With the other side pulling such a move, Liu Yutong naturally wasn't about to sit back and do nothing. She prepared to make a phone call to rally support.
After all, the Wanlonghui Group was a major taxpayer in Mingzhu City, a key enterprise driving significant employment, and even certified by local leadership as a rising star and an outstanding private enterprise.
Letting the other side run amok like this was simply unacceptable. Shouldn't the leadership offer some protection?
She could guess that this time, the other side had most likely reported directly to the local authorities, not to the higher-level leadership above Mingzhu City.
Because at that higher level, it wasn't so easy for these second-generation heirs to boss people around; those officials might not give them that face.
The lower-level departments, however, had to show those heirs some consideration to a certain extent.
Liu Yutong had another purpose for making this call: she wanted to determine whether it was just one person targeting her or if the whole group was.
From the situation reported by Yu Xin, she could judge that at the very least, the leader Zhou Muchen wouldn't likely make a move against Wanlonghui without giving a heads-up.
Because Zhou Muchen was clearly somewhat arrogant and self-assured.
On the other hand, that Xue Chen was rather petty and vindictive, and his actions were brazen. It was most likely his doing alone.
After the call, the result largely matched her judgment.
Because that Xue Chen had already arrived in Mingzhu City.
In that case, she might as well meet this guy first.
Just as Liu Yutong was about to leave her dorm to ask her advisor for leave, a sharp, startled scream suddenly echoed from the hallway.
"What are you doing? This is the girls' dormitory! You can't just come in, and you definitely can't film!" The dorm supervisor tried to stop the program crew, but she simply couldn't hold them back.
The group barged in anyway.
"Wow, so this is the girls' dorm at the University of Finance? Pretty clean!"
"Look over there! Hahaha, so cute!"
"Camera, follow! Lao Wang, this girl's reaction is priceless!"
"Hahaha..."
"..."
The playful and boisterous voices of several celebrity guests rang out in the hallway, including even male voices.
Probably thinking they were filming a show, they not only saw nothing wrong with their behavior but even deliberately teased the flustered students.
It was currently nap time. Many girls were dressed casually, quite a few still in their pajamas. Suddenly seeing so many men carrying cameras appear in the hallway, with lenses deliberately pointed at them, instantly caused panic.
"Ah! Why are there men here!"
"Don't film me, I'm not wearing makeup!"
"Who let them come up? Where's the dorm supervisor?!"
"This is too much! How can they just barge into the girls' dorm and film like this!"
"My underwear is still hanging out."
"Close the door! Quick, close the door!"
"..."
The female students screamed in panic, and the hallway descended into chaos in an instant.
The program crew and the celebrities, however, found these reactions great for the show's entertainment value. Instead of stopping, they got even more excited.
Hearing the commotion, Liu Yutong's brows furrowed tightly, and a chill instantly surfaced on her face.
She yanked her dorm room door open and strode out.
"What is going on here?!"
The previously chaotic hallway fell silent in an instant. The girls all started greeting her.
"Sister Yutong!"
"Sister Tong!"
"..."
This scene left the program crew and the celebrities momentarily stunned.
They had come here to film precisely because they knew Liu Yutong was somewhat extraordinary.
After all, she almost commanded immediate obedience from the school's students, and they were very curious how she managed it.
Now they were witnessing it firsthand again.
The moment this girl with a top-tier appearance appeared, the other girls instantly became quiet and orderly, showing her obvious respect.
The male guest's eyes lit up upon seeing Liu Yutong, already starting to scheme in his mind about how to interact with this girl.
The director wanted to film her, so whoever interacted with her would definitely get the most screen time. Plus, interacting with such a beautiful and poised girl would be a very pleasant experience in itself.
Liu Yutong's appearance also gave the girls a backbone.
Immediately, a girl wearing cartoon pajamas with disheveled hair ran up to Liu Yutong to complain.
"Sister Yutong, these people came into our girls' dorm to film without permission! And they're deliberately filming us in embarrassing situations! It's too much!"
Liu Yutong's gaze swept coldly over the group of uninvited guests before her.
The smiles on the faces of the celebrities and crew members gradually faded. They clearly sensed the atmosphere had turned rather hostile.
All the female students from the University of Finance spontaneously stood behind Liu Yutong or on either side of her, united in their indignation as they glared at the program crew.
The assistant director steeled himself and stepped forward, trying to break the deadlock.
