You're dumping me, huh? Fine, then I'll just pick up the school beauty and make her my wif

After saying that, Chen Weiyuan didn't care whether Jiang Che agreed or not, and added that they would contact each other by phone later.

He then turned and walked straight out the door.

Jiang Che stood there, watching Chen Weiyuan's back, unsure of what to say.

The old professor originally came here to relax and listen to music, but he ran into this mess. Not only did the person who came forward to vouch for him, but now they also have to run errands for him to check the surveillance footage.

He is not someone who is used to owing favors to others.

From childhood, Jiang Dahai taught him that the debts of gratitude are the hardest to repay.

If you can handle something yourself, try not to ask others for help.

But now is not the time to be stubborn.

Su Qinghe definitely needs him more.

I'll have to owe this huge favor for now.

"Professor Chen," Jiang Che called out to him.

Chen Weiyuan stopped and turned to look at him.

"I will definitely visit you in person to express my gratitude afterward." Jiang Che's tone was full of solemnity. "I have remembered what happened today."

Chen Weiyuan stared at him for two seconds, then smiled and waved his hand without saying anything, and slowly walked out of the monitoring room with his teacup.

Fang Haoyu watched this scene from the side, his throat bobbing involuntarily.

At the same time, she was incredibly relieved that she hadn't offended this guy too much.

You probably couldn't find many students at Peking University who would have Chen Weiyuan personally run errands for them.

After watching Chen Weiyuan leave, Jiang Che turned to Fang Haoyu and the security guard and said "Thank you for your hard work" before striding towards the dressing room.

The dressing room was slightly ajar. When Jiang Che pushed the door open, the makeup artist was applying setting powder to Su Qinghe's face with a makeup brush.

Lin tide, Shen Shiyu, and Zhao Weilan sat around the dressing table, each holding a cup of milk tea and chatting with Su Qinghe.

The atmosphere had eased considerably compared to before.

Hearing the door open, Su Qinghe saw Jiang Che walk in through the mirror.

Their eyes met in the mirror.

Jiang Che's tense expression relaxed.

The little girl's makeup today was very exquisite; the makeup artist gave her a much heavier and more elaborate look than usual.

The slightly upturned eyeliner at the outer corner of her eyes gave them a sharper, more aloof look than usual.

"Jiang Che, you're back!" Lin tide spoke first, her voice still carrying the worry from before. "Did you find the surveillance footage? Who did it?"

Jiang Che walked to Su Qinghe's side and naturally put his hand on her bare shoulder. "They're still investigating. As you know, the school has to apply for and go through procedures for everything, and it takes a lot of time to get approval from all the levels."

He did not directly mention Ye Qingru's name.

The fewer people who know about this matter, the better, until we have solid evidence.

Su Qinghe looked up at him, her beautiful eyes still glistening with a thin layer of moisture.

"Are you nervous about going on stage?" Jiang Che asked her, looking down at her.

Su Qinghe shook her head and gently grasped Jiang Che's fingers that were resting on her shoulder. "Don't be nervous."

She paused for a moment, then added, "I'm not nervous when you're here."

Lin tide and the other two exchanged glances.

Lin tide silently mouthed to Shen Shiyu, "Kill the dog."

Shen Shiyu suppressed a laugh and lowered her head to slurp her milk tea.

The makeup artist packed up her tools, gave a few instructions, and then left.

Lin tide and the other two were also very perceptive, leaving the young couple with some private space.

The dressing room fell silent.

Now that there were no outsiders around, Su Qinghe turned her head and looked at Jiang Che seriously: "Tell me, Che, what did you see when you went out to check the surveillance footage?"

"There's nothing on the surveillance footage," Jiang Che said truthfully. "I've checked the surveillance cameras in the backstage corridor, the side stage, and the back door, from 10 p.m. last night to 2 a.m., and they didn't capture anyone."

Upon hearing this, Su Qinghe pursed her lips and lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a light shadow on her cheeks.

"Since she dared to tamper with the footage, she must have already disabled the surveillance cameras beforehand."

"That's what I thought too." Jiang Che pulled up a chair next to him and sat down. "But I just asked Professor Chen Weiyuan to help me check the campus surveillance footage outside the auditorium with the security department."

"I think Ye Qingru might have tampered with the surveillance cameras inside the auditorium, but not necessarily the ones outside."

"Perhaps the surveillance cameras on the perimeter just happened to capture her movements."

Jiang Che gently pinched his girlfriend's powdered cheek. "Alright, focus on the competition first. I'll look into the rest."

Su Qinghe hummed in agreement, then turned her head back to the mirror and tidied her hair.

Twenty minutes later, a staff member knocked on the dressing room door: "Su Qinghe, number 07 in the piano group, please wait on the side stage."

Su Qinghe took a deep breath, silently cheered herself up, and then stood up.

Jiang Che also stood up, then reached out and took her hand. "Let's go, I'll see you onto the stage."

"Okay~"

The scene shifts to the competition stage.

By this time, the stands were already packed with a huge crowd.

Five senior professors from music academies of various universities in Beijing were sitting on the judging panel, giving their comments on the previous contestant.

"Your pitch is good, but some parts were handled too stiffly, and the emotional progression wasn't conveyed."

The elderly professor with gray hair sitting in the middle pushed up his glasses and spoke in a rather serious tone.

The girl in the black dress on stage blushed, bowed, and hurriedly stepped off the stage in her high heels.

The host then walked onto the stage and announced into the microphone: "Next up is Ye Qingru, a third-year student from the School of Economics and Management at Peking University."

"She is playing Chopin's Ballade No. 1. Please give her a round of applause!"

As applause erupted, Ye Qingru gracefully walked out from the side stage.

She wore a burgundy fishtail dress today, with the hem adorned with subtle hand-embroidered patterns that shimmered as she moved.

Her long, jet-black hair was styled into an elegant French updo, revealing her slender, fair swan neck.

The boys in the audience stared wide-eyed.

"Holy crap, isn't that Ye, the school beauty?"

"She's even prettier in person than in the forum photos; her aura is amazing."

"This senior is really something else; her aura completely overwhelms the other contestants."

Whispers rose and fell, and Ye Qingru took in all the whispers, her red lips curving into a barely perceptible smile of triumph.

She walked to the center of the stage in ten-centimeter high heels and gave an elegant bow to both the judges' panel and the audience.

As she straightened up, her gaze swept across the first row of the audience, seemingly casually.

Jiang Che sat there.

But Jiang Che's gaze never fell on her; he kept his head down, playing on his phone the whole time.

This feeling of being ignored made Ye Qingru's heart feel like it was being squeezed tightly, and her nails unconsciously dug into her palms.

But her smile remained flawless as she turned and gracefully sat down at the piano.

After adjusting the distance to the piano bench, Ye Qingru gently placed her hands on the piano keys.

Close your eyes and assume a pose as if you are immersed in the world of music.

As the fingertips touched the ground, the first note rang out in the quiet auditorium.