Halfway through waving the flag, Bai Tao had actually paused to consider a very serious problem.
‘If F5 saw her looking like “cheap labor,” it would make for a terrible first impression.’
But on second thought, aside from Jing Wang and Qi Heting, she had never met the other three before.
Besides, she was wearing glasses now and had let her bangs down again.
Plain and frumpy, totally unnoticeable.
‘There’s no way they’ll notice me.’
‘Once I get my 10,000 yuan payment, I’ll get my hair done, buy a few new outfits, and then have a maiden-like encounter with the other three.’
‘And then, hehehe—’
At least, that was what she’d thought.
“Hey.”
A familiar male voice pulled Bai Tao from her wonderful fantasy.
Jing Wang had his hands stuffed in his pockets, his headphones hanging around his neck.
He stood below the stage, head tilted up, glaring at her with an annoyed expression.
“What are you doing here?”
The other four guys stopped in their tracks, and the cheering squads on site gradually fell silent.
Every gaze swiveled to land on Bai Tao.
In an instant, she felt daggers in her back.
The stares from Jing Wang’s cheering squad, in particular, looked like they wanted to murder her.
‘My reputation!’
Bai Tao pulled up the collar of her black fan uniform, hid her face with the flag, and said in a high-pitched voice:
“Wow!
It’s Young Master Lingzhou!
Hello!”
“I wonder who Young Master Lingzhou is talking to?”
Jing Wang’s mouth twitched.
‘She took my stuff without so much as a “thank you,” and I let that slide.’
‘And now she dares to pretend she doesn’t know me?’
‘What?
Is it because she’s a member of Zuo Senye’s fan club and is afraid of being seen by him?’
‘What an ungrateful bean sprout.’
He grabbed the other end of the flag, leaped directly onto the stage, and loomed over her.
He narrowed his eyes, his downward gaze sharp and dangerous, locking onto her.
“Who else could I be talking to?”
Bai Tao swallowed, feigned composure as she pushed up her Lingzhou-brand glasses, and tried to hide her face with the flag again.
“First.”
Jing Wang snorted.
He was curious to see what kind of nonsense she was about to spew.
If he wasn’t satisfied with her explanation, he wouldn’t let her off easy.
“My name’s not ‘Hey’.”
Veins popped on the back of Jing Wang’s hand.
“Huh?”
“Pfft.”
Behind them, Qi Heting couldn’t hold it in any longer.
He turned his head and let out a laugh, his shoulders shaking slightly.
Zuo Senye and Zuo Mubai flanked Qi Heting, one on each side.
“Qi Heting, what are you laughing at?
Who’s that?”
“What’s her relationship with Jing Wang?”
Qi Heting swallowed his laughter and pursed his lips.
For once, his usually lifelessly pale face was flushed with a bit of color from laughing.
“Well, it’s a long story.”
His gaze darkened.
“But…”
“I get the feeling that Ah Wang is quite interested in her.”
Zuo Mubai’s eyes shifted, and he stared thoughtfully at the girl on the stage, the corners of his lips curling into a distinct arc.
“Sen, that girl is wearing your fan uniform.”
“Mm, I see her.” Zuo Senye lightly touched a canine tooth, and his eyes gradually filled with excitement.
‘Perfect.
I was just starting to get bored.’
‘I want a new toy.’
At this point, Jing Wang and Bai Tao had been in a standoff on the stage for a full minute.
‘This woman…
after saying her name wasn’t “Hey,” she just went completely silent.’
‘So infuriating.’
Jing Wang leaned down slightly, his dark shadow falling over her aggressively, as if about to completely devour her.
“You…
ungrateful bean sprout.”
He reached out, trying to pull away the flag she was using to hide her face.
He wanted to get a good look at her face.
He wanted to see how she could be so thick-skinned as to pretend she didn’t know him.
Bai Tao desperately shielded herself with the flag, not forgetting to keep her voice high-pitched.
“Young Master Lingzhou, you!
You’ve got the wrong person!”
“I’m!
Not!
Called!
Bean sprouts!”
Suddenly, Bai Tao felt a chill wrap around her waist.
Then, a force pulled her backward, and she fell solidly into a firm embrace.
A faint, oceanic scent enveloped her.
“Jing Wang, she’s basically my person, so can’t you be a little gentler?” Zuo Senye tilted his head, using his other hand to hold the flag in place for Bai Tao.
Before Bai Tao could even react, someone else jumped onto the stage.
Zuo Mubai bent down, leaning close to her, his well-defined features looming larger and larger.
