Chapter 67 - 65: Jiang Wanyi is Here

Chapter 67: Chapter 65: Jiang Wanyi is Here

I held the straw, ready to poke it into my "Zhonghai Matron." It was a bit tricky. I had to jab it a few times and almost bent it before it finally went all the way in.

I took a few hard sucks. The refreshing sensation shot straight to the top of my head. It was a little cold, but it packed a punch and was incredibly revitalizing.

This feeling was definitely a cut above what the inexperienced "Little Snow" could offer.

"Can I ask you a question?" Fang Youning asked quietly.

"It’s complicated."

"Huh?"

Fang Youning’s cheeks flushed. They had only just met. Why was he saying such weird things?

"It’s just an old joke. Go ahead and ask."

"Do you remember the day we met in the underground mall?"

"You mean the day you tried to grab me?"

"No, no, no! I wasn’t trying to grab you." Fang Youning’s face grew even redder as she rushed to explain. "But yes, that’s the day I’m talking about."

"Okay, so what did you want to ask?"

"We changed my little nephew’s diaper together, right? You seemed really experienced. I was wondering if you could teach me."

"Isn’t it a bit early for you to be learning that?"

"My older sister is going on a business trip this weekend, and I have to help take care of him, so I need to get some experience."

"Well..."

Chen Yuan slurped his "Matron" fruit tea. "It’s hard to explain with just words. You won’t really get it. Why don’t you just message me when you run into a problem? Or do a video call, that works too."

"I can send you a video?"

’What kind of question is that?’

"You and I could film one together, no problem. What’s the big deal about sending one?"

"We could film one together?"

"You seem even more excited about it than I am..."

"N-No, no, I’m not..."

As the start time drew near, people began to trickle in. To avoid drawing attention, Fang Youning went up to the lecturer’s platform to get the music accompaniment ready.

His phone buzzed a few times. It was a message from Jiang Wanyi.

Jiang Wanyi: "A big mother and baby store just opened in Qingyue City. I want to take you to see it."

Jiang Wanyi: "We can figure out what to do with the rest of our time after."

Chen Yuan did a quick calculation. The round of 30 advancing to 15 started at 4:30. If he could get an early spot in the lineup, he should be done pretty quickly.

Chen Yuan: "Are you done with your thing?"

Jiang Wanyi: "It’ll be a little while longer. I have to go home and... clear out some inventory, first. *smirk.jpg*"

Under Chen Yuan’s influence, Jiang Wanyi had started referring to her... supply... as "inventory."

Jiang Wanyi: "And then we can grab dinner together. What do you think?"

Chen Yuan: "Sounds good to me. What time?"

Jiang Wanyi: "Around 5:30. I can come pick you up then."

Chen Yuan: "That’s too much trouble. To save time, let’s just meet at Qingyue City at six."

Jiang Wanyi: "Okay."

Just as he put his phone down, he heard someone talking to him.

"Brother Yuan, you’re here early."

It was He Xiaoxi and Li Yong’an.

He Xiaoxi was dressed like a typical college girl in a simple, solid-colored dress, with her hair tied back in a bow. She looked sweet and innocent.

Li Yong’an: Description omitted.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"We still haven’t decided what to film, so we figured we’d make our first video about you," Li Yong’an said.

"You’re going to film me? Didn’t you say you were going for something edgier? I was planning to come watch the show."

"That’s for later. We have a great opportunity right here, so we have to take advantage of it." As he spoke, Li Yong’an was already taking out his equipment.

"This thing looks pretty professional. Must’ve cost a lot, huh?"

"It’s a DJI. We got it secondhand for 380 yuan. After buying it, our department only has 20 yuan left in the budget. Whether this channel takes off or not is all up to you," Li Yong’an said.

"Use that last 20 to buy me a paid promotion. You have to spend money where it counts."

"No problem."

BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ—

Chen Yuan’s phone vibrated. It was a message from Fang Youning.

Fang Youning: "Li Dongyang put you first in the lineup."

