ure where there's more demand than supply, and most people around thirty don't even own a house or a wife, he prefers being like a beggar for rice porridge, chasing after Tang Wu, fulfilling one of hi...Volume 3 Chapter 10 The Rose That Gives All

To everyone at the welcoming party, there weren't many high points, but some were definitely memorable and enough to make a few freshmen stand out.

For example, the lead dancer of the third performance's modern dance caused an uproar throughout the venue. The handsome boy could rotate in place on the ground by 1080 degrees for six full turns, an astonishing talent indeed.

The girl singing at the seventh program truly had a lingering voice, and several skits from the Art Design department made everyone laugh heartily; quite a few witty talents were discovered as well.

Meanwhile, the president of the Nan University Speech and Debate Club was secretly finalizing their recruitment list for this year's new members.

This group of students coming from all over China and gathering at Nan University, after a period of silence during their initial days on campus, were beginning to make a name for themselves in various ways.

Tran Wu’s solo piano performance was also one of the highlights of the welcoming party. When the student council saw her resume, they felt enlightened; she had won numerous awards and her teachers’ evaluations spoke highly of her accomplishments with admiration. This made her quite noticeable to them.

The well-experienced Tran Wu handled herself gracefully in such a situation. As everyone listened intently to her piano piece, the students from various departments below on the red carpeted stage looked up at her.

Fan Qiyi was the president of the student council and at this moment he tilted his head back, closing his eyes as he listened attentively. Hearing the clear notes coming from Tran Wu's fingertips through the microphone, he lightly tapped out the rhythm with his hands before opening his eyes again. The light emitted by her black dress hand under the spotlight filled his vision.

"Isn't this girl impressive" Mo Xue, who had introduced Tran Wu and was also the vice president of the student council, asked when she saw Fan Qiyi's expression. "She’s not only excellent in science but is also a skilled pianist. I let her try out on stage tonight; how do you find it Not too shabby compared to your level, right"

Fan Qiyi thought about it carefully before looking up and smiling, saying, "The use of 'sharp' to describe her fingerwork isn't an exaggeration. Her crossing over and passing techniques are seamless. Even the metallic tone in a 5-chord that usually baffles most people is handled with ease by her. Liszt could play furious octaves because he had naturally large hands, but for this girl to be able to perform genuine octaves is truly remarkable."

Fan Qiyi turned and saw Mo Xue’s confused look; realizing she wasn’t familiar with piano techniques, he spread his hand out as much as possible, pressing his fingers towards the base, making a gesture. He smiled and explained, "Like this fingerwork... playing octaves is very difficult. Some people who've played for ten years might only realize their octaves are inaccurate all along. This not only requires proper posture but also intense practice; furthermore, to play perfect octaves, injuries are common. So from the piano sound she’s making, I can tell that this girl has worked extremely hard and endured much pain... really, it's quite rare."

Thinking about how painful it must have been for her hands when practicing, Fan Qiyi felt a touch of pity.

No man could bear to see such delicate hands in distress.

Tran Wu indeed suffered a lot while practicing the piano. But Mu Xuan was a strong woman who hoped to cultivate in her daughter both ladylike grace and inner depth, qualities that Tran Wu never refused her mother’s wishes on. So when Mu Xuan wanted to force her into learning the piano as a way to enhance her demeanor, she passively accepted it.

When her hands were strained from repeatedly practicing finger techniques, she would only return to her desk with a pen and take up homework to rest; at night when lying in bed, her hand pain might even cause sweat on her forehead.

Sometimes she wondered why she had to play the piano. However, thinking about how she could reproduce music heard from TV or CDs, it gave her a sense of achievement. For those girls learning the instrument initially, parental demands and simple pride were all the reasons needed.

Perhaps at times, she just wanted their parents’ approval and praise.

"We definitely need to find out more about this girl; which major is she in We must act quickly, surely a class beauty."

"Is that enough The 'Nan University Freshmen Guide' didn’t spell it out clearly" Don't take heed of the advice from seniors not to be overly focused on professional courses. Teachers will always outline key points before exams." Be sure to solidify your foundation in major subjects; as for skipping classes and dating, those are things freshmen shouldn't do."

"Are you stupid The 'Guide' is written by upperclassmen who naturally think of themselves first. If a freshman joins the journey early on, it would cut into their resources. So the Guide suggests thinking about dating only in sophomore year to give older students a chance." Everyone was suddenly enlightened, lamenting how shameless these seniors were, with nothing but wolfish intentions.

"Tsk tsk, we need to hurry up. But looking at that girl's figure and how focused she is while playing the piano, it’s quite a sight, isn't it If only I could hold her in my arms... Oh my god."

Su Cun cut off their daydreams at an appropriate moment. Have you guys had enough fear yet It seems like you've been repressed for too long during high school and now that you're in college, without any constraints, your lecherous nature has come out.

He pointed to Tang Wu on stage and said to the group of boys who were staring with lustful eyes, "You guys don't have a chance. She's my girlfriend."

