Chapter 4: To Catch Bandits, First Capture Their Leader
The dance performance ended as Teng Yi and the four boys behind him took a magnificent bow.
The applause in the auditorium lingered endlessly.
This performance had been flawless—group choreography in perfect sync, solo dances dazzlingly cool. Each of them had danced skillfully enough to deserve the cheers and applause showered upon them.
As the curtains closed, Ruan Yu thought to herself that with such a grand opening act, any subsequent performances would inevitably suffer from a jarring sense of anticlimax.
Sure enough, the second act—a comedy skit—didn’t fare well. The two students in traditional robes, waving folding fans, did their utmost to make the audience laugh, but unfortunately, every punchline was met with awkward silence.
Many girls excused themselves to go to the restroom, only to circle around and sneak backstage to catch a glimpse of Teng Yi and his crew. As more and more seats in the auditorium emptied, the expressions of the school administrators grew increasingly grim.
The teachers in charge of the event, Jiang Weiguo and Tian Cheng, hadn’t anticipated this situation. Tian Cheng, in particular, had invited the West Street Dance Crew to help him command the stage, only for them to dominate the opening act and inadvertently overshadow everything that followed.
Girls continued slipping out in waves, while those too timid to leave sat listlessly, their enthusiasm drained. Finally, Tian Cheng could take it no longer. He stood up abruptly and strode toward the backstage.
“Oh no, those girls are in trouble,” Jian Xiangxiang whispered.
Ruan Yu stayed silent, her gaze fixed on the backstage area.
A short while later, Teacher Tian Cheng returned, followed by five boys still clad in red. They had removed their masks now, and aside from Teng Yi, the others were each strikingly handsome in their own way.
Tian Cheng pointed at the empty seats in the second row, signaling for the boys to sit. They protested with their eyes, but Tian Cheng pretended not to notice. He pressed Teng Yi into a chair first, and the other four, left with no choice, reluctantly took their seats.
“What kind of shady tactic is this?” Jian Xiangxiang asked.
“To catch bandits, first capture their leader.”
“No, I mean, why isn’t Teacher Tian Cheng dealing with the girls but bringing them out instead?”
“Bringing them out is the only way to solve the problem at its root.”
No sooner had Ruan Yu spoken than the groups of girls who had slipped out earlier came rushing back in. Soon, every empty seat in the auditorium was filled again.
Teacher Tian Cheng’s move had been brilliant. Still, he must have felt a pang of disappointment—despite all the effort he’d put into arranging the performances, none could compete with the mere sight of these five boys’ backs in the eyes of the students.
Ruan Yu wanted to focus on the show, to salvage some dignity for Teacher Tian Cheng, but she found her attention wandering uncontrollably. Like the other girls, her gaze was inevitably drawn to one particular person’s silhouette. He sat perfectly still, his dreadlocks taking on shifting hues under the flickering auditorium lights.
Who would have thought? The same person who had exuded such domineering, king-like energy onstage now seemed like an entirely different person without the music and spotlight.
Quiet, composed—even a little well-behaved.
The boys around him fidgeted restlessly or whispered among themselves, clearly uncomfortable, but he alone listened with rapt attention, whether to the unfunny comedy skit or the solemn poetry recitation.
He was… surprisingly tolerant.
Ruan Yu recalled the way he had looked at her on the rooftop and suddenly felt that even if he had overheard her clumsy, misspoken words, it wouldn’t have mattered at all.
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