Chapter 441: The Superstar Appeals for Help
Hearing this made Tang Xiu pensive. In the past few days, he had kept hearing Zhang Xinya’s name, there were even billboards in many places in Shanghai advertising and endorsing Zhang Xinya. Was she really that hot?
“Mu Wanying, the campus would actually go so far as to invite a star to help out in the freshmen welcoming party?”
“There was almost such a precedent in the past, but this time it’s just a chance coincidence that happened due to someone knowing Zhang Xinya by chance, hence she was invited!” Mu Wanying replied with a light smile.
“Nowadays, the effect from celebrities seems to be helpful for education institutions. Hence, taking this opportunity to raise publicity!” Tang Xiu nodded thoughtfully.
“All the major famous schools and universities today are competing for outstanding students, and the progress is very intense as well.” Mu Wanying agreed. “Since the new term has just started as of now, it may have no use for the campus, yet it’s hard to say for next year. With Zhang Xinya’s signboard, I can tell that it will attract many excellent students later.”
Upon hearing this, Tang Xiu smiled and couldn’t help but shake his head.
Attending school?
Nowadays, becoming a student in this kind of era was no longer important. Even if one would obtain a very good diploma certificate in the future, then so what? They were just not in a hurry to find a job and then work for others. He heard from others that many students must study three or four years in college, yet it would be much better for them to enter society earlier to learn workmanship.
Of course, Tang Xiu didn’t approve that opinion, either. The knowledge one obtained in their schooling was the foundation, while studying workmanship was the practice. If intelligent students were able to combine the two, mastering knowledge from the textbook while allocating the time to practice it, it was the smartest choice to pick.
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Dusk finally came.
Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying called for takeout meals. After the duo finished eating in the villa, cleaned up and finished preparing, they drove to the campus. Yue Kai and the others had told them through the phone that they had been waiting for some time.
“Eldest Brother Tang, Belle Mu, how did you…” A strange expression was painted on Yue Kai’s fair and pretty face.
“Well, I saw Mu Wanying at noon, and she went along with me out of the campus to help me buy a zither,” Tang Xiu arbitrarily explained.
“Did you get one?” Yue Kai asked curiously.
Tang Xiu shook his head and said, “The quality of the zithers sold in those shops is kinda appalling, so I borrowed one.”
Yue Kai laughed softly and said, “Well, let’s see what you can do tonight. Don’t make our dorm lose face, mate.”
Giving him a calm smile as an answer, Tang Xiu turned to Mu Wanying and said, “Are you going with us directly to the campus assembly hall? Or…”
“I’ll go back to my dorm first!” Mu Wanying answered. “The others should be waiting for me there.”
Shifting his gaze to Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong, Tang Xiu said, “One of you drive her back! Going to the female students’ dorm from here will take quite some time.”
“I’ll go!”
“I’ll go!”
Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong spoke in unison.
Mu Wanying glanced at Tang Xiu, and immediately said softly, “No need to escort me there. I’ll go there on foot myself.”
Having said that, she turned around and left.
As Mu Wanying’s form disappeared in the distant corner of the pathway, Yue Kai glared at Hu Qingsong and said loudly, “Hey, Mu Wanying is mine, mate! Don’t compete with me!”
Likewise, Hu Qingsong gave him the same glare, and yelled, “That’s my line for you! Mu Wanying is mine. Never fight with me over her!”
Looking at the two glaring at each other in speechless dismay, Tang Xiu immediately produced a wry smile and said, “Hey, can the two of you behave well? You both need not fight over a trivial thing like this!”
Xue Chao nodded his head in agreement and said, “Yeah. It’s just a minor matter, guys! Besides, Mu Wanying obviously likes Boss Tang. No way she will look at you even if any of you win the fight.”
"Shut the hell up!"
"Shut the fuck up!"
Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong immediately shouted at him.
Afterward… the duo glared at each other, with a resentful look on their faces. They were no fools. How could they not see Mu Wanying’s interest in Tang Xiu? Yet they were really reluctant to give up such a great stunning beauty of that level!
After a short period of silence, Hu Qingsong suddenly turned his head to look at Tang Xiu and said seriously, “Eldest Brother Tang, three rich meals plus I can drive the Audi A8 for three days.”
“Huh?” Tang Xiu stared blankly, looking confused as he asked, “What do you mean?”
“I give you Pretty Mu,” Hu Qingsong said.
Tang Xiu wasn’t able to laugh or cry. He said, “Excuse me, you had better leave me out this. I don’t have any interest in her. If you like her, feel free to go after her.”
“Do we even have a chance unless you disappear from Earth?” Hu Qingsong rolled his eyes and ranted, “That will be a wasteful effort, so it would be better to extort you here than wasting our time. Let’s cut the crap. Three meals, and give me the Audi A8 to ride for three days. I’ll change my target later.”
“Why do I feel like I’m kinda a spendthrift fool who’s being taken advantage because of my own generosity?” Tang Xiu wryly smiled and said, “Forget it. Whether or not you want to pursue her is your business anyway. You want three meals, right? No problem with that, and I can give you the car key any time. Is that OK with you?”
Nodding in satisfaction, Hu Qingsong then put his arms around Tang Xiu’s shoulder, and said with a smile, “Big Bro Tang, you’re really cool. What about you, Yue Kai? Are you willing to give up reaching the Yellow River or not? If you don’t, then you can keep chasing her! I really wanna see you bump your head and start bleeding, and have a look at your embarrassing face empty-handed outcome.”
