Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 524: It's Been a Long Time Since I Last Ate With You

After the Golden Week holiday ended, life returned to normal.On the evening of October 8th, the Freshman Gala was held as scheduled, with Zhou Yuwen attending as a special invited guest.

When it came to having a sophomore as a special invited guest, counting through the school's entire founding history, Zhou Yuwen was probably the only one.

His participation this time was different from that of regular students. When he arrived at the school auditorium at half-past six, the outside was already packed with students, mostly freshmen. Many upperclassmen felt that this kind of gala was nothing special to watch, and some could not even understand why people would wait in long lines just to see it.

But the truth was, there was indeed a crowd at the auditorium entrance who insisted on getting in, even without tickets.

Some even boldly told the Student Union members guarding the doors, "I know so-and-so. Call him and tell him I'm here. He'll definitely let me in."

Faced with such students, the Student Union staff found themselves in a difficult position.

They had to repeatedly explain, "We have rules here. One ticket per person. Without a ticket, even the Principal can't get in."

Hearing this, Zhou Yuwen found it rather amusing as he walked over.

The student checking tickets was just about to ask him to show his pass, but instantly recognized him and smiled in greeting. "You're here early."

"Oh, I thought it started at half-past six," Zhou Yuwen replied. He recognized this ticket-checker; they seemed to be from the same cohort. During military training, this guy had even gotten into a conflict with Chang Hao.

Speaking of which, it had been a long time since he last saw this classmate. Compared to their freshman year, this student had indeed become much more mature and steady.

Of course, his attitude toward Zhou Yuwen was also exceptionally respectful.

He remembered that when they first started university, because of the conflict with Chang Hao, this classmate hadn't given him a good look either.

Now, not only was he respectful, but he also seemed to be trying to fawn on him.

He was now considered a staff member in the Student Union. Seeing Zhou Yuwen arrive, he quickly handed over the ticket-checking duties to a freshman and eagerly led Zhou Yuwen inside himself.

Along the way, he chatted and laughed with Zhou Yuwen. Whenever someone greeted him, he deliberately displayed a sense of closeness with Zhou Yuwen, pulling a classic case of the fox borrowing the tiger's might, as if to say, "Look here, I know Zhou Yuwen!"

Being a man in his thirties mentally, Zhou Yuwen naturally saw right through these antics. However, he did not say anything and simply smiled.

The classmate had just mentioned that Zhou Yuwen arrived early. In truth, the auditorium was already packed with people. The gala officially started at ten to seven, leaving twenty minutes for the audience to settle in.

The Freshman Gala was primarily for the freshmen, but there were still some lively sophomores who came to watch. Just walking in, Zhou Yuwen had already been greeted by several acquaintances.

The most familiar faces were undoubtedly from the only girls' dormitory in his class.

The duo of Ma Tian and Li Jing immediately came up to greet him.

"Hey! Is that Zhou Yuwen?"

"Zhou Yuwen? It really is you! Are you here to watch the gala too?"

Ma Tian and Li Jing appeared extremely excited. Being sophomores now, the two girls had changed significantly compared to their freshman year. At the very least, they now knew how to apply makeup. Combined with the dim lighting in the auditorium and the glowing devil horns they were wearing, they genuinely gave off a cute vibe.

The two girls had not expected to run into Zhou Yuwen here. They were visibly delighted and enthusiastically invited him to sit with them.

At this moment, the student who had brought Zhou Yuwen in chuckled and interjected, "Hehe, you two beauties, Zhou Yuwen's seat isn't like yours. He gets to sit in the VIP seating with the Principal and the others!"

Hearing this, Ma Tian and Li Jing immediately dropped their jaws in shock. "VIP seating? That's amazing! Isn't that where all the school leaders sit?"

"Are you considered a school leader now, Zhou Yuwen? Did you buy the school or something!?"

These two girls were still somewhat delightfully silly.

Zhou Yuwen found their reaction quite amusing and clarified that he certainly had not done that.

"I can only say that the school administrators have shown me a lot of favor. By the way, why is it just the two of you? Didn't Liu Yue come with you?"

In his impression, wherever these two were, Liu Yue was usually there as well.

Not seeing Liu Yue today made Zhou Yuwen feel a bit unaccustomed to the dynamic.

The two were rather surprised that Zhou Yuwen still remembered Liu Yue.

"Oh, her. Sigh, she originally planned to come with her boyfriend."

"But unexpectedly, this afternoon, she caught her boyfriend hugging a junior!"

The two chimed in one after the other, their words carrying a hint of schadenfreude.

Hearing this, Zhou Yuwen laughed and remarked, "Cheated on again?"

The two girls burst into giggles at his comment.

"What do you mean 'again'? Zhou Yuwen, why are you paying so much attention to Liu Yue!"

"Yeah, exactly!"

Zhou Yuwen didn't quite know how to respond to that, as his previous comment had just blurted out naturally.

