Chapter 321 - 318: A Surprise for You

Chapter 321: Chapter 318: A Surprise for You

On the plane, Wang Ming gazed at the clouds outside the window, his thoughts already having flown to Yu Du.

Looking back on the past six months, he felt he had matured considerably compared to his peers, becoming much more resolute.

When he was busy, he barely had time to contact Shen Ying. It was only after finishing his work that he would occasionally chat with her about his day and tell her about the amusing things that happened at the company.

There were no overt signs of romance, just normal conversation, but a subtle warmth connected them.

Perhaps this was what Jiang Xia meant when he said true feelings are revealed in the ordinary.

Sometimes, he even felt that it wouldn’t be so bad to just stay very, very good friends with Shen Ying.

However, he only thought that way when they were worlds apart. Now that the break had started, that feeling vanished in an instant, replaced by the simple desire to see her as soon as possible.

He wondered if Shen Ying would truly be happy when she saw him.

Before he knew it, the plane had landed at Yu Du Airport.

Wang Ming collected his luggage, turned on his phone, and sent Jiang Xia a text letting him know he’d landed safely. Then, he opened QQ and his eyes immediately found the one cute avatar in his pinned contacts.

"Have you gone home yet?" he messaged Shen Ying.

He thought he would have to wait a while for a reply, but it came surprisingly quickly.

"No, I’m still at school. I heard from Yanwan that you guys aren’t coming back until the end of the year?"

Wang Ming’s heart leaped when he saw she was still at school. He dragged his suitcase to the roadside, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for the Business University. What a relief. Now he wouldn’t have to take an overnight bus home.

"Mhm. We still have some things to take care of on our end before the new year, so it’s a little busy."

"Sigh, with you all over there, I really wish I could go to the Imperial Capital too. Maybe I could even help you guys with some of the work," Shen Ying typed at her computer. "I wonder if I can next summer break."

"Southern University’s summer break is almost three months long, right? It should be doable. When the time comes, I’ll have Old Jiang reimburse you for the plane ticket as a business expense."

"Hehe, that’s what I was thinking too."

"Speaking of which, your winter break started a while ago, right? How come you haven’t gone home?" Wang Ming asked, puzzled.

"I don’t feel like going back just yet. There’s a lot of stressful stuff at home."

Shen Ying clearly didn’t want to dwell on the topic. She changed the subject, typing, "I’ll just head back with you guys then. We can all get together, so I won’t be lonely."

Wang Ming was inwardly delighted. He desperately wanted to tell her she wouldn’t have to wait—that he was already in Yu Du and on his way to the Business University right now.

But he had to think of a way to lure her out. If he just revealed his hand now, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise.

"Are you in your dorm room right now?"

"Yeah."

"What about your roommates?"

"They’ve all gone home. It’s just me here now."

"That’s rough."

"Why do I get the feeling you’re gloating?"

"No, no, I just feel sorry for you."

A faint smile touched Shen Ying’s lips as she typed her reply. "It’s actually not so bad. With the whole dorm to myself, I can do whatever I want. When I’m hungry, I just go to the cafeteria. I spend my days browsing forums and replying to fans on Weibo. It’s pretty interesting." ℯℯ𝑙.

"Is the school cafeteria still open now that it’s winter break?"

"It is. A lot of students are staying on campus, so Xiaoyuan Cafeteria is still pretty busy every day."

Reading the name "Xiaoyuan Cafeteria," Wang Ming committed it to memory, a smile unconsciously touching his lips.

"It’s almost six o’clock. Have you eaten yet?"

"Mmm, I’ll go in a little bit. I’m setting up a prize draw for an event right now. I’ll post it on Weibo from the official account soon."

"Oh, okay. Well, make sure you go eat soon, before the cafeteria closes."

"Mhm."

After their chat ended, the taxi pulled up to the gate of Chongqing Technology and Business University.

Wang Ming looked at the university gate, took a soft breath, and walked inside, pulling his suitcase. He wasn’t familiar with the campus, so he had to ask a few students for directions before he found Xiaoyuan Cafeteria.

A few students were already inside, eating in twos and threes. It wasn’t nearly as crowded as Shen Ying had made it sound.

He scanned the room but didn’t see any sign of Shen Ying. He guessed she was probably still in her dorm, setting up the prize draw for the Cat and Mouse event.

He was pretty familiar with these things. The requirements were usually to retweet, comment, and like the post. Winners were either chosen at random or were the ones whose comments got the most likes. The prizes were usually official figurines or other exquisite little gifts.

Of course, all the gifts were provided by Gaoyuan Toy Factory. It helped that the lady boss’s family was in the toy business, so there was never a shortage of prizes.

He had to admit, Shen Ying was very conscientious. Even far from the Imperial Capital, she was still diligently handling her community management duties. During the hiatus before new episodes of Cat and Mouse were officially released, she was always thinking up new ways to maintain the show’s online popularity.

Since she wasn’t in the cafeteria, Wang Ming patiently stood by the entrance to wait. As long as she came down to eat, he couldn’t miss her.

Ten minutes later, Shen Ying posted the event she had finished putting together. This one was different from the ones before.

It was a creative incentive program for Cat and Mouse, inviting fans to participate by creating content including, but not limited to, writing, comics, and fan-edited videos. The top ten creators with the most likes would receive a cash prize from Qitian Animation Company.

The first-place winner’s idea even had a high chance of being officially adopted, purchased in a lifetime buyout, and produced into a finished animation to be broadcast on television.

This was an incentive method Shen Ying had devised after a detailed discussion with Director Li. It was designed to dramatically increase creative enthusiasm across the web and significantly boost the influence of the Cat and Mouse IP.

Even Jiang Xia had thought it was a fantastic idea.

After finishing all that, Shen Ying stretched habitually. Seeing that it was about time, she put on her shoes and headed downstairs to the cafeteria. She figured by the time she got back from dinner, the comments on her Weibo post would have already blown up.

Wang Ming was constantly watching his surroundings, especially the girls’ dormitory building not far away. He spotted Shen Ying the moment she walked out.

Suppressing his excitement, he secretly watched her movements and carefully ducked out of sight.

Shen Ying walked toward the cafeteria as usual, her head down, looking at her phone. A white cord ran from the device to her ears. As she listened to music and scrolled through her Weibo feed, a figure suddenly blocked her path.

"Excuse me. I’m looking for someone. Do you happen to know a student named Shen Ying in the Business Administration program?"

The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but she didn’t place it. She looked up instinctively and replied, "I’m Sh—"

She stopped mid-word. Staring at the young man before her, she froze, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Wang... Ming?!"

Wang Ming stood before her and smiled.

"Shen Ying. It’s been a while."

...

(Wishing all students taking their college entrance exams a triumphant success!)