Song Yi looked at Murong Huan and asked, "Do you still want to see the kiss scene between the prince and princess?"
"No, no, no!" Murong Huan shook her head frantically, her face showing complete rejection.
She couldn't imagine that scene. Just thinking about it made her want to—
Barf!!!
At this moment, the most awkward situation was actually on stage.
The seven "dwarfs" stared at Shen Yujing with wide eyes, completely caught off guard that their beloved Snow White had turned into their most hated enemy.
Shen Yujing was equally uncomfortable, feeling thousands of eyes from the audience fixed on him.
Never mind the audience - he couldn't even handle the eight pairs of eyes on stage with him right now.
One against eight? That would be a mob attack!
He definitely couldn't win that fight.
Wang Chan, as the director of this play, naturally couldn't just stand there doing nothing. He pointed at Shen Yujing and demanded, "Who are you? Where is our Snow White?"
Shen Yujing's mind started working quickly. He sat down in the coffin and played along, "Actually, I am Snow White, but I've been cursed by the poisoned apple, which is why I've transformed into a man."
Wang Chan asked him, "Then how do we break this curse?"
Wang Chan was now sweating nervously, but he couldn't stop - he had to keep the show going.
Shen Yujing said with a straight face, "We must find the evil queen. Only by finding her can I return to my original beautiful self!"
Wang Chan glared at Shen Yujing fiercely. This bastard - they hadn't even arranged for a queen character, how were they supposed to continue the play?
Shen Yujing turned and shot him a look, "Follow my lead! Even bad acting is better than stopping now."
Wang Chan realized Shen Yujing had a point. He could only grit his teeth and play along, "Where shall we look for the queen?"
Shen Yujing pointed toward the audience and shouted, "The queen is right there! She's sitting in the tenth row, far left! Stop hiding, evil queen!"
Song Yi: "?"
Tenth row, far left... could it be...
When all eyes turned toward her at once, Song Yi fell silent, knowing the answer.
Under everyone's scrutiny, Song Yi didn't know whether to sit or stand.
With great reluctance, resentment, and resignation, she had no choice but to play along and go up on stage.
The moment Song Yi arrived, Shen Yujing dramatically crawled out of his coffin and hid behind a prop rock on stage, "Evil queen! You've finally shown yourself!"
Song Yi: "..."
Was it her imagination, or did Shen Yujing seem to be really getting into his role?
Suddenly, one of the dwarfs approached Song Yi and, with his back to the audience, slipped something into her hand.
Song Yi looked at it - it was a mirror.
Song Yi: "..."
Song Yi tremblingly raised the mirror and recited that famous line everyone knew, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"
One of the dwarfs, facing away from the stage, spoke in a falsetto voice, "It used to be Snow White, but now she's turned into a man! So you must be the most beautiful woman in the world now, my beautiful queen!"
Song Yi: "..."
Meanwhile, in the audience.
Quan Le, who had just arrived, squeezed next to Murong Huan. When she saw Shen Yujing and Song Yi standing on stage, her jaw dropped.
Quan Le exclaimed in shock, "How did they end up on stage? Did they transfer schools in the brief moment I wasn't looking?"
Murong Huan opened her mouth, but could only say, "It's... an accident."
Quan Le: "Did Wang Chan catch them? Were they forced to perform?"
Murong Huan was silent for a few seconds, "You could look at it that way."
After all, she couldn't really explain this scene either. Better to just see how things played out.
And then Song Yi had to watch as Shen Yujing proceeded to accuse her of being evil while "crying bitter tears."
The seven dwarfs chimed in, all sympathizing with the "poor" Snow White.
Song Yi looked at Xu Che, confusion in her eyes.
Were there any normal people left in this world?
How was this play supposed to end?
Xu Che played the role of a completely cold-hearted prince, only responding when Shen Yujing or the other dwarfs cued him.
Of course, the most active performers were Wang Chan and Shen Yujing, who carried the entire show.
This bizarre performance continued for nearly ten more minutes, until Shen Yujing somehow produced an apple from nowhere, took a bite, and offered the other side to Song Yi, "I became a man because of this apple, but the queen has also suffered from its curse - she weeps tears of blood every night. When her tears and blood run dry, that will be her death! The only way to break this curse is for us to share an apple together, using love and warmth to break this evil spell! Queen, are you willing?"
Song Yi: "..."
If she agreed, it would at least force a happy ending.
But if she refused, who knew how much longer this play would drag on.
So Song Yi took the apple and bit into it.
Shen Yujing immediately rushed off stage toward Murong Huan.
