Interstellar to 80s: A Scientist's Farming Mission

An Ning was completely unaware that she had unwittingly captured someone’s affection, especially with the hapless Jiang Xia right beside her.

In fact, not even the sharp and sensitive Jiang Xia had noticed Haitang’s feelings for An Ning.

Haitang rarely appeared when the two of them were studying at the opera house.

When he did come, he was always very measured in his conversations with them, showing no signs of his affection. He didn’t plan to show it, either.

Leaving the opera house, Jiang Xia and An Ning drove straight back to the university.

Once they arrived, they took their instruments and costumes and returned to their respective dorms, agreeing to meet later in the performance hall.

Luo Li, who had been waiting anxiously in the dorm, yanked the door open the moment she heard footsteps. "Oh, for crying out loud, where have you been?" she said frantically.

"Do you know what time it is? Do you have any idea what people are saying? They’re all saying you got cold feet and ran off."

"If murder wasn’t illegal, I would have turned them into taxidermy specimens on the spot."

An Ning walked into the room, listening to Luo Li’s nagging. "The law certainly has you on a tight leash."

Luo Li rolled her eyes dramatically, then anxiously shut the door. "So? You’re going to give it your all today, right?"

"I bet on you—"

Luo Li suddenly clamped her mouth shut, gave An Ning a foolish grin, and turned to run.

"You bet on what?"

Facing An Ning, Luo Li had a lie right on the tip of her tongue, but after meeting An Ning’s gaze, she found she couldn’t say it.

Luo Li gave up the struggle, her shoulders slumping slightly.

"There’s this little betting pool. People are wagering on whether your performance today will be amazing or garbage. I bet on you to win, of course."

"I put all my assets on the line."

An Ning nodded thoughtfully. Seeing Luo Li’s worried expression, she asked, "And how much are all your assets?"

"Seven yuan and ninety-eight fen!"

Luo Li announced the sum with immense pride. After several months, her liquid assets had finally broken the five-yuan mark.

"That is quite a lot."

An Ning turned, opened her school bag, and took out five ten-yuan bills, handing them to Luo Li.

"Bet thirty yuan on me to win. I’ll lend you the other twenty. Just pay me back the principal later."

Luo Li’s eyes went wide at the sight of the five sparkling ten-yuan bills. She threw her arms around An Ning and planted a firm kiss on her left cheek.

This time, it was An Ning’s turn to freeze on the spot. ’I just got kissed?’

Luo Li snatched the money and shouted, "I love you to death, An Ning!"

SLAM! The door flew open and shut again. Luo Li was gone.

An Ning touched her cheek, shaking her head with a smile. She locked the door and changed her clothes.

An Ning, an erhu player, was wearing a flying fish dress, which was a bit of an odd combination.

But Jiang Xia had prepared the costume. It was a black flying fish dress with exquisite embroidery. When she put it on, she emanated a grim, killing aura.

She looked like an assassin from the dead of night, ready to deal a fatal blow at any moment.

Once changed, An Ning slung the antique case over her back and walked out of her dorm.

A strange scene unfolded in the hallway. The moment they saw An Ning, everyone moved out of her way, pressing themselves against the walls, not daring to speak.

An Ning, however, gave everyone a friendly nod as she made her way to the performance hall.

After An Ning had disappeared, everyone in the dorms uniformly changed their clothes and put on their shoes, rushing downstairs to grab a good seat.

’It feels like something big is going to happen today.’

Drawing stares all the way, An Ning arrived at the performance hall. At the backstage entrance, she saw Jiang Xia in a white flying fish robe.

"Hm, mine still looks a little better."

Jiang Xia agreed with her assessment.

"You’re right. You look better."

An Ning nodded in affirmation, and the two walked backstage together to sign in and wait for their turn.

Their performance outfits, which looked like a matching couple’s set, were incredibly eye-catching. Jin Youyou, their staunchest supporter, emerged from a corner, her eyes full of stars.

Before Jin Youyou could speak, An Ning said, "Don’t worry, there won’t be any mishaps."

Jin Youyou nodded frantically, not looking worried at all.

In reality, Jin Youyou was excited about An Ning and Jiang Xia’s outfits. ’They look like a couple!’

Though she was madly in love with the idea of them as a couple, she did her best to suppress it and not let it show.

An Ning and Jiang Xia found a corner to wait in.

「At six in the evening, the gala officially began.」

The host took the stage. After a vibrant, youthful opening dance, the school’s leadership came up to give a speech and formally introduce today’s guests.

Just as Jin Youyou had said, there were guests from abroad. They were nominally here to observe and learn, but in reality, they were here to watch a joke.

In ways An Ning didn’t know, she had inadvertently scuttled several collaborations between Huaxia and R Country.

Some corporations from R Country, under the guise of conducting on-site inspections in Huaxia, had brought a few students with them.

These students weren’t just here to look around; they had even prepared a performance.

One act followed another, with everyone performing very earnestly.

Soon, it was time for the R Country performance. An Ning stood curiously in a spot backstage where she could see the stage and watch.

A strange and parochial melody began to play. On stage, a group of relatively short people in their country’s unique costumes began to sing and dance.

"What’s this performance called?"

An Ning glanced at the host next to her. The host looked at the program and said, "The Grand Sacrificial Ceremony."

"Ah... This is a lot like the shaman dances back in my village. And with that color scheme, if you ran into them at night, you’d think you’d met the Black and White Impermanence."

An Ning’s critique earned a nod of agreement from the host, who didn’t dare say it out loud.

’No matter what, we have to appear harmonious and friendly on the surface.’

An Ning continued to watch.

The people on stage performed a bizarre, bastardized shaman dance. At the very end, they all suddenly pulled out R Country swords from their waists, let out a sharp cry, and lunged forward with a slash.

The people in the front row were startled by the abrupt movement and sound.

Down below, the foreign guests said a few words to the leaders of Beijing University, earning a very fake, placating smile in return.

’They’re so underhanded, scaring people on purpose.’

Everyone understood what was happening, but it was, after all, just a performance. If they made a big deal out of it, they would just be met with counterarguments, and it wouldn’t be worth the trouble.

An Ning, who had taught herself the foreign language, read their lips and sneered.

’Intimidation? She’d never met anyone better at it than herself.’

After the R Country performance, it was Tao Quan’s secret girlfriend’s turn with a folk dance, which was meant to push back against the foreign arrogance.

The dance ended, successfully recapturing the audience’s attention, but it felt like something was missing... a killer instinct.

Amidst the thunderous applause, everyone couldn’t help but think, ’If only there was a performance that could really knock them down a peg.’

The host returned to the stage, speaking with clear enunciation, rich emotion, and humorous transitions.

"Next up, please welcome An Ning and Jiang Xia with their instrumental duet."

The host exited the stage, and An Ning got ready.

SWISH. All the lights on the performance stage went out.

TAP, TAP, TAP. Rhythmic footsteps approached, growing louder.

They were simple footsteps, yet they carried an almost unattainable sense of pressure.

SWISH!

With another sound, the lights suddenly flared on. An Ning, dressed in her black flying fish dress, stood on one leg under a solitary spotlight, her gaze disdainful.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!