The first weekend after Zhang Fan returned to school, Yan Jing University's opening ceremony for the semester was about to begin. Zhang Fan wasn't particularly interested in such events, but he couldn't resist Yi Ziping's enthusiasm, and they were all dragged along by him.
"I'm telling you guys, tonight's opening ceremony is no ordinary event. The school has even invited Han Xueqi back to attend, and she's rumored to be performing. You definitely won't regret going," Yi Ziping exclaimed excitedly, a stark contrast to Zhang Fan, Geng Lesheng, and the others who were quite indifferent.
Anyone who didn't know them might have thought he was a die-hard fan of Han Xueqi.
Only Zhang Fan and the others knew that this guy just wanted to see beautiful women.
"The Han Xueqi you're talking about, is she the singer?" asked Su Xuan, Qi Wenxuan's girlfriend, with great interest.
"Of course! Who else could it be? She's a big star who graduated from Yan Jing University, and she's our senior," Yi Ziping said proudly, as if he knew Han Xueqi very well.
"I imagine if Han Xueqi knew she had such a perverted junior, she might want to drop out," Geng Lesheng remarked with a smile.
Hearing the name, Zhang Fan couldn't help but pause. After a moment, he suddenly remembered that Xu Youran had once mentioned that Han Xueqi was her university alumna.
"It has indeed been a while since I've seen that girl. It wouldn't be bad to check out the opening ceremony," Zhang Fan mused, as he had nothing else to do.
Yi Ziping, wanting to secure a good spot, skipped dinner and led Zhang Fan and the others towards the Yan Jing University auditorium.
They had expected that by arriving early, they could secure a front-row seat. However, Yi Ziping had underestimated Han Xueqi's influence. Even from a hundred meters away, they could hear the roar of noise outside the auditorium, clearly indicating immense popularity.
"Damn, are they all crazy?" Yi Ziping exclaimed in despair, standing outside the auditorium and looking at the nearly packed hall.
While they knew this opening ceremony would be different from usual, such a grand turnout still exceeded their imagination.
Given Han Xueqi's status in the entertainment industry and her vast number of fans, it was a testament to the students of Yan Jing University's good conduct that the auditorium doors hadn't been breached.
After all, although Han Xueqi was only in her early twenties, her current achievements certainly qualified her as a top-tier female singer in China.
Her Weibo followers had already surpassed one hundred million. If she were to hold a concert, tickets would undoubtedly be hard to come by, and the event would be the talk of the town.
Now, there was a chance to watch her perform for free, and her many fans naturally wouldn't miss it.
Although it was Yan Jing University's opening ceremony, the proportion of Yan Jing University students within the auditorium was likely small. The majority were fans who had snuck in from other schools.
This situation was indeed a headache for the organizers of Yan Jing University, something they hadn't anticipated.
Yi Ziping stood outside the door. Even with his height of 1.8 meters, he felt insignificant amidst the massive crowd, unable to even get to the entrance, and felt like crying.
Zhang Fan and Geng Lesheng, who had only come to see what was happening out of boredom, didn't mind not being able to get in.
"Forget it, let's go back. Looking at this scene, if we tried to squeeze in, we'd probably get squashed into meat patties by those crazy fans," Geng Lesheng said, patting Yi Ziping's shoulder comfortingly.
Despite his reluctance, Yi Ziping could only nod helplessly. He wasn't here solely for Han Xueqi's singing. The large crowd of fans gathered outside, all ardent supporters of Han Xueqi, would be satisfied even if they couldn't get in, as long as they could hear her voice from outside.
"Let's go, we can go back and play games," Yi Ziping said dejectedly.
"Zhang Fan?"
Just as Zhang Fan and his friends were about to return to their dorm, they ran into some familiar faces: Lin Ruyue, Geng Lesheng's girlfriend, and Xu Youran.
The appearance of two campus beauties simultaneously drew considerable attention.
"Why are you guys here too? Are you also fans of Han Xueqi?" Yi Ziping's mood improved slightly upon seeing the two beautiful girls, and he asked.
"Fans? Xueqi is our good sister! It's rare for her to come back to school, and she's even performing. As good sisters, of course, we have to come and support her," Xu Youran said with a huff.
"You're good sisters?" Yi Ziping, Geng Lesheng, and the others were surprised. After knowing them for so long, they hadn't realized they had such a connection with Han Xueqi.
"Is it that strange?" Xu Youran asked, hands on her hips, glaring at Yi Ziping.
Yi Ziping thought about it and found it not so strange. It seemed that most beautiful women knew each other, though he didn't know why.
Yi Ziping pointed at the completely jammed entrance and said, "But I'm afraid I have to disappoint you. Look at this situation, we can't even get to the door. How can you support her?"
"I have my ways," Xu Youran said confidently.
Yi Ziping's eyes lit up at her words.
Led by Xu Youran, they entered the auditorium through a special passage for VIPs via a side door. They even managed to get seats very close to the front, which made Yi Ziping shout with excitement.
Yan Jing University's opening ceremony, if the host hadn't been so long-winded, would have been quite interesting.
As one of China's top institutions, most students, besides being academically strong, possessed various talents. The skits, magic shows, and dances were all performed at a considerable level.
However, today, no matter how miraculous the magic or how stunning the dance, they seemed to pale in comparison to Han Xueqi's brilliance.
When it was Han Xueqi's turn to perform, the entire auditorium erupted in frenzy, with screams so piercing they could shatter eardrums.
Amidst the frenzied shouts of her fans, Han Xueqi finally took the stage.
She wasn't wearing the grand attire everyone might have expected. Today, Han Xueqi was dressed in a light blue gauze dress, her calves peeking out, exuding youthful vitality.
Her slender figure, fair skin, paired with her delicate features, made her as beautiful as an orchid in a secluded valley under the spotlight, like a blue elf, captivating and enchanting.
"For you, I'll don my red makeup again, pack my bags, and hide my radiance..."
As her singing began, the fans who had been wildly shouting her name instantly fell silent. The entire auditorium was filled only with the ethereal and melodious singing.
This song was Han Xueqi's breakout hit, "Hong Yan" (Red Face). It had remained in the top three of music charts for seven consecutive months and was incredibly well-known.
Han Xueqi indeed possessed great singing talent. In high school, she had participated in numerous national singing competitions, always performing original songs and winning many prestigious awards. Although her academic performance was average, she was admitted to the music academy of Yan Jing University as a special recruitment student before graduating high school.
In her final year of high school, she became a household name after participating in the "I Am a Big Singer" program hosted by Mango TV. Her performance in the show was even more dazzling than some of the established singers participating. Upon the competition's conclusion, she was signed by a prominent entertainment company.
From then on, she officially debuted.
Her ethereal singing voice, coupled with her exquisite beauty, naturally propelled her career in the entertainment industry. At just over twenty years old, she had already reached the level of a top-tier female singer in China, an achievement that made many veteran entertainers feel ashamed.
Of course, such fame also brought Han Xueqi considerable trouble.
In the complex and perilous entertainment industry, without powerful backing to deter others, she inevitably caught the eye of many powerful figures.
For instance, in Donghai, she was once kidnapped by assassins from the Tian Sha Sect. If she hadn't encountered Zhang Fan, she might have met an untimely end.
Even now, Han Xueqi had no idea who had hired the Tian Sha Sect to abduct her.
However, what gave Han Xueqi some peace of mind was that since the assassins were killed by Zhang Fan, the Tian Sha Sect's assassins had not appeared again.
She was completely unaware that the terrifying Tian Sha Sect had already been annihilated.
...