Quan Le was confused: "What's he doing?"
Murong Huan: "..."
She had a bad feeling about this.
Sure enough, the next second Shen Yujing pulled off Murong Huan's hat and pushed her to stand up, "Quick! You're Snow White after the curse is broken!"
Murong Huan: "???"
Thinking about how Xu Che and Song Yi were already on stage, Murong Huan decided to take one for the team and went up.
Shen Yujing's voice replaced the narrator's as he shouted from below, "The beautiful Snow White has finally broken the curse! From then on, she and the queen reconciled their differences and lived happily ever after!"
Shen Yujing led the applause, and the audience followed suit.
As they took their final bow, only one thought ran through Song Yi's mind—
This absurd performance was finally over.
Even if Snow White didn't have black hair, pink would do.
In the break room.
The space wasn't large, but it was crammed with more than ten people.
Wang Chan explained the situation, "I asked around - the guy who was supposed to play Snow White ran away at the last minute, and the props team just put you in there. It was our oversight, our fault, we're sorry."
Shen Yujing's personality was like a spring - if someone was stubborn, he'd be stubborn back; if someone apologized, he could too.
So Shen Yujing said, "If I hadn't hidden in there, this wouldn't have happened. It's our fault."
Wang Chan: "If we hadn't chased you, you wouldn't have hidden there. It's our fault."
Shen Yujing: "If we hadn't snuck in, you wouldn't have chased us. It's our fault."
Wang Chan: "If our relationship wasn't so bad, you could have just walked in normally instead of sneaking in. It's our fault."
Hearing this, Shen Yujing nodded, "That's right, it's your fault."
Wang Chan: "?"
"Enough," Xu Che, sitting in the main seat, interrupted their meaningless argument. "Let's set aside the fact that you snuck in. If it weren't for you, this play would have ended with no lead actress. Whatever the case, we should thank you."
Shen Yujing lifted his chin proudly, "It's rare to hear something sensible from your mouth."
Wang Chan added, "Actually, I think your acting wasn't bad at all - better than our team members who've been practicing for over a year! Even better than Brother Che! He just has good looks, but his acting isn't half as good as yours. In the entertainment industry, you'd be a serious actor, while our Brother Che would just be a pretty face!"
Xu Che: "Stop right there, leave me out of this."
Shen Yujing immediately became smug, "Of course I'm better than him, it's all natural talent. You weren't bad either, you could keep up with my acting. We hadn't even rehearsed, but you knew what I wanted with every line I said."
"Of course, I'm the backbone of our troupe, I at least have that much ability. But it's mainly because of your talent."
They suddenly started a mutual admiration society, and it looked like Shen Yujing was about to join Wang Chan's performance troupe. These two people who couldn't stand each other before had suddenly found common ground in the art of performance, becoming increasingly engrossed in their conversation.
Until—
Quan Le exclaimed, "This is bad! The video of your performance was recorded and posted on Saint Yu Academy's forum, and it's now spread to Saint Slee's forum as well!"
Shen Yujing, Song Yi, and Murong Huan: "..."
At that moment, on Saint Slee's forum:
[Shocking! Shen Yujing, Song Yi, and Murong Huan actually participated in Saint Yu's drama rehearsal! Video in the first post!]
3rd comment: ???
6th comment: Well well, this must be the bizarre version of "Snow White."
11th comment: Shen Yujing actually played Snow White hahahahaha! I'm dying of laughter!!!
21st comment: Oh my god, what is this? It's absurd yet hilarious hahahahaha.
33rd comment: I have to say, Shen Yujing's commitment to the role is impressive hahahahaha!
46th comment: Delicate Princess Shen Yujing, Evil Queen Song Yi, and Snow Princess Murong Huan hahahahaha!
...
The four of them walked away from Saint Yu, all bearing an indescribable melancholy except for Quan Le.
Song Yi pulled out a White Rabbit milk candy from her pocket, which Xu Che had given her just before leaving - an entire handful that nearly filled her pocket.
Shen Yujing asked curiously, "Where did you get that candy?"
Song Yi thought for a moment and said, "I suppose it's our performance fee."
Shen Yujing: "Why didn't I get any?"
Song Yi grabbed some from her pocket and handed them to Shen Yujing, "Here, take some."
Only then was Shen Yujing satisfied.
Song Yi soon parted ways with them as she had an appointment that evening.
The elderly lady from the skewer shop had called and invited her for dinner at her home.
Unable to decline, Song Yi accepted.
Now she needed to hurry home, remove her wig, change into more normal clothes, and then go meet the grandmother.
Meanwhile...
