(Quick Transmigration) Small Cannon Fodder Has Great Power

The day of the school's charity performance finally arrived.

Yao Yulang, as one of the most prestigious guests on the invitation list, sat in the front row, alongside the principal and a few other accomplished senior professors from the school.

On the program list, Gu Yunyun's program was relatively late, while the final program was a short drama performed by Fang Hui and some other student council members.

Influenced by the impact of the new culture, most of the students' programs in recent years have been Western-oriented: Western musical instruments, Western songs in chorus, modern poetry recitations, etc. Only the ensemble performances of the folk music club can add a touch of oriental charm to the entire charity performance each year, but they are not very popular among young students.

After a wonderful violin or piano solo performance, the audience usually gives a warm and long applause; however, after each performance by a folk music ensemble, the difference in the audience's emotions is obvious, and even when they applaud, it is mostly out of politeness.

The head of the folk music group shook his head helplessly. What can you do? No matter how much you love your instrument or how skilled you are, what can you do if the audience doesn't appreciate it?

The charity performance was supposed to be an exciting opportunity for everyone to showcase their talents, but the students in the folk music club were hardly excited because their performance was never the one everyone was looking forward to. Nevertheless, they took it seriously and rehearsed diligently, showing their respect for their instruments.

As in previous years, the folk music troupe bowed after their performance, and the applause from the audience was sparse.

The little girl holding the erhu couldn't help but tear up, and the boy playing the flute also looked a little disappointed.

The young man playing the drums tried to lighten the somber atmosphere in the club by jokingly saying, "Our folk music club is going to have a performance later. A classmate is having a sword dance and they need our club to play the drums and guqin. You guys have to give us a big round of applause after our performance!"

The girl with red eyes was distracted and gave him a playful glare; the boy, who had just been feeling down, said enthusiastically, "No problem, senior, I'll make enough for a whole group of people all by myself!"

The club president was amused, "Okay, let's cheer you on together!"

When Gu Yunyun stepped onto the stage with her sword, she immediately captured the attention of the somewhat weary audience. Yao Yulang leaned forward, focusing intently on the stage.

A spotlight illuminated the dark stage, and Gu Yunyun, dressed in a long robe that seemed to defy frost and snow, appeared amidst the misty clouds, exuding an ancient charm.

As wisps of white smoke billowed from both sides of the stage, slow yet powerful drumbeats echoed in the audience's ears. Gu Yunyun danced slowly to the beat, as if a steadfast and upright sculpture had come to life from its long-standing stillness, her movements flowing continuously, like a rainbow or a swimming dragon.

Her movements, accelerating with the drumbeats, went from firm and powerful to flowing and graceful, agile and nimble, elegant and dazzling. Suddenly, the clear, resonant sound of a guqin rang out, deep and majestic, adding a touch of freehand elegance.

The audience was involuntarily immersed in her graceful yet sharp dance moves, as if they had traveled back in time to the leisurely bamboo forests of the Wei and Jin dynasties, the vast deserts of the Han dynasty, or the prosperous Chang'an city where all nations paid tribute during the Tang dynasty.

The drumming and guqin music stopped abruptly, and Gu Yunyun then ceased her movements.

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful woman named Gongsun, whose sword dance moved all four directions. I never thought I could see such a dance today. It has been a long time since I have seen such a wonderful performance."

The old scholar next to Yao Yulang was greatly pleased. He stroked his beard and sighed, "Young people these days are all enthusiastic about Western learning, as if learning the things of our ancestors would be a disgrace. They throw them all away without any real understanding, rejecting them outright. Alas... little do they know that there are many, many more cultural treasures like this exquisite sword dance..."

Yao Yulang couldn't hear what anyone else was saying; his gaze followed Gu Yunyun. Looking at the radiant young woman, he felt an urge to tell everyone: Look, that's my little girl.

He then recalled the latest work by Yun Sheng that he had been following recently, in which the female protagonist was a chivalrous woman dressed in white, ethereal and refined.

Yao Yulang wasn't the only one who thought of Yun Sheng's new work.

Yun Sheng's influence among young students is undeniable; following Yun Sheng's novels has become a trend among young people, and he is practically a household name.

Gu Yunyun's performance was brilliant in itself, and coupled with her striking resemblance to the female protagonist described by Yun Sheng, the audience continued to discuss her excitedly long after she left the stage. The subsequent performances were unable to capture the audience's attention.

Gu Yunyun's program was scheduled relatively late, and soon the last program, the final one, was to be performed – a short drama starring Fang Hui.

Although Fang Hui and her group's short play was also excellent, it wasn't as outstanding as expected, thanks to Gu Yunyun's fresh and stunning sword dance and her emotional portrayal of the female lead, Yun Sheng. Gu Yunyun can be considered the undisputed biggest winner of this charity performance.

After the charity performance, not only did the students at the school still fondly remember Gu Yunyun's sword dance, but the newspapers also gave special coverage to this wonderful sword dance.

A highly respected senior professor at the school even published an article on traditional Chinese culture, using Gu Yunyun's sword dance as a starting point, which made Gu Yunyun's name popular once again.

Gu Yunyun suddenly became a popular figure at school.

