Ye Qiu clearly remembered the loudest protester—it was the same guy who had sarcastically asked if he was out of his mind when Yang Le had first invited him to join the club. Now, after Ran Dongye's sudden arrival, he had turned into a die-hard fan of the Archaeology Enthusiasts Association. Not letting him join was out of the question, as he seemed ready to fight for it.
Left with no choice, Ye Qiu asked everyone to wait for a moment. He then grabbed a blank form and sent Li Dazhuang to make a hundred copies, finally managing to calm the crowd down.
Ye Qiu escorted Ran Dongye out of the crowd, and the two walked into the forest behind the main teaching building. Once they confirmed that no one was following them, they stopped.
"You had many choices; why did you choose to become a star?" Ye Qiu asked, glancing at Ran Dongye's chest, which was rising and falling rapidly from the earlier running. Although Ye Qiu didn't know much about Ran Dongye's background, any family that could casually write a check for ten million yuan was certainly not ordinary.
"I just wanted to sing quietly. Do you believe that?" Ran Dongye noticed where Ye Qiu's gaze had wandered and subtly turned her body to the side, avoiding a direct view of her chest. Little did she know, from the side, her chest looked even more full and firm, as if sculpted by a master artist. Even Su Shi, the ancient Chinese poet, would have advised that the proper perspective to appreciate a woman's beauty is from the side.
"I believe you," Ye Qiu nodded. If Ran Dongye was in it for the money, she would have had far better options.
"My sister cares for me deeply. When she asked about my dreams, I told her I wanted to sing. So, she convinced our family to support me and started paving the way for my career. The entertainment company I'm signed with was specifically set up by my sister. She was afraid I'd be bullied if I signed with another company. Our company doesn't have many artists yet, and none of them are well-known. The company is actually operating at a loss right now," Ran Dongye said, her face lighting up with admiration and love as she spoke about her sister. The more Ye Qiu interacted with Ran Dongye, the more he realized how multifaceted and beautiful she was. "Since we were kids, whatever I wanted, my sister would go to great lengths to get it for me."
Ye Qiu listened quietly. He had met her sister before—a woman of stunning beauty, decisiveness, and ruthlessness, like a poppy flower in full bloom, alluring yet deadly.
"But... my sister's dream was to become a painter," Ran Dongye added sadly.
"Everyone faces their own struggles in life. Your sister's burden was to give up her dream, and yours is to carry the weight of both of your dreams. No matter what choices you make, stay strong and keep moving forward," Ye Qiu's tone softened as he looked at Ran Dongye. When a girl opens up to you about her feelings, it's hard not to lower your guard.
"Let's not talk about this anymore," Ran Dongye said, shaking her head with a smile as if to shake off all her worries. "You've completed your recruitment task, haven't you?"
"Yes, thanks to you," Ye Qiu replied gratefully. This year's recruitment was probably the best it had ever been. A few hundred archaeology enthusiasts—that was quite an impressive turnout. When Mr. Chen saw the thick stack of registration forms, he might think Ye Qiu was exceptionally capable, not realizing it had nothing to do with him.
"I helped you so much; how are you going to repay me?"
"Repay you? Oh, right, I should repay you," Ye Qiu said as he pulled out his wallet and took out thirty yuan, handing it to Ran Dongye. "To thank you for your enormous contribution to our Archaeology Enthusiasts Association, your membership fee is waived."
Ran Dongye stared at the thirty yuan in her hand, dumbfounded. "Am I only worth thirty yuan?"
"Of course not—no, I mean you're worth far more than thirty yuan. But our recruitment doesn't come with any commission, so if I waive your membership fee, I have to pay out of my own pocket," Ye Qiu explained quickly, worried that she might think he was pocketing some of the money. The department hadn't mentioned anything about getting a commission for recruiting new members; it was all volunteer work.
"No, no," Ran Dongye said, waving her hand. "I don't want your money, but you'll have to find another way to repay me."
"No money? Then I only have my body left to offer."
"—Keep it for now. Come on, I'll take you somewhere," Ran Dongye said, linking her arm with Ye Qiu's and pulling him along. With her hat and sunglasses on, and her face leaning against Ye Qiu's chest, no one would recognize her even if they passed by.
"Aren't you supposed to be helping your friend with the dance rehearsal?" Ye Qiu asked. Though he quite enjoyed having a pretty girl on his arm, he could still feel the softness of her skin through their clothes, and the fresh scent of her mixed with apple-scented body wash and her natural fragrance.
"We'll rehearse tomorrow. There's plenty of time. I'll just call him later," Ran Dongye replied.
