Chapter 195: Chapter 195: Well-Intentioned Chapter 195: Chapter 195: Well-Intentioned Zheng Tan watched as Little Youzi entered the school and then ran back. When he arrived at the intersection where he had been earlier, he noticed that the suspicious character was no longer there. After looking around the area and wandering over to the artificial lake, Zheng Tan saw the man.

The man was sitting on a bench by the lake, talking on the phone. There was no one around him, as most students were in class at this time, and those without classes were likely sleeping in their dorms and had not gone out. Hence, there were hardly any people moving around the artificial lake.

Zheng Tan approached quietly from behind and crawled under the bench, planning to eavesdrop on what secret matters the man was discussing.

“Why the sudden change of plans? I haven’t finished my investigation… Warned? Those people are still meddling in others’ business… Fine, I know they call the shots here, I’ll leave right away… How are things on Sickle’s side… Okay, I’ll go help him… Tsk, can’t even handle someone on their deathbed!”

From the man’s conversation, Zheng Tan knew that it wasn’t anything good, but he couldn’t make out the details. He also couldn’t hear the voice on the other end of the phone clearly, only feeling that the person on the line was in a bad mood.

It was just as well that this person was leaving; such a potential threat was better off not lingering around here. However, before he left…

After finishing the call, the man on the bench looked around at the scenery and then got up and walked to the edge of the lake. He had noticed earlier that there were many fish in the lake, and these fish were quite bold, probably having grown accustomed to being watched by people. They swam calmly back and forth, even when there were people standing by the lake.

Zheng Tan looked around to make sure no one was coming and that no one would notice what was happening here. Then, as the man walked to the edge of the lake to watch the fish, Zheng Tan rushed over and kicked the man in the back with a leap.

The man, who had been observing his surroundings when he walked to the edge of the lake, hadn’t noticed anyone approaching, so his guard was down. He was leaning over to watch a rather large red carp swim towards him when suddenly a force struck him from behind, and he fell into the lake.

Since it was an artificial lake in the school, it wasn’t constructed very deep for safety reasons, but over time, the silt at the bottom had thickened.

After the man fell into the lake and struggled to stand up, the water only reached his waist, but he was already drenched, and he was still holding his cell phone, which looked like it was probably ruined. He looked around furiously, trying to find out who had attacked him from behind. Unfortunately, although he scanned the area, he did not find anyone moving nearby. However, some people in the distance had heard the commotion and were looking over.

Zheng Tan had immediately run into the woods to hide after the kick, as the trees here couldn’t hide a person, but a cat could remain very well concealed. Then, Zheng Tan watched as the man quickly got out of the lake, mud all over his trouser legs, and left with a dark expression on his face.

Over the next few days, Zheng Tan paid special attention when loitering around the Affiliated Primary School and indeed didn’t spot that man again. At most, he saw a few suspected thieves moving around, which wasn’t unusual. Compared to the suspicious man, Zheng Tan felt the threat from the thieves was less significant. Having seen human traffickers before, Zheng Tan felt the man was somewhat different from traffickers, though he didn’t know what the man was up to; he was certain the man was no good.

The night before the big auditorium performance, Zheng Tan lay on the couch pondering what the next day would bring. The performance was set to start at two in the afternoon. Jiao Ma had taken the day off, while Jiao Yuan had a small test and his request to skip school was rejected by Jiao Ma. However, Jiao Ma had borrowed a DV camera from Qu Xiangyang across the door and planned to record the performance for Jiao Yuan to watch later. Although the Affiliated Primary School was going to record and broadcast the event, that was done on a broader scale. Jiao Ma only wanted to film Little Youzi and Zheng Tan. At that moment, she was tinkering with the DV camera to familiarize herself with its operations.

“Hey, Ma, what’s up with Heitan these days? He seems to have a lot on his mind,” Jiao Yuan said, nibbling on a popsicle.

Jiao Ma’s attention shifted from the DV to Zheng Tan, looked at him, and said, “Probably because of tomorrow’s performance, he’s about to go on stage, and he is the first cat in the school to perform.”

Jiao Yuan, biting his popsicle, said, “Hasn’t he shot a bunch of commercials already? What’s there to worry about?”

Jiao Ma: “… Who knows what goes on in the mind of a cat.”

Zheng Tan, listening to their conversation, only flicked his ears without any other reaction. He had been contemplating the incident involving the man he’d kicked into the lake during the last few days. Although it seemed the man hadn’t reappeared in the vicinity or had any further dealings with Zheng Tan, sometimes, when Zheng Tan recalled the man’s chilling gaze as he climbed out of the lake and walked away, he would feel a chill. As for today, he was purely thinking about tomorrow’s performance. He wasn’t worried; after all, he had shot many commercials before and had developed a thick skin.

The next day, those with performances mainly skipped class and went to rehearse in the auditorium instead, to get used to the stage and do a run-through. The props, which many students had made themselves with maybe a little help from their parents, didn’t seem like much during regular rehearsals, but they really brought the feeling to life.

Several students playing music at the side, with their parents watching from below, nursed their instrument cases, smiling, glancing at their children with pride in their eyes.

The run-through went fairly well overall. No one messed up badly, and it felt cohesive, though Zheng Tan did surprise those present when he appeared. But the pressure was going to be much greater for the official afternoon performance, with a full house compared to the morning’s empty venue.

Little Youzi’s class was scheduled fifth in the program. Among the first five performances, four were song and dance. Their act would be the first play of sorts. It was unknown if they would receive higher scores.

The costumed performers all sat in a changing room, some memorizing their lines, others chatting idly.

