Edited by Elv
Epilogue 1: Committee Chairman
Every September, as freshmen embark on their college journey, club recruitment was in full swing. The new students, curious and often bewildered, wandered between club promotional tents much like new players in a beginner’s village, while seniors from various clubs pulled out all the stops to recruit top talent.
Wen Le was especially busy these days, usually not returning to her dorm until nearly 10 PM. Tonight, she arrived earlier, which surprised her roommates.
“Why are you back so early today?”
Wen Le took a suit out of her closet and hung it in a well-ventilated spot, replying, “I’m almost done with everything. I just need to hold a meeting with the new committee members tomorrow.”
Cheng Hui leaned against Wen Le’s closet, munching on a pack of nuts. “How does it feel to take office as the new president?”
Wen Le snatched a raisin from Cheng Hui’s hand and laughed, “It’s insanely busy.”
Bao Xiaofan, with a keen eye, spotted several card-like items on Wen Le’s desk and asked, “What are these?”
Wen Le picked one up and handed it to Bao Xiaofan, saying, “Invitation cards.”
Bao Xiaofan opened it and read aloud, “Dear Chairperson Wen Le, our faculty will host an English dubbing contest this Wednesday evening in the college’s main auditorium. We sincerely invite you to join us as a judge…”
Bao Xiaofan didn’t finish reading before Wen Le took it back.
Pointing to the other cards on the desk, Bao Xiaofan joked, “Don’t tell me all these cards are invitations too.”
Wen Le nodded, “Exactly. So, you can see how busy I am. Between running the social union and attending these events, it’s a lot, but the previous seniors went through the same.”
Suddenly, Cheng Hui approached, laughing, “So, there’s a chance you might bump into your esteemed student council president at one of these, right?”
Wen Le shook her head, “It’s unlikely.”
“I don’t attend all these invites, and he attends even fewer… so,” Wen Le shrugged, “it’s not impossible, but it’s not like I’ll meet him just by showing up at one.”
Little did Wen Le know she would soon contradict her own words.
On Friday, Wen Le attended a speech contest as an invited guest, seated in the front row of the audience. She arrived just in time, as the auditorium was already filled, though the contest hadn’t started yet. The staff was still tweaking the equipment onstage. Such contests were usually organised by a coalition of college clubs and weren’t attended by high-ranking faculty.
After chatting with the contest organiser for a while, Wen Le was escorted to her seat. With less than ten minutes to the start, the audience and participants were all settled, and the host was discussing something with the technicians beside the stage, ready to begin as soon as the judges arrived.
Wen Le, sitting in the front row, was browsing through the materials handed to her when she suddenly heard a stir behind her. Turning around, she saw Zhou Kao, dressed in a black shirt and trousers, speaking to a staff member while striding towards his seat.
With his tall stature and handsome features, Zhou Kao caused a stir the moment he entered the room. This contest was attended mostly by freshmen who were new to the campus gossip and popular figures, and they were struck by the striking appearance of the campus heartthrob.
Behind Wen Le sat a group of girls who gasped in surprise when Zhou Kao walked in. They seemed to be alerting their friends, excitedly whispering, “Oh my! Look at that hottie!”
“Ah! Who is that? He’s too handsome!”
Wen Le couldn’t help but give Zhou Kao a once-over. Yes, he was very handsome. However, he was her boyfriend.
As soon as Zhou Kao entered, his eyes found Wen Le. He paused briefly, then smiled meaningfully at her before turning to whisper something to a staff member nearby.
Meanwhile, the chatter among the girls behind Wen Le grew louder as they started inquiring about the identity of this handsome guy. They were freshmen, unaware of the famous campus heartthrob, but it was rare for the seniors not to know him.
Unintentionally overhearing their conversation due to their proximity, Wen Le heard them clearly despite their hushed tones.
“That’s Zhou Kao, our campus heartthrob.”
“Ah, is he the famous one?”
“Our campus has such high standards! How can he be so handsome?”
“Is that senior single?”
“That’s his girlfriend.”
The noise behind her suddenly quieted, likely because the senior had pointed at Wen Le when mentioning ‘girlfriend’, leading to an oddly sudden silence.
After a moment, a soft voice asked, “What’s the heartthrob doing here? Is he from your faculty?”
“No, he’s the Student Council president, and she’s the head of the Social Union,” the senior whispered back.
Wen Le thought she heard a small ‘wow’ from behind her.
