On the day of the ball, Aliston University was on holiday. Various luxury cars drove through the school gates, and the campus was open to non-students holding invitations, making the atmosphere exceptionally lively.
Wealthy students hired professional styling teams to perfect their appearances.
Pei Huaiye had left during the day, and the butler brought a team to style Wu Hui, which took the better part of the afternoon.
While in front of the mirror, the stylist asked, “What color tie would you like?”
Exhausted after being fussed over for hours, Wu Hui yawned and replied, “What flavor of kelp are we eating tonight?”
The stylist remained silent.
Wu Hui continued, “I do not like kelp, so do not make any.”
The stylist gritted his teeth but ultimately chose a dark red striped tie that matched the color of Wu Hui’s brooch.
Once the styling was complete, Wu Hui realized there would be no dinner served. There would be food at the ball, but since everyone was dressed to impress, they tended to avoid eating to prevent any wardrobe malfunctions, such as buttons popping or zippers splitting.
“Are you still going to wear that beaded bracelet?” the stylist asked, looking at Wu Hui’s left wrist. “It does not really match this look.”
On his phone, Nian Zhi was bombarding him with messages.
Zhi Zhi Zhi: [Ah, I told you to strike first! Baby, you have to dress up well today! Let everyone know who the real Crown Princess is!]
Wu Hui was just about to reply.
The stylist suddenly touched his wrist. Wu Hui pulled his hand away, adjusted his sleeve, and said coldly, “I am wearing it.”
Startled by the sudden chill in Wu Hui’s tone, the stylist took half a step back. “O-okay, if you like it, then wear it.”
Wu Hui: [What is it now?]
Zhi Zhi Zhi: [That little bitch is back!]
Which one?
Zhi Zhi Zhi: [Wen Tanyi!]
Nian Zhi sent a long string of voice notes explaining who Wen Tanyi was.
Rumor in their social circle had it that Wen Tanyi was the granddaughter-in-law officially recognized by the Pei family. She and Pei Huaiye were childhood sweethearts from equivalent social standings who had been infatuated with him for years, waiting for the day they would be married. It was said that once Pei Huaiye finished his studies, the Pei family would arrange their marriage.
Wen Tanyi was attending the ball today.
Coincidentally, Pei Huaiye had to go home today. Was it related to this?
Wu Hui listened with interest: [Why is she not at the same school as Pei Huaiye?]
Zhi Zhi Zhi: [She studies medicine.]
Wu Hui: [Does Aliston not have a medical school?]
Zhi Zhi Zhi: [Forensics.]
That explained it.
Zhi Zhi Zhi: [She is provoking me again! Baby, you must come! She is definitely not here with good intentions. She is clearly coveting your position as the Crown Princess. It might even be aimed at you. You must let her see who is more compatible with Pei Huaiye!]
With half an hour until the ball started, Wu Hui was in no rush. However, since Nian Zhi had said so, there was no harm in taking a look.
Jianqiu: [Is this not just the classic childhood sweetheart trope from a novel?]
Wu Hui: [The plot armor is complete.]
Jianqiu: [Show them your power as the primary partner and slap their faces!]
Wu Hui headed out, thinking: [Do not add too much drama to your own life.]
He declined the dedicated Pei family chauffeur and walked toward the grand auditorium, primarily because he wanted to buy two sausages from the small supermarket along the way. He wore a light gray coat over his formal wear, unfazed by the winter wind.
The dormitory was only a ten-minute walk from the auditorium. Wu Hui moved confidently and leisurely.
Twenty minutes later, Pei Huaiye called. “I am back at school. Have you arrived?”
Wu Hui had finished his sausages, looked around, and replied, “On the way.”
Pei Huaiye asked humbly, “Which way?”
“The socialist path.”
Pei Huaiye was not surprised. “The butler said you left twenty minutes ago. Where are you now?”
A round orange cat crawled out of the bushes and lay down at his feet, exposing its belly. Wu Hui squatted down to pet it. “I am next to an orange cat.”
“What about the architecture? What is next to you?”
Wu Hui looked up and saw a sign about protecting the environment. “There is a trash can next to me.”
There were trash cans every few steps at Aliston, so his answer was useless.
He should have expected this. Last time, when he had to navigate to his own family’s cafe, he ended up walking in circles. He should have known better than to trust his sense of direction. He should not have been so optimistic.
Pei Huaiye gave up on asking for directions. “Forget it. Turn on your location sharing, and I will come find you.”
Five minutes later, a Cullinan pulled up beside Wu Hui. The door opened, and Pei Huaiye, wearing a black formal suit that complemented Wu Hui’s, reached out his hand. “Get in. We are almost late.”
Wu Hui got in, and the heat inside the car made him take off his overcoat.
“Will we be denied entry if we are late?”
Pei Huaiye took the coat. “Being late means you do not get extra course credits.”
Wu Hui: [ … ]
Light and shadow flickered inside the carriage. For tonight’s look, Wu Hui had not worn his black-rimmed glasses; instead, he wore light brown colored contacts. With his brows and eyes defined, he did not need heavy makeup to look stunningly beautiful.
Pei Huaiye, who had not touched him all day, pulled him onto his lap.
Wu Hui wrapped his arms around his neck. “Senior, you do not have such a strong reaction when you touch me now. The treatment is definitely working.”
Pei Huaiye sniffed the side of his neck. “I suppose.” He was obsessed with Wu Hui’s scent; every time he smelled it, he became addicted. “Did you put on perfume?”
“A little bit. Is it too strong?” It was what the stylist had applied. Wu Hui remembered, “There is nothing I can do about it; just endure it.”
“It is not too strong,” Pei Huaiye paused, “but it makes me very excited.”
Both mentally and physically, he was excited.
Wu Hui patted his head. “It is just perfume, not an aphrodisiac. Senior, do not make excuses for yourself.”
Pei Huaiye continued to inhale his scent all the way to the auditorium.
There were many luxury cars at Aliston today, and the parking area outside the auditorium was full. They arrived just in time to sign in. The auditorium, which held a record-breaking capacity of over ten thousand, was filled with glamour and luxury tonight. Everyone was a protagonist.
Wu Hui and Pei Huaiye entered the venue, attracting a wave of attention.
“They are here!”
“Will this be a battlefield?”
“I am betting one month of early classes on who the Crown Prince ends up with.”
The surrounding chatter was drowned out by the music filling the auditorium.
On the dance floor, some were dancing elegantly with their partners; they were a match made in heaven. In the dessert area, others were gorging themselves with their partners like locusts at a buffet. More unconventional students brought their own partners: one brought a pillow they had slept with for years, another brought the campus’s deeply-rooted stray orange cat, and another pulled out a guitar they had bought and never touched. They argued firmly with the security guards that these were indeed their dates.
Wu Hui had already eaten his sausages on the way, so he was not hungry. He moved through the venue effortlessly with Pei Huaiye. They found empty seats and sat down. As Wu Hui looked around, Pei Huaiye asked, “Who are you looking for?”
Wu Hui asked, gossiping, “Which one is your childhood sweetheart? There are too many people; point her out.”
Pei Huaiye replied, “There is no childhood sweetheart. Who did you hear that from?”
There were only a few people around him; he could narrow it down without guessing.
“Most of the rumors outside are fake. Do not believe them,” Pei Huaiye said. “They are even spreading rumors that you gave birth. Where is my child? Show me.”
Wu Hui pulled a hand warmer from under his gown and handed it to him. “Here, your son.”