Chapter 76

As their relationship deepened, Shan Rao became increasingly aware of her growing affection for Bian Xuedao.

The longer they spent together, the more shining qualities she saw in this boy, and her love for him deepened, making it increasingly hard to extricate herself. Shan Rao, who had always been very selective and conservative, even had sexual fantasies about Bian Xuedao at the swimming pool, a feeling she had never experienced before. So now, Shan Rao was increasingly hesitant to go to Bian Xuedao's place, fearing that being alone with him might arouse his desires, and she was unsure if she could resist his advances.

The Media College had more female students than male students, and the Women's Department held more power than the Cultural Department. Anyone who could reach the position of Women's Department head in the Media College was no ordinary person. Shan Rao quickly decided to use this dinner gathering to test her relationship with Bian Xuedao, which would influence her understanding and definition of their relationship.

Shan RAO called Xu Shangxiu's dormitory phone and found Xu Shangxiu.

"Xu Shangxiu? It's me, Shan RAO. Is it convenient to talk? Oh, like this, the college has a large-scale social event tonight, and several departments need to send representatives. Chairman Gao Jian requires the Women's Department to send a few female cadres. I checked your class schedule, and you have no classes tonight. I want you to represent the Women's Department with me. How about it? Any problems?"

Xu Shangxiu thought for a moment and couldn't find a reason to refuse. Moreover, Shan RAO's words seemed to be elevating her. In the year since joining the Women's Department, Xu Shangxiu had truly felt the benefits of the Student Union. She could say that her status in the dormitory and among the female students in her class largely came from her identity as a member of the Women's Department.

Since joining the Women's Department, Minister Shan RAO had always favored her, making her feel at ease within the department. Therefore, Xu Shangxiu felt she had to support Shan RAO's work.

Xu Shangxiu readily agreed to Shan RAO.

At 4:30 PM, Gao Jian and Yang Enqiao arrived early to arrange some details.

It was then that Gao Jian realized that making Yang Enqiao the Sports Minister was a bit of a waste of talent.

As soon as they entered the private room and saw the table signs for Table 1 and Table 2 on the two large tables, Yang Enqiao suggested removing the table signs and replacing them with different fake flowers to distinguish the tables.

Yang Enqiao's exact words were: "Everyone knows their contribution to the game, but since we have substitute players, we should try not to make anyone feel uncomfortable. When they enter, just remind them to sit at the Peony table or the Lily table, which is more polite."

Regarding the seating arrangement, Yang Enqiao suggested placing the oldest member, Wu Tian, at the main seat facing the door at the Peony table. Gao Jian would sit to Wu Tian's left as the main host, and Shan RAO would sit opposite Gao Jian as the secondary host. Another lively member, the Discipline Minister, would be seated at this table to liven up the atmosphere.

Yang Enqiao, as the team leader, would be the main host at the Lily table, with the Cultural Minister as the secondary host. The Life Minister and the External Affairs Minister would also be seated there to show favor.

Gao Jian was not a naive freshman. He knew what it meant for Yang Enqiao to place him as the main host at the Lily table, but he didn't want to reject the suggestion. Yang Enqiao was indeed the team leader, and he had led the college team to victory, making significant contributions. Moreover, he had laid the groundwork for securing sponsorships.

Secondly, based on Yang Enqiao's handling of the arrangements today, it seemed he would do well after graduation. It would be beneficial to deepen their friendship and have more connections.

In Gao Jian's notification, the Student Union members were to arrive half an hour earlier than the team members.

Shan RAO confirmed the seating arrangement with Yang Enqiao and then pulled Xu Shangxiu to the Peony table, knowing that Bian Xuedao would also sit there soon.

Sitting in the chair, Xu Shangxiu soon learned that the evening event was a social gathering with the team that had just won the "Dongsen Cup" championship. She immediately thought of Bian Xuedao and felt anxious.

Xu Shangxiu thought of several reasons to ask Shan RAO to let her return to the dormitory, but seeing Shan RAO's smiling face, she lacked the courage to speak.

In the hearts of the female students in the Media College, the current Women's Department head, Shan RAO, was a smiling tiger. Xu Shangxiu knew that although Shan RAO looked gentle and smiling, she was very calculating and strong-willed. If she had found a reason to refuse at the beginning, it would have been better, but now that she had come, leaving would definitely make Shan RAO unhappy, and offending Shan RAO would make her life in the Student Union difficult.

Xu Shangxiu's hands unconsciously intertwined, and she stared at the tablecloth in front of her.

The private room was getting more crowded, and the team members greeted each other and complimented each other's skills. Xu Shangxiu was lost in thought, even wondering if Shan RAO knowing about Bian Xuedao's previous pursuit of her would have any negative impact.

Seeing Xu Shangxiu's behavior, Shan RAO was certain that Bian Xuedao and Xu Shangxiu had interacted, and he had even proposed to her, but clearly, his proposal had failed.

Shan RAO couldn't understand whether it was because Bian Xuedao's rival, Xu Shangxiu's current boyfriend, was too strong, or whether Xu Shangxiu was blind to his qualities. But it was better that Xu Shangxiu didn't recognize his worth; if she had seen it earlier, where would she find such a perfect boyfriend?

