69: Club Recruitment

It was only 7:40 when they left.

The end of October mornings were indeed chilly, with the wind carrying a hint of coldness.

Yu Heng was only wearing a fleece-lined hoodie, felt his neck exposed, and shrugged his shoulders.

“Cold, huh?” Bai Xinran glanced at him from the side. “That's what you get for showing off.”

“What did I show off?” Yu Heng retorted. “What can I do if this hoodie doesn't have a hood?”

“Serves you right if you freeze to death.” Although Bai Xinran said that, she pulled a gray scarf out of her pocket and tossed it to him. “Borrow this. Don't catch a cold and infect me.”

Yu Heng took it and looked. The scarf was quite long and soft.

“You have something like this?” Yu Heng wrapped the scarf around his neck, feeling much warmer. “Thanks, thanks!”

By the time the two reached the advertising shop on Commercial Street, the door had just opened.

The owner was an uncle in his forties, squatting by the entrance smoking.

“Boss, we're here to pick up the pull-up banners,” Yu Heng said as he walked over.

“Oh, the Tangcheng University of Technology order, right?” The boss stood up and put out his cigarette. “Wait a moment, I'll get them for you.”

He turned and went into the shop, returning shortly with two folded pull-up banners and a poster.

“That'll be 120 total,” the boss said.

Yu Heng scanned the code to pay and took the items.

The pull-up banners weren't heavy, but they were bulky and awkward to carry.

“I'll take one,” Bai Xinran said, reaching out for a pull-up banner.

The two walked toward the school, one ahead of the other.

There were many students on the road. Yu Heng glanced around and realized it truly was the season where people wore all sorts of clothes.

Some were bundled up like bears in down jackets, some wore hoodies with thin coats, and surprisingly, some were even wearing short sleeves.

A boy wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts ran past him, the hairs on his legs standing straight up.

“Impressive,” Yu Heng muttered quietly.

“What?” Bai Xinran hadn't heard clearly.

“I said that guy is really resistant to the cold.” Yu Heng lifted his chin toward the running boy.

Bai Xinran glanced over and twitched her lips. “Young people just have more fire in them.”

It was only 8:30 when the two reached the small plaza next to the Activity Center.

Many stalls were already set up in the plaza, with various clubs busy decorating.

Yu Heng found an empty spot, propped up the pull-up banners, and taped the poster onto the tent canopy.

The large characters “Starlight Society (Virtual Streamer Club)” were printed on it, alongside an image of Bai Xinran.

It also included the club's introduction and recruitment requirements.

Bai Xinran helped arrange the tables and chairs, then pulled out several bottles of mineral water and a stack of application forms from her bag.

“That should do it.” Yu Heng clapped his hands and looked around.

Next door was the Guitar Club, and further down was the Anime Club.

A few cosplayers were already wearing their character costumes.

Those with bare shoulders and legs were shivering in the cold wind.

Just as they finished setting up, they saw Ning Yutong jogging over. “Yu Heng!”

When she ran over, the rising and falling of her chest was particularly noticeable.

In fact, ever since Yu Heng left the Film Club last night, Ning Yutong had been somewhat distracted.

She only vaguely registered what happened in the rest of the movie.

Her mind was preoccupied with what urgent matter Yu Heng had that made him leave so late.

She tried to sound out Shen Yueling via messages but couldn't find out anything, only being told that she was rushing a manuscript in the dorm.

Did something happen to that Streamer?

She secretly turned her phone brightness down to the lowest setting and checked Bai Xinran's stream, finding nothing unusual.

At the time, she wondered if she should just ask Yu Heng directly.

But if he didn't want to tell her, wouldn't she seem intrusive?

Moreover, she had been agonizing over whether to confess recently and was terrified of rejection.

She was the type who would be very proactive, but would hide like an ostrich if rejected.

“Morning, Yu Tong!” Bai Xinran greeted first.

