Peeved

Jiang Se was not like Lu Baobao who had the chance to repeat senior year if her results were unsatisfactory. Moreover, though she did not compare her answers with her classmates after the examinations. She had a rough idea of her own performance.

"What will you do after this? Are you going into the entertainment industry to become a celebrity?" Lu Baobao asked out of curiosity. When she mentioned the entertainment industry, she stopped crying and sat up straighter.

"By the way, you told me that 'Pretense to Reality' was having an audition the last time you came to my house. Did you go for it?"

Jiang Se replied, "I did."

"You did?" Lu Baobao could not help but raise her voice. "You went? Not even I went!"

Some of the other students were talking about their results for the National College Entrance Examination, but Lu Baobao's sudden outburst attracted their attention.

Fortunately, the teacher-in-charge came into the classroom with a huge pile of papers soon after that. The other classmates, who had turned to look at Lu Baobao just now, shifted their gaze away.

"Why did you go on your own? You didn't even wait for me."

Standing before the entire class on the raised platform, the teacher-in-charge was all smiles which was a stark contrast to Lu Baobao's sullen expression. She kept complaining in an undertone, "We went to Shen Villa together the last time."

She kept complaining for half a day but was cut short by a sudden and thunderous clap. On the raised platform, the teacher was looking at Jiang Se with a slightly excited expression.

"This time, Jiang Se has made it into the First Imperial Academy just as she wanted to. She has brought glory to the school and to our class! Everyone, please give her a round of applause!"

Lu Baobao turned to look at Jiang Se with a dumbfounded expression. She could not believe what she just heard.

Most of her classmates had similar thoughts. It was clear that they had not completely registered this piece of information.

Jiang Se's academic performance was not considered good in her class. She never managed to be ranked in the top 100 students of the grade in any of the trial examinations.

This time, Lu Baobao had thought that Jiang Se would have performed as badly as she did. However, she did not expect the teacher to announce that Jiang Se had exceeded expectations and had gotten into the First Academy.

"You, you…"

Lu Baobao's eyes bulged as she clapped with the rest of the class. It was clear that she had not accepted the fact yet.

She remembered asking Jiang Se whether she would be repeating senior year with her. In a final tone, Jiang Se had denied doing so. She must have found out about her results beforehand and knew that she had been accepted by the First Academy.

She no longer listened to what the teacher was saying on the raised platform. She only snapped back to her senses when the teacher announced that there would be free lunch in the cafeteria and the other students cheered. She looked dejected.

"Sese, are we friends or not? You didn't wait for me for the audition either." Feeling wronged, she was tearing up again.

As Jiang Se merely gave her a calm look, Lu Baobao felt flustered under her gaze.

"I remembered that I reminded you about 'Pretense to Reality' having an audition on the 12th on the 13th floor of the Yijing Building in the outer circle of the capital."

"Y-you did remind me, but that time…" Lu Baobao was stammering now. She wanted to explain that she had been grounded by her parents back then, so she could not get out of her house.

Even though she knew that there would be an audition on the 12th, her parents had kept her under close supervision during that period. In the end, she could do nothing but let the opportunity pass her by.

"You were complaining that I hadn't told you about the audition in advance which left you no time to prepare yourself." On the raised platform, the teacher was still congratulating the students for getting into the universities of their choice. The other students were already packing their belongings.

Jiang Se took her bag from her desk drawer as well. The teacher-in-charge was beckoning her to go toward the raised platform. She stood up and looked at Lu Baobao who seemed to be at a loss in her seat. She asked her calmly, "If I had told you about this earlier, would you have blamed me for affecting your performance in the National College Entrance Examination because I told you about it?"

She was not shouting or trying to find fault with Lu Baobao while she had a stern expression on her face.

It was not as if Lu Baobao and Jiang Se had never argued before. However, Lu Baobao found herself hunching and being afraid to retort. At this moment, she found Jiang Se more intimidating than the teacher-in-charge.

"I understand that you're unhappy, but, Baobao, you missing the audition and doing badly in the National College Entrance Examinations had nothing to do with me." When Jiang Se finished, the teacher had already walked toward them. Her gaze slid over Lu Baobao and went to Jiang Se as she smiled.

"Jiang Se, the school is also thrilled about you getting into the First Academy. The principal has taken a special interest in this. He told me yesterday to check if you're free to record a video that will be uploaded on our school website. It'll serve as motivation for your juniors. What do you say?"

Having a student accepted the First Academy was also good news for the school. The school had called an emergency meeting yesterday to discuss this. The teacher-in-charge had still been feeling light-headed when it happened as she had not pulled herself out from the shock she felt on the 23rd.

"Naturally, the school will offer you some reward for being the best student in our class."

Jiang Se was currently in need of money. Although she had been contracted by the "Pretense to Reality" cast and was promised $6,000 in remuneration, the tuition fees of the imperial capital's First Academy and her living expenses there would not be cheap.

When the teacher mentioned a "reward", she agreed to film it without hesitation.

"Of course. When do I start?" She had signed a contract with the "Pretense to Reality" cast. When the shooting started in mid-July, she might not have the time to return to the school to film the video.

The teacher replied with a smile, "The principal wishes is for it to be done within these few days if possible. The school will prepare everything for you. All you need to do is say some simple words. It won't be complicated or take too much of your time."

By the time it was agreed that the video would be filmed on the third of July, Lu Baobao had already left with the other classmates.

Jiang Se's character was different from the original Jiang Se. If she wanted to stay friends with Lu Baobao, they would have to get used to each other's temper rather than compromising.

She returned to school for the filming of the video on the day agreed between her and the teacher-in-charge.

The school seemed to be taking this as a publicity opportunity as well. After all, it was rare for the school to produce a student that got accepted into the First Academy, so it was only natural for them to regard this with more importance.

The principal hired a professional videographer and makeup artist for this project. He even had a classroom cleared out for the shoot.

The windows and doors were covered up by dark cloth while the classroom was lit by artificial lighting. The set looked serious. Because the principal was worried that she might have stage fright, he tried to give her some encouragement, "It's only a simple video. Don't be nervous when you're facing the camera later. It's alright if you get it wrong on your first try. We can do a retake."

The videographer sat behind the screen while the assistant carried the video camera. Jiang Se sat on the stool that was placed before the camera. When the videographer made a gesture, the principal fell silent.