Chapter 20: ◎So Soft.◎ Part 1

Zhu Lexing initially thought, Haha, social death? It’s really not that big a deal.

Life was short. Just grit your teeth and bear it, and it would all pass.

But when Yan Mian shot her a puzzled look, she still couldn’t stand the toe-curling embarrassment. “What do you care which ‘Mian’ it is? Can’t it be the soft and fluffy one?”

This world had its own version of 《Pleasant Goat and Big Bad Wolf》. It had evolved from a kids’ cartoon into a brutal tale of wolves versus sheep, locked in all-out war.

“Oh—” Qiao Qiao drawled.

The sound was an “oh,” but her face said two words: Not buying it.

Zhu Lexing’s thoughts were still a jumbled mess. Whatever, believe it or not—she bulldozed ahead with a change of subject. “What are you doing here anyway?”

Xu He, catching her gaze, knew when to quit while she was ahead. “The dressing room’s free now. I had someone hold our spots. Oh, and the host wants us to come up with a team name for the announcements later.”

“…What’s the team next door called?”

Xu He thought for a second. “Something like… Fireworks?”

“Then we’ll go with Must Win Fireworks Team!” Zhu Lexing declared.

“Make it Must Win Zhou Yang Team,” Qiao Qiao said with a laugh. “He deleted his forum account and everything.”

Can you not bring up the exact thing I want to forget?

Zhu Lexing could only mimic her and force another topic shift. “Alright, enough wasting time.”

And with that, she strong-armed the group into leaving.

In truth, Yan Mian hadn’t followed much of their cheerful banter. That “Mianmian’s Fan” bit? She’d taken it as a fan of some brand name and hadn’t given it another thought.

Until Qiao Qiao’s words jogged a key term out of her.

Forum.

At Li Nian’s insistence, Yan Mian had signed up for the forum too—but she rarely checked it.

On the way back to the dressing room, she pulled it up. The post was still pinned at the top of the front page, thoroughly dragging Zhou Yang through the mud. In just a few minutes, she’d skimmed the whole backstory. But her eyes lingered on the username that had been @’d.

Mianmian’s Fan… was Zhu Lexing.

This Mian—

…was her?

Yan Mian could scarcely believe it.

“Fan” was a vague, abstract concept to her—something distant and intangible.

She couldn’t fathom why Zhu Lexing would pick that ID. Even more baffling was the “respect” it implied.

Back in the old days, Zhu Lexing never would’ve chosen a name like that. If anything, when she was in a foul mood and Yan Mian happened to catch her in it, she’d probably pick something humiliating instead.

Mianmian’s Fan… no way.

Zhu Lexing, who was walking at the front, suddenly halted. She spoke awkwardly: “That Mianmian Fan account isn’t mine—it’s Song Yingying’s.”

She faced Qiao Qiao, but her eyes flicked back toward Yan Mian at the rear. “…She’s a big Yan Mian fan, so I just logged into her account to fire back. What, Zhou Yang posts trying to trash me, and I can’t hit back?”

The excuse came out of nowhere. Qiao Qiao wasn’t buying it, but Xu He took it at face value and voiced her curiosity. “Then why not use your own account to curse him out?”

Zhu Lexing: “…Obviously ’cause I’d get banned.”

Self-serving behavior like that actually fit Zhu Lexing’s character.

Xu He dropped it. Yan Mian’s doubts eased a touch thanks to the abrupt cover story.

Once the dressing room cleared out, the Must Win Zhou Yang Team kicked off their final line run-through.

Zhu Lexing laid down the law: “For the actual performance, everyone act normal. No flubbing lines, no wrong blocking, no messed-up moves—and definitely no falling asleep onstage!”

Remembering the previous rehearsals sent her blood pressure spiking again.

The sudden flare of anger buried that lingering awkwardness for good.

The group mumbled half-hearted affirmatives. Yan Mian still had her speech to give, so she’d only gotten light makeup so far.