Chen Yuan didn’t really understand the ins and outs of these things, but he knew that performing first was probably not a good thing.

’This is blatant bullying. I’m so bummed.’

Chen Yuan: "It’s fine. I will crush all my foes."

Around 4:30 PM, almost all the contestants had arrived. Only a few were a couple of minutes late because they had a class in the second afternoon session.

In addition to the students, there was also a female teacher.

She looked to be in her thirties, with her hair cut short. She was pleasant-looking, but not nearly as fair-skinned as the "young matron." After coming in and greeting the students, she took a seat in the front row.

The round to narrow the contestants from 30 to 15 officially began.

"That teacher’s name is Liu Dan. She works for the university’s Youth League Committee and graduated from the Zhonghai Music Academy. I hear she’s really good," said He Xiaoxi.

"A music major working at our university? You don’t think it’s a nepotism hire, do you?"

"Probably not. A job with the Youth League Committee is administrative, so it doesn’t have any specific major requirements. She’s probably just that exceptional. I heard she even has a Ph.D."

"Then she must be really impressive..."

After learning about Liu Dan, Chen Yuan had the feeling of enriching his product line.

Even a polytechnic university needed people who could direct artistic activities. Otherwise, when they tried to organize cultural events, there would be no one competent to lead them.

"Check, check, one, two..."

Li Dongyang held the microphone, tested the sound, and said:

"The 32nd Annual Polytechnic University Campus Singer Competition, round of 30 to 15, will now begin. Next, let’s welcome Teacher Liu to say a few words..."

Looking all official, Li Dongyang gave a short speech. Because Teacher Liu was present, he cut the usual crap and quickly handed over the microphone after he finished.

"To have made it into the top 30, all of you are certainly very talented. For today’s competition, don’t be nervous. Just do your best to secure a spot in the next round..."

Liu Dan didn’t say much. Despite her short hair, her voice had a gentle, soothing quality.

With the opening remarks concluded, the competition officially began, with Fang Youning acting as the host.

"Next, we have Chen Yuan from the School of Electronic Information and Computer Science, who will be singing ’The Dull-Ice Flower.’"

Hearing that someone was going to sing "The Dull-Ice Flower," a murmur of surprise and doubt spread through the multimedia classroom. All eyes fell on Chen Yuan.

At an event like this, everyone was expected to sing pop songs. A song like "The Dull-Ice Flower" didn’t really fit this kind of stage.

"I’ve seen him play basketball, he’s so hot. I didn’t know he could sing, too."

"Singing a song like this in a competition... he must be a really sincere person."

"I know ’The Dull-Ice Flower’ too! My grandma taught it to me."

’What, is your family from Ionia or something?’

While the crowd was murmuring, Chen Yuan walked to the front of the stage.

"Hello, Teacher. The song I’ll be singing is ’The Dull-Ice Flower’..."

"Alright, you may begin."

The instrumental intro began.

"Ahhh~"

"Every night I recall my mother’s words, glistening teardrops, the dull-ice flower~"

"The stars in the heavens are silent, the children on earth miss their mothers~"

"The eyes in the sky twinkle and gleam, a mother’s heart, the dull-ice flower~"

Hearing Chen Yuan’s voice, Liu Dan’s head snapped up.

The amateurs were just enjoying the show, but the expert could see the skill. While others were just listening for fun, Liu Dan was watching Chen Yuan intently, a look of astonishment in her eyes.

’The very first contestant is this good?’

’This year’s freshmen are really something else.’

"The tea fields back home are covered in flowers, while Mama’s little darling is far away..."

"Every night I recall my mother’s words, glistening teardrops, the dull-ice flower..."

...

"Ahhh~ Every night I recall my mother’s words, glistening teardrops, the dull-ice flower~"

The song ended, and the accompaniment stopped.

Liu Dan was about to offer a few comments, but she heard Chen Yuan speak up.

"Teacher Liu, now that I’m done singing, can I go?"

’Got a date to catch. See ya!~’