Chapter 14 "Perhaps, senior should call me..."
As September began in late August, universities in Beijing gradually started their new semester.
On the day of welcoming new students, sunshades of different colors and printed with the names of various colleges were set up along both sides of the main road of Peking University.
After 9 a.m., the crowds are so dense that they are comparable to the waiting hall of a train station during the Spring Festival travel rush.
As a top-tier college at Peking University, the tents of the various majors in the School of Computer Science were overflowing with people, and even with the emergency deployment of batches of additional staff, it was still not enough.
"Brother Pei, where are you? You said you'd come to help."
"Oh dear, we're just too busy here. Xu-ge? Don't even mention it, he went to the station to pick up new students early this morning. Where are you?"
"What! Yanxi? Where did you go... Hey? Hey! Brother Pei!"
The call ended just like that.
Yu Jianan struggled to pull out her other hand from inside the mascot costume, nearly fainting from anger.
"What's going on? Pei Hengzhi isn't coming?"
Seeing that he was so hot he looked unrecognizable, Xia Lin, who was in the same major and a year ahead of them, quickly brought over two bottles of water and turned the fan head towards him as well.
You Jianan thanked him and accepted the gift.
After opening it, I poured most of it over my already steaming head, then downed the other half in one gulp. Wiping my face, I complained to her, "He said Xiaoxue is also starting school today."
Charlene: "Xiaoxue?"
“Song Xuechen, Pei Ge’s childhood friend.” You Jianan opened another bottle of water and was drinking when she exclaimed in surprise, “I remember now! He was admitted to the Beijing Drama Academy. No wonder Pei Ge went to the Beijing Drama Academy, he must have sent him there.”
"Hey, hey, hey, Yanxi is almost thirty kilometers away from here." Xia Lin held a small fan to her face, her voice trembling. "Did he forget that there's a club recruitment event this afternoon?"
He paused while drinking water.
You Jianan turned her face away and chuckled coldly, "Probably not."
"Should?" Xia Lin narrowed her eyes slightly. "It doesn't matter if other people don't come, but he is the vice president of our drama club. Please tell him for me that if he doesn't come, I will have to reconsider whether I should hand over the position of the next president to him."
"Senior~"
"Don't try to charm me, this is a matter of attitude." Charlene pinched his rather plump cheeks and mercilessly squeezed them. "Speaking of which, you seem to have lost weight after not seeing me for a whole summer vacation?"
Isn't it good to lose weight?
You Jianan quickly pointed outside, "Senior, stop pinching, someone's coming."
A shadow stopped in front of the sunshade.
Her voice was clear and refreshing, like a gentle rain, and she was extremely polite: "Hello, senior, is this the registration point for the Human and Artificial Intelligence major?"
"Yes." Charlene turned around, sat up straight the next second, cleared her throat, and pointed to the registration list on the table: "Junior, come on, fill in your information here~"
cough!
You Jianan suddenly choked on a mouthful of water.
As expected of the president of the drama club, no one can match his ability to change his expression so quickly.
He wiped the water off his face and looked up, following the hand holding the pen. The newcomer was dressed simply in a white shirt, the cuffs casually rolled up to reveal his fair and slender wrist.
It was undoubtedly a skill he admired.
Further up, the young man was bending over to fill in information on a piece of paper. Suddenly, a gust of hot wind blew aside his thick bangs, revealing a beautiful, delicate face with long eyebrows, a high nose, and flawless, fair cheeks.
He has a pleasant appearance and a nice voice.
No wonder Charlene suddenly changed her attitude.
Even the people at the next table couldn't help but look over, praising him without reservation: "This junior is so handsome."
"Thank you." The boy put down his pen, poised and confident, and then asked Xia Lin, "Excuse me, senior, which building are you going to?"
"Over there! Over there!"
"Turn around the artificial lake, to the right of the library, and you'll find the one shaped like a bird's egg."
...It's still quite easy to recognize.
Luo Yunqing identified the location, thanked the kind people at the two tables on either side who had given her directions, and then turned to leave.
Even after everyone had left, Xia Lin was still in a daze until You Jianan came over and waved his hand in front of her a few times.
"Nan Nan!"
Charlene excitedly hugged his hand, and upon closer inspection, she could see tears welling up in his eyes.