At the same moment, the costume crew wheeled in the outfits for the team. The crown and jewels for Snow White sparkled brilliantly, while the long gown was festooned with layers of intricate white tulle—opulent at a glance.

Xu He eyed the costume with envy. “So pretty!”

Qiao Qiao rolled her eyes, baffled by her disappointment. “Don’t you have way prettier stuff at home?”

Xu He: “…That’s not the same!”

Compared to the other teams’ outfits, Yan Mian’s gown was already top-tier—one skirt outshining ten others. She’d wanted to shine anyway, or she wouldn’t have aimed for the lead role. No wonder she felt a pang of regret.

Then Xu He glanced sideways and spotted the everyday clothes laid out beside the gown, also labeled for the Snow White role.

It hit her belatedly, and she gaped in shock. “We have to wear all of this?”

In a stage play with tight pacing, there was no time for quick changes. They had to go with the old-school trick: layer everything on from the start and shed pieces as the scenes progressed.

The school-provided costumes for the first couple rehearsals had been layered too, but they’d been form-fitting to accommodate the chilly auditorium’s AC.

Yan Mian’s getup now? This was the real deal.

Suddenly, Xu He thought playing a dwarf—who didn’t need costume changes—sounded pretty great.

The group immediately started teasing her with good-natured jabs. Yan Mian overheard and responded with a simple smile.

In this team, she and Li Nian didn’t quite fit in. Beyond polite smiles, she wasn’t sure how to act.

As she started to look away, her gaze landed on Song Yingying in the corner, quietly flipping through the script. Zhu Lexing’s earlier excuse came back to her.

Mianmian’s Fan… was Song Yingying.

Song Yingying liked her.

Noticing the look, Song Yingying glanced up blankly. She hadn’t stuck with Zhu Lexing; Xu He had dragged her to the dressing room early and she’d missed the whole username fiasco.

In the mirror, the exquisitely dressed girl with flawless features smiled at her. Song Yingying couldn’t shake the feeling that the smile was exceptionally gentle—almost reassuring.

Two misfits might feel lonely.

But with a third in the mix… it wouldn’t be so bad.

The System couldn’t eavesdrop on the female protagonist’s inner thoughts, so Zhu Lexing naturally had no clue about Yan Mian’s plan to add Song Yingying to her “friends” list.

She merely propped her chin on her hand, her gaze stealthily darting between Song Yingying and Yan Mian, harboring a subtle… jealousy toward Song Yingying.

If only Yan Mian had looked at her that way just now.

Poor Mianmian’s fans—they hadn’t even made a few appearances before their grand downfall.

Zhu Lexing let out a long sigh.

The stage play Snow White was slotted fourth in the lineup, preceded by speeches from student representatives.

When the host came to fetch them, the group only then learned that Yan Mian would be giving a speech too. Qiao Qiao let out an “Oh——” and said, “You’ve got this.”

Xu He chimed in, “As expected of someone who can play the lead! Top marks in morals, intellect, sports, arts, and labor!”

Qiao Qiao added with pointed meaning, “You can tell just by listening—she’s heading to a top university.”

Every time Zhu Lexing heard Qiao Qiao open her mouth, she wanted to slap a strip of tape over it.

In a team, those willing to speak offered only encouragement.

Zhu Lexing silently scooted back, clearing a path for Yan Mian. “Don’t embarrass Class 2.”

Yan Mian followed the host out. The aisle was dotted with other participants, each letting out varying degrees of “wow” upon spotting her.

Once the footsteps faded into the distance, Zhu Lexing rose to her feet, ready to leave.

Qiao Qiao let out a “Yo.” “Where to?”

Zhu Lexing replied gravely, “On this dark and stormy night, I’m off to give Zhou Yang a beating.”

Qiao Qiao: “…”

Of course, beating up Zhou Yang was just playful banter.

All day long, Zhu Lexing hadn’t laid eyes on the real Zhou Yang anywhere except on her phone.

A few days earlier, she had scoped out the auditorium and pinpointed an utterly inconspicuous dead corner—connected to backstage yet offering a clear view of the stage.