"Student Liu, we're from the 'Celebrity Campus Tour' program. We're currently recording, and we just wanted to capture some more authentic campus life footage. There might be a bit of a misunderstanding..."
Liu Yutong cut him off. "A misunderstanding? Entering a female living space without permission, violating others' privacy, disturbing their rest—is that what you call a misunderstanding?!"
As she spoke, she took a small step forward.
Though just one person, she made the entire crew instinctively take a step back.
They hadn't expected a female student to exude such an intimidating aura, and they even felt an inexplicable sense of trepidation.
"Since when did the girls' dormitory at the University of Finance become a place you can barge into at will?"
"Who let you in? Step forward!"
The dorm supervisor stepped out, looking guilty. "I... I couldn't stop them."
Liu Yutong: "Auntie, this isn't your fault. There were so many of them; you couldn't have stopped them even if you tried."
Then she looked back at the assistant director. "Stop filming immediately. Delete all video footage taken inside this dormitory building."
"Then, get out!"
The assistant director, unwilling to give up, said, "We can leave. But, um, could we invite you, Liu Yutong, to come downstairs and cooperate with filming a bit? Our show has quite high ratings..."
Liu Yutong: "Delete, and then get out! Don't make me say it again!"
Her eyes held a murderous glint as she said this.
"Delete! Delete it now!"
The assistant director shouted at the cameraman, though he deliberately winked at him, hinting to just pretend to delete.
The footage they had just shot had some potential explosive moments; it would be a shame to really delete it.
How could such a small move/trick escape Liu Yutong's notice?
However, she didn't stop it.
Just as they finished their "deletion" and prepared to leave, a somewhat popular female celebrity couldn't help but mutter, "What's she so cocky about? Just a student acting so high and mighty."
She suddenly remembered her boss, the young master from Lucheng, was also in Mingzhu City. She could act coquettishly and ask him to teach this extremely arrogant and ignorant girl a lesson. It would also be a chance to vent the anger she'd been holding since Lucheng.
The commotion caused by the program crew forcing their way into the girls' dorm to film was huge. People in the nearby boys' dormitory also noticed.
Especially after some girls complained in their class group chats, many boys and girls who were originally outside the dorms gathered around, all filled with righteous indignation.
The dormitory is, after all, a relatively private space. Barging in without any notice, isn't that going too far!
Even if you're from the production crew, even if you're celebrities, you can't just violate someone's privacy like that, right?
Liu Yutong went downstairs almost right after the crew members.
Just as she stepped out of the main door, a sudden gust of wind blew by, making her sneeze uncontrollably.
Even though it's already April, the temperature is still quite low, especially since it rained this morning and brought the temperature down. It's probably only around four or five degrees Celsius now, so wearing light clothes is still pretty chilly.
When Liu Yutong saw the hundreds of students gathered on the scene, she suddenly had an idea and called out to the assistant director.
"Director, didn't you want to film some footage?"
The assistant director thought Liu Yutong had changed her mind, and a smile instantly spread across his face. "Student Liu is willing to film with us? That's fantastic!"
After all, Director Wang had instructed him to give Liu Yutong more screen time, and he really didn't want to get scolded later.
Liu Yutong shook her head. "Not me, them!"
She pointed at the few hundred students present.
Assistant Director: "??? You mean them?"
Liu Yutong: "They want to prepare a grand welcome ceremony for your production crew. It's quite special, perfect for giving you some extra material."
The assistant director's eyes immediately lit up. "Really? That's so enthusiastic of them!"
Liu Yutong nodded, called over a few students, and whispered some instructions to them.
Those students' eyes immediately sparkled, and they quickly spread the word to the others.
In moments, the hundreds of students on the scene scattered in all directions.
Just as the crew members were wondering what they were up to,
the students returned from the dormitories in long, snaking lines. They were carrying basins—some were washbasins, some were foot-washing basins, and some even carried kettles. They surrounded the entire crew, forming a circle.
Assistant Director: "???"
The Actors: "???"
"What are you all doing?"
Liu Yutong smiled slightly. "Welcoming you, of course."
"Fellow students, I hereby declare the Finance University Water-Splashing Festival officially open!"
"Water-splashing? Splash who?"
Before the assistant director, the crew members, and the celebrities could react, the students, poised and ready from all directions, fiercely hurled the water from their basins and kettles straight at them.
This included, among other things, the foot-washing water that had been accumulating on some boys' dormitory balconies for who-knows-how-many days—water with a truly memorable aroma.
