Chapter 85: Preparation

Lu Yunze believed in Jiang Sui, that was one thing, but when it came to moments like this, he still couldn’t help but feel nervous.

“Your friend still hasn’t arrived?”

“Don’t be so anxious, Young Master. Even if you’re anxious, it won’t make him appear any sooner.”

Jiang Sui lounged idly, showing no sign of crisis whatsoever.

“Since Young Master Lu Yunze trusts me, you should trust me to the end. Besides, that friend of mine, since he’s been paid, will definitely do the job. Hasn’t he also been helping you investigate leads for the past week?”

If not for the help from that so-called Qi Technique master, they might not have caught onto Jin’s trail so quickly.

“I do trust you, but if something unexpected happens…”

Lu Yunze hadn’t finished his sentence when the unexpected happened.

The door to the Preparation Room was suddenly pushed open without warning. Lu Yunze turned around and saw that it was actually Luo Yao.

At that moment, when he glanced back toward Jiang Sui, she was already gone. Instead, the door of the wardrobe at the back seemed to have been disturbed.

That Jiang Sui…

“He Gege, what’s wrong?” Luo Yao’s footsteps approached, bringing Lu Yunze’s attention back to her.

“Nothing. Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready to go on stage? Why are you still here?”

“It’ll still be a while, so I came to check on you.”

Light Jade had already changed into her performance costume and finished her makeup. She was beautiful to begin with, and now, up close, she looked even more stunning, like a celestial maiden.

“I feel like you’re not in a very good state, so I just wanted to come and cheer you up before going on stage, hoping I could help you somehow.”

“No, I’m not nervous at all,” Lu Yunze scratched his head and forced a smile.

Light Jade’s gaze lowered, her tone grew subtly cold: “Really? Then why are your hands sweating?”

“Ah, that’s because… Lu Yunze quickly hid his hand. “It’s just from practicing that tricky passage so much; my hand’s a little sore.”

“Then why are you sweating so much?”

“You see, the weather isn’t very pleasant today.”

“Is that so?” Luo Yao frowned, “Just a couple days ago there was a cold front, and today is the most comfortable day we’ve had in ages.”

Lu Yunze was about to come up with another excuse when Luo Yao’s voice cut right through his thoughts:

“He Gege, what are you hiding? Are you keeping secrets from me?”

Whenever this happened, Luo Yao’s gaze would become sharp, as if it could see straight through Lu Yunze’s heart.

In the past, Lu Yunze wouldn’t have cared, but now, with Jiang Sui still inside the room!

If Luo Yao found out that the girl who was supposed to be at home was actually here, before Lu Yunze could explain himself, Luo Yao might just help him complete his “revenge” right then and there.

“I know, Chen Gege…”

Luo Yao stepped forward.

“You must have had trouble practicing, right?”

“Huh—”

“Ever since that rehearsal last time, I noticed it. Lu Gege, you never make so many mistakes when you play, especially not on pieces you’ve practiced for ages. You’ve been avoiding me; you don’t want me to see you’re not in good shape, do you?”

“Yeah, well, you’re right.” Lu Yunze finally gave up pretending. “I really am not in good shape right now, and I am very nervous. But I hope you understand, I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry.”

Luo Yao sighed lightly:

“Gege, you’re always like this, never telling me anything and just making me worry for nothing.”

Lu Yunze could only respond with a wry smile.

“Since things have come to this, we just have to do our best. Chen Gege, I believe in your ability. Practice is practice, performing is performing. You’ll do great.”

“Then I’ll take your kind words as a blessing.”

Lu Yunze’s smile gradually returned to normal, and Luo Yao relaxed.

“Gege is only nervous because he wants to do well, that’s a good thing.”

Before leaving, Luo Yao half-jokingly said something that made Lu Yunze tense up all over again.

“Gege, with the way you’re acting, it really makes people wonder if you’re hiding a girlfriend from me.”

The door to the Preparation Room closed.

Lu Yunze slumped into a chair, tugging at his collar. He really broke out in a cold sweat.

Nervous? He was nervous.

But it wasn’t about the school celebration—it was the fear of Luo Yao suddenly making a surprise attack.

Behind him came the sound of the wardrobe opening. Jiang Sui poked her head out like a little mouse, and only after confirming Luo Yao had truly left did she come out.

“So, Young Master, do you trust me more now?” Jiang Sui asked proudly as she dusted off her clothes.

Lu Yunze wanted to retort, but he had to admit—Jiang Sui’s ability to hide was now truly flawless. That was a skill in itself.

“Alright, there’s not much time left. I have to head out now. I’ll leave the rest to you all. I’ll resolve things as fast as possible—maybe I can even make it back before going on stage.”

Lu Yunze took a deep breath and looked her in the eye.

“Wait for my good news.”

“Okay, Young Master, may the wind be at your back.”

After saying goodbye, Lu Yunze, now changed into casual clothes, quietly slipped out of the Preparation Room and left the campus.

As for Jiang Sui, after seeing him off, the smile on her face quickly faded.

She plopped down in the seat Lu Yunze had just vacated, next to his suit that he was supposed to wear on stage.

Jiang Sui had already admired Lu Yunze in his suit earlier, but now, in this space, it was just her and his clothes.

