Chapter 525: Chapter 523: A Live Sing-along

If she were to join in as well, who knew what kind of rumors would spread.

On the podium, Xue Yang had already begun reading from his script.

"Respected school leaders and teachers, dear classmates, good evening, everyone..."

Hearing this, Lin Xi, seated to the side, straightened her posture slightly.

"You must be happy seeing Xue Yang up on stage, shining so brightly."

Lin Xi’s pretty face flushed, as radiant as a river of stars. Fortunately, it was nighttime, and the lighting was dim, so her expression wasn’t clearly visible. Otherwise, there was no telling how many underclassmen she would have captivated.

Irresistible to both men and women... Not bad at all. So what if she’s a "tigress"? As long as you’re beautiful, people will still like you.

Standing below the stage, Wei Shuyu watched Xue Yang deliver his impassioned speech, a peculiar light gleaming in her eyes, as if the person on stage were her boyfriend.

However, this sentimental moment was interrupted by an unwelcome voice.

"Wei Shuyu, you put so much effort into writing that script, but in the end, he didn’t use it at all. So what if you tried hard? It was all for nothing."

Shen Jin! Why is he everywhere? Can’t he just drop dead?

Wei Shuyu clasped her hands to her chest in a gesture of adoration. "Wow, our president is so amazing. He can speak so smoothly even without a script. I could never do that."

Seeing that Wei Shuyu was completely ignoring him and was instead fixated on Xue Yang, with stars practically spilling from her eyes, Xia Tian felt a surge of frustration.

I must be crazy to keep following Wei Shuyu around, trying to snap her out of it. Forget it. I should respect her choices. If she wants to fall for a taken man, she better not come crying to me when she gets her heart broken.

Xia Tian turned and went to attend to his own business. He was also a member of the student council and had duties to perform at the welcome gala tonight.

On the stage, the principal and other school leaders sat watching Xue Yang’s speech.

"The student council president elected this year is quite impressive," the principal, a man in his fifties, remarked with a nod of approval.

"He’s one of Teacher Gong’s students. She was the one who recommended him for president," the vice-principal explained briefly.

"Teacher Gong’s judgment is naturally excellent."

Gong Li had taught at Yanbei University for many years, and the students she mentored had all gone on to have significant achievements. Because of this, her reputation was stellar. At Yanbei, she was considered one of its living advertisements.

After Xue Yang’s speech, it was time for the student performances. There were singers, comedy sketches, and various stage plays. Each act had its own unique charm, keeping the audience thoroughly entertained. It was clear that coming to this university had been the right choice; the place was teeming with hidden talent.

The finale was a traditional dance performed by a senior from the Department of Foreign Languages.

As the stage lights gradually brightened, an exquisitely enchanting beauty appeared. Dressed in a long gown and holding a long silk ribbon, she began to dance gracefully to the music. Her lithe figure and her smooth, elegant movements were like a celestial fairy dancing in the night sky. Amidst the swiftly changing dance steps, her movements evoked a spring swallow and invoked the autumn breeze, weaving together various elements of Chinese dance to convey emotions of love and beauty. It transported the audience to a bygone era, allowing them to fully experience the magical charm of the dance.

The dance ended with a flourish: a toss of her hair, a lift of her arm, a twist of her hips, and a bend of her leg as she spun a full 360 degrees.

"WOW!"

The crowd immediately erupted with exclamations.

"That was so cool!"

"She’s amazing!"

"So beautiful!"

"Phew!"

There were cheers, applause, and whistles from the audience. With a single dance, the senior had won the most enthusiastic ovation of the evening so far.

Panting lightly, she let her gaze drift involuntarily toward a particular seat. The person there, however, was looking down at his phone, seemingly dealing with some urgent matter.

Everyone said he was busy, but this was too much. He couldn’t even seem to relax while attending the welcome gala.

"Keke, you were absolutely beautiful just now! I had no idea you were so good at traditional dance," Cen Xue said, rushing forward with a coat as the dancer came off the stage.

The final performer was none other than Cai Keke, Xue Yang’s classmate. Although she was usually high-profile in class, no one knew she could dance so well. She had taken this opportunity hoping to shine and, perhaps, catch his attention.

Even just a single glance would have been enough. But it was a pity. Even though she had shown her very best side, the one person she wanted to see it still wouldn’t spare her a look.

With the finale dance complete, the welcome gala was considered a resounding success. The host was on stage, delivering her closing remarks.

Just then, a bold first-year student suddenly stood up.

"I heard our student council president is incredibly capable. If he’s so skilled, he must be multi-talented, right?"

Standing backstage, Xue Yang glanced toward Lin Xi, a hint of amusement in his eyes. He recognized the speaker. It was Wang Yiran, who had attended the same high school as Lin Xi. Xue Yang had even run into him once when he went to Harlow High School to pick her up. The kid had some nerve, telling him to his face to stay away from Xiao Xi.

The host replied, "I wonder what this new student would like to suggest?"

"I would like to invite President Xue Yang to sing a duet with our campus belle of the freshman class! What do you all think?" he shouted, turning the last part of his question to the audience.

"Yeah!"

"We support this!"

"Sing!"

"SING!"

"SING!"

The atmosphere in the gymnasium became several times more feverish than it had been during the dance performance, the noise threatening to lift the roof right off.

The host was in a bit of a predicament. Everyone said Xue Yang was even busier than the principal, so she had no idea if he had already left. With the crowd this worked up, rejecting the request was not an option. Fortunately, after about a minute, the backstage crew informed her through her earpiece that Xue Yang was still there. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright then, let’s give a warm round of applause to invite our student council president and our freshman campus belle to the stage to sing a song for us!"

As the host finished speaking, thunderous applause immediately filled the venue. Amid the roar of the crowd, Xue Yang walked to the center of the stage. Having modeled for a fashion brand’s seasonal promotions, he was completely unfazed by such a scene. His confidence was further bolstered by the speech he had just given.

Lin Xi, on the other hand, was caught completely off guard. It was only after Si Wen gave her a nudge that she dazedly stood up.

Singing in front of so many people? I’ve never done that before.

"It seems our freshman campus belle is a little shy," the host announced, leading the next round of applause. "I wonder if our student council president has enough charm to invite her onto the stage? Let’s give her some more encouragement!"

The audience clapped along, though most were just enjoying the spectacle.

"I bet she’s not shy," someone in the crowd muttered. "She’s just figuring out how to kick the student council president off the stage."