A flicker of surprise passed through Liu Wenyan’s eyes.
This Second Young Lady had always been interested only in fashion parties and art exhibitions. Why was she suddenly asking about a business rival’s moves today?
But then he remembered that Bai Zhenye often lamented how nice it would be if his youngest daughter showed even a sliver of ambition toward the family business.
Now that the young lady had taken the initiative to learn—even if it was out of curiosity or a desire to compete—it was ultimately a good thing. The old master would surely be pleased to hear of it.
The surprise on his face quickly shifted into an encouraging smile. “Of course, miss. With your interest, Chairman Bai will be delighted. I’ll compile a summary of the Su family’s recent public documents and industry briefings as soon as possible and send it to you.”
“As for the specific projects Miss Su Qinghan is responsible for, they involve some non-public information. I’ll need some time to verify and organize things. I’ll provide you with a relatively clear report by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. Is that acceptable?”
“Great, thank you, Secretary Liu!” Bai Yan’er immediately lit up with a bright smile, like a child who’d just received a beloved toy. “I’ll leave it to you, then!”
“You’re too kind, miss. It’s my duty.” Liu Wenyan nodded, then added a reminder, “About the old master…”
“I’ll head down right now.”
Bai Yan’er nodded obediently, smoothed the creases on her skirt, and turned toward the stairs.
Only when Liu Wenyan’s figure disappeared at the stairway entrance, off to carry out her “simple” request, did the sweet, charming smile on Bai Yan’er’s face slowly cool.
Her gaze pierced through the dazzling crystal chandelier and locked onto the slender figure downstairs, elegantly conversing with someone in the crowd—Su Qinghan.
She wouldn’t give up.
Her elder sister was the purest moonlight in her heart. She would never allow anyone to taint her, nor would she allow anyone to cast a shadow over that radiance.
Since her sister was now so captivated by this Su Qinghan, and even her father had taken a shine to her… then she would personally tear apart this woman’s perfect disguise.
She would find Su Qinghan’s weakness, find the crack that could pull the lofty Miss Su of the Su family off her pedestal.
A business flaw? A personal moral failing? Or some other more shameful secret?
The corners of Bai Yan’er’s mouth slowly curved into an arc that sharply contrasted with her sweet appearance. Deep in her eyes, a stubbornness churned, utterly out of place with the glittering crowd below.
‘Su Qinghan, let’s take this slow.’
She whispered silently.
—
The results of the Volunteer Association registration came out quickly.
On the way to school, Yan Yu opened her phone and saw the public list in the association group chat.
As expected, her name was right there.
However, the name that followed hers immediately soured her mood—Jiang Muyun.
Why did it have to be her again?
Remembering Jiang Muyun’s attitude earlier, a surge of irritation rose in Yan Yu’s heart.
But after a moment’s thought, Yan Yu forced herself to calm down.
Frequent contact meant more opportunities to interact.
Since that so-called “role-playing” was related to Jiang Muyun, more interaction might help push the progress bar forward faster.
She could only think of it as… a mixed blessing?
‘At least having a clear goal is better than stumbling around in the dark,’ she thought bitterly.
In the association group, President Huang Lu @’d all the new members, sent a bunch of electronic learning materials and instructions, and told them to familiarize themselves quickly. He said there’d be a brief online training over the weekend.
Soon, Yan Yu saw Jiang Muyun reply in the group: “Got it, President Huang. Thanks for your hard work! I’ll study hard~” followed by a cute emoji.
Immediately after, a few other newly selected members copied the same reply.
Shortly, President Huang sent a separate message: “Jiang Muyun has a very positive attitude.”
Jiang Muyun: “Thank you, President Huang!”
Yan Yu stared at the phone screen and gave a silent, cold laugh.
See? No matter where she was, she always found a way to quickly become the center of attention and craft her image.
Yan Yu closed the group chat and opened the file pack Huang Lu had sent.
The content wasn’t complicated—just the basic concepts of volunteer service, standard etiquette, safety guidelines, and the specific responsibilities for volunteers during this campus cultural festival.
She skimmed through it quickly, focusing on the activity division outline at the end, getting a general idea.
The preheating activity for the campus cultural festival was scheduled for Friday afternoon. All volunteers needed to gather early at the activity center for a final task confirmation and on-site division of labor.
The small meeting room in the activity center was packed, and the atmosphere was a bit noisy.
President Huang Lu stood at the front. He was a tall guy with slightly dark skin, wearing black-rimmed glasses. His brow was habitually furrowed, giving him a very serious look.
He clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention.
“Everyone’s here. I’m Huang Lu, president of the Volunteer Association. Welcome to all new members.”
“No time for chitchat, let’s get straight to the assignments.”
His voice wasn’t loud but carried well, and his speech was fast. “For this cultural festival preheating, the focus is on atmosphere creation and preliminary publicity. We’re mainly divided into several groups: the outdoor guidance group, material transport group, game assistance group, and…”
He adjusted his glasses, scanning the list in his hand. “…the promotional materials group, responsible for hand-painted posters and some decorative items.”
“Promotional materials group—Yan Yu, Jiang Muyun.”
Huang Lu read out the two names, looked up, and glanced at them. “You two—do you have any art background?”
Yan Yu lifted her eyes when her name was called, just in time to meet Jiang Muyun’s gaze, who was also looking over.
Jiang Muyun immediately put on a school smile and gave Yan Yu a slight nod.
Yan Yu expressionlessly looked away, letting out a simple “Mm” in Huang Lu’s direction.
“President, we’re from the Art Department.”
Huang Lu nodded. “Alright, then it’s settled. You two.”
“The poster theme and reference images are already in the group chat. You’ll need to paint two large ones for the main venue entrance.”
“The paints, brushes, and boards are in the storage room next door. Pick them up after we’re done here. Must be finished by tomorrow afternoon. Any problems?”
“No problem.”
“Alright, President Huang. We’ll do our best.”
The two answered almost simultaneously, but their tones were completely different.
“Good. The rest of you, follow me. I’ll assign your specific spots…”
Huang Lu worked with decisive efficiency and continued with the arrangements.
The crowd began to move.
Yan Yu sighed inwardly.
‘What a drag.’
Paired with Jiang Muyun, and they had to do this kind of manual work that required collaboration.
She could almost guess that Jiang Muyun was probably rolling her eyes inside too, though she’d never show it on her face.
—
The next day, Yan Yu deliberately got up early. After breakfast, she headed straight to the empty art studio the activity center had assigned them.
Sunlight streamed through the large windows, and fine dust particles floated in the air.
The boards, paints, brushes, and palettes had already been collected and were propped against the wall.
She hated dragging things out. She planned to start early and finish early.
Referencing the image on her phone, Yan Yu first sketched a draft in pencil on the huge white drawing paper—positioning the elements, roughing out the outlines.
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