The entire crowd was stunned!
All eyes turned to the lucky person Ran Dongye had approached. The students standing in the back assumed that Ran Dongye must know Ye Qiu, so she came over to greet him. They could only feel envy, regretting that they weren't born into wealthy families; otherwise, they too could have casually gone up to greet Ran Dongye.
However, the group of young men standing closer to them were filled with confusion. Who was this guy, and why would Ran Dongye go out of her way to talk to him? They wondered if he was someone from a prestigious family, just like Yang Aiguo, but none of them recognized him.
What they didn't know was that even Yang Aiguo himself was puzzled. How could they know each other? Just a moment ago, Ye Qiu had said he couldn't see her face clearly, yet from Ran Dongye's words, it seemed like they were quite familiar.
Even more exaggerated were Yang Le and Li Dazhuang, who were standing right next to Ye Qiu. Gazing at the stunning beauty of Ran Dongye up close, they were filled with inexplicable excitement. The two grown men, in their excitement, actually grabbed each other's hands in public—let's hope no one gets the wrong idea. After all, in this day and age, love knows no boundaries of gender, nationality, age, or number.
Ye Qiu raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "Miss Ran, I think you've mistaken me for someone else. I don't recall ever meeting you."
As soon as Ye Qiu said this, countless Ran Dongye fans around him felt an urge to challenge him to a duel. Yang Le and Li Dazhuang were also dying to kick him—how could he be so tactless? A beautiful woman had gone out of her way to strike up a conversation, and he just had to expose her mistake. Is that how a man is supposed to act?
Ran Dongye's face darkened momentarily, but she quickly regained her smile and said, "You must have forgotten. Last time, I saw you at a restaurant, drinking with Yang Aiguo and the others. My friends and I were cheering you on."
"Oh," Ye Qiu nodded. "Thanks."
"Ye... do you have time this morning? I'd like to treat you to a meal." Ran Dongye looked at Ye Qiu's delicate face, his raised eyebrows, and his slightly upturned mouth when he smiled. She asked earnestly.
"I don't have time. I have work to do," Ye Qiu replied truthfully. He really didn't have time. He didn't know if Tang Guo and Lin Bao'er would return for lunch, but if they did, he had to be there. Unlike other university students, his life wasn't very free. Although Tang Guo didn't want to interfere in his life, nor did she want him to interfere in hers.
"Alright then," Ran Dongye bit her lip, looking pitiful. "I'll come to find you another time."
She gave Ye Qiu a forlorn look before saying goodbye to Yang Aiguo and the others, then hurried off with her assistant, leaving behind a faint fragrance and a fleeting white silhouette.
As Ran Dongye walked away, Li Dazhuang reluctantly withdrew his gaze and said, "She's gorgeous. Absolutely stunning. She reminds me of a Hollywood star—Vivien Leigh from *Gone with the Wind*. Don't you think?"
"What are you talking about? Chinese women have a unique elegance that's unmatched. What's wrong with your eyes?" Yang Le slapped the lovestruck Li Dazhuang on the back of the head and then looked at Ye Qiu, saying, "I'm curious, why does every beautiful woman seem to be connected to you somehow?—uh, Kexin, I didn't mean you, don't misunderstand."
After saying this, Yang Le realized that his explanation was rather flawed. Not mentioning Lan Kexin—did that imply she wasn't a beauty? He wanted to explain further but feared that the more he said, the worse it would get, so he didn't dare say anything more.
Lan Kexin blushed, standing quietly to the side without saying a word.
"Yeah, I'm curious too. Ye Qiu, when did you and Ran Dongye meet?" Yang Aiguo walked over, smiling as he asked.
"She mentioned it already. I think she said we met when I was drinking with you at the restaurant. But honestly, I don't remember her," Ye Qiu replied, choosing his words carefully.
"That's pretty harsh. A beautiful woman goes out of her way to talk to you, and you just brush her off like that. I bet she'll be crying her eyes out when she gets home," Yang Aiguo joked, but inwardly, he was skeptical of Ye Qiu's response. They hadn't met Ran Dongye for the first time today, and they knew her pretty well. With her pride, would she really go out of her way to talk to someone just because she saw them once at a restaurant? When did Ran Dongye become so infatuated?
The young men who had previously looked down on Ye Qiu now gathered around, politely striking up a conversation while subtly probing for information about him. Ye Qiu gave vague answers, and since even Yang Aiguo didn't know Ye Qiu's background, this only added to the mystery surrounding him in their minds.
Of course, with recognition comes resentment. The man who had been rejected by Ran Dongye when he offered her the bouquet of lilies didn't look at Ye Qiu with much friendliness.
Meanwhile, with the help of the school's administration, Ran Dongye managed to escape the enthusiastic students and left Tsinghua University. Her driver was already waiting at the gate with the car.
Her assistant quickly opened the car door, and as Ran Dongye got in, her face showed a gloomy expression. She seemed lost in thought, unsure of what was on her mind.
"Today's commercial shoot went really well. Director Zhang was very pleased—once it's edited, I'll bring it to you to see—" The female assistant tried to improve Ran Dongye's mood by bringing up a topic she thought might interest her.
"Mm. You guys can decide on that. I don't want to go back to the company; just take me back to school." Ran Dongye's last sentence was directed at the driver, but her expression seemed off.
"Dongye, are you okay?" The assistant was now genuinely worried. She wasn't just Ran Dongye's work assistant but also her personal assistant. Ran Dongye was a new talent that the company was heavily promoting. If she had any psychological issues and the assistant didn't notice, it would be her failure.
"I'm fine. Just feeling a bit tired," Ran Dongye shook her head.
"Maybe you've been working too hard lately. How about we go for a spa treatment to relax?"
"No need. Just take me back to the dorm so I can get some sleep."
The car stopped at the Beijing Film Academy, and Ran Dongye got out. Still wearing the costume from the shoot, she drew a lot of attention. However, students at the film academy often worked part-time outside, so her presence didn't cause much of a stir.
Waving goodbye to her assistant, Ran Dongye grabbed her bag and entered the school. After a moment's thought, she took out her phone from her bag and dialed a number.
"Hello, is this Yang Aiguo? Are you still with Ye Qiu?"
"Yes, I am. Why are you so concerned about him?" Yang Aiguo looked at Ye Qiu beside him, wondering what exactly the connection between him and Ran Dongye was.
"Because he's annoying," Ran Dongye said, her voice tinged with frustration. As she finished speaking, tears of grievance welled up in her eyes. Biting her lip, she added, "Help me look into his background, but don't let him know."
To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8