While Xinyu was absentmindedly staring at the wine in her glass, Chen Yuzhe shot up to his feet.

"Huh?" As Xinyu puzzled over it, a teasing voice drifted from the doorway:

"Well, well, party's in full swing, huh?"

The chatter in the hall died down instantly, sinking into a brief silence.

Leading the way was a boy with yellow-dyed hair and ear piercings, giving him a slightly eerie, androgynous vibe. Hands in his pockets, he strolled in casually, grabbing a Corona with lemon from the bar on his way.

"Hey, don't stop on my account," he said, sipping his drink. "Keep playing. Ignore me—I'm just wandering around."

Whispers rippled among the freshmen.

"Who's that guy?"

"No clue... Smiling, but he looks like trouble."

"Does anyone know him?"

The boy sipped his beer, his gaze insolently sweeping over faces. He stared openly at the new freshmen, clicking his tongue as he sized them up. His eyes swept the room and locked onto Yang Wenjin.

"Oh, Yang Wenjin—today you've got Sir Chen with you," he said, eyes lighting up. He grinned mischievously and sauntered over.

"Not bad. Makes this Dokta's heart flutter. How about a photo together?"

Yang Wenjin stiffened. She frowned slightly and instinctively stepped back.

"Oh... so no photo with me? What a pity," the boy sighed dramatically, shaking his head.

"Guess you're a big shot now, Yang Wenjin. Natural you'd look down on small fries like me. Our 'bond' only went as far as giving you that cultural festival performance slot. Easy to forget trivial stuff like that, right?"

"Senior Huang Yanchen," Yang Wenjin said stiffly but politely, "what brings you here today?"

Huang Yanchen snorted. "Why so tense? I'm not crashing the party." He waved dismissively. "I was a long-time anime club member. Resigned now, but some ties remain. Freshman recruitment's rare—I just came to browse. Not too much to ask, is it?"

He shrugged pitifully at her, wearing a wounded expression.

Yang Wenjin ignored it, turning away silently.

"Tsk, so heartless," Huang Yanchen pouted. Then he forced a smile. "Alright, everyone—keep playing. Treat me like air."

Xinyu turned curiously. "Senior, who is he?"

"Huang Yanchen. A senior," Chen Yuzhe said flatly. "Last year's anime club president. Resigned during this year's handover, per school rules."

Xinyu knew university clubs typically ended junior-year tenures. Seniors focused on grad exams or jobs, leaving no time for clubs. Handovers were required by junior year's second semester.

"But..."

"If he's the former president, why's everyone so tense?"

Chen Yuzhe clicked his tongue softly and sighed. "Complicated. Just know it'll be trouble."

Yeah. Definitely trouble.

Huang Yanchen was clearly here for Jiang Xiaoyao.

Chen Yuzhe knew their history best. This mediocre guy had been smitten when Jiang Xiaoyao joined the club. He dumped his girlfriend and forced her appointment as president during elections, ignoring senior protests. He'd schemed hard.

But Jiang Xiaoyao? No explanation needed. A scumbag like Huang Yanchen, whose polite mask couldn't hide his rotten core, was never her type. Her initial closeness was likely just for the president position.

He'd never stopped pursuing her, but she always brushed him off with excuses. Now, charging straight to this welcome party? Only one reason.

Sure enough, after scanning the room, Huang Yanchen's gaze settled on Gu Chengjin. He raised his eyebrows slightly, a strange smirk curling his lips. He lifted his glass and stood—

"Didn't expect you'd have time to visit today, senior."

Huang Yanchen froze, then spun with a grin. "Xiao Chen! You're here? I thought you hated crowded club gatherings."

"Bored lately. Only sophomore guy in my batch—President Jiang dragged me here," Chen Yuzhe chuckled.

This is bad.