Seeing that Bian Xuedao hadn't arrived yet, Shan RAO took out her phone and called him.

Xu Shangxiu saw the phone pressed to Shan RAO's ear and recognized it as the model Bian Xuedao had once wanted to give her. She felt a mix of regret and anger.

A thought flashed through Xu Shangxiu's mind: Could Shan RAO have known about her and Bian Xuedao all along?

When Shan RAO called, Bian Xuedao and Xu Zhiyou were already at the restaurant entrance. To his surprise, Wu Tian was sitting in the hotel lobby and greeted them warmly as they entered: "I arrived a bit early, but I have little in common with those student cadres. We're all outsiders, so it's better if we go in together."

By the standards of his previous life, Bian Xuedao and Wu Tian were about the same age. It was impossible for him to call Wu Tian "Uncle," and "Old Wu" didn't feel close enough. He smiled and said, "Brother Wu is really funny."

Hearing that Bian Xuedao was at the entrance, Shan RAO got up and went to the door of the private room to wait for him.

When the people in the private room saw Shan RAO get up, they knew the main guests had arrived.

Everyone in the Student Union knew that at first, Yang Enqiao couldn't persuade Bian Xuedao to come, but later, after hearing that Bian Xuedao seemed to have a bit of an ambiguous relationship with Shan RAO, Gao Jian personally called Shan RAO, who had just returned from volunteering in the isolation building, and asked for her help, which led to Bian Xuedao agreeing to be an outsider and even bringing three other strong outsiders.

Especially those who had watched the entire final match knew that the tireless and powerful long-range shooter, Bian Xuedao, was the key to the team's victory.

When Bian Xuedao entered the private room, Shan RAO didn't hold his arm, but everyone could see from their expressions, distance, and gait that they were a couple.

Out of respect for the meritorious outsiders, everyone in the private room stood up to welcome the five outsiders.

When Bian Xuedao sat down, he saw Xu Shangxiu sitting diagonally across from him and was stunned.

"Why is Xu Shangxiu here?" was Bian Xuedao's first thought.

Bian Xuedao knew from Shan RAO that she had recruited Xu Shangxiu into the Student Union. Now that Xu Shangxiu was here, he knew it must be related to Shan RAO.

Bian Xuedao's feelings for Xu Shangxiu were very complex.

He felt bitter about Xu Shangxiu's cold rejection, but he also believed she was the woman destined for him. Recently, Shan RAO had completely occupied his heart, which had been disheartened by Xu Shangxiu, giving him a different kind of love.

Bian Xuedao didn't know what Shan RAO would be like six years later, but he could compare and felt that Shan RAO in 2003 seemed more suitable for him than Xu Shangxiu.

Bian Xuedao had also reflected in the quiet of the night, wondering if his pursuit of Xu Shangxiu had been too self-centered, too aggressive, too showy, and too indifferent to her actual situation and feelings, or if he hadn't given her enough time.

But Bian Xuedao didn't dare to try again.

He had once tried to change their fated distance by enrolling in the International Trade major, but Xu Shangxiu had failed the exam and had to retake it. Although she eventually came to Dongsen University, she came with her boyfriend. Bian Xuedao was afraid that any further attempts to change their relationship might lead to unforeseen and undesirable changes.

Another point that couldn't be ignored was that Shan RAO was like a beautiful wisteria, tightly entwining Bian Xuedao with her unique way of loving.

Shan RAO felt her love for Bian Xuedao deepening, and Bian Xuedao felt the same.

Recently, Bian Xuedao had been deliberately avoiding a question: how much did his past life's fate constrain his present life? He wanted to try but was afraid of hitting a wall. He also feared that after a deep relationship with Shan RAO, it might end in a shallow connection.

So he planned to take Shan RAO and everyone to Beidaihe for a trip because he cherished the friendship and love of his university years more than anyone else.

In Bian Xuedao's heart, no matter where his relationship with Shan RAO would go, no matter what fate would push them towards, at least they had truly and deeply loved each other. Having loved, it was worth it.

Bian Xuedao also understood that university classmates, even the closest roommates, would be pulled apart by time, space, and social class after graduation, eventually losing touch. The relatively pure, unselfish, and non-competitive friendship of these two years might be hard to find again.

The dinner was lively.

Those who could hold a position in the Student Union in college generally had good drinking capacity and were familiar with the culture of drinking.

The several department heads were not to be mentioned, and the few girls from the Women's Department and the Cultural Department were also experienced in drinking.

At the beginning, everyone was a bit reserved, but after Wu Tian, the soccer veteran, had a few beers and started telling various jokes, everyone laughed heartily and smoothly took over.

The 20-odd people at the Peony table tried their best but couldn't get Bian Xuedao to drink a single sip. Everyone looked at Shan RAO, who directly said, "I can barely keep up with him. You can forget it!"

Xu Shangxiu, who had been quiet throughout the evening, suddenly picked up the wine bottle, filled her glass, stood up, and raised her glass to Bian Xuedao: "You play soccer very well. I'll toast to you."