Chapter 60: A Prized Cabbage and a Looming Threat

Upon hearing Shen Hua’s words, Ji Wenyan rolled his eyes, utterly speechless.

‘What did he mean by ‘left hand, right hand, a slow motion’? How vulgar!’

Still, being able to declare he had a girlfriend right in front of Shen Hua—that feeling was truly exhilarating!

It was a serf’s rebellion, finally singing their song of triumph.

“My girlfriend is Bai Mengze!”

“What?! Bai Mengze must be blind to actually fall for you!”

“Shen Hua, do you really want me to call your father and tell him his son is gay, that he confessed his undying love for me today, swore he’d marry no one else, and even offered the hospital as my dowry?”

“…”

After Ji Wenyan smugly made his declaration, he was met with Shen Hua’s expression, one that clearly conveyed, ‘a prized cabbage has been defiled by a pig.’ Ji Wenyan’s brow furrowed into an array of dark lines, and from then on, he refused to give Shen Hua a pleasant look.

Even if he and Bai Mengze were only pretending to be a couple, what if she truly became his girlfriend? What then?

It would be nearly impossible to find a boyfriend as rich and handsome as him, even with a lantern in broad daylight!

“Fine, you win! Bai Mengze falling for you is indeed a blessing she cultivated in her past life. It’s enough to make countless girls cry with envy.”

“Stop being so sarcastic. If you want to watch the competition, then watch properly. Bai Mengze is performing in the very first round.”

“The first round? Has Bai Mengze offended someone? My girlfriend once told me that in the preliminaries, the later you perform, the better, because the judges tend to suppress scores.”

As the topic returned to normal, Shen Hua’s eyebrows furrowed upon hearing that Bai Mengze was competing in the first round.

Only those with incredibly bad luck, or those deliberately targeted, would perform in the initial round.

Even the number of contestants in the first round was half that of the others, specifically to prevent too many participants from being eliminated early.

However, recalling the news he’d heard earlier…

Ji Wenyan had managed to depose the student council president because of Bai Mengze. This was likely retaliation from the student council.

After all, Xuan Li had served as president for two years with a decent reputation, so there were bound to be a few people who would feel injustice on his behalf.

Though school was primarily for learning, it was certainly not without its intricate webs of schemes.

“It’s fine. Bai Mengze has the talent; she’s not afraid of the judges suppressing scores.”

Ji Wenyan dismissed Shen Hua’s concerns without a second thought.

In the face of overwhelming strength, all schemes and tricks would prove useless.

Given Bai Mengze’s stunning beauty now, if the judges truly eliminated her, it would mean their eyes were firmly planted on their backsides.

“While Bai Mengze has indeed become much more attractive recently, you shouldn’t be so overconfident! The guest judges invited this year are far superior and much stricter than last year’s mediocre lot! Roughly half of the contestants passed the preliminaries last year, but this year, I doubt even a third will remain.”

“It’s like the emperor isn’t worried, but his eunuchs are dying of anxiety. Just sit back and watch; why so much nonsense?”

“I’m just worried your girlfriend won’t advance, which would make you lose face, and then you’d get angry and call my dad to threaten him again!”

“Don’t worry, I’m not as idle as you. Oh, by the way, Li Zhongyi’s father came to cause a scene just now. In the end, my dad decided to come over and check things out.”

“What?! Uncle Ji is coming? Then I’m leaving!”

Upon hearing that Ji Wenlin was on his way, Shen Hua froze for a moment. Once he snapped out of it, he immediately stood up, intending to flee, but Ji Wenyan, who had anticipated this, reached out and grabbed him, thwarting his escape.

It was quite amusing, actually. The fathers of Ji Wenyan and Shen Hua had been close friends, ‘iron brothers,’ since childhood.

This strong bond led them to even buy houses in the same neighborhood. Every holiday, they would visit each other’s homes.

Ji Wenyan’s father was particularly fond of Shen Hua, always asking him a multitude of questions with enthusiastic concern. This intense attention made Shen Hua feel that encountering Ji Wenlin was more agonizing than ten years without a girlfriend.

Conversely, Ji Wenyan felt the same way when he met Shen Hua’s father.

They shared this plight, but that didn’t stop Ji Wenyan from tripping up Shen Hua whenever possible.

****

“Esteemed leaders, distinguished guests, beloved teachers, and dear students, hello everyone!”

“This is the annual Campus Belle Competition! Before the competition officially begins, please allow me, as the host representing U City’s First Key High School, to thank all the judges, teachers, and students present for your strong support and active participation.”

As Ji Wenyan and Shen Hua conversed, two hosts, dressed in formal attire and holding microphones, appeared on the temporarily erected stage, speaking with fervent passion.

The competition was about to commence.