into Mo Xueyao's mind, she was drawn back to the performance on stage.

After finishing their crosstalk and singing performances, they then performed a stage play.

This time it's Class 7 of Grade 11, and it's still the story of the little match girl.

However, the story inside is completely different.

"Matches for sale, matches for sale... Anyone want to buy matches?"

“We don’t need matches, we need food,” a passerby who had stopped nearby replied.

The little match girl knelt on the ground and asked, "Why do you need food? Can't you go buy food if you need it?"

“Food is getting more and more expensive, and we can hardly afford it anymore,” the well-dressed gentleman replied, taking off his hat and rubbing his empty stomach.

Why is this happening?

“We work hard, but… the bosses’ demands are getting more and more demanding and unreasonable. They control all the resources, and we can only work for them—even if we look well-dressed,” the gentleman said with a wry smile.

"Does everything they say really mean it?"

"Yes, otherwise get out and replace them with younger ones. There will always be people trying to cross social classes and live a better life."

"But there are always times when... no one wants to work anymore."

“If we don’t work, we’ll starve to death. If we really can’t survive, they’ll improve our benefits and give us some leftovers, and then we’ll flock to them again.”

"Sir, since you know this, why do you continue working?"

"...Knowing doesn't mean you can change it."

“Sir, I think,” the little girl paused, then handed him the matches, “we should rebel against the oppression of the nobles and rich gentlemen. My mother glued this matchbox for me to sell, but even if I sell them, I don’t earn much money, not even enough for my family to eat half full.”

"Heh...Easier said than done..."

“But how will we know if it’s difficult if we don’t try?” The little girl blinked. “Let’s burn down the palaces of the nobles and gentlemen… We should rebel.”

“Yes, we should resist.” A passerby stopped. “Those damned capitalists exploit us and oppress us. We should hang them on the streetlights! This world ultimately belongs to the people!”

The entire city was engulfed in flames.

The little girl used her own connections to send out even more matches.

People revelled amidst the flames, establishing a new order.

"I declare that a nation without nobles and capitalists has been established!" shouted the gentleman who had previously decided to lead the rebellion with the little girl.

The stage lights suddenly went out again.

"Selling matches! Anyone want some matches...?" Everything was back to the beginning. The little girl was kneeling on the ground selling matches. She looked so weak and tired.

If you look closely, you'll notice that this little girl is not the same one as last time.

The actor has been changed.

She looks a bit thinner.

Passersby walked by indifferently, and no one bought a box of matches.

The gentleman who had appeared earlier, dressed in even more luxurious clothes, was carried in a sedan chair and passed by here.