The School Beauty from the Next Class Insisted I Confess - Chapter 20

During the rehearsal, Han Feng perfectly fulfilled the commitment he made to the club members.

“Female Lead 1, look at Female Lead 2 with more filial love.”

“Yes, yes, just like looking at a lover, it’s all emotion, close enough.” Han Feng shouted towards Xu Qingfeng in the distance.

They had specially cleared out the club hall for the drama rehearsal. Han Feng stood at the very front, set up a table and chairs, sat cross-legged, and passionately directed the actors’ movements with a paper megaphone he had self-made the night before.

Ever since he found out he was the director, he had watched most of the famous dramas. His feigned professionalism and instructions came easily since no one else was professional, and to better meet the members’ expectations, he had crammed several days’ worth of romantic drama material.

Small romantic elements? This director doesn’t even care, it comes naturally to me.

The drama group could be called makeshift, yet many members had a natural flair for acting. After a quick run-through, many had already awakened their acting talent.

Gao Zhi, playing Female Lead 3, was not among them.

“Gao Zhi, why are you speaking so stiffly? You’re not this unnatural when you complain about ‘Old Head Liu’ behind his back!” Han Feng slammed his hand on the table, leaning forward to yell through his megaphone.

In the character Xu Qingfeng originally envisioned, Female Lead 3, Gao Zhi, was just a normal student who, along with others, was incited by Female Lead 1’s parents. She wasn’t an antagonist; she just had lines and would realize her mistake in the end, apologizing to Female Lead 2.

However, when Han Feng said he wanted to “deal with” Gao Zhi, he wasn’t just planning to give her difficult or numerous lines.

Due to Han Feng’s suggestion for an added scene, Gao Zhi’s character became the brainless, malicious female secondary character who loved to gossip behind people’s backs. She even teamed up with Female Lead 1’s parents to report Female Lead 2, causing her to lose her job. Although her initial intention was good, her kind heart always led to bad outcomes.

Xu Qingfeng had no objection to this. She didn’t want to write about villains, and she didn’t have anyone to reference; the students around her were all focused on studying. Where would they find “the school bully falls in love with me,” skipping classes, going online, and fighting? At most, they’d compete for food or academic contests.

Han Feng’s alteration made the drama more conflicting and controversial. Having characters the audience loves and hates ensures a deep memory, thus achieving the goal of this performance.

“It’s not the same, Han Feng!” Gao Zhi glared fiercely at Han Feng. The two situations were incomparable. Calling the teacher “Old Head Liu” was an act of respectful affection, but now she had to curse someone to their face.

“Little Gao, this is where your lack of professionalism shows,” Han Feng criticized her in a self-important manner, making a gesture as if fanning himself with an imaginary fan, then pointing his finger at Gao Zhi.

Gao Zhi couldn’t control her rising emotions and retorted, “You try! You come and try cursing President Xia!”

Thanks to Xu Qingfeng, who had changed all the actors’ last names to facilitate immersion, Gao Zhi’s lines were as follows during the rehearsal:

The scene being rehearsed was the night before Female Lead 1, Fu Qingfeng, attempts sui.cide. Female Lead 2, Shen Yiqiu, had always taken special care of this normally quiet student in private. She suspected it was due to family reasons and, recalling her own experiences, often called the student to her office for tutoring and encouragement. Today, Female Lead 1 seemed particularly upset, so she found her during lunch for a heart-to-heart talk.

Fu Qingfeng’s deskmate, Li Zhi, didn’t see it that way. She thought the glamorous Teacher Shen was a hypocrite, an “old fox” with a false face. She frequently called her deskmate in to talk, and her deskmate, who was usually quiet, would return with red eyes every time. This time was especially bad. Li Zhi believed that this “Yiqiu” must have bullied her quiet deskmate. At this moment, the brave and righteous Li Zhi cornered Shen Yiqiu after school to condemn her.

“Shen Yiqiu, your heart is so vicious! How can you treat a student so harshly?”

Female Lead 2, who was always good-natured, wanted to explain to the student, who didn’t know the full story, but the matter involved the student’s privacy, so she couldn’t speak directly.

“Student Li, I think you’ve misunderstood.”

“Misunderstood? Then tell me the reason.”

Female Lead 2 remained silent.

“You venomous woman! You poisonous woman! It serves you right that you’re so old and still don’t have a partner…”

Gao Zhi’s lines were a constant barrage of verbally abusive curses, often interspersed with the name Shen Yiqiu. Looking at President Xia, who was usually so intimidating, sitting opposite her, she felt extremely awkward saying the lines.

In the subsequent plot, Female Lead 1 attempts sui.cide that same night after returning home. That evening, she found out that her father’s gambling debts were being pursued, and the conversation she overheard the night before about selling her was about to become a reality. Fu Qingfeng, unlike Li Hua, didn’t have a mother who loved her, and in despair, she went down the wrong path.

She had no attachment to this world, but just before her consciousness faded from the sleeping pills, she thought of the female teacher who always comforted her and smiled at her, unconsciously murmuring the name, “Teacher Shen.”

Han Feng thought it would be better to change the line to “Shen Yiqiu” and didn’t give anyone a chance to object. His authority as the director was quite significant sometimes.

Both names refer to Female Lead 2, but their implications are different.

Han Feng had been brainstorming with the club members these past few days and came up with many good plot points. That last utterance of “Shen Yiqiu” before death suggests that Female Lead 1’s heart had already fallen for Female Lead 2. They planned to add another line in the final scene when the truth is revealed and Female Lead 1’s soul is dissipating.