You Jianan: "No way, this junior is so handsome, he made you cry?"
"Yes!" Charlene nodded repeatedly, pointing to the person who had walked away. "Don't you think he looks a lot like, a lot like, our new member?"
Yu Jianan: "..."
This is the first time I've heard this kind of statement; it's quite novel.
"That gentle and refined temperament, that serene and graceful appearance, ah! A holy and unattainable son of an angel..." Charlene was completely immersed in her own world, unable to extricate herself.
Fortunately, You Jianan has gotten used to it, and the people around her, well... they'll get used to it eventually too.
However, it cannot be denied that the junior is indeed outstanding in appearance and has a remarkable temperament; he can be spotted at a glance even when walking into a crowd.
"She's really good-looking."
"What's your name? Let me see."
Several people from the next table crowded over.
The latest line of the list bears three bold characters: Luo Yunqing.
I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before. You Jianan craned his neck to look into the distance again, and after a while, a man with his hand on his suit jacket walked towards her and started talking to her.
"It's so hot today." Chen Zhao loosened his tie, fanned himself with his hand, and said with a embarrassed expression, "Boss lady, you can't just walk so fast because you have long legs."
"..."
Luo Yunqing scrutinized him from head to toe. At 190 cm tall, she remarked on his long legs, saying, "You're so funny."
"Really? I think so too." Chen Zhao seemed oblivious to his sarcasm, scratching his cheek. "By the way, you've already reported on it?"
"Um."
"Did you... run into anyone?"
Luo Yunqing feigned ignorance, "Who could I possibly run into?"
“It’s Pei Hengzhi, the eldest son of the Pei family.” Chen Zhao said simply, “He also attends this school, and he’s in the same major as you. He’s a junior now. He…”
Looking around, he leaned closer and said, "To be honest, he and Song Xuechen have a very good relationship."
Luo Yunqing understood this much better than he did; they were already so close that they were completely intertwined and one.
“Given your situation with Song Xuechen, it’s hard to guarantee that Young Master Pei won’t do anything to you.” Chen Zhao sighed deeply. “The boss is extremely worried. His appetite has decreased a lot these past two days. He can’t be by your side all the time, and he’s afraid you’ll be bullied and won’t tell him.”
Finally, he winked and said, "Our boss really cares about you."
"Loss of appetite, can't eat anything!"
Chen Zhao: "That's not the point... but this is indeed quite upsetting."
“Back in the orphanage, it was so hot in the summer that I couldn’t eat, so my grandmother would cook hawthorn water for me,” Luo Yunqing said as she walked, thinking. “Dried hawthorn, Hangzhou white chrysanthemum, fresh passion fruit, and ice and rock sugar…”
"Wait a moment." Chen Zhao then took out a palm-sized notebook from his pocket.
Luo Yunqing stopped and waited for him to finish writing.
Returning to the earlier incident, she said, "This is a school; Young Master Pei won't bully or mistreat me."
"Sigh!" Chen Zhao put away his notebook and sighed again: "Boss lady, you are still too naive. Some bullying doesn't necessarily happen openly."
"Then I'll tell on you!" Luo Yunqing tilted her head cautiously, "I'll tell your boss, he'll... he'll help me, right?"
"Of course I'll help, you're the boss's wife."
…………
Chen Zhao escorted him all the way to the freshman classroom.
Return to the parking lot.
I opened the door and got in the car, then filled a whole bottle with water. I complained for the second time about the weather, saying, "It's so hot and humid. It might even rain heavily this afternoon."
Pei Yanli flipped through the proposal in her hand, then looked up at the question: "How is it?"
“The eldest young master didn’t go.” Chen Zhao said succinctly. “Later I went to the welcoming tent again, but there was no one there. I guess he went to Yanxi Opera. I heard that the Song family’s son also went to school to register today.”
However, to be frank, "Boss, you're overthinking it. The boss's wife didn't do anything, so why would the young master want to get revenge on him?"
"..."
Pei Yanli pursed her lips and lowered her head to continue looking at the project proposal in her hand.
*
Just past noon, the bright sunshine was blocked by thick clouds.
Xia Lin had been eyeing the freshmen class all morning, and as soon as the orientation ended, she grabbed a promotional poster and headed straight for them.
