Soon, the girls who were helping Dwayne earlier began screaming in front of the tent. Those who wanted to confirm the news immediately checked the ranking. When they saw the numbers, their mouths dropped open.
The school forum also exploded.
A post showing a picture of the updated ranking shook almost all the students on the forum.
"Wow, a million!"
"Who just gave a million votes for a contestant?"
"There's a rich second generation supporting the contestant from the IT department?!"
"So rich!"
"Did it say who?"
"No, it's anonymous."
"But that person will be revealed once the winner is announced, right?"
"Oh! The privilege to request anything! Yeah, we'll see who they are once the top voter is called to ask what they want the winning contestant to do."
"That cute boy from the IT Department is so lucky, a rich second generation person was willing to pay a million for him."
"Hope the request isn't too extreme. I saw the contestant, and he really is adorable when he sits beside the white cats!"
"Agreed! Such a refreshing sight. I heard that he's still a first-year. A cute, adorable junior who doesn't have a girlfriend or boyfriend!"
In today's society, it was widely accepted that two men could fall in love and date. There were already many masculine and feminine couples who got married. The era of discrimination against these couples had passed, and it became the norm for many people to form relationships with the same sex.
"Doesn't have a boyfriend or girlfriend?! A fresh, innocent catch! I hope he doesn't get eaten by a big bad wolf."
"Whoever voted a million for him, you'd better behave because this sister will be watching!"
"I heard that the senior IT students already made a premade request poll for this cute junior, making sure he won't receive any weird requests that could soil his innocence."
"That's a good move! I'll be watching!"
Meanwhile, Dwayne was confused about what the commotion was about. The seniors who had been instructing him to pose for photos, carry the kittens near his cheek, or cradle them on his lap, suddenly stopped giving him orders.
Instead, they looked as if they were celebrating something. They kept jumping around and screaming as if something wonderful had happened. Then they looked at him as if he had given them money.
Dwayne tilted his head in confusion.
In his lap, two white cats lay on their big fluffy bellies, playing with the feathered tail he playfully flicked above them. The cats had clear golden eyes with round irises. Their soft fur tickled his skin, and they looked extremely adorable.
Dwayne wanted to play with them more, but his seniors kept giving him orders to pose this way and that, making him miss the opportunity to play with them to his heart's content. Still, he wanted to make these seniors happy, as they had prepared all of this for him. Judging by the decorations, it was evident that Senior Lila and the others had thought the concept through with him in mind.
He felt slightly ashamed for trying to run earlier, considering the amount of effort they had poured into this contest.
But now, seeing them so happy, it made him happy. Dwane wanted to know what it was and share the happiness with them.
"Senior, did something good happen?" he asked curiously.
Senior Zack was the first to hear him. His eyes lit up when he saw Dwayne. And without warning, this bear size man pulled him to his feet.
"Ah!"
"Dwayne! Dwayne! Woohoo!!! I was right, you are the fairy of our department! A god send angel!" he laughed boisterously.
Dwayne's knees almost gave way as Zack's large hands hit his shoulders, making his whole body sway under Zack's formidable strength.
"What happened, senior?" Dwayne managed to evade the last strike from Zack, his curly hair bouncing as he bent down and hopped away like a frightened rabbit.
Zack was in too good of a mood to notice Dwayne's evasion and continued to laugh heartily.
"Little Dwayne, your victory in this contest is assured. No matter how much the others try to gain the audience's favor and votes, they won't be able to surpass you!"
Zack noticed Dwayne's soft, bouncy hair that seemed to highlight his amicable features. Seeing this little kid become even more handsome made Zack feel proud, like a parent. He affectionately rubbed Dwayne's head and proudly announced, "My son has grown into a fine young man!" Then he giggled like an idiot.
"Huh?" Zack's weird reaction made Dwayne doubt whether his senior was still okay. He heard from Lila, Zack's girlfriend, that Zack was a total airhead. His brain was as small as a bird's, so other than developing programs, there wasn't much space for anything else.
Dwayne chose to not say anything and just let Senior Zack pat his head, hoping his happy mood would dissipate a little and reason would slowly return.
"Come, come, I'm sorry for disturbing you. Continue playing with these cats, okay? Are you thirsty? Should I buy your favorite yogurt drink?"
Dwayne shook his head. Senior Lila had already prepared a box of yogurt in a cooler, so Dwayne was free to take as many as he liked.
In the past four hours that he had been there, he'd already finished half of the box. He could still taste the yogurt at the tip of his lips.
"Okay, okay. If it gets too stuffy, ask for a twenty-minute break, okay? It's really fine."
Dwayne smiled at his senior's concern but refused the offer. The seniors managing the voting poll system hadn't taken a break, nor had the ones busy at the front. He also knew that if he took a break, it could potentially affect their work.
He was the highlight of this contest, how can the seniors invite the onlookers to vote for him and the department if he himself is not there?
Beside, he can still stay for two more hours.