After the so-called Ability Assessment came to a complete end, Ye Zhou helped Shen Yuzhen tidy up the messy scene in no time, returning it to its original state.
Shen Yuzhen pulled out her keys and locked the Rehearsal Room door. When she turned around and saw Jiang Yingxue leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, she frowned slightly.
“You haven’t left yet?”
Jiang Yingxue raised an eyebrow. “Since you asked Ye Zhou a question, why can’t I have something to discuss with him?”
Shen Yuzhen didn’t think much of it. She simply asked Jiang Yingxue for the key to the Prop Room and headed down the stairs at the corner to take a look.
“Mm-hmm ～ Our baby Zhouzhou did a great job ～” Jiang Yingxue twirled a strand of silver hair near her ear and smiled charmingly.
Ye Zhou scratched his head and laughed awkwardly. “Ah, haha… I was just average.”
“As long as you didn’t embarrass me, I’ll give you a reward, just as we agreed ～”
As soon as Jiang Yingxue finished speaking — the noise outside the window stopped instantly, leaving only the clear sound of heartbeats in the air.
“Eh? What?”
Ye Zhou’s pupils suddenly dilated. He hadn’t expected Jiang Yingxue to actually reach out and grab his head. Immediately after, she gave him a mua ～ on the forehead. She pressed so hard that a red lipstick print was clearly visible.
However, at that very moment, Shen Yuzhen suddenly remembered something and returned, her hand gripping the staircase railing.
Seeing the scene before her, she couldn’t hide the confusion on her face.
“What are you two doing?”
Ye Zhou immediately covered his forehead with both hands and began complaining loudly.
“Ah… ah! Why is this wall walking without looking where it’s going? You bumped into me. What do you have to say for yourself? Should you offer a gift or an apology?”
“What? You’re saying you’ll just stand still and let me bump back?”
“Fine, fine. You’ve really provoked me this time.”
“Do I look like the kind of man who hits the southern wall and doesn’t turn back? You’re lucky this time; next time, you won’t be!”
Jiang Yingxue licked her red lips, acting as if everything was perfectly normal.
“We’re doing exactly what it looks like.”
“On the other hand, Vice President, why did you suddenly come back?”
Shen Yuzhen looked at the two of them suspiciously. Unable to figure out what was really going on, she spoke up.
“When I returned to the club this morning, I noticed you seemed to be doing homework in the office, didn’t I?”
“Don’t blame me for not reminding you, but the Drama Club has a Club Dating Regulation that clearly states you cannot do any homework other than club-related work here. It doesn’t matter who it is; everyone in the club must abide by it.”
“Especially you, President Jiang. As a senior, you should set an example for the juniors.”
Jiang Yingxue’s eyebrows knitted together as she waved her hand dismissively.
“Alright, Vice President. Does that even need to be said? Whatever I do in the club is definitely club work.”
“If you’re going to be like that, then I should mention… during the time you were away for your studies and not in the club, Lin Shulan was smoking in the bathroom all the time. She was quite blatant about it, and she wouldn’t listen to me no matter what I said.”
Shen Yuzhen crossed one arm over her chest and lightly adjusted her black-framed glasses. Behind the lenses, her eyes glinted with a cold, sharp light.
“Did she really do that?”
***
Meanwhile, in the bathroom of the Drama and Film Club.
Lin Shulan was sitting on the toilet lid with her legs crossed. Her high-waisted, tight purple yoga pants perfectly outlined her slender waist, smooth leg lines, and firm, shapely hips.
She had beautiful phoenix eyes that tilted slightly upward at the corners, though her pupils were currently devoid of spirit.
In her left hand, she held a lady’s cigarette that had already burned halfway, though the ash had not been flicked.
In her right hand, she held an iPhone in a purple case. Her thumb kept sliding across the screen, which displayed: “The novel has reached the last page!”
‘Sigh… although Little Brother started doing three updates a day starting today, it still can’t fill the void in my heart. He’s just not capable enough ～’
‘I really want to treat him to a black room so he can type without stopping ～’
Ding, ding, ding —
‘Hmm? Why is Shen Yuzhen tagging me in the group?’
Lin Shulan picked up her phone, her phoenix eyes narrowing into slits.