"Junior, would you be interested in joining our drama club?"
"There are lots of activities, like welcome parties, New Year's Eve parties... We also often rehearse with other schools, so we get to know a lot of people."
"Furthermore, teachers from the Beijing Drama Troupe often come to give us professional guidance. If we're lucky enough to be noticed by some great talent, it's not uncommon for them to take us on as disciples. How about it? Want to come?"
Charlene rattled off a whole bunch of things.
They clung tightly to each other's arms, as if afraid the other person would run away.
She hadn't noticed while sitting in her chair, but now Luo Yunqing had to bend over and lower her head to listen to this senior who wasn't even as tall as her shoulder.
Don't let its small size fool you, it's surprisingly strong.
Luo Yunqing had the illusion that her arm was about to be pinched until it swelled up, thankfully it wasn't the injured one. After everyone finished speaking, he pointed to himself and said, "But... but I... I can't speak well, is that okay?"
The pressure on his arm suddenly eased.
To be honest, when I was reporting on it, he did seem to stutter while speaking, but Charlene was so captivated by his good looks that she completely overlooked that.
What should we do?
The drama club can't just tell him not to speak.
What a blunder! What a blunder!
Charlene hesitated, hesitated, and was very reluctant to part with the face that perfectly matched the image of the angel in her heart.
If I were just a background angel...
"Senior! Brother Pei... Brother Pei is back!" Just as she was hesitating, You Jianan came running up, panting, and let out a long sigh of relief. "Finally back! Recruiting this afternoon will be no problem. This junior..."
Charlene looked on with regret, turned her head away, and whispered, "He's a stutterer."
You Jianan: "Huh?"
stammer?
How can someone who stutters act in a play?
Luo Yunqing gave him a deep look.
You heard me right, he just called him "Brother Pei," which means he is Pei Hengzhi's friend.
"Senior." His dark eyes shifted slightly as he looked down at Xia Lin and said, "I'm quite interested in plays. But given my condition... I can't join, right?"
Her thin eyelids drooped down, and she looked so pitiful that I couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
Charlene was already reluctant to let this promising talent go, and blinded by lust, she slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "Who said that! Let's go! Let's give it a try!"
…………
The drama club is located on the third floor of the cultural activity center.
Pei Hengzhi was being called back one phone call after another, his face extremely grim, and he kept twirling the pen in his hand.
"No, he's too short."
"This one won't do either, she's too fat."
"Look at his face covered in pimples. When he performs, do you expect the audience to stare at the pimples on his face?"
"No, no, none of these will work."
...
Before Charlene arrived, the club had painstakingly recruited new students for interviews, but eight out of ten were turned away, and two more were about to be eliminated.
"So what if he's short? There will always be suitable scripts for him. As for being overweight, he can always lose weight. Acne is just a hormonal imbalance." Charlene strode to the table, took the interview papers, and glanced at him sideways: "You look down on this one and that one, who do you think you'll like?"
Being a year ahead of her, Pei Hengzhi didn't want to argue with her, so he simply turned his face away, clearly showing that he was in a bad mood.
Xiaoxue resented him for not attending his birthday party, which caused him to be bullied by that Qing guy. He spent the whole morning trying to coax him, and just when he was about to win her over, she called him back. Knowing Xiaoxue's temper, she'll probably ignore him for several days.
How could Pei Hengzhi not be angry?
"Forget it." Xia Lin was in a good mood today and didn't want to argue with him. "There are some junior students coming over later, so you better control yourself."
Pei Hengzhi rested his chin on his hand and twirled his pen, replying casually, "I know."
The only way to appease Xiaoxue now is to go find this guy named Qing. Who cares if he's Uncle's arranged marriage partner or not? How dare he bully Xiaoxue...
"Luo Yunqing, come in."
The sky was completely shrouded in dark clouds, heavy and oppressive.
As a pair of long, straight legs strode in, a flash of lightning tore through the sky. It was unclear which window hadn't been closed properly, but the wind howled in, ruffling the thin hem of the person's clothing.
With his eyelids slightly lifted, his indifferent, desireless black eyes silently gazed over, while the corners of his mouth curved upwards, as if to say, "Gotcha, don't even think about escaping."
