Jiang Nian looked at Tong Chuhe, who seemed nonchalant yet radiated a dark aura, and could barely resist covering her eyes.
Tan Zhuishi, I think your future wife is broken...
Leaving aside Tong Chuhe, who was gearing up to crush everyone in her path, the other two had also found clubs they liked.
Gao Wen had eagerly joined the Detective Club the moment they passed it, and Nie Xuzhi was planning to join the Drama Club. Only Jiang Nian was still undecided.
Seeing Jiang Nian frown in thought, Tong Chuhe offered a suggestion. "Why don't you try the Pastry Club?"
After all, Jiang Nian had nearly refused to leave after taking just one bite of the Pastry Club's little cakes.
Jiang Nian recalled the cake's texture and licked the corner of her mouth. Food really did interest her more.
"Sure, I'll join the Pastry Club."
They went to their chosen clubs to fill out application forms.
Jiang Nian approached the Pastry Club's small canopy and asked for an application form. A round, chubby boy handed her one.
"Hi, I'm Chen Mi, vice president of the Pastry Club. Here's your application form. Welcome to the Pastry Club!"
The girl beside Chen Mi also introduced herself with a smile. "I'm Liao Ruge. Welcome to the Pastry Club!"
Jiang Nian took the form and nodded at them. "Hi, I'm Jiang Nian."
Then she lowered her head and began filling in her information.
Liao Ruge chatted with Jiang Nian as she wrote. "Jiang Nian, are you a first-year too?"
Most students who came to club recruitment were first-years. Few second-years came, let alone third-years, who were all busy studying.
"Yep, I'm a first-year."
Jiang Nian checked her completed form and, finding no problems, handed it to Chen Mi.
"Vice president, is that all I need to do?"
Chen Mi glanced over the form. Everything looked fine. "Yes, that's it. Once recruitment is over, I'll add you to the group chat. All club announcements will be posted there."
The process was pretty simple.
"Okay, I'll head off, then!"
Jiang Nian waved to them both and skipped off to head home.
After her shower that evening, Jiang Nian noticed she had been added to a group chat called "Loving Pastry Club Members."
The Pastry Club wasn't very large, with around thirty or forty members. Chen Mi had added seven newcomers to the group.
The moment Jiang Nian joined, the group launched into an enthusiastic welcome.
[Chen Mi]: Welcome, newcomers~
[Liao Ruge]: Welcome, newcomers~
[Fang Xi]: Welcome, newcomers~
Jiang Nian smiled and greeted everyone.
[Jiang Nian]: Hi, everyone! I'm Jiang Nian.
[Fang Xi]: Jiang Nian? Wait, is that you on the cover of this year's military training feature on the school website?
A huge question mark practically appeared over Jiang Nian's head when she read Fang Xi's message.
The website cover?
Fang Xi posted a link. Jiang Nian clicked it and discovered it was the public features section on Pluto's official website. The latest feature was the newly published one on military training.
And its cover was a photo of Jiang Nian during shooting practice.
In the photo, Jiang Nian's gaze was as sharp as an eagle's, her lips lightly pressed together. A breeze swept through the wisps of hair over her forehead, but couldn't obscure the concentration in her eyes.
She gripped the gun tightly, her gaze focused as she aimed at the target and pulled the trigger. Paired with the solemn filter, she looked ridiculously cool.
Jiang Nian hadn't expected her photo to end up on the school's official website.
Even she blushed a little at the flood of comments in the group, like "So damn cool!" and "Girl, you're killing me!"
They chatted in the group for quite a while longer before Chen Mi announced that they would meet in the club room after school the next day.
After school the following day, Jiang Nian eagerly made her way to the Student Activity Center and stopped outside the Pastry Club's room.
She knocked politely, and Liao Ruge opened the door.
Seeing her, Liao Ruge smiled, her eyes curving. "You're here, Jiang Nian? Come on in."
Jiang Nian entered and carefully looked around the room.
It looked more like a baking workshop than a classroom. Six rectangular stainless steel worktables stood in the middle, with mixing bowls, whisks, and other baking utensils on top.
A row of freezers, ovens, and other medium-sized appliances lined the side of the room.
Jiang Nian glanced at the members who had arrived and realized that the Pastry Club's gender ratio seemed rather uneven. Two-thirds of them were girls.
Since everyone had enjoyed chatting in the group the day before, there wasn't much awkwardness when they met in person.
Once everyone had arrived, Chen Mi stepped onto the teaching platform to lead the meeting. "Hello, everyone. I'm Chen Mi, vice president of the Pastry Club."
"Our president is currently in the crucial third year, so I'm handling the club's affairs for now. If you have any questions, you can come to me."
"Today is your first day in the club. For today's activity, we'll start by showing you how to make a simple caramel pudding and introduce you to the basic baking process and equipment along the way."
"Once they're done, you can take them home and chill them for two hours. They'll taste even better."
As soon as he finished speaking, the veteran members took it upon themselves to guide the newcomers through baking.
The necessary ingredients were already laid out on the worktables. Several older girls from the club gathered around Jiang Nian and guided her through each step.
"Here, Nian Nian. Add the milk, vanilla extract, and sugar to the pot, then heat it gently to around sixty degrees. Stir the sugar at the bottom gently until it dissolves. Otherwise, you'll get big bubbles."
"Beat the eggs, then slowly pour the cooled milk into them, stirring as you pour. Don't stir too hard. Finally, pass the custard mixture through a fine sieve twice to remove the stringy bits of egg white, and it's ready!"
Jiang Nian had just followed Liao Ruge's instructions and set her custard mixture aside when Fang Xi pulled her over to the other side to make the caramel.
"Put the cold water and superfine sugar in a pot over low heat. Don't touch it before it boils. Once it turns pale yellow, swirl the pot, then pour in the boiling water all at once and bring it to a boil. Turn off the heat, and your syrup is ready."
"Once the bubbles in the caramel disappear, pour it into the baking cups while it's still hot, spreading a thin layer across the bottom. After the caramel sets, pour in the custard mixture, cover with foil, and put them in the oven. Bake them in a water bath, and that's it!"
The older girls surrounded Jiang Nian, offering tips one after another. They were only a step away from making it for her.
Seeing Jiang Nian busy cooking the syrup, the girls worried she might get hungry and occasionally fed her little snacks and bites of cake.
With instructions coming from one side and treats from the other, Jiang Nian practically bubbled over with happiness.
Hehe.
Hehehe.
I feel like some decadent ruler.
Hehehehehe.
This is amazing!
And so Jiang Nian spent several days enjoying a lavishly indulgent club life at school.
Only when she saw the invitation her mother brought out did she remember the event she had nearly pushed to the back of her mind.
Old Master Shen's seventieth birthday celebration had finally arrived.
Before you continue