Sigh, how should he put it? This was just the essence of youth.

Zhou Yuwen didn't dwell on the topic too much, simply mentioning that logically, Liu Yue should be used to it by now.

Ma Tian and Li Jing's response was that things were currently very awkward between them.

"Her boyfriend is coaxing her right now."

"Can she even be coaxed back after that?"

"That, we don't know."

The three chatted for a little while longer before the Student Union classmate informed Zhou Yuwen that the gala was about to start, asking if they should head over first.

Zhou Yuwen agreed.

Thus, he bid farewell to Ma Tian and Li Jing and followed the classmate away.

Zhou Yuwen's seat was in the first row. As he walked over, he ran into many familiar faces. For instance, Shen Yu was preparing on stage, wearing a pink long dress and exquisite makeup.

Just like always, the host lineup for this event followed the mentorship system, with two sophomore hosts guiding the freshmen hosts. The sophomore female host role was being handled by Shen Yu.

At this moment, Shen Yu was feeling a mountain of pressure.

After all, last semester, Su Qing was the default Vice President of the Student Union. For the role to suddenly fall to her this semester would put immense pressure on anyone.

Besides Shen Yu, Zhou Yuwen also spotted Zheng Yanyan.

This lass was dressed quite fashionably today.

She wore a blue shirt paired with a gray tight skirt, giving off a mature office lady vibe. Her snow-white, beautiful legs were perfectly complemented by leather ankle boots.

Zhou Yuwen felt that Zheng Yanyan must have applied something to her legs, as they were exceptionally pale, though undeniably stunning nonetheless.

Thinking about it carefully, she was no longer a naive freshman junior; she was now a sophomore department head.

Time really flew by.

The Student Union staff member led Zhou Yuwen to the first row, and only then did Zhou Yuwen realize his seat was actually right next to the Principal.

In front of the first row sat a small table, upon which rested a piece of red paper boldly displaying the three characters of Zhou Yuwen's name.

Upon seeing Zhou Yuwen, the group of school leaders revealed amicable expressions and made way for him to take his seat.

Even Principal Yao Lan had a face full of smiles when she saw him, asking, "You've arrived?"

Zhou Yuwen nodded respectfully and confirmed he was here.

After Zhou Yuwen sat down, the Student Union classmate took his leave.

This left the Principal to initiate a conversation with Zhou Yuwen. In the past, the Principal had a good relationship with Liu Jing and had repeatedly praised Zhou Yuwen and Jiang Xinyi as a perfect match of talent and beauty. Today, however, she completely avoided mentioning their relationship. Instead, she started with, "I saw your name earlier and was just wondering about it."

"You're so busy, how did you find the time to come?" The Principal was a woman in her forties who exuded an aura of scholarly refinement. Originally, due to the drama Zhou Yuwen and Jiang Xinyi caused last semester, the Principal had been somewhat dissatisfied with him.

But the world changed too fast. Zhou Yuwen had merely taken a trip to America, yet he returned as a billionaire, holding a net worth in the billions.

Such a major figure was now on par with the Jiang Family Estate.

The conflict between the Jiang family and Zhou Yuwen was between the two of them; it had nothing to do with the Principal.

The Principal only knew that Zhou Yuwen was the pride of their school, and furthermore, he was her student. Naturally, she was elated.

"I am indeed a bit busy, but with the school hosting an event, I should come if I can," Zhou Yuwen replied.

Hearing this, the Principal was highly satisfied. She smiled and noted, "Many of your senior upperclassmen achieved just a little success and immediately decided they wanted nothing to do with the school anymore."

"You, however, are different."

The Principal continued by asking Zhou Yuwen how his career was progressing.

Was there anything the school could help with?

"If there is, just let me know. If it's within our power, our school will definitely assist you."

Zhou Yuwen just smiled at her words and said that there wasn't anything at the moment. "When there is, I will definitely ask. After all, in my eyes, the school is just like my home."

"I stepped out into the world from this school. Of course, I will always remember the help the school has given me."

That was what he said, but given Zhou Yuwen's current massive scale, this second-tier university's ability to help him was indeed limited.

He had planned to exchange a few more words, but at that moment, the stage plunged into darkness. Following that, Shen Yu and another female host stepped onto the stage.

This year's freshmen were genuinely beautiful. The girl partnering with Shen Yu had a sweet appearance and belonged to the petite type.

After the two delivered their opening remarks, the first performance quickly began—the Arts Department's fashion show.

"This program is exclusively sponsored by Xianlin Culture and Media Company!" the freshman female host announced.

Shen Yu had spotted Zhou Yuwen sitting in the front row, so she deliberately brought it up, saying, "Our new students might not be familiar with this company, but you all definitely know Senior Zhou Yuwen, right?"

"We know him!"

