Chapter 35

Ever since Shen Yu’s stunning performance at the school anniversary gala, she had transformed from a pitiful outcast into a hot topic on the school forum. Although all her dance videos had been deleted from the forum, discussions about her still popped up from time to time.
In particular, one post exposed her past as someone who was "fat and ugly," complete with a blurry photo. As soon as this post appeared, it was immediately pushed to the top as a trending topic. Everyone felt that this had to be the most inspiring post of the year!
The ugly duckling transforming into a goddess, how many girls dream of such a turnaround? And this living, breathing example before them was the best inspiration.
Aside from these motivational transformation posts, there were also confession threads. After the school anniversary celebration, many boys in the college suddenly had a new dream girl. According to surveys, more people were captivated by Shen Yu's fiery figure than by her face.
At first, Shen Yu was unaware of all this. Dealing with her eccentric older brother at home already had her overwhelmed; she had no energy left to pay attention to such trivial gossip.
But now she had a deskmate, Li Yiyi, who loved chatting about gossip with her. Through their interactions, Shen Yu gradually learned some things.
During a break between classes, Li Yiyi approached her with the latest gossip. "There's another post about you on the forum today. Want to see?" she said, unlocking her phone and handing it over.
Shen Yu glanced at it and noticed this post had more substance. It claimed that she had frequently been picked up by luxury cars recently, and the man driving was incredibly handsome, clearly a wealthy heir.
The comments below were filled with all sorts of speculation.
Some said, "Now that she's pretty, she's got suitors. So envious!"
But more comments insinuated that she was being kept, their sour tones practically seeping through the screen.
Shen Yu turned to her deskmate and asked, "Do you believe it?"
Her deskmate laughed. "Didn't you explain it last time? You said that guy was your brother."
Shen Yu smiled and nodded. "He is my brother."
Still, she felt a bit bothered by the misunderstanding about her relationship with Shen Xiao.
She took out her phone, opened the forum, found the post, and replied under a pseudonym: "That man is Shen Yu's brother. If you don't believe it, you can verify it with Shen Yu herself."
After posting the reply, she didn't bother reading the comments and exited the thread. She was about to close the page when her eyes caught another gossip post: "Unveiling the Love History of a Certain Bai from the Performing Arts Department."
Though not explicitly named, the most notable Bai in the performing arts department was undoubtedly Bai Muyu.
Curious, Shen Yu clicked on it and quickly discovered that Miss Bai's love life was indeed colorful! She had dated both seniors and juniors, and even a young instructor. The post also gossiped that she was currently pursuing a newly arrived teacher.
So she had a new romantic target, no wonder she hadn't been bothering Shen Yu lately.
Noticing Shen Yu's distraction, Li Yiyi leaned in and asked, "Teacher Song's birthday is tomorrow night. The whole class is going to celebrate. Are you coming?"
Shen Yu frowned. Teacher Song was their class advisor, still young and usually got along well with everyone. When Bai Muyu had falsely accused Shen Yu of stealing a necklace, it was Teacher Song who had resolved the situation.
After a moment's thought, she asked, "Where are they celebrating?"
At this question, Li Yiyi grew excited, rubbing her hands together. "It's a private club near Di Xing. I heard it's membership-based, you need a VIP to get in. This time, we'll get to see what it's like!"
Shen Yu frowned again. They were all students with fixed monthly allowances. Even if they pooled their money for the celebration, it seemed unlikely they could afford a private club.
"Who provided the VIP access?" Shen Yu asked.
"Of course it's Bai Muyu. Her sister Bai Muqing is a big star and has VIP access to that club. She said she'd cover the room fee and half the drinks, what a rich kid! The teacher said she'd pay the other half, but the class monitor suggested everyone chip in."
"Why is she suddenly so enthusiastic?" Shen Yu asked, puzzled. In her memory, Bai Muyu and Teacher Song weren't particularly close.
Li Yi grinned mysteriously, glanced around to confirm Bai Muyu wasn't in the classroom, and whispered, "Our Teacher Song and Teacher Lin were classmates, they're really tight. And Teacher Lin happens to be the person Bai Muyu has been pursuing lately."
Shen Yu: “…”
After explaining, Li Yi remembered the conflict between Shen Yu and Bai Muyu and added, "It's fine if you don't want to go."
Shen Yu indeed had no intention of going, planning to buy a gift for the teacher in the afternoon as a gesture of goodwill.
But that afternoon, she received a group message from Teacher Song inviting all students to her birthday party the following evening. The message also mentioned that she would soon resign and return to her hometown to get married, wanting to gather with everyone one last time.
After reading the text, Shen Yu changed her mind.
That evening at dinner, she brought up the topic of choosing a gift for the teacher. Uncle Li and Shen Xiao showed great interest and eagerly offered suggestions.
"For a teacher, just buy a birthday card and write a few sentimental lines, she'll be happy," Uncle Li said.
Shen Xiao scoffed, "That's so outdated! How tacky!"
Uncle Li retorted, "Then what do you suggest that isn't tacky?"
While peeling a shrimp, Shen Xiao said, "Give money."
Shen Yu curled her lip, "Giving money is the tackiest option!"
