ABFMV Chapter 9 Part 1

Xu Linlang wore a little white cocktail dress with a red satin ribbon tied at her neck, the bow set with a dazzling dark red gemstone that made her fair skin look even more radiant.

Her long, wavy hair spilled down to her waist, where another red ribbon cinched her dress, perfectly outlining her slender figure.

She looked just like a princess out of a fairy tale.

The other students backstage, waiting for their turn to perform, couldn’t help but stare in awe when they saw her.

The academy leaders’ speeches dragged on forever. No one backstage was really listening—they were too busy rehearsing their own parts for the performance.

Then a girl suddenly gasped. “Look, Lu Xiao just went up to give the freshman welcome speech!”

“I knew it. He ranked first in last year’s entrance exams for the Mecha Academy—of course, he’d be the one giving the address.”

A few girls started chattering away about Lu Xiao’s good looks, impressive background, and outstanding abilities.

Xu Linlang, however, remained completely unmoved.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror. A person shouldn’t trip over the same stone twice. The original Xu Linlang had already stumbled over Lu Xiao enough times; she had no interest in getting entangled with him again.

After Lu Xiao’s speech, it was Yao Mo’s turn to go on stage as the freshman representative.

The girls’ excitement dimmed noticeably, though their gazes through the curtain were still full of admiration and envy.

“Well, we don’t stand a chance. Lu Xiao already said he likes girls like Yao Mo.”

“They really do look like the perfect couple—handsome and beautiful, like they were made for each other.”

Xu Linlang turned her head and studied Yao Mo, who stood at the side of the stage in her student uniform. With her sleek ponytail and passionate, ambitious words, Yao Mo radiated confidence.

Xu Linlang quietly left the backstage area, heading to the terrace for some air.

From the outside, Lu Xiao and Yao Mo really did look like a good match. She hoped they stayed that way—because if Yao Mo stayed focused on him, she wouldn’t have the chance to cause trouble for Xu Linlang’s brother.

Even though she hadn’t met her “story brother” yet, in her heart, she already thought of him as family. She still remembered all too well how, in the game, that doting brother had gone to war against the villain Qiye for her sake.

Resting her chin on her hand, Xu Linlang let the cool wind wash over her. While she was spacing out, two people stepped onto the terrace, not noticing her hidden in the corner.

“What did you call me here for?” Lu Xiao’s voice was low and cold.

A mature-looking girl gave him a sweet smile. “Lu Xiao, I’m Bai Hong from the repair department. I’ve liked you for a long time.”

He didn’t even spare her a glance. “I don’t like you.”

Her smile faltered, but she pulled a chip from her pocket. “This contains what I want to say to you. Please don’t reject me right away.”

Lu Xiao took it, pinched it lightly between his fingers, and snapped it in half. The pieces clattered to the ground.

“Is that enough?”

Bai Hong lowered her head and fled in panic.

Sensing Xu Linlang’s gaze, Lu Xiao turned his head.

He carried a natural air of aloof elegance. Even with his expression icy and unkind, it didn’t lessen his striking good looks.

This was Xu Linlang’s first time properly facing him. She walked forward and said, “This isn’t me spying. You practically put the scene right in front of me.”

Lu Xiao’s face didn’t show much emotion. Just as he was about to speak, Xu Linlang raised her hand to cut him off. “Don’t bother wasting your breath rejecting me. I have zero interest in you. The show’s about to start, so I’ll be going.”

Lifting her skirt with both hands, she hurried off, practically sprinting to get as far away from him as possible. Lu Xiao frowned slightly as he watched her disappear.

Xu Linlang… what exactly was she up to?

The freshman welcome gala had plenty of performances.

Most were just for fun, meant to liven up the atmosphere, with little real technical skill involved. At first, the crowd was enthusiastic, but after a while, students grew restless. Many used the excuse of a bathroom break just to step out for air.

Leaving wasn’t an option, though. After the gala, attendance would be checked by iris scan, and anyone absent would lose marks on their evaluation.

Xu Linlang’s program was scheduled second-to-last, with the choir’s rendition of the school anthem closing the night.

It showed just how important her act was. In modern terms, she was the “finale.”

If she failed, the story would spread across the empire. She’d become a laughingstock—mocked as someone arrogant enough to enter Lilan Military Academy but incapable of even putting on a decent performance. It would ruin her reputation beyond repair.

The people who had pushed her to take the stage as the freshman representative were counting on exactly that.

Su Yilu scrolled through the program list on her terminal. “Finally, Xu Linlang’s up soon. I was about to fall asleep.”

Hao Xinyi stretched lazily. “Wake up—it’s time for a good laugh. I can’t wait to see what this useless rich girl thinks she can pull off.”

Su Yilu nodded. “She’s not even worthy of being compared to our Yao Mo. Having her represent the freshmen is a joke.”

Yao Mo smiled gently. “Xu Linlang just has a bit of a difficult personality—that’s a common flaw among nobles. One performance shouldn’t go too badly.”

The boys around her were instantly impressed by her magnanimity and even felt indignant on her behalf.

“We’re not putting up with her spoiled noble nonsense. So what if we’re commoners? The school motto says everyone’s equal here—only ability matters.”

“Exactly. And even among nobles, Lu Xiao and Xu Linlang are worlds apart. If Lu Xiao is the elite of the nobility, then Xu Linlang is nothing but dead weight.”

Yao Mo spoke softly. “Let’s not talk about her behind her back. Out of respect for Marshal Xu.”

At the mention of Marshal Xu, everyone fell silent. That man was a living legend on the battlefield—a war god. Their respect for him was absolute.

Su Yilu muttered under her breath, “Xu Linlang really hit the jackpot being born his daughter. If only it were you, Yao Mo.”

Yao Mo lowered her eyes. “I believe I can rely on myself.”

The others felt a pang of pity. If Yao Mo had been born with a higher starting point, she would surely have gone even further, with far fewer obstacles in her way.

Sensing the mood dip, Hao Xinyi quickly brightened. “Anyway, Xu Linlang’s up next. I can’t wait to see what kind of mess she makes of it.”

Xu Linlang had signed up to perform a ballet solo.

Ballet! That classical dance was something you only saw in opera houses.

Nowadays, everyone is into trendier dances—trajectory dance, flash mobs, things like that. Ballet was practically a relic, something you’d find in Earth Human History textbooks, not on a modern stage.

Hardly anyone learned it anymore.

Hao Xinyi couldn’t believe Xu Linlang had picked something so pretentious. She was basically begging to embarrass herself.

Ballet demanded an incredible foundation—it wasn’t something you could fake.

But what they didn’t know was that Xu Linlang wasn’t the same as before.

She wasn’t foolish enough to step onstage unprepared. She was extremely confident in her ballet—after all, she had been training since childhood.

At sixteen, she had even danced the role of Odette in Swan Lake.

Besides, the original Xu Linlang had also studied ballet when she was young. Rong Ruyue had raised her to follow the elite path, exposing her to all sorts of refined, highbrow pursuits.

Unfortunately, the original Xu Linlang had lacked discipline and given up after only a few years.

Still, she had the foundation.

Those people wanted to see her make a fool of herself, so she was determined not to give them the satisfaction.

“Next, let’s welcome the freshman representative, Xu Linlang, performing a solo from Swan Lake.”