When Qiao Qing arrived at the changing room, her phone flashed.
She peeked at the text, put her dress into the change room, and went to the bathroom.
Mu Jinghang had been waiting for Qiao Qing. Once she got there, he handed her a shopping bag, "My third bro asked someone to tailor you a dress and some shoes. The ones your class got is far too cheap and many people have worn them before. What if you put it on and get an allergic reaction?"
Qiao Qing took over the bag and with much hesitation, she asked, "Where is he?"
"Who?" Mu Jinghang was confused, "Oh, my third bro. He has an international video conference tonight so he won't be here to watch you perform. Plus, he said that he doesn't want to see you dance with other boys. It will hurt his eyes."
The hand Qiao Qing used to hold the bag tightened. Without another word, she left.
Mu Jinghang held onto his chin and watched Qiao Qing disappear. Then, he made a "hmmm" noise.
His third brother sure was troublesome. So he wanted to surprise her. Was it necessary to lie to her?
Couldn't he see that his girl was dark in the face from anger?
What if he screws this up and instead of a boyfriend, he makes himself into an ex-friend?
By the time Qiao Qing returned to the change room, Chen Nanfeng had already changed.
She came up to greet Qiao Qing, "Qingqing, you haven't changed? Huh? Who made you mad?"
Qiao Qing was a little startled as she tried to control her expression, "I'm not mad. I just went to the bathroom."
Chen Nanfeng, "Oh, then go change quickly. It's almost time to go up."
Qiao Qing nodded and went to change.
When she took out the dress Mu Jinghang brought her, she realized that the color of it was similar to the one her class rented.
But when she looked closer, the material and the make were very high class. More importantly, it was tailored to her size.
Qiao Qing let her hair down and changed into her clothes.
The moment she left the changeroom, she was greeted with a round of exclaim.
Chen Nanfeng took Qiao Qing's hands and spun her around, "Qingqing, you're so gorgeous! You look exquisite in this dress!"
Some girl expressed confusion, "How come her dress is a little different than ours?"
Chen Nanfeng studied Qiao Qing's dress then studied her own.
She nodded in agreement, "It is different. It's like she bought the authentic version in the store while I got mine cheap on eBay."
Others, "..."
One girl said, "Our class representative sure has favorites. He gave us street vendor products, but for Qingqing, he gave her the good stuff. It's like he's terrified Qiao Qing doesn't know what he's thinking."
"Exactly." Another girl chimed in, "Doesn't he know that she already has a boyfriend? Even though we never got to see his face, his body alone is far better than others."
Qiao Qing didn't explain anything.
Chen Nanfeng continued, "Okay, okay. After all, our class representative is going to be dancing with Qingqing in the center! Let's go check out the boys."
Just then, a series of footsteps and deep inhales approached from behind.
All the boys' gazes were fixated on Qiao Qing. None of them could hide the shock they were feeling.
Chen Nanfeng cursed, "***, can you not stare at her so bluntly? You're scaring her! She has a boyfriend! What if he comes here and beats all of you!"
Her words made everyone laugh.
One girl said, "Class representative, you are so unfair. You even gave Qiao Qing a different dress than what you gave us."
Ji Chen was surprised. He concentrated on Qiao Qing's dress and mentally compared it to the others. Then, he began to scratch his head.
"I didn't know. I just took a random medium-sized one from the pile and gave it to her. I didn't know hers would be different than yours?"
The other girls didn't believe him and were convinced that Ji Chen was lying.
Just then, someone in charge of the show dashed over, "First group, get ready, it's almost time!"
Ji Chen hurriedly shouted, "Alright everyone, I'm going to take attendance. After I mark you as 'here', go up."
A row of students began to walk towards him. Qiao Qing was the last one in the queue. He waved his hand before her face, "Qiao Qing, why are you in a daze? It's time to go up."
Qiao Qing snapped back to reality. Subconsciously, she glanced around before nodding and walking upstage.
Ji Chen also glanced around – he wasn't sure what Qiao Qing was looking for.
Just as he was about to follow the group, someone soundlessly came up to him from behind and dragged him away while covering his mouth.
Depressed, Qiao Qing walked towards the "exit" sign. She didn't even notice that her partner was gone.
Inside the boy's washroom, Mu Jinghang dumbfoundedly stared at the fainted Ji Chen. Then, he looked up to the man in a suit.
He gulped, "Brother, I thought you were going to use some kind of excuse to lure him away. So your way of dealing with this problem is to be blunt and violent?"
Jun Yexuan's lips curled up into an evil smile, "Why waste brain cells when you can be blunt and violent? Plus, hehe~ I've been wanting to beat him up for a long time."
Mu Jinghang, "..."
Qiao Qing's class headed onto the stage at the gesturing of the employee.
The moment Qiao Qing stepped onto the stage, the audience began to inhale sharply in awe. All of them were exclaiming over her beauty.
Though she was bare-faced and didn't put on any makeup, she was next level when compared to her girl classmates who had a full face of makeup on.
Tian Zhen, who was sitting with the professors, glanced over at Qiao Qing. When she heard what others were saying, her heart began to beat erratically like she had been drinking.
Due to her good grades, she'd never placed second in anything. Growing up, she'd always been the teacher's pet and her classmates' idols. No matter where she went, she was the center of attention.
She was used to living life being complimented. For the entrance exam, not only was she the number one scholar in the City of Billow, but she was also the highest scorer in the nation.
Though she heard a rumor that someone got full marks, she didn't believe that it was true.
Because of her good grades, she was the most talked about person in UCC. Who knew that Qiao Qing had stolen her thunder because of her good looks.
Thinking about this, she rubbed her own face and felt much jealousy.
She had never been jealous of those with good looks. But her mind was a little twisted since everyone's always valued her studious traits over her appearance.
She remembered how one summer, she went camping with her friends. When they were chatting with another group of students, one of her friends said, "One of us is a great student. Guess who?"
The other group didn't even hesitate before guessing correctly. Before Tian Zhen could celebrate, the other group commented quietly, "Usually the ugly one is the good student."
There were many similar stories throughout her life. Therefore, she hated those who were good looking. Especially those who didn't get good grades.
Only when her nails pierced her skin did she snap back to reality. When she remembered that she was invited to sit with the professors and the school leaders, she felt comforted.
So what most people value appearance? Only those with good grades get to sit with people who matter.
At the same time, in a corner, Fu Siying was looking at Qiao Qing with hatred in her eyes.