Chapter 252: Chapter 171: Long-Distance Relationships, No Surprises!

Shen Qiushan and Lin Xiamo chose a song called “Chasing the Wind” for their duet, a positive song quite suitable for a welcome party setting.

As the two stepped onto the stage, the audience naturally focused their attention on them.

Previously, the videos of Lin Xiamo and Shen Qiushan singing in a bar went viral online, with several videos garnering hundreds of thousands of likes, and Shen Qiushan’s video singing “Red Rose” even surpassed a million.

Most people present had watched those videos, but watching a video and experiencing a live performance are two entirely different things.

When the prelude ended, and Lin Xiamo took the lead in singing, the audience involuntarily let out a “wow,” confirming that the high-cold Secretary Lin was indeed just as impressive live, with top-notch singing skills.

After Lin Xiamo’s part was over, it was Shen Qiushan’s turn, and when he started, the “wow” from the audience was even louder than when Lin Xiamo started singing.

It’s not that Shen Qiushan sang much better than Lin Xiamo, but the audience consisted mostly of women, including female students and teachers, who were at an age brimming with hormones.

Shen Qiushan, this handsome uncle, naturally held more allure for them than Lin Xiamo.

The song quickly reached the chorus.

The two moved from the sides of the stage to the center, beginning their duet:

Heading against the wind, that’s the direction of youth

The scars from falls, are blazing medals

Chasing the wind, being our own heroes

The fiery dreams, surge in our palms

…

“They really match well!”

“The CP feeling is so strong, I suggest they debut on the spot!”

“Honestly, Old Shen and Secretary Lin’s level isn’t any worse than professional singers!”

“Didn’t the school forum say they’re already together? Mm, I approve of this marriage!”

“…”

When the chorus ended and the interlude began, the female students couldn’t help but whisper.

Holding a set of “Three-Body Civilization,” Liu Qingwu sighed in frustration. She had long noticed that their relationship wasn’t ordinary, but earlier Shen Qiushan had said Lin Xiamo was the second aunt of his two kids.

Liu Qingwu had let her guard down, thinking there weren’t any strong competitors around Shen Qiushan!

It turned out she miscalculated!

Trust your instincts, indeed.

The proper term for the second aunt should be “second auntie”!

The person is basically half a mom.

But Liu Qingwu didn’t plan to give up; what she pursued was never just love, but a “springboard” that could elevate her social status.

If that springboard solely belonged to her, that would be ideal.

Sharing it, however, wasn’t out of the question, as long as it could take her to the realm she wished to reach.

Sanjiangnan Station.

In the waiting hall.

Shen Yixiao, with a backpack and Bluetooth earphones in her ears.

Heading against the wind, that’s the direction of youth

The scars from falls, are blazing medals…

The music playlist just happened to play “Chasing the Wind,” and Shen Yixiao hummed along as she chatted with her close friend, Wang Yunpeng.

The other party scored only 381 in the college entrance exam, and even as an athlete, it was hard to get into a regular college with such a score.

He eventually went to “Jingxi Electronic Technology College,” a private university that offers a bachelor’s degree but has expensive tuition, akin to the third-tier colleges of earlier years.

Shen Yixiao: I’m arriving in Beijing in six hours; do you think Luo Yao will be surprised?

Shen Yixiao: I won’t be finding you tonight; I’m going out with Luo Yao, and tomorrow, Luo Yao and I will come to hang out with you.

Wang Yunpeng: You’d better tell Luo Yao in advance; someone in our dorm in a long-distance relationship ended up dating another girl at school.

Wang Yunpeng: Didn’t the internet say that sudden surprises are best avoided in long-distance relationships? It’s better for everyone involved.

Shen Yixiao: Get lost~!

Shen Yixiao: Can’t expect ivory from a dog’s mouth!

Shen Yixiao: Luo Yao is not that kind of person!

Shen Yixiao: Stand down, stop stirring!

Exit the chat with Wang Yunpeng, Shen Yixiao then clicked on Luo Yao’s profile; their last chat was this morning, exchanging good mornings, the last before that was saying goodnight last night.

