I Only Want You chapter 16

This Rococo-style classical court gown turned out to be more luxurious than Yan Lan had imagined. So, when he first saw the photo of the dress, his initial reaction wasn’t about Lin Jianxing asking him to cross-dress as a queen. Instead, he wondered where they had managed to get such an extravagant dress.

Lin Jianxing explained without waiting for him to ask.

[This dress was borrowed from the sister of a girl in our department. Her sister is a lover of classical Rococo-style court gowns and is studying fashion design. This dress is her favorite work, and she rarely lends it to others.]

[… So how did you manage to borrow it?]

[She initially refused to lend it to us, but later, we sent her your photo, and she agreed. If you wear it, she’ll lend it to us>_]

Yan Lan, uninterested in stunning the entire school, replied with six dots, ignoring all subsequent cries and various emoticons of begging.

He thought that this would be enough to convey his refusal, but he didn’t expect Lin Jianxing to be persistent. The next day at noon, Lin Jianxing appeared under the teaching building where Yan Lan had class, a handsome guy making a pitiful expression, hoping to soften Yan Lan’s heart. However, Yan Lan remained unmoved.

Unaware of the situation, Yang Xiaole laughed, “What’s going on?”

Lin Jianxing sighed, “I wanted to ask Senior for help, but he refused.”

Yang Xiaole didn’t think much of it, “Isn’t that normal? No one can force someone to do something they don’t want to do.”

Yan Lan pulled Yang Xiaole’s hand and, avoiding Lin Jianxing blocking their way, headed towards the cafeteria.

Lin Jianxing was not discouraged and followed closely, “Senior, we can give it a try. Just see the effect first.”

Yang Xiaole, curious, couldn’t help but ask, “Try what? What are you guys talking about?”

“Trying on a dress. We’re preparing a musical-like performance for the welcome party, and there’s a character of a queen. For this role, we specifically borrowed a dress. But Senior doesn’t want to take part.”

As soon as the dress was mentioned, Yang Xiaole got excited, “Wow! What kind of dress is it? Show me quickly!”

Lin Jianxing found the photo and showed it to him.

The moment Yang Xiaole finished looking at it, he changed sides. He grabbed Yan Lan’s wrist, pulled him to the side of a flower bed, pressed against him like a second-rate gangster, used his body to push him, and even pinched his chin, speaking in the most rogue manner with the softest words.

“Momo, can’t we negotiate? I beg you.”

Seeing this, Lin Jianxing inexplicably got excited, “I beg you!”

Helplessly, Yan Lan looked at the two people in front of him, took out his phone, and typed: Lele, you said that things I don’t want to do can’t be forced on me.

“Ah, this dress is so beautiful; you’ll look even more stunning in it. I really, really want to see it on you.”

Yan Lan remained expressionless, unwavering.

After thinking for a moment, Yang Xiaole suddenly lowered his head to whisper something in his ear, “I think Xie Yun Zhi would like to see it too. Don’t you want to know his reaction when he sees you in a dress?”

Standing nearby, Lin Jianxing couldn’t hear what they were saying at all. He could only see that after Yang Xiaole whispered a few words to Yan Lan, Yan Lan’s expression suddenly became hesitant.

Yang Xiaole let go of his wrist and pulled him towards the direction of the cafeteria, “Just give it a try. If you really don’t like it, I won’t persuade you. But if it doesn’t look bad, and you don’t reject it, then go on stage and perform. Let that someone have a good look.”

Confused, Lin Jianxing asked, “Who is that someone?”

“It’s a long story, and you don’t know him.”

With Yang Xiaole mentioning Xie Yun Zhi  Lin Jianxing, who had tried every means to persuade but failed, couldn’t believe that a couple of sentences from Yang Xiaole had made Yan Lan change his mind, expressing a willingness to give it a try.

This excited the delegation of new students led by Lin Jianxing. The very next day, they efficiently delivered the dress. Upon receiving the message, Yang Xiaole took Yan Lan and headed straight to the school auditorium to try on the dress.

The Rococo-style court gown looked heavy just from the photos. Seeing it in person made Yan Lan realize that putting it on wasn’t an easy task.

