B University Campus Forum Entertainment Section

“Look here: Sincerely recruiting a duo partner, Miss M4 will take you to win chicken dinner!” hot~~~!

【Wow, really?!】

【Looks like M4 isn’t just talking; she’s seriously entering the duo competition.】

【So amazing, no one has ever won both the solo and duo championships before!】

【

That’s because no one has ever tried before; it’s too time-consuming and exhausting. As long as you can make it to the provincial competition, who cares if it’s solo or duo?】

【M4, I want to be your teammate, carry me to victory!】

【Upstairs, read the requirements carefully; she’s only taking female partners.】

【Uh, okay then.】

……

Lu Manman sat on her bed, hugging her laptop and intently browsing the post recruiting a duo partner.

Although many people were responding to the post downstairs, most were just joking around and not sincerely wanting to team up with her. Even if there were serious replies, most of them were from boys.

There were a few girls who expressed interest and even sent her private messages, but when it came time to meet, they all backed out with various excuses.

One girl evasively told Lu Manman that Zhou Jialiang had contacted her, advising her not to go against the club, saying it wouldn’t be beneficial.

These guys… they were stirring up trouble behind her back.

Lu Manman sighed deeply and collapsed onto her bed, lying motionless.

So frustrating!

Her phone, buried under the pillow, started vibrating. Lu Manman swiped to unlock it and saw a new friend request on WeChat.

“abcdef”

Lu Manman suddenly remembered, abcdef was Yuan Xiu’s WeChat name.

Lu Manman accepted his friend request, and as soon as it went through, Yuan Xiu immediately sent a message: “?”

Lu Manman: “???”

Yuan Xiu: “Blocked?”

Lu Manman: 【sweat】

Yuan Xiu: “Reason.”

Lu Manman: “It’s just… um… I hope you won’t call yourself W’s husband in the future.” 【nervous】

Yuan Xiu: “Hmm?”

Lu Manman: “Because it makes me a little uncomfortable when I hear it.”

Yuan Xiu: “I understand.”

Lu Manman lay flat on her bed, staring at the ceiling and breathed a sigh of relief. However, less than two minutes later, another message popped up on her phone.

Yuan Xiu: “Jealous?”

Seeing those words, Lu Manman quickly threw her phone away as if it were a hot iron.

Her face suddenly burned.

Jealous of what? Who’s jealous?!

Lu Manman hurriedly explained: “No, no, no…”

Ahhh, how do I explain this?

Lu Manman: “It’s just… W has already retired, so don’t disturb her or try to gain popularity from her anymore.”

Just let her live her remaining days in peace.

Yuan Xiu: “Are you saying… I’m using her to gain popularity?”

!!!

No, no, that’s not what I meant.

Lu Manman: “You misunderstood me, that’s not what I meant!” 【You are not friends with the other person, message failed to send】

Lu Manman: “???” 【You are not friends with the other person, message failed to send】

….

Xia Tian suddenly jumped up as if electrified, nervously pacing around the dorm room twice. She took a deep breath, stretched her legs, and began practicing Tai Chi.

Exhale, inhale…

Cheng Yu, who was facing the bed and painting her toenails, glanced at her nonchalantly and asked, “What’s gotten into you now?”

Xia Tian waved her phone excitedly and said, “Zhou Yan posted on his Moments that there’s a performance tonight!”

Zhou Yan was the guitar guy Xia Tian had fallen for at first sight and later added on WeChat.

It had been almost a week since she added him, and the only progress she had made was learning his name: Zhou Yan.

Their chat history consisted of only four messages.

“Hi, I’m Xia Tian, a third-year computer science student.”

“Zhou Yan, bar singer.”

“Nice to meet you, Zhou Yan. [smile]”

“Nice to meet you, Xia Tian.”

Just those four messages had already exhausted all of Xia Tian’s energy. She would read them ten times a day, feeling more exhilarated than if she had taken a drug.

Cheng Yu got off the bed, took Xia Tian’s phone, and saw that the first post on Zhou Yan’s Moments said: “Red A Bar, tonight at 20:00, my band’s free performance. Everyone is welcome to come and support us.”

The post was accompanied by a backstage photo of the band.

Cheng Yu said, “Red A Bar, huh? What a coincidence, that’s where I work.”

Cheng Yu worked at the bar in the evenings as a liquor salesgirl and often stayed out late.

Xia Tian was surprised, “That’s where you work?”

“Yeah,” Cheng Yu said, “Why don’t we go there tonight with the girls to have some fun and also celebrate Manman’s solo championship win? How about it?”