Well, when Xianlin Culture was mentioned earlier, no one had really cared. But the moment Shen Yu brought up Zhou Yuwen's name, the crowd instantly erupted into excited cheers.

Even the Principal sitting in the front row was startled. She chuckled and remarked to Zhou Yuwen, "I didn't expect you to be this popular?"

Zhou Yuwen also smiled, secretly admiring Shen Yu on stage. 'This lass is doing great. The money wasn't spent in vain,' he thought.

Shen Yu shot Zhou Yuwen a glance from the stage, then smiled and continued, "This Xianlin Culture Company was founded by our very own Senior Yuwen. It was mainly created to help girls who want to start making money but are afraid of being bullied out in society. If any students are looking for part-time work, you can contact this company. Of course, boys are welcome too."

Shen Yu winked as she spoke, prompting the crowd to break into whispered discussions.

"Alright! The sponsor's advertisement is done. Let's start the show!"

"Okay, let the show begin!"

In truth, the advertisement Shen Yu had delivered was rather stiff, even feeling slightly unprofessional.

Zhou Yuwen glanced at the Principal beside him. Seeing that she didn't seem to have any objections, he naturally kept quiet.

Soon, the stage lights dimmed.

Following that, a pure instrumental track composed of a Guzheng and Pipa ensemble began to play.

The lights suddenly flashed back on.

Good heavens.

The entire audience screamed in excitement.

Looking at the performers on stage, Zhou Yuwen thought to himself that the money given to Zheng Yanyan definitely hadn't gone to waste.

It actually looked quite proper and was, at the very least, far better than the endless generic hot dances from before.

A group of sensually dressed girls, all over 1.7 meters tall, stepped out wearing matching eight-centimeter high heels. They were clad either in off-shoulder bodycon dresses or short skirts and shorts.

In short, the stage was filled with a sea of gorgeous long legs as the girls strutted down the catwalk one by one to the rhythm of the music.

The atmosphere was absolutely electric.

At a rough glance, there were about twenty girls. As they walked toward the front of the stage, they were truly radiant with every glance, graceful and charming as they swayed. Every single one had long legs and a slender waist. Even Zhou Yuwen found the sight extremely pleasing to the eye. He couldn't help but feel that he still had too few wives.

If he had twenty or so wives performing a private fashion show for him at home every day, that would certainly be a magnificent thing.

If even Zhou Yuwen was thinking this way, the students in the audience were naturally howling with excitement. The reception was miles better than the previous year's.

Meanwhile, backstage, Zheng Yanyan was overjoyed upon hearing the cheers. 'This is a guaranteed success!' she thought.

In fact, things unfolded exactly as Zheng Yanyan had anticipated.

This uniquely inventive performance tonight quickly dominated the campus forum.

Countless people commented on the forum, expressing that if they had known about this act, they would have definitely attended!

"This is way better than last year's shows! Damn, this year's freshmen are eating good!"

"Holy crap, I should have gone. Dammit, the Organization Department gave me two tickets and I gave them away!"

"Who's the chief planner for this show?"

"It's Zheng Yanyan, Zhou Yuwen's ex-girlfriend. An ordinary person couldn't pull this off. Look at the clothes those girls on stage are wearing; every single piece is worth nearly three thousand. This was all sponsored by Zhou Yuwen."

"Ah, it really is great to be rich!"

Even before the gala ended, the forum was already buzzing with heated discussions.

By the time the gala concluded, the comment sections were still obsessing over the performance. Screenshots from the video were being analyzed one by one, with boys clamoring to ask which class each girl belonged to.

Some even proclaimed that the current Minister of the Arts Department was an absolute genius!

Zheng Yanyan was genuinely thrilled watching the reactions, publicly declaring that she was going to treat everyone to a meal!

When the gala ended, the Principal took group photos with everyone, as was customary.

Zhou Yuwen stood right beside the Principal, which could arguably be considered taking the center stage.

After the photos were taken, the Principal asked Zhou Yuwen if he wanted to join them for a meal later.

Zhou Yuwen glanced over and saw several school leaders waiting expectantly for his reply.

He smiled awkwardly and replied, "Uh, I'll have to pass, Principal. I already made plans with them."

He pointed over toward Zheng Yanyan, who was celebrating with the girls from the Arts Department.

Hearing this, the Principal offered a faint smile and stated, "I understand."

Once the school leaders left, the atmosphere became much more relaxed.

Not only was Zheng Yanyan delighted, but Shen Yu was also particularly happy. After all, she was the chief planner of the gala, so the success of Zheng Yanyan's warm-up performance was partly thanks to her efforts.

The two girls almost hugged each other right there on the spot.

Zheng Yanyan grabbed Lu Lin and Shen Yu, insisting that they all go out to eat.

"Ah?" Shen Yu showed a moment of hesitation.

Zhou Yuwen walked over, smiled gently, and said, "Let's go together. It's been a long time since I last ate with you."