Scrolling through the chat history, Shen Yixiao sighed, wondering when their communications boiled down to just exchanging good mornings and goodnights.

It’s not like dating, more like meeting some kind of KPI!

Occasionally, they’d talk about what they ate or sometimes complain about their roommates or similar stuff.

Feeling a bit melancholy, Shen Yixiao thought maybe this is just how long-distance relationships are!

It’ll be better once they meet.

Besides, the winter break is coming soon!

“Baby…”

Shen Yixiao typed in the chat box, thinking about how to probe Luo Yao on her plans for the day so he could deliver his surprise appropriately.

At that moment, his ousted close pal, Wang Yunpeng, sent another message: Brother Xiao, is your sister dating anyone?

Reading the message from Wang, who had a taste of longing, Shen Yixiao raised an eyebrow and quickly replied: Whoa! You don’t have a crush on Shen Yanran, do you!!!

Shen Yixiao: When did you go blind!

Shen Yixiao: Damn, I treat you like a brother, and you want to be my brother-in-law!

Three years of high school spent together, and it had never occurred to Shen Yixiao, but a month or more of longing made him understand Wang Yunpeng’s feelings immediately.

Indeed, many things require personal experience and feeling.

Otherwise, it’s always theoretical!

Wang Yunpeng replied with a bitter smile emoji.

Though he didn’t directly respond, it was as if he admitted it.

Shen Yixiao sent back a “Jesus Christ” emoji to express his current mood.

Beijing Art College.

Luo Yao was sitting at her desk putting on makeup.

Their dorm was a six-person room, and during the National Day holiday, four people went home, leaving only Luo Yao, who lived far away, and Chen Meijing.

The two got along okay, but only superficially.

It’s said that six people in a girls’ dorm can create 30 chat groups. While there’s some exaggeration, conflicts in most girls’ dorms exceed those in boys’ dorms.

For example, in Luo Yao’s dorm, everyone had their schemes, and various open and secret battles emerged within just over a month of the semester.

“Yaoyao, are you going on a date?”

“`

Lying on the bed playing with her phone, Chen Meijing casually asked.

“Not really, Senior Ma asked me to help out during the National Day break. His friend’s gallery has an exhibition, and I’m going to help set the stage.”

Luo Yao repeated the invitation, knowing full well it was mostly an excuse. As a freshman, she knew nothing about setting up an art exhibit; that’s always done by professionals.

“Just an excuse.”

Chen Meijing curled her lips disdainfully, “Yaoyao, do you remember that post on the school forum scolding Senior Ma? Several girls said he’s a scumbag.”

“It’s better to be careful around him.”

“We’re just friends, not dating.”

Luo Yao wasn’t concerned, “Besides, you can’t believe everything online. I think Senior Ma is pretty nice.”

She said so with her mouth, but in her heart, she was ranting: People love to trash talk as soon as Senior Ma doesn’t take a fancy to anyone!

Just because Senior Ma didn’t fancy you, you’re bad-mouthing him to me!

“Yaoyao, you do have a boyfriend, even if he’s from out of town.”

“But I think what you’re doing is a little unfair to him.”

Chen Meijing did have a bit of jealousy toward Luo Yao. The “Senior Ma” they were talking about is Ma Xiaokun, the school’s hot topic, Vice President of the Student Council, often seen driving his Porsche 718 flamboyantly around school.

During military training, Luo Yao would chat on the phone with Shen Yixiao every day, so her roommates all knew she had a boyfriend.

Now, Chen Meijing bringing up Luo Yao’s boyfriend was naturally meant to snark at her.

“Is there a rule that says having a boyfriend means you can’t make friends?”

Luo Yao curled her lips again and added, “Meijing, that little curly-haired guy from class three who chased you didn’t go home over the holiday either. I think if you have time, you should give it a shot.”

“Him?”

“Not even a dog would date him!”

Chen Meijing rolled her eyes, quickly distancing herself from the thought.

The “little curly-haired guy” Luo Yao mentioned was very ugly and short. Being pursued by someone like that was only humiliating, providing no sense of superiority.

So Luo Yao brought him up just to disgust Chen Meijing.

