When Sheng Mumu watched the footage she was using to practice her filming skills over and over again several times, she finally found the best filming angle. The host slowly walked onto the stage.
Laughing heartily as he announced:
"Next up is the Tai Chi Sword performance by Class 12 Grade 3, performed by: Qi Shaobai—"
"And Qi Shaobai's grandma—"
"Let's give a round of applause for grandma!"
The last sentence was an impromptu flourish by the host.
Grandma was the oldest among all the students' family members participating in the event.
The host's voice on the speakers stopped.
Suddenly, enthusiastic applause rang out from below the stage.
The glow sticks kept shaking.
Firstly, the students of Jing City No.1 Middle School had all received good education on respecting the elderly, so when an elderly person came on stage, they had to show their warmest support.
Secondly, Qi Shaobai was the most popular figure in the school, and the girls' cheers in the crowd were clearly louder than the boys'.
There were even many girls who secretly had a crush on Qi Shaobai, and had been waiting all night just for Qi Shaobai's performance.
Sheng Mumu had already squatted down in the best filming spot.
Hearing the host's introduction, she smiled radiantly and cheered excitedly:
"Woo~~ Go for it~~"
Her lively, melodious voice was all recorded by the video camera.
Qi Mo was holding her bag in his left hand, and the half-finished cup of milk tea in his right hand, standing behind her.
Also infected by the lively atmosphere, he said in a low, deep voice:
"Go for it."
His voice wasn't very loud, and had a hint of gentle laughter.
Because he was close by, it was also recorded.
The next second.
The stage lights changed, and the spotlights swept towards the edge of the stage curtain.
Serene Tai Chi music sounded from the speakers all around, reverberating around the school field.
At the end of the spotlights, Qi Shaobai walked out slowly from backstage, arm in arm with Grandma.
When they reached the middle of the stage, the two tacitly turned to face the audience, and drew out their Tai Chi swords in sync, holding their fists against palms as they bowed slightly towards the audience.
Then, Grandma took a step forward, and stood diagonally in front of Qi Shaobai.
Following the rhythm of the music, they started wielding their swords.
Pushing hands, raising up, bow stance, looking back...
It was the same 32 Tai Chi Sword set.
But it had completely different styles in the hands of the old and the young.
Grandma's silver hair was stylishly permed into curls, looking especially good under the colorful stage lights.
Her moves were skilled and standard, softly yielding when needed, and crisp and decisive when force was required.
From her moves and postures, you couldn't see her actual age at all.
Qi Shaobai's lips were pressed in a straight line.
He had a serious and stubborn look.
Previously in school, the impression he always gave others was casual and lazy, seeming indifferent towards everything.
But today, even with the slow movements, each pose was executed decisively.
It had a kind of indescribable sense of grace and ease.
The girls' cheers below the stage had already completely drowned out the boys'.
When the performance ended, the applause was the loudest and most enthusiastic of the night.
After leaving the stage, the two of them changed out of their costumes, and sat together with Sheng Mumu and Qi Mo.
Sheng Mumu eagerly squeezed next to the old lady, and showed her the video she had just recorded.
"Grandma, look, this is what I just recorded, I filmed you so well!"
The old lady laughed loudly, and tilted her head back to look at the small screen of the video camera, as her eyes weren't good.
"Filmed so nicely, Mumu really knows how to film."
Sheng Mumu's eyes crinkled charmingly, and she spoke in a melodious, cheerful tone:
"It's mainly because you look good, it's not that related to my filming skills. I only pressed the record button."
Qi Shaobai silently walked to his father's side instead.
Glancing over, he saw his father was still holding Sheng Mumu's bag and half-finished cup of milk tea.
Wanting to uphold the mentality of "I'm grown up now, I should help adults share the load", after hesitating for a few seconds, he asked:
"Dad, shall I help you hold those?"
Qi Mo looked towards Qi Shaobai, and chuckled softly, "No need."
Qi Shaobai replied with an "Oh", and withdrew his gaze, turning his attention to the singing performance happening on stage.
Suddenly, he heard his father's steady, affirming voice beside him:
"You performed well."
The teenager was stunned for a moment.
In his bright eyes, a smile gradually spread.
The arts festival performances went on for about three hours.
Nearing the last few acts, Grandma started yawning repeatedly.
Seeing this, Qi Mo got up from his seat.
Although Grandma hadn't spent a long time with Qi Mo, she understood this grandson very well.
He was a man of few words, and often used actions rather than speech.
Him standing up now must be because he saw her yawning sleepily, and wanted to offer to send her home.
And as expected, Qi Mo spoke.
"Grandma, let me send you—"
"No need, don't leave early just to accompany me back." She had barely spoken a few words when Grandma waved her hand to stop him.
Lowering her voice, Grandma said to Qi Mo:
"It's rare that the little one gets to enjoy himself properly on a day like this for the arts festival, since he's so busy studying intensively in his last year of high school. Let him have fun to his heart's content."
Qi Mo's tone was gentle: "I'll go back with you, and let him stay here to have fun, it doesn't delay things."
Grandma: "Oh you, when did you become such a nag?"
Qi Mo didn't say anything more, just looked at Grandma with a gentle smile.
Grandma: "Little Zhao and Little Fei are waiting in the car outside, let them send me back, you keep Little Mumu company."
Little Zhao and Little Fei were Grandma's chauffeur and personal caretaker. Now that Grandma was advanced in years, she was accompanied wherever she went.
Usually when she had nothing to do, they would wait in the car for her.
In the end, Qi Mo still couldn't persuade Grandma, and could only see her off as she was picked up by the caretakers' car.
After a while longer, the last performance of the arts festival ended.
On stage, the principal of 12th grade gave a closing speech as a representative:
"The Jing City No. 1 Middle School Arts Festival has ended perfectly—"
"Let me say a few words—"
He had barely finished speaking when the crowds below started getting restless.
Students in the last few rows were already standing up, horsing around noisily.
No one wanted to listen to a long speech from the most long-winded principal in the school.
"Ahem—" The principal cleared his throat meaningfully, and deliberately dragged out his words.
"The school has prepared a little surprise for everyone today."
The students listlessly turned their gazes back to the stage.
It was quiet for just a few seconds below the stage.
In an instant, the hubbub sounded again.
It was as if the principal had just burped out that long string of words.
No one had high expectations for this "surprise" he mentioned.
After all, this principal had a track record.
He had once said he would prepare an "Enrollment Gift" for each current 10th grader.
The result was parents being called for "Home-School Collaboration Gift Packs".
Another time, he had led the new 7th graders on military training at an outdoor base.
One day, he suddenly said he understood the students were tired from training in the hot weather, so he specially picked a day to take them by bus to a nearby indoor sports stadium for training instead.
However, the day he chose just happened to pouring rain heavily.
The students could have gotten to rest in the dorms from training!!!
It was hard not to suspect the principal had checked the weather forecast beforehand on purpose to prank them.
Because of things like this, in the eyes of all the students from 7th to 12th grade, this principal would never appear as someone who truly wanted to give the students something nice.
A little surprise?
Better without it.
Suddenly.
A long, shrill sound rang out.
A streak of fire shot up into the night sky.
It exploded.
The pitch-black night was lit up in an instant.