Lu Manman immediately agreed, “Sounds great!”

Xia Tian, excited but hesitant, said, “A bar? I’ve never been to one.”

“There’s a first time for everything,” Cheng Yu laughed, “I’ll take you to see the world.”

After hesitating for a while, Xia Tian finally couldn’t resist the temptation of seeing Zhou Yan’s performance and agreed.

Just as they were about to leave, Cheng Yu glanced at Xia Tian’s outfit: long pants and a jacket. “Seriously? You’re going to meet your crush dressed like that?”

Xia Tian looked down at herself, “Is it not good?”

Cheng Yu pointed at Lu Manman, who was putting on stockings, and said, “Even this crazy killer knows you have to wear a dress to a bar.”

Lu Manman raised her eyebrows and shouted indignantly, “I’m a stylish lady and the nightlife queen from the sin city of New York!”

Cheng Yu pulled a long dress out of her wardrobe for Xia Tian to change into and gave both her and Lu Manman a light makeup makeover.

When Xia Tian took off her thick-framed glasses, put on makeup, and changed into the dress, she was completely transformed. Her features were actually quite delicate, but she usually kept a low profile. With just a bit of makeup, she instantly shone.

There really are no ugly girls, only lazy ones.

The three girls, looking stunning, left for Red A Bar, which was bustling with people.

Cheng Yu led Lu Manman and Xia Tian to sit at the bar, ordering a juice for Xia Tian and a papaya milk for Lu Manman.

“I need to go to work now. You two have fun here and don’t wander off. The restroom is at the end of the hallway. If any men come to chat, ignore them. My friends here will look out for you.”

Cheng Yu’s friend was the bartender, who gave them a slight smile.

Lu Manman and the bartender chatted casually: “How much does Cheng Yu make working here every day?”

The bartender replied, “It depends on the day’s sales performance; there’s no base salary. If it’s good, she can make a few hundred; if not, it might be just a few tens of dollars, or even nothing. It mainly depends on how well she can talk and make the customers happy.”

“Oh, that sounds tough.”

The bartender lowered his voice and said, “Cheng Yu’s family situation is quite complicated. Her parents are biased towards her younger brother, giving him all the good things. Everything she wants, she has to earn herself.”

Lu Manman recalled that she had met Cheng Yu’s younger brother on the first day she came to the dorm; he had asked her for money.

It seemed that the sibling relationship wasn’t very good either. Every family has its own issues.

Lu Manman took a sip of her papaya milk and began to miss her two dads. She wondered how they were doing lately. Although this place should be considered her hometown, she didn’t feel any sense of home here—perhaps because she didn’t have any family around.

A place with family is truly home.

On the stage not far away, the stylishly dressed Zhou Yan had already taken the stage with his guitar. Soon, music began to play, and the girls in the audience started cheering and screaming.

Xia Tian excitedly said, “Manman, I’m going to the front to watch!”

“Okay.”

Lu Manman asked the bartender for another glass of milk. Noticing that she seemed down, the bartender asked, “Are you trying to drown your sorrows with milk?”

Lu Manman was speechless. Who drowns their sorrows with milk?

“There’s nothing to be upset about,” she said. “Only hard work can dispel confusion. As long as you work hard, money, glory, and everything else will come.”

And family too.

This year, she aimed to achieve outstanding results in China and then return to the U.S. to reunite with her family.

The bartender raised his glass and clinked it with her milk glass, saying, “To that statement, cheers!”

“Cheers!”

…

In the private room on the second floor of the bar, X Team and another team were hosting a social event. Fans from both teams filled the large room, creating a lively atmosphere. The air was a mix of women’s varied perfumes, along with the scents of alcohol and tobacco.

Fans were excited beyond measure to see their idols up close.

Of course, the happiest person there was Ren Xiang. Surrounded by beautiful girls, he was fully immersed in the festive spirit, paying little attention to anything else.

However, not everyone could blend into this vibrant atmosphere.

For instance, in the corner of the sofa, there was a man who stood out.

Yuan Xiu had his legs crossed, reclining against the edge of the sofa. His long fingers idly held a water glass, gently swaying it.

With his narrow, expressive eyes and deep-set gaze, he seemed as detached as the quiet night sky.

One yawn after another.

He was utterly bored.

He had originally planned to come here to relax after the match, and it was a coincidence that Ren Xiang’s team organized this social event to break up the monotony of daily intense training.

However, upon arriving and seeing the crowded room of men and women, he found himself lacking any interest in socializing.

He pulled out his phone and started a game.

