Chapter 34: Elevator Entrance (Part 1/2)
Luo Nan raised his head in amazement, meeting his Aunty in the eyes. This successful career woman, who was the head department manager of a multinational corporation, just so happened to be frowning:
“Don’t tell me that you’re going to wear your school uniform to this dinner?”
“Oh no, I’ll go wash up.” Luo Nan ran inside the apartment having no idea how he passed the ordeal. He gave a glance to the study in the meantime, to the large black leather suitcase on the table. It was very conspicuous, but he didn’t see any traces of it being moved. This made him let out another breath of relief.
Luo Nan swapped to casual clothes very quickly, but Luo Shuqing really wasn’t totally pleased with his outfit. It was clearly a formal dinner, but Luo Nan was even bringing his old-fashioned notebook. It was as if he was going to record notes at a meeting. What was this all about?
In the end she didn’t mention it. She just said, “Let’s go,” and was the first to walk out the door. She clearly wanted to send Luo Nan to the dinner site.
Luo Nan was already used to his Aunt’s intensive style. He followed her sincerely like an obedient child.
The twenty minutes of travel time to the dinner site was doomed to be filled with struggles. His not-even-one-month of high school life was interrogated from all sides with importance placed on his relationships with other students. This area of Luo Nan’s life was practically blank, and it made him be in quite the sorry state.
He barely made it to Limestone Water Village Pub. Lu Shuqing acted as the most conscientious driver, flying directly to the entrance of the establishment and indicating to Luo Nan that he could step off. Her sharp eyes swept across the pub’s entrance in the meantime.
Luo Nan knew his Aunt’s intentions, but there was nothing he could do about it. He could only pray a few times in his heart. He opened the door and got off the car, entering into the establishment.
Perhaps his luck turned for the better as Luo Nan was able to discover the registry of the Mutual Assistance Group in the corner of the large hall as indicated by the invitation. Though there was no one manning the station, there was still the electronic display. Luo Nan was soon able to find his own name.
His Aunt’s call came through when he had finished signing: “Don’t stay out too late. Give me a call when the dinner is over.”
Luo Shuqing’s flying car flew away outside the pub. Only then did Luo Nan relax a bit.
Luo Nan had swept his vision onto the number of people registered when he was registering; there were actually over a thousand people. There existed an upper limit to the number of members in a society of Acumen College; this sort of scale wouldn’t appear in any of them. Only a get-together could exceed the limitations of a society and draw forth a large show of this sort.
Mmm. So there were this many people. One more wouldn’t be much. One less wouldn’t be much. He didn’t need to run over and attract the distaste of others.
Anyway, this fellow Zhang Yingying was really not reliable. The sound of her voice made it seem like she had been waiting in the pub for a long time. But now there wasn’t a trace of her in sight?
Luo Nan was just about to contact her, but a chuckling voice came from behind him before he could make the call:
“Nanster! I thought you would never come.”
It was the voice of his comrade. The buff Xue Lei walked over with large strides and right at his side was none other than his girlfriend, Chen Xiaolin. The two had high statures and long limbs. They came to be in front of him with just a few steps of effort.
Luo Nan rushed to stop his call. He felt both awkwardness and bafflement:
Didn’t these two get this information far too quickly? He had just arrived and just signed his name.
Things would have been quite manageable if it were just Xue Lei. But Luo Nan had to perform proper etiquette in front of Chen Xiaolin: “Sorry Senior Chen. I was busy and I came late.”
Chen Xiaolin’s lips actually pursed into a smile: “Actually, Leister and I never expected that you would come. I was shocked when the registry sent out the message.”
“This……” Luo Nan didn’t know how to respond for a time.
It seemed that Chen Xiaolin had drunk some alcohol; her cheeks were slightly red. She spoke much more straightforwardly: “Anyway it’s good that you were able to come Nanster. This counts as giving me face. After all, your signature counts as my accomplishment.”
