Lantern Sister is still very capable.

Chapter 36 Performance

The first performance was a four-person chorus of a song, which was the familiar "Steel Warrior" by Lian Chudeng and others.

The familiar melody and catchy lyrics inspired many people to sing along, including Jin Xiaoyue and Meng Qiuhe, who were sitting next to Chu Deng.

Jin Xiaoyue smiled and waved the glowing quantum computer in her hand: "Iron warriors, fearless of difficulties."

Meng Qiuhe suddenly swung his fist: "A steel plate to shatter the heavens and the earth!"

The mismatched Chu Deng and Pei Hanxing: ...

The second performance was a skit, adapted from one of the most criticized skits from this year's Spring Festival Gala. After some clever modifications by a talented student, the skit became much funnier, eliciting bursts of laughter from the audience and thoroughly heating up the atmosphere.

Next, street dance, acrobatics, and group crosstalk took turns on stage, providing a rare moment of relaxation. The students, who usually bury themselves in their studies, were proficient in all sorts of skills.

The only difficulty was that there were disagreements within the same group, but no one did anything to spoil the fun, and even if they didn't know how, they still went on stage confidently.

Two of the four street dancers couldn't dance. Although the choreographer tried to make the dance simple, they still looked stiff, with twisted limbs and disproportionate facial features, resembling zombies crawling all over the place in a post-apocalyptic movie.

Chu Deng had something to say about this, stating that some zombies were much more agile than the two dancers.

Soon it was Chu Deng and her group's sixth group's turn to perform.

Pei Hanxing stood stiffly in the circle of classmates. Knowing his personality, Meng Qiuhe stuck close to him and comforted his socially awkward good friend, "It's okay, bro, just close your eyes and it'll be over in a second."

Pei Hanxing exhaled, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly under everyone's gaze, "Let's begin."

"I'm Meng Qiuhe, next to me is Pei Hanxing, and our backup dancers are Chu Deng and Jin Xiaoyue. We're performing the song 'I'm Here to Beat You Up'!" Compared to his good buddies, Meng Qiuhe was definitely a tough guy. He introduced his group members loudly and crisply, his voice loud enough for even the most peripheral people to hear. Coupled with his good looks and height, he made people feel an instant goodwill towards him.

"He's a good candidate for chanting slogans." Huo Xuan joined the students in applauding this group.

As soon as the song's intro began, the entire venue erupted in cheers.

"Wow ah ah ah ah!"

"Every punch and palm strike, every move and stance, righteous spirit fears nothing."

Every word, every action, every step, every shadow—a legend travels the world.

I'm not here to be a hero, I'm here to beat you up!

As the lyrics played, Jin Xiaoyue and Chu Deng stood in the center, simultaneously throwing out their left fists, then switching to palms in the next second, raising their legs for a side kick, and returning to center.

The two turned around to the left and right, clasped their hands in a fist salute, and began to fight to the lyrics.

"Since everyone's here, let's all come at once. The tea'll be warm by the time we're done... I'm not a hero, I just want to beat you up..."

The brutal, hand-to-hand combat was evenly matched, making it a thrilling and exhilarating spectacle. It stirred a sense of heroism within the audience, as if they were also participating in the fight.

In particular, although the two were competing, it also echoed the lyrics. When Meng Qiuhe sang "Let's go together," Chu Deng made a hooking finger gesture, and with her nonchalant smile, she looked even more arrogant like a master.

What followed was even more exciting: Chu Deng and Jin Xiaoyue exchanged blows. Chu Deng remained unmoved, while Jin Xiaoyue retreated repeatedly, shaking her wrist as if she had been hurt. Chu Deng, on the other hand, grabbed the air with one hand, making a cup-holding motion, and with the other hand, she held the air tea lid and gently blew away the non-existent steam, just as the saying goes, "The tea is not yet cold!"

The crowd watched with amazement, and Huo Xuan's eyes lit up.

That level of control is amazing!

"...I'm not here to be a hero, I'm here to beat you up!"

Pei Hanxing finished singing the last line of the lyrics, but she was still in a daze. Her eyes were fixed on Chu Deng and Jin Xiaoyue, who were exchanging blows. She forgot her fear of going on stage and her mind was only on Chu Deng, who was staring at her friend.

"Dude, let's go." Meng Qiuhe thought Pei Hanxing was still nervous, so he kindly led his dazed brother back to their spot.

The group of four was greeted with thunderous applause as they left.

"so cool!"

"So handsome!"

"Genius, I love you!"

Pei Hanxing's gaze pierced the excited person who had just confessed, only to find that it was a girl from Class Two. Then, looking at Chu Deng, who was holding hands with Jin Xiaoyue as they returned to their seats, Pei Hanxing felt a mix of emotions. Her eyes became vacant, as if she were lost in some terrible fantasy.

After being settled in her seat by Meng Qiuhe, Pei Hanxing remained as quiet as a chicken.

"Wait, don't rush off yet. Chu Deng and Pei Hanxing will put on a show for everyone."

Huo Xuan's sudden remark caused the entire audience to erupt in cheers, with the crowd, always eager for a good show, applauding enthusiastically. "One more! One more! One more!"

People from other classes nearby kept glancing this way. Anyone who didn't know better would think that someone was confessing their love on the spot, and that everyone was encouraging the young couple to kiss!

Meng Qiuhe spoke up for his good friend, "No, instructor, could you please give them a break during the break so they can prepare?"

"Granted!" Huo Xuan waved his hand mercifully. "These two will be last, the next group will come on!"

So everyone continued playing music and dancing; the excitement belonged to them, but no one spoke on Chu Deng's side.

"How about you two sing a love song?" Meng Qiuhe broke the silence first, suggesting.

Jin Xiaoyue shook her head, frowning as she looked at him. "Don't try anything funny! The two of them have just finished singing, and the next thing they know, the homeroom teacher will drag them into the office and torture them severely."

If the two darlings who ranked first and second have something going on, not only will their homeroom teacher be alerted, but the grade head and even the principal will have to come and ask what happened. Do they not want this year's awards and bonuses?

"Pei Hanxing, what do you think?" Chu Deng suddenly asked.

Pei Hanxing was taken aback. When Chu Deng, one of the parties involved, asked this question, he no longer remained silent. Instead, he pretended to be calm and said, "Everyone just wants to have some fun. As long as we don't cooperate, we can't control the rest."

Chu Deng: "So?"

"Just perform the show as usual," Pei Hanxing said.

Pei Hanxing's words made some sense. Meng Qiuhe felt that it was less like nonsense literature and more like utterly useless.

"Then let's just pick a ballad that we both know." Chu Deng didn't care what others thought. Since Pei Hanxing had no objections, she made the decision directly. It wasn't a big deal.

Having witnessed the storms of the apocalypse, Chu Deng remained unmoved by the youthful anxieties of adolescence on campus.

Despite their reluctance, the fifteen performances couldn't last until the end of the meet-and-greet. Chu Deng and Pei Hanxing stood up again amidst the cheers of their classmates. As the melody of a song familiar to everyone began to play, the "wow" from the onlookers grew louder and louder.

Yan Mengqi's debut hit song is "I Really Want to See You".

The gentle voice combined with the sad melody creates a special atmosphere, and it brought tears to the eyes of countless young men and women when it was released.

After satisfying everyone's desire to watch the show, Chu Deng and Pei Hanxing left without any hesitation, leaving the students who had fantasized about the two academic geniuses' relationship being exposed feeling disappointed.

But none of this diminished Pei Hanxing's inner joy.

He turned to look at the person chatting with Jin Xiaoyue, and under the cover of night, he let his feelings show, a smile playing on his lips.