I Only Want You chapter 17

It took Xie Yun Zhi nearly a minute to understand what it meant for him to play the queen. After grasping it, he furrowed his brows slightly, “Did you force him into it?”

It’s not that he couldn’t imagine what Yan Lan playing the queen would be like, but he couldn’t fathom how he would agree to play the queen. Would he have to put on makeup and wear a dress? How could Yan Lan possibly agree?

“No force was necessary, if he didn’t want to, no one could force him,” Yang Xiaole waved his hand. “Once you see the performance, you’ll understand. After tonight, we’ll surely win the hearts of all the new students, both boys and girls, love letters will be pouring in endlessly.”

Xie Yun Zhi’s brows furrowed with a hint of coldness upon hearing this, a displeasure that something he owned was being coveted and sought after by others suddenly surged, “Does Teacher Yan have many admirers?”

“Too many, people from the neighboring sports college and engineering department secretly adore him. When it was most lively, students from the sports college would come to our place for a friendly match, and almost half of the sports college students came over just to sneak a glance at him.”

Yang Xiaole casually recounted the pursuers Yan Lan had accumulated over the years. They continued talking as they approached the outside of the castle-like auditorium of the art school. Yang Xiaole’s voice even became somewhat hoarse when he reached the entrance. He didn’t rush inside but first went to a vending machine, bought a bottle of water for Xie Yun Zhi, and a juice box for Tiantian.

Tiantian didn’t need an adult’s help; he could dismantle the straw and drink the juice himself. His big blue eyes were translucent and beautiful, like water-washed gemstones, making Yang Xiaole can’t help but steal glances at him.

After taking a sip of mineral water, Xie Yun Zhi suddenly remembered something. He took out his phone from his pocket and sent a text message to Secretary Lin.

Yang Xiaole checked the time and felt it was about time, so he led them towards the auditorium.

The auditorium of the art school was newly built, a Gothic castle-like structure that stood out as a unique landscape of the art school. Many students aimed to enroll here just for this auditorium.

Xie Yun Zhi walked behind Yang Xiaole, holding Tiantian in his arms. The closer they got, the louder the sounds from inside became. It seemed that there was a dance performance going on, and the rhythmically intense music shook the chest and eardrums through the walls.

When Yang Xiaole pushed open the double doors, the deafening music hit them immediately.Xie Yun Zhi instinctively tightened his embrace around Tiantian’s arm, turning to leave. It wasn’t until he took a step that he realized Tiantian couldn’t hear.

Tiantian, unaware of his uncle’s sudden nervousness, was curiously looking at the large auditorium in front of him, where hundreds of people were gathered. On the stage, older brothers and sisters seemed to be dancing. Tiantian’s big eyes carefully searched for his Teacher Yan among the crowd.

Yang Xiaole covered his ears with two fingers and nudged Xie Yun Zhi with his elbow, signaling him to follow. Then he turned and walked along the sunken stairs in the auditorium to the middle section where there were two vacant seats. Initially, Yang Xiaole didn’t prepare an extra seat, not expecting Xie Yun Zhi to bring his nephew, so Tiantian could only sit on Xie Yun Zhi’s lap.

After a while, the fast-paced music inside the auditorium abruptly stopped, and the second-year students who were performing street dance bowed and thanked the audience. Applause echoed in the auditorium.

Yang Xiaole also joined in clapping, clapped twice, and then, from somewhere, he pulled out a video camera. Excitement gleamed in his eyes as he adjusted the camera towards the stage, “It’s about to start! The Queen of Silence is about to make a dazzling appearance!”

Xie Yun Zhi was inexplicably nervous as he looked ahead. He straightened his back, holding Tiantian in his arms, and looked towards the stage. The host was announcing, “… Next, the representatives of the new students will present to you the musical drama ‘The Queen’s punishment,’ with a special guest appearance by Yan Lan.”