Charlene instantly had a new idea: the fallen seraphim.
Originally a noble and holy child of angels, he grew a pair of pure black wings, luring ignorant humans step by step into the abyss.
They're a perfect match!
"How about it? Not bad, right?" Charlene said, hands on her hips, chin held high, looking quite pleased with herself.
She was the one who discovered it first.
"President, where did you find it?"
"So handsome! No, 'handsome' is an understatement; he's like he's from another dimension!"
"Junior, are you interested in joining the cosplay club? I guarantee you'll become a sensation!"
...
The members crowded around, and the sound of camera shutters clicking could be heard intermittently.
"Junior, come here, look here."
"Alright, alright." Charlene quickly went over and pulled the person behind her protectively: "Are you all surrounding that junior student to eat him alive?"
"It's not impossible."
Charlene: What kind of inappropriate words?
She then asked Pei Hengzhi, "How about this one? Does it meet your standards, Young Master Pei?"
All eyes turned to him instantly, but Pei Hengzhi coughed and looked away. "It's barely passable."
Charlene: "..."
Others: "..."
“But—” You Jianan had to pour cold water on them at this moment, “Junior, you stutter a little when you speak.”
Pei Hengzhi: "That can't be used!"
"Why not?" Before Luo Yunqing could say anything, Xia Lin exclaimed anxiously, "It's just a problem with how you speak, what's the big deal? Just practice, you'll get better with more practice."
If she gives up because of such a small problem, she'll be devastated later.
“But president, don’t forget, since it’s a stage play, the most important thing is acting skills.” Pei Hengzhi twirled his pen, resting his chin on his hand as he looked over.
So what if you're good-looking? If you have no acting skills, all you can do on stage is stare blankly, and it's all for nothing.
And this person...
Pei Hengzhi felt the face looked familiar, but couldn't quite place where he had seen it before.
"Brother Pei is right."
Many people are worried: if he's just a pretty face with no substance, then he's finished.
"Why don't we have him perform a short piece on the spot?" The boy, wearing a baseball cap and leaning against the window without saying a word, casually grabbed the script from the table and tossed it over. "Let him perform a short piece first to see his skills, and we'll talk about the rest later."
Xia Lin opened the script; it was a section that the troupe's screenwriters had just finished writing, about a scene in a grand mansion during the Republican era.
As the play neared its end, most of the characters had died, leaving only the old man's seventh concubine, whom he had brought back from the theater, and his second son, who had returned from studying abroad.
The latest episode features a wonderful scene between the two.
I remember when it first came out, Xia Lin was so excited watching it.
But such brilliant scenes often put acting skills to the test even more.
We originally planned to perform this at the welcome party, but after trying out several people, the results were not ideal.
Charlene was ready to give up.
Use this to test the new junior members...
"Cheng Xu, you did this on purpose, didn't you?"
The boy named Cheng Xu turned his face away and retorted, "I didn't say that I had to act exceptionally well. Isn't it enough to just look at my skills?"
"Wow, you're amazing!"
Charlene was absolutely furious with them.
Is it easy to find a good prospect? Why waste them like this?
"This matter..."
"I'll give it a try."
The outstretched hand suddenly turned behind her. Charlene widened her eyes and blinked twice. "What did you say? Try it?"
Luo Yunqing took the script and nodded.
“But this play… okay!” Since he had already accepted it, what was there for Xia Lin to hesitate about? “You act it, no matter how you perform it, I will accept you.”
The last sentence was addressed to Pei Hengzhi and Cheng Xu.
…………
Soon, news of a handsome and well-built junior from the drama club spread like wildfire throughout the cultural center, like a sudden downpour outside the window. At the same time, the junior also had his acting audition, unlike the others.
The anime club and music club, which were on the same floor, all went to observe.
What are they acting out?
Wow, they're all dressed up in their costumes!
"A cool and aloof actress, I'm in love."
To help Luo Yunqing better immerse herself in the role, Xia Lin went so far as to dismantle the pink phoenix crown that she had commissioned at great expense.
To be honest, he actually looks pretty convincing in that outfit.
Xia Lin helped him put it on, then squinted and looked around: "Second Young Master, who will wear it? Cheng Xu?"
Cheng Xu replied without hesitation, "I don't look like a rich kid who's just returned from studying abroad; I'm more like a mountain king."
