Chapter 58: I Am Gu Feifei

That night, Sprout Live sparked a small craze among the male students at Shenhai University.

The news spread like ripples. Students from various departments learned of it through different channels and eagerly flooded into the Sprout Live platform, only to find that Qi Dong and Qi Xia's broadcast had already ended.

In the center of the empty live broadcasting room, a striking notification caught everyone's attention: "Next Friday, the 2012 Shenhai University Welcome Gala. Sprout Live will meet you on time."

The students, who had arrived full of anticipation, could not help feeling a little disappointed.

"Why did it end so soon? That's so annoying."

"Exactly. I've never watched a live stream of people from my own school before."

"Wait, is Sprout going to live-stream the Welcome Gala?"

"Could it be that we can watch the gala right from our dormitories this year?"

"That would be awesome! I heard the school invited celebrities this year!"

"But why aren't they broadcasting these past few days?"

"..."

While the news about Sprout Live was spreading rapidly, a catchy and mesmerizing jingle was also quietly circulating among the male students in the Art Department.

"Hao dada chicken cutlet, the juice drips drop by drop."

The reason this phrase became a popular jingle was thanks to the local students from Shenhai.

They discovered that when pronouncing "Hao dada chicken cutlet" in the local dialect, the pronunciation turned into "hao du du ji bha"...

In an instant, this became a new phrase among the male dormitories, rivaling the popularity of "What is the use of this iron rod?"

...

When Wang Can pushed open the dormitory door, the wall clock pointed to ten-fifty.

Originally, he had planned to treat all the members of 706 to a celebration, but because Xia Kewei was absent and it was getting too late (and his wallet was feeling a bit light), he had to drop the idea, postponing it until after the freshman orientation ceremony.

Good news had also come from Zhang Jiujiang, who said the higher-ups had approved the plan and briefly mentioned the breakthrough strategy. The two agreed to discuss the details thoroughly tomorrow at the Youth League Committee office.

Back in the dormitory, Yang Shuang and Zhang Bailan were already lying on their respective beds scrolling through their phones. Only Chen Xiaobei was lazily slumped in his chair, his two legs casually draped over the edge of the desk, sending a flurry of voice messages into his phone's microphone:

"You there?"

"What are you doing?"

"You there?"

"What are you doing?" This last sentence was spoken by Wang Can.

"Yo, you're back?"

Chen Xiaobei didn't even lift his head as he grunted a response, his fingers still tapping on the screen. "After watching that Sprout live stream, I felt a bit restless all over, so I'm reconnecting with some past feelings."

"Seriously though, Old Wang, this Sprout Live you recommended is actually pretty good, but there are way too few streamers. If Chu Shuxuya from Management Class 1 started broadcasting on it too, and you added a feature to show off wealth..."

Before he could finish his sentence, his phone made a sudden "whoosh" notification sound, and a voice message was sent out.

"Oh shit! Sent to the wrong person!"

Chen Xiaobei abruptly sat up straight, staring at the screen with an expression of deep regret.

WeChat in this era did not have a recall function, so he could only watch helplessly as that message hung there in the dialogue box.

"What's wrong? Did your 'Shake' grand enterprise fail? You've already started chewing on old grass?" Wang Can walked over with a faint smile.

"Don't even mention it."

Chen Xiaobei resignedly deleted the girl he had mistakenly sent the message to and shrugged. "The chicks on Shake are too cold. We chat for a few lines and it goes nowhere."

From military training until now, Chen Xiaobei had shaken over a hundred girls, but fewer than five had kept a conversation going.

"Have you posted any photos on your Moments?" Wang Can pulled out his phone and asked.

"Posted a few. No use. Some people even said I was just showing off," Chen Xiaobei curled his lip indifferently.

Wang Can scrolled through Chen Xiaobei's Moments on his phone and found that this young master was either flaunting luxury watches or showing off newly purchased designer clothes, every single photo reeking of deliberate boasting.

Wang Can shook his head. "That won't do. You're showing off too blatantly."

"What do you mean?" Chen Xiaobei looked baffled.

"You might as well write the words 'I'm rich' across your forehead. Unless it's some gold-digger specifically hunting for sugar daddies, normal girls will likely have only one reaction to this kind of Moments." Wang Can said.

"What kind of reaction?" Chen Xiaobei asked curiously.

"Naturally, they'll think you're way too showy. Bragging about wealth every single day—how annoying," Wang Can laughed.

"But being rich is my advantage. No girl wouldn't want her other half to be wealthy," Chen Xiaobei argued unconvinced.

"You're right. Indeed, no girl dislikes a guy who has money."

Wang Can continued, "But which normal girl would ever admit she likes someone because of his money? They'll only say they love his generous personality, his broad horizons. As for how broad his horizons are?"

"Because he's been to Europe."

"What the fuck?" Chen Xiaobei was slightly stunned, tilting his head to ponder for a few seconds before saying, "That logic actually makes sense. Does that mean I really have to take a trip to Europe?"

"That's not really necessary."

Wang Can thought for a moment and continued, "Just post normal photos on your Moments without deliberately emphasizing any single item. People who know their stuff won't need your reminder; their eyes will naturally lock onto your watch and clothes."

"And those who don't know, when they suddenly find out the value of these things one day, they'll instead think you're a low-key person with depth, just like me."

Chen Xiaobei automatically filtered out Wang Can's last sentence, nodding thoughtfully as he said, "Old Wang, you really get it. You're even more like a second-generation rich kid than I am."

"I am one to begin with. Didn't I say so? I'm just relatively low-key," Wang Can said calmly.

"Cut the crap, still putting on an act with me."

Chen Xiaobei scoffed. "If you really were a rich kid, how come you've never treated our dorm to a meal?"

"Because the money in my family has a purpose."

"?"

...

Early the next morning, the chilly air still carried the scent of last night's lingering dew.

Wang Can arrived early at the chicken cutlet shop to review the latest sales data report.

Overall, it was not bad, but the growth rate had already slowed down.

At this rate of development, while sales could maintain an upward trajectory, the annual sales target of 500 tons seemed utterly out of reach for now.

"The online promotion from last night should still need time to ferment..."

Wang Can put down the data sheet and let his gaze fall on the calendar on the wall. "I reckon the real effect will only show after the freshman gala, but these few days I can talk to Gu Xinmei in advance and stock up on more supplies."

Just as he was calculating, the back door emitted a soft, creaking sound.

Wang Can instinctively looked up. At this hour, it should have been Gu Xinmei delivering goods, but the person pushing the door open and walking in was an unfamiliar young girl.

She wore a neat high ponytail, her pitch-black hair swaying slightly behind her with her brisk footsteps.

The morning sunlight drifted in from behind her, outlining her slender and tall silhouette.

Wang Can instinctively narrowed his eyes.

Against the glare, a face so delicate it was almost enchanting gradually came into clear view.

She tilted her head slightly, the corners of her lips curving into a playful arc.

"Hi, good morning, boss."

The girl's voice was crisp and melodious, like the first lark leaping onto a tree branch in the morning, carrying the freshness of morning dew.

"I am Gu Feiwei. My mom has to go deliver goods elsewhere today, so she asked me to cover for her for the day."