The last name caused quite a stir, and many people were surprised, whispering to each other.

After the host finished announcing and left the stage, the red curtain slowly rose. In just a few minutes, the stage was decorated with props, resembling a fairyland with blooming flowers, lush green grass, and dry ice creating a dreamy atmosphere.

The audience was still immersed in the charm of the props when gentle classical music began to play. Girls wearing fluffy skirts and elf wings successively appeared on stage, dancing in circles in the middle. It seemed they had applied sparkling glitter on their bodies, making them look like fairies under the stage lights.

While the audience was captivated by the fairy dance, Lin Jianxing, dressed in a dark green European-style gown, gracefully walked in amid the girls’ cheers.

Xie Yun Zhi recognized this person at a glance; he was the one who had a pleasant chat with Yan Lan at the school gate that day. His expression was momentarily indifferent, forming a sharp contrast with the enthusiastic audience around him.

Evidently, the story began with this prince mistakenly entering the fairyland. He danced with the elves, and his handsome face was filled with a happy and radiant smile.

Lin Jianxing was extremely popular among the new students, with a high level of popularity. Not only was he handsome, attracting the girls, but his outgoing and generous personality also made him fit in effortlessly among the male students.

From the moment he appeared, the auditorium had been filled with cheers and applause, and you could even hear people shouting his name. He was indeed an idol-like figure among the new students of the art school.

Yang Xiaole didn’t pay much attention to the cheers; his eyes shone brightly as he stared at the stage. “It’s coming soon!”

Xie Yun Zhi couldn’t help but glance at him.

Suddenly, the stage lights dimmed with the music, and the elves began to shower flowers into the air. The prince on stage seemed to witness a shocking scene that made him retreat in panic.

Immediately after, the background music suddenly became gentle and romantic.

The flowers on the stage receded like a tide, and a champagne-colored figure slowly emerged from the darkness unseen by the lights.

Xie Yun Zhi’s gaze was fixed on the bell-shaped large skirt that appeared first, and his line of sight moved upward, capturing the slender waist that could be held with one hand, then up to the fair and flawless swan-like neck…

His heartbeat accelerated accordingly. When his gaze reached the chin, his eardrums seemed to vibrate, and the blood flowing through his body seemed to have lost its usual rhythm in an instant. Almost unconsciously, he held his breath, watching the elegant figure stepping out onto the stage in the guise of a queen.

He had once praised people who seemed to be made of ice and snow, and at this moment, this person truly resembled ice and snow. Their exquisite features were flawless yet carried a distant coldness that kept people at a distance. Their quiet and deep eyes were like tranquil pools, beautiful as a snow-capped mountain, exuding a majestic aura.

The large auditorium erupted into an exaggerated commotion upon the appearance of this figure.

On the stage, Yan Lan’s eyes lifted slightly. With just that one glance, the entire venue fell silent. The previously heated atmosphere, stirred by Lin Jianxing, instantly cooled down. No one dared to make any noise.

Only Lin Jianxing, who was closest to him, could see the slight trembling of his hands. He knew that despite Yan Lan’s seemingly noble and cold appearance, he was actually so nervous that his whole body was almost trembling.

The romantic and gentle music expressed the perspective of the prince, conveying to the audience his love at first sight for the queen. In his hands seemed to be an endless supply of flowers, dancing around the queen, singing around the queen. The elves circled the two at the center of the stage, emitting melodious laughter.

But the queen remained ice-cold, unmoved. Not only did she not reciprocate the prince’s pursuit, but she also became enraged by his presumption.

The auditorium suddenly resounded with the sound effect of thunder, booming loudly. The stage became windy, and the handsome prince and cute elves were blown to the ground. The queen, with silver hair flying, displayed an expressionless face but exuded an anger like a mountain.

The prince fled in panic, and the curtain slowly fell. The princess took the stage…

Xie Yun Zhi had lost interest in what the performers on stage were portraying. His mind was now filled with the image of Yan Lan, playing the queen—every movement, every expression lingering in his mind.