Seizing the moment before the show kicked off, Zhu Lexing slipped into the audience section and positioned herself at the edge of a slightly parted curtain.

Glancing sideways, she spotted Zhu Lin in the front row, Jiang Yue seated beside him. The pair were chatting with a middle-aged man who bore an uncanny resemblance to Lin Yang. The System chimed in: 【This is Lin Yang’s father, Lin Qingxing.】

These side characters barely existed in the original work, so Zhu Lexing noted their faces and called it done.

She had zero interest in their small talk. As she pulled her gaze away, she finally noticed the cameras scattered throughout the venue.

Only then did it hit Zhu Lexing: No. 1 High School’s anniversary celebration was being live-streamed from start to finish.

Before things got underway, she had already found the school’s live stream room. Online viewers numbered just over a hundred, and a glance at the avatars and IDs revealed most were Qiao Qiao’s fans.

-When’s Qiaoqiao taking the stage?

-I’m only here for Qiaoqiao’s live stream.

-Qiaoqiao/Qiaoqiao/Qiaoqiao/

-All Qiao Army here? Mutual follows and blackjack—let’s stan Qiaoqiao together from now on!

The school anniversary kicked off with a barrage of speeches from the principal down to the teachers—endless, repetitive drivel that sent another third of the viewers packing from the live stream.

Zhu Lexing grew drowsy listening to it all, her focus glued to the chat instead. One glance down revealed the universal lingo of fan circles in the barrage comments. She was stunned, her fingers itching to join in.

Mianmian’s Fan 2.0 burst onto the scene!

But the social suicide from half an hour ago still stung too much, so this time Zhu Lexing picked a far more low-key username.

In mere minutes, Qiao Qiao’s fans tuning into the school anniversary stream noticed a user named 【Leaf That Loves Mian】 flooding the chat, showering nonstop praise on someone called “Yan Mian” from every conceivable angle.

The fans puzzled over which celebrity Yan Mian could be. Finding no trace of her online, they vented in speechless frustration:

-Who’s Yan Mian??

-Never heard of her.

-Riding Qiaoqiao’s coattails here too?

Some, irked by the spam, copy-pasted cheers for Qiao Qiao to drown her out.

Zhu Lexing fumed inwardly. How rude!

A bookworm’s pursuits weren’t “riding coattails.” Besides, in the book, Yan Mian’s eventual achievements left most celebrities in the dust. Past life and present combined—if anyone was riding fame, it was Qiao Qiao!

Still, harmony breeds prosperity. Zhu Lexing decided to yield the floor for one round.

Once the teachers’ speeches wrapped, it was time for the students.

Zhu Lexing fought off sleepier waves, barely hanging on till the end. Midway through a yawn, the System’s voice surged with excitement: 【Here she comes!】

Zhu Lexing looked up on instinct—and there was Yan Mian, ascending slowly from the audience to the stage.

Yan Mian’s features were flawless, her school uniform hugging her figure just right—the picture of classic beauty. As she approached step by step beneath the lights, her exceptional poise shone through, like a snow pine stepping from a painting: aloof, refined, eternally captivating at a single glance.

The dormant barrage erupted in a tidal wave.

-Holy shit! What a stunner!!! Still in school???

-Heard the announcer: sophomore student rep! Must have killer grades.

-No way she’s not a debuting idol??? What’s the pretty girl’s name? Caught something like “mian.”

-…Yan Mian?

In that instant, everyone linked it back to 【Leaf That Loves Mian】’s earlier fervent outbursts—and fell silent.

Notifications for sharing the stream popped up in droves alongside them.

Zhu Lexing stared, momentarily entranced.

But she snapped to quickly, rampaging through the chat once more with effusive praise for Yan Mian’s looks.

This time, no pushback—instead, a smattering joined her, while others clamored for Yan Mian’s socials.

Zhu Lexing breathed a deep sigh of relief.

It was Yan Mian’s first time on a stage this grand.

She’d felt some nerves beforehand, but once it was speech time, composure settled in.