Chapter 2015 — Quite Exaggerated

The moment word came that Xu Shilan was definitely going, Bai Weituo called He Meiyue. "Meiyue, are you free tonight? Let's have dinner together—our act was a big success, so we'll call it a victory feast!"

"Tonight?" He Meiyue was a little exasperated. Zhang Duopan had called her just moments earlier with an invitation to dinner as well, saying he could bring Cheng Yiyi along too—but she had turned him down. After all, since she did not much care for Zhang Duopan, she had no wish to get too close to him.

Zhang Duopan had barely hung up when Bai Weituo's call came in, leaving He Meiyue at a loss. She did not dislike Bai Weituo, but if she accepted his invitation and refused Zhang Duopan's, Zhang Duopan would surely be furious—and who knew what he might do then.

"That's right, Brother Lin invited Xu Shilan and Cheng Yiyi too! Both of them are stars you like!" Zhang Duopan said.

"What, Xu Shilan is going too?" He Meiyue was startled. Xu Shilan was her very favorite star. Had it been Cheng Yiyi alone, she might still have hesitated, but with Xu Shilan there, she simply could not let such a once-in-a-lifetime chance slip by!

After all, among Xu Shilan's fans, few had ever gotten her autograph, fewer still had ever had a photo taken with her—let alone shared a meal with her!

So He Meiyue agreed almost without a second thought: "Sure, then let's all get together tonight!"

"Great, we'll meet at the parking lot tonight then!" Bai Weituo said happily.

He had barely hung up and was about to thank Wei Zhao when the classmates around him suddenly burst into screams. Startled, he looked up; Wei Zhao had not been watching the performances either, and hearing the shrieks he too turned toward the stage—and saw Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu!

What surprised Wei Zhao was that there were four of them onstage, all in tight black leather outfits, sexy without being revealing, performing a rather popular modern jazz dance.

The moment Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu enrolled, they had shot straight to the top of the campus BBS school-beauty rankings. The other two girls in their dorm, though not especially pretty, had figures that were scorchingly hot, and they were paired the same way as Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu—one tall, one short—so the four of them together looked remarkably well matched. The instant they stepped onstage, they drew wave after wave of cheers.

"Hey, Brother Lin, aren't those the two school beauties your relative asked you to look after?" Bai Weituo had recognized them too. "So pretty! But if I could win He Meiyue, that would already be more happiness than I deserve—girls like that I wouldn't even dare dream of!"

Wei Zhao shook his head and said nothing, but he noticed that Wang Xinyan and Han Jingyi had both lifted their heads and were staring fixedly at the stage.

Wang Xinyan's reaction was no surprise, but Han Jingyi actually set down the tablet in her hands to watch the stage—that startled Wei Zhao somewhat.

The hot dance ended amid a flood of praise from the students below, and Han Jingyi lowered her head again, going back to studying her tablet without sparing the stage another glance.

"Han Jingyi, what on earth are you doing?" Wei Zhao finally could not hold back the question.

"Researching pill refining!" Han Jingyi said.

"Pill refining? All that scribbling and sketching of bizarre nonsense on a tablet—that's pill refining?" Wei Zhao's eyes went wide.

"Uh..." Wei Zhao was blown away—scorched through and through by Han Jingyi's words. Pill refining could be derived with formulas? This was the first he had ever heard of it. Han Jingyi really was a "genius"! Still, he said nothing to her about it. Let her research whatever she liked, so long as she stopped asking him why.

"What is it, Brother Wei Zhao? Is something wrong? Why do you have that strange look on your face?" Han Jingyi asked.

"Ahem..." Wei Zhao had just been thinking that Han Jingyi had finally stopped asking him why—and here she was, asking. He was speechless. "Nothing's wrong. Your approach to researching pill refining is certainly... unique..."

"Right, right? Brother Wei Zhao, I'm sure I can develop a method of pill refining that combines modern science with ancient herbal formulas, and become a really, really amazing pill refiner!" Han Jingyi said with a nod.

"Good, carry on with your research..." Wei Zhao did not know what else to say. Privately, he thought: this girl is either a genius or a lunatic—and judging by how she usually behaves, lunatic seems the likelier bet.

Wei Zhao sent Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu a text asking whether they would join them for dinner that evening, and of course they agreed without a moment's thought—a dinner with Xu Shilan present was not to be missed.

Seeing that reply, Wei Zhao felt inexplicably nervous. Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu had never seemed very friendly toward Wang Xinyan. At the table, the young lady would be fine, but little Shu might well blurt out something awkward again—and that would be rather embarrassing.

After all, this would be the first time Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu dined with the classmates from his own dorm and with Wang Xinyan. Wei Zhao had only asked out of courtesy, never expecting them to come; their own dorm was performing too, so it was likelier they would go out to dinner together that night.

He shook his head. There was nothing for it but to take things one step at a time.

At last, amid a roar of cheers, the freshman gala came to an end. The results of the award selection for the gala's acts would be posted on the campus BBS tomorrow.

Wei Zhao headed toward the parking lot with Bai Weituo, Zhao Shengji, Song Xiaodao, and Wang Xinyan, while Xu Shilan and Cheng Yiyi had long since slipped out of the school auditorium and were waiting quietly for Wei Zhao in the business van in the parking lot.

Otherwise, when the students all came pouring out together, anyone who caught sight of Xu Shilan and Cheng Yiyi would surely mob them. Even now, some students in the crowd were craning their necks, searching for Xu Shilan and Cheng Yiyi.

Just then, He Meiyue and Chai Xiaoling arrived at the parking lot as well—though Lan Xiaoru was not with them.

"Meiyue, where's Xiaoru?" Bai Weituo walked over and asked.

"Xiaoru had something to do with her boyfriend. She didn't even come to tonight's freshman gala," He Meiyue said.

"What could be so important that she would skip the freshman gala?" Bai Weituo was surprised.

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