“Fuck off!” Yue Kai gave him a middle finger. He then looked at Tang Xiu and said, “Big Bro Tang, for me, will be six meals, plus driving your two Land Rover Range Rovers series for six days. Then I’ll give up as well.”
Rolling his eyes at him, Tang Xiu then gave his car key to Yue Kai, and said, “This will be annulled if any of you tell this matter to Zhao Liang, got it?”
Yue Kai grinned and took the Land Rover car. He then blew a kiss to Tang Xiu and said with a smile, “Only a fool will tell Zhao Liang of this good deed. Though that kid has good looks, no way in hell can he be compared to me, no? But Eldest Brother, are you really not going to pursue Mu Wanying? To me, she’s the best woman, with the best figure and temperament. Definitely a woman of the topmost quality I’ve ever seen among the rest.”
“I really am not interested in her, okay?” Tang Xiu rolled his eyes, and snappily said, “I think the most urgent thing for us now is to study, during which we must give some thoughts to our future. And it would be best if we can spare some time to do some business, as well.”
“Eldest Brother, it’s a given for us to study when we got to college,” Yue Kai couldn’t help laughing. “But do you really intend to study so assiduously? As for doing business, please don’t tease us and leave that out, will ya? Granted that if we did have the capital, it’s not like we have that orientation, either.”
“Big Bro Tang, don’t speak in a dream!” Hu Qingsong grinned and said, “Hey, shall we punch him to wake him up? For us college student to do business, that’s simply a joke.”
Tang Xiu was devoid of any words.
He was wondering if he had to tell them that he already started his business in high school. Would their eyes be staring wide?
“Let us go then! Off to the campus assembly hall.”
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In order not to show off what they had, the group didn’t drive again, but strolled toward the campus assembly hall. When they came inside, they found that the seats had been arranged according to each department and class. There were enough to accommodate nearly ten thousand people in the auditorium.
“Anyhow, Big Bro Tang, you gotta head to the backstage since every participant who will perform from each class must sign in there. Also, there’s a compartment in the backstage dedicated to the participants to recess. You can come out to the audience after you are finished with your performance,” Hu Qingsong informed him.
Holding the zither, Tang Xiu nodded after hearing this.
After asking around, he quickly arrived at the hall corridor behind the assembly hall. There, he saw many students bustling about, who were looking rather naïve and honest. He followed the name of the departments and classes marked on the doors in the corridor, and easily found the room where the students who would participate in the show were staying.
A tender girl who was putting on makeup saw Tang Xiu sit next to her. She immediately turned her head and asked curiously, “Tang Xiu, is that a zither you’re holding?”
“Yup, it’s a zither,” Tang Xiu said with an affable smile.
“So your show is playing the zither?” the girl inquired further.
“Yeah, singing and playing with it,” Tang Xiu replied easily.
“That’s amazing!” The girl gave him a thumbs-up and praised, “To think that there are still boys who can play the zither, yet you actually can sing and play it. Anyhow, do you sing very well?”
“Well, it’s just so-so!” Tang Xiu said with a chuckle.
The girl nodded after hearing this and no longer chatted with him as she continued putting on her makeup.
At this time, a dozen or so fellow students in this room were either putting on their makeup, making last-minute preparations, or familiarizing themselves with the upcoming show. Yet Tang Xiu took out his mobile phone and played with it after he sat down. He didn’t need to practice to perform in the show, as he could sing and play the zither directly.
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Meanwhile, in another room a few dozen meters away from the History Department’s backstage rest area, several makeup artists surrounded Zhang Xinya and did her makeup. Behind her was a middle-aged woman wearing a forced wry smile, as her eyes glanced through the door outside from time to time.
Creak…
The door was pushed open and the Vice President of Shanghai University walked in, a similar wry smile on his face. He quickly took a glance at Zhang Xinya, before his eyes turned to the middle-aged woman, and said, “I can’t find anyone. Shanghai University is not a music academy, after all. There are only so few teachers or students who are able to play the zither. I also have sent some people to go outside the campus to find one. I just don’t know if the time is enough for them to come here.”
“Vice President Li, we must find someone who can play the zither!” The middle-aged woman frowned and said, “We forgot to bring our house obligato musician. And it’s too late if we go back now. So…”
The middle-aged Vice President Li sighed. During his chat with the middle-aged woman and unable to find a way out, a university lecturer came hurrying into the room holding a list and said, “I’ve found one! There’s a student on our campus who signed up to sing and play with a zither. How about we let him try it?”
A relieved and happy expression appeared on Vice President Li’s face as he quickly took the playlist. After reading the content on it, he immediately said, “Seize the time to quickly find him! The situation has already come to this point, so we have no choice but to try!”
Zhang Xinya, who was still being made-up, frowned slightly. With a bit of a displeased expression, she said, “Vice President Li, what are you talking about? You say it’s only a desperate effort, like giving medicine to a dead horse? The genre we’re about to sing can be considered a classical genre. Although that student signed up to sing and play the zither in the program, we can’t be sure whether he’s able to assist us or not! Besides, it’s only half an hour left before the opening of your Shanghai University’s freshmen welcoming party. Even if we had been working together before, I’m afraid the result won’t be as expected.”