Charlene: "Then who will?"
"How about we call Senior Pei over?" Luo Yunqing pointed her index finger at the people who were watching the spectacle with indifference.
"Pei Hengzhi?" Xia Lin was taken aback, then shook her head: "Let's choose someone else..."
"Okay, I'll do it."
Pei Hengzhi lowered his arms and went over to sit on the wooden chair.
Seeing this, Charlene said nothing more, but ordered her people to tie his hands to the back of the chair according to the script.
Everything is ready.
Charlene stepped back to the door, raised her hand, and shouted, "Ready—Go!"
Bang!
As soon as he finished speaking, a foot landed on the chair, making Pei Hengzhi's legs go numb.
Immediately afterwards, the dagger was pressed against her cheek.
Just then, a flash of lightning streaked across the window, illuminating a pair of calm, unwavering eyes, their pupils as black as lacquer, devoid of sorrow or joy.
Up close, Pei Hengzhi could even see his eyelashes clearly; they were thick, long, and straight, like two feather fans.
"Second Young Master, you're awake?" The tone was extremely cold, with a slight upward inflection at the end, carrying an inexplicable hint of teasing and mockery.
Pei Hengzhi was momentarily lost in thought. He turned his head away and only then realized that the crowd watching was acting.
He quickly composed himself and read his lines: "It was you who killed my father and the steward."
"Now that things have come to this, isn't it obvious?" The knife pressed against his face then fell to his neck. Luo Yunqing reached out with his other hand to lift the beaded curtain on his phoenix crown that was obscuring his vision, and leaned closer. "Next, it's your turn, Second Young Master."
"Why? Why did you kill them!"
"You should ask them that." Accompanied by deafening thunder, Luo Yunqing's voice was almost a sob: "Why, why did you kill my brother, brother!"
At the same time, the knife at his neck pressed down two inches.
Surrounded by overwhelming killing intent, Pei Hengzhi couldn't help but struggle to free his hands, which were tied behind the chair. He wondered who had bound him so tightly.
Xia Lin, who was supposed to only act out two lines, delayed calling a stop.
Pei Hengzhi had no choice but to continue with the next scene, looking puzzled: "Brother?"
"My older brother, who is ten years older than me..."
The punctuation was very obvious, and even laymen could tell there was a problem, but they couldn't resist the look of dejection that followed the sudden lowering of the volume of the word "brother".
"The expression is spot on." Charlene's eyes shone as she grabbed the arm of the person next to her and shook it back and forth. "That's exactly the effect I wanted! See it? See it!"
Victim Yu Jianan: "...I saw it, so could you please let me go first, or I'll strangle you."
"The climax is just around the corner. After revealing his past, the next target of punishment will be the second young master. At this point, the emotions will reach their peak, and the second young master's acting skills will be crucial. He needs to simultaneously portray shock and disbelief that the person he admires would kill him..."
"President!"
The dagger was about to strike above his eye when it was interrupted by You Jianan's shout.
Luo Yunqing slowly put away the prop knife.
The crowd then seemed to wake from a dream, and spontaneously burst into applause.
What a brilliant performance!
In a word, absolutely brilliant.
But no one knew that in that instant, Pei Hengzhi broke out in a cold sweat, and had an unseen feeling that he might actually stab him.
"Junior, you're amazing!" Xia Lin finally let go of the arm that she had pinched red and strode over. "Who else but you can play this role? You have to play it. Right, Vice President?"
After being untied, Pei Hengzhi rubbed his wrists, his previous confidence gone. "His acting is indeed quite good."
"Tch!" Charlene rolled her eyes and turned to the crowd: "Come on, let's welcome our junior to the drama club."
Cheers erupted both inside and outside the classroom.
Luo Yunqing carefully removed the phoenix crown and handed it back to her, then turned and walked to Pei Hengzhi. "Senior, I'm really sorry about what happened earlier."
"It's alright." Pei Hengzhi wouldn't hold a grudge over such a small matter. "Welcome to the team, junior."
A hand reached out.
Luo Yunqing glanced at him, tucked a stray hair behind her ear, took a step closer to his side, and curled her lips into a smile: "Perhaps, senior should call me Second Aunt."
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