CHAPTER 27

The graduation gowns were distributed by the school, worn by countless batches of students. They were handed out to the students the day before the graduation ceremony. Among the students, the performing arts majors, like the girls from Room 405, were particularly meticulous in their appearance. Tang Ruoyao usually had a more casual style, but now, amidst the bustling atmosphere of her roommates enthusiastically cleaning their graduation gowns by various means, she calmly held an iron and attentively ironed her graduation stole, not looking particularly out of place.

Wen Shuxian looked at her with surprise, and Tang Ruoyao lifted the iron in her hand, casually saying, "Do you want me to iron yours? I'm almost done with mine."

Wen Shuxian chuckled, saying it would be too much trouble, but swiftly handed over her pink stole—since they were categorized under the humanities and arts, the decorative border of their stole was a refreshing pink.

Fu Yujun subtly furrowed her eyebrows, giving Tang Ruoyao another glance.

She was sensitive to people's emotional changes, and lately, Tang Ruoyao had been in a very pleasant mood, tinged with a hint of anticipation and nervousness.

Tang Ruoyao ironed the entire room's graduation gowns, including the degree robe, stoles, and even meticulously ironed the top of the graduation cap. Wen Shuxian exclaimed and ran out to announce it, and soon, student from neighboring rooms came over to borrow the iron. It continued like this until graduation day, and Tang Ruoyao never saw her iron again.

It was not allowed to wear clothes underneath the graduation gown, but an accessory outfit was required. It consisted of a shirt and trousers, with colors that shouldn't be too vibrant, leaving little room for creativity.

Early in the morning, Tang Ruoyao got up and pondered while pinching her chin. She picked and chose a bunch of clothes and entered the bathroom, closing the door, and slowly trying them on. In the end, she chose a classic embroidered white shirt that accentuated her figure, paired with a plain dark-colored skirt. Her long and fair neck was adorned with a bright red bow tie, adding a touch of color to her delicate appearance.

Tang Ruoyao stood in front of the dressing mirror, staring at the custom-made bow tie. It had a crisscross pattern in the center, with two thin ribbons extending on either side. When left undisturbed, it was securely fastened. But with a gentle pull on the ribbons, the bow tie could easily come apart, providing a surprising element, like unwrapping a gift.

If Qin Yinong was willing to unwrap this gift.

Tang Ruoyao wondered if Qin Yinong had let go of her anger from last time. She raised her slender and fair neck in front of the mirror, pursed her lips, feeling a mix of joy and worry.

Wen Shuxian woke up and saw Tang Ruoyao's bow tie, exclaiming, "This bow tie looks so good! Why don't I have one?!"

She reached out to grab it, but Tang Ruoyao calmly evaded her, not showing any reaction.

Fu Yujun had just washed her face, with water droplets covering her face. She wiped them off leisurely and glanced over, saying, "Do you think she's your mother, preparing everything for you?"

Wen Shuxian ignored her remark and eagerly asked Tang Ruoyao, "Are there any more? Are there?"

Tang Ruoyao calmly replied, without changing her expression, "No, there aren't."

Wen Shuxian looked disappointed, but quickly brushed it off. She focused on praising Tang Ruoyao and stopped touching the bow tie, only using her eyes to observe and describe, "This one is custom-made, right? It's completely different from those tacky street stall goods. I think I saw embroidered patterns with hidden stitches."

Tang Ruoyao lightly murmured in agreement, inexplicably feeling a bit nervous, afraid that she might ask why she suddenly had it custom-made.

Wen Shuxian came up with her own reason and convinced herself, saying, "Well, make sense, you're representing us and you'll be giving a speech on stage. It should be more grand, setting yourself apart from us."

Fu Yujun was drinking water and choked upon hearing this, immediately coughing.

Wen Shuxian turned her head, asking, "Are you okay?"

Fu Yujun coughed and waved her hand, saying, "I'm fine."

Tang Ruoyao's gaze met Fu Yujun's as she glanced over. They locked eyes for a moment, and Fu Yujun calmly looked away.

Tang Ruoyao pondered for a moment and then glanced at her again.

The four of them helped each other adjust their graduation caps, ensuring the tassels were in the right place, naturally hanging down from the brim. Fu Yujun held a selfie stick, and the three of them gathered around her. Fu Yujun asked, "Is Room 405 sweet or not?"

Everyone shouted, "Sweet!"

Click—

A precious group photo was captured in the dormitory room.

Room 405 had a good reputation, and as soon as they stepped out of the door, they saw a fellow student in graduation attire standing at the door of the neighboring room. The student warmly greeted them, saying, "Shall we go together? We're almost ready as well."

Wen Shuxian smiled and said, "Sure."

Later, the three rooms merged into a group of around ten people, walking together in a grand procession.

