Chapter 46: The 45th Linyi Gate Exhibition Battle is Grandly Opened!
Sunday, morning.
The robust sunlight just breaking over the horizon crawled up the wall of a public rental building in the South District, peeking through the window sill into a sixth-floor room facing east.
Inside, a black cat ran around on the wooden floor, finally stopping at the bathroom door.
With dignity, it sat down and cutely called out to the person inside,
“Meow~”
“I’m almost ready, Meow-chan.”
In the bathroom, Yan Huan stood in front of the sink, having already changed into the outfit for the day’s outing.
A loose-fitting navy blue plaid shirt complemented a versatile white T-shirt, topped off with black cargo pants.
He set down the razor and splashed hot water onto his clean-shaven face, highlighting his well-defined jawline.
Exhaling gently, he picked up the hairdryer.
“Whoo!”
His damp hair, subjected to alternating hot and cold air, dried while transforming into his preferred hairstyle.
Finally, he drew the finishing touches that made him exceedingly eye-catching.
“Meow~”
Meow-chan gracefully hopped onto his shoulder, watching the handsome youth in the mirror blink,
“Quite rare, Meow, you’re so meticulous today.”
The black tail swept across his earlobe, then stood up high.
“Ah, but it’s not just our Student Council internal event today—Bai Yi is also joining, right?”
“Meow~”
With one last look in the mirror, Yan Huan hung up the dryer and walked out of the bathroom,
“Alright, all set, let’s head out.”
He slipped on his shoes, grabbed some breakfast, and pushed the door open.
He didn’t have any bulky items to carry, so no backpack was needed—just his phone, Bluetooth earphones, wallet, and house keys tucked into his pockets.
Oh, and the ticket prepared for Sakura Kyoko.
While munching on a meat floss bun he bought at the convenience store after work yesterday, he opened Plane to message Ya Qiao Mu.
A cat emoticon with a “head tilt” led the way, followed by the typed message,
“I’m on my way, first heading to the subway station near your house, let’s go together after that.”
“OK.”
A well-endowed blonde anime girl gave a thumbs-up.
He then messaged the group,
“Ya Qiao Mu and I are on our way, shall we meet at 8:30 AM at the Golden Lion Exhibition Center in Jinghe District?”
After receiving everyone’s confirmations, Yan Huan put on a Bluetooth earphone, listening to music as he walked toward the nearby subway station.
It took about ten minutes to walk, during which he passed by the closed Tong Yao Tavern.
By now, Tong Yingying should still be asleep.
After finishing the meat floss bun and downing a box of milk, he conveniently tossed the trash into a bin at the subway entrance.
Scanned his phone to enter, he took Line 11 toward Jinghe District, getting off one station later at the subway station near Ya Qiao Mu’s house.
“Dingdong! Nanwu Street Station, arrived.”
He stepped out, waiting for a moment, and soon after, Ya Qiao Mu arrived.
“P-President!!”
Turning his head at the sound while swiping his phone at the platform, he saw Ya Qiao Mu rushing towards him, excitement plastered across his face.
He had a mask on, wearing a gray T-shirt.
A huge backpack was strapped to his back, with a bag in each hand stuffed with items.
Being the weak, nerdy type, carrying a ton of stuff while jogging was almost making him out of breath under that mask.
“Haha, President!”
“Jogging with a mask makes you a champ—don’t make it so obvious.”
Yan Huan patted his back, urging him to take off the mask and breathe. His gaze traveled to the bags haphazardly dangling from Ya Qiao Mu’s hands,
“What are all these big and small bags for?”
Panting, Ya Qiao Mu opened one of the bags to explain,
“Uh, this bag is for snacks we’ll hand out to the cosplayers, and also glow sticks and posters for Ai-chan’s autographs.”
“And this bag over here has paper, pens, mats, water, bread, power banks, and the camera equipment is in the backpack so we can take photos later.”
“That’s way too much stuff?!”
Yan Huan raised an eyebrow, pulling out a stick that looked like a magic wand from the bag. Curiously, he asked,
“What’s this?”
Seeing Yan Huan pull out the contraption, Ya Qiao Mu’s face changed, panicking,
“Wait, President! Don’t press that button with your finger!”
However, Yan Huan didn’t notice the tiny button where he held it, and the moment he picked it up, he accidentally pressed it.
The wand let out a sound,
“May I take your photo? Thank you.”
Pressing it again.
“May I take a group photo with you? Thank you.”
“Group photo,” in the anime culture, referred to asking for a photo together.
Pressing it once more.
“May I add you to my friend list? Thank you.”
This popular internet phrase meant requesting to add someone as a friend on Plane.
All these recordings were voiced by Ya Qiao Mu.
“…”
Holding the “cheer stick,” Yan Huan blankly stared at Ya Qiao Mu.