Yan Lan had a tall and slender figure with a small waist. However, even with Yang Xiaole and two girls’ assistance, it took a lot of effort to get him into the dress. Yan Lan stood still, careful not to breathe too heavily. He could only take shallow breaths, fearing that he might accidentally damage the dress.

The most distinctive feature of the Rococo-style court gown was its bell-shaped large skirt. It used elements like frills, lace, bows, and ribbons to create a delicate, gorgeous, and complex aesthetic. Surprisingly, this luxurious style didn’t clash with Yan Lan’s cold temperament. Instead, it added a unique charm.

Seeing Yan Lan in the dress, Yang Xiaole was more excited than anyone present. He waved his arm, “Everyone, step aside. I’ll take care of the makeup!”

A junior sister on the side looked at him with skepticism, “Senior brother can do makeup?”

“Applying makeup isn’t that difficult. Trust me, I have a talent for it.”

A junior sister from the makeup team held up her phone for him to see, “We want this style.”

Yang Xiaole glanced at it, “No, this won’t do. Momo doesn’t suit this style.”

The junior sister was puzzled, “Then… what style do you suggest?”

“It should be a light makeup. Look at Momo’s face; if we put on heavy makeup, it’ll look enchanting. The queen should be dignified and beautiful, not enchanting.”

The makeup team was quickly convinced, “Makes sense. Senior brother, feel free to express yourself. After all, today is a rehearsal with makeup.”

Seeing them happily discussing without asking for his opinion, Yan Lan picked up his phone, somewhat dissatisfied, and typed: Didn’t we agree to just try it on? Why is there makeup involved?

Yang Xiaole skillfully reassured him, took his phone, and casually put it in his pocket, “Okay, Momo, since we’re already here, wearing just a dress might not be enough to impress that someone. Let’s put on a bit of makeup. It’ll be light makeup, and I’ll do it for you. No one else will touch your face. If you’re uncomfortable, I’ll remove the makeup right away.”

Yan Lan, looking down at the dress he was wearing, not knowing which of Yang Xiaole’s words convinced him, sighed lightly, tilted his face up, and closed his eyes, waiting for Yang Xiaole to apply the makeup.

In the backstage makeup room, everyone was busy with their tasks. Those who needed to try on costumes did so, and those who needed makeup got it done. However, amidst the busyness, everyone couldn’t help but cast curious and scrutinizing glances at the person sitting in the corner.

Yan Lan was the ace of their performance, and the news of his appearance was kept strictly confidential by Lin Jianxing. No one was allowed to take photos with their phones, and the information about Yan Lan helping them had to be kept tightly sealed until the day of the performance when he would appear on stage, undoubtedly creating a shocking effect.

However, Lin Jianxing’s thoughts didn’t represent the majority. Many new students were not familiar with Yan Lan. Before today, they only knew there was a person in the Fine Arts Institute, knew he was a good-looking mute, and that he had been the campus flower for several years in the Fine Arts Institute.

Despite the praises on the Fine Arts Institute forum about his looks and the extravagant descriptions, nothing compared to seeing him with their own eyes.

Unbeknownst to the makeup room, all those who initially had objections to Lin Jianxing having Yan Lan play the queen were now convinced upon seeing the real person. Not to mention when he put on the dress; everyone’s only thought was that no one was more suitable than him.

Yang Xiaole played a significant role. Apart from Yan Lan, no one knew about his high-level makeup skills. He had long been itching to give Yan Lan a makeover, and he finally found the opportunity to use his “lifetime of learning.”

The result was that after he finished the makeup and put on a wig, the entire makeup room became slightly noisy. Everyone, except Yan Lan, was eager to take out their phones.

“Really can’t take photos? I promise not to leak anything!”

“With Senior Yan here, we’ve already won! Get ready to celebrate! Barbecue buffet and seafood platter, I want them all!”

Suddenly, everyone became excited, and some people took advantage of the chaos to get close to Yan Lan, wanting to take a photo with him. They were shooed away by Yang Xiaole, who adopted a bodyguard posture.

Five minutes later, the rehearsal with makeup began. All the actors took their positions, and Yan Lan was pulled by a junior sister responsible for the script to the side of the curtain to be ready at any moment.

Onstage, the girls in long dresses danced gracefully to classical music, swirling like butterflies, with their skirts fluttering.

