Chapter 68: The Calamity of a Blue-Eyed Beauty

The moment the topic of the Broadcast Class came up, Yan Yan’s anger flared instantly. She sneered, “You treat them like a brother class, but do you think they appreciate it? Who gave Mengmeng the lowest score? It’s only when there are complaints that suddenly we’re all ‘brother classes’!”

Seeing the argument escalate, Du Xinmeng hurried over to intervene. “Yan Yan, don’t blame them. I just didn’t perform well today,” she whispered.

Yang Lili was momentarily speechless and shot her a glare. “Forget it, you know exactly what's going on!” She turned to leave.

Yan Yan stood up and grabbed her. “No! Let’s make things clear today! You say it’s unfair for me to give Ren Jiaxuan a perfect score, but tell me—where did he sing poorly? Where should points have been deducted? You point out just one thing, and I’ll apologize to you immediately! Otherwise, you’re just being unfair and playing both sides! As for Li Ling, even giving her a 9.5 was generous; she wasn’t invested at all. Her high notes were good, but singing isn’t just about technique. I deducted half a point strictly by the rules. I can’t speak for the other judges, but as long as I’m sitting here, my standard is fairness for all! Yes, in some ways, our two classes are disadvantaged, but if we lose in presence, let’s not also lose our dignity. I won’t abandon my principles just to band together with our so-called brother class. Besides, we’re all freshmen, new here—banding together will only make us colder, and overestimating ourselves will just make us a laughingstock!”

“All right, Yan Yan, stop it. I know you’re not that kind of person, and neither is Lili,” Lin Feng tried to mediate.

Yan Yan shook off his hand, pointing at Yang Lili. “Well, I do have a temper and won’t let things go easily! If you have a problem with me, just say so. What was with the attitude when you walked in just now? I’m supposed to cooperate with you because you’re the cultural rep, but that doesn’t mean I have to put up with your moods all the time!”

“You know Lin Feng always takes your side. What more can I do?!” Yang Lili wiped her tears and slumped over her desk, sobbing.

Yan Yan glared at her, still fuming. “What’s Lin Feng got to do with it? If you want to talk reason, let’s stick to the matter at hand. Crying and making a scene doesn't mean you’re right!”

Lin Feng frowned helplessly. “Yan Yan, both of you, just say less. This isn’t a big deal. If a teacher sees you, it won’t look good.”

“What’s so bad about that? She’s bawling her eyes out—of course, the teacher will think I bullied her. I’m the one who’ll get in trouble, not her!” Yan Yan scoffed, her face dark. It had been a while since she last quarreled, but when it came to arguments, she feared no one! She’d honed her debating skills thanks to Xu Cheng, who never argued with anyone. So when she was bullied or ostracized, what could she do? She had to stand strong on her own—she refused to be a pushover!

Lin Feng was left speechless, managing a wry smile. “Yan Yan, why are you so stubborn?”

Xiao Han tugged at her sleeve from the side. Yan Yan turned her head away, still glaring at Lin Feng.

Song Mingcheng, unable to watch any longer, grabbed her arm and pulled her into the corridor.

“Why are you dragging me?” she protested, struggling free.

“If I don’t, who knows what’ll happen next? You’ve made your point; enough is enough. In front of so many classmates, looking so fierce that you made her cry—no matter how justified you were, now it just looks unreasonable,” Song Mingcheng said quietly, his expression one of someone on her side, concerned for her.

Yan Yan had already cooled off; her temper came and went quickly. “Was I really that fierce just now?” she asked, a little incredulous.

Song Mingcheng chuckled. “Look at Gu Xiaohan—normally you two argue on equal footing, but just now, she didn’t even dare make a sound.”

“That’s because Yang Lili started it,” Yan Yan grumbled.

“Others have annoyed you before, and you just laughed it off. But today, anyone would think you were fighting over a boy,” Song Mingcheng teased. “It’s enough. Let it go.”

Yan Yan thought about it and realized he was right. If things turned sour, how would they get along in the same class? With a resigned nod, she said, “The rule in our class: Song Mingcheng is always the coolest, the handsomest, and the most correct—you are the truth! I’ll listen to you; I won’t argue anymore, all right?”

Song Mingcheng nodded solemnly.

“Yeah, right!” Yan Yan rolled her eyes at his smugness and kicked him playfully.

The front door of the classroom swung open, and Ren Jiaxuan’s melodious voice called out, “Siying, is Yan Yan here?”

Yan Yan saw Liu Siying poke her head out, glancing over. Siying beckoned to her from where she stood leaning against the wall.

Ren Jiaxuan turned, spotted Yan Yan, and with a flourish worthy of a ballroom dancer, sauntered over. “Oh, there you are! I didn’t see you. Come here, Yan Yan, I need to talk to you.”