“Morning, Sister Xinran!” Ning Yutong ran up to the stall, catching her breath. “I'm not late, am I?” She tried hard to make her voice sound relaxed and natural, not wanting to reveal her anxiety from the previous night.

“No, we just finished setting up.” Yu Heng sized her up. “Aren't you cold, wearing so little?”

“I'm fine,” Ning Yutong placed the paper bag she was carrying on the table. “I brought some hand warmers.”

As she spoke, she took out several cups of hot milk tea from the paper bag. “I bought these for you guys. Drink them while they're hot.”

When buying the milk tea, she had secretly chosen Yu Heng's favorite flavor, wondering if he would notice.

Bai Xinran took a cup. “Thank you.”

“Do you need me to do anything?” Ning Yutong asked, her eyes involuntarily glancing toward Yu Heng.

“You can just stand here,” Yu Heng joked. “You're the face of our club.”

Ning Yutong blushed. “Oh, stop it...”

But was he just saying that casually, or did he also have feelings for her?

He must have some feelings!

Otherwise, why did he touch her leg last time at the cinema!

“I'm serious.” Yu Heng looked at her. “With your looks, just standing here is a living advertisement.”

Bai Xinran and Ning Yutong sat nearby, chatting intermittently.

“Yu Tong, when are you planning to post videos on your TikTok account?” Bai Xinran asked.

“We'll post once Yu Heng finishes editing,” Ning Yutong said, glancing at Yu Heng. “It should be within the next couple of days, right?”

She was actually looking forward to it; this was the first project she had worked on with Yu Heng.

“Mhm.” Yu Heng didn't look up. “I'll edit it tonight when I get back.”

Just as he was speaking, Hao Junran strolled over, followed by Liu Tianqi and Hou Xudong.

“Yo, Boss Yu, are you open for business yet?” Hao Junran stood boldly in front of the stall.

Yu Heng looked up. “Why are you guys here?”

“To help out!” Hao Junran thumped his chest. “Didn't we say we were joining the club too? We have to contribute!”

As he spoke, his gaze swept over Bai Xinran and Ning Yutong, and he chuckled twice.

Yu Heng kicked him. “Where are you looking?”

“What's wrong with looking?” Hao Junran rubbed his leg. “There's someone I haven't seen before. Who is this?”

“A club member, majoring in comics,” Yu Heng said. He didn't mention that Bai Xinran was a Virtual Streamer.

It was necessary to keep the real-life identity of a Virtual Streamer confidential.

Liu Tianqi and Hou Xudong were examining the application forms on the table.

“This form is well-designed,” Liu Tianqi commented. “Simple and clear.”

“I designed it,” Yu Heng said.

“Awesome.” Hou Xudong gave a thumbs up.

With Hao Junran and the others joining, the stall became much livelier.

Hao Junran had a loud voice and shouted at everyone passing by, “Hey, students, come check out the Virtual Streamer Club! The trendiest club around!”

He actually managed to draw in a few curious people.

Yu Heng was responsible for introducing the club's goals and activities.

Bai Xinran occasionally added a few points, and Ning Yutong handed out application forms and pens.

By past ten o'clock, they had already collected over twenty application forms.

“Not bad,” Hao Junran said, flipping through the forms. “The gender ratio is roughly one male to three females.”

“About right,” Yu Heng replied. “That's probably the typical ratio for Virtual Streamers.”

Just then, his phone rang.

Yu Heng took it out and saw it was Shen Yueling.

He paused.

That girl, they hadn't contacted each other in two days, why was she calling suddenly?

He walked to the side of the stall and answered the call. “Hello?”

“Where are you?” Shen Yueling's voice came through the receiver, as indifferent as ever.

“Club recruitment, the small plaza next to the Second Cafeteria,” Yu Heng said. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing, just asking casually.” Shen Yueling paused. “I'll come over and take a look.”

“Now?”

“Mhm.”

The call ended.

Yu Heng looked at the phone screen and raised an eyebrow.

Was she missing him?