Chapter 111 - 110: Freshman Gala [5]

Taking advantage of the cool evening, Ye Ling walked a few laps around the athletic field with Ning Ruoxi.

Perhaps because autumn was approaching, the sky darkened quickly. Before they knew it, all the streetlights had flickered on.

In the Modu University cafeteria, Ye Ling and Ning Ruoxi were having dinner.

Suddenly, Ning Ruoxi seemed to remember something and said, "Stinky, my dad has an answer about that thing you asked me to check on."

"About Bauhinia Energy... it’s a major representative of new-energy enterprises in Xia Country now. It was state-owned in the early days, but the Jiang Family later took it over as a family asset. Bauhinia Energy has excellent growth prospects, but due to some internal issues within the Jiang Family, the group’s leadership isn’t a monolith. The disadvantages of this have become apparent in recent years..."

"Internal issues?"

Ye Ling’s interest was piqued, and he put down his chopsticks.

"Within the Jiang Family, there are two main factions. One is led by the current family head, Jiang Chengguang. The other is led by Jiang Shun, the younger brother of the previous head."

Ning Ruoxi continued, "Jiang Chengguang’s faction isn’t particularly interested in further expansion; they just want to quietly collect their dividends. After all, while the Jiang Family can’t compare to the other seven of the Eight Great Families, they’re still a powerhouse in Xia Country. Jiang Shun’s faction, on the other hand, wants to use Bauhinia Energy to lift the Jiang Family from its position as the last among the Eight Great Families."

"So, my father’s advice is to look into this Jiang Shun. Use him as your entry point."

Ning Ruoxi was being very direct. Bauhinia Energy’s growth was explosive, making it difficult to find a weakness by targeting the company’s development.

But because of the Jiang Family’s internal problems, Bauhinia Energy’s upper management was divided. One side wanted to push forward—the pioneers—while the other just wanted to live comfortably—the conservatives.

With things like this, internal family conflicts were inevitable, and so were conflicts within Bauhinia Energy!

If Ye Ling played his cards right, he might achieve a miraculous result.

"I understand."

Ye Ling nodded.

He wasn’t in a rush to act on it, though. He planned to have Zhu Yun investigate it later.

After all, he was just preparing for a rainy day. If the Jiang Family really dared to make a move against him, at least he wouldn’t be caught unprepared...

"Hey, how come you’re eating less and less?"

Ye Ling frowned as he watched Ning Ruoxi put down her chopsticks too.

"I usually don’t eat much for dinner..."

Ning Ruoxi pouted, her tone slightly aggrieved.

"You can’t just eat this little."

But Ye Ling kept a straight face, refusing to indulge the girl. He forced her to eat a little more before finally letting her off the hook.

...

As military training drew to a close, the next major event was the Freshman Gala.

Modu University took this annual gala very seriously, and it was a massive affair.

Rumor had it the university had started planning and preparing for it as soon as military training began.

The night before the gala, a post about the event’s program was published on the campus forum.

"Holy crap, that hottie Ye Ling is actually performing!?!?"

"SOB SOB SOB, I was planning to fake being sick and sneak out to go clubbing during the Freshman Gala this year. I already got permission from my professor to be excused. Is there still a chance to cancel it?"

"Wait, are you guys missing the main point? Hottie Ye Ling and Miss Ruoxi are performing on stage *together*! The two of them, on stage at the same time!"

"HOLY SHIT, it’s true! It’s a performance by just Ye Ling and Ning Ruoxi!"

"Looks like we can’t escape this dose of PDA~~"

Countless students commented on the post.

Most of the comments were about Ning Ruoxi and Ye Ling.

Ye Ling and Ning Ruoxi’s popularity at Modu University was terrifyingly high—unprecedented among any previous freshman class!

Therefore, many people were undoubtedly filled with anticipation for Ye Ling and Ning Ruoxi’s joint performance.

"Brother Ling, your popularity is kind of insane right now. The entire campus forum is basically blowing up with posts about you." In the dorm room, He Jian couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement as he scrolled through his phone.

Ye Ling’s title as campus heartthrob was truly well-deserved.

"When will I ever get a campus belle for a girlfriend!"

He Jian sighed again and put down his phone.

"What’s wrong? Is our Yang Yu not hot enough for you anymore, or have your standards just gotten too high?"

Ye Ling had been discussing the gala performance with Ning Ruoxi. Hearing He Jian’s comment, he couldn’t help but put down his phone, look up, and chuckle.

Hearing this, He Jian’s face instantly stiffened, and his expression turned gloomy.

Ever since that day, just thinking about the incident made him feel as shitty as if he’d eaten dog crap!

Meanwhile, Yang Yu, who was lying on his bed, cast a helpless glance over and said dejectedly, "Brother Ling, can you please stop making fun of me..."

Honestly, he had just gotten caught up in the heat of the moment that day. He was so happy they’d won the championship that he’d picked He Jian up and, well, planted a ’manly’ kiss on him.

The moment the kiss landed, Yang Yu snapped back to his senses.

’Damn it. I actually kissed that guy!?’

That night, Yang Yu hadn’t even eaten dinner. He ran straight back to the dorm, threw up for nearly half an hour, and then brushed his teeth like a madman.

"Hey now, don’t be like that. I won’t discriminate against you two."

Ye Ling, who of course knew how Yang Yu had reacted that day, immediately flashed a mischievous grin.

"This is just so sad."

He Jian and Yang Yu’s faces fell, but there was really nothing they could do about Ye Ling.

After all, even if the two of them ganged up on him, it wasn’t like they could beat Ye Ling, right?

"Want a yogurt drink?"

Seeing their expressions, Ye Ling suddenly felt a pang of sympathy and casually tossed them each one of the yogurt drink bottles from his bedside.

"Sigh. I don’t think I have any hope of finding a girlfriend for all four years of university," He Jian said with a sigh.

"By the way, Brother Ling, why’d you buy so many yogurt drinks? I don’t think Ammoxi is as good as Moshili’an~~"

Yang Yu took the yogurt drink and started sipping it.

In a corner of the dorm room, there were over a dozen cases of Ammoxi!

Hearing this, Ye Ling’s expression turned helpless. ’You idiot,’ he thought, ’can you not bring up such a frustrating topic?’

"I actually think Ammoxi is pretty good, though," He Jian said, sipping his yogurt drink.

"Then drink up."

Ye Ling’s enthusiasm had waned, so he replied casually.

He suddenly remembered he hadn’t signed in today and immediately recited the command in his mind. ’Sign in.’

The next moment, the system’s mechanical notification sound echoed in his mind once again.

"DING! Congratulations, Host, for triggering a Lesser Fortune outcome. You have received two cases of Ammoxi milk."

In an instant, several dark lines appeared on Ye Ling’s handsome face.