“What is it?” Yan Yan forced a smile.

Ren Jiaxuan glanced at Song Mingcheng with a smile, and Song Mingcheng grinned back at Yan Yan before heading back to class, shutting the back door behind him.

“You gave me a perfect score, so of course I came to thank you personally,” Ren Jiaxuan said with a grin.

Yan Yan rolled her eyes. “Our cultural rep just accused me of favoritism, and now you’re here to make it worse. No need to thank me; that ten points was deducted anyway.”

“Was it Lili? Did she bully you? Never mind, I’ll talk to her,” Ren Jiaxuan offered.

“Internal class issues—I don’t need you to interfere. If you did, it’d just make things worse for me. How would I survive in my class?” Yan Yan replied lightly.

“Actually, I have something serious to discuss. Next Wednesday, the provincial station is filming a promotional video, and I recommended you for a role. Are you available?” Ren Jiaxuan turned to her, smiling.

Yan Yan shrugged, half-joking. “Is this your way of thanking me, or is it a bribe? I can’t accept that.”

“You really think being a judge is that big a deal? I just think you’re perfect for it. It’s a rare opportunity—think about it,” Ren Jiaxuan said earnestly.

“Why wouldn’t I go if it’s a rare opportunity? What kind of promo is it?” Yan Yan asked with a smile. She knew well how precious these chances were—so many from the broadcasting class were eager for internships at the station, but even those with connections only got to appear on minor shows. Now that someone was offering her a real chance, she’d be a fool to turn it down.

“It’s for the New Year—a feature on folk customs. There’ll be a few others with you, so don’t be nervous. Just treat it as good experience,” Ren Jiaxuan explained.

“That’s fine. Do I need to prepare anything?” Yan Yan asked. She’d seen plenty of such promos, and they were usually straightforward.

“Just follow my lead when the time comes—I’ll take you,” Ren Jiaxuan replied with a smile.

“All right, thank you,” Yan Yan said sincerely.

“You know, you’re really adorable when you speak nicely. You’re just a tiny thing, always acting like a grown-up—aren’t you tired?” Ren Jiaxuan reached out, ruffling her short hair with a laugh.

“Don’t touch my head—I’ll stop growing!” Yan Yan protested, frowning, just as she saw Teacher Chen coming down the stairs, heading their way.

That teacher always appeared at the right place at the right time, just like years ago. Yan Yan couldn’t help but admire her own luck.

“Yan Yan, come to my office for a moment,” Teacher Chen said with a poker face, expressionless.

Yan Yan trotted over, following him sheepishly into the office on the third floor.

Teacher Chen sat down, looked at her, and said with some displeasure, “Yan Yan, I’ve always had high hopes for you, but even if you’re good friends with a certain classmate, don’t make it so obvious.”

Yan Yan inwardly grumbled: Just because he patted my head? How am I to blame?

She kept a polite smile on her face. “Teacher, you mean the perfect score I gave Ren Jiaxuan? Yang Lili already talked to me about it. I’m sorry, I was a bit impulsive—he sang so well that I just gave him full marks. I’ll be more careful next time.”

Teacher Chen studied her, then asked with a hint of implication, “Was it really only because you liked his singing?”

Yan Yan nodded sincerely. “Yes, teacher. I didn’t think about anything else. Since you had me on the judging panel, I didn’t want to let you down or have people say our Broadcasting class is petty or unprofessional.”

Teacher Chen pondered for a moment, then nodded with a faint smile.

Yan Yan had seen that smile for over four years—it was almost tiresome by now, always that look of polite dissatisfaction.

So she continued, “Teacher, please have faith in us. Lin Feng and Siying are both excellent. We’ll do our best in the finals and won’t let you down.”

“Oh?” Teacher Chen smiled.

“Really, teacher. Lin Feng and Siying both made it to the finals on their own merits. I believe in the fairness of the competition and in their abilities. Actually, Du Xinmeng did very well too, but she missed the top ten by half a point. Honestly, I was a bit upset with Zhao Jing at the time, but after thinking it over, that’s just how competitions are—some have high scores, some low. It’s already quite an achievement for our class to get two into the finals. I’m genuinely happy for Li Ling from the Broadcast Class, too,” Yan Yan said with a smile. The teacher might not care, but she wanted him to know who was really stirring up trouble; otherwise, Yang Lili’s tears would be for nothing.

Besides, having a good relationship with the glamorous Yang could only benefit her—at least Yang wouldn’t suppress their class. Yan Yan knew Yang too well. She rarely got close to anyone, but once she liked someone, everything they did seemed perfect. In fact, that was probably why Teacher Chen had chosen her as a judge—at the very least, she wouldn’t let their class be treated unfairly, though everyone understood this without saying it outright.