「Shen Yuzhen: Lin Shulan, how many times have I said it? You cannot smoke in the club. Do you still not understand?」
「Lin Shulan: But I was smoking in the bathroom.」
「Shen Yuzhen: Don’t play word games with me. Does the bathroom you’re in not belong to the club? A 500-word self-reflection essay, hand it to me tomorrow morning. No, considering your prior offenses, make it a 1,000-word essay. Leave it in my office as soon as you arrive at the club tomorrow morning!」
「Lin Shulan: …」
Lin Shulan looked up and glanced around. At the same time, she subtly pulled up her thin purple jacket to cover her impressive chest and the wisteria tattoo beneath her thin collarbone.
‘Strange? How did Shen Yuzhen know I was smoking in the bathroom? Did they install cameras at some point? Regardless of the circumstances, it’s impossible to install cameras in a bathroom, right?’
‘Hmph… I don’t even need to think about it. That girl Chen Yuhe must have reported me.’
Thus, after a moment of thought, Lin Shulan extinguished her cigarette with her left hand and tapped on her phone with her right. Her typing was so fast it looked like a blur.
「Lin Shulan: Vice President, I want to report someone. I’m reporting Chen Yuhe for frequently damaging the club’s public facilities while you were away.
For example, that club blackboard. She’s always doodling on it for her own amusement, which seriously takes up the space meant for announcing club activities. Please do not be lenient.」
At that moment, Chen Yuhe was attending a class while keeping an eye on her phone. She had been privately gloating over Lin Shulan’s misfortune, but after being stabbed in the back, she couldn’t sit still.
「Chen Yuhe: ???
Fine, you hateful Lin Shulan, you…」
The two of them quickly descended into a friendly exchange of insulting memes.
However, as expected, they both soon received a Mute Gift Pack from Shen Yuzhen, lasting for one day.
***
Night submerged the Taoyuan Shanzhuang apartments. The shadows of the lamps were sparse, and a cool evening breeze blew through the windows.
After Ye Zhou finished his bath, he felt completely refreshed.
He walked out of the bathroom and began drying his hair with a hairdryer while picking up a glass of fresh milk from the nightstand. He had warmed it before his bath, so it was at the perfect temperature as he gulped it down.
“Whew! One should enjoy life to the fullest while they can; don’t let the golden goblet face the moon empty.”
“I’ll scroll through my phone for a bit more before sleeping. I’m definitely going to bed early tonight!”
“Whoever doesn’t sleep early is a dog!”
The six-foot-tall Ye Zhou lifted the duvet and crawled inside, curling into a ball — not because he was cold, but because he said he slept most comfortably that way.
Ye Zhou picked up his phone. Several club group messages immediately caught his eye on the bright, stinging screen.
‘Wow, to be honest, now that the Vice President is back, the club group isn’t as quiet as before.’
「Jiang Yingxue: The Vice President said that to welcome her back and to congratulate Ye Zhou and Su Zhihan for passing the Ability Assessment, she’s decided to treat everyone to a meal. Hurry up and thank her!」
「Su Zhihan: Thank you, Vice President. Congratulations, Classmate Ye.」
「Shen Yuzhen: Did I say that? Fine, even if I did, let’s set the time for this weekend. I hope everyone can make it.」
Seeing this, Ye Zhou quickly replied to the message.
「Ye Zhou: Thank you, Vice President. Congratulations to you too, Zhihan.」
Just as Ye Zhou finished replying, private messages from Lin Shulan and Chen Yuhe arrived one after another.
「Lin Shulan: It’s all that girl Chen Yuhe’s fault for snitching. Now I have to write a 1,000-word essay. Little Brother, you have to take responsibility by posting an extra chapter.」
「Ye Zhou: Aha… alright. Luckily it’s not midnight yet. I’ll post another chapter right away.」
「Chen Yuhe: It’s all that hateful Lin Shulan’s fault for reporting me. Now I can’t speak in the club group. Junior, you have to take responsibility by giving me your home address!」
「Ye Zhou: Ah, haha… fine, fine. My house is at…」
Ye Zhou’s eyelid twitched as he suddenly realized something.
“Heh… they really are two of a kind. They must have conspired together in private, right?”
When he squinted at the top of the screen again, it clearly displayed 1:00 AM!
“Woof, woof, woof…”