The two girls, each with a hundred schemes, lightly completed a confrontation.

Chen Meijing sarcastically accusing Luo Yao of fooling around despite having a boyfriend.

While Luo Yao countered with the “little curly-haired guy,” implying that not only is Chen Meijing single, but the people chasing her are also low-grade!

This bout ended in a draw, neither gaining the upper hand.

Similar confrontations played out almost every day in Luo Yao’s dorm.

It’s inevitable; girls’ dorms are prone to disputes, and she ended up in one with five pampered princesses.

It’s not that she’s unlucky; this roommate setup isn’t that rare at Beijing Art College.

Most art students come from well-off families, and those bold enough to study at this second-rate art college in Beijing mostly aren’t short on money.

In other words, this school gathered a bunch of kids from above-average family backgrounds, nearly all spoiled. Put suddenly into a communal environment, conflicts are less likely the exception.

Fully made up, Luo Yao slung an MCM bag over her shoulder and left the dorm.

This MCM bag was bought with the money given by relatives at her graduation party before college, costing over four thousand.

At the time, Luo Yao thought a bag costing more than four thousand was impressive. But after entering Beijing Art College, she realized her four-thousand-dollar bag was just average.

Many upperclasswomen carry bags from luxury brands like LV and Prada, with two of her roommates carrying LV bags.

In comparison, Luo Yao’s MCM bag felt somewhat inadequate.

But right now, she couldn’t afford to change anything, so this bag remained her image façade for now.

Exiting the dorm doors, Luo Yao spotted a silver Porsche sports car in the distance. Seeing Luo Yao approach, the car door opened, and a good-looking man with sunglasses perched on his nose stepped out.

He walked around the front of the car, opened the passenger door, and as Luo Yao approached, he made a gentlemanly gesture, “Princess Yaoyao, please get in the car~!”

“Senior, don’t you think that’s a bit over-the-top~”

Luo Yao’s face was awash with a radiant smile, gleefully sliding into the passenger seat of the Porsche 718.

Soon after, the Porsche drove away from the dorm area amidst the gossiping of several students.

About half an hour later.

The Porsche stopped in front of a gallery.

Again, Ma Xiaokun courteously opened the car door for Luo Yao. As she got out, from a Jeep parked behind came a tall man, a short man, and a voluptuous woman with a typical influencer’s face.

“Young Master Ma, didn’t you say you’d come alone? Why bring a girlfriend!”

“Brother Kun, not cool of you to have a girlfriend and not say a word.”

The two greeted humorously while sizing up Luo Yao.

“Don’t talk nonsense, just a junior!”

“Here to help~!”

“Junior?”

“Haha, got it~”

The tall man smirked teasingly.

The shorter man directly greeted Luo Yao, “Hey junior, what’s your name?”

“Hi, I’m Luo Yao.”

Faced with these men, clearly tinged with societal airs, Luo Yao felt a bit nervous and, without realizing it, moved closer to Ma Xiaokun as she replied.

“Tiger, don’t scare her away.”

Ma Xiaokun playfully punched the shorter man’s shoulder, introducing the three to Luo Yao: “Xu Hu, one of the gallery’s shareholders.”

“Tang Minghui, also a gallery shareholder.”

“Peach, Young Master Tang’s girlfriend.”

Luo Yao quickly greeted the three, and then the five of them headed into the gallery together.

“Yaoyao, why don’t you hang out with Peach and the others for a bit? I’m heading to the restroom.”

Upon entering the gallery, Ma Xiaokun pointed to a sofa in the lounge area.

“Brother Kun, count me in.”

Xu Hu patted his stomach, quickly catching up. After a short distance, he playfully slung an arm over Ma Xiaokun’s shoulder, teasing, “Brother Kun, this one’s average quality, your standards are slipping!”

“What do you know!”

Ma Xiaokun curled his lips disdainfully, laughing freely, “First-year freshman, never been in a relationship!”

“Got it??”

“Damn!”

“That’s our Brother Kun, planning to be the first groom!!”

Xu Hu gave a thumbs up, “Awesome!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep