Chapter 51: Playing Matchmaker and Tying the Red Thread

Wednesday evening, after dinner, Lu You stayed in the classroom to review his thesis.

He had finished all his homework except for politics, history, and geography. Since he had to attend the preliminary round of the Top Ten Singers competition tonight and had no time to study, he could only squeeze in some time between classes to look over his paper.

“Look at this bowl, big and round; look at this noodle, long and wide…”

Meng Yi hummed a clumsy rap as he slid up beside Lu You.

“Lu, what do you think of my singing?”

Lu You turned his head and looked at him with an expressionless gaze.

“If your singing sounds good, then it must be really good.”

Meng Yi scratched his head, puzzled.

“What do you mean?”

“It means you sing very well.”

“Right? I thought so too. My voice is like a heavenly sound; even you can’t compare.”

Lu You’s mouth twitched slightly as he looked at the chubby little guy lost in self-admiration.

“Did you need something from me?”

“Yes, actually.”

“Go ahead.”

Meng Yi straightened his school uniform collar, lifted his head, and flashed a smile he thought was charming but actually quite sleazy.

“I think you need a strong assistant for the Top Ten Singers.”

Lu You pretended to ponder deeply and nodded seriously.

“Hmm, you have a point. Continue.”

“I’m allowing you to invite me to join your team for the competition.”

“Why?”

Meng Yi’s expression turned serious. “Look, your voice is clear and pure; singing female parts is no problem. With my voice like Jacky Cheung’s, on stage, we’d be unstoppable.”

“There’s that popular group called Phoenix Legend, right? If we became famous overnight, our duo would be called True Dragon Legend. What do you think?”

Jacky Cheung and Phoenix Legend—a lofty combination indeed.

After a long pause, Lu You replied, “Your intention is good.”

“See! You agree?”

Meng Yi was pleased to have his support.

“Well…”

“But I suggest you don’t go.”

Meng Yi’s smile froze.

Lu You patted his shoulder earnestly. “If you can’t afford a phone that can record and play music, tell me. I can give you the latest iPhone.”

True Dragon Legend was stillborn.

…

After evening study, Lu You followed the homeroom teacher’s instructions to the front of the Biology Building next to Teaching Building One—the Arts Building.

This building was for art students to study music and fine arts, and for students’ regular arts classes. The top three floors were for fine arts, and the lower three floors were for music and dance.

The venue for the Top Ten Singers preliminaries was easy to find: only two classrooms on the middle floor were lit; the rest of the building was pitch dark.

Passing by several art rooms, Lu You was occasionally startled by plaster busts inside.

When he reached the lit classrooms, he felt somewhat reassured. Though he was a mathematics professor who firmly believed there were no ghosts, having experienced time travel himself, he couldn't entirely dismiss the possibility.

A sign stood outside the classrooms with instructions: each person should get a number and wait in the waiting room for roll call. When their name was called, they would go to the adjacent room.

Lu You entered the waiting room. The chatter quickly died down as all eyes turned to him—some curious, some admiring, some hostile.

He felt little discomfort; being the center of attention was nothing new. In both his past and present lives, his own brilliance attracted many gazes. Such radiance could light the way for others or blind those around him.

He approached the podium and politely asked a girl who was staring at him blankly, “Excuse me, do I get my number here?”

The girl snapped back to reality, blushed, lowered her head, and quickly handed him a slip of paper.

“Y-your number… when they call your name, you can… go to the next classroom.”

“Thank you.”

Lu You took the slip and found a seat away from others to wait for his turn.

The waiting room was much larger than his classroom, easily accommodating over a hundred people.

The Top Ten Singers contest was a school-wide event open to all students except the senior class, with hundreds signing up annually.

Even though preliminaries spanned several days, a large room was necessary.

Before he could get comfortable, two boys and a girl pulled over some stools and sat opposite him.

The girl had a ponytail and fair skin; Lu You wouldn’t comment much on her looks since she was no match for the little snow girl in his heart.

As for the two boys, they were decent-looking but nowhere near as handsome as he was, so he paid them little mind, labeling them Boy A and Boy B for convenience.

The girl seemed a bit shy and hesitated before sweetly asking, “Hey, can we get to know each other?”

“No.”

Just kidding! There was no way he’d say yes.

Lu You glanced around the room. Dozens of girls, most of them staring at him intently. If he agreed, he wouldn’t have peace tonight.

The girl had expected rejection but not such blunt refusal, making the atmosphere awkward.

“Why not?”

“Why do you want to know me first?”

The girl’s eyes darted nervously; she stammered, unable to answer.

Lu You wasn’t trying to be difficult and smiled. “You all should go back to your seats. I need to prepare for the preliminaries and can’t chat.”