At that moment, Zhou Kao finished his conversation with the staff member and looked up at the audience. Wen Le caught his eye and saw a flicker of amusement in his gaze.
Zhou Kao walked towards Wen Le. The guests were seated according to name tags, and Wen Le’s seat was on the outer edge, with empty seats mostly on her inside.
Standing in the first row, Zhou Kao smiled and asked softly, “May I get through, please?”
Wen Le was seated on the outside, with two people sitting next to her. Yet, Zhou Kao’s gaze was fixed straight on her. Wen Le glanced at Zhou Kao, thinking that he was about to pull one of his charming stunts again.
As the girls beside her stood up to let Zhou Kao pass, Wen Le followed suit. Zhou Kao shot Wen Le a smile as he sidestepped into his seat. During this time, Wen Le could practically feel the burning gazes from the girls behind her and the two staff members sitting next to her.
Having been with Zhou Kao for a while, Wen Le was used to his overt and covert flirtations in various situations. Her thick skin had been well-honed, and she was unbothered by the attention.
Coincidentally, Zhou Kao’s seat was right next to hers. Wen Le glanced at the name tag in front of Zhou Kao’s seat, puzzled. She could have sworn it wasn’t his name there earlier. As she pondered this, a staff member came over and swapped the name tag with Zhou Kao’s.
Wen Le: …
She lowered her head and flipped through the materials in her hand, avoiding looking at Zhou Kao. Zhou Kao, too, didn’t speak to her and simply perused his own materials, giving the impression that they were strangers.
Diaos Jiasi, a freshman this year, loved anime, idolized celebrities, and had a thing for handsome guys. Outgoing and lively, she was full of expectations for her university life. This included the fantasy of meeting an unbelievably handsome campus heartthrob. Today, she had finally seen such a heartthrob. Her heart fluttered, only to be cruelly informed by a senior that this incredibly handsome guy belonged to the stunningly beautiful President of the Social Union sitting in front of her.
It was heartbreaking! But it makes sense. The two of them look so perfect together!
Diaos Jiasi’s eyes sparkled as she stared at the two in front of her, eager to see how these ethereal beings interacted. However…
The two of them sat down, each flipping through their own materials in silence. No interaction, not even a glance at each other…
That’s it? That’s all?
Are they really a couple?
Diaos Jiasi felt deceived by her senior. Although the two were seated together, they might as well have had “strangers” written on their foreheads.
Pouting, Diaos Jiasi looked at her senior and mouthed, “Couple?”
The senior gave her a knowing smile as if to say, “You’re still too young and naive,” and gestured for her to look at their hands on the table.
Diaos Jiasi glanced over but saw nothing unusual. Confused, she looked back at the senior, who then pointed to the ring finger on her own hand.
Diao Jiasi took another look and finally noticed the rings on Wen Le’s right hand and Zhou Kao’s left hand. Wen Le’s ring was a dazzling row of diamonds, while Zhou Kao’s was a simple platinum band, understated and plain. Jiasi was puzzled, unable to figure out the significance as they did not look like matching rings.
Just then, the senior pushed her phone over, showing a picture of the rings. It was an advertisement that revealed the two distinctly different rings could be combined to form a pair of couple rings. When Jiasi saw the price, she nearly rolled her eyes in disbelief. What kind of fairytale prince was Zhou Kao supposed to be?
Jiasi finally understood: the two of them were pretending not to know each other, but the matching couple rings they wore said it all. She decided to keep an eye on them throughout the evening, convinced she would uncover something.
However, an hour and a half passed, and the competition ended without Jiasi observing any interaction between Wen Le and Zhou Kao. Even during the award ceremony, when the guests, judges, and winners took a group photo, the two stood next to each other but acted like strangers.
Jiasi was starting to doubt her own judgment. How can a couple sit together for an hour and a half without any interaction? Are they having relationship problems? Are they about to break up? But then why are they still wearing their couple rings?
Still pondering these questions, Jiasi left the library with her roommates. It wasn’t until they had walked a good distance that she remembered she had left her keys in the library. She quickly told her roommates and rushed back to retrieve them. When she returned to the library’s main hall, everyone had left except for two students tidying up. Grateful, Jiasi grabbed her keys and headed out.
The library was nearly empty now, and the quiet hallway brought back memories of horror films she’d seen, making her feel a bit scared. She clenched her fists and walked quietly, trying not to make any noise.
As she turned a secluded corner, she suddenly saw two people kissing against the wall. It was none other than Zhou Kao and Wen Le, whom she had just suspected of having relationship issues….
