Chapter 19: Director He’s First Scene (Part 1)

As soon as they stepped out of the teahouse, He Tianran received a WeChat message from Xue Yong:

"Junior, did you find anything out?"

"Rest easy. Wen Liang told me herself that liking Zhang Zhifan is a thing of the past life."

"A past life? What is that supposed to mean?"

He Tianran stroked his chin, not knowing how to reply.

The chime of the incoming and outgoing messages reached Wen Liang’s ears. She was currently editing the selfie they had just taken and looked up upon hearing the sound, asking, "I didn't send you a message... who is it?!"

"Can you stop looking at me like a cat staring at a mouse every single time? It's creepy... and can't I have other friends?"

The boy offered a defense. Wen Liang stopped in her tracks, looking at him with an expectant air. "Friends? Go on, say their name for me to hear."

"...It's just some images someone posted in a group for perverts I joined. Are you sure you want to know?"

"..."

Although Wen Liang maintained a look of indifference, the tips of her ears turning deep red betrayed her.

"Disgusting... you total nerd!"

With that remark, the girl walked away quickly, as if repulsed. Only then did He Tianran pull out his phone to continue reporting to Xue Yong.

"It probably just means it's in the past... Hahaha, anyway, there shouldn't be anything going on between them for now."

"That's good, that's good. By the way, Junior, did you ask her why she was angry at noon? I noticed Wen Liang looked sullen ever since she sat down with Zhang Zhifan."

*Hiss.* He realized he had forgotten something. He had overlooked the most crucial question, but it wasn't the right time to ask now.

He Tianran thought for a moment and replied:

"That’s like the dragon’s reverse scale; I don't dare touch it for now."

"Understood... Thanks for your hard work, Junior! If you need any help, just tell your Senior!"

Seeing this, and remembering Wen Liang’s comment about him having no friends, a long-buried idea began to stir. There was indeed one favor he needed from Xue Yong...

"Senior, can you help me get someone's contact information?"

"Sure, whose?"

"Cao Aiqing..."

"Holy... You’ve got guts, kid! Going straight for the main course!"

"Are you done looking yet!"

From up ahead came Wen Liang’s indignant roar. She had expected He Tianran to catch up quickly, but after waiting in vain, she turned around to find this hopeless nerd chatting away happily on his phone!

It was just a few lewd pictures—did he really need to study them carefully and share his insights?

The girl couldn't help but feel frustrated by his lack of ambition, silently lamenting that He Tianran was blind to what was right in front of him!

...

...

By the afternoon, the phone in He Tianran’s bag vibrated intermittently. He certainly wouldn't have dared to ask Cao Aiqing for her contact details himself. In fact, before agreeing to become Xue Yong’s "tool," he hadn't even considered the possibility.

Someone like him usually kept such things buried in his heart. But now, the way Xue Yong handled his own relationship had stimulated him. If even Xue Yong could lower his head to ask for help, why couldn't he make a breakthrough of his own?

Besides, courage is easily influenced by others.

He could have asked Wen Liang for help, but considering she was already in a bad mood today—and she had told him to interact more with girls—he decided to treat this as his first exercise in self-transformation.

He didn't need to do the legwork himself, though. He Tianran had already mapped it out: he would gather intelligence on Wen Liang for Xue Yong, and Xue Yong would help him get Cao Aiqing’s contact info. Paper-thin brotherhood, practical utility—the alchemical principle of equivalent exchange. That logic held up perfectly.

"None of my friends have Cao Aiqing’s contact info. How about I just get it for you personally after school?"

"You're just going to ask? Are you sure she’ll give it to you?"

"Not necessarily... It’s just that Cao Aiqing is so low-key at school; she seems hard to approach."

Damn. He Tianran was willing to bet that if he followed the traditional pursuit mode with a girl like Cao Aiqing, the difficulty level would be five stars. The plan would likely fail.

"Have you ever heard of 'Save the Cat'?"

"Save the cat? What’s that?"

He Tianran clicked his tongue and swapped to a term that would be understood:

"...I mean, we might need a bit of a setup, a bit of dramatic conflict, a bit of drama..."

"Oh, I get it. You mean a 'hero saves the beauty' scenario, right? Sure, I'm good at that. I'll call a few buddies to help you out!"

"...Don't be so tacky. Wait a second, I’ll write a script and send it to you."