Shen Xiao lifted his eyes to look at her, holding the peeled shrimp to her lips. Out of habit, Shen Yu opened her mouth to accept it, but just as the shrimp touched her lips, he pulled it back. Tricked into biting air, Shen Yu glared at him angrily.
A smile played on Shen Xiao's lips as he offered the shrimp again. This time, Shen Yu ignored him, pretending not to see it.
Shen Xiao chuckled, holding the shrimp steadily near her mouth, waiting for her to open up. Her eyelids fluttered, and she suddenly lunged to bite it, but she was too slow, Shen Xiao had already withdrawn it again.
Frustrated, Shen Yu turned and pounced on him, reaching out to snatch the shrimp. Normally, she disliked his feeding habits, but this shrimp she was determined to eat!
For a moment, the siblings tussled together. Shen Xiao held the shrimp high with one hand while wrapping his other arm around her waist, unable to suppress a bright, hearty laugh.
Uncle Li shook his head, tapped his chopsticks on the table, and said, "Stop playing around and eat! The food is getting cold!"
Only then did Shen Xiao stuff the shrimp into her mouth.
In the end, Shen Yu still took Shen Xiao's advice and sent the teacher a red envelope.
The next afternoon, Shen Yu left on time for the gathering. Before heading out, she hesitated for a moment, should she wear her usual plain clothes or the new dress she had bought? In the end, remembering that the party was being held at a private club, she decided on the new dress.
Since the venue was quite upscale, almost all the classmates had shown up. Shen Yu was dropped off by Uncle Li, and by the time she arrived at the private room, most of the others were already there.
Inside the room, Bai Muyu was seated next to Teacher Song, while on her other side sat an unfamiliar man, likely the Mr. Lin whom Bai Muyu had been pursuing recently. After entering, Shen Yu took a quick glance around the room before presenting the small gift she had brought for the teacher.
Teacher Song seemed very pleased and took Shen Yu’s hand, inviting her to sit beside her. At that moment, Mr. Lin, who was sitting on the other side of Bai Muyu, looked at Shen Yu with surprise and asked, “What’s your name, miss? You look very familiar.”
It sounded like a typical pickup line. Shen Yu shrugged and replied, “Maybe I just have a common face.”
She discreetly observed Mr. Lin and thought to herself, No wonder Bai Muyu is interested in him. Not only is he tall, but his features are sharp and well-defined, extremely handsome.
While Shen Yu was sizing him up, Mr. Lin was also watching her. It seemed that from the moment she entered, he had been quite interested in her, his gaze following her every move. His overly direct stare made Shen Yu turn her face away uncomfortably. She wondered, Isn’t it a bit rude to stare at a girl like that?
Bai Muyu had gone to great lengths to find an excuse to invite Lin Cong out, but to her frustration, ever since Shen Yu walked in, Mr. Lin’s attention had been fixed on her. It was infuriating. In the past, she would have picked a fight with Shen Yu, but after being reprimanded by her sister, she no longer dared to provoke her and could only shoot a few covert glares in her direction.
Meanwhile, some classmates nearby were discussing the evening’s gathering, marveling at how impressive Bai Muyu was for booking such a large private room, which must have cost a fortune. Hearing this, Bai Muyu couldn’t help but feel a bit smug and said, “A room of this level requires a diamond VIP membership to reserve. My sister has one, the annual fee alone is several hundred thousand.”
Everyone gasped in astonishment.
Teacher Song smiled warmly and said, “Well, tonight we’re all benefiting from your generosity!”
Bai Muyu smiled, finally suppressing her earlier irritation, and turned to pull Mr. Lin along to sing. As Mr. Lin stood up, Shen Yu noticed he was still looking at her, his gaze profound and complex, making her feel uneasy.
A short while later, the door to the private room was knocked open, and a middle-aged man who introduced himself as the club manager walked in politely and inquired, “Excuse me, is Miss Shen Yu here?”
Shen Yu, who had been chatting with Teacher Song, was taken aback but stood up and replied, “I’m Shen Yu. Is there something you need?”
The manager smiled and explained, “It’s like this, President Shen happens to be here tonight as well. When he heard you were here and had only booked a standard room, he asked me to inform you that you and your friends are welcome to move to a premium suite. Moreover, all expenses for the evening will be covered by him. He hopes you and your friends have a wonderful time.”
Everyone: …
Just moments ago, they had been praising Bai Muyu for securing such a large room, only to have it instantly deemed too small. It was a twist of fate almost too dramatic to believe.
And there was an even bigger one available!
Shen Yu felt rather helpless. That lunatic seemed to be everywhere! What did he mean by "just happened to be here for fun"? He must have tracked her location!
After mentally venting her frustration, she turned back to ask Teacher Song, "Does everyone want to go?"
The group hesitated.
Teacher Song said, "How could we possibly impose?!"
The manager added, "The premium suite includes a karaoke room, a game room with chess and cards, a billiards hall, a lounge, an entertainment room..."
The young students' eyes lit up, and they chorused, "Teacher, we want to go!!"
Such a high-end, fun place, and it's free, only a fool would say no!!