Chapter 260: Chapter 260

Iro still hadn’t returned for the next two evenings, and neither Li Xianglu nor Anna had paid much attention to this, as both were student representatives designated to sit in the front row to ask questions, so they were focused on memorizing their parts in advance.

Li Xianglu had taken out the clothes she planned to wear and ironed them early on; it was a water-green long dress. Anna’s attire was a short-sleeve blouse paired with blue trousers, chosen by the headteacher. The two were somewhat perplexed, but the headteacher explained that photographers from the press would be there, and the matching outfits would provide a different effect in the photos, which might all be used.

Early on the fourth day, just past six o’clock, everyone in the dormitory was up. Everyone quickly got dressed, grabbed their meal boxes, ate breakfast in the canteen, then quietly waited back in the dormitory.

This was a schedule arranged by the school from the start; from the afternoon of the day before no one was allowed to approach the teaching buildings and auditorium, which were already guarded by security guards and the public security officers.

Hence everyone quietly waited at the dormitory, until the broadcast at half-past seven signaled them to line up at the dormitory entrance by class, ready to enter the auditorium.

The school’s auditorium could accommodate 2,000 people, with a second floor that had eight small open halls seating an additional 800 people. With four grades at Capital University, the total student body amounted to over six thousand.

Therefore, there clearly weren’t enough seats. Initially, it was possible to squeeze in with extra chairs, but due to security reasons, attendance became selective. Those required to attend stayed, and the rest were decided by lottery. Although this might have seemed frivolous, it was also a form of fairness. After all, getting into Capital University meant being among the nation’s best, and it wasn’t easy to choose who would stay.

Everyone complied with the school’s arrangements, so they all lined up in order and walked inside. Those who could attend were all very excited, and Li Xianglu, along with a few others from the front, went in early.

As everyone was queuing at the entrance of the auditorium, preparing to be checked before entry, Lu Anna tugged on Li Xianglu’s skirt from behind.

Li Xianglu turned around, ready to speak, but then she saw Iro, carrying a backpack, behind her with a terrible complexion and noticeably dark circles under her eyes.

Li Xianglu did not speak but nodded at Anna before turning away.

Li Xianglu and Anna were seated three seats apart, with Iro placed in the front row corner to the west. Because the stage was curved, the west front row was actually closest to the front of the stage.

Li Xianglu carried a water bottle, a document, a notebook, and a pen. The armed police guarding the entrance not only manually inspected the bags but also used metal detector equipment to scan them rigorously.

Li Xianglu hung her backpack on the back of her chair, then went to the aisle to exchange a few words with Qin Xi, who was seated on the west-side at the back. Qin Xi, also a student representative and specifically named by the higher-ups, had pleased the principal greatly. The principal had called Qin Xi for a long chat, intrigued after hearing that Qin Xi wanted to ask questions about women’s rights. Their conversation lasted an entire afternoon.

After a brief conversation, Li Xianglu returned to her seat and glanced at her backpack on the chairback, noticing the strap was twisted.

Li Xianglu, with a bit of OCD, adjusted the strap, but strangely, the weight of the backpack felt off.

Without showing any change in demeanor, she sat down, pulled the backpack toward her, and reached inside, only to touch a cold glass surface. Li Xianglu’s heart skipped a beat—what was this?

She didn’t remember bringing any such item, and as she felt around, Li Xianglu couldn’t help but sweat profusely.

Li Xianglu couldn’t be sure if it was the thing she had in mind. Afraid of being mistaken, she deliberately dropped the notebook she held to the ground, exclaimed "oops," and squatted down to pick it up. In doing so, she surreptitiously brought her ear close to her backpack. The sound from within made her involuntarily swallow her saliva to calm herself down.

After some thought, Li Xianglu decided to store the object in the Storage Ring. She had tested it before; time stood still inside the Storage Ring, so the item should be safe in there.

As she was storing the object, a bell suddenly rang outside, signaling that everyone should stay put, as Mr. Deng was about to enter in fifteen minutes.

Li Xianglu wiped the sweat off her forehead and started observing her surroundings calmly. She had to admit that whoever placed the object was very clever. She was seated in the middle of the third row, directly opposite the podium. If Mr. Deng were to speak, he would be standing in the center of the podium since that’s where the microphone was.

The people around her were excitedly looking towards the hallway on the west side of the podium, which was where Mr. Deng was supposed to enter. Li Xianglu was tense, forcibly suppressing her racing heart as she looked towards Qin Xi’s direction, but he was seated towards the back of the west side and was not visible.

Li Xianglu wanted to speak to Anna, but how? In the end, she looked towards the front on the west side, where a seat was now empty. Iro was gone!

Li Xianglu took a few deep breaths. The situation was out of her hands now; all she could do was wait for the right moment.

The fifteen minutes felt as long as a century, but at last, passionate applause broke out as Mr. Deng, in his usual white short-sleeved shirt and hairstyle, appeared.

He walked with the aid of a cane. Despite being 76 years old, his presence was still dignified. Smiling, he waved to the crowd.

The auditorium erupted in loud applause, and faintly, outside, the shouts of students who hadn’t drawn lots to get in could be heard.

Li Xianglu was also excited now; this was an experience she would likely never forget for the rest of her life, especially since she was chosen to speak with Mr. Deng as a student representative. It could be a source of lifelong bragging rights.

A staff member quickly went up to the podium to help Mr. Deng with a chair, but he waved his hand and said something, and the person left.

Mr. Deng stood tall and straight like a pine tree at the podium, tapped the microphone, and smiled saying, "Hello, students!"

Mr. Deng waved his hands again and said, "Alright, alright, no need to get too excited, please sit down." He beckoned the students like a grandfather speaking to his grandchildren, calming the atmosphere.

Suddenly, the tension eased, and everyone started laughing.

An assistant handed him a speech draft. He glanced at it, shook his head, and smilingly said to everyone, "This is too long, I won’t read it verbatim. I’ll just say what I want to say to you, and then, let’s have a Q&A session. You can ask anything you want to know, and I, in turn, will test your knowledge. How about that?"

Everyone happily agreed, while Li Xianglu got somewhat distracted. She noticed security guards heading backstage, one by one, until around a dozen had entered. Had something happened?

ps: Not sure if I can do the third update... I’m really struggling...

I’ll keep writing, but if it’s not uploaded, then there’s none... You’ll see tomorrow, if it’s there, it means I got better.