Looking at the school forum and the group discussions, Hang Feng's brows furrowed slightly.
During the last grade trip, he had accidentally stumbled into these people's world, but it was only a brief stay.
After that, they should have gone their separate ways, with no need for further interaction.
Hang Feng clicked the "leave group" button but, after hesitating for a few seconds, changed it to "mute notifications" instead.
Whatever, it's all the same.
In the evening.
Grandmother's voice came from outside, "Xiao Feng, go to the supermarket and buy some milk, and get some snacks that young people like. We're having a guest tonight."
Hang Feng walked out in his slippers, yawning and asking casually, "What guest?"
Seeing the crabs on the table, Hang Feng was even more surprised, "You're willing to spend money on something this expensive? Must be someone important?"
"A young person about your age, very kind-hearted, has helped grandmother quite a bit," Grandmother smiled warmly. "Now that you're back too, I want to prepare a good meal for both of you to enjoy."
Grandmother then took out a cloth pouch from her chest pocket, "Take some money, buy plenty of food for our guest."
"No need, I have money," Hang Feng said as he walked out in his slippers.
Since it was someone who had helped his grandmother, he should put some effort into it.
At this time, Song Yi had left home.
Halfway there, she realized she hadn't brought anything.
Thinking it would be impolite to visit empty-handed, Song Yi began considering what to buy.
As she walked, she saw an old man selling softshell turtles by the roadside.
Softshell turtles were good for making nutritious soup.
So Song Yi went over and asked, "How much are these?"
The old man said, "Three hundred for one, last one at the lowest price!"
Song Yi frowned, "Your turtle is quite small, isn't three hundred a bit steep?"
The old man slapped his thigh, "What's wrong with you, young lady? Well, how much would you offer?"
Song Yi: "Thirty."
Old man: "?"
Song Yi: "If you won't sell, I'm leaving. It's dark here, and this place is quite remote. You probably won't find another customer tonight."
Old man: "But I can't sell it for thirty! My cost is more than that. At least two hundred and fifty!"
Song Yi: "One hundred."
Old man: "Two hundred and thirty!"
Song Yi: "One hundred and ten."
Old man: "One hundred and fifty!"
Song Yi: "Deal."
Old man: "?"
In the end, Song Yi successfully bought the turtle for one hundred and fifty.
The way to grandmother's house was easy to find, and Song Yi arrived quickly with the turtle.
But having drunk too much water before leaving, Song Yi awkwardly asked after greeting, "Grandmother, may I use the bathroom?"
Grandmother nodded and said, "My grandson will be coming back soon too. The outside bathroom is the one I usually use and hasn't been cleaned in a while, you can use the one in his room."
Song Yi nodded and followed grandmother's directions to the grandson's room.
Looking at the turtle she hadn't yet given to grandmother, Song Yi hesitated but decided to leave the bag with the turtle outside the bathroom door before going in.
Outside...
Hang Feng walked in carrying a large bag of snacks, tossed it on the sofa, and headed to his room.
However, the moment he entered, Hang Feng noticed something unusual.
Why was there a turtle in his room???
The turtle had escaped from the plastic bag and was crawling on the floor, its ugly head pointing in Hang Feng's direction.
Must be seeing things? Must be dreaming?
Hang Feng took a deep breath, stepped back, and closed the door.
Then, opened it again.
This time, the room was empty.
Hang Feng let out a long sigh of relief.
It must be because he hadn't slept well last night; he must have been seeing things.
How could there possibly be a turtle in his room? That would be too absurd!
But the next second, the sound of a toilet flushing came from the bathroom, as if to prove Hang Feng wrong.
Before Hang Feng could process what was happening, he watched Song Yi walk out of his bathroom.
Upon seeing Hang Feng, Song Yi was also surprised and asked, "Hang Feng? Why are you here?"
But Hang Feng didn't answer her question. Instead, expressionlessly, he closed the door again.
Then, turned around and headed straight for the front door without hesitation.
Grandmother saw Hang Feng's behavior and asked confusedly, "Xiao Feng! Dinner's ready! Where are you going?"
But Hang Feng acted as if he couldn't hear anything, completely ignoring his grandmother's calls.
He walked forward like a zombie, expressionless, moving purely on physical instinct, with no idea where he was going.
Right now, Hang Feng was experiencing a deep existential crisis about himself, life, and the entire world.
Something even more absurd than his dreams of Song Yi suddenly turning into a turtle-headed creature had just happened.
In real life, just moments ago, in his home, in his room.
He had witnessed with his own eyes—
A turtle turning into Song Yi.
