Chapter 17: Campus Mary Sue 15

As he walked along, Ke Yuandao, clutching the long, colorful caterpillar, naturally drew countless gazes. Far from feeling timid under the scrutiny, he straightened his back and grew even prouder.

“Why are you acting like a three-year-old?” Le Yixian laughed.

“I’m fifteen,” Ke Yuandao protested.

“Yes, yes, you’re fifteen,” Le Yixian nodded.

“Senior Sister, your marksmanship is amazing. Have you practiced before?” Ke Yuandao recalled the earlier scene, his heart swelling with admiration for his beloved senior.

“No, I’ve never practiced,” Le Yixian replied with perfect seriousness.

“You’re lying,” the boy didn’t believe her.

Le Yixian blinked. “I’ve always been lucky, truly.”

The owner of this body had never touched a gun, so she couldn’t admit to any skill with firearms.

Bang! At that moment, a middle-aged man in a security uniform bumped straight into Ke Yuandao, causing him to stagger back a few steps.

“Sorry,” the security guard glanced at Ke Yuandao and his caterpillar and hurried off.

“Are you alright?” Le Yixian asked.

“I’m fine,” Ke Yuandao shook his head.

Le Yixian turned to watch the receding security guard, a nagging sense of unease rising within her.

“Muxue!” Just then, Beitang Chamo, his hair dyed a vivid green and styled in a wild fashion, came running over.

“Beitang? What’s wrong?”

“Our class’s performance is about to start, but Xiaoyan, who was supposed to play the princess’s mother, just hurt her leg. We need someone to fill in!” Beitang Chamo gasped.

Before Le Yixian could react, she found herself dressed in a splendid, ornate queen’s costume. The moment she stepped out of the dressing room in her gold-trimmed gown, the bustling, noisy backstage seemed to freeze in place.

“Hm? What’s wrong? Do I look strange?” Le Yixian lifted her skirt and looked around, walking straight toward Ke Yuandao in the corner. Her long, iridescent hair shimmered as it swayed with her movement.

“So beautiful…” someone murmured.

With that, the spell broke, and the backstage erupted into excited chatter.

“Whoa, is this Snow White? She’s stunning!”

“She’s gorgeous.”

“I’ll be this fairy’s number-one fan for life!”

Ke Yuandao stared at the girl before him, unable to recover his senses for a long while.

“Hm?” Le Yixian frowned slightly, waving her hand before his eyes and moving closer.

“Se… Senior Sister,” Ke Yuandao was so startled by her suddenly enlarged face that he nearly fell over.

“Am I that scary?”

“No,” Ke Yuandao shook his head. “You’re beautiful!”

In the dim backstage, Ke Yuandao’s expression was hidden from view, and Le Yixian found that a pity.

“Muxue, it’s our class’s turn! Here are your lines!” The arts committee girl hurried over, thrusting a sheet of paper and a baby prop into her hands.

Le Yixian barely glanced at the lines before being pushed onto the stage.

The moment the queen appeared, the entire hall fell silent. The spotlight bathed her in golden light, as if she were the sole center of the world, all else revolving around her.

From his corner below the stage, Ke Yuandao clutched the caterpillar, gazing quietly at the girl in the spotlight.

His eyes blazed with fervor—his Senior Sister, his!

“So beautiful!”

At those words, Ke Yuandao’s brow furrowed. He turned to find a boy beside him staring, utterly entranced.

Then, to his great displeasure, Ke Yuandao realized that everyone present was fixated on his Senior Sister.

He hugged the caterpillar even tighter, lowering his eyes and thinking fiercely, Senior Sister is mine, she will be mine!

See, she even gave me a matching caterpillar. Do any of you have one? Hmph!

With that thought, Ke Yuandao’s heart swelled with triumph once more.

The role of the princess’s mother was brief, with only a few lines, and within minutes the queen exited the stage.

The audience let out a collective sigh of regret.

An Xiansi, who had yet to appear, frowned as she turned to Beitang Chamo. “Why did you have Muxue play the part?” After her entrance, how could there be a Snow White more beautiful than the queen?

“Uh, I didn’t really think about it. I just figured the princess’s mother must be beautiful, or how could she have such a lovely daughter? That’s why I asked Muxue,” Beitang Chamo scratched his head apologetically, glancing at Guo Yiyan, who was dressed as the princess. “Yiyan, sorry about that.”

“Yiyan, do your best!” Just then, Le Yixian, fresh from the stage, spotted her sweet but nervous “daughter” and naturally offered encouragement.

Guo Yiyan’s eyes lit up at her idol’s support. Clenching her fists, she said, “Don’t worry, Li, I’ll play the princess well!”

“I believe in you!” Le Yixian patted her shoulder.

Guo Yiyan, brimming with confidence, stepped onto the stage as the narrator spoke.

As expected, the audience was a little disappointed to see a Snow White not as lovely as the queen.

This time, the story had been adapted by several classmates, making it livelier and more interesting. Though the princess and the wicked queen were less beautiful than the queen herself, the plot still held the audience’s attention.

Gradually, everyone became absorbed in the unfolding drama.

Watching the Snow White on stage, radiant and impossible to ignore, Le Yixian nodded to herself, marveling inwardly at the effectiveness of the protagonist’s aura.

Backstage, she changed out of her costume and found Ke Yuandao patiently waiting in the same corner, still hugging the caterpillar. Rubbing her forehead, she asked, “Aren’t you watching the show?”

Ke Yuandao shook his head, then nodded. “I watched your performance, Senior Sister. I was afraid you’d have trouble finding me after.”

“Then let’s watch together.” Le Yixian held out her hand. Ke Yuandao stared in a daze at her pale, delicate hand, unable to react.

Only when Le Yixian reached out and took his hand did he follow her, still hugging the caterpillar, looking for all the world like a large, docile puppy.

In the audience, Ke Yuandao had no idea what was happening on stage. All he could sense was the cool touch of her hand in his own, his heart thundering wildly.

“Snow White” ended as the prince awakened the princess with a kiss, prompting enthusiastic applause from the audience.

“Junior Brother!” Suddenly, his senior’s gentle voice sounded at his ear, and Ke Yuandao instinctively looked over.

Something warm and soft brushed his cheek.

Ke Yuandao: …

“Oh dear,” Le Yixian touched her lips and laughed joyfully. Taking advantage of his stunned state, she planted a proper kiss on him.

Ke Yuandao, expressionless, silently pinched his thigh as hard as he could. Done. Let go. Hm, no pain. He must be dreaming!