Zhang Han paced back and forth along the narrow path, a bouquet of flowers in his hand. Honestly, he hadn't the slightest clue whether Meina would accept his confession today. "Sigh, never mind." Zhang Han glanced at the darkening sky and stomped his foot. "No use worrying about it now; if this doesn't work, there's always next time." He thought to himself, with his caliber, how could he possibly fail to win over Han Meina?

Zhang Han looked at the roses in his hand. While the scene wouldn't be as grand as the senior's previous romantic gesture, confessing to Meina at the welcoming ceremony would surely make her the focus of the entire Finance Department. Thinking of this, Zhang Han found his courage renewed. Clutching the flowers, he strode excitedly toward the auditorium.

Because some classes had bought flowers to cheer on their classmates performing on stage, ready to present them later to draw attention, Zhang Han’s entrance with the bouquet didn't cause much of a stir. Even those who noticed probably just assumed he was heading backstage for a performance and thought it excessive to buy such large flowers—a truly showy move.

Zhang Han, familiar with the layout, walked over to his roommates and asked them to hold the flowers for him. His roommates were startled by the large bouquet of roses he handed over. However, recalling how the class beauty from the neighboring class had received an even bigger bouquet, they quickly relaxed. But they wondered if Han Meina would accept this one, as she was their class beauty too. There was no reason why Han Meina should be considered inferior to the other girl.

One roommate stopped Zhang Han just as he was about to leave. "Hey, Hanzi, you're only bringing one bouquet? What if she's not satisfied?"

Zhang Han initially thought his roommate wanted a handout and his expression soured, but realizing it was genuine concern, he patted his trouser pocket. "Don't worry, I have a backup plan." It wasn't that Zhang Han didn't want to buy a massive bouquet of roses; the problem was getting it inside. Even if he could bring it in, it would compromise the secret.

Since the roommates were merely offering a well-intentioned reminder, and Zhang Han claimed to have contingencies, they didn't press the issue further, instead turning their attention to the attractive girls nearby. Bai Ge and the others kept a close watch on Zhang Han's roommates, while Wang Qiqi and Zhang Yan continued discussing the travelogue they’d seen, comparing places they had visited.

Wang Qiqi was surprised by how many places Zhang Yan had been to, yet she had a feeling Yan had merely passed through them, unable to name a single local delicacy or famous landmark. Of course, Wang Qiqi also kept quiet about her own travels, as some places she’d revisited years later for work or leisure had changed drastically. Zhang Yan felt the same way about Wang Qiqi, so they tacitly agreed not to mention it.

Listening to Wang Qiqi and Zhang Yan chat animatedly about the travelogue and their respective interesting travel anecdotes, Duan Xiaomin felt a pang of envy. How could there be such a gap in their lives when they were the same age? "Qiqi, when you have time to go to Sichuan, I'll take you around."

"Deal! I definitely plan to visit many places during my four years of college," Wang Qiqi chirped happily about her plans. "Zhang Yan, are you interested in joining?" Zhu Lina wouldn't have much time to travel with her, and Shi Man had her parents and home to return to during the summer break, maybe only joining for a couple of weeks. As for Han Tao, Wang Qiqi knew that even if he wasn't tutoring, he'd have other commitments. Besides, traveling alone had its perks—you could leave when you wanted and stop when you pleased. Naturally, she would only choose places with good security; she lacked the courage to visit remote, undeveloped areas.

Zhang Yan smiled and politely declined Wang Qiqi's invitation. "Maybe another time."

After a while, the welcoming gala finally kicked off, hosted by dazzling beauties and handsome young men. Wang Qiqi managed to stay awake, yawning occasionally, convinced she’d at least get to see two exciting moments. As the acts progressed one by one, Qiqi started to worry that the excitement she anticipated might not materialize. "I don't think we're going to see any real fireworks today."

Zhang Yan had lost count of Wang Qiqi’s yawns. Ever since the ceremony began, Qiqi had been in a state of keeping her eyes closed while resting, punctuated by heavy yawns. "If you hadn't skipped the auditions, people would think you didn't want to be here." Only about seventy percent of their class had shown up for the event. Although the rest claimed illness or needing rest in the dorms, Han Meina's expression wasn't great. If Zhang Han hadn't been there to console her, she likely would have erupted.

Jiang Xin also chimed in from the side. "Qiqi, just bear with it. Haven't you seen Han Meina giving you 'N' number of dirty looks?" Wang Qiqi had good self-control, but Han Meina was probably furious with her. "I at least showed up! Am I not allowed to yawn? Besides, hardly any of these performances are any good. Why didn't they pre-screen better? I bet only our class's act will be decent."

