Chapter 59: Chapter 59 Qian Quan Is the Strongest! !
Translator: Inschain Editor: Inschain
After taking a spin in the car, Qian Quan added a few friends to his WeChat. On the surface, it seemed like he was beginning to be accepted into the circle. However, he knew very well that he was far from fitting in.
The amazing driving skills he had showcased caught their attention, but it didn’t necessarily mean they would be friends on the same wavelength from now on.
Of course, Qian Quan had no complaints about this.
He neither criticized nor yearned for this lifestyle.
They were like two intersecting lines; their life paths were never meant to coincide in the long run.
“Will you attend gatherings like this in the future?” Zhang Xiang’er asked on the way back from the racetrack.
“It depends,” Qian Quan replied. “1 never thought I would go to a party like this, but you dragged me along.”
“You impressed everyone tonight. None of them could figure you out. A few girls even tried to estimate the cost of your outfit but still couldn’t make up their minds.”
“That’s because I came with you.”
No, no, it’s mainly because your driving was too amazing. Wait, how did you learn to drive a sports car? Don’t tell me you learned it last minute.”
“I learned driving from my dad,” Qian Quan said.
“Your father must be an extraordinary man.”
“Yes, he is.”
After dropping Qian Quan off near a subway station, Zhang Xiang’er was off to another venue. The night was still young for them.
Before getting out of the car, Zhang Xiang’er casually mentioned something.
“Hey, pass me Lin Xiaohuang’s WeChat later on. We’ll be part of the same circle from now on, after all.”
After an entire evening of setting the stage, Zhang Xiang’er finally revealed his true colors.
“I’ll ask her first. Bye.”
“Don’t forget.”
Exploring the glitz and glamor of Azure Bay was just a side quest. His main focus was studying here.
By late October, some of the campus activities Qian Quan was involved in were wrapping up, while new ones were getting started.
In the College of Humanities’ 3-011-2 Basketball Game, the Department of History predictably clinched the championship.
After the game, everyone took photos to commemorate the event. Two girls from the runner-up Department of Political Science also took a photo with Qian Quan.
In reality, he was the most photographed player on the sidelines.
On the 21st, the drama society’s play, The Love Story of the Snail and the Oriole, had its first performance.
With marquee stars like Yang Qing and Tang Bingbing, the show was sold out; even the aisles were filled.
After the successful first performance, Qian Quan, who played a minor male role, received numerous text messages and new WeChat friend requests.
Most of the messages praised him as “Handsome,” “Great performance”, and “You worked hard”, and some even offered constructive criticism and future career advice, showing genuine concern.
Friend requests came mostly from girls, but there were a handful of guys too.
This made Qian Quan realize something.
Becoming famous was incredibly tempting.
He was still miles away from fame, yet he was already receiving so much goodwill and attention from strangers. How much praise and adoration must the real celebrities receive every day?
Sure, there was negative pressure, but the rewards must outweigh it.
In the evening, the drama club held a symbolic celebration dinner at a restaurant outside campus and even ordered some alcohol.
Tang Bingbing, the leading lady, was naturally the star of the celebration.
She began by thanking everyone, and then everyone took turns toasting her.
Even though she only sipped a small amount each time, it eventually added up. Before she knew it, she was a little tipsy, her cheeks flushed, adding to her allure.
“Us seniors, the moment we return to school, we feel that we are old. Once we’re past this stage, the school is no longer ours.
“Stepping into society after leaving school, we feel so green, so naive…
“In short, what I want to say is thank you. Thank you, every one of you, for allowing me to say goodbye to my alma mater in this way. Cheers!”
After the dinner, Tang Bingbing specifically asked her “first-love boyfriend” Qian Quan to walk her back to her dorm. Along the way, she suggested they take a longer walk around campus.
“Qian Quan, have you ever considered pursuing a career in the entertainment industry?” Tang Bingbing asked.
No,” Qian Quan answered.
“Why?”
“I don’t have exceptional talent in singing or acting.”
“But you’re handsome.”
“There are at least seven or eight guys as handsome as me in the entertainment industry. I have no advantage.”
Tang Bingbing burst into laughter, lightly tapping Qian Quan, “You’re so modestly narcissistic.”
Qian Quan also laughed.
“I wish you were really my first-love boyfriend,” Tang Bingbing mused.