Female Lead 1 smiles with a sense of relief at Female Lead 2, shedding tears that shouldn’t be possible: “Next life, I’ll wait for you. Will you let me be your teacher then?” Female Lead 2 then cries, and the curtain falls.

The story of the next life would be up to their fan club to write, where all sorts of forbidden relationships would play out. However, upholding the light of justice, they would both be adults in the next life before doing anything that Jinjiang (a fiction platform) would prohibit.

The fan club’s objective was to intersperse the script with lines that sound normal at first but are subtly suggestive upon reflection. This would trick the audience while ensuring the recorded performance could be edited into a video for later use.

Confronted by Gao Zhi’s challenge, Han Feng’s aggressive attitude largely deflated.

He really didn’t have the guts to curse President Xia in front of so many people.

“Then you should practice more in your spare time,” Han Feng’s faint suggestion floated over to Gao Zhi.

Gao Zhi genuinely wanted to yell back. Han Feng was sitting far away, completely unconcerned.

Spare time? Practice more? Get beaten up every time I swear?

Xia Yiqiu’s face remained relatively calm. Doesn’t she see Xu Qingfeng’s clenched-fist, threatening glare? If I dared to curse, I wouldn’t see the sun tomorrow.

Truly, out with the old, in with the new. Her childhood friend had changed too much recently. She never expected her to be so lively. Especially after last night’s events, if it weren’t for her unique “bookworm” habits, she would truly suspect Xu Qingfeng had been body-swapped.

Stop looking at me. If it weren’t for the wish, you, Xu Qingfeng, would still be apologizing to me right now!!!

Thinking of the original intention of the wish, Gao Zhi sighed with emotion. The humbleness of love!

“It’s alright, Gao Zhi. Just replace ‘Shen Yiqiu’ with ‘Teacher Shen.’ Don’t worry, it’s just acting,” Xia Yiqiu kindly comforted her.

What a good person! Gao Zhi silently wept tears of gratitude in her heart.

The rehearsal process was full of ups and downs. Since it was everyone’s first time participating, mistakes were inevitable.

The most worried person was the prop master, “Qingxia’s Son,” Squad Leader Wang.

In the plot, after Shen Yiqiu is dismissed, she suffers from insomnia and is full of regret, desperate to know what happened that day.

One night, she struggles in a dream. Fu Qingfeng stands on a cliff edge and tells her,

“Teacher, don’t worry anymore. I’m doing great now. There’s a diary in my desk with a sui.cide note tucked inside. Go get it, and it will prove your innocence.” Fu Qingfeng’s face is pale but possesses a rare gentleness.

With that, she is about to jump off the cliff.

Shen Yiqiu rushes forward without hesitation and falls off the cliff. In reality, Shen Yiqiu suddenly wakes up on her bed.

It was a simple plot, but this was a stage drama.

The falling off the cliff and waking up could be done by dividing the stage with a curtain. However, for safety reasons, they decided not to use the option of being suspended by wires from the second floor of the school’s assembly hall stage. Instead, they decided to place an inflatable mattress behind the movable stage lift.

The actors would fall directly onto it. From the audience’s perspective, it looked quite like a jump, but there was a specific technique required for falling onto the mattress.

Every time the two jumped, he worried that the mattress would leak or break. Due to insufficient funding, they didn’t have a spare, and this one was scavenged from the sports department’s discarded items.

Fortunately, the preliminary rehearsals over the past few days went well, and even the full rehearsal in the venue the day before the art festival, which was in over ten days, was smooth.

With the performance scheduled for the next day, it was impossible for the newly initiated actors not to be nervous.

Before the evening study session, Gao Zhi was still using her one weekly phone call opportunity to Li Tian to talk about the matter.

“Tian Tian, you have no idea how important my role is. Why don’t you add me back on social media? I’ll send you the video after tomorrow’s performance, okay?” Gao Zhi’s plan was clear.

“Gao Zhi, Yiqiu will send it to me. Aren’t you about to start evening study? Hang up. Remember, top 20,” Li Tian said coldly.

“Hey, don’t hang up, Tian Tian!” Gao Zhi anxiously called out, but she was met with silence. The call had ended.

Han Feng, on the other hand, was excitedly typing in the fan club group chat.

Han Feng: Family, just wait and see tomorrow. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.

Liang Hao: I can attest to that. It’s quite good.

Han Feng: Hahahahahaha, if my performance in liberal arts wasn’t so good, I’d consider applying for the directing department.

Liang Hao: [Speechless.jpg]

Qingxia’s Son: Pray for us! Heavens.

Psychology Club Overlord: Indeed, pray for the smooth success of our Psychology Club’s first drama.

Han Feng: Pray for us +1.

Liang Hao: +1.

On the way home after the evening study session, the two sat quietly in the car and discussed the next day’s performance. Xia Yiqiu teased Xu Qingfeng, “Do you think us jumping off one after the other looks like a love suicide?”

Xu Qingfeng thought for a few seconds. “It really does.”

But in her words, she would never let herself or Yiqiu have any possibility of jumping.

We both have to live well.

Xia Yiqiu continued, “You said it was adapted from Li Hua’s story, but I feel like it’s nothing like it!”

“We draw from reality, but we have to elevate it above reality. Being exactly the same would be too frighteningly ordinary. Only by revealing the truth this way can it spark discussion and make people think deeply,” Xu Qingfeng turned and explained.

Besides, didn’t Li Hua really consider the worst possible scenario that day?

Xu Qingfeng didn’t want to dwell on it anymore.

At least, the current outcome is a good one.

Support The School Beauty from the Next Class Insisted I Confess