Chapter 164: Leaving No Regrets
While waiting to go on stage, Gu Qinghuan was actually very nervous. The most she had ever done was dance in a group performance back in kindergarten—and she didn’t even remember it clearly.
Who would have thought that in high school, not only would she have to perform on stage, but it would even be live-streamed online?
However, when she saw that Yu Yuan beside her was even more nervous, she suddenly relaxed.
She patted Yu Yuan on the shoulder, startling her into a jump. “What are you doing?!”
Gu Qinghuan extended her hand toward her and blinked. “If you’re nervous, want to hold hands?”
Yu Yuan hesitated for a moment, but still slowly took her hand, then suddenly laughed.
“What are you doing…” she whispered, “You’re nervous too—your palms are all sweaty.”
“It’s not bad to have someone to be nervous with,” Gu Qinghuan said confidently.
Le Yi and Lu Jian, who weren’t nervous at all, looked at the two of them smiling and felt a bit confused.
The third program of the evening ended smoothly. Amid the applause, the curtain fell, and the staff quickly changed the stage setup.
Yu Yuan released Gu Qinghuan’s hand. Since the opening was her monologue, she had to go on first.
She stepped up two stairs, then turned back to look at Gu Qinghuan and said seriously, “Let’s do our best together.”
“Okay!” Gu Qinghuan gave her a thumbs-up.
Taking a deep breath, Yu Yuan stepped onto the stage that belonged to her.
[Troublemakers Squad]
Xie Xiangxue: “Here it comes!”
Shi Guanghui: “Recording ready!”
Ai Ning: “This is the first language-based performance so far, I wonder if there’ll be pressure…”
Jiang Chuchu: “Relax, Qinghuan seems in pretty good condition.”
Yu Xin: “I’m so nervous…”
Yu Xin was nervous for both Gu Qinghuan and Yu Yuan.
Earlier, when the hall lights were still on, she had spotted Cui Wanning sitting in the third row, slightly to the left of center.
Cui Wanning seemed to be in a good mood, chatting with the lady next to her. Judging by her attitude, she seemed to be flattering that woman a bit.
Yu Xin subconsciously glanced over again, but unfortunately, the lights were off now, and she couldn’t see clearly.
The curtain rose again, and Le Yi’s group’s skit officially began.
After watching three consecutive singing and dancing performances, the livestream audience was starting to feel a bit bored, but when the skit began, they perked up slightly.
[Le group has been pretty stable during filming, looking forward to this.]
[Yu Yuan’s reaction to failing the exam is exactly like mine—someone dismantle the surveillance cameras!]
[Le Yi, you don’t need to act that realistically when scolding students.]
[PTSD from my student days.]
[Lu Jian totally looks like a top student!]
[I’m dying of laughter—Gu Qinghuan’s part must be her true self, right? Saying her family won the lottery and immediately planning what to eat.]
[Hey scriptwriter, come out for a second—is that how the food-list monologue was rewritten? “Fire noodles, luosifen, mala tang, crayfish, pickled fish”?]
[I seriously suspect Gu Qinghuan didn’t memorize this part at all—she’s just saying whatever comes to mind. I remember the practice version wasn’t like this.]
[Ahhh the applause is thunderous—and so is my stomach!]
Backstage, Jiang Chuchu was completely speechless—especially when Gu Qinghuan’s microphone amplified the sound of her stomach growling.
The audience below was already laughing like crazy, but Gu Qinghuan wasn’t embarrassed at all. Even though it was accidental, she just treated it as part of the performance.
With quick thinking, she adjusted a few lines, smoothly incorporating the “small mistake” into the plot, triggering even louder laughter and applause.
The other three were truly impressed. What a strong mentality—or rather, Gu Qinghuan was genuinely hungry.
Thinking about it, it made sense. To avoid any mishaps during the performance, everyone had skipped dinner. It was only natural for her to be hungry.
This little interruption actually helped everyone relax more, and their acting became even more lively and vivid.
The early part was chaotic and hilarious; the middle part brought knowing smiles.
And by the later stage—though it was the well-known “moral lesson” segment—Yu Yuan performed exceptionally well.
She perfectly conveyed a teenager’s confusion about the present, self-reflection, and hopes for the future. What could have been a cliché segment became sincere and beautiful.
[I’m crying… if only I had figured things out like this back then.]
[This part was so well acted—it’s like watching a crooked sapling slowly straighten itself. It’s really not easy.]
[Her eyes really became clearer! I’m so touched!]
[I get it now—it’s not that I hate moral lessons, I just hate forced, unnatural preaching.]
When Yu Yuan “woke up” again, anxiously asking for the time, and learned from Gu Qinghuan that everything had returned to normal, she smiled in relief and brilliance.
After delivering her final line, the venue once again erupted in thunderous applause.
The moment she stepped off stage, Yu Yuan slid down against the wall and sat on the floor.
Gu Qinghuan was about to help her up, but when she saw Yu Xin, she stepped aside.
Yu Xin lifted Yu Yuan by the arms and pulled her into a tight hug. “You did really well. Amazing!”
Yu Yuan was still a bit dazed. She hugged Yu Xin back instinctively and said softly, “Sis… did I really do well?”
“Really! You were incredible!” Yu Xin nodded firmly.
Only then did Gu Qinghuan help steady Yu Yuan. Jiang Chuchu walked over holding two cups of hot cocoa. “Here, take these. The takeout is already on the way—we’ll be having a big mala tang feast soon.”
“You even ordered takeout?” Gu Qinghuan widened her eyes.
“I ordered for the whole class,” Jiang Chuchu crossed her arms. “Your stomach was growling so loudly the entire audience heard it. How could we let you go hungry?”
Gu Qinghuan was deeply moved—and decided to bury this incident deep in her memory, never to think about it again.
Jiang Chuchu then poured hot cocoa for Le Yi and Lu Jian as well. Holding his cup, Lu Jian said with satisfaction, “I think our group did really well!”
Le Yi was also very satisfied. He didn’t care much about rankings anyway—he had joined this program just to relax before acting in his next script.
From the results, he had a great time. That was enough.
While they were still chatting backstage, it was already Bai Qingyin’s turn on stage—also Ning Fu’s second performance.
This time, Ning Fu had changed outfits, but people still recognized her immediately, and she received quite a bit of applause as soon as she stepped on stage.
As the dynamic melody began, her voice shifted continuously with the song’s narrative, almost like showing off her vocal skills.
She used a weathered tone to tell the past, a childlike voice to depict fairy tales, a brave tone to declare battle, and a warm timbre to conclude the ending.
To the students, this performance was simply dazzling and impressive.
When Ning Fu finished the song, spreading her arms and bowing forward, applause, whistles, and cheers erupted one after another, creating a lively atmosphere.
“Wow, highest popularity so far,” Gu Qinghuan said, holding her hot cocoa and peeking toward the stage.
Jiang Chuchu commented objectively, “Bai Qingyin’s new song, combined with such versatile singing techniques, and a presentation style that fits current trends—she’s definitely getting a lot of votes.”
Yu Yuan agreed. She had already done her best, and since her opponent was indeed very strong, she didn’t feel disappointed or upset.
So this… is what it feels like to leave no regrets, Yu Yuan thought.
If only the things she once gave up on could one day no longer remain regrets—that would be wonderful.
