[Time: March 11, 2011, 3:33 p.m. Location: Outside Room X, Building X, Shanghai Theatre Academy Guide: Bring a freshman-level Introduction to Art textbook]
Zhang Yang unlocked an opportunity at Shanghai Theatre Academy, only to find that all it required was bringing a book.
Surprised, he immediately started thinking through what might happen.
Just like yesterday morning, when he learned he had to prepare for the Scripture Pavilion, he'd guessed what kind of trouble Liu Shishi would run into and made the necessary preparations to ensure he got the opportunity.
This time, the guide told him to bring a freshman-level Introduction to Art textbook. That meant some freshman, whether a guy or a girl, had probably forgotten their book, and he'd be able to help out.
But he couldn't just show up with a freshman-level Introduction to Art textbook. That would be far too much of a coincidence.
And he'd need a little finesse to persuade the other person to borrow it.
For example, yesterday he couldn't have simply shoved a Scripture Pavilion book at Liu Shishi and said, "Sister Shishi, one of your relatives is visiting, right? You don't have a Scripture Pavilion book, right? Here, use mine."
Liu Shishi would probably have blushed and smacked him twice.
"There's plenty of time. I can prepare."
"Come to think of it, I'm also vice president of the Student Union. That position gives me plenty of options."
Zhang Yang took out his phone, opened a QQ group, and started asking around for the information he needed.
"It's Old Jiang's class? That's easy." Zhang Yang quickly came up with a plan.
First, he contacted another Student Union member and sent him a message: "Old Xu, I heard your goddess agreed to go to the movies with you?"
Old Xu replied right away: "Goddess? Brother Yang, you sure know how to put it. Manman is my goddess, and she did agree to go to the movies with me. But I have to deliver some materials to the mentors in Group X this afternoon. It's such a pain."
Zhang Yang: "Not bad, kid. Get the materials ready and leave them somewhere. I'll deliver them for you."
Old Xu: "Seriously? Godfather!"
Zhang Yang: "You've already called me godfather. How could I not mean it?"
Old Xu: "You're a real dad. If things work out with her, I'll treat you to a meal with Manman."
Zhang Yang: "Sure, sure."
After arranging a time and place with Old Xu, Zhang Yang put his phone away and shook his head to himself. "Treat me to a meal with Manman? That meal's not happening."
He knew Manman. She'd wanted to get into the acting department but hadn't been accepted, so she'd transferred to the puppetry program to stay at Shanghai Theatre Academy. She had the makings of a social butterfly.
When he'd first joined the Student Union, Manman had pursued him for a few days, but he'd turned her down.
As far as Manman was concerned, Old Xu was just a fairly decent simp. He didn't stand a chance.
"The bike you're too precious to ride is someone else's to pedal standing up—and the bike's pretty happy about it."
With a trace of resignation, Zhang Yang returned to his dorm. He found a few important freshman textbooks on his shelf and put them in his bag, then added a few sophomore textbooks as well.
Once he'd finished, he went straight to bed and started flipping through his script, preparing to memorize every line and detail.
Ever since he'd been reborn, it seemed his brain had undergone some kind of special development. He could practically memorize anything at a glance.
Before long, it was 2:45 p.m.
He turned off his phone alarm, got up, washed his face, fixed his hair, slung his bag over his shoulder, and headed to the student building.
At the counseling office, he picked up the materials Old Xu had left there, then made his way to Room X in Building X.
Meanwhile, students were leaving their dorms, the library, and various classrooms in small groups, heading to their next classes.
Among them were several strikingly beautiful girls. They made for a stunning sight, repeatedly drawing the attention and comments of students nearby.
"Is that girl not Han?"
"I'd guess she's Uyghur, like Dong Yaya."
"I heard this year's freshmen in the acting department are especially gorgeous."
"Yeah, the ones I've heard about are Dilireba, Yuan Bingyan, and Zhong Chuxi."
"Dilireba must be the one we just saw."
"..."
The three girls were used to all the attention. None of them showed the slightest change in expression.
A few minutes later, the 2010 acting freshmen arrived at the multimedia classroom for their Introduction to Art class.
"It's not here. How can it not be here?"
At the front of the room, Dilireba looked flustered as she rummaged through her tote bag. Her beauty was striking, with an exotic flair.
"Could you have left it in the library?" asked the girl beside her, whose gentle manner, high nose, and picturesque features made her stand out.
She was Yuan Bingyan, Dilireba's roommate. The two were each other's closest friends in class.
"That's possible. I looked at it in the library earlier." Reba tapped her forehead and set her bag down. "I'll go look for it now."
"Wait." Yuan Bingyan caught her hand. "Class starts in ten minutes. If you go all the way back now, you might be late."
"What should I do?" Reba asked anxiously.
The Introduction to Art teacher was highly respected at the school and famous for being strict.
If she showed up late, she might leave a bad impression on the teacher.
A teacher of that standing could have a major impact on her future career with just one negative comment.
"Why don't you explain what happened when the teacher arrives? You can share my book during class. I'm sure the teacher will understand," Yuan Bingyan said.
Reba looked tempted, but Cheng Chuyue, another roommate, spoke up. "The class rep reminded us in the group chat that we have an open-book quiz today. We'll all have to sit apart. How will Reba take it without a book?"
"Yanyan, tell the teacher for me. I need to go find my textbook." Reba made up her mind at once.
Of two evils, she chose the lesser. Being late with a good reason might not upset the teacher, but failing the quiz would be a black mark on her record.
"Go on, then. Be careful on the way, and don't forget your phone." Yuan Bingyan let go of her hand.
Reba nodded, grabbed her phone, and hurried toward the door.
She opened it to leave, only to find a tall young man standing outside, his arms full of things.
Luckily, she wasn't running very fast, and she'd paused as she opened the door. Otherwise, she would have crashed right into him.
Even so, the unexpected sight startled her, and she instinctively looked up at him.
He was handsome, with deep black eyes and a faint smile at the corner of his mouth that gave him a sunny air.
Reba thought he was better-looking than any guy she'd ever met. None of the boys in her class could compare.
Not only that, he seemed familiar, as if she'd seen him somewhere before.
This young man was, of course, Zhang Yang, who had deliberately timed his arrival to block the doorway.
"Reba?"
What a coincidence, Zhang Yang thought.
Just two nights ago, he'd met Nazha.
And today's opportunity was connected to Reba.
He really did have a special affinity for beauties from Xinjiang.
His smile deepened. Looking Reba in the eye, Zhang Yang asked, "Hey, you. Class is about to start. Where are you rushing off to?"
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