"How did you investigate?" Ye Shuang chuckled upon hearing the question, "Well... let's just say I used some minor tricks. It's confidential."
Chen Qin snorted at Ye Shuang's mysterious tone but didn’t press further. "Besides Yang Wei, who else do you know about?"
"Hmm, let me calculate." Ye Shuang wiggled his fingers, stroking an imaginary goatee with his other hand, putting on the airs of a fortune-telling charlatan.
"Fortune-telling?" Chen Qin rolled her eyes. "Are you messing with me?"
Ye Shuang simply smiled. "If you suspect something’s wrong with the company, look into those who love bragging about their flashy PowerPoints. The ones who actually get things done usually stay quiet."
"You know how many managers our group has." Though Chen Qin said this, Ye Shuang’s words gave her a new angle to consider.
"I told you—bring me to the next meeting. Maybe I’ll sniff out a few more."
Chen Qin knew Ye Shuang was teasing her, but since he offered, bringing him along didn’t seem like a bad idea.
Later, Ye Shuang sat in the audience watching the performances. However, the anime club’s act coincidentally overlapped with another group—both playing "Senbonzakura," though the anime club’s guzheng rendition was surprisingly well-received.
"Kinda feel bad about this," Ye Shuang muttered, imagining the girl on screen playing the guzheng glaring at him resentfully.
The head of Yinshan Academy’s anime club was a petite beauty. After finishing "Senbonzakura," she magically changed costumes and launched into "Idol" (Oshi no Ko), while her club members waved glow sticks and danced in support, hyping up the crowd even more.
"Talk about enthusiasm. True otaku spirit," Ye Shuang mused, wondering if the anime club counted as a music group since all their acts were song-based.
Time flew, and halfway through the performances, Ye Shuang was about to head to the restroom when the host announced:
"Thank you to the Macho Club for their ‘Chest-Shattering Boulder’ performance! Next up, we have An Shiyu from Class 3-B, performing a piano piece!"
Ye Shuang froze mid-rise, turning to the screen in surprise as a familiar girl stepped onto the stage.
Dressed in a white off-shoulder gown, An Shiyu looked serene—nothing like her usual self.
Soon, the notes flowed.
She played "Summer" from Kikujiro flawlessly, the lively melody evoking the bright, carefree essence of summer.
"She plays piano too?" Ye Shuang was stunned. Not only did she have a solo, but she hadn’t even practiced during the light music club’s sessions.
"Ye Shuang..."
Hearing Bai Yuyou call his name, he turned. "Hmm? What’s up?"
"I want to play too..." Bai Yuyou said softly.
"I’ll teach you when we get back," Ye Shuang smiled.
An Shiyu finished her piece and left the stage just as swiftly as she arrived, like a refreshing sip of lemon soda on a scorching day.
"Thank you, An Shiyu, for that beautiful performance! Next, our special guest—Phoenix Mountain Legends!"
The crowd erupted. Rumors of their appearance had been circulating, and many attendees came specifically for them.
"Wumeng Mountain stretches beyond the hills, moonlight spills over Xiangshui Bay..." Their hit Madame Fragrance instantly had the audience bobbing their heads.
As special guests, they only performed two songs, closing with Ocean Floor before exiting.
Though the crowd was disappointed, the host smoothly introduced the next act:
"Thanks to Phoenix Mountain Legends! Now, please welcome our next guest—international artist, Mei Yiliya!"
The curtains parted, and Gokuraku Jodo (Extreme Paradise) electrified the venue, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
"Being a student here must be amazing," Ye Shuang remarked, watching the sea of glow sticks around him.
"Right? We never had anything like this back in school," Chen Qin laughed. Their "cultural performances" were just students putting on skits—nothing this grand.
As they reminisced, more celebrities took the stage.
This could’ve passed for a New Year’s Eve gala.
But even the brightest fireworks fade. Around 11 PM, the spectacular academy show finally concluded.
Security and disciplinary staff reminded visitors to clean up and check for belongings as students and guests reluctantly filed out.
Ye Shuang led Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke backstage, where winners would be announced separately to avoid crowding.
Prizes were awarded for both category-first and overall top-five placements (excluding guest performers).
Backstage, a crowd had already gathered around a screen displaying the results:
[Rankings (unordered):
An Shiyu (Summer),
Magic Club (Human Transmutation),
New Opera Club (Heavenly Match or Mismatch),
Anime Club (Senbonzakura/Idol),
2nd-Year Teachers’ Skit (Ximen Qing vs. Pan Jinlian)]
Ye Shuang: "..."
An Shiyu topping the list wasn’t surprising.
Seeing the Light Music Club absent from the top five, he scanned the category rankings—only for Zhixia to suddenly hug Linlin like an excited bunny.
"Linlin! We did it!"
Ye Shuang spotted the music category results:
1. Light Music Club, 2. Rock Club, 3. IKUN Music Group...
"First in our category..." Linlin’s eyes welled up with tears.
"W-why are you crying?"
"Happy tears..."
"Ha ha ha!"
Ye Shuang exhaled, watching the girls celebrate. "Not top five, but still a happy ending."
What were the prizes, though?
Amid the chatter, Huang Zhao from IKUN Music Group approached.
"Linlin."
"Huang Zhao, what do you want?" Linlin wiped her tears, visibly unwelcoming.
"You won. IKUN admits defeat." Huang Zhao extended a hand.
"Gotta admit—you nailed that last line."
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
th】 【No prior gaming knowledge required】【The First Cultivation + Game Design Novel on the Platform】 In a world where the righteous path dominates and crushes the demonic sects, Lu Ze unlocks the "Son of the Demon Path" system. Killing righteous cultivators now grants him power-ups. Wait—deaths in illusions count too? As a former game designer, Lu Ze decides to give the cultivators of this world a little—no, a massive—shock... Sect Elders: "What is this 'Escape from the Demon Sect' game? Why have all our disciples abandoned cultivation to play it??" Elite Disciples: "You're saying... mastering 'Demon Slayer' can help us counter demonic schemes?" Reclusive Masters: "Why did I leave seclusion? Ask that backstabbing rat who ambushed me in 'Eternal Strife' yesterday!" Rogue Cultivators & Civilians: "'Immortal Abyss Action' is addictive! You can even earn spirit stones by loot-running..." Sect Prodigy: "My Dao heart is unshakable... except for that cursed black hammer." Royal Scions: "Can skins have stat boosts? I’ll pay 10,000 spirit stones for one!!" Sect Leader: "WHO IS CORRUPTING MY DISCIPLES?!!!"
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
