Chapter 157: Appetizer
No matter how chaotic Leyi’s group was, Jiang Chuchu had no time to care.
Yesterday was a full-day livestream, so she couldn’t check her phone easily. She just wore her smartwatch; Vu Xin could send her messages, but they only served as notifications.
She arrived at the school at a leisurely pace. The four accompanying dancers were already there, doing their hair and makeup.
Stage makeup was already elaborate, and since Mei Qingying and the others were in charge of the dance, styling alone took quite a while.
Jiang Chuchu’s makeup was done by Qi Qin Zhulan. She was responsible for a calligraphy performance, so her makeup didn’t need to be flashy—just elegant and appropriate.
As for her outfit, Jiang Chuchu wore an aoqun (a traditional Chinese top-and-skirt ensemble). The top had straight sleeves to allow freedom of movement while writing, in a cream color. The bottom was a red horse-face skirt embroidered with colorful floral patterns.
With Jiang Chuchu’s poise, just standing there in this outfit was enough to draw attention.
The others were busy with styling and didn’t have time to livestream with Ye Weiyu, so he turned his attention to Jiang Chuchu.
Jiang Chuchu remained calm:
“Alright, let’s take a walk outside. Staying cooped up indoors is boring.”
If she didn’t take him out, how could she set a trap?
Ye Weiyu thought about it. The makeup room was noisy, so he followed Jiang Chuchu outside.
Her steps seemed casual, but she was actually guiding him toward a location covered by public cameras, and their conversation was ordinary.
Ye Weiyu tried to start topics; she responded smoothly. For a while, their interaction seemed quite harmonious.
Her watch, hidden under her sleeve, vibrated. Jiang Chuchu didn’t change her expression. Only when she heard the familiar word “disciplinary committee” did she slightly raise an eyebrow.
Ye Weiyu looked toward the source of the voice and smiled:
“Your classmate is greeting you.”
A boy ran over—pale and thin, a camera strap around his neck, holding a fairly large camera, with several bags hanging from him. One worried whether he’d be crushed under the load.
The cameraman examined the equipment: Canon R5, 24-70mm lens, and judging from the lens bag, probably an 18-200mm as well.
Conclusion: No wonder he’s a Mingde student—he’s really wealthy! He made Ye Weiyu envy his camera.
Jiang Chuchu greeted him:
“Shi Guanghui.”
Shi Guanghui was the photography expert of Class 3. His father was an archaeologist, and his mother an adventurer. From a young age, he had traveled around the world with them, with photography as his main hobby.
Normally, he wasn’t allowed to bring his equipment to school, but because of the evening gala, he was permitted this time.
“Guanghui?” Ye Weiyu didn’t hear clearly.
Shi Guanghui corrected him immediately:
“It’s Guanghui! The name comes from the Greek meaning of ‘photography’!”
Ye Weiyu awkwardly complimented:
“A very particular name.”
Inwardly, he thought: a name—what Greek?
Shi Guanghui didn’t press the matter, just excitedly greeted Jiang Chuchu:
“Committee member, you look amazing today! Shall I take a picture for you?”
“Take a few,” Jiang Chuchu lifted her chin. “Send them to me afterward.”
“Got it!” Shi Guanghui replied quickly, finding a spot in the school to snap two shots of Jiang Chuchu.
Judging by Ye Weiyu’s fans in the livestream, they were probably about to get angry. Shi Guanghui then aimed the camera at Ye Weiyu:
“Mr. Ye, would you like a few shots too?”
Ye Weiyu was about to refuse, but Shi Guanghui showed him the original photos of Jiang Chuchu he had just taken:
“My skills aren’t bad!”
Seeing the photos, Ye Weiyu was slightly stunned. They were unexpectedly good. He couldn’t bring himself to refuse and reluctantly agreed to be photographed.
While the cameraman focused on Ye Weiyu, Jiang Chuchu pulled out her phone to check the class group chat.
Qin Yue: Shi Guanghui is on point.
Xie Xiangxue: I checked the price of his camera—if it gets dropped…
Xu Xinghe: Pray for the camera.
Vu Xin: Don’t worry. Shi Guanghui’s job is just to provoke Ye Weiyu. It’s only the beginning; he probably won’t get angry so quickly.
Seems like this was just the appetizer, Jiang Chuchu thought, touching her chin.
After Shi Guanghui finished taking photos and showing the originals to Ye Weiyu, the cameraman also joined to take a few shots.
Fans in the livestream screamed:
[This kid’s photography is amazing!]
[Officially making him Xiao Yu’s personal photographer!]
Shi Guanghui: “Much obliged.”
He pretended to be proud and enthusiastic:
“Not bad, right? I’ve taken shots for other groups too. This one is for Bai Qingyin, this one was from when Lou Cheng’s group tried on outfits…”
When Ye Weiyu saw photos of Bai Hanshan from Lou Cheng’s group, his expression changed.
