Around lunchtime, Tang Guo called Ye Qiu to let him know that she and Lin Bao'er wouldn't be returning to Blue Apartment at noon since they still had classes in the afternoon. They would eat at school, leaving Ye Qiu to handle his meal on his own.
Ye Qiu didn't have to worry about money. Tang Buyi had given him a credit card with a credit limit of one million, and it was regularly recharged when funds were low. So, he decided to invite Lan Kexin, Yang Le, and Li Dazhuang to lunch. Wu Zhengjing, who seemed to prefer being alone, had left the dorm with a couple of books shortly after Ye Qiu and the others returned.
The third canteen at the school was managed by an outside contractor, offering a wide variety of delicious dishes, including several specialty snacks and pastries that were particularly popular with the female students. Naturally, it was also a prime hunting ground for the male students.
It's often said that a woman's intelligence is inversely proportional to her looks. Pretty girls are constantly distracted by outside attention, making it hard for them to focus on their studies. In contrast, less attractive girls often immerse themselves in their textbooks, using academic success to prove their worth. As a result, most of the girls who get into prestigious schools like Tsinghua University aren't typically the most stunning. Tang Guo and Lin Bao'er, with their exceptional looks, were practically national treasures.
"Ye Qiu, you and Kexin find a place to sit. Dazhuang and I will go get the food," Yang Le said cheerfully, then dragged Li Dazhuang off to the No. 11 window. They had already spotted a few attractive girls in the queue.
"Ye Qiu, have you thought of a plan?" Lan Kexin asked softly, looking at Ye Qiu.
"Are you talking about recruiting new members? Twenty shouldn't be too hard to get. If all else fails—" Ye Qiu thought back to the scenery they had seen by the sports field and looked at Lan Kexin with a grin.
"What if it fails?" Lan Kexin asked curiously.
"If it fails, we'll use the beauty trap," Ye Qiu said with a chuckle. "We could get you a white tennis skirt, and if you hand out flyers in that, we'll definitely attract some attention."
Lan Kexin blushed deeply, flustered by the idea.
"Haha, don't worry. That's our last resort; I won't use it unless absolutely necessary," Ye Qiu reassured her, though he couldn't help but imagine what Lan Kexin would look like in a white tennis skirt, showing off her long legs. If he could also convince Tang Guo and Lin Bao'er to dress the same way and help recruit, they could easily get not just twenty, but two hundred members.
Yang Le and Li Dazhuang returned with trays, placing the dishes on the table. Li Dazhuang looked dejected as he said, "The early bird gets the worm. We've only just started school, and the new girls are already taken, mostly by second and third-year guys. They're all targeting the freshers. Looks like Yang Le and I will have to wait for the next batch of freshmen."
"Exactly. They've been eyeing the newcomers since the start," Yang Le said as he and Li Dazhuang sat across from Ye Qiu. Suddenly, Yang Le pointed with his chopsticks and said, "Hey, Ye Qiu, isn't that your girlfriend?"
"My girlfriend?" Ye Qiu followed the direction of Yang Le's chopsticks and saw Tang Guo and Lin Bao'er squeezed into the crowd, each holding a stainless steel lunchbox, eagerly waiting in line at the No. 6 window, famous for its braised chicken legs.
"I'll go call them over and help them with their food," Yang Le said, standing up.
Ye Qiu quickly grabbed him, saying, "Leave them be. Let's just eat."
"Come on, Ye Qiu, what's with you? This morning, the gorgeous Ran Dongye made a move on you, and you barely responded. Now, when your girlfriend's here at the canteen, you don't even go help her out—these are beautiful girls we're talking about! How can you be so indifferent?"
"She's not my girlfriend," Ye Qiu had to correct him again. After all, what about Tang Guo suggested she was his girlfriend?
"Is she your admirer, then?" Li Dazhuang asked with a sly smile.
"Think as far as you can, then get lost as far as you can," Ye Qiu said, not bothering to entertain their antics as he picked up his chopsticks and started eating.
"Tang Tang, I see Ye Qiu over there," Lin Bao'er said, pointing to where Ye Qiu was sitting as she carried her food.
"Yeah, I see him too... Let's pretend we didn't, or we won't get a chance to check out the cute guys," Tang Guo said.
"Oh, but there aren't any cute guys around here—why do so many people keep looking at us then?"
"Because we're pretty. Cute guys are worth waiting for. We need to be patient—there's a spot over there, let's go." Tang Guo led Lin Bao'er to a table not far from Ye Qiu's group, but they weren't keen on joining them.
"Tang Tang, there's a pretty girl sitting next to Ye Qiu—"
"That's just a classmate—why are all the guys here uglier than Ye Qiu?"
The third canteen was filling up fast, and the dining hall buzzed with chatter, the air thick with the aroma of food. Yang Le and Li Dazhuang asked Ye Qiu if he had any ideas for recruiting new members, so Ye Qiu shared his plan to have Lan Kexin wear a white tennis skirt. Their eyes lit up, and they eagerly agreed, even offering their own suggestions. For example, instead of tennis skirts, they could go for bikinis or leopard print—
"Hey, are you guys eating here too?" a clear voice interrupted.
Just as they were getting excited about their plans, they turned to see Ran Dongye standing beside their table, smiling. Behind her was a group of young women, all attractive and all eyes on Ye Qiu.
Ran Dongye had changed out of the white wedding dress she had worn for the morning's commercial shoot and was now dressed casually. She wore a loose, spotted dress paired with a light yellow cardigan, which created a perfect waistline contrast at her midsection. Her feet were adorned with shiny black flats, and she topped off her look with a white baseball cap, combining fashion and a touch of playfulness.
"You're really persistent," Ye Qiu said, glaring at Ran Dongye's bright eyes with a hint of displeasure.
Ran Dongye stubbornly met Ye Qiu's gaze, showing no sign of backing down. There were some things she needed to clarify.
"Tang Tang, another group of pretty girls is here to see Ye Qiu—"
"I see them. How can so many women have such poor taste?" Tang Guo mumbled through a mouthful of chicken leg.
To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8