Chapter 223: Opening Ceremony

With a cannon boom, the Lanlin Gaozhong sports meet opening ceremony officially began.

After the senior class members each finished a lap, it was the sophomores' turn.

Led by Class A, the much‑anticipated class that had long occupied the grade's top tier, they entered.

The girl leading the procession had her newly dyed pink‑gold long hair styled into a princess bun, wearing a small, bright gold crown on her head.

Princess‑style side bangs adorned her cheeks, making her look exactly like a limited‑edition doll carefully nurtured in a shop window.

Around her fair neck she wore a silver necklace newly given by Mu Xin.

She wore a black mid‑length, knee‑length puffy skirt, and the black lace short sleeves at her wrists added a touch of charm.

She held the class placard steady in one hand; besides the class name, the most eye‑catching thing was the dozens of colorful handprints printed on it.

Those were the handprints the whole class had pressed on together yesterday in a bout of fun.

Someone couldn't help but shout: "Look at other classes that did handprints—how fun! You spoiled brats just hate getting your hands dirty!"

"Isn't it hard to wash off? The paint sticks to your hands and won't come off no matter how you scrub."

"Why don't you just stamp all forty classmates' handprints yourself?"

"It's fine; as long as our class banner looks cool, that's enough."

"……"

The chatter gradually faded, and all eyes were glued to the area below the stage.

Mu Youyu kept her back straight, her steps neither hurried nor slow, and her skirt swayed lightly with her steps.

Her brows and eyes held a faint smile, making her look like a princess stepped straight out of a fairy tale.

In the stands, the freshmen and seniors were all staring dumbstruck.

"How did the goddess change her hair color? Oh my, she's so cute, just like a doll! I want to kiss her!"

"Hahaha, it's kinda like the color Young Master Jiang's hair faded to."

"I thought Mu Senpai would give a speech together with Jiang Senpai representing the student council, but instead one's on stage while the other's leading the sophomores."

"No wonder she's my goddess! With this look, even the people from Nan Feng would envy her to tears!"

"……"

Seeing the reactions around them, the A Class students behind her couldn't help but lift their heads, hold their chests high, and step in even more unison.

Their faces wore the expression "Yu‑senpai is ours, you can't have her," feeling proud to the point of almost ascending to immortality.

At one side of the presidium, Jiang Liangjin stood at the very front of the student council line, wearing a black uniform with a student council badge pinned to his chest.

He had been lowering his eyes, speaking softly to those nearby.

But at the moment Mu Youyu entered, his usually indifferent eyes suddenly lifted.

The instant his gaze fell on her, the surrounding clamor seemed to be muted.

Her pink‑gold hair, sparkling crown, and that beautiful black puffy dress were like a sweet little cake that crashed into his heart.

Jiang Liangjin's fingertips twitched slightly; the hand holding the document unconsciously clenched a little tighter.

His gaze then fell on her delicate wrist holding the class placard.

He frowned, thinking, "Let's finish soon—the placard is heavy; holding it too long will make her wrist sore."

Only when he saw her still wearing a faint smile, her expression showing no discomfort, did his gaze slowly drift downward.

His eyes locked onto the bracelet on her wrist and couldn't move away.

"Mm, yes, that's the one he gave her."

Not far away, a senior girl with colorful hair couldn't help exclaiming, "Really beautiful—no wonder she's our Lan Lin school belle."

A student council member standing to his right followed his gaze and teased with a smile, "President Jiang, look at your childhood sweetheart."

Yu Ci, standing beside him, heard this, lazily curled the corner of his mouth, and replied, "Nonsense—without even looking whose person she is, how could she not be stunning?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it was just enough for a few nearby people to hear.

Several acquaintances nearby held back their laughter, secretly glancing at Jiang Liangjin's reaction.

They were waiting to see this aloof president reveal a side that didn't match his persona.

But Jiang Liangjin merely gave a faint "hmm," his expression inscrutable.

Until Mu Youyu led her team past the presidium.

His gaze still followed her back, and he didn't even catch Gu Xingnan's reminder beside him.

Yu Ci leaned over, nudged his shoulder with an elbow, and lowered his voice to tease, "A Jin, you're about to drool! But seriously, Youbao's hair color suits you pretty well—want to go home and dye yours the same?"

"What drool?"

Jiang Liangjin gave him a cold glance.

Yu Ci didn't notice, saying, "Hey, why aren't you talking?"

Gu Xingnan behind him smiled helplessly, not letting his words land, "He's about to speak. A Ci and I said, I'll speak."

Yu Ci shrugged, "Fine."

The two began discussing who would win the gold medal in tomorrow afternoon's 1500‑meter race.

Jiang Liangjin lowered his long lashes, but inside he was calculating Yu Ci's earlier remark, the last part.

"Seems, it's not impossible either."

After the sophomores finished their lap, the rest sat in the second row, while only the A Class students came down to sit in the front row.

As soon as she sat down, Mu Youyu lifted her hand and pulled off the lace cuff on her wrist, then grabbed it in her palm.

The cuff was pretty, but a bit stuffy.

Bai Yun beside her helped fold the cuff neatly and stash it in Mo Song's backpack, then stared at the bracelet on her wrist and whispered in amazement, "Xiao Yu, your bracelet has letters on it!"

Looking closely, the princess‑crown pendant at the center of the bracelet bore a gemstone engraved with two intertwined letters.

They were "J" and "Y".

Mo Song also leaned in to look, then nodded in agreement: "Really beautiful! This gem sparkles so much, it matches Yu-jie's necklace perfectly!"

Mu Youyu raised her hand and waved it, smiling: "A Jin gave it to me."

It's still the one given earlier in Y Guo.

Bai Yun guessed correctly.

"What J and Y said aren't just Jin and Yu, right!"

Mo Song too.

The student performance program began below the stage, with singing, dancing, skits and so on eliciting continuous applause.

The number of registrants was limited, and less than an hour had passed after it ended.

The opening ceremony proceeded step by step.

The principal and teachers' speech was long and dull, making the students below drowsy, yawning nonstop.

When it was the student council president's turn to speak, Jiang Liangjin finally focused, straightened his long legs, and stepped onto the podium steps.

This drew another soft gasp from the spectators.

He took the microphone, his voice carried through the speakers across the whole playground: "Good morning, leaders, teachers, and fellow students……"

His speech was concise, without a word of nonsense, and he kept a blank expression throughout.

But at the end of his speech, his gaze once again fell on Mu Youyu sitting in the front row below.

In the moment their eyes met, Mu Youyu waved her hand at him, then curled her lips and gave him a thumbs-up.

Jiang Liangjin's heart softened, he paused for half a second, his voice gentler than before, and added: "I wish this sports meet a complete success, and may all classes disperse in an orderly manner."

As his words fell, the applause from below erupted, far louder than during the principal's speech.

Bai Yun sat beside Mu Youyu, laughing and complaining: "Your Young Master Jiang speaks well—short and sweet, fast-paced! The principal droned on for nearly half an hour earlier; I almost got tired of sitting!"

Mu Youyu curled her lips, her gaze still lingering on the figure walking toward her: "Mm-hmm, you spoke very well."