Quick Transmigration: The Control Group in Sweet Novels

Qi Yang asked, "Then what kind of thanks do you want?"

Chen Zuo looked down at him, the light in the corridor making her appear clear and radiant. He suddenly stopped smiling and said seriously, "Give me a chance to treat you to a meal, just the two of us."

After he finished speaking, the atmosphere froze for a moment, subtly.

The boy's meaning was obvious.

Qi Yang avoided his burning gaze, her eyes darting away. She pursed her lips and said, "My parents are strict, so it probably won't work."

Her voice was low and soft, but her refusal was very clear.

Chen Zuo stared at her for two seconds, but instead of being disappointed, he smiled and said, "Okay, I'm not in a hurry. I'll wait."

Qi Yang didn't reply. She took the water and was about to leave when Chen Zuo followed her at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

When Qi Yang arrived at her seat, the boy stopped and tapped his fingers lightly on her desk. "If there's anything you don't understand in your notes, don't be shy to ask me. You can come to me anytime."

Qi Yang looked at his slender fingers resting on the table and finally nodded gently.

*

In the coming days, the school anniversary celebration was just around the corner, and an irrepressible restlessness filled the classrooms.

The students' conversation turned to which class's performance was more interesting, and even Lou Yu was scribbling on paper, pondering the lines of his crosstalk routine.

On Friday afternoon, during the last period, the homeroom teacher stood on the podium, his gaze sweeping over the students whispering among themselves. He couldn't help but frown and tapped the desk with the blackboard eraser.

"Everyone, please be quiet."

The rustling sounds in the classroom quieted down.

The homeroom teacher pushed up her glasses. "I fully support your desire to bring honor to the class, but you haven't even gone up on stage yet, and your minds are already wandering. You need to know what your primary task is right now, and I think you all understand which should come first, the main one or the secondary one. Only those who can remain calm and focused can succeed..."

The tedious sermon began again, and the audience fell silent.

Xia Nianze felt nervous.

With only one day left before the school anniversary celebration, Xia Nian spent almost all her spare time in the school's piano classroom.

She suppressed her heartbeat and subconsciously looked at Chen Zuo beside her.

The boy held the pen in his hand, twirling it slowly. He rested his chin on one hand, idly daydreaming, his gaze fixed on one spot.

Xia Nian followed his gaze.

The girl lowered her head slightly, her hair brushing against her fair neck. She seemed completely unaffected by the restless atmosphere in the class. While the homeroom teacher was giving a long speech, she was carefully writing and drawing on the paper.

Xia Nian looked away, somewhat disappointed.

She tried to clear her mind of all distractions and focus on the upcoming party.

But deep down, she couldn't help but wonder if she could attract his attention if she stood on the stage.

The performance was held in the school auditorium, with all students from grades 10 to 12 participating. The auditorium was packed to capacity, a sea of ​​heads.

The curtain on the stage hadn't even been raised yet, but backstage was already in complete chaos.

Xia Nian sat in a corner backstage, still clutching her piano notebook in her hand, her fingertips turning white from the force.

She wore a borrowed white dress today, which Xu Yao helped her choose. The style was simple, with a lace trim around the neckline, and her hair was braided into a princess style, which made her look clean and sweet.

Xu Yao circled her twice, then suddenly frowned and reached out to take off her black-rimmed glasses.

"Hey—" Xia Nian instinctively flinched.

"Don't move." Xu Yao took off her glasses, paused slightly, and looked at the delicate face in front of her. She smiled, "You're quite pretty, why do you wear such big glasses every day?"

Xia Nian blinked, her vision still adjusting.

The figure in the mirror became somewhat blurry. She subconsciously squinted to look at it, and her features became clearer, with curved eyebrows and a delicate nose.

Xu Yao patted her on the shoulder, "Don't wear glasses anymore, you'll look better on stage like this."

Xia Nian said timidly, "But I can't see clearly."

"That's easy." Xu Yao took out contact lenses from her bag and put them on her with practiced ease.

Xia Nian felt a little uncomfortable. It was her first time wearing contact lenses, and without the cover of her large-framed glasses, she felt inexplicably insecure.

A classmate next to her leaned over for a look and exclaimed, "Xia Nian, you look so beautiful today!"

Xia Nian's ears turned slightly red from the praise. She lowered her head, unsure of what to say. She had never dealt with such a situation before, and her heart was beating faster and faster.

She subconsciously looked around at the crowd backstage, searching for a certain figure.

Where is Chen Zuo?

Will he see her too...?

Xia Nian's gaze swept backstage, searching several times, but she couldn't spot that familiar figure.

She felt a little disappointed.

Meanwhile, the auditorium had darkened, the stage lights came on, and the school anniversary performance officially began.

Qi Yang and Ji Tingyu found two seats in the audience and sat down, while the students around them chattered about the program.

Ji Tingyu flipped through the program list in her hand and saw a few familiar names. She laughed and said, "If only I had asked my mom to send me to learn some skills when I was little, otherwise I could only watch."

Qi Yang watched with her, and smiled with pursed lips.

Suddenly, someone sat down in the seat next to me.

Qi Yang glanced at him subconsciously and met a pair of dark eyes.

Today, the school did not require students to wear school uniforms. Chen Zuo wore a black stand-up collar jacket, and his short hair was neat and tidy, covering his handsome brow bone.

Qi Yang was stunned for a moment, then blurted out, "What are you doing here?"

Chen Zuo raised an eyebrow. "Otherwise, where would I be?"

According to the plot, he should be backstage at this point, cheering Xia Nian on.

But Qi Yang realized that the plot had already gone down a mess, so she kept her question to herself.

Chen Zuo looked at her expression and asked in surprise, "Are your parents so strict that I can't even sit next to you?"

"..."

Qi Yang knew he was teasing her about how she had rejected him, so she gave Chen Zuo a light glare.

Chen Zuo looked away with a half-smile, stopped teasing her, and casually crossed his long legs, his posture relaxed and natural.

Ji Tingyu saw Chen Zuo through Qi Yang, her mouth slightly open, and gave Qi Yang a meaningful smile, making Qi Yang's face flush slightly.

On stage, the host's greetings rang out, and soon after, he announced, "Next, please enjoy a piano solo performed by Xia Nian from the Grade 11 Advanced Class—"

The lights dimmed and then came back on, focusing on the grand piano in the center of the stage.

Xia Nian walked out from the side of the stage, and the audience fell silent for a moment.

She walked to the piano with her head down, her skirt swaying slightly at her knees, then sat down, her fingers hovering over the keys for two seconds before the notes began to play.

The music flowed from Xia Nian's fingertips, carrying a gentle, storytelling quality.