This school anniversary gave them roughly a week of time for rehearsals. With time being tight and the tasks heavy, the only available windows for practice were during the midday lunch break and right after school dismissed in the afternoon. Shu Ran had even gone out of her way to apply for an outdoor class so they could stay behind in the classroom to rehearse.
The storyline itself was relatively simple, and the lines weren’t particularly numerous, so the primary focus remained on practicing mutual chemistry and comedic timing.
Shu Ran provided professional guidance to the actors on how to tap into their characters’ emotions and how to deliver punchlines.
The two main leads actually had very few lines, but as the main attraction of the play, the production relied heavily on making rational use of their faces to secure votes.
All the costumes for this stage play were prepared by Shu Ran. Wen Yu’s costume was the most gorgeous and exquisite piece, a lotus-pink princess dress that Shu Ran had crafted with her own hands.
Fu Chen’s costume consisted of a high-collared white silk shirt adorned with ruffled lace and puffed sleeves, carrying a strong palace retro aesthetic that made him look thoroughly like a prince.
Shu Ran asked the two of them to try on their outfits to check the fit. Fu Chen changed first. His costume consisted of the shirt paired with a pair of suit trousers and riding boots. The tall and straight-backed Alpha stepped through the classroom door and instantly drew a wave of gasps.
“Good grief!” Shu Ran was thoroughly dazzled by Fu Chen’s appearance. She covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide as she stared straight at him. “This isn’t just playing a role; this is a genuine prince.”
Fu Chen possessed a tall and slender yet athletic build. The high-collared shirt accentuated his neck, making it appear increasingly slender while lending his lines an elegant and fluid grace. Combined with his cold facial features and perpetually aloof expression, he looked completely unapproachable, resembling a prince who had stepped straight out of a painting, noble, charming, and beyond anyone’s reach.
Wen Yu’s outfit proved to be far more cumbersome, requiring a lengthy struggle before he finally managed to change. When Wen Yu walked in holding up the voluminous skirt hem, the students who had previously been chattering away over the script all shifted their gazes toward him, and the entire classroom fell instantly silent.
The dress Shu Ran had prepared was lotus-pink, a low-saturation hue that was notoriously difficult to pull off and easily looked tacky.
Wen Yu’s complexion was naturally fair, and his figure was lean and slender. Dressed in such a fresh and refined color, he looked exceptionally gentle, ethereal, lively, and spirited.
Wen Yu’s facial features were exceptionally pretty. Framed by a pair of contrasting, clear-cut black-and-white eyes was a straight and delicate nose, followed by petal-shaped lips. His face shape was overwhelmingly smooth, completely devoid of harsh angles when viewed straight-on.
He was undeniably a beauty, and seeing him like this made it impossible for anyone to tear their eyes away.
Because the students usually wore standard school uniforms every day, donning such an uncommon attire made the visual impact all the more stunning. This was likely the first time Wen Yu had ever worn a dress, and it would most likely be his last.
“Gosh, how did a princess escape straight out of a fairy tale book?” Shu Ran was dumbfounded. Though she had imagined that Wen Yu would look striking in the dress, seeing the image materialize right before her eyes still left her completely stunned.
“Wen Yu, you look way too good!” Shu Ran spun circles around Wen Yu, admiring him from a full 360 degrees. Seeing her handmade dress worn to such breathtaking effect left her infinitely satisfied.
Lin Qiaoyue nodded in agreement. “It really does look incredible.”
The sports representative, Cheng Zhiyuan, hadn’t managed to close his mouth since the moment Wen Yu walked in. “I’m casting my vote for Wen Yu in the campus belle poll! Honestly, I’ve always thought Wen Yu looked better than Xu Xiaonian.”
Xu Xiaonian currently sat at the very top of the First High School forum’s campus belle rankings, while Wen Yu occupied third place.
Class monitor Song Yiyi also marveled. “Wen Yu, how are you so fair?”
While Wen Yu usually bundled himself up tightly in his school uniform, this dress featured a strapless design that left his fair neck and smooth shoulders completely exposed.
Everyone became thoroughly convinced of Wen Yu’s suitability to play Sleeping Beauty; no one else could possibly fit the role better.
Flustered by the overwhelming compliments, Wen Yu merely murmured in a low voice. “It’s nothing.”
While everyone else lavished praise, only Fu Chen remained standing silently to the side without a word. His gaze swept over Wen Yu’s waistline. The dress featured a fitted waist design, making Wen Yu’s already slender waist look impossibly delicate from this angle.
Sensing Fu Chen’s gaze turning toward him, Wen Yu looked up, but Fu Chen quickly averted his eyes.
The opening scene featured the duel between the King and Queen. The class study commissioner, Li Heng, had changed into a black suit draped with a red cloak and topped with a crown, while Queen Song Yiyi wore a white dress accompanied by her own crown.
Shu Ran had poured genuine dedication into this stage play. Even the crowns worn by the King and Queen looked remarkably valuable, reportedly borrowed by Shu Ran from her grandparents.
While the leads received the most exquisite costumes, Shu Ran had put equally thoughtful effort into everyone else’s attire.
For instance, the costumes for the blue elves consisted of blue bodysuits paired with blue elf headwear.
The roles of Mama Rong and Zivey featured custom-designed outfits commissioned by Shu Ran, complete with matching period-appropriate hairbands and Manchu headdresses.
After a strenuous week of rehearsals, the preliminary selection was scheduled for the very next day. Only passing the preliminaries would allow them to perform at the school anniversary celebration, leaving Shu Ran somewhat anxious about whether their unconventional material might be too out-there to pass.