Within the crowd, there would naturally be leaders, intentional or not. Tang Ruoyao didn't like taking the lead, so she pushed the carefree Wen Shuxian to the front. She and the other three members of Room 405 followed closely behind, with students from other dorms trailing behind them.

The group chatted and laughed, feeling particularly relaxed, and even Tang Ruoyao couldn't help but raise her lips in a smile.

On the path to the auditorium, they encountered another group led by Huo Yuke, heading in the opposite direction. Although the road wasn't narrow, with many people on both sides, they made way for each other to pass.

Tang Ruoyao voluntarily took a step back, intending to let the other group go first. Suddenly, a hand wrapped around her shoulder, and Wen Shuxian hugged her tightly, standing side by side with her.

Tang Ruoyao: "..."

Among the female students in the performance arts class, Room 405, represented by Wen Shuxian, and Room 432, represented by Huo Yuke, formed two factions. Wen Shuxian's side had a more laid-back approach, not forming cliques or factions, just maintaining closer relationships. Neutral students could also be considered part of this group. On Huo Yuke's side, most were her followers—some seeking benefits by sticking with her, while others stood against her out of jealousy.

Both sides looked at each other with dissatisfaction, deadlocked in the middle of the road.

Tang Ruoyao quietly advised Wen Shuxian, "We're about to graduate, let's not cause trouble."

Wen Shuxian whispered back, "What do you mean by causing trouble? We arrived first. You're right, we're about to graduate, and we can't tolerate this arrogant brat anymore. Does she think no one can deal with her?"

Huo Yuke perked up her ears, her gaze filled with ambiguous meaning.

"A good dog doesn't block the way!" One of Huo Yuke's lackeys behind her shouted, taking advantage of the situation.

Huo Yuke turned her head to catch the source of the voice, and a flicker of displeasure passed through her eyes. The owner of the voice quickly cowered and shrank back.

Wen Shuxian sneered, raising her voice and sarcastically retorted, "Yes, a good dog doesn't block the way. So, may I ask all you good dogs to kindly let us people pass?" She emphasized the word "people."

Huo Yuke's expression turned ugly. The people around her quickly reacted and began to exchange insults.

The crowd started arguing back and forth in the middle of the road, exchanging words with each other.

It's unclear which side made the first move with a shove, but the situation quickly spiraled out of control. Tearing clothes and knocking off hats was out of the question, as they still had to maintain their image. Instead, the verbal battle escalated, accompanied by shoving and pushing.

Onlookers started gathering around.

Nobody noticed a car parked not far away. The back door opened, and a woman in a white professional suit stepped out. She had shoulder-length black hair, each strand perfectly in place.

Wearing a pair of metal-framed glasses, her gaze was calm as she carefully avoided Tang Ruoyao's line of sight and quietly approached the crowd.

Wen Shuxian, fueled by the argument, shouted and cursed, "Huo Yuke, do you still have any shame left? Who doesn't know how you got the lead role in that 'Under the Southern Mountain' drama? When you can't compete, you resort to dirty tricks. Disgusting!"

Tang Ruoyao felt helpless, but since Wen Shuxian was charging ahead for her, she couldn't just shrink back. She could only protect her tie with one hand, keeping a cool and unaffected expression on her face, as if she had nothing to do with the situation.

Her nonchalant demeanor only fueled more resentment towards her.

Huo Yuke stared intently at Tang Ruoyao in the center of the storm, her gaze filled with an almost devouring hatred. Tang Ruoyao, however, was looking... at the back of the car. Huo Yuke followed her gaze, and there it was—a random car's rear end.

Was she really worth less than just a passing car?

This was going too far!

Huo Yuke's anger flared up, almost making her vomit blood. Her heart surged with anger, and she sneered, "So what if I took her role? What can you do about it?"

The members of Room 405 erupted in uproar.

Guan Han, equally taken aback, barely furrowed her eyebrows, a glint flashing behind her glasses.

Wen Shuxian was so furious that her head throbbed, and she let out a loud cry.

When dealing with someone shameless and unscrupulous like Huo Yuke, who acted as if she were entitled to everything, Wen Shuxian truly had no way to handle her.

"F*ck!" Wen Shuxian lost her rationality. She didn't care anything anymore as she grabbed her arm, rolled up her sleeves, and was about to start a fight. Huo Yuke's side had already prepared for this and sent a few strong individuals to the front row.

Suddenly, they heard Fu Yujun exclaim, "Tang Tang, where are you going?"

Everyone turned their heads, only to find that Tang Ruoyao had already left the center and was chasing after something in a certain direction. In front of her, the silhouette of a car had just disappeared around the corner at the end of the road.

The remaining people looked at each other, their expressions filled with surprise.

