Chapter 9: They Shook Hands!

"Dammit, I'm furious!" In the disciplinary office, Feng Kun grabbed a cup from the desk and smashed it against the floor. The shattered glass pieces mixed with tea splashed in all directions. He could hear his own heartbeat accelerating wildly within his chest, and a sense of suffocation began to creep over him.

"Good-for-nothing, brat, little punk," Feng Kun finally spat out through his livid, trembling lips after a long moment. This was the first time he had been openly challenged by a student on his own turf, and he could neither accept nor tolerate such a student continuing to exist. "Daring to go against me? The kid is still too green. Daring to ignore the school's decision—just watch how I deal with you." Accustomed to wielding power and abusing authority, he entirely forgot that he was the one who had provoked the situation in the first place. The corner of his mouth twitched into a smirk as a sharp plan gradually took shape in his mind, with its target pointed squarely at Huang Ye.

When Huang Ye returned to the classroom, he found only a few people left inside. He glanced at the clock hanging on the back wall: half-past five, school was already over. Oh well, time to grab some dinner. Because Wolong High School was located on the outskirts of the county town, most students had both lunch and dinner at the school cafeteria. Huang Ye pulled his meal card from his desk slot and headed toward the cafeteria.

"Attention, all first-year students. To provide everyone with an opportunity to challenge and showcase yourselves, the campus broadcasting station has decided to hold recruitment starting at 6:00 PM this afternoon. Those interested please report to the broadcasting station on the fifth floor of the administrative building for an interview. I repeat, attention all first-year students..." The voice of the campus broadcasting station echoed across the entire campus.

The broadcasting station was recruiting? Huang Ye was slightly stunned, then thought, *Well, I definitely have to go then.* The easiest way to make a name for oneself on campus was to become a broadcaster, and then just pull a few tricks out of one's sleeve to make thousands of students willingly contribute fame points. As for whether he could pass the interview? Are you kidding me? In his past life, the only thing Huang Ye could actually show off in high school was his stint as a school broadcaster. Besides, now that he possessed a system, if he couldn't even pass this, he might as well go throw himself in front of a train.

"Old Huang, what are you standing there for? Let's go, time to eat," Gong Yanhao ran over clutching a basketball. "Hurry up and finish eating so we brothers can go shoot some hoops."

"You go ahead, I've got something to do."

"What could you possibly..." Remembering the announcement he had just heard, Gong Yanhao gasped in shock, "You're not planning to go try out for the broadcasting station, are you?"

"That's right, I'm going to be a broadcaster. A talent like me shines wherever I go," Huang Ye waved his hand with a carefree air. "Don't stop me, I'm going to go flex."

6:00 PM.

The activity room next to the campus broadcasting station.

"Yiyi, according to current statistics, there are 14 students who have come for the interview. Here is their list." Looking at the young girl sitting gracefully behind the interview table, Zhao Zheyu felt a stir in his heart. She was the sole reason he had traveled thousands of miles to study at this crappy place.

Chen Yiyi was the undisputed campus belle of Wolong High School. Her ink-black hair cascaded down her back, and a purple lace thread tied a small lock of hair by the side of her ear. Over her red shirt, she wore the standard school uniform, which not only failed to conceal her beauty but instead added a unique, rustic charm to her. A colorful ribbon was tied around her fair wrist, and on her pinky finger, she wore a plain silver ring without any ornamentation. Every detail of her appearance seemed entirely natural, pleasing to the eye.

"Classmate Zhao, please call me Chen Yiyi," Chen Yiyi said coldly. "It's almost time, let's start the interviews. Yuanyuan, let the first person in."

"Okay." Liu Yuan stood by the door and called out, "Classmate Jiang Hongyu, please come in for your interview."

"Coming, coming!" A bulky, rough-looking male student hurried over. Liu Yuan was speechless. *And here I thought it was a girl; that name is way too feminine.*

"This is a piece of breaking news. Please read it." Chen Yiyi picked up the *Yilin Daily* and handed it to Jiang Hongyu.

"O-okay, thank-thank you." Flustered, Jiang Hongyu took the newspaper with trembling hands and replied nervously. He felt his heart pounding wildly, and his palms were sweating. The person sitting right in front of him was the darling of the entire school, draped in halos of honor: the top scorer in the city's senior high school entrance exams, president of the student union, head of the broadcasting station, monitor of the grade-two key class, studies commissioner, and secretary of the Communist Youth League branch. In 2007, she had been the Northern Division champion of the national "I Am a Girl" campus singer competition. If not for that incident, this goddess would definitely have had the strength to break into the top three nationwide or even claim the championship crown.

"To solidly advance the work of building a national civilized city, enhance the civilization level of the brigade's officers and soldiers, elevate the happiness index of the masses, and welcome the annual civilized city evaluation by the civilization office with outstanding results..."

"Stop! What kind of nonsense are you reading? With a level like yours, you still want to be a broadcaster? Next." Without even waiting for him to finish, Zhao Zheyu directly interrupted.

