Located in the south of the city, the Nancheng Gymnasium is a well-established venue. It is often used for performances and competitions.

However, Dongcheng now has a newer and more advanced venue, making Nancheng less well-known than Dongcheng Stadium. Nowadays, large-scale performances are usually held there, while Nancheng often hosts artists or groups with slightly less fame.

Of course, this is also because the overall cost here is much lower, making it the first choice for many teams in third-tier cities and beyond who are not financially well-off.

Jiang Xiaoxiao's friends probably considered this when choosing this location to hold their event.

After lunch, Shi Jing went to school. There weren't many people on campus on the weekend, but occasionally you could see groups of young men and women, full of youthful energy, making it very lively.

There were only four people in the dormitory as usual, and Cai Jiajia was absent again.

From the moment she enrolled, Cai Jiajia didn't get along with her roommates. Although there weren't any major conflicts, they rarely interacted. She was the type of person who didn't stay in the dorm except when necessary, so she wasn't there at the moment.

The four people in the dormitory were all quite excited because they were going to see a performance today. When Shi Jing arrived, she saw Nan Zhuowen trying on clothes one by one, while Jian Rong, wearing a face mask, was helping her with her suggestions. The two of them would occasionally huddle together and discuss something.

Tao Yue was on the phone at the moment. When she saw Shi Jing come in, she said a few words to the person on the other end of the phone, then quickly hung up and greeted Shi Jing.

"You're back! Have you had lunch yet?"

"I've eaten," Shi Jing replied, placing her bag on her desk. "You guys have eaten too, right?"

"They've eaten, and as soon as they came back, those two started changing clothes all over the place." Tao Yue smiled and gestured for Shi Jing to look at Jian Rong and Nan Zhuowen.

Nan Zhuowen laughed and replied, "It's a rare opportunity to see a performance, so I should dress nicely."

Jian Rong echoed, "Yeah, I haven't worn makeup in ages because I have classes. I'll have to take good care of myself today. Sigh, I got tanned during military training and haven't gotten my fair skin back yet."

Shi Jing couldn't help but laugh. Jian Rong's skin was actually quite good; it was just that her skin tone tanned easily and didn't easily return to its original color. Several people in the dormitory had gotten a bit tanned during military training, but they had all mostly returned to their original color in the past two months, except for Jian Rong, who hadn't recovered.

After listening to Jian Rong complain for a few minutes, the topic then shifted to where they were going today.

Jiang Xiaoxiao had invited them, and none of them knew much about the performance that evening. However, in this information age, finding out information isn't too difficult. While they were chatting, Qiao Momo mentioned the information she had just found.

"Today's performance has already gained some fame."

"Oh? What kind of event is it?" Tao Yue asked casually.

Qiao Momo scrolled through the webpage, saying as she looked, "Wasn't there a talent show a while ago? Today is a concert to thank the top eight fans. Judging from the description, it's quite a large-scale event."

"Huh?" Jian Rong was a little surprised. "Is it that boy in 'Hana-Kimi'? I remember there was a handsome young man in it who sang quite well."

“Yes,” Qiao Momo replied, “You’ve heard of it too? This is the first time I’ve heard of it.”

I watched a little bit online during the summer vacation.

Shi Jing listened to their enthusiastic conversation and was a little puzzled: "These kinds of talent shows usually have a lot of fans, so how did Xiao Xiao get so many votes? Did she buy them herself?"

Shi Jing and her dorm received five tickets, and Jiang Xiaoxiao's own dorm certainly received more than a dozen. Whether they were gifts or bought by Xiaoxiao herself, it was quite a lot.

"I don't know. But Xiaoxiao said she had a lot of tickets, and it would be a waste if she didn't use them, so I asked her for a few." Nan Zhuowen replied, "I hope she bought them with money. Wouldn't that be a bit inappropriate?"

Seeing that Nan Zhuowen was worried that she had taken advantage of someone else, Shi Jing quickly comforted her: "It's also possible that it really was a gift from her friend. Xiao Xiao said that it would be a waste to just leave it there."

"How about we go early this afternoon, and then a few of us can chip in and treat Xiaoxiao and the others to dinner tonight?" Tao Yue suggested.

The others had no objections, and Shi Jing naturally agreed as well.

The suggestion was unanimously approved by the girls in the dormitory. Nan Zhuowen was responsible for contacting Xiao Xiao and the others to arrange a time and place to meet.

To avoid traffic jams, Shi Jing and his team set off at 2:30 p.m. At that time, the roads were not congested. Shi Jing drove on the elevated highway and the whole trip took only one hour.

The appointment with Jiang Xiaoxiao and the others was at 4:30, and the concert started at 7:00, so there was plenty of time.

The students from both dormitories gathered outside the gymnasium. It was already too late to get inside; preparations for the evening's performance were in full swing.

Shi Jing hadn't seen Qi Shuang for a while; she was currently preparing for a program, supposedly for the New Year's Eve gala.

After exchanging greetings, they got straight to the point. They had booked the restaurant on their way there; there was a group-buying deal online, the food looked good, and the prices were reasonable.

Since there were many of them, the restaurant specially arranged a large private room for them.

Shi Jing and Qi Shuang got together. They hadn't seen each other for a long time, and Shi Jing started asking about Qi Shuang's program schedule.

Qi Shuang couldn't help but smile when she mentioned things she liked.

"The program is almost finished, and we're rehearsing now," Qi Shuang said with a smile. "The date for the party has also been set. Do you want to come and join us? It should be quite lively."

As a freshman, this was Qi Shuang's first time participating in such an event. However, she had heard from her seniors that the school's gala was always grand and lively, and the school would occasionally invite some honorary alumni to participate.

Qi Shuang knew that Shi Jing had now opened a talent agency and would focus on expanding into the entertainment industry, so she extended an invitation to him.

"We freshmen don't have many performances; it's mainly the sophomores and juniors who perform. You might even be able to get a good autograph."

The most important performances at film academies are actually during graduation season. These performances are more professional and geared towards industry professionals, with the school's arts festival inviting many industry experts to attend. In comparison, the New Year's Eve party is more like a self-entertaining event within the school, but it can be a great opportunity to discover promising talents.

"Sure," Shi Jing readily agreed, teasingly adding, "Do you need me to go on stage and present you with flowers?"

Qi Shuang couldn't help but roll her eyes at her and laughed: "I have no problem with you if you're not afraid."

Shi Jing thought about presenting flowers on stage in front of so many students. Although she wasn't stage-frightened, she was indeed a little embarrassed.

Qi Shuang understood her meaning, and the two smiled at each other.

The two chatted briefly before their attention was quickly drawn to the waiter serving the food.