The impending conflict that was about to unfold ended in confusion because Tang Ruoyao had left early.

Guan Han quietly arrived and quietly left.

Tang Ruoyao was wearing flat shoes today, which made it convenient for her to run. Cars were not allowed to drive too fast within the campus. With one hand covering her tie, she sprinted forward, chasing from the pedestrian walkway beside the road. She happened to catch up with the rear end of the sedan occupied by the bodyguards.

The windows of the car were heavily tinted, making it impossible to see anything from the outside. However, Tang Ruoyao's heart was pounding. Her intuition told her that Qin Yinong was inside.

Qin Yinong received a message from Guan Han: [It's over here. I'm coming over now. Wait for me in the car.]

She placed her phone upside down and closed her eyes to rest.

Both cars were parked near the auditorium in the parking lot. Tang Ruoyao stopped behind a nearby tree, her back drenched in sweat. Her cheeks had a peculiar flush from the intense exercise. She supported her knees with her hands, panting heavily, her gaze locked onto the door of the car, which remained motionless.

The doors of the extended sedan behind them swung open, and six burly bodyguards in black suits emerged. They surrounded the car door expressionlessly, while the car remained silent.

Tang Ruoyao couldn't help but doubt if she had guessed wrong. Was it not Qin Yinong? But she couldn't think of any other celebrity who would come at this moment, apart from Qin Yinong.

Suddenly, a loud commotion erupted nearby. Tang Ruoyao turned to look and even though she was accustomed to the media, she couldn't help but be startled by the spectacle. Groups of media personnel came rushing forward, carrying all kinds of cameras and equipment, creating a sea of people. As they advanced, even the sky seemed to darken momentarily, as if engulfed in a spreading black terror.

The security line at the parking lot had long been breached, and the crowd continued to grow. It seemed to stretch endlessly.

A pilgrimage of thousands.

An inappropriate analogy came to Tang Ruoyao's mind, and she couldn't help but hold her breath. Was this the status of Qin Yinong?

Guan Han was struggling on the outskirts of the entertainment media, desperately trying to push through, but she couldn't make any progress. She was like an ant running around on a hot pan. She cursed inwardly for being a step too late. These entertainment media personnel acted like dogs who had caught a whiff of a meat bone as soon as they saw Qin Yinong.

Guan Han stepped aside and made a call to Principal Sun, her face serious. "Principal, we're trapped in the parking lot."

Principal Sun sounded equally anxious on the other end and apologized, "I've already sent a security team over. Just hold on for a bit longer."

"Is one team enough?" Guan Han glanced at the overwhelming crowd of journalists. They were prepared, but they hadn't expected the entertainment media to be so relentless.

Principal Sun wiped his sweat and replied, "I'll send another team."

This was the first time he had invited Qin Yinong this year, and they couldn't afford any mishaps.

The camera zoomed in on the window of the car, and the dark, menacing lenses pressed against it, like venomous snakes, attempting to pry inside. Qin Yinong, with disgust, quickly grabbed a brochure and blocked the prying eyes, exhaling heavily.

She was trapped inside the car.

Tang Ruoyao had been observing from the side and finally came to this conclusion.

She pursed her lips and took the initiative to step out from behind the tree.

The journalists were tightly surrounding the car, completely oblivious to the figure nearby.

A male journalist at the outermost layer raised his camera high, standing on tiptoes, snapping away regardless of whether he could capture anything or not. Suddenly, a slender and fair hand appeared on his shoulder, and tapped him.

The journalist glanced down and, despite how much the hand resembled that of a beautiful woman, he didn't turn around or make any room. There were no beauties in front of news.

The hand patted again.

The journalist turned around impatiently, "Can't you—"

His throat seemed to be gripped by a hand, abruptly silencing him. His eyes almost bulged out of their sockets.

Tang Ruoyao looked at him indifferently, "What are you all doing?"

A female journalist beside him couldn't help but scream, "Ah!!! It's Tang Ruoyao!"

If they couldn't capture Qin Yinong, capturing Tang Ruoyao would still be an exclusive!

The crowded group of journalists quickly split into a large wave, surrounding Tang Ruoyao. Cameras and voice recorders were almost shoved in her face as they began bombarding her with questions. Tang Ruoyao wore a cold expression, absentmindedly responding.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Guan Han taking the opportunity to make her way through the crowd. Swift as lightning, she got into the car, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Author's Note:

Tang Tang (superficially indifferent, secretly delighted): Helping my wife out of a tight spot, hehehe.

Mini Theater:

Tang Tang in ordinary times (knocking on a wooden fish): I am as calm as a Buddhist, unaffected by anything happening around me.

Media: Qin Yinong!

Tang Tang (rushing out): !!! Wherever my wife is, I'll be right there!!!

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