The crowd stared blankly at Su Cun, one of them saying, "Brother, you're quite something. Your thoughts are far beyond ours."

This group clearly recognized that Su Cun was the genius from this morning’s freshmen gathering, so they talked with a bit more respect and tact rather than bluntly asking if he had a screw loose.

Su Cun was speechless for quite some time. He figured that even if he said anything now, these top students wouldn’t believe him anyway since there's no way to prove it.

"Hey student, would you like to buy a bouquet..." A girl holding a bunch of roses and wearing a badge that read 'Student Council' appeared in front of Su Cun. She had a big bucket filled with roses next to her. Beside the bucket stood another skinny Student Council member diligently carrying it. The girl said, "This is only our freshmen meeting. Don’t miss out on this chance even if you can't perform on stage. You wouldn't want to regret not having sent flowers to your favorite performance."

Su Cun watched from afar as Tang Wu's performance was in full swing and would soon be coming to an end. If he could buy her a large bouquet of flowers and give them to her personally, it would make this welcoming party unforgettable. When the girl looked carefully at Su Cun, they both were taken aback, "You"

It turned out that she was the senior who had pointed out his attire when he first encountered her in front of his dormitory earlier that morning. Chen Hao had come to check on the freshmen performances just before this meeting. She naturally remembered Su Cun.

The senior giggled and pointed at the flowers, "Do you want to buy some You can send them to anyone." The implication was clear: including herself.

Quite a few people were attracted by their interaction. Smiling, Su Cun asked, "Senior, how much is it"

"Eight dollars per bouquet," the senior said sweetly as she pointed at the stage, "This performance is quite popular; there are many who want to send flowers."

Even those boys who had been talking with Su Cun earlier started urging each other to buy some. Although they lacked the talent for a stage appearance, getting close to a performer was a huge temptation.

"Give me nine bouquets and give them to that girl on stage," one of the boys said as he pushed his way through from behind with friends cheering him on, talking about Tang Wu's performance in a lewd manner.

Su Cun smiled at the senior and said, "How about this Give me half." He hadn’t seen it coming; to think that so many people would want to send roses to Tang Wu right in front of him and even nine bouquets. This was just too much.

The senior’s eyes lit up upon hearing Su Cun wanted half, she quickly agreed, "If you buy over twenty flowers, I can offer a discount, six dollars per flower."

The man who wanted nine bouquets glanced at Su Cun and his friends said, "Hey, this guy is deliberately making trouble for you. He wants half of what you want to give. Will that girl even remember you if he sends the flowers"

The bucket next to her was filled with over fifty roses at the very least. The first man had asked for nine bouquets which would cost seventy-two dollars, this amount being beyond their financial reach as a group of eager freshmen who wanted to perform on stage. Su Cun's request for half the flowers wasn’t something they could compete with.

The curly-haired guy glanced at Su Cun and was incited by his friends. He smiled slyly at the senior, "Give me two-thirds, no discount needed, just eight dollars."

Quite a character.

Su Cun thought to himself that Nan Da was indeed different from other universities; every person he met here wasn’t ordinary.

The curly-haired guy was stunned when he saw Su Cen, and then he said in a soothing tone, "Brother, why bother It's just about giving some flowers. Who knows if the person will remember you after you give it to them I've seen this happen many times before. I just made a bet with my friends to see who was brave enough to go up there and give flowers without expecting to leave an impression on the girl. Don't take it to heart, okay"

This guy clearly didn’t admit defeat himself, yet he still tried to undermine Su Cen psychologically.

"Alright then, I'll take this whole bucket," said Su Cen with a smile as he explained his reasoning to the curly-haired man. "Sorry about that. I have my reasons for having to give flowers." He didn't mind too much if the curly-haired man or someone around him were mocking him; it was just that he couldn’t possibly send fewer flowers than others while on stage.

The curly-haired man waved his hand at those who were teasing him, and looked at Su Cen with a new respect. To most people, spending so much money to buy such a large amount of flowers would be like buying many packs of pandas. Even if these people had sufficient living expenses, they wouldn't act this way.

The bystanders watching the scene were stunned. This guy was going to send up such an enormous bouquet; how ridiculous could that be At this moment, everyone felt a mix of envy and sympathy for Su Cen.

"Let me see… I'll give you six yuan off per flower, making it 330 yuan in total for fifty-five flowers. Are you sure about this, classmate" The student selling the flowers was surprised by her own calculations; she felt a twinge of pain just thinking about it.

Su Cen opened his wallet to pay and suddenly froze up—he had forgotten that he didn't have much cash on him anymore. Since arriving at school, all his dining expenses were charged to his meal card. The small daily necessities he purchased amounted to only 156 yuan.

Most of his money was in the bank; it would be impractical for a college student like Su Cen to carry around tens of thousands of yuan every day, as there wasn't much need for cash in university. Now that he had to buy these flowers with cash, did this mean he needed to rush out and withdraw some money from an ATM

Seeing the amount of money in Su Cen's wallet, everyone was stunned. The curly-haired man couldn’t help but raise his thumb in approval. "You're quite impressive! I now believe you really have your reasons for giving flowers. Spending 300 yuan on flowers versus spending only a hundred to get them is completely different. Using everything you have just to give flowers… this noble pursuit deserves our admiration! My name is Zhong Zhenliang; let's be friends. I live on the seventeenth floor, so if you need anything in the future, just call me." His friends also expressed their respect for such an attitude.

The female student selling flowers suddenly felt moved and her eyes became slightly moistened, likely thinking of all she had experienced since entering college. She thought that this new freshman was rather foolish.

In the face of today's materialistic college romance, who would be willing to use up everything they have, enduring a life of eating instant noodles for perhaps half a month ahead, just to give flowers to a girl he might never win over The girl on stage was very beautiful; she was like a comet shining brightly and splendidly. She probably wouldn't even know that the boy in front of her had paid such a high price to express himself.

This kind of passion truly belonged only to their college days.

Her eyes were slightly moistened as she wiped away a tear from her eye corner, her nostrils a bit congested. "Just give me 100 yuan," she said quietly.

The student assistant beside her was surprised. "Sis, this doesn't comply with the rules…"

"Don’t worry; I’ll talk to the organization department about it later." The female student thought for a moment before asking Su Cen again, “Will you be okay living on your remaining money”

Su Cen simply handed all the cash in his hand over to her. "Rest assured, tomorrow I'll personally bring the rest of the payment to the Student Union."

Seeing the pile of money Su Cen had given her and him holding a huge bouquet of roses with wrapping paper, she watched as he walked towards the stage, feeling somewhat like watching Jing Ke set off for his mission. After Tang Wu finished playing her piece, thunderous applause erupted from the audience; though most people weren't clapping because of her musical skill, it was still quite enthusiastic.

Everyone felt that Nan Da University’s new students were full of surprises, with all sorts of interesting individuals. The flowers and grass seemed abundant, but they had some real talent as well.

Tang Wu gave a graceful bow to prepare for her descent from the stage, just like she always did after every performance.

However, the host exclaimed admiringly about Tang Wu’s playing skills, and all the wolfish admirers in the auditorium echoed with "Wow!"

On the student council member's passageway side, Su Cen had already been approved to go up on stage.

Of course, not everyone could go up on stage. Su Cen was able to carry a big bunch of flowers up there because he had purchased specially arranged roses from the Student Council's Organizing Department. The amount of flowers he carried left the approving female student in disbelief; she couldn't believe how bold these freshmen were compared to when they were freshmen themselves.

Xiao Xu suddenly punched Zhang Xiaqiao, who was playing around and analyzing the girl's identity beneath the stage, on his chest.

Zhang Xiaqiao was irritated. "What are you doing"

Xiao Xu pointed at the stage and his finger trembled visibly. "There... boss."

Underneath the stage, the female student selling flowers, Zhong Zhenliang with his curly hair in waves, as well as those who had recognized Su Cen from the morning's meet-and-greet session, all watched as he stepped towards the stage.

On stage was a girl dressed in black. She stood beside the host; the latter’s compliments made her extremely uncomfortable. Down below, there were loud jeers and whistles, with some people even screaming and catcalling.

A man held flowers as he approached his target along the steps just a short distance from the front of the stage.

It was like a kind of ritual; it also resembled how all those university romances that came to nothing had begun.

Even though the people down below thought a passionate feeling that would leave one without even money for food wouldn’t end well, he still admired this sense of determination and recklessness.

This is how our Qing City gangsters should be—wild and unyielding despite the likely tragic ending.

Su Cen held the flowers as the black backdrop changed to bright lights. Under many “Woo-hoo!” cheers, he stepped onto the stage and flashed a dazzling smile that even left the host stunned.

Under the spotlight, Tang Wu’s hand trembled when she accepted Su Cen's roses. She felt like this moment was surreal; she wanted to reach out and touch his face but the light shone directly on her, blinding her from seeing the thousands of pairs of eyes staring at them.

Tang Wu didn’t dare to do so.

Suddenly, Tang Wu saw Su Cen spread both arms open gently and gracefully.

The host was stunned for a moment before quickly thinking up an explanation: "Hey buddy, you're being impure here. Giving the girl roses is one thing but wanting to hug her back too"

Underneath the audience seat, Zhong Zhenliang lit a cigarette; he had no time to inhale from his pipe that was perched on his lips. He’d already mentally given Su Cen countless thumbs up, thinking this guy’s face was invincible and truly unmatchable.

Many years later, when Zhong Zhenliang recalled this moment, he still found it blindingly bright and painful to the eyes. Painful enough to make him tear up.

The crowd's screams of realization followed next.

Holding a bunch of flowers, Tang Wu’s cheeks turned red; she walked forward two steps lightly before being hugged by Su Cen.

Su Cen nuzzled her neck and hairline.

Mmm, so fragrant.p and refinement, how could it give birth to a pearl worth a fortuneCrap, why do I keep thinking about this guy!It's probably because Xia Zhiyu is standing right beside her. This makes the situation s...