The junior sister, who was the scriptwriter, explained enthusiastically to Yan Lan, “The queen can use magic, cold-hearted and cold-minded. The handsome prince falls in love with the queen at first sight and pursues her. She remains indifferent and even gets angry at his audacity. She decides to get rid of him, but at this point, the beautiful princess enters. She is the queen’s most loyal follower and, in an attempt to win the queen’s favor, chases the prince for thousands of miles, unexpectedly falling in love with him…”

Yan Lan listened expressionlessly, both puzzled by the logic of the script and questioning why trying on a dress had evolved into a rehearsal with makeup.

“… The ending is that the queen descends from the sky at the wedding of the prince and princess, turning them into flower petals. Senior brother, you don’t have many lines; you just need to appear at the beginning and then again at the end of the wedding. No lines are needed; you need to maintain a calm expression. Just gently raise the feather fan at the wedding and, when the petals fall, turn your face slightly, like this… then turn around, and the stage curtain will drop.”

The scriptwriting junior sister explained and gestured, and Yan Lan remained silent for a moment before nodding. When it was the queen’s turn to appear, he gracefully walked onto the stage with a feather fan, acting opposite Lin Jianxing, who played the prince.

For the performance of the freshman representative team, Yan Lan had been busy these days. Although he didn’t have many lines, whenever he had free time, he had to attend rehearsals in the auditorium. Consequently, his response to Xie Yun Zhi’s messages was much slower.

Unaware of this, Xie Yun Zhi only felt that Yan Lan had suddenly become cold and distant. A simple “Are you busy?” message would take an hour or even an hour and a half for him to receive a reply.

Feeling somewhat neglected, Xie Yun Zhi, after receiving the concert tickets from Secretary Lin, sent a message to Yan Lan.

“Do you still want to go to the concert with me?”

Luckily, Yan Lan responded immediately.

“Of course, why are you asking like that?”

“In these days, the total number of words in your replies to me is not even twenty. I thought you didn’t want to go with me.”

“I just don’t want to disturb your work, and I’ve been busy with rehearsals lately.”

“Rehearsals?”

“Yeah, for the freshman welcome party. It’s tomorrow night. Will you come?”

Xie Yun Zhi immediately opened his tablet to confirm his schedule. He was free tomorrow night, but his reply to Yan Lan was, “[Let me check with Secretary Lin, what time?]”

“At 8 PM, Fine Arts Institute Auditorium.”

“Will you come pick me up? I don’t know the way.”

“… Aren’t you still confirming the schedule with Secretary Lin?”

“Will you still pick me up?”

“I’ll let Lele come pick you up. I can’t leave.”

“Who is Lele?”

“My roommate, the person you saw that night.”

Reluctantly, Xie Yun Zhi replied with a simple “Okay.”

The next night, after confirming that Yan Lan’s performance was the second to last, Xie Yun Zhi finished work, went home, took a shower, changed clothes, and saw Tiantian standing by the stairs. Suddenly feeling a softness in his heart, he asked the housekeeper to help Tiantian get dressed and then carried him out to the car.

When the car stopped at the south gate of the Fine Arts Institute, Yang Xiaole was already waiting. Seeing Xie Yun Zhi getting out of the car with a mixed-race child, Yang Xiaole was momentarily stunned before realizing that this child was Tiantian.

A bit awkwardly scratching his head, Yang Xiaole said, “Um, let’s go. I’ll take you to the auditorium. Momo will be there soon.”

Xie Yun Zhi nodded, carrying Tiantian, and followed him to the Fine Arts Institute Auditorium.

Walking ahead, Yang Xiaole was itching to spoil the surprise but resisted the urge to spoil it. His thin lips almost formed a straight line.

However, Xie Yun Zhi was completely unaware of what he was suppressing, casually asking, “What performance is Yan Lan participating in?”

Yang Xiaole didn’t turn back. “Good question.”

After waiting for a while without hearing the next sentence, Xie Yun Zhi hesitated and asked, “Is the performance called ‘Good Question’?”

“No, the performance is called ‘The Queen’s Punishment.'”

“That sounds like a play.”

“More or less, but there are no lines. Lin Jianxing said it’s a musical.”

Xie Yun Zhi wasn’t particularly interested in the performance. “So, what role does Yan Lan play?”

“He plays the queen.”

“…………?”