Ding Yingyao quickly regained his composure.
What was there to fear?
The other party was just a local gang leader from a small city—nothing to be afraid of.
"Senior Sister, I just remembered—I left the stove on at home. We should hurry back."
Feng Caicai: "???"
Since when did you learn to cook?
And didn’t you always stay in hotels?
Just as she was about to ask why, Ding Yingyao grabbed her arm and whispered, "Let’s go. If we don’t leave now, we won’t get another chance."
And so, a thoroughly confused Feng Caicai was dragged away by Ding Yingyao.
Back in the van, Feng Caicai finally couldn’t hold back any longer. "What on earth is going on with you?"
Ding Yingyao countered, "Do you know who she is?"
Feng Caicai replied, "She’s just the campus belle of Finance University, isn’t she?"
Ding Yingyao shook his head. "She’s the leader of the Ten Thousand Dragons Society."
Feng Caicai looked bewildered. "Ten Thousand Dragons Society? What’s that? Sounds a bit… underworld-ish."
A shadow flickered in Ding Yingyao’s eyes. "It’s a rather notorious… organization in Bright Pearl City."
Feng Caicai covered her mouth in shock. "Th-That’s impossible!"
Though she had felt a twinge of jealousy toward Liu Yutong’s looks, she had also anticipated that if this girl appeared on their show, countless entertainment companies would rush to sign her with hefty contracts.
Beautiful women were always a rare commodity.
But now, her junior brother Ding Yingyao was telling her this girl was a gang leader?
How absurd!
Forget the age factor—since entering the entertainment industry, she’d witnessed its dark side firsthand.
Sure, there were underworld figures dabbling in showbiz, but without exception, they were all middle-aged men.
A young woman like Liu Yutong being a local gang boss? It was hard to believe.
Was Ding Yingyao lying to her?
But then she recalled how the students at the university had reacted to the girl, and suddenly, it all made sense.
Normally, a campus belle would attract attention wherever she went, even causing a stir.
Back in her own school days, Feng Caicai had been one of the campus belles, and once her fame grew, she became the center of attention everywhere.
But Liu Yutong was different. The students scattered like rabbits at the sight of her.
It was downright unnatural.
"A campus belle, of all people, getting mixed up with the underworld," Feng Caicai mused silently.
Still, this might work in their favor. The production team would have to think twice about filming her, considering the potential backlash.
"Junior Brother, you’ve attacked her online before. Aren’t you afraid she’ll retaliate?" Feng Caicai asked.
Ding Yingyao scoffed. "I’ve already prepared for that. Besides, I’m a public figure with a massive fanbase in Bright Pearl City. They wouldn’t dare touch me."
Now he radiated confidence.
He’d long since arranged a backup plan—hiring a few "convincing actors" at great expense to teach the Ten Thousand Dragons Supermarket a lesson.
If they dared lay a hand on his "victims" in public, he’d whip up a media storm. The supermarket and its shadowy backers would draw unwanted attention from the authorities and crumble.
The whole city would probably thank him for eradicating a social menace.
What a shame for that girl, though. Why would someone like her choose this path?
Well, she’d made her bed. Now she could lie in it.
——
Meanwhile, Xue Qian didn’t take Liu Yutong’s earlier words to heart, assuming she’d only spoken up to help him out of a tight spot.
He knew how murky and cutthroat the entertainment industry could be—sometimes even darker than the Ten Thousand Dragons Society.
As for the variety show Feng Caicai had mentioned, it wasn’t something just anyone could join.
At the end of the day, connections mattered.
If his former company had backed him, he might’ve had a shot.
But now he was on his own. Even if Liu Yutong, his so-called "anti-fan," supported him, she wasn’t part of the industry and had no real pull. Getting him on the show was nearly impossible.
Unless, as Liu Yutong had said, a regular guest dropped out during filming—then he might have a sliver of hope.
"Miss Liu, I really appreciate it, but these things can’t be forced. I’ll focus on my music for now. Opportunities will come eventually."
Liu Yutong: "You’re quite level-headed. Let’s set that aside for now. But I suggest you rest up these next few days and prepare for your first signing event."
Xue Qian nodded. "I will."
The thought of the signing event actually excited him.
This time, it wouldn’t be like last time, when only a handful of fans showed up, right?
No matter how many came—hundreds, even thousands—he wouldn’t complain. It was just one event. How exhausting could it be?
The more fans, the more popular he was.
Wait—first signing event?
Before he could ask what she meant, a sweet-faced girl approached them, hesitation written all over her.
Liu Yutong recognized her immediately—a junior-year senior, once the campus belle, Xue Linna.
Funny enough, she shared a surname with Xue Qian.
Before Liu Yutong’s arrival, Xue Linna had been the undisputed goddess of the university.
But since then, her star had dimmed considerably.
Though majoring in accounting, Xue Linna had no plans to pursue a career in the field. In October, she’d auditioned for a talent show called Shining Girls, a sister program modeled after Super Girl.
She’d made it to the top 16, and agencies had already extended offers with impressive terms.
Xue Linna fidgeted before speaking. Liu Yutong could guess why she was here.
If Xue Linna was breaking into entertainment, she’d know about Campus Star Visit filming at the university—and that the crew was here for Liu Yutong.
"Senior Xue Linna, what brings you here?" Liu Yutong asked first.
Like everyone else, Xue Linna instinctively shrank a little under Liu Yutong’s gaze. "Y-Yutong… when Teacher Feng Caicai and the crew come to film, could you… could you…"
She couldn’t quite spit it out.
She’d wanted to ask Liu Yutong to help her get screen time. The show’s popularity would boost her standing in the competition and give her leverage in contract negotiations.
Of course, it’d be even better if Liu Yutong stayed off-camera altogether.
However, she only dared to think about it in her heart.
In reality, if she were to actually appear on camera, even if Liu Yutong deliberately blocked her from the shot, she wouldn’t utter a single word of complaint.
Liu Yutong seemed to see right through her thoughts and smiled. "Senior Xue Linna, I’m not really interested in appearing on the show, so I won’t be coming. You can take the spotlight and shine."
Although Xue Linna had considered the possibility that Liu Yutong might disdain participating in such a variety show, deep down, she still believed—what girl could resist the allure of becoming a star?
So when she heard Liu Yutong’s words, she couldn’t help but feel stunned. "You… you really don’t want to be on camera? This is one of the top three highest-rated variety shows right now. Countless people are fighting tooth and nail just for a chance to appear..."
Liu Yutong replied indifferently, "If you want it, Senior, the person voted for on the campus belle website could just as easily be you."
Xue Linna’s breath hitched.
Of course she wanted it—she’d dreamed of it.
But now that Liu Yutong had laid it out so bluntly, her face burned with embarrassment.
"Senior, there’s no need to feel awkward or surprised. Not every girl enjoys standing under the spotlight."
Liu Yutong had little interest in activities like campus belle rankings. She had no desire to become the subject of commentary by a bunch of pot-bellied, greasy men.
That didn’t mean she didn’t care about beauty, of course.
Loving beauty and being put on display as an object for others to gawk at were two entirely different things.
