Chapter 227 - 193: "Publicity" and "Appetite

Chapter 227: Chapter 193: "Publicity" and "Appetite

Night fell, bringing with it a blizzard.

Inside the cabin of the Brabus V260L, however, there was no trace of the cold.

The top-of-the-line luxury captain’s chairs provided an exceptional ride for Liu Nanyi and the other two girls, while the air-purification and aromatherapy systems kept the cabin filled with a fresh, fragrant scent.

"Did you guys book a room?"

Noticing that Liu Nanyi and the other two girls seemed a bit reserved, Gu Heng decided to break the ice.

"We already booked one."

Liu Nanyi replied, "Yaoyao’s boyfriend reserved a large private room at Roar Hall."

"Oh..."

"In that case, ask him for the room number. We’ll probably get there first."

Gu Heng had no intention of deliberately showing off in front of Liu Nanyi and her friends. Since they had already made a reservation, he saw no need to make a redundant gesture.

"Gu Heng, can you sing?"

Su Tang, who was sitting in the back row, suddenly spoke up.

"Me?"

"At best, I can carry a tune."

"I wouldn’t dare claim to be a singer in front of you all."

Gu Heng replied with a friendly smile.

"Eh?"

"I remember Liu Nanyi telling me that you and Lin Qingge tied for first place on the entrance exam for the Vocal Performance department. Is that right?"

Gu Heng asked with keen interest, "So, at school, do you usually sing pop or folk music?"

"Definitely folk."

Su Tang answered with a radiant smile. "The full name of our department is the Vocal and Operatic Performance Department. Our three main disciplines are folk singing, operatic singing, and dance."

"But we all love singing pop music, too. That’s why we sneak off to KTVs in our spare time to sing pop songs and unwind."

Lin Qingge chimed in at the right moment.

"So..."

Gu Heng’s gaze drifted between their two bright and lively faces. "Now that the semester is almost over, whose professional scores are better?"

"Er..."

"Is it a bit rude of me to ask that?"

In response to Gu Heng’s question, Su Tang and Lin Qingge exchanged a glance, both breaking into faint, knowing smiles.

"In terms of vocal performance, I’m probably a little better."

"In terms of dance, Qingge is probably a little better."

Su Tang responded openly, "As for who’s better overall, we’ll have to wait and see this year’s final grades."

"That’s true."

Lin Qingge also had a frank expression, completely agreeing with Su Tang’s assessment.

Just then, Liu Nanyi, who was sitting in the same row as Gu Heng, watched him laughing and chatting happily with her two roommates. She subconsciously bit her lip.

After spending the last four months together day in and day out, Liu Nanyi knew Su Tang and Lin Qingge very well.

Su Tang, despite her bright and magnanimous appearance, had incredibly high standards.

Ever since starting university, not a single guy had managed to catch her eye—not classmates, not upperclassmen, not handsome guys from on campus or off. Even many of the widely acknowledged "department heartthrobs" and "school heartthrobs" had crashed and burned trying to win her over.

She was like an eagle, always aiming to be the best in everything. When it came to her studies and major, she was the queen of the academic grind.

As for Lin Qingge, while she seemed friendly and easygoing with everyone she met, she was actually an incredibly proud person at heart. She was not only clear-headed about her goals but also had superb execution. It was as if the word "procrastination" didn’t exist in her vocabulary.

But Liu Nanyi knew that very few people had ever earned Lin Qingge’s genuine approval. Among everyone she knew, Su Tang was probably the only one whom Lin Qingge truly respected from the bottom of her heart.

A "slacker" like her, who just wanted to lie in her soft, cozy bed all day, was only close to Lin Qingge because they were roommates. Otherwise, Lin Qingge most likely wouldn’t have bothered interacting with her on any deep level.

Both Su Tang and Lin Qingge were exceptionally talented girls. Since the start of the semester, Liu Nanyi had never once seen them give any guy their age the time of day.

And yet, here they were, not only striking up a conversation with Gu Heng but also showing a clear interest in getting closer to him.

When Liu Nanyi realized this, alarm bells immediately went off in her head.

She thought about how back in the dorm, she was just the sidekick cheering "You go, girl!" for her two queens. Now, she was suddenly being dragged into the ring to compete with them. The thought alone made her tremble.

’No way...’

’They can’t do this!’

’I saw him first!’

Liu Nanyi puffed out her fair cheeks, a flicker of indignation in her heart.

"So what do you usually sing at school?"

Gu Heng asked the two girls.

"Hmm..."

"Oh, a lot of things."

Su Tang ticked them off on her slender, pale fingers. "We sing a lot of the more well-known ones, like *Chile River*, *Phoenix Seeking Phoenix*, and *Zhaojun*."

"Want to hear?"

Lin Qingge said with a smile, "We can sing a couple for you later, just to warm up our voices."

"Sure."

"Let me see what kind of professional level the star students from Jilin University’s School of Art are on."

Gu Heng didn’t act coy, just smiled and nodded.

As they were all laughing and talking, Gu Heng’s phone suddenly vibrated.

"Yo?"

"Well, this is a surprise."

"Can’t believe this kid actually messaged me first."

Gu Heng glanced at it casually. He’d thought the message might be from Jiang Ruan or Xu Mo, but it was actually from that show-off, Wan Kaijia.

He swiped the screen open and tapped on Wan Kaijia’s WhatsApp chat.

...

The clash of flesh and blood, cries that pierce the ears

This is a collision of souls, and even more, a test of one’s will

Don’t be shy, when the night is lonely it’s time for a passionate heart