Initially, several conservative veteran judges sitting in the audience frowned deeply as they watched their eclectic hodgepodge of a play. However, the moment Fu Chen took the stage, surprise flashed across their faces. They exchanged murmurs and shared information among themselves before nodding in agreement, as if silently reaching a consensus.
In the end, Class 1’s stage play passed the preliminary round smoothly. Upon hearing the results, an ecstatic Shu Ran immediately set to work designing the makeup for the main leads.
She was determined to style Wen Yu and Fu Chen in a way that would dazzle the entire audience, entirely justifying the clever little schemes she used to trick the two of them into taking on the lead roles.
On the day of the anniversary celebration, the hosts were campus belle Xu Xiaonian and Student Union President Lin Ze. Both enjoyed massive popularity within the school, belonging to that tier of prominent figures constantly discussed by students during their free time.
The order of performances had been decided by a draw. Shu Ran had pulled number three. Performing relatively early offered no inherent advantage, but she felt immense confidence in their program.
Immediately preceding Class 1’s performance was an instrumental piece by Class 3. Ji Chen had taken the stage to collaborate with a classmate Omega, playing the violin while the Omega accompanied on the piano, earning enthusiastic applause from the audience below.
As Ji Chen walked off the stage, he crossed paths with the members of Class 1 preparing to go on. Upon spotting Fu Chen, he paused in surprise before playfully punching Fu Chen’s shoulder. “You’re looking sharp today.”
This marked Ji Chen’s first time seeing Fu Chen in makeup. It wasn’t heavy makeup. Rather, the edges of Fu Chen’s eyelids had been tinted with a subtle red hue, and his brows had been neatly groomed, softening his naturally sharp brow shape into something slightly more level. The chill in Fu Chen’s features receded somewhat, drawing primary focus to those slightly deep-set eyes, while a touch of red tint on his lips made his already refined features even more striking.
The handsome visage paired with the palatial-style costume genuinely made him look like a prince straight out of a fairy tale.
Ji Chen had originally intended to walk right past, but then he caught sight of Wen Yu, who was wearing a blonde wig, a full face of makeup, and the pink princess dress. His feet felt as though they had been glued to the floor, rendering him completely unable to move an inch.
Wen Yu was already naturally pretty, but Shu Ran had dusted pink eyeshadow across his clear-cut black-and-white eyes. Without applying false eyelashes, she had curled Wen Yu’s naturally long and thick lashes upward and coated them with mascara. When Wen Yu blinked, his eyes seemed to cast an effortless charm, leaving anyone who glanced his way completely dazed.
A touch of blush on Wen Yu’s cheeks dispelled his usual sickly pallor, making him look exceptionally cute and spirited.
The lip color worn by Wen Yu differed from Fu Chen’s. It was a very light, translucent shade with a glossy finish that made his lips resemble crystal-clear fruit jelly, carrying an alluring temptation that made people want to take a bite.
The princess dress boasted a voluminous skirt and a strapless bodice, fully exposing Wen Yu’s sculpted collarbones and smooth shoulders. Having lost his soul entirely, Ji Chen stared fixedly at Wen Yu.
Uncomfortable under the intense gaze, Wen Yu spoke up. “You…”
Wen Yu actually just wanted him to step aside so he could go on stage.
Instead, snapping out of his daze as if waking from a dream, Ji Chen fled the scene in haste.
With the host’s introduction concluded, the King and Queen took the stage first.
The narrator began to recite. “Once upon a time, there was a kingdom. The King and Queen had no children for a long time, and they longed for a child more than anything.”
Queen: “Oh, Lord! If you can hear our pious prayers, please bestow upon us a child!”
Narrator: “The heavens seemed to heed the plea of the royal couple. Eventually, the Queen finally conceived and gave birth to a beautiful daughter. Overjoyed, the King hosted a grand banquet.”
The scene shifted to the banquet hall.
King: “This banquet is held to celebrate the Queen’s birth of the princess. Oh, blue elves from beyond those mountains and seas, I hope you will offer your finest blessings to my beloved daughter!”
The audience fell into a collective silence. Huh? Is this right?
Someone muttered under their breath. “Seriously, how did they manage to resist singing that out loud?”
The basketball team took the stage. As actual basketball players standing exceptionally tall, they donned blue bodysuits and blue elf headwear, marching out onto the stage like a row of six giants.
One by one, they offered their blessings to the princess.
“I bless the princess with beauty.”
“I bless the princess with wisdom.”
“I bless the princess with…”
After the six blue elves finished speaking, the sports representative, costumed as the red elf, strode onto the stage.
The students in the audience froze collectively, their expressions conveying a universal question. What on earth is this?
The red elf declared angrily. “You didn’t invite me! I’m so furious I’ve turned red with rage! I refuse to be a blue elf anymore! In the name of the red elf, I curse the princess to prick her finger on a spinning wheel spindle and die when she reaches her fifteenth year!”
Narrator: “At that moment, a kind blue elf stepped forward to mitigate the curse.”
Kind blue elf: “The princess shall not die, but rather fall into a slumber lasting one hundred years.”
Narrator: “Fifteen years later, the princess had grown up.”
Wen Yu made his entrance, lifting the hem of his dress.
The audience fell into a simultaneous, brief silence before erupting into a violent wave of commotion.
“Gosh! Who is that? How can anyone look this gorgeous?”
“Momma! Am I still asleep? How did Sleeping Beauty escape out of a fairy tale book?”
“I finally understand why a prince would hack his way through thorns just to kiss the princess. I want to kiss her too!”
“Who plays the prince? Damn girl, you have got the luck of the gods!”