Chen Yiyi frowned slightly but said nothing. Although she deeply disliked Zhao Zheyu's behavior, he was right—with that kind of proficiency, it would be very difficult to become a broadcaster.

Jiang Hongyu left in disappointment. How humiliating! His usual performance wasn't like this at all, but the moment he saw a beauty today, he got so nervous he couldn't control his own mouth. Still, why did that guy who looked like a human on the outside but acted like a dog speak with such a stinky attitude? Don't let me catch you, or I'll beat you up every single time I see you.

"Introduce yourself in one sentence." The second interviewee was a rather shy little girl. Chen Yiyi softened her tone and said, "Don't be nervous, we're all classmates. There's nothing to be nervous about."

"I am Li Lili from Class 9 of Grade One. I really like the profession of broadcasting, my dream is to become a host, I..." Li Lili rattled off a dozen "I"s in a single breath. This time, not only did Zhao Zheyu grow impatient, but Chen Yiyi also felt that Li Lili was utterly incapable of handling the job of a broadcaster. Because she was far too wordy. One of the fundamental skills of a broadcaster was using the most concise sentences to describe a task or an event.

"Classmate Li Lili, I'm very sorry, you haven't met our recruitment standards. A friendly tip for you: whether now or in the future, whether you pursue broadcasting or hosting, you must remember that people generally hate having the word 'I' constantly on their lips. If you use 'I' to start three consecutive sentences at the beginning of a self-introduction, interviewers will generally think you are an extremely selfish, self-righteous egoist. Therefore, when introducing yourself, you must try to use the word 'I' as sparingly as possible."

"That's right. Classmate Yiyi put it wonderfully, that's exactly what I think too. Next, please." Zhao Zheyu seized the opportunity, trying to butter up the campus belle while also praising himself.

"I'll repeat this again, Classmate Zhao Zheyu: at any time, in any place, under any circumstance, please call me by my full name, Chen Yiyi! Otherwise, please get out!" Chen Yiyi was furious. Ever since she had withdrawn from the "I Am a Girl" competition, this Zhao Zheyu had been pestering her relentlessly with a skin thicker than anyone could imagine, refusing to leave no matter how she tried to chase him away.

"Fine, fine, fine, I'll go out right now. Don't be angry, Yiyi, getting angry makes you old." Taking advantage of her verbally one last time, Zhao Zheyu scampered out. He knew the art of picking up girls inside out: never go head-to-head with the campus belle. As long as your skin was thick enough and your patience deep enough, you could definitely conquer her. Chen Yiyi, you belong to me, Zhao Zheyu. Even if I can't win your heart, getting your body will be enough.

"Next, Huang Ye."

Having waited for ages and grown thoroughly bored, Huang Ye finally heard his name called. Unhurriedly, he walked into the activity room.

"Please introduce yourself in one sentence." There were only Chen Yiyi and Liu Yuan left in the activity room. Liu Yuan acted as Chen Yiyi's semi-secretary, firmly part of Chen Yiyi's inner circle.

"Introduce myself in one sentence? No problem," Huang Ye said with a faint smile.

"I am a noble person, a pure person, a moral person, a person who has shaken off vulgar interests, a person who is beneficial to the people. I'm done." *Chairman, I'm sorry, I'm borrowing your quote.*

Chen Yiyi's eyes lit up. Such a unique self-introduction! A single sentence contained so much precious character and profound meaning. This student was interesting.

"Please introduce your outlook on life in one sentence as well." Chen Yiyi decided to increase the difficulty; she was eager to hear what other extraordinary words this student might utter.

"My life should be spent like this: when I look back on the past, I will not regret having wasted my years, nor will I be ashamed of having accomplished nothing; so that, when I die, I will be able to say: 'My whole life and all my energy have been dedicated to the most magnificent cause in the world—fighting for the liberation and progress of all mankind.'"

Chen Yiyi froze. This... this... could such a soul-stirring sentence really be spoken by the student standing right in front of her? Even her own father didn't possess such boldness. Suddenly, Chen Yiyi was filled with curiosity about this student. Chen Yiyi was pure by nature; it was only to fend off people with ulterior motives that she had been forced to put on an untouchable, keep-your-distance facade, rarely taking the initiative to speak to boys. But right now, she felt like a scientist who had stumbled upon a brand-new discovery—curious to a fault, and immensely excited.

"Your name is... ah, Classmate Huang Ye. I'm really curious how you came up with an answer like that? Did you really think of these two answers yourself?" Chen Yiyi asked with a smile.

In that instant, Huang Ye felt his mind drift. High looks, sweet voice, a slight smile like a fairy—she truly deserved to be the campus belle, truly a figure he could only gaze at in adoration during his past life.

"Of course I didn't think of them myself. These are simply things I felt from the bottom of my heart. I've always believed that a person should follow their true nature. Just like my motto: My hand writes my heart, I think therefore I am."

*Of course I can't tell you these two sentences came from two great figures. Anyway, neither of them exists in this world, so stop agonizing over it—this is what I, Huang Ye, said!*