Lan Kexin's aunt lived in Beijing, and the previous night, her uncle called to say her aunt had fallen ill. Since he was away on a business trip and couldn't get back, he asked Lan Kexin to go over and help. Of course, Lan Kexin couldn't refuse, but she had promised Yang Le that she would come back to help with the recruitment today.
When her aunt felt better after taking her medicine, Lan Kexin rushed back to the school. When she finally reached the Archaeology Enthusiasts Association's recruitment booth, she found only two tables and a few chairs—no one was there. Thinking they might have gone to other areas to recruit, she searched around the other departments' recruitment sites. She eventually found Yang Le and Li Dazhuang, both engrossed in watching a Taekwondo demonstration.
"Yang Le, Li Dazhuang, what are you doing here? Where's Ye Qiu? Did we recruit anyone?" Lan Kexin asked, tugging on their sleeves.
"Kexin, you're here! Haha, we've exceeded our recruitment targets," Li Dazhuang said, waving a thick stack of registration forms at her.
"So many?" Lan Kexin was amazed. She had been worried that they wouldn't get enough members and that the club might be disbanded.
"Yeah, thanks to Dongye's star power," Li Dazhuang and Yang Le said, adding a bit of embellishment as they recounted what had happened. Even those around them were drawn to the story. Some regretted missing out on seeing Ran Dongye at the Archaeology Enthusiasts Association's booth and wanted to sign up right away, hoping they might see her at future events.
Lan Kexin listened quietly, a faint smile on her face. When they finished, she asked softly, "Where's Ye Qiu?"
"Ye Qiu? Haha, he was swept away by a beautiful girl. We have to give him credit—he's unbelievably lucky with women," Li Dazhuang said with a grin.
Yang Le gave Li Dazhuang a smack on the head, realizing that the smile on Lan Kexin's face had turned a bit awkward.
To avoid attracting attention, Ran Dongye and Ye Qiu took a roundabout route, exiting through the back gate of Shimu University and then going back to the front gate to retrieve the car. Although Ye Qiu found this a bit troublesome, there was a certain thrill to it—like sneaking around for an illicit affair, though he hadn't actually engaged in such activities before.
"Do you know how to drive?" Ran Dongye asked as she opened the door of a yellow Beetle and slid into the passenger seat, tossing the keys to Ye Qiu.
Ye Qiu smiled wryly. He really shouldn't be spending so much time with someone who knew too much about him. What if Shen Monong saw him driving a pretty girl around? He wondered what she would think.
Starting the car, Ye Qiu asked, "Where are we going? I don't have a driver's license. If anything happens, you'll have to take responsibility."
"Don't worry. As long as you don't drive into a traffic light, my car isn't likely to get a ticket," Ran Dongye said confidently. "We're heading to Binhai Avenue. If you don't know the way, there's a GPS."
"What are we doing there?"
"That's a secret. You'll find out when we get there."
Following Ran Dongye's instructions, Ye Qiu eventually parked in front of a place called "Starry Sky Club."
Ran Dongye didn't get out immediately but pointed at the club's name. "You probably don't know my sister's name, do you?"
When Ye Qiu shook his head, she smiled proudly. "This club is named after my sister."
Starry Sky Club? Ran Xingchen? The name truly matched the person, perfectly reflecting her character, Ye Qiu thought, silently praising the name.
Ran Dongye seemed to be a regular here. When they reached the entrance, she didn't need to show any identification; she simply walked in with her head held high, while the security guards in black uniforms respectfully saluted her. Ye
Qiu also enjoyed this rare moment of feeling important, puffing out his chest as he followed her in.
"A bit hungry? Let's get something to eat first. The steak here is pretty good. After we eat, I'll give you a tour," Ran Dongye said, checking with Ye Qiu.
"Whatever you say," Ye Qiu replied casually. He didn't have any specific purpose for being there—he just wanted to repay Ran Dongye's kindness.
The first floor of the club was a private restaurant. Although it wasn't lunchtime yet, quite a few people were inside, sipping tea and enjoying snacks. Ran Dongye's arrival quickly drew attention, and several people greeted her warmly.
"Boss, the lady's here," a man in the corner said ingratiatingly to a man in a sharp black suit with chiseled features.
"You're calling her that too early, aren't you? The young lady surely doesn't appreciate being called that," the man replied, hiding a cold smile behind his teacup. His eyes scrutinized Ye Qiu from head to toe.
"Do you know him?"
"No."
"Should I go say hello?"
"Yuan Xiang, no need. That'll only annoy Dongye," the man said with a slight shake of his head.
"Should we send them over?" Yuan Xiang asked, pointing to another group of people at a nearby table. When his boss smiled without objecting, Yuan Xiang took out his phone and headed to the restroom.
To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8