Ya Qiao Mu, feeling embarrassed, scratched his head and quickly snatched the stick back, explaining,
“I get social anxiety, President! Please understand!! I’m not confident enough to ask those cosplayers for a photo, so I recorded my voice and can just press it when the time comes.”
“Well, you’re overprepared.”
“After all, I’ve attended so many exhibitions. Rather than say I’m carrying a lot, it’s more like you brought too little, President.”
Ya Qiao Mu pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting Yan Huan’s face. After sizing him up, he incredulously pointed at Yan Huan,
“Hey, hey, what’s with your outfit?? You’re radiating ‘outgoing person’ vibes; it’s like we’re not even in the same style.”
As they chatted, he suddenly seemed to come to a realization, covering his head in disbelief,
“Wait a minute, thinking back, the whole Student Council seems to be filled with outgoing types, huh? I’ve managed to associate with you all for so long—have I truly betrayed the goblin side?”
“Did you just realize? Since last semester when you became my campaign partner, we’ve started evolving from goblins, buddy.”
“Huh? What’s a goblin?!”
In Yuan Yue’s Student Council, only the position of President was contested; typically, two people formed a campaign team to compete against others.
The winning pair naturally became the President and Vice President of the Student Council, while other positions were nominated by the President and publicly announced at the school.
Of course, it’s possible to run solo for the position.
As long as all the campaign tasks are done, winning with votes gets the role, and later one can be nominated as Vice President.
But why didn’t Ya Qiao Mu end up as Vice President?
There were two reasons.
Firstly, this guy was definitely socially anxious, completely unwilling to show his face.
During the campaign, he never made an appearance, leaving people thinking it was just Yan Huan running without a partner.
Even after mentioning his name multiple times beforehand, most people still didn’t know that those exquisitely crafted PPTs, various codes running data, and dynamic anime figures were all produced by this nerd.
Strictly speaking, not showing up for press speeches and vote-pulling events can’t be classified as being a campaign partner, but Yan Huan always viewed him as one.
When it was time to nominate him as Vice President, he even panicked, because the President and Vice President had to take turns delivering speeches across the school.
To tell the truth, letting Ya Qiao Mu speak in front of all those students—
Would probably lead to him jumping off a building by the afternoon after delivering a speech that morning.
Secondly, there were connections at the school.
Specifically, that would be Sakura Kyoko.
Yan Huan still vividly remembered the face of Principal Hemis, grinning like a blooming flower while enthusiastically recommending Sakura Kyoko for Vice President.
“Dingdong~ The subway is arriving, please allow passengers to exit before entering the carriage~”
Just as the subway rolled in, Yan Huan guided the bewildered, seemingly life-questioning Ya Qiao Mu into the carriage.
As they were near the starting station, there weren’t many people, allowing them to secure some seats.
On his phone, a message pinged from the Student Council group.
Sakura Kyoko: “I’ve arrived, I’ll wait for you guys near the Golden Lion Exhibition Center subway station.”
Ya Qiao Mu noticed the message too and clicked his tongue,
“That was fast, as expected of a young lady living in Jinghe District.”
“And she even has a car to pick her up.”
Yan Huan smiled slightly, replying to Sakura Kyoko with a “Got it” cat emoji while pondering.
Bai Yi wouldn’t be on stage until around two in the afternoon, which was also when the venue would be the most crowded.
It was likely she hadn’t arrived yet, so he planned to contact her closer to noon.
At that point, he’d assess the camera requirements based on her afternoon performance.
After a while, they passed a few more stations, and cosplayers were starting to fill the train as they approached the Golden Lion Exhibition Center.
“Golden Lion Exhibition Center East Station, arrived.”
Yan Huan and Ya Qiao Mu followed the crowd from the subway exit, allowing the sunlight to gradually dispel the shadows on their faces, raising their gaze toward the sight ahead.
A massive structure loomed before them, a golden lion head engraved in the most prominent spot, gazing down upon them as they emerged from the subway.
The spacious passageway leading to the entrance was lined with flags waving in the breeze.
Whether it was logos of the game exhibitors, popular characters from anime IPs, or photos of influencers and stars.
The chatter of young people merged into a lively torrent, bursting with vitality like the morning sun of eight or nine o’clock.
This was the grandeur of the Linyi Gate Jinghe District Game Exhibition!
“Alright, time to get cracking!!”
As soon as they got off, Ya Qiao Mu raised his hand, excitedly making some nonsensical exclamations.
The vibe of a daily routine was electric.
“What exactly are you excited about? Is it that you just love Shijiao Ai that much?”
“President, over here!”
Just as Yan Huan was about to send a message to Sakura Kyoko, a feminine voice surprisingly penetrated the crowd and reached his ears.
Yan Huan turned slightly surprised to the sound and immediately spotted a beautiful girl standing next to the railing.
Dressed in a gothic lolita-style vintage gown, her hair tied back to highlight the black bow.
She held an umbrella to shield herself from the sun, though the light still broke through, illuminating her delicate skin.
