Competition

“For the Professor’s sake, I will try my best to endure until the day I defeat Ning Rou. But that is my limit. Professor, you should work hard to be prepared, too.”

Ever since she dropped those parting words that day, Xiao Yuehua had ceased her attempts to forcibly demand a kiss from Jiang Li under the guise of rehearsal.

Logically, this was a minor victory. Unfortunately, Jiang Li couldn’t find it in himself to be happy at all.

For one, that heavy, meaningful sentence carried the ominous atmosphere of “rising winds heralding a coming storm.” Secondly, while she no longer demanded kisses, Xiao Yuehua’s wandering hands during their rehearsals had not only failed to cease but had grown increasingly bold.

It reached a point where even Jiang Li couldn’t figure out whether Xiao Yuehua was actually focused on her competition or not.

Her current strength was growing at a staggering rate; her Acting Power had long since surpassed the 110% benchmark Jiang Li had once set for her using his [Amplify] skill. Consequently, Jiang Li could no longer gain a precise reading of her level, but he could roughly guess she was somewhere above Grade C+ and just below Grade B.

With her recent initiation into the path of emotional manipulation, her performance in the Acting Grand Prix had a real chance of hitting Grade B. This was the growth rate of a protagonist in this world—downright terrifying.

Jiang Li had to admit he felt a twinge of envy. Then again, rather than envy, his heart was currently occupied by a much more immediate distress.

“Mmm… hiss…”

“Professor, could you please refrain from such unseemly gasping? I’m truly trying very hard to endure here.”

“Then take your hand away!”

Facing Xiao Yuehua’s harassment, Jiang Li could only grit his teeth and attempt a verbal warning.

“Hmm… I’m afraid I can’t do that. This is a necessary step to help me understand ‘Affection’.”

Regrettably, with Jiang Li’s authoritative dignity as a teacher completely eroded, his words lacked the weight they once carried. Xiao Yuehua responded flippantly, her fingertips slipping beneath his clothes to glide, hook, and circle across his chest and abdomen.

Accompanied by light taps, rhythmic presses, and the subtle scrape of her nails, waves of stimulation—alternating between intense and gentle—continually frayed the strings of Jiang Li’s rationality.

Though it felt ridiculous for a man to say such a thing, Jiang Li genuinely felt that Xiao Yuehua’s techniques were both troublesome and lewd. He was one hundred percent certain that, in private, this girl had specifically studied his weaknesses online to target him.

“But… but your competition starts tomorrow… wouldn’t it be better to… hiss… rest and adjust your state?”

“The Professor needn’t worry about that. Being with you is my best form of relaxation.”

“But… I think your progress is already… sufficient…”

Xiao Yuehua’s fingertips suddenly paused. Her expression turned serious.

“Do you… truly think so?”

“Of—Of course.”

Jiang Li finally managed to escape her clutches. He took several sharp breaths to steady himself and smoothed out his disheveled clothes. It took a few minutes before he managed to climb out of his pit of shame and regain his usual composure.

“I’m not lying. You should be able to see that yourself.”

“Is that so?”

Xiao Yuehua stared straight into Jiang Li’s eyes. After spending so much time together, she knew the Professor’s eyes didn’t lie. Setting aside the guilt caused by her taking the initiative lately, she could clearly see genuine praise and affirmation in his gaze.

This was a solid, unadulterated recognition of her strength and talent.

“Thank you, Professor.”

After a moment of silence, she suddenly bowed for no apparent reason, her expression holding a gravity rarely seen lately. In that bow, a powerful surge of self-confidence erupted within her.

If she had harbored any doubts before, now there was only conviction. Even a Professor as excellent as him believed in her. Then she would surely win against Ning Rou. In that pivotal Acting Grand Prix.

“Protest! Protest! Protest!”

On the massive circular stage, countless phantoms of protesters surrounded the central figure—Xiao Yuehua, or rather, the Congresswoman “Rose.”

Amidst the cacophony of their mountain-shaking roars, Rose’s voice pierced through, steady and fierce.

“Today, we mourn for the innocent victims!”

“Tomorrow, we shall make those terrorists—those who committed these atrocities—pay the price!”

“The Federal Government will not permit terrorist organizations to infringe upon the lives and rights of the people, nor to disrupt social order!”

“Our people grieve as one; our shared loss unites us!”

“We demand that the lapdogs who defend the ‘human rights’ of criminals provide an ANSWER for the sacrifice of the innocent!”

A fury and hatred so intense they almost took physical form surged toward the sky. Rose’s eyes held the madness that only comes when the thing one treasures most is shattered. The surrounding crowd shifted from noisy to silent, and then from silence to a fever pitch of indignation. The chaotic voices gradually merged into a single, rhythmic pulse that rang in everyone’s ears.

“PROVIDE! AN! ANSWER!”

…

Xiao Yuehua’s performance ended quickly. The protagonist Rose’s rage, madness, and the demagogic power born from them were portrayed to perfection. Looking around, everyone in the venue had been infected by her nearly flawless performance.

The next moment, thunderous applause erupted.

“Who is this girl? How do I have no memory of someone this talented?”

“My god, how old is she? To have such a powerful level of Acting Power already?”

“I know her. She’s the one who was second only to Ning Rou in the freshman trials.”

“Second to Ning Rou? Why haven’t I heard of her then?”

“Ah, back then she should have been taken in as a mentored student along with Ning Rou. I didn’t realize we’d overlooked such talent…”

Not just the students, but even the professors seemed captivated by Xiao Yuehua’s performance. Standing on the stage and looking around, the overwhelming applause felt like a coronation for all her hard work.

But right now, none of that mattered to her. She quickly scanned the sea of people for her target. Until…

She saw the man standing up and applauding with a smile. Even from this distance, she could see the admiration and awe in his eyes.

At this moment, she felt that all her previous efforts and sacrifices had been worth it. The only flaw was that they weren’t alone in the rehearsal room. She hadn’t brought her phone, so she couldn’t record the Professor’s expression—a sight that was vital to her.

But it didn’t matter.

Xiao Yuehua bowed and exited the stage with a light smile. In the end, those were small things. She quickened her pace, looping through the backstage toward the Professor’s seating area.

She had a major task to perform. She had already warned the Professor himself—I will endure until the day I win against Ning Rou.

Finally, she didn’t have to endure anymore.

As the distance between her and the Professor closed, her heart began to race. Today was the day she would take his hand and tell him—

Vwoom…

A powerful wave of Acting Power interrupted Xiao Yuehua’s thoughts. She turned toward the stage in a daze.

She saw layers of phantoms manifesting at lightning speed, instantly occupying the entire stage and expanding without pause toward the audience seats—expanding, and expanding further! Eventually, they blanketed the entire venue.

And in the very center of the stage…

Ning Rou was standing there, perfectly still.