···

Before morning self-study, several female students who arrived early gathered together and chattered about Gu Yunyun, their tone full of envy.

The girl in the front row, fixing her curly hair in front of a small mirror, heard the excited chatter about Gu Yunyun behind her and curled her lip in disdain.

Fang Hui helped the teacher collect the students' homework in advance. When she heard Gu Yunyun's name, she silently and expressionlessly lowered her head to collect the homework from each student's desk.

Fang Hui gathered her homework and walked over to a group of female classmates who were chatting happily. The girls didn't pay much attention to her, casually placing their homework on the stack of notebooks she was holding, and then turned back to continue talking about Gu Yunyun's pretty school supplies.

Fang Hui did not leave immediately. She stood next to a few female classmates who were chatting, her mind racing with countless thoughts, before suddenly saying, "Gu Yunyun's financial situation is indeed very good."

Several girls were drawn to her sudden interruption. Fang Hui continued to lower her eyes, her expression unreadable, and unconsciously stroked a notebook she was holding. "But she never seems to have talked about her family."

With a personal chauffeur picking her up and dropping her off every day, dressed impeccably, and using the finest things, her family background in Shanghai must be quite impressive.

The girl with curly hair in the front row listened, put down her mirror, and turned her head thoughtfully at her words.

"Moreover, I've never heard of anyone with the surname Gu among the prominent families in Shanghai," Fang Hui continued in the silence. "I do have a guess... Of course, you can just take it with a grain of salt."

The curly-haired girl scoffed without giving her any face, "Fang Hui, you've already said it, why are you still being so cryptic? Just say what you want to say."

Fang Hui glanced at her, then looked away. "I heard... some wealthy people provide financial support to girls from less well-off families, and some even send them to school..."

One student immediately realized, "That's what it means to be a..." To put it nicely, a socialite; to put it bluntly, a prostitute.

Fang Hui used one hand to tuck the hair behind her ear, saying, "I just suddenly thought of it, don't overthink it." After saying that, she left the classroom with a stack of homework books.

The classroom behind me was silent for a moment, then suddenly erupted into a commotion.

In the following days, Gu Yunyun clearly felt that her classmates were looking at her in a strange way.

Unlike the initial enthusiasm she received after her sword dance, this time more and more classmates would secretly look at her. When she looked back, they would immediately pretend to look elsewhere and look away. They would also watch her whisper and point at the people next to her.

Even the slow-witted system noticed something was wrong: "Why are they looking at you like that?"

Gu Yunyun also found it strange. During a break when there were fewer people, she quietly touched the girl in front of her who she usually got along with, and asked, "Have you guys been avoiding me lately?"

The female student denied it somewhat awkwardly, "No..."

"But I don't know why, everyone's been looking at me strangely lately." Gu Yunyun pouted unhappily.

The girl hesitated, then turned back and saw Gu Yunyun's innocent and naive expression. She pursed her lips and quietly and tactfully told her about the recent rumors. Although the girl didn't want to believe them, the rumors seemed plausible, spread by many people with unwavering conviction, leaving her unsure of who to believe.

Gu Yunyun thanked her. After hesitating for a moment, the girl couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to clarify this?"

Gu Yunyun thought for a moment, "Rumors stop with the wise. Do I really need to provide some kind of identification because of the opinions of some petty people?"

The system asked, "You really don't intend to clarify?"

Gu Yunyun was not worried about the situation at all. "Let them spread the word. The more lively the spread, the better."

Then Gu Yunyun acted as if nothing had happened, going to and from school as usual, ignoring all the strange looks from those around her.

But there are always people who can't hold their temper.

One day, Gu Yunyun arrived at school to find her seat empty, the desk and chair nowhere to be seen. But at least, unlike classic cases of school bullying, her textbooks and supplies weren't destroyed; they were neatly piled up on the floor where they used to be.

Gu Yunyun thought to herself, "They've finally arrived."

The teacher hadn't arrived yet, and the students in the classroom watched in silence as she walked to her seat and stopped, creating an extremely oppressive atmosphere.

A few students glanced nervously at the curly-haired girl in the front row. One of the girls, still somewhat timid, leaned close to the girl handing out the questionnaires and whispered, "Meiyu, is this really okay... what if the teacher finds out..."

Xu Meiyu said loudly without any hesitation, "Some people are not afraid of doing things that can't be seen in the light of day, so what are we afraid of?"

Gu Yunyun's gaze finally shifted from the books at her feet to the curly-haired girl. "Then tell me, what shameful thing have I done?"

Xu Meiyu gave an exaggerated laugh, surprised by her self-righteousness. "You have the nerve to do those dirty things, but I'm too embarrassed to even talk about them, afraid of dirtying my mouth." Her disdainful eyes also carried a hint of pleasure.

She used to be top-notch in her class, both in terms of family background and looks, but with Gu Yunyun's arrival, she felt that everything she was so proud of had become a joke. Although no one said anything, she always felt that everyone was laughing at her behind her back.

Gu Yunyun's face turned cold, which was uncharacteristic of her. "You took my desk and chairs, didn't you? And you even slandered my reputation in public. If you don't give me a clear explanation today, this matter is not over."