Qin Yue (in chat) remembered Ye Weiyu didn’t want male dance partners: Haha, look at his face! He’s broken!
Xu Xinghe: Bai Hanshan and my goddess are practically family—this face is priceless!
Ming Xiaolan: Hmm, isn’t Bai Hanshan’s outfit very similar to Ye Weiyu’s?
Yao Shali: Objectively analyzing: Ye Weiyu and Lou Cheng share the same manager. His aesthetic might be influenced by Lou Cheng, so when choosing Ye Weiyu’s outfit, he followed Lou Cheng’s taste.
Yao Shali: Moreover, both are from Jin Ding; if the outfits come from the same brand, the similarity becomes even more striking.
Qin Yue: But now it seems Bai Hanshan looks better than Ye Weiyu, hahaha! Oh no, the chat is comparing them, and Ye Weiyu’s fans are starting to complain!
Jiang Chuchu twitched her mouth, slipped her phone back into her pocket, and stepped forward:
“Done taking pictures? Want me to send you the files?”
“No need, student-level photography isn’t as professional…” Ye Weiyu’s expression was unpleasant. Then realizing he was live, he quickly added:
“Of course, this level is pretty good already.”
Shi Guanghui pouted:
“Fine, I’ll leave first. I plan to take pictures of the class president too.”
Jiang Chuchu said goodbye to Shi Guanghui and continued to tour the campus with Ye Weiyu, even walking around the decorated auditorium.
Meanwhile, Vu Xin came by, ready to organize the autograph plan. Jiang Chuchu looked at Ye Weiyu’s state and told her to wait.
Although she didn’t know why, it seemed Ye Weiyu cared more about Bai Hanshan’s photos than anyone realized.
Class 3 didn’t expect that Lou Cheng ignoring Ye Weiyu yesterday had left him so frustrated.
After seeing he might not be as good as Bai Hanshan, Ye Weiyu’s negative emotions escalated quickly.
Back in the makeup room, Mei Qingying and the others had mostly finished. Their youthful, radiant appearances temporarily calmed the noisy livestream.
Ye Weiyu’s mood slightly improved. He reminded himself that even if Bai Hanshan looked better, he wasn’t the main performer—audiences cared more about Lou Cheng.
Unlike him, Ye Weiyu’s performance was first, and all eyes were on him. He was the absolute lead, the center of the stage.
Comforted, Ye Weiyu prepared to liven up the group’s atmosphere. Suddenly, someone appeared at the doorway.
“Zhengqing!” Lin Xiaoxue’s eyes lit up, and she ran toward the newcomer.
“Xiaoxue, I came to see you!” Yan Zhengqing wanted to hug her, but Lin Xiaoxue didn’t rush into his arms. Instead, she stood in front of him and twirled to show her outfit.
“Look, isn’t this dress nice?” she said happily.
Yan Zhengqing felt a little awkward, but Lin Xiaoxue’s movement quickly drew his attention:
“Not bad, could be a little better.”
“Yan Shao, the program limits costume options,” Ye Weiyu reminded.
The livestream chat began asking who Yan Zhengqing was. Someone quickly informed them that he was the eldest son of Jin Ding.
[No wonder Xiao Yu calls him Yan Shao. Definitely a rich kid.]
Fans felt a little uncomfortable with Ye Weiyu’s nickname, but they comforted themselves—if everyone at Jin Ding called him that, Ye Weiyu should follow suit.
Just as the fans’ moods were settling, Bai Hanshan passed by the door, noticed Yan Zhengqing, and called out:
“Yan Zhengqing? Come here.”
Yan Zhengqing felt a bit uneasy but went over.
He knew what Bai Hanshan wanted to say. Last time, he had skipped class with Lin Xiaoxue to go street racing and was caught by Bai Hanshan.
Yan Guanglei didn’t normally interfere with his leisure, but skipping class was not allowed. One violation meant his credit card could be frozen.
Back then, he was preparing a birthday party for Lin Xiaoxue and couldn’t afford a frozen card. After negotiating, Bai Hanshan agreed not to inform their parents, but he had to write a self-critique.
Yan Zhengqing never wrote self-critiques, always avoided Bai Hanshan, and had forgotten about it while rushing to see Lin Xiaoxue today.
If it were someone else, he wouldn’t be so meek. But Yan Guanglei had warned him that Bai Hanshan had influential people behind him, so he needed to be careful.
After Yan Zhengqing was pulled away by Bai Hanshan, the livestream chat froze for several seconds, until one message flashed by:
[Haha, what “Yan Shao”? Students usually just call each other by name, and he’s over here fawning like a dog!]