“Classmate, if you’re willing to join Sen’s fan club, does that mean…
I have a chance too?”
“After all, Sen and I look exactly the same.”
“But I’m gentler than Sen, you know.”
Zuo Mubai leaned in so close that Bai Tao could make out every single one of his dark eyelashes.
The two brothers had slightly leaner builds than Jing Wang, but they still had the archetypal broad shoulders and narrow waists.
Their silver-gray eyes were incredibly light, and a distinct beauty mark sat below their left eyes, like a period at the end of a sentence whispered by those charming eyes.
They had neat, short brown hair in a choppy, layered style that gave them a boyish look, and they both wore wavy, Purple Gold Ring Snake-shaped bracelets on their wrists.
‘To think there are two guys this handsome.’
Bai Tao zoned out in a split second, a grin nearly stretching from ear to ear.
‘Doesn’t that mean…
I might have a teeny-tiny chance to sample the legendary Oreo?’
‘Ah…
isn’t having that for lunch a little too decadent?’
From within his long, narrow eyes, Jing Wang’s dark green pupils glinted ominously.
“I’m the one who needs to ask her something.
What’s it got to do with you two?”
“Get lost.”
“How is it not my business?” Zuo Senye raised an eyebrow.
“I’m the one she likes.”
Zuo Mubai wouldn’t back down.
“Of course, you can’t rule out the possibility that she mistook me for Sen.”
The two said in unison, “In any case, the one she likes isn’t you, Jing Wang.”
Instantly, the atmosphere on the once-spacious stage became tense and incredibly awkward.
Great.
Now the fan clubs for Zuo Mubai and Zuo Senye were also “shooting her down” with their glares.
‘I’m screwed.
This is no time to be zoning out.’
‘Forget about first impressions; at this rate, their glares alone are going to skewer me.’
‘I knew that capturing F5 would involve bloody battles with their fan clubs, but not right now, not when I’m so hopelessly outnumbered.’
A flash of inspiration struck, and the perfect solution formed in Bai Tao’s mind.
She turned her face away and gritted her teeth.
The next second, she let all the strength leave her body, closed her eyes, and fainted.
Zuo Senye froze for half a second, then reflexively tightened his arm around her waist.
Her warm skin pressed directly against his stomach through the thin fabric of her clothes.
Strands of her soft hair unintentionally brushed against the tip of his nose, carrying the scent of freshly picked white peaches.
Faint.
‘She’s so small.’
Bai Tao’s eyelashes trembled faintly, and her small hand rested limply against Zuo Senye’s abs, conveniently sliding over them and getting a feel of his six-pack.
‘So firm.
Rock solid.’
‘His skin is a little cool, but it feels so good to touch.’
She also didn’t forget to snuggle deeper into his uniform, making sure her face was completely hidden.
‘This really is the best solution.’
‘I get to hide my face and enjoy a hot guy at the same time.’
Then, she let out a faint whisper:
“Food…”
“Hungry…”
Hearing her weak yet nonsensical words, Zuo Mubai and Zuo Senye pursed their lips to suppress a laugh.
They suddenly seemed to understand why Qi Heting had been laughing earlier.
‘She’s actually kind of interesting.’
“Making a spectacle of yourselves.” Si Hansu’s thin lips parted, his voice frighteningly cold.
“We have a lot to deal with today.
I don’t have time to wait for you all to mess around.”
Zuo Senye glanced at Jing Wang, pulled Bai Tao a little closer, then hooked a hand under her legs and lifted her into a princess carry.
He was careful not to touch her directly, instead using his forearm to hold down her skirt and prevent any wardrobe malfunctions.
“Our Chairman Si has a point.”
Zuo Mubai understood Zuo Senye’s intention.
He draped an arm over Jing Wang’s shoulder and stroked his chin, feigning deep thought.
“Hmm…
but having a meeting with just the five of us is so boring.”
Zuo Senye raised his voice slightly.
“We can’t just leave her here, can we, Chairman Si?”
Si Hansu just wanted to start the meeting, finalize the details, and not waste any more time.
“Do whatever you want.”
The two brothers just lifted their chins slightly, shooting a sidelong glance at the silent Jing Wang.
“Well then, we’ll be going.”
“Jing Wang, you should hurry and catch up.”
With that, he jumped off the stage while holding Bai Tao and followed after Si Hansu.
Leaving Jing Wang standing there alone, clutching Zuo Senye’s fan flag.
His face was darker than the paint on a Cullinan.