The conversation had already moved to this point. Obviously Luo Nan couldn’t say, “Actually, I didn’t want to come. I actually need to go now.” He could only follow these two into the banquet hall.
It was just as Chen Xiaolin said. This cold dinner meal gathering was made very formal. Big shots of the Student Council sponsored the event, reserving the entirety of banquet hall number 1. The scene was extremely large.
Banquet hall number 1 was on the 27th floor. There were no idle elevators in the large hall and the three chatted as they waited.
A few sentences into the conversation and Chen Xiaolin starting speaking about matters involving societies. This was also the reason why she invited Luo Nan in the first place.
“I’ve already found people in regards to the matter with societies. I’ll bring you and Leister to go meet them on the way back. Do your best to pick a society that’s more to your calling…… Don’t say that there isn’t a society you’re interested in Leister. Is there a meaning in taking 6 years to take 3 years of coursework from lack of credit?”
Xue Lei sealed his lips, saying not a word. Unfortunately Luo Nan was unable to keep his mouth shut:
“Senior. As for the matter with societies, actually……”
Chen Xiaolin wrinkled her brow: “You applied earlier?”
Luo Nan nodded respectfully.
“You applied at Li Mingde’s place?”
A blush of red flushed to Chen Xiaolin’s face, and this wasn’t solely due to the alcohol. She spoke with fury: “Junior. I told you before. Matters involving societies are complicated. It’s not as simple as you think. Do you know where Li Mingde is right now? He’s right in this establishment, in the box seats, accepting hospitality. Even if you can’t handle his pressure, which place do you think is more effective? In his office or here?
“She’s drunk!”
Xue Lei first mentioned this to Luo Nan in a low voice before turning to face Chen Xiaolin in Luo Nan’s defense: “I assure you that Nanster didn’t go through with it at Elder Mingde’s place. I am willing to testify for him. Elder Mingde was quite furious at the time……”
Luo Nan was able to see that Chen Xiaolin wasn’t angry, instead she was baffled that Xue Lei actually hadn’t explained the situation clearly to her at the time.
Then Luo Nan asked something of Xue Lei in a low voice and Xue Lei shrugged: “Isn’t there that Senior Xie with his extensive inside connections? My communications skills aren’t that great.”
Luo Nan immediately understood that his peer Xue Lei knew quite well what he was doing in his mind, even though he was buff and he did look boorish. He absolutely wasn’t a meathead with an empty brain.
“What are you guys talking about!” Chen Xiaolin glared with a frown. The alcohol had gotten to her head at this moment, making her look charming and innocent.
Luo Nan and Xue Lei raised their heads together. They were just about to explain when the elevator door opened and a dozen or so people walked out from inside. Their mood looked to be quite decent with laughter going all around.
Xue Lei was not interested at all in these people. He blocked the elevator door and let Luo Nan and Chen Xiaolin inside. He never expected Chen Xiaolin to yank him:
“Hold on!”
“Huh?”
“Do you see that person? The one who just came out of the elevator, the youngest…… It’s whom I just mentioned before, the vice-president of the school’s student council Chen Weican. He’s the chairperson of the Mutual Assistance Group and my immediate superior.”
Both Luo Nan and Xue Lei looked over in that direction. The group of people had already walked out of the large hall and were outside chatting amiably. Things weren’t too clear under the contrast of light, but they recalled that there weren’t too many youngsters within that group.
Chen Xiaolin took a few deep breaths, trying to to decrease the effect of alcohol on her mind. Soon she informed them: “Senior Chen possesses true power within the school’s student council. I think his family has some military contacts. His character is normally quite decent and normally we have an alright relationship since we are both Chens. I didn’t ask him, but I did mention a few words to him. Things will become a lot easier to handle for sure.”
This meant that they would have to talk to him……
Xue Lei’s and Luo Nan’s gazes linked up. They could both see the lack of interest in each other’s eyes. However, the corner of Xue Lei’s mouth soon went down. Chen Xiaolin had actually kicked him with her high heels.