“Why?”
“Because it’s been a long time since someone has made me this happy,” she said, her eyes twinkling as she looked at Qian Quan, “And if you were my first-love boyfriend, I could make an even more outrageous request before graduation.”
“Like what?”
Like… going to a hotel room?” Tang Bingbing joked.
Qian Quan chuckled, “You must be drunk, young lady.”
With a smile on her face, Tang Bingbing suddenly moved closer to Qian Quan’s ear, her breath smelling sweet, and whispered some words.
Upon hearing them, Qian Quan’s expression froze instantly.
Those straightforward words were like landmines, exploding in his mind.
His heartbeat accelerated wildly, like a race car at full throttle.
He experienced a physiological reaction any normal male would have.
Turning his head, he looked at Tang Bingbing, who was so close to him.
Her eyes were dewy, her lips rosy, and her expression was ambiguous, filled with anticipation.
A fierce urge rose from the depths of Qian Quan’s heart. He stared at her for six or seven seconds.
Then he gently pushed Tang Bingbing away by the shoulders, saying, “Let’s go back, Miss Tang. You really have had a bit too much to drink.”
A complex glimmer flashed across Tang Bingbing’s eyes, but she just smiled, “Yeah.”
The two walked shoulder to shoulder toward the girls’ dormitory.
When they reached the entrance of the girls’ dorm building, Tang Bingbing said, “After sobering up tomorrow, 1’11 probably forget everything that happened tonight. You should forget it too.”
Of course,” Qian Quan nodded.
“Bye. Goodnight.”
“Goodbye.”
On his way back to the male dormitory, Qian Quan took a deep breath, enjoying the slightly cool night air, and finally felt fully awake.
One could say that he had just experienced the most thrilling moment of his 18-year life, twenty times more so than that night at Zhang Xiang’er’s welcome party.
As he neared the entrance of the men’s dorm, he started a video call with Ding Linlang.
“What’s up? I’m busy writing,” Ding Linlang said, seated in her chair, as she faced the video call.
“Just keep writing. Put your phone aside, so I can watch you,” Qian Quan said.
“Why?”
“Don’t ask why.”
“You’re acting weird tonight. What’s going on?”
“I just want to watch you write, okay?”
“Fine,” Ding Linlang didn’t ask any more questions and propped up her phone so it faced her. “Don’t get mesmerized by how seriously I’m working.”
“I’ll try not to,” Qian Quan laughed.
With that, Ding Linlang continued to immerse herself in her writing.
She stared at the screen intently, her slender fingers dancing across the keyboard.
Listening to the sound of the keystrokes, Qian Quan’s thoughts gradually calmed.
By the end of October, an event called “The Campus Chess Talent Hunt” and the “Liangon Cup Chess Masters Challenge,” sponsored by Azure Bay City Chess Association, and co-hosted by Liangon Corporation, various Student Affairs Guidance Committees, Joint Youth Committees, and chess associations of several universities, kicked off at Jiaotong University.
Chess Grandmasters Jiang Shilai and Cao Yu played a thrilling “Turn-based Battle” with eight students from Jiaotong University.
In the end, seven students lost, and one managed a draw game.
That person was naturally Li Zhiyi.
“You could have won the game. Did you intentionally play for a draw?” Jiang Shilai, true to his Grandmaster title, was not bothered by the loss.
“I learned from someone else,” Li Zhiyi said.
Jiang Shilai smiled kindly and asked, “Would you like to play another game just between us?”
“Sure.”
So, Jiang Shilai and Li Zhiyi set up another game, resulting once again in a draw.
“Your chess style…” Jiang Shilai was surprised, “Another round?”
“Okay,” Li Zhiyi nodded, her face wearing a faint, mischievous smile.
The second game also ended in a draw.
Jiang Shilai was astounded and said, “Your chess skills are really something.”
Cao Yu also looked astonished, “To be able to draw two rounds with Teacher Jiang, you must be the strongest college student in Azure Bay, or even in the whole country.”
Li Zhiyi said, “I’m not the strongest. Qian Quan is the strongest.”
“Oh? Who is Qian Quan?”
“Freshmen from Seacoast Normal University,” someone nearby responded at the time.
Jiang Shilai and Cao Yu exchanged glances, thinking that this year’s event was turning out to be quite interesting..
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