Awkward levels off the charts

Zhao Yuqi was someone Chen Yuan naturally knew.

At Lake University's College of Arts, almost everyone was familiar with her. She was, in a word, exceptional—perhaps excessively so.

Not only was she the Vice President of the Student Council, but she also led the dance club and had hosted several cultural events.

Her singing was beautiful, and she even held a Level 10 piano certificate.

But none of these accomplishments were the main reason she was so well-known. The real reason? She was stunningly beautiful.

To many male students, Zhao Yuqi was more attractive than even the most famous celebrities.

If you didn't believe in love at first sight, meeting her would make you reconsider. And to top it all off, her family background seemed anything but ordinary.

Because of all these qualities, few dared to pursue her. Most guys felt she was out of their league, her aura simply too dazzling.

Chen Yuan was fully aware of this. He already felt he was punching above his weight when he was chasing Lin Shutong. Zhao Yuqi was on a whole different level—completely unattainable.

But now, with his newfound confidence, a little admiration from afar didn't seem like a bad thing.

After all, it wasn't like he was spending his own money, right?

Around 8 AM, Chen Yuan arrived at the lecture hall for the open class. Today, he was dressed in the clothes Xu Lele had picked out for him the day before.

His hair, too, was neatly styled.

Xu Lele had a keen eye for fashion. The outfit she chose perfectly complemented Chen Yuan's clean and refined look.

"Who's that guy? He's actually pretty handsome. How come I haven't noticed him before?"

"Not sure, but he does look kind of familiar."

"Oh my God, that's Chen Yuan! I can't believe it—since when did he become so good-looking?"

"Actually, Chen Yuan was never bad-looking. It's just that his old hairstyle was awful, and he used to dress poorly.

Plus, everyone saw him as a bit of a loser, always hanging around the girls' dorms trying to win over Lin Shutong. Who knew a breakup would change him so much?"

"Seems like heartbreak really does make people grow."

A group of girls sat together, whispering and occasionally glancing at Chen Yuan's seat.

Just then, Lin Shutong and Sun Rui walked into the room, hand in hand.

Both were dressed in trendy, youthful outfits. Lin Shutong, in particular, looked radiant with her ponytail, white sneakers, and tight-fitting pants that highlighted her figure.

The moment she saw Chen Yuan, she froze for a full two seconds, unable to believe that this once scruffy guy could clean up so well.

Lin Shutong: Affection +10

Lin Shutong: Affection +10

Lin Shutong: Affection +10

Chen Yuan was speechless. The first glance after their reunion, and Lin Shutong's affection for him shot up by 30 points.

Three whole years of effort hadn't made her look at him any differently—in fact, she grew more annoyed with him over time.

Yet now, all it took was a change of clothes and a slightly more polished appearance to earn him 30 points of affection?

Chen Yuan's mind was reeling; he almost wanted to curse out loud. So, women really are that superficial.

A few seconds later, Lin Shutong and Sun Rui sat down right behind him. In the past, Lin Shutong would never have sat this close to him.

Even when they were together, she always kept her distance. But now, she actually chose to sit behind him!

As Chen Yuan tried to process this, the guys around him started chatting.

"Did you catch the Shark Stream last night?

Xiaomi's stream blew up—20 billion viewers! Some rich guy dropped 5,000 rockets in just half an hour. It was insane!"

"I missed the stream, but I saw it trending on Weibo this morning. That's some serious cash!"

"5,000 rockets? That's like ten million yuan!

You could buy a villa with that kind of money, and this dude just threw it at a streamer. Crazy! My broke mind can't even begin to comprehend it."

"Hah, you think those rich guys are dumb? They're not just throwing money around for fun.

There's always something in it for them—either some under-the-table deal or the streaming platform hyping things up. Nothing surprising about it."

Listening to their conversation, Chen Yuan froze. The mysterious rich guy they were talking about was sitting right next to them.

Who would've thought that sending a few rockets would land him on the trending list? Seemed like it was worth it after all!

This feeling of being talked about and admired—it was pretty sweet! It almost made him want to stand up and announce, "Alright, cards on the table.

I'm the rich guy you're all talking about. I'm Lonely Cigarette. Ha!" But then he wondered, would that come off as too much of a flex?

Just then, two more girls walked into the classroom. One of them had a tomboyish style, with short hair cropped like a guy's and stood about 1.72 meters tall.

The other girl, who was about 1.68 meters, instantly made the room of over 200 students go silent as she entered.

Especially the guys—their eyes were practically glued to her.

Not only was this girl stunningly beautiful, but she also had a certain grace that set her apart from the average girl. It was like a swan had wandered into a flock of ducklings. Every move she made drew attention.

"Zhao Yuqi really is gorgeous. And she hardly even dressed up today, but she's still glowing."

"Her skin, her figure, her face—everything about her is perfect. And on top of that, she's talented too. Girls like her, it's not just guys who are into them—even other girls admire her."

"I heard Zhao Yuqi's been kept by someone. I saw her getting into a Rolls-Royce once."

"Who cares what car she got into? Don't spread baseless rumors."

The guys in the room were all watching, hoping Zhao Yuqi would sit near them. Even just being close to her would be enough.

As everyone held their breath in anticipation, a tall, handsome guy suddenly stood up. He walked straight over to Zhao Yuqi.

"President Zhao, uh... can I add you on WeChat?"

"What the heck? Li Jianfeng's got guts, asking for her contact like that!"

"Damn it, if only I'd been quicker!"

"Li Jianfeng's got a lot going for him—he's good-looking, plays basketball well, and can rap. He's definitely got an edge!"

All eyes were on Zhao Yuqi, waiting to see how she would respond.

But before Zhao Yuqi could say anything, the short-haired, tomboyish girl stepped in front of Li Jianfeng.

"What do you want?"

"Uh... I'm Li Jianfeng. I was hoping to join the Student Council, and since Yuqi's the Vice President, I thought I'd ask her!" Li Jianfeng stammered.

"If you want to join the Student Council, just fill out an application. The council recruits new members every year.

You've had three years to join, and now you suddenly want Yuqi's WeChat? What's your real motive here, huh?"

The short-haired girl bluntly called out his excuse, making the situation incredibly awkward.

"I... I..."

Li Jianfeng stuttered, his handsome face turning bright red in embarrassment.

Awkward levels off the charts...