The slightly brightened gorgeous face was framed by strands of light pink hair that danced in the wind.
Yet when she looked at Yan Huan, a gentle smile graced her lips.
Her gaze swept through the crowd, causing surrounding males to blush and falter, as if struck by a bolt of beauty.
It was none other than the Vice President of Yuan Yue’s Student Council, Sakura Kyoko.
Yan Huan and Ya Qiao Mu approached Sakura Kyoko, slightly taken aback by her outfit.
She completely hit Yan Huan’s sweet spot!
Today’s Sakura Kyoko was a grand slam of cuteness and charm—one thousand percent, without a doubt.
“Sakura, you arrived quite early.”
“Ah, because my house isn’t too far from here. I was worried that it’d be crowded today, so I had the driver leave early.”
Sakura Kyoko covered her mouth and chuckled in response.
Noticing Yan Huan’s entranced gaze, Sakura Kyoko kept her expression unchanged, with her heart secretly celebrating her successful plan.
What a scheming mind~
The reason she showed up early was to locate a prime spot near the subway exit.
Then, she posed for ten minutes to ensure every frame looked like a magazine shot.
As the President stepped out from the dim underground tunnel into the sunlight, there she would be, the stunning girl like a beacon, standing under the umbrella, waiting for his arrival.
What a psychological shock that would be?!
The outfit was carefully selected, elegant yet not ostentatious. Even the umbrella’s style was the perfect match chosen after much consideration.
A daily half-make-up look made her hard to scrutinize, paired with an all-around stylish hairstyle—utterly flawless.
Most importantly,
She wore daily disposables.
Totally in her A-game state!!
After preparing everything, she stood there, smiling, maintaining her umbrella-holding lady-like posture.
Motionless, waiting for Yan Huan to emerge.
Actually, her frail body was beginning to ache from holding still.
Just like how one’s legs feel after standing in military formation for training.
But, is the President avoiding eye contact?
Because he has noticed how stunning I look today?
Eh?
What’s this?
What kind of hairstyle does the President have today?
Did he style it? Did he fix it up?
I’ve never seen it before!
It looks great!! Paired with the President’s face—
In that moment, Sakura Kyoko’s perfect smile suddenly wavered.
She rubbed her silky legs under her dress, distracting her gaze from Yan Huan, quickly murmuring,
“Y-You Anli Na and the others are probably running late, they said they’d come together.”
“Is that so?”
Ya Qiao Mu’s astonished expression while looking at Yan Huan slowly spread to him, turning equally incredulous as they both looked at each other.
He even began to doubt if inviting this group of social butterflies to the exhibition was the right move.
Hey, is the Shaman here?
Please take me back to the cave, thanks!
Meanwhile, not far behind Sakura Kyoko, wearing a qipao and sunglasses while having breakfast, Nairu was facepalming in frustration.
This is it?
What was that about ensuring the President would be reduced to a mess? Look at this, nothing was said and he’s already soft?!
Making a fuss and putting on a show, only to have her plans crumble with one punch.
All that effort for nothing, and I helped style her for so long—so embarrassing!
Sipping her coffee, Nairu mused silently.
Well, there are still plenty of other socialites to charm at the exhibition center.
Having designed so many traps, there must be one that can ensnare Yan Huan, right?
Finishing her last bite of breakfast, Nairu set her raised leg down.
The skirt of her qipao fluttered as she stood up, silently walking towards the exhibition center.
Today would be another day of working hard for Sakura Kyoko.
“Ah! The ride-hailing service location is wrong!! It looks like the President and the others are on the east side, how did we end up getting off on the west side, ahhh!!”
“Huh?! You Anli Na, are you an idiot? How can the positioning be off?”
“I’m sorry, okay! Ai Xili, wuwu! It’s all the satellites’ fault! Maybe the satellites were affected by the Earth’s magnetic field which caused signal deviations!”
“Why don’t you say the Earth’s magnetic field messed with your brain instead? This is truly ridiculous.”
On the west side of the Golden Lion Exhibition Center, Spencer was squatting in front of a milk tea shop, watching an anime on her phone.
It seemed she was waiting for someone.
However, since she was only wearing one Bluetooth earphone, she overheard the conversation of two girls passing by.
“President?”
Hearing the keyword, she raised her gaze toward them.
She spotted two cosplayers in magical girl outfits—a blue one and a red one, looking helplessly at their phone map, hastily heading in a certain direction.
Those two looked like the school’s Student Council Discipline Chair and Secretary?
Especially the Discipline Chair—Spencer was very familiar with her.
Don’t think just because she turned into a magical girl, clever Spencer wouldn’t recognize her.
Because within this week, she had been caught several times for breaking school rules by that Discipline Chair, there was no way she’d mistake her!
Eh~
From their conversation, it sounded like Yan Huan, the President, would also be there?
Closing her phone’s anime episode, Spencer’s face revealed an intrigued expression as she watched the two leave.
