Yang Yi sat in his seat, watching the sky outside the window slowly tint toward dusk. He knew tonight was the night the so-called New Cycle Student Gala would begin. He had no intention of performing, and as for why, perhaps only he knew the real reason.

"Hey, did you hear? Tonight's gala is going to be really interesting," a female student asked her deskmate.

Upon hearing this, the deskmate immediately showed great interest and inquired, "How interesting?"

"Hehe, this semester's Campus Belle has certainly emerged, but the Campus Prince level one hasn't shown up yet."

"And what does that have to do with the gala?" the deskmate asked, looking confused.

"You really don't know? Hmph, let me tell you, the list for this semester's Campus Prince will be posted right after the gala ends!" the female student said with an inexplicable look of longing.

"Posted after the gala ends?" The deskmate repeated the words, then suddenly exclaimed with excitement, "Doesn't that mean..."

"Exactly..."

Every word spoken by the two girls fell clearly into Yang Yi’s ears. A faint smile flickered across his face. Such matters had nothing to do with him; he neither hoped for nor cared about attaining the title of Campus Prince. Although in the school, the Campus Prince held the same status as the Campus Belle, such elevated positions were ultimately too cold and came with too much scrutiny.

Just as Yang Yi was contemplating these thoughts, a voice, somehow both familiar and strange, reached him.

"Hey...!"

"Hm?" Yang Yi looked up in confusion at the newcomer and asked with a mix of bewilderment and surprise, "Classmate Li, may I ask what you need?"

"Come outside for a moment!" Li Qian felt a strange flicker in her heart upon seeing his startled expression.

"Uh, can't this be said here?" Yang Yi had a feeling that anything this girl sought from him wouldn't be good, especially since he had managed to offend her twice already.

"You...!" Seeing he wasn't receptive, Li Qian stomped her foot in anger and walked outside.

Yang Yi's lips curled upward. He glanced subtly toward Chen Dong in the distance, a cold sneer surfacing in his heart: Since you dared to cross me, I will make you regret ever stepping into this world. You actually dared to harm my brother, hmph—!

Chen Dong seemed to sense the sharp, cold glint in Yang Yi's eyes. This was a warning, perhaps. After their gazes met briefly, Chen Dong quickly looked away, his thoughts unknown.

It is said that the night is beautiful, capable of filling one with excitement in the darkness, yet also capable of inducing exhaustion.

Inside the spacious gymnasium of No. 1 Middle School, the stage was already set. Colorful streamers, meant to enhance the festive mood, hung everywhere. The busy staff had completed all their preparations.

The time was now seven-thirty in the evening. The gymnasium was packed. Suddenly, a sharp sound signaled the stage lights coming on, followed by the appearance of two hosts, eliciting a burst of cheers.

The hosts were a pair of twin sisters, renowned throughout the school as the 'Elf Beauties': Lei Siyin and Lei Lanyin. Both wore black dresses, making them appear especially pure and lovely. Their bright eyes blinked intermittently, and their beautiful faces were alight with smiles, drawing loud roars of appreciation from the onlookers below.

"Fellow students, teachers, esteemed school leadership, today marks the opening of our school's New Cycle Student Gala! Are you happy?"

The voice was truly befitting of her name—silken notes, sweet and pleasing to the ear—this was Lei Siyin speaking. Hearing her question, the students below roared back with resounding fervor, "Happy!"

"It's good that you're happy. Then let the show begin!" Lei Lanyin’s voice was crisp, distinctly different from her sister’s, yet equally pleasant to listen to. This sight delighted every student who hadn't seen them before, or those who hadn't seen them recently, driving them into a frenzy.

"Next up is a performance from our three grades designed to add an element of mystery to this gala. Please enjoy!"

"Swish!" A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted, the crowd below growing visibly agitated. Merely having two Campus Belle-level beauties on stage had caused such a commotion; if the six top Campus Belles were to stand together, the entire school might very well erupt in sensation.

"Damn, they really are like the legends say, Elf Beauties are truly Elf Beauties. These twins are simply... stunning!" Xu Ming stared, eyes wide, at the Lei sisters as they slowly walked backstage.

"Yeah, absolutely flawless!" Ye Xiaohou remarked, his eyes shining.

"Right, right!" Fatty Lin chimed in, seemingly agreeing with everything.

Xu Ming and Ye Xiaohou exchanged a glance at the sight of Fatty Lin staring with unblinking intensity. As if reading each other's thoughts, they exchanged sly smiles. "Second Brother, are those two beauties very pretty?"

"Yes!" Fatty Lin’s gaze remained fixed, not on the performance that had already begun, but on a specific spot.

"Then... you really want those two beauties, don't you?" Ye Xiaohou asked with a mischievous grin.

"Yes, I really want— Damn it!!!" Fatty Lin stopped mid-sentence, as if suddenly realizing something, and glared contemptuously at Xu Ming and Ye Xiaohou.

"Second Brother, this attitude won't do. You claimed you didn't want to be a Wei Xiaobao? I swear, you're thinking about it too much," Ye Xiaohou said, completely ignoring Fatty Lin's look of disdain.

"Exactly. Second Brother, as a man, a normal man at that, you should be honest with your conscience. If you like those two beauties, then chase them! What's there to fear?" Xu Ming said with a smile.

Fatty Lin looked at them, momentarily stunned. While he inwardly agreed with their assessment, he couldn't shake the feeling of a looming scheme. He ultimately didn't admit it, rolling his eyes at them. "You two aren't watching the performance; you’re just wasting expressions here. Damn, Li Qian’s turn is coming up soon!"

"Heck! Second Brother, we look down on you!" Xu Ming and Ye Xiaohou said simultaneously.

Fatty Lin ignored them, keeping his focus fixed on the stage, his private thoughts undisclosed.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Yang Yi was beginning to understand why his entire class—no, why every male student in the entire No. 1 Middle School had fought so hard to secure a spot in the performance: it was indeed for reasons beyond the ordinary.

"Look, look, that's Leng Yue from Grade Two!" one male student said to his companion.

"Which one, which one?" the companion quickly asked.

"The one wearing the purple dress!" The first student pointed toward the girl in purple.

Yang Yi, standing nearby, heard their exchange and naturally turned his gaze toward the woman in purple. He inwardly sighed, Holy crap, she really is a top-tier specimen!

[Brothers, keep boosting the ratings! To ensure I don't drop from first place on the monthly popularity chart, I will do my utmost to update. Let's go! Look forward to the next chapter (The Rogue Pianist). Thanks for your support!]