Finally, Yan Heng led Zhu Yaya, who had been clutching the gift box with a silly grin, back to the South District.
Zhu Jianjun saw Yaya like that and called her several times, but she didn't respond, just kept giggling to herself. Puzzled, he asked Yan Heng, "What's wrong with Yabao?"
"She picked a gift and got a really thick gold necklace."
Zhu Jianjun understood. "No wonder she's like this."
Zhu Yaya was in a state of extreme excitement. She really, truly loved to death the person who had prepared that gold necklace! She tossed and turned all night because of it and couldn't sleep. When she got up early to go to the Tian Tian Breakfast Shop, Yan Heng saw two glaring dark circles under her eyes.
Yan Heng frowned slightly. "Did you not rest well last night?"
Even though she was so excited she hadn't slept properly all night, Zhu Yaya's spirits were still high.
She stole a few glances at Yan Heng's expression, lowered her voice, and said with a forced laugh, "Well, wasn't I just too excited?"
When Zhu Yaya arrived at school, she saw Xu Baoying sporting the same dark circles.
The two of them looked at each other for a second—
"Haha, you were also last night…"
"Yes, yes, I was too excited!"
Zhu Yaya listened as Xu Baoying recounted her interactions with Murong Beichen from the previous night over and over again, with a circle of girls gathered around them. They all looked at Xu Baoying with envy in their eyes.
Zhu Yaya really couldn't understand their obsession with Murong Beichen.
"However, Young Master Chen treating me like that was just to please Xu Chun, whom he's been pursuing so hard these days," Xu Baoying said, resting her chin on her hand and sighing with a touch of melancholy.
"Yeah, I'm so jealous of Xu Chun!"
"She always rejects our Young Master Chen, which really annoys me! The key is she rejects him, but she always keeps him hanging on!"
"Sigh~"
The previously heated discussion atmosphere cooled down.
Xu Baoying changed the subject and asked Zhu Yaya, "Yaya, what gift did you pick last night? It made you so happy!"
Zhu Yaya straightened her collar. "I drew a very thick, very big gold chain."
Xu Baoying's pupils dilated. "Does that gold chain have 'MR' engraved on it?"
Having stared at the gold chain all night, Zhu Yaya answered affirmatively, "Yes!"
After saying that, she looked at Xu Baoying strangely. "But, I didn't show it to you, how did you know?"
Xu Baoying and the other girls from the Murong Beichen fan club looked at each other, then screamed in unison, "Ahhh! It's the gift Young Master Chen prepared!"
Xu Baoying gazed longingly at Zhu Yaya. "What incredible luck you have! You actually picked Young Master Chen's gift! Good sis, can you lend me that gold chain to look at for a few days?"
Zhu Yaya's face darkened, and she very decisively refused this unreasonable request.
When she went upstairs to Class 17, Grade 12, she also saw Li Hao with the same dark circles. He was also surrounded by a chattering circle of boys. Li Hao's expression was as if he had reached the peak of his life, with no regrets!
However, perhaps because of this gold chain, Zhu Yaya now looked at Murong Beichen as if automatically viewing him through a "wealthy tycoon" filter. She felt the rainbow-haired youth Murong Beichen didn't have the same greasy feeling as before.
Look! That guy who gave her gold is so handsome!
Yan Heng also noticed that Zhu Yaya, who had been following Xu Chun and Murong Beichen recently, was unusually quiet and wasn't constantly complaining in his ear anymore.
Zhu Yaya smiled sheepishly. "Ha! Isn't it true that if you accept gifts, you soften your stance?"
Not long after Christmas, New Year's Day was about to arrive!
On this day, their homeroom teacher, Chang Wen, mentioned New Year's Day in Class 1, Grade 10. Scott High School always holds a school-wide New Year's Eve Gala every year.
A New Year's Eve Gala!
Zhu Yaya's eyes lit up.
In "The Overbearing Him, The Pure Love," the female antagonist Shen Wandan, in order to frame Xu Chun, secretly signed Xu Chun up for a performance again—a solo dance. Once again, Xu Chun was unaware. It was Murong Beichen who stepped forward, used his money power, and dressed Xu Chun up beautifully.
In typical cheesy romance stories, the female lead usually has a plain, simple, and delicate appearance, but her figure is absolutely perfect. Once she gets dressed up, she stuns everyone.
Xu Chun was no exception. Under Murong Beichen's superpower (money), she transformed into a great beauty, amazing the entire school's teachers and students.
Who doesn't want to see a pretty girl? Zhu Yaya said she was looking forward to it.
Xu Chun performed a duo dance on stage, dancing with Murong Beichen. Here, Zhu Yaya had to admire Xu Chun. Claiming she couldn't dance, she managed to perfectly perform a ballroom dance with Murong Beichen in just half an hour. Their brilliant performance overshadowed Shen Wandan's long-prepared piano solo.
Once again, Shen Wandan's scheme backfired, leaving her furious!
Just as Zhu Yaya was reviewing the plot, Chang Wen called her name. Xu Baoying nudged her from below.
Zhu Yaya stood up somewhat confused. "Present?"
"The New Year's Eve Gala is short one female host; they're holding auditions. You should go try out! See if you can get selected!"
Zhu Yaya widened her eyes, pointed at herself incredulously. "Me?"
"Yes. You're usually quite talkative! You spoke quite well on the podium back in October." Chang Wen nodded and continued, "If any other female classmates in our class want to try out, they can go too."
Zhu Yaya sat back down and heard the system's notification sound: "Congratulations on successfully unlocking the thirteenth task. Please go to the backstage area of Scott High School's New Year's Eve Gala at 7:30 PM on January 1st to personally witness how Murong Beichen helps Xu Chun and successfully get the gossip."
Zhu Yaya wrote a small note for Xu Baoying to see: Can audience members not enter the backstage area of the New Year's Eve Gala?
Xu Baoying read it and immediately replied: Of course not! Only staff, performers, and hosts can go in.
Zhu Yaya looked at the words on the note and sighed deeply. Great, it seemed she absolutely had to go to that host audition!
Chang Wen told her to go to a classroom on the first floor of the Duxing Building for the interview right after the noon break.
Duxing Building!
Zhu Yaya touched the sweat on her forehead. Wasn't this the place where she and Xu Chun got trapped last time?
The Duxing Building at noon didn't have the same terrifying atmosphere as that night, but because it was after the noon break, it was still very quiet.
Zhu Yaya was still a bit on edge. She still didn't know who had locked her in last time and was always worried someone might suddenly jump out from a corner and lock her in again.
She originally wanted Yan Heng or Xu Baoying to accompany her, but Xu Baoying had other plans at noon. Xu Baoying had joined the school choir at the start of the semester. The school choir was having a short meeting at noon because of their participation in the New Year's Eve Gala.
As for Yan Heng, he was working part-time at the school cafeteria during lunch. Zhu Yaya thought it better not to disturb him!
So she went alone.
