Shift! The Side-Character Heroine

Chapter 524: The Most Famous Freshman

Zhao Youyue may have attempted to go incognito, but it was not enough to escape the sight of some warm-hearted seniors. Unfortunately, she had far too little on her. Her single hand carrier was not even large, that even the thick-faced seniors would still be embarrassed to approach her on the premise of helping...

If they went ahead, it would look transparently ridiculous. As students of a prestigious institution, they still needed to show some self-restraint.

Barefaced Zhao Youyue was one of the rarest occurrences on the planet. She would habitually put some light makeup on no matter how casual the occasion was, as it would increase her notability by a few levels.

In such a superficial era, makeup meant the world to women. An expert makeup artist would always surpass a barefaced natural beauty.

Lady Zhao was most certainly a chameleon of personas. Her barefaced self did not fall behind the results of full-on makeup, and it would have been almost impossible to tell if she had any on. She was Ah Yu, the female live streamer that was once tremendously popular online.

Everyone had forgotten how Ah Yu looked like, only because she had not appeared for a long time...

Even though no one came forward to carry her luggage, some kind-hearted people still gave her directions, pointing her to the registration area of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature.

One such individual was a female senior. This was probably out of kindness. Of course, her help was appreciated but unnecessary, as Zhao Youyue would have reached her destination eventually.

Still, Jiangnan University was massive. A bicycle might be necessary if she intended to save time.

Zhao Youyue arrived at the registration area without incident. This place did not just contain the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, but other departments as well. A large crowd had already gathered there. Those responsible for registering the new students were handing out campus cards. Others were ushering the freshman to the dormitories.

The Department of Chinese Language and Literature contained a significant majority of girls. A group of female seniors were chattering most enthusiastically, their laughter echoing through the hall. They were all top tier girls who were not lacking concerning beauty. It was a feast for Lady Zhao’s eyes – she always had an eye for beauty.

Some freshmen were natural social butterflies who would use this opportunity to just worm their way into being friends with the seniors. It would always be helpful to have them watching your back. They might even gain access to the hot topics in campus.

Zhao Youyue overheard something –

“Senior, senior! I heard that there is some very famous genius in our term! Is there really such a person?”

Zhao Youyue would have floated off the ground if she had wings. They were probably talking about her. Ah, I can’t help being a genius, sorry not sorry!

Apparently, going incognito did not help much...

Just as she was having such thoughts, she heard the female senior who had been the target of the question chirping excitedly, “You are referring to the genius author Han Leng, right? You are right, he was accepted by special admission. Ah, I wish I enrolled a year later, then I could have been in the same year as Master Han Leng!”

“Ha ha ha, I feel so excited! Master Han Leng is really very handsome, but I have never seen him in real life. I think I have read his ‘Beautiful April’ over five times already. Now I am just waiting for his new masterpiece, but he is just taking too long...”

...

The boys in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature felt irritated when they heard the excited chirps and giggles of the fan-girls. They discussed in a low voice:

“Why the heck does Han Leng even need to attend university. Can’t he just be a full-time author straight away?”

“It must feel great being able to show-off on a university campus. There are also fans for him to hook up with. If it were me, I would have done the same as him!”

“Isn’t Han Leng basically a ‘Clueless Chick Magnet’ who would never get in bed with a female?”

“You actually buy into that? Celebrities would pull off whatever acts they like. You have no idea what they’re like in their personal lives. Han Leng is secretly a pervert. That’s right, a cross-dressing pervert!”

“He is Lady Boss Leng Zi! Ah, why did Leng Zi have to be a man. If he was a girl that would be so great...”

“The most famous person among the freshmen is probably Han Leng. I’ve heard that his arrival attracted the spotlights from many sources. Loads of fangirls have followed him into enrolment!”

“Wait a minute, I feel like we are forgetting another person, another great genius. Why can’t I recall his name?”

“Don’t think too much about it. Other than Han Leng, who was popular in high school?”

...

Zhao Youyue heaved a sigh of relief. Her name ‘Zhao Youyue’ itself released an aura of neglect. Everyone would know who “Ah Yu” was. But if you mentioned “Zhao Youyue,” people might be taken aback. Who was this Zhao Youyue?

This was to be expected. Her live streamer handle was far more popular than her actual name. Her real name had just about recognition as dirt on the sidewalk.

Zhao Youyue shrugged, remaining indifferent about it. She finished up her registration process, signed her name on the freshmen registry, took her campus card. She followed her assigned usherette and went to her prospective dormitory.

The usherette was relatively silent during the entire walk. She treated this purely as a task for her and did not appear to be interested in being friends with Zhao Youyue. Perhaps, this freshman just seemed too unassuming and mediocre. She would soon forget this face among the sea of freshmen.

We could only conclude that Zhao Youyue’s disguise had been quite a success.

Zhao Youyue could not help but think about Han Leng. They had not contacted each other for a long time. She did not even know that Han Leng had been accepted into Jiangnan University by special admission, and was even in the same department as she was...

The vain and prideful Zhao Youyue started assuming that the Great Scholar Han might just have a crush on her. Nah. It can’t be right. She quickly shook the thought away before it even took solid form.

Word out was that Han Leng had a heart of ice. He couldn’t care less about the opposite sex, much less fellow humans. Lady Zhao was no exception. When the internet started spreading a small rumor about Han Leng and Ah Yu, the talented author had flatly denied the rumors. He had been so vehement that most parties quickly desisted.

Then, he had cut off all contact with Zhao Youyue, as if Lady Zhao was some scourge. At that time, Zhao Youyue was preoccupied with the success of Jane Doe Su and had no time to deal with Han Leng.

She had been the one to initiate most of their conversations about literature and writing. He had never once rolled the first stone. If anything, he rolled away from her general direction, and made sure to keep going. It was as if he was a “devil who uproots flags” [1]

Because of this, Zhao Youyue was deeply convinced that “Han Leng was not interested in her at all.” Now then, why would he choose this particular university and department? It was probably a mere coincidence. Zhao Youyue decided that Han Leng indeed had a deep-seated passion for literature. After all, Jiangnan University’s Department of Chinese Language and Literature was rather formidable. Many famous authors originated from there.

Her stupid mom could also be considered a famous author, albeit a failed one...

Translation note:

[1] “devil who uproots flags” (拔旗狂魔) is a galgame term, whereby a person pulls out a flag which they have planted. A “flag” is anything that happens with the female character (eg, a landmark dialogue or event).

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