"???? There’s a script? Junior, you’re getting a bit professional here!"

"Just follow the script. Stay tuned."

Taking advantage of the teacher’s distraction, He Tianran quietly put away his phone, took out paper and pen, and focused. Every scenario of a boy and girl meeting—whether from movies or anime—surfaced in his mind.

His pen moved rapidly. Wen Liang had told him he would be a screenwriter in the future, and at this moment, it felt like it was coming true. The boy, wanting to take the initiative for the first time, began to meticulously plan everything.

...

...

As the city’s night veil descended, the classroom building of Gangcheng High School was brightly lit.

Evening self-study—a term every high schooler loathed. Gangcheng High’s policy was from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM. It was technically optional, but except for art and sports students like Wen Liang and Zhang Zhifan who had classes outside, or hopeless cases like Xue Yong, almost everyone stayed.

He Tianran stared at the fluorescent light overhead, then at the wall clock above the blackboard. It was 8:29 PM. As the second hand moved toward the 12—

*Click.*

The brightly lit classroom was plunged into darkness!

"Whoa!"

The quiet building instantly erupted in a roar of excitement. In modern civilization, only a power outage during evening study could evoke such joy.

And it was only the school that had lost power; the city horizon outside remained ablaze with lights.

Students pulled out their phones to use as flashlights. Cao Aiqing did the same. She found it strange that her seatmate didn't seem to plan on using a light, nor did he show much excitement—most boys would have turned into screaming, hyperactive monkeys the moment class was canceled.

The teacher scolded them a few times, and the noisy classroom gradually quieted down. After consulting with colleagues from other classes outside, he returned to the podium and said:

"Someone cut the school’s fuse. This is extremely malicious behavior! All senior students, assemble in the gymnasium!"

A chorus of groans echoed through the room. Even with only half an hour left, the school had no intention of letting them go early. The reason they were going to the gym was that it had an emergency power supply, allowing them to read by light.

The sixteen senior classes of Gangcheng High marched downstairs in a massive throng.

He Tianran chose not to walk with Cao Aiqing; instead, he arrived at the gym early. People arrived one after another, but once students were out of the classroom, how could they stay quiet and study? Plus, by the time everyone gathered, it would practically be time to go home, so this moment naturally became the perfect time to chat and mess around.

He Tianran sat in a corner of the bleachers, bored. Seeing it was almost nine, his phone finally vibrated. It was a message from Ye Jiaqi.

"Where are you? The teacher says we need to sign in; those who leave early count as truant. Our class is over by the basketball hoop. Come find me to sign in."

Just as he had expected.

He Tianran stood up and strolled toward the designated spot. About half of his classmates had already left, and those remaining were lining up to sign. Not far from the crowd, Cao Aiqing looked anxious.

The boy intentionally lined up at the back, making him the last to sign. Once finished, he slowly walked over to Cao Aiqing.

"What’s wrong?" he asked.

Cao Aiqing looked at her seatmate, appearing slightly embarrassed. "I was bumped into by someone on the way here. My phone flew out of my hand, and when I went to pick it up, I couldn't find it."

"Two options: go back and look for it, or report it to the teacher."

He Tianran suggested, but Cao Aiqing shook her head.

"A few friends already helped me look once and couldn't find it. The teacher said it would be easier to find when the power comes back or in the daylight. It’s almost time to go home now, and I didn't want to trouble them, so I told them to go ahead."

"What about calling it?"

"I tried. It won't go through."

Cao Aiqing looked dejected.

"Try one more time. Don't worry, I’ll help you look. What’s your number?"

He Tianran took out his phone. Cao Aiqing didn't hold much hope, but seeing her seatmate’s calm demeanor, her panic slowly subsided.

"185..."

As she rattled off the digits, the call connected, and the phone let out a ringing sound.

"It’s ringing."

He Tianran pressed the speakerphone. The screen displayed the call duration.

Cao Aiqing’s eyes lit up, but despite the call being connected, there was no sound from the other end.

"Hello?"

He Tianran tried speaking, but still no response...

Silence hung between them.

"Cla... cla... classroom... classroom..."

Suddenly, a muffled, unintelligible voice came through the phone. It took careful listening to decipher what was said.

A power outage, just to exchange contact information with a female classmate.

Only someone as deeply "chuunibyou" as He Tianran could pull off a stunt like this.