And there were many others who were similarly caught off guard. Murmurs could be heard in the audience, with the name Yan Lan repeated, clearly indicating that his portrayal of the queen was stunning.

Still in a daze, Tiantian suddenly turned around and tugged at Xie Yun Zhi’s clothes, using sign language to ask him: Is that the teacher?

Xie Yun Zhi nodded towards him.

Tiantian’s eyes lit up; he knew he hadn’t mistaken! That “sister” was indeed his Teacher Yan!

Listening to the quiet discussions around him, Yang Xiaole was elated, speaking with pride, “That’s the makeup I did. How could it not be outstanding?”

The subsequent performances on stage mainly revolved around the prince and princess. Tiantian, with both hands on his face, watched with great seriousness. He might not understand the story being told, and he couldn’t hear the music inside the auditorium, but for him, having a performance to watch was already interesting enough. Not to mention, he was actually waiting for his Teacher Yan to reappear; he somehow felt that Teacher Yan would come out again.

He waited and waited, and he didn’t know that his uncle was also waiting, just like him.

When the prince and princess fell in love and the wedding took place, the elves danced and sang around the two in celebration. The princess appeared in the midst of a shower of rose petals. The prince and princess embraced each other in the sea of roses, and the elves fled in panic. In the blink of an eye, what was originally a festive scene turned into chaos, and the stage fell silent.

The entire audience was startled by this sudden turn of events. Even breathing too heavily seemed to be afraid of disturbing the stage performance.

Xie Yun Zhi stared intently at the curtain. Unlike others who were focused on the performance, he had a premonition that the queen was about to make her entrance.

Sure enough, the next moment, a white feather fan emerged from the darkness behind the curtain, followed by a slender and fair wrist adorned with champagne-colored lace…

The once stunning queen slowly revealed half of her face from the darkness behind the curtain, elegantly walking out. With an indifferent gaze, she looked down at the prince and princess lying in the petals. The feathers on the fan in front of her chest swayed gently.

Then, she slowly closed the fan, turned half of her body indifferently, and with sharp eye makeup on the slender corners of her eyes, she looked down from a high and ruthless position. Obviously, her arrival was to punish the prince and princess. After taking their lives with a petal shower, she disappeared into the darkness amidst the flower rain, her slender figure upright like a pine.

The curtain slowly fell, and after a moment of silence, thunderous applause erupted, so enthusiastic that it seemed like the auditorium’s roof would be lifted. Exclamations and praises resounded.

Meanwhile, Xie Yun Zhi, sitting in the audience, couldn’t calm his emotions. The last piercing gaze from Yan Lan had thrown his heartbeat into chaos. The adrenaline rushing through his body made his heart beat irregularly, and a tingling sensation ran down his spine.

Uncontrollable images flashed through his mind. The only thing he could grasp was the gentle face of Yan Lan he saw on the night they were drinking, in his blurred consciousness.

That gentle face kept contrasting with the cold and frosty face he had just seen, eventually synthesizing into the image of a seventeen or eighteen-year-old teenage Yan Lan.

A pair of quietly indifferent and serene eyes seemed to cross time and space, calmly locking eyes with him.

For a moment, Xie Yun Zhi couldn’t help but be lost in thought.

In that split second, the teenage Yan Lan disappeared without a trace, as if it were just an illusion in his mind.

As the closing ceremony of the welcome party concluded, all the students who participated in the performance stood neatly on the stage, singing the national anthem alongside the standing audience.

Xie Yun Zhi held Tiantian’s hand and sang while gazing at the figure standing in the corner of the stage.

After the choir finished singing, the welcome party came to an end. Excited students who were ready to leave were still discussing Yan Lan’s portrayal of the queen.

Yang Xiaole put away the DV camera and jokingly said, “Let me take you backstage to meet Queen Momo.”