This humble Taoist priest wants to take the college entrance exam.

Chapter 262 was reported again.

The explosion was like a thunderclap rolling across the laboratory building, instantly waking the sharp fire alarm.

The ringing sound echoed wildly in the empty corridor.

In the duty room at the end of the corridor, Teacher Yang's hand trembled, and the enamel teacup crashed onto the table, spilling tea in a circle. He didn't even bother to wipe it up, and ran wildly towards the source of the sound in his leather shoes.

Fortunately, the explosion occurred in the laboratory building. If it had happened in a teaching building during break time, it would likely have caused widespread panic...

Even so, the spreading sound waves still startled many students. Those who were leaning against the windows or walking in the corridor all looked up and stared blankly, wondering what had happened.

Teacher Yang sprinted almost a hundred meters to the laboratory door, then suddenly pushed open the half-closed door. The scene before him made him pause.

Chen Shi'an, covered in dust and dirt, stood in the middle, his hair still smudged with bits of plastic. Wen Zhixia and Lin Mengqiu flanked him, one tugging at his sleeve to examine his arm, the other clinging to his shoulder to scrutinize his forehead...

The two girls' faces were still pale, and their eyes were full of panic.

Looking around, the lab bench was overturned and in disarray, with unidentified debris scattered all over the floor, and a faint smell of burning lingered in the air.

"What happened! Did this place just explode?!"

"I'm sorry, Ms. Yang, it's okay. My power bank just exploded."

"Master Chen, are you alright?"

Teacher Yang quickly stepped forward and circled around him. "How could a power bank explode so loudly? I thought it was a gas cylinder that exploded!"

Chen Shi'an was somewhat embarrassed; with the help of magic, the explosion of the power bank was indeed quite frightening.

Fortunately, he erected a barrier in time, preventing the fire from spreading. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to pay back the tuition fees he owed Uncle Lin, and he would have had to compensate the school with a laboratory...

I wonder how many cups of milk tea Wanyin will have to sell to help him make enough money to cover his losses...

"Taoist priest, are you really alright? Shouldn't you go to the hospital for a check-up? You scared me to death!"

Wen Zhixia looked like she was still in shock, her voice trembling as she looked at the shards scattered on the ground. Heaven knows what that stinky Taoist priest inside was up to.

"I'll go with you to the infirmary."

Lin Mengqiu also spoke stubbornly, her face also pale at this moment. After all, when the explosion happened, she and Fanren Chan were separated by a door. When the explosion was heard, her heart almost jumped out of her throat. She really thought that Chen Shi'an inside was going to be blown to bits.

"It's okay, I was just... far away, I wasn't hurt. Look where I'm hurt."

"What are you doing! That's dangerous!"

Seeing that Chen Shi'an was indeed unharmed, the two girls finally felt relieved. When they looked at the stinky Taoist priest again, their faces were full of resentment and complaints, and their hearts were still pounding with anxiety.

"...No, I was just charging a power bank, and then it exploded."

Where did you buy the power bank?

“Bing Xi Xi”.

"...You should have bought a better one! The quality is so bad! Taoist, give me your phone, I'm going to leave a bad review and demand compensation from the seller!"

"Um... no need for that, it must have been my fault for using it incorrectly."

"Taoist priest, you're too easygoing! How else can a power bank be used? If it explodes, it's definitely a quality issue."

"..."

Chen Shi'an didn't know what to say.

Fortunately, it turned out to be a false alarm, and the two girls and the teacher on duty all breathed a sigh of relief.

The laboratory building is close to the administration building, and many school leaders heard the loud noise. Principal Lin even called to ask Teacher Yang, who was on duty, what was going on.

"...Yes, yes, it's alright, Principal Lin. Yes, it wasn't explosives, it was just Master Chen's power bank that exploded. Yes, that's right, he's fine, no one was hurt. Yes, okay, I understand..."

Chen Shi'an: "..."

awkward.

……

The group cleaned and tidied up the lab together, and then Professor Yang, who was on duty, closed the lab door.

As for the key... after hesitating for a while, Teacher Yang put it in her pocket herself.

"Master Chen, let me take the key back first. We won't be using this lab for now. The school will be inspecting it again later. If you need to use another lab, come back and get the key from me."

"...Okay, thank you for troubling Teacher Yang."

"Oh, it's good that everyone's alright. Mengqiu and the others were right. We should buy better quality power banks next time."

"Okay, thank you, Teacher Yang."

Teacher Yang has left.

Chen Shi'an then asked the two girls out of curiosity:

"Why are Xiaozhi and the class monitor here? Don't they have class?"

"get out of class just ended, okay? What are you doing in there so engrossed?" Wen Zhixia said.

"It's nothing, shall we go eat now?"

"Let's go to the auditorium," Lin Mengqiu said.

"Ok?"

"The preliminary selection for the school anniversary performance we signed up for today is coming up. Let's go, let's go, Taoist priest, let's hurry over there."

"I almost forgot, let me wash my face first."

Chen Shi'an went into the restroom.

The two girls stood there, glanced at each other, and then looked away. ...

Chen Shi'an quickly washed his face, wiped away the dust, and shook off the crumbs from his school uniform, finally regaining his usual clean and fresh appearance.

The three of them quickly left the laboratory building and headed towards the auditorium.

Today is the day of the preliminary selection for the school anniversary arts performance. The auditorium is already packed with people. There are many students watching the excitement from below the stage, and the backstage is even busier. The sounds of guitar tuning, singing practice, and dance shoes rubbing against the floor are all mixed together. The contestants are all nervously adjusting their costumes.