Boy A’s already sour face darkened further. He stood up disdainfully. “Who do you think you are? Acting so high and mighty like you want to know us. Pathetic loser. Let’s go.”

What the hell!?

Why did he get called a pathetic loser?

Boy A dragged the others away. The girl said nothing; Boy B looked back apologetically at Lu You.

It was the first time someone called Lu You a “pathetic loser,” and from a guy no less—a new experience.

After the trio left, no one else approached Lu You, though many eyes lingered on him. Perhaps the earlier exchange made them see him as unapproachable, preferring to observe first.

The quiet lasted less than ten minutes before another girl entered, causing a stir.

She walked straight up to Lu You, tapped twice on his desk with a cold expression, and said coolly, “Come out. We need to talk.”

Lu You recognized her: Ye Hongsu.

After the last confusing encounter with her at the student council, Lu You had learned about Ye Hongsu from Meng Yi.

If Tang Wan was the embodiment of softness and grace, Ye Hongsu was the pinnacle of allure—like a white moonlight, distant and unreachable, while Ye was a thorny rose, beautiful but dangerous.

That was Meng Yi’s exact description. On their male popularity ranking, these two stood atop the pyramid, untouchable.

They rarely entertained advances because they were on a different level, admired from afar only. As Zhou Dunyi said, “To be observed from afar but not to be toyed with.”

Lu You glanced at Ye Hongsu. Last time, he had been more focused on slipping past her to find Tang Wan, so he hadn’t really noticed her appearance.

Now that he did, she truly matched Meng Yi’s description: strikingly beautiful with an almost aggressive charm. Her sleek black hair fell past her shoulders, shaped eyebrows, phoenix-like eyes, an oval face, and a cold gaze. Her red down jacket made her look like a blooming peony—radiant and dazzling.

In his heart, Lu You compared her to Tang Wan.

Hmm, still not as pretty as the little snow girl.

Seeing him stare silently, Ye Hongsu guessed his thoughts and smirked. “Pretty, huh? How do I compare to your Tang Wan?”

Lu You smiled faintly and replied calmly, “Incomparable.”

Ye Hongsu narrowed her eyes, trying to intimidate him with her gaze. But Lu You, with two lifetimes’ worth of experience, was unfazed.

“Strong will meets strong wind.”

“Do you need something from me?”

His words broke the tense atmosphere. Ye Hongsu’s expression softened.

“Yes, I need your help. It’s better to talk outside.”

“Why not here?”

Ye Hongsu lowered her head and bit her lip.

“Some… personal matters. I can only tell you alone.”

At that moment, the classroom temperature plummeted sharply, breaking the freezing point. All the boys glared furiously at Lu You, as if they wanted to tear his skull open.

Damn! After cozying up to goddess Tang Wan, now flirting with goddess Ye Hongsu? You get all the good things!

Since Lu You and Tang Wan were seen walking together on the playground, everyone assumed they were a couple.

Lu You’s scalp tingled. He hurriedly said, “Hey, you can’t say things like that!”

“But you won’t go outside with me…”

“Come on! Let’s go now!”

Ignoring all eyes on them, they headed out.

Once outside, Ye Hongsu’s shy expression quickly vanished, replaced by a blank demeanor.

Lu You watched the transformation and felt utterly fooled.

“You tricked me?”

“No?” Ye Hongsu smiled brightly. “Girls can’t hear ‘incomparable’ that way.”

No girl would accept being told she’s less beautiful than another.

Lu You massaged his forehead, realizing he was the one who got played.

“Alright, spill it. What do you want? Just don’t confess, okay?”

“Don’t worry. You’re on a whole other level. I wouldn’t dare.”

Lu You didn’t recognize himself, but Ye Hongsu knew him well—both him personally and the Lu family.

He frowned. “Have we met before?”

“No, only I’ve seen you and your parents around.”

“Fair enough.” Many had met his family; running into a few was normal.

“You still haven’t said what you want.”

Ye Hongsu pulled her reddened hands into her sleeves, looked up at the grey sky, and softly said, “I want to meet your deskmate.”

“Huh?”

“No need to do anything, just tell him there’s a girl named Ye Hongsu who wants to get to know him.”

Lu You’s curiosity flared.

“You guys…”

Ye Hongsu anticipated his questions and cut him off. “We’ll talk when the time is right. Let him tell you first. For now, that’s it. Don’t forget what just happened. Goodbye.”

She turned and left, her flowing hair dancing in the cold wind, leaving Lu You standing alone, murmuring,

“Damn! Yuan Wenliang, you can’t judge a book by its cover! Such a gorgeous girl actually likes you.”