As the son of the top tycoon, Murong Beichen naturally stood in the center position. Even after being hit, Shen Wandang still clung wholeheartedly to her Brother Chen, trying to squeeze Xu Chun into a corner. However, Murong Beichen domineeringly reached out and pulled Xu Chun to his side. Consequently, Xu Chun also ended up standing in the spotlight.
Zhu Yaya could tell Shen Wandang looked very displeased, but Shen Wandang seemed to still be mindful of the slap Young Master Chen had given her earlier. She pursed her lips, said nothing, and stood on the other side of Murong Beichen. A strained smile appeared on her haughty face as she looked toward the camera.
Zhu Yaya also withdrew her gaze, turned to the camera, smiled brightly showing her dimples, and flashed a classic peace sign.
"Alright, everyone, look at the camera and say—"
"Cheese!"
The group photo was finally taken, and everyone dispersed. Some went to remove their makeup, others to change clothes.
Teacher Wang came over to remind Zhu Yaya that since the New Year's Eve party had ended very late, she should take care of the gown herself after changing and hand it in tomorrow.
Zhu Yaya acknowledged she understood.
Xu Baoying broke away from her little clique and approached Zhu Yaya with her phone for a selfie.
Xu Baoying blinked her eyes. "We rarely get this dressed up with makeup, how can we not take some photos?"
While taking selfies, Xu Baoying, holding a selfie stick, kept changing positions with Zhu Yaya.
Zhu Yaya initially thought she just wanted a good selfie. It wasn't until after the photos were taken and she saw the results that she realized the truth.
In every single one of their selfies, Murong Beichen's figure was present. In some photos, even their own faces were blurry, but Murong Beichen's face remained clear.
Zhu Yaya: ...
So you dragged me around for selfies just to secretly photograph Murong Beichen! So I was just a cover and a tool to disguise your sneaky photography.
Having seen through it all, she sneered at Xu Baoying, "Are you sure you were taking selfies of the two of us?"
Xu Baoying stuck out her tongue sheepishly. "Haha, well, that wasn't entirely my intention! Really! You have to believe I genuinely wanted to take photos with you too. I'll send you our pictures later."
"Hmph, no need."
"Haha. Oh! Young Master Chen is leaving! Yaya, I have things to do, I'm off too." The moment Xu Baoying saw Murong Beichen's back disappear, she ran off with the other girls from her Murong Beichen fan club.
Leaving Zhu Yaya alone where she stood.
So annoying!
Zhu Yaya wrinkled her little nose.
This was her first time wearing a gown and dressing up like this too, and of course she wanted to take photos to remember it. Unfortunately, the gown had no pockets, so she hadn't brought her phone. She lowered her head, feeling a bit sullen.
"Here."
Suddenly, a large bouquet of bright red roses appeared before Zhu Yaya's eyes. Her heart lifted with a secret guess and a flicker of delight, but when she looked up, she saw Duan Zong.
Duan Zong was still wearing his dark blue suit, and standing next to Zhu Yaya in her dark blue gown, they gave off a golden boy and jade girl vibe.
Holding the bouquet in his right hand, he offered it to her, signaling for her to take it. "These are flowers from our classmates. I'm not really interested in these flowers and plants, so I'm giving them to you. Junior Zhu, you girls probably like flowers, right?"
Zhu Yaya refused several times, but Duan Zong gently persuaded, "Junior Zhu, I don't really like flowers. If you don't take them, I'll have no choice but to throw this bouquet in the trash."
With him saying that, she couldn't refuse anymore.
So Zhu Yaya thanked Duan Zong and accepted the large bouquet. "Thank you for the flowers, Senior Duan."
Duan Zong smiled, slightly parting his lips as if about to say something.
Just then, a staff member happened to interrupt. "Zhu Yaya, right? Someone is looking for you outside the back door of the backstage area. Go ahead!"
Hearing this, Zhu Yaya felt inexplicably relieved. She smiled at Duan Zong and said, "Senior Duan, someone is looking for me, I'll go ahead then. Goodbye, Senior Duan."
Duan Zong nodded somewhat helplessly. "In that case, Junior Zhu, you should go. We'll meet again."
Zhu Yaya then walked toward the backstage entrance holding the large bouquet of roses, draping Yan Heng's jacket over her shoulders on the way.
For some reason, she always felt a sense of wariness toward Senior Duan, who was seen as gentle and outstanding by everyone. Being around him always made her feel uncomfortable.
As she walked, she felt as if a creepy gaze was persistently fixed on her.
This made Zhu Yaya very uneasy, and she quickened her pace.
The back door of the backstage area opened inward. Outside was a long corridor, its lighting different from the backstage's—a soft, warm, yellowish glow.
As soon as she stepped out, Li Hao jumped out from behind the door. "Little Junior, did you guess it was me?"
Zhu Yaya was startled by him and rolled her eyes. "No."
Then, Yan Heng's figure also emerged from behind the door following Li Hao. Seeing the large bouquet of roses in Zhu Yaya's hand, his gaze darkened and the hand behind his back clenched.
Li Hao gave Zhu Yaya two thumbs up. "Little Junior, you looked really beautiful today! If I didn't already have my Goddess Dandan, I'd definitely pursue you."
Yan Heng's expression turned cold, his tone heavy and threatening. "Li Hao!"
Just being called by his name simply, Li Hao instantly deflated. "Ah, haha, Brother Yan, I was just joking. I wouldn't actually do that, don't worry."
Zhu Yaya laughed beside them. When her gaze noticed that Yan Heng seemed to be holding something in the hand hidden behind his back, her eyes lit up. "What's this?"
Yan Heng withdrew the coldness, his expression softening in an instant.
He cleared his throat lightly and brought out a bouquet from behind. It was composed of three roses and several clusters of baby's breath, tied with a dark blue ribbon. "I saw... others were giving you flowers, so, ahem, I just bought some randomly at a flower shop. Didn't expect someone already gave you flowers, and so many at that."
"Wow, so random, huh?" Li Hao said teasingly.
Zhu Yaya directly shoved the bouquet given by Duan Zong into Li Hao's arms. "That was given to Senior Duan by someone else, and he didn't want it so he gave it to me. I didn't expect you to give me flowers, Brother Yan! Thank you, Brother Yan!"
Yan Heng made a fist and brought it to his lips. "You're welcome. I'm glad you like them."
Li Hao, holding the large bouquet of roses, grumbled, "Hey, hey, do you want this or not? Why give it to me? What kind of look is it for a grown man to be holding such a big bouquet?"
Holding the bouquet Yan Heng gave her, Zhu Yaya said with a grin, "I already have Brother Yan's flowers. As for this one,"
Her eyes darted around mischievously. "You... can give it to your Goddess Dandan!"
"Right!" Li Hao had a sudden realization, then gave Zhu Yaya and Yan Heng a knowing look. "By the way, I saw a lot of people taking photos. Brother Yan, Little Junior, do you want me to take a picture of the two of you?"