Zheng Tan glanced at Little Youzi sitting nearby. She was seated on a chair next to her prop, a cylindrical paper “shell” she’d have to wear on stage later. There was also a large backdrop attached to the “shell,” painted with purple Bauhinia, which looked quite heavy but was bearable for the students since it was paper-made, designed with weight considerations in mind. Still, Zheng Tan felt pity watching them during the morning run-through; wrapped in such bulky “shells” on a hot day, these kids were really enduring a lot.

Zheng Tan himself wasn’t faring much better, wearing a shiny, plastic-paper outfit that he’d have to top with a ridiculous mask later. He wondered if the children’s image of a Divine Beast was always as ludicrous as this.

Little Youzi, sitting quietly with a touch of seriousness on her face, lips pursed, hands tightly clutching her hem. It was her first time on stage after all, and a performance in the auditorium no less. Even if she was just standing at the back as part of the background, the psychological pressure was real. Earlier, a first-grader had cried her makeup off before even stepping on stage; she didn’t get replaced and ended up performing with her smeared makeup.

Zheng Tan walked over and patted her hand, signaling her not to be too nervous.

Little Youzi’s expression relaxed a bit, and she loosened her grip on her hem, straightening out the ridiculous clothes on Zheng Tan.

Little Youzi seemed to have adjusted his mentality well, and Zheng Tan looked at the other students in the room. Especially the class Sports Committee member sitting in the corner, who played the main character.

That kid didn’t seem nervous at all, sitting with his legs crossed, picking his nose while reading his lines, Zheng Tan thought this guy looked quite pleased with himself. After digging out some treasure, he glanced around to see if anyone was watching, and when he thought no one was, he casually wiped his finger on his “Sword,” and continued digging.

Zheng Tan: “…” This brat actually wiped his boogers on the “Sword”!! Dammit, I mustn’t let Little Youzi touch that “Sword”!

Just at that moment, the door opened, and “Executive Producer” Yue Lisha strode in, with the others quickly asking about the performances of the previous acts. Scores and standings would be announced only after all performances ended, and even if they couldn’t know the rankings now, they should get a general idea of the situation.

“It’s just so-so,” Yue Lisha briefly commented on the first three programs, and the fourth one was currently underway, with their turn up next.

“The peacock dance performed by the fifth graders was quite good,” Xie Xin remarked.

“Good? They’re all made up like snake demons!” Yue Lisha said disdainfully.

Zheng Tan glanced at Yue Lisha, who was clearly envious. Because she had to play the mother of the main character, Yue Lisha couldn’t wear thick makeup and had to don a silver-white wig and carry a cane to portray a frail, elderly woman. In fact, Zheng Tan felt she could almost pass for the protagonist’s grandmother.

While Yue Lisha was busy sour-graping, the Sports Committee member who had been nose-mining had just walked into the line of fire.

“You’re actually picking your nose! That’s disgusting!” Yue Lisha said with a look of revulsion.

The caught Sports Committee member wasn’t embarrassed at all, “Haven’t you read in XXX magazine? One quarter of people pick their nose once a day; one fifth do it five times a day; and another quarter are suspected of having ‘compulsive nose-picking disorder,’ spending up to 15 minutes a day on it… What are those faces for! Don’t be disgusted, let’s be honest, we all ate boogers when we were babies. But, I have a question, why is snot salty?”

Zheng Tan: “…”

The surrounding students: “…”

When everyone wore bemused expressions and some even pondered the question, a childish yet solemn and earnest voice spoke up.

“Because the nasal cavity has a thick layer of cilia and mucus attached to the walls, which trap harmful substances from the air. The mucus is mainly composed of mucin and inorganic salts, with potassium and sodium being the main components of the latter. These taste salty, hence, it follows that snot is salty, too.”

The surrounding students: “…”

Zheng Tan looked at Little Youzi, who continued to discuss with grave seriousness, made a mental exchange with the Alpaca, and then thought: Maybe Mr. Jiao has subscribed to too many science magazines for the house?

“Sounds profound,” the Sports Committee member nodded thoughtfully, wanting to ask more questions but was hit by Yue Lisha’s prop cane, “Focus on memorizing your lines, don’t mess up and blabber nonsense when it’s our turn, we’re up soon!”

“It’s just a few sentences, and besides, this sort of script can be improvised on the spot,” the Sports Committee member said nonchalantly.

Thanks to the Sports Committee member’s interjection, everyone’s nerves had eased a bit, and their spirits were further lifted by the class teacher who waited at the entrance to cheer them on, promising them some reward notebooks afterward, which sweetened the deal for these easily satisfied kids.

In just twenty minutes, the applause was constant, and the laughter never stopped, especially when the main character student did his somersaults; the clapping below spurred him on, as though he was on steroids. He was only supposed to do one somersault before launching his move, but in his excitement, he ended up doing several in a row, prompting a parent from below to applaud loudly with a “Good!”

Another student playing the villainous monster, decked in a dinosaur costume, added his own flair before crashing to the ground, “dying” with a bit more technique—probably from watching too much Ultraman versus the monsters.

The judges sitting in the front row laughed heartily, “They all have the making of stars.”

After Zheng Tan appeared on the stage, it also sparked discussions among the audience.

“Hey, that’s an animal, is it a monkey or a cat?”

“Looks like a cat to me, with that black tail, and it has cat ears.”

Sitting in the audience, Jiao Ma was thrilled, boasting to a few parents she knew, “That Divine Beast is also from our house!”

Even the judges admired the planners of the act, “Truly a labor of love.” With such comments, they were sure to score well (to be continued. If you like this work, please head to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your votes for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets, and express your support. The greatest motivation for me is your support. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com).

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep