Chapter 498: Second Beauty of the Campus

On a weekend morning, Linchuan University’s sports field was busy. A backdrop branded with Zhihu, group-buy, and Tonight’s Headlines was set up, surrounded by various stalls.

Even the merchants from the front plaza joined the excitement, hoping to attract visitors to the campus beauty and beau award ceremony.

Offerings included new dessert tastings, supermarket product promotions, and stalls for IELTS and TOEFL prep courses…

The entire field had a bustling market atmosphere, surpassing even the liveliness of the recent Arts Festival.

Indeed, scores of students began gathering on the field, browsing and snacking before concentrating around the award stage. The crowd was packed.

After all, this cohort featured both a campus belle and a campus beau, attracting undeniable attention with their combined charm.

Most importantly, everyone was a participant in the voting, enjoying the thrill of supporting their favorites, especially since the event was nearby.

“Look, Linchuan’s top campus beau, Zheng Chao.”

“I still think Yan Ziyi is the handsomest, too bad he’s second.”

“Yan Ziyi only fell short because of his height. If you just consider the face, he indeed seems more refined than Zheng Chao.”

At the focus of the crowd, two tall, well-dressed young men approached, each step they took radiated youthful allure.

Many girls’ eyes turned misty at their sight, some even blushed, giving off a massive star-chasing vibe.

Next on the field were Xu Jiarou, Wang Wenwen, and several other campus belles, all dressed exquisitely in lovely dresses, showing off their fair legs, drawing cheers from the boys.

This gathering of campus beauties and beaus was like a scene from an idol drama.

Especially now, in the mild early summer sun, watching the fluttering skirts of the belles and the sunny smiles of the beaus, it seemed the college life was complete.

“Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Zheng Chao.”

“Xu Jiarou, from the Literature faculty. I know you’re Zheng Chao. I’ve been voting for you every day. Congratulations on winning first!

Xu Jiarou wore natural eyeliner and light orange eyeshadow, and a ladylike dress that looked very charming.

Zheng Chao liked this type of girl, so his gaze remained fixed on her. “I’ve also been voting for you every day. Your first place is partly thanks to me.”

“What a coincidence? We do have a connection then.”

Xu Jiarou smiled playfully, her tone teasing.

Zheng Chao was tall and well-featured, exactly Xu Jiarou’s type.

Yet for some reason, though Zheng Chao was undoubtedly handsome, he fell short compared to Jiang Qin she had met before.

She couldn’t pinpoint what was lacking.

Facing the top-ranked campus beau, she dared to critique him. But facing Jiang Qin, she almost didn’t dare to look straight at him.

Was it his financial prowess?

Xu Jiarou didn’t think so. She believed she wasn’t so shallow and felt it was more about the formidable aura Jiang Qin unintentionally projected.

It wasn’t just about looks; it was about the air of superiority.

“You’re lucky, both securing first place. Here I am, stuck at third. Everyone remembers the first, maybe the second, but who recalls the third?”

While they were complimenting each other, Wang Wenwen couldn’t resist joining their conversation.

This campus belle from the Journalism department had an angelic look, her watery eyes seemingly able to talk, her tone slightly aggrieved which only solicited sympathy.

Yan Ziyi with arms crossed, leaning on a table at the edge: “You should have been second.”

“It’s just that I didn’t get enough votes.”

Xu Jiarou turned to Wang Wenwen: “Rigged voting won’t count. Everyone would disagree. So you’re still second.”

Zheng Chao chuckled: “She even thought of manipulating the votes to first. Probably stopped due to too much backlash.”

Xu Jiarou felt a bit proud: “That’s why whenever you see unfairness, you mustn’t tolerate it. Stand up, or people will become increasingly brazen.”

“That’s true.”

“I heard the campus belles and beaus will share the stage for the awards, like celebrities on a red carpet. Yan Ziyi, it seems you and that vote manipulator are paired together.”

Yan Ziyi frowned: “Can we change partners?”

Xu Jiarou couldn’t help but laugh: “It’s all for show, don’t take it too seriously. But you can keep your distance from her.”

While the belles and beaus chatted energetically, the audience below began buzzing, especially about the runner-up among the campus belles.

With five belles and four beaus present, only the most controversial one was missing, sparking curiosity.

Amidst the hubbub, Dong Wenhao arrived with the Zhihu staff, carrying trophies and gifts, setting them up not far away.

Then, a striking figure suddenly turned around, her white skirt lifting with the wind, briefly stunnin…

The first impression was her extremely fair skin, followed by her stunning face.

But in a blink, she vanished back among the Zhihu team, leaving a fleeting yet breathtaking impression that left many unable to recover for a long time.

The award ceremony officially began shortly after, with the music kicking off, and Dong Wenhao, dressed in a suit, took the stage to deliver the opening speech.

He was very familiar with this duty, having presented at all four universities last session.

“Welcome to the second annual Zhihu Cup Campus Belle Contest and the first Campus Beau Contest. I’m Dong Wenhao from Zhihu, your host for today.”

“Thanks to group-buy for the gifts, ‘Shop on group-buy, save money and hassle.’ Thanks to Tonight’s Headlines, ‘Only what you care about hits the headline.’ Thanks to Linchuan University, thanks to Xitian Milk Tea…”

“I know you’re not interested in my looks but want to see the handsome guys and beautiful girls. So, let the award ceremony commence.”

“Firstly, inviting the fifth-ranked campus belle and beau to the stage…”

“Welcoming the fourth-ranked campus belle and beau to the stage…”

As the music continued to play, the fifth, fourth, and third-ranked campus belles and beaus took the stage and received their trophies.

Honestly, the public does have an eye for beauty. In terms of looks and physique, the third indeed was better than the fourth, and the fourth was more appealing than the fifth.

The attractive men and women ascended the stage, arm in arm, indeed resembling celebrities on a red carpet.

However, after the third received their award, the applause began to diminish because it was time for the second-ranked campus belle to take the stage.

Many from the Literature faculty had traveled from the East Campus specifically to jeer at this moment, hoping to embarrass the opponent into forfeiting the award—an act of justice!

Surprisingly, when announcing the second place, Dong Wenhao only mentioned Yan Ziyi’s name before inviting him to the stage, meaning he was alone.

Everyone else came in pairs, but the second place was solo, leaving the audience baffled.

Dong Wenhao didn’t care for the doubts from below. “The hell, pair my boss’s wife with another guy? Do I want to live?”

Then Yan Ziyi, alone, took the stage and, after receiving his trophy, stood to the right, drawing curious glances.

“Where’s the girl?”

“Don’t know, haven’t seen her…”

“Maybe she rigged the votes so heavily she dared not show up to receive the award?”

However, just then, Dong Wenhao spoke again, his invitation strangely inviting a breathtaking beauty, heavenly but taken, the second-ranked campus belle to the stage.

At this moment, even the background music changed, distinctly different from the others, as if tailor-made.

Lu Xuemei, snapping photos nearby, suddenly asked in a hushed voice, “Who wrote this invite?”

“The boss did.”

“Man, he really doesn’t want anyone coveting his lady.”

While they talked, Feng Nanshu approached the stage. The previously noisy scene instantly quieted.

At that moment, regardless of gender, everyone’s eyes were glued to the girl in front, unable to look away. Those prepared to jeer swallowed their mockery, their faces filled with astonishment.

The little rich girl was wearing a white dress today, her delicate curly eyelashes trembling slightly, framing her beautiful, lively eyes, along with waist-long hair featuring a dash of pink, utterly divine.

Her height was already striking, and with her cold, cool expression, she simply overpowered everyone on stage, belonging to a class of her own and elevating the contest to an unexpected level.

However, unexpectedly, Feng Nanshu didn’t stop in the middle of the stage but squinted and quickly walked to the right.

“Madame, don’t forget the trophy!”

“Oh, right.”

Feng Nanshu then remembered the trophy, taking it with a slightly goofy expression before quickly resuming her cool demeanor.

It couldn’t be helped. There were too many people, and her brother wasn’t there to add some smartness to the situation.

Only then did the audience recover, suddenly realizing they’d been misled.

With such a stunning beauty, did she need to rig votes? Who said she did?

It seemed to be Xu Jiarou.

She had claimed, not knowing the exact means, but sure that Feng Nanshu had manipulated the votes. Asked for evidence, she had none, then retorted that any smart person could figure it out with their feet.

This emperor’s-new-clothes argument made them believe they were the smart ones, hence the online attacks on “Feng Nanshu’s rigged votes.” Only now did they understand their folly.

With this realization, the people from the East Campus began to falter, especially those from the Literature faculty, their eyes dodging.

Why?

Because it was Xu Jiarou’s turn next. Once she took the stage and stood beside Feng Nanshu, her first-place looks completely overshadowed by the runner-up, it would be utterly humiliating.

If Xu Jiarou had earned first place by her own merit, it would have been bearable. But those last few votes that put her ahead of Feng Nanshu were won by dragging her opponent through the mud online.

Now exposed, how could she have the courage to accept first place with such a visible discrepancy?

Xu Jiarou’s fan club was already hoping she wouldn’t accept the award since the situation was merely awkward now. But standing next to the runner-up on stage would be a slap in everyone’s face.

Yet, as the invitation was announced, Xu Jiarou still went up the stage, arm in arm with Zheng Chao, forcing a smile.

She had actually seen Feng Nanshu preparing to step up earlier. At that moment, she was stunned because she was inferior in every aspect—figure, facial features, height.

True, she had played the victim just to solicit votes, blatantly accusing her rival of foul play without any proof, leveraging public sentiment to clinch first place.

But she hadn’t anticipated the gap between them being so vast, nor had she realized how awkward she would feel now.

More awkwardly, as she and Zheng Chao took the stage, there was no applause. In fact, many refused even to watch her. Even as she clung to Zheng Chao, it seemed everyone was mesmerized by Feng Nanshu.

“Please once again welcome them with warm applause.”

“Also, thanks for your continued support of Zhihu. Thanks to the money-saving group-buy network, and thanks to Tonight’s Headlines for focusing on what truly matters…”

As Dong Wenhao was plugging the sponsors again, a loud clanging noise suddenly came from the stage, drawing everyone’s attention and cutting him off.

Wang Wenwen, looking embarrassed, was bent over, her trophy having fallen to the floor, one angel’s wing broken.

“My trophy…”

As everyone stared dumbfounded, Feng Nanshu passed her trophy over: “Here, take mine.”

Wang Wenwen paused: “Ah?”

“I don’t want it.”

Feng Nanshu said this as she picked up the other trophy, “popping” off the nameplate, handing it to Wang Wenwen, indicating she should do the same.

Seeing this, several campus beaus also tried, but despite great effort, could not detach it.

This damn superhuman girl…

Witnessing this, Xu Jiarou and the students from the East Campus felt even more embarrassed.

Titles snatched back and forth seem worthless to others.

Particularly, “Feng Nanshu,” not upset by the slanderagainst her, displayed calmness and friendliness and even gave her trophy to someone else, like a true goddess.

Soon after, the award ceremony concluded, and it was time for group photos.

The front row had Zhihu’s leaders, Dong Wenhao and Lu Xuemei, followed by the beauties, with the handsome boys at the back.

But Xu Jia-rou noticed something odd.

“Is Senior Jiang also joining the photo?”

“Our boss? No, he won’t be coming.”

“Oh, okay.”

Just then, Feng Nanshu walked between Lu Xuemei and Dong Wenhao who both subtly stepped back, seemingly highlighting her spot.

This arrangement puzzled the other beauties and handsomes, unclear of the lineup.

Xu Jia-rou held her breath, feeling panicky: “Dong, I’m the top campus beauty, right?”

“Huh?”

Xu believed that was her rightful place and reminded them impulsively.

She felt exceptionally awkward today, and if that spot went to someone else, it would seem like an official denial of her status, turning her title into a joke.

“I know you’re the top beauty, congratulations!”

“Shouldn’t I stand in the middle then?”

“Of course not, that’s our boss’s wife’s spot.”

Hearing this, Xu Jia-rou was dumbstruck and took a moment to grasp his meaning.

That position wasn’t meant for the top campus beauty but for their boss’s wife, indicating she was Jiang Qin’s girlfriend.

The others then understood everything made sense—including the exclusive background music, her solo entrance, and the speech mentioning her boyfriend.

Jiang Qin, a billionaire, turned out to be extremely jealous, not allowing Feng to walk with other men, also making public her relationship status.

Regarding the accusations of rigging the votes, they were nonsensical. Being Zhihu’s boss’s wife, she could’ve had any title she wanted. Why would she need to rig votes?

“You’ll soon learn that this campus beauty title is a joke.”

Xu remembered the advice from the host of the first campus beauty, causing her mind to buzz.

“Boss’s wife, we’re gathering for a meal later. Would you like to join?”

“No, thank you. Jiang Qin is coming to pick me up.”

Feng Nanshu gestured towards the sports field’s exitwhere everyone saw a billionaire boss, Jiang Qin, arriving on a flashy pink electric scooter.