Laughter erupted from the sofa where Ren Xiang and his friends were sitting, seemingly engaged in some lively game.

Yuan Xiu put on his headphones, completely unaware that a girl had sat down next to him until he caught a whiff of sweet, fruity perfume, causing him to frown slightly.

Looking up, he saw a girl with long, curly hair smiling sweetly at him. She had a delicate, charming face and her eyes were glistening and enchanting.

Just as Yuan Xiu was about to ask if she needed something, Ren Xiang and his friends started making a ruckus from across the room.

Blushing, the girl shyly said, “Um, I lost a game earlier, and they asked me to do something.”

“What is it?”

“They want me to give you a kiss.”

“……”

****

As Lu Manman passed by the private room, she heard the loud shouts of men and women inside:

“Kiss him!”

“Kiss him!”

The door was ajar, and she curiously peered into the room, immediately spotting Yuan Xiu’s calm and indifferent face.

He was holding a cigarette and had his eyes slightly closed.

The girl sitting next to him had a face so red it looked like it might bleed.

“Kiss him!”

“Kiss him!”

The crowd continued to egg them on, laughing and making a fuss with no end in sight.

“Yuan Xiu, don’t ruin everyone’s fun.”

“Yeah, and it’s the girl who volunteered to do this.”

Yuan Xiu leaned against the edge of the sofa, his gaze cool and detached, his expression unchanging and steady as a rock.

The girl next to Yuan Xiu, unsure of what to do, leaned closer to him, her face flushed like a cherry.

Lu Manman’s heart suddenly tightened.

At that moment, as if sensing something, Yuan Xiu cast a fleeting glance towards the door.

Lu Manman’s breath caught, and she quickly averted her gaze, lowering her head and hurrying away.

The moment Lu Manman rushed out, Yuan Xiu abruptly stood up, paused for a moment, but ultimately sat back down.

The girl, startled by his sudden movement, was about to speak, but Yuan Xiu had already picked up his phone again, diving back into his game.

“Um… Brother, how about we sing a song…”

“Don’t call me ‘brother.’”

The dim glow from the phone screen illuminated his sharp features. His voice was gentle but carried a tone of cool detachment.

“Be a good girl and go play with Ren Xiang.”

“Don’t disturb me.”

***

Returning to the bar, Lu Manman’s mood sank even further.

Not far away, Zhou Yan strummed his guitar, playing a soothing and emotional tune. Xia Tian watched him with rapt admiration, her eyes filled with affection and reverence.

Lu Manman rested her head on the table, closing her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly. The tip of her nose felt a bit sore.

The bartender, noticing her sudden shift in mood, asked, “What’s wrong? You seemed fine just a moment ago.”

“I suddenly felt a bit homesick,” Lu Manman sniffled, her voice slightly nasal as she murmured, “I miss my dad.”

Of course, it might not be the only reason.

“You must be from out of town,” the bartender said while mixing a drink. “It’s like that when you first move away for university. You’ll get used to it with time. By the way, would you like a drink?”

Lu Manman shook her head, “I can’t drink alcohol.”

The bartender handed her a cocktail he had just mixed, “There’s very little alcohol, it’s almost negligible.”

Lu Manman looked at the colorful drink with a bright yellow lemon slice garnishing it.

She took a small sip of the drink.

“Mmm, it’s delicious,” she said.“Right?” The bartender replied proudly, “It’s one of my new creations.”

Before she knew it, her glass was empty. She asked the bartender, “Where’s the restroom?”

“Turn right at the end of the hallway.”

Feeling a bit dizzy, Lu Manman made her way down the hallway. Clearly, she shouldn’t drink, even a little bit of alcohol made her feel disoriented. She decided not to wait for Xia Tian; the performance was at its peak, and she knew Xia Tian wouldn’t want to leave.

Just as she was stumbling towards the restroom, a large, warm hand suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. She found herself crashing into a solid, firm embrace.

“Mm.”

The scent of tobacco mixed with a faint hint of sandalwood enveloped her.

Looking up, she saw Yuan Xiu’s sharp jawline and a slight stubble. His well-defined features were cast in shadows from the overhead lights, making his lowered eyelids almost hidden in darkness.

Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly.

“So eager to enter the men’s restroom,” he said, his voice deep and magnetic. “Hmm?”

He leaned in, slowly closing the distance between them.

Lu Manman watched as his handsome features loomed larger, his face coming close to her ear.

She instinctively held her breath.

She heard him take a soft breath, inhaling her scent, and murmur, “Had a drink?”