Chapter 49: The Old Fox Is Still the Craftiest

The afternoon lecture hall was packed with students, once again filled for a dull foundational theory class.

An elderly professor with graying hair stood at the podium, surveying the full room with a satisfied smile.

“Quite a turnout today. Since I forgot to bring the attendance sheet, we’ll skip roll call.”

The students couldn’t help but admire the old professor’s generosity.

But soon, the monotonous lesson descended like a lullaby, lulling everyone into drowsiness.

Even the usually diligent Zhang Bailan and Yang Shuang couldn’t suppress frequent yawns, their eyelids struggling to stay open.

Yet, with fifteen minutes remaining before class ended, the professor suddenly closed his book.

“I’m going to the restroom. You can study on your own for a bit.”

Wang Can, who had been half-asleep, immediately perked up and nudged Chen Xiaobei’s shoulder.

“Stop pretending to pay attention. You’re not listening anyway. Come with me for a walk—maybe we’ll run into some pretty underclassmen.”

The staff for Douya had all been hired, and the leasing contract with Alibaba Cloud was just about finalized.

With everything ready, Wang Can had to hurry to find streamers—he couldn’t let the website launch without any content.

Chen Xiaobei, still hunched over playing Temple Run on the desk, glanced at the clock and hesitated.

“There’s only fifteen minutes left. Maybe we should just wait until class ends?”

Wang Can coaxed him earnestly, “Waiting until after class to leave is a freedom you’re given. Leaving now is a freedom you seize for yourself.”

“That actually makes some sense.”

Chen Xiaobei slammed his hand on the desk. “My fate is in my own hands, not heaven’s. Let’s go!”

“Bailan, Shuang, do you two want to come?” Wang Can asked casually.

Zhang Bailan felt tempted but was a bit hesitant. “Won’t the professor catch us?”

As for class president Yang Shuang, she was determined to set a good example and definitely wouldn’t skip class.

Chen Xiaobei egged on, “It’s all just textbook stuff anyway, and there’s no roll call, so what’s there to worry about?”

Biting her lip anxiously, Zhang Bailan finally nodded. “I’m in.”

The three of them ducked down and slipped out quickly.

With someone leading the way, quite a few other students followed suit, leaving the classroom one after another.

Two minutes later, the professor strolled back in leisurely.

He scanned the room, noting the empty seats, then calmly pulled out the attendance sheet from his pocket and cleared his throat.

“Ten minutes left before class ends. Let’s take roll.”

“?”

Yang Shuang blinked in surprise and shook her head with admiration.

“The old fox still has tricks up his sleeve.”

...

The three who had no idea about the roll call hurried out of the lecture hall.

Zhang Bailan’s heart pounded wildly in his chest, like a wild stallion desperate to break free.

The thrill of successfully skipping class mixed with a faint guilt, making his fingertips tremble slightly.

By comparison, Chen Xiaobei was much calmer, though the slight curl of his lips betrayed his good mood.

This was what college was supposed to feel like—freedom.

“Old Wang, where are we going to check out some girls?” Chen Xiaobei rubbed his hands excitedly.

“To the dance club in the art department,” Wang Can replied without hesitation.

He had already asked Qi Dong and Qi Xia during class and knew they had practice today.

“The dance club?” Chen Xiaobei’s eyes lit up, suddenly even more eager than Wang Can.

Grabbing both their arms, he urged, “Let’s go, no time to waste!”

“You know where it is? Just dragging us around.”

“Oh right, Old Wang leads the way.”

“Call me godfather.”

“Godfather!”

Led by Wang Can, the three crossed the tree-lined paths of the campus and arrived at the dance studio in the art building.

From a distance, they could hear the strong rhythmic beat of music pouring out from the dance room.

Through the bright floor-to-ceiling windows, seven or eight girls dressed in matching black T-shirts and shorts were dancing to the hit song “Day by Day.”

With the vibrant music pulsing, the girls moved gracefully, every spin and lifted hand perfectly outlining the curves of their bodies.

Chen Xiaobei and Zhang Bailan both breathed out in awe.

“Skipping this class was totally worth it.”

Wang Can laughed as he watched their mesmerized faces.

“Look at you two, like you’ve never seen the world before. Can you at least wipe the drool off?”

The trio stood outside the window, eyes glued to the spectacle for about five minutes.

Suddenly, the music stopped.

Qi Dong and Qi Xia, the lead dancers, noticed Wang Can outside, clapped their hands, and announced, “Let’s take a ten-minute break!”

“Yeah!” Cheers erupted inside the dance studio.

The two sisters pushed open the door and came out.

Without a word, Qi Xia charged at Wang Can with a playful bump and mock scolded, “You shameless villain, how dare you not reply to my messages! Sister, help me teach him a lesson.”

“Senior, mercy!” Wang Can could only plead, though a smile betrayed his amusement.

“Now you know how to beg? Where were you before?”

Qi Xia pouted, pretending to ignore him.

“Alright, someone was kicking the blanket last night in the dorm, muttering about how Wang Can still hadn’t replied to me.”

Qi Dong mercilessly exposed her sister.

“Ah! Sister, don’t say nonsense!” Qi Xia blushed furiously and scrambled to cover her sister’s mouth.

Chen Xiaobei and Zhang Bailan exchanged a glance and, with perfect timing, moved to the window corner, pretending to admire the view outside.

Suddenly, they felt that sneaking out to look at pretty girls wasn’t as enjoyable as they’d imagined.

Wang Can kept stirring up trouble between them.

“You said you had something important to discuss with us?”

Qi Dong took three bottles of water from the locker.

She handed one to Wang Can, gestured to her sister Qi Xia to give the other two to Chen Xiaobei and Zhang Bailan.

Wang Can took a bottle, twisted off the cap, took a sip, and got straight to the point.

“Seniors, I’ll be direct. I’ve set up a live streaming platform at school, and the trial broadcast is this Saturday. We urgently need high-quality streamers to keep things lively. After some thought, you two sisters are the perfect fit.”

“Live streaming?” Qi Dong frowned slightly, unfamiliar with the new term.

In this era, platforms like Youku and Tudou dominated long videos, and though YY Voice had begun live streaming, for most people, “live streaming” was still a novelty.

Wang Can explained patiently.

“Simply put, it’s like when you shoot dance videos, but the footage is transmitted to viewers in real time. For example, when you finish a move, the audience sees it immediately on their screens.”

“And viewers can interact through real-time comments, chatting with you.”

Qi Xia’s eyes lit up as she clapped excitedly.

“That sounds way more fun than recording videos!”

She and her sister had shared dance videos on Renren and Weibo, building quite a loyal fanbase.

Qi Dong, however, looked thoughtful.

“But doesn’t that mean no editing? What if you mess up a move...”

“True, there’s no do-overs.”

Wang Can nodded in agreement.

“But the charm of live streaming is real-time interaction. Viewers value the instant communication experience, so minor mistakes don’t really matter.”

In truth, Wang Can’s ideal plan was to have the twins do outdoor live streams under the theme “The Daily Life of the Campus Beauties of Sheng University.”

Unfortunately, the 3G network in 2012 was still unstable, so to ensure smooth streaming for the school leaders’ demonstration, they had to stay indoors.

Still, the debut broadcast needed an eye-catching highlight, and campus celebrities like Qi Dong and Qi Xia, with both talent and looks, were the best choice.

Seeing Qi Dong still hesitating, Wang Can smiled confidently.

“I can’t promise everything, but if you join, making a million yuan a year within three years is no problem.”

“A million a year?”

The sisters’ eyes widened in unison, and Qi Xia nearly dropped her water bottle.