The girl picked up the jacket, her fingers tracing the edge of the fabric. The force in her grip turned her fingertips white as she pulled the slightly wrinkled jacket close to her nose.

Taking a deep breath, she let out a small, satisfied hum, tinged with something sweet and bashful.

The cotton fabric brushed against her cheeks; her nose skimmed the inside of the collar, carefully distinguishing every scent. This was Lu Yunze’s jacket. It had only the faint smell of laundry detergent, a hint of sweat, and no trace of any unfamiliar perfume or other woman’s scent.

When she saw Luo Yao approaching Lu Yunze from the wardrobe earlier, Jiang Sui had been worried that that brash girl would leave her scent on him. Now, she realized she’d been overthinking it.

“If Lu Yunze came back and saw you like this, he probably wouldn’t dare leave campus again.”

At that moment, the door opened with a mischievous squeak, and the adorable Black Cat stepped inside, politely closing it behind her.

“Wouldn’t that be even better?”

Jiang Sui continued stroking Lu Yunze’s jacket, pressing it to herself.

“It shows that, in his heart, I’m a very important person—maybe even more important than Luo Yao.”

“Is it possible that’s not what I meant?” Black Cat shook her head. “Anyway, what are you doing? If you get the clothes wrinkled, how will you wear them on stage?”

“I’m just making some preparations in advance,” Jiang Sui said, squinting her eyes with a sly smile. “After all, I’ll be the one wearing it. Rather than letting it pick up another girl’s scent, I might as well leave mine.”

Hearing this, Black Cat stepped back half a pace. With her sensitive feline nose, even the faintest scent was intense to her.

“Alright, Senpai, let’s get started.” Setting the suit trousers aside, Jiang Sui stood up and grew serious.

“You brought the supplies?”

“Of course. Everything you asked for, I bought.”

As she spoke, Jiang Sui opened the wardrobe and took out the items hidden inside, including a big pack of gray Transformation Powder for altering her appearance and some other materials.

Unlike last time when only her face and hair had to be changed, this time Jiang Sui needed to completely disguise herself as Lu Yunze to go on stage for him. She had to take into account her figure as well. Otherwise, if the audience saw Lu Yunze, a sunny and cheerful boy, suddenly walk out on stage with a pair of ample “assets,” his reputation would never recover.

With Lu Yunze as her Sponsor, Jiang Sui was able to purchase all the materials needed for this transformation, and she could even save some of the leftover funds to invest in her future growth.

Lu Yunze went off to the front, Jiang Sui bought the materials, and then borrowed Black Cat’s Qi Technique. That way, Lu Yunze could carry out his mission without worrying about the stage performance.

Time waits for no one. They immediately began preparations.

Hair and skin tone could be changed with Transformation Powder, but this time, she needed to swap her face for Lu Yunze’s. With the improved Transformation Powder from Black Cat, this was easily done.

The real challenge was that pair of “white rabbits.”

Other than that time at the hospital, it had taken Jiang Sui ages to bind her chest properly; it always made breathing a little hard.

Black Cat assisted her the whole time, releasing Qi Technique, and soon, Jiang Sui’s figure began to change. Her chest flattened, her limbs became lean and strong, and her skin lost that soft, pale glow.

When the Secret Art finished, Jiang Sui tried clearing her throat and found that even her voice had become much more masculine.

“It’s amazing. Now I look exactly like Lu Yunze!”

Jiang Sui grinned into the mirror, using Lu Yunze’s signature smile.

“Once I put on the suit, no one will ever suspect a thing.”

“What about the piano performance?”

“Don’t worry about that, I’ve already prepared for it.”

Jiang Sui produced a small device, pressed a button, and a beautiful piano sound played from within.

Can’t play piano? Well, she could at least fake it. Many celebrities fake their performances—this was nothing for the ever-resourceful Jiang Sui.

Just as Jiang Sui finished dressing and was adjusting her appearance in front of the mirror, the door to the Preparation Room was pushed open.

“Lu Yunze, what are you still doing here?” It was a member of the Music Club. “You’re up soon, don’t just stand there!”

Standing in front of the mirror, the “Lu Yunze” looked up, smiled easily, and then turned around with a relaxed flourish.

“Alright, I’ve been waiting for this moment.”

At the same time, somewhere in Lan City.

“Are you sure the target is inside?”

“No mistake. We’ve been watching here the whole time.”

Outside an old apartment building, Police officers lay in wait, surrounding the place.

According to their informant, the suspect related to Jin had returned to this apartment today and hadn’t left since.

They’d already questioned the landlord and confirmed the target’s specific location.

“Lu Yunze isn’t here yet?”

“He just called. Said he got caught up in traffic.”

“Tch, there’s always some accident at times like this.” The voice on the phone sounded irritated. “Time waits for no one. You all start the operation now. You can’t let the criminal get away just because of Lu Yunze.”

“But Officer Wang said to wait for him…”

“I’m the one in charge here, not Lu Yunze! If you let Jin escape, do you know how many people might suffer?”

“If Lu Yunze isn’t the one to catch Jin, we can forget about promotions and raises!”

At the mention of “promotion,” the Police in ambush looked at each other, then all nodded in unison.