The teachers in charge of the preliminary selection sat in the front row of the judging panel, flipping through the registration forms with a rustling sound, and arranging for the registered students to go on stage to perform.

Originally, the two girls and Chen Shi'an's songs were scheduled to be performed first, but unexpectedly, a huge explosion occurred when they went to the lab to find Chen Shi'an, and their performance time has already passed...

"Holy crap! Zhizhi, you guys finally arrived! The teacher has been calling us several times already! Did you elope?!"

Upon seeing the three approach, Xiao Yan and the others who were waiting in the auditorium quickly gathered around.

The instructors from the back office also came over with the registration forms.

"Mengqiu, Master Chen, and Zhixia, why are you only arriving now? Your show time has already passed."

"I'm sorry, Teacher Li, something unexpected just happened. Do we still have a chance?" Chen Shi'an apologized.

"I've moved it to the last one for you."

Teacher Li smiled and said, "Let's prepare the skit first. Is everyone here?"

"Everyone's here!" everyone responded quickly.

"Okay, then you guys get ready, the next program is coming up."

Wen Zhixia didn't have time to explain what had just happened to Xiao Yan and the others, so she quickly gathered everyone together to go over their lines again.

I thought the preliminary selection would be held in some activity room, but it turned out to be arranged in the auditorium, which can be regarded as a rehearsal to get used to the stage in advance.

Chen Shi'an remained calm and even helped everyone adjust their headsets.

Wen Zhixia was nervous yet excited. As the director and screenwriter, she repeatedly confirmed the lines and actions with everyone, and every now and then she would observe the other contestants on stage to see how long it would be before it was her turn...

Lin Mengqiu maintained her ever-present aloof expression, standing to the side silently reciting her lines, occasionally taking a deep breath in secret...

She wasn't worried about failing the shows she signed up for; she was worried about not performing well.

If she really messed up the performance, she would rather be eliminated than be "kindly" passed by the judges, which would only make the pressure even greater.

As for Yao Jingyan, He Yeye, Shen Yatong, Qiu Yufu, and Xu Zihan, they were all extremely nervous at the moment. After all, including the students who came to join in the fun, there were at least one or two hundred people in the auditorium. It was the first time in their lives that they had been on such a big stage, so how could they not be nervous!
"Looks like there will be even more people during the actual performance." Chen Shi'an glanced at the several hundred seats in the auditorium.

"Oh dear, Taoist priest, don't scare everyone!"

Wen Zhixia rolled her eyes at him, her palms sweating with nervousness, but she still reminded the others, "Don't panic, just like you would in a regular rehearsal."

"Alright, get ready for the next performance," came Teacher Li's voice.

"Come on, let's give each other a thumbs up and cheer each other on!"

Wen Zhixia first extended her fair and tender little hand. Chen Shi'an was stunned for a moment, and only after she nudged him with her shoulder did he quickly put his hand on hers.

"×!"

Seeing that Chen Shi'an had put his hand down, Lin Mengqiu then placed her hand on the back of his hand.

Yao Jingyan, He Yeye, and the others followed suit, with Xu Zihan finally slapping the top spot.

"Three, two, one, go!"

The group cheered each other on, put on their performance headsets, and then came out from backstage to go on stage.

Among the applicants for this program, only two groups of students signed up for campus skits, and Chen Shi'an and his group were one of them.

However, according to the program's arrangements, only one group could remain in the end.

The judges have already reviewed the scripts they submitted. Putting aside any 'connections', Wen Zhixia's script is far superior to the previous group's script in terms of both concept and theme, perfectly fitting the theme of the school anniversary celebration.

During their performance on stage, it was clear that they were all somewhat nervous and reserved, but Chen Shi'an performed exceptionally well. He started with a real fall that seemed to come from nowhere, leaving the judges speechless and the students in the audience who had come to watch in amazement.

Driven by his emotions, Wen Zhixia, Lin Mengqiu, and the others quickly got into the zone.

The performance ended quickly.

The judges exchanged a few words in hushed tones and all gave high scores on the application forms.

Without much time to rest, Chen Shi'an and the two girls' show began immediately.

……

The results of the preliminary selection were released during evening self-study that same day.

All the programs that Chen Shi'an, Wen Zhixia, and Lin Mengqiu signed up for successfully passed the preliminary selection. Next, they will rehearse well and prepare for the official school anniversary gala at the end of the month.

In addition to the preliminary results, an announcement was also broadcast over the loudspeakers in each classroom:

This afternoon, a power bank exploded in the physics laboratory 406 of our school's experimental building. No injuries were reported, so please do not panic. Some equipment and work surfaces in the laboratory were damaged. To ensure the safety of teachers and students and to investigate potential safety hazards in the laboratory, the school will organize professionals to conduct a comprehensive safety inspection, equipment repair, and site cleanup of the laboratory. The specific time for the laboratory to resume operation will be announced separately.

Safety is paramount, and responsibility is of utmost importance. We hope all teachers and students will learn from this incident, strengthen their safety awareness, and work together to maintain campus safety and stability…
The news caused an uproar in every classroom.

"So that's where the explosion came from this afternoon, it was the lab that exploded!"

"Holy crap! Who did this? Who went to the lab to charge their phone?"

Chen Shi'an: "..."

Let's try it outside another day.

(End of this chapter)