Jiang Xin nodded. "I heard the acts selected from our class are generally high quality." Although Han Meina’s initial scheme was aimed at dealing with Gong Yiying, it had inadvertently worked out. "It proves our class's cultural representative is responsible."

Han Meina watched Wang Qiqi yawn again and could no longer restrain herself. She pulled away from Zhang Han and marched over to where Wang Qiqi and the others were seated. Just as she prepared to lecture Wang Qiqi on the meaning of collective honor, she overheard Qiqi complaining that the performances weren't good enough and praising their own class's act. This instantly extinguished Han Meina's rising anger. She knew some people in the class, stirred up by others, were strongly dissatisfied with her. Otherwise, even after everything was settled, those who didn't make the cut wouldn't be causing trouble by refusing to perform. Hmph, thinking of this, Han Meina’s resentment towards a certain someone deepened.

"Naturally. I did it for the good of the class. I couldn't just let anyone who signed up perform, could I?" Han Meina seized the opportunity to justify herself. "Setting aside whether the audience would listen, the performers themselves would feel terrible if the audience booed. It’s a pity some people in the class don't understand the earnest effort involved." As she spoke, Han Meina deliberately glanced at Gong Yiying, hinting that someone was stirring up trouble behind the scenes, otherwise, things wouldn't have turned out this way.

Wang Qiqi watched Han Meina use the moment to praise herself and was deeply impressed. Perhaps people like this thrived better in the corporate world later on. Wang Qiqi admitted that even if she were reborn countless times, some core parts of her wouldn't change—like flattering words or looking someone in the eye and lying; she simply couldn't do it.

Gong Yiying, overhearing Han Meina taking credit, and feeling subtly insulted, retorted, "Didn't you say you felt unwell? And besides, not everyone in the class is present." Humph, did she expect every single person to attend just to make the cultural representative look good? She knew some things were beyond her power to influence others. "However, Lina, I want to congratulate you now." Gong Yiying noticed the flowers in Zhang Han's hand were gone when he entered, and wondered if he was holding them for someone else. If so, that would be fantastic news.

"Congratulate me?" Han Meina panicked slightly at Gong Yiying's words. If anyone else had mentioned flowers for her, Han Meina wouldn't have been this nervous, but hearing that specific phrase from Gong Yiying’s mouth was cause for alarm.

Gong Yiying was very pleased with Han Meina's reaction. She nodded. "Yes, but I think it's still a secret for now." This was exactly the reaction Gong Yiying wanted. You pretend to be so good to me in front of outsiders, but I'll make sure people know you don't actually trust me. "Bai Ge and the others know a bit, right, Duan Xiaomin?" Gong Yiying played her trump card, exposing Bai Ge and the others to prove she wasn't lying.

When Gong Yiying's eyes swept over her, Wang Qiqi knew trouble was brewing—this woman might reveal that Zhang Han bought the roses. Qiqi swiftly slipped away to the restroom, and Zhang Yan, feeling an urgent need, followed right behind her. Although, even if they hadn't left, Gong Yiying probably wouldn't have named Wang Qiqi and Zhang Yan directly.

Bai Ge and Duan Xiaomin were surprised when Gong Yiying made her congratulatory remark. Then, when Wang Qiqi and Zhang Yan made their escape to the restroom, they couldn't find an excuse to leave immediately and could only hope Gong Yiying wouldn't betray them. Unfortunately, Heaven was busy and didn't hear their silent prayers.

Although Bai Ge was mentioned by name, Gong Yiying had implicated Duan Xiaomin the deepest, which infuriated Xiaomin. She silently cursed Gong Yiying for being unreasonable, but starting an argument right then was out of the question. Duan Xiaomin offered Han Meina a strained smile and said softly, "We aren't entirely clear on how things developed, but it should be good news. Even if it’s not good for you, nothing unexpected will happen, right, Gong Yiying?" Xiaomin was gambling that Gong Yiying wouldn't expose the details.

"Is that so?" Han Meina didn't have the time to dwell on Gong Yiying’s input again, but since Duan Xiaomin had framed it that way, it probably wasn't bad news. Still, Meina pondered the hidden meaning in Xiaomin's words as she walked back to her seat.

Once Han Meina was gone, Duan Xiaomin was much less polite to Gong Yiying. "Don't talk about things that haven't happened yet, and don't drag us into making baseless statements when we don't know everything." Duan Xiaomin said this with a stiff face before completely turning her back on Gong Yiying, completely unconcerned about her embarrassment. The others present mirrored her action, showing their annoyance at Gong Yiying's earlier behavior. (To be continued)