"Hey, Ningning, look! They're saying that Zhou Yi is the guy wearing the white shirt who's been blowing up on online forum. Oh my god, how could that possibly be true?"
"He's insanely handsome. I can't even imagine how good he must look on camera."
"I've met plenty of celebrities, but none of them hold a candle to this guy."
"I heard he's from the art department. No wonder there are so many attractive guys over there. If I'd known, I would have applied for an art major."
"Who is this person? A transfer student?"
"No way, that's Zhou Yi! The infamous 'Simp' from our Visual Communication program!"
"That pathetic guy who supposedly has a crush on the school queen? You call him pathetic?!"
"Holy crap, it really is him… This is unbelievable."
The opening ceremony was already underway, with several middle-aged administrators—sporting round bellies and receding hairlines—taking turns delivering speeches.
Below, the students had long lost interest. Most were either glued to their phones or chatting idly. Among all the conversations, one name came up repeatedly: Zhou Yi.
By morning's end, nearly every girl on campus knew about the strikingly handsome boy in Class 3 of the Visual Communication department.
Su Ning stood near the front, oblivious to the commotion behind her. She had never paid much attention to such gossip.
With a cold glance at the content displayed on another girl's phone, Su Ning's eyes flickered with mild surprise—but none of the infatuation shown by others.
When Zhou Yi's name was mentioned, Su Ning's tone remained dismissive. "So what if it's him? Even if he's handsome, it doesn't change the fact that he's academically hopeless, constantly failing exams. He's still a loser through and through."
Su Ning admired strength above all else. To her, physical appearance took a backseat; capability mattered far more.
Even if Zhou Yi was attractive, he was still shallow—an empty shell without substance.
Did he really think that having a pretty face would sway her opinion of him? What a delusion.
If Su Ning's reaction to the revelation that Zhou Yi was breathtakingly handsome could be described as surprise, then for two other people, it was outright shock.
Xia Qiuzhi stared at the forum post in disbelief.
The gorgeous guy she'd once tried to get contact information for—was he really Zhou Yi, the same annoying "Simp" she despised?
She struggled to recall Zhou Yi's features. Now that she thought about it, he'd always looked like this: pale and skinny as a child, and as he grew older, he let his bangs fall across half his face. Perhaps that explained why she hadn't noticed his looks after they grew up.
Xia Qiuzhi glanced toward the direction of the art department, eager to confirm whether the rumors were true.
"Qiuzhi, what's wrong? You seem distracted. What are you looking at?" Wang Xuan asked curiously from beside her.
He rarely followed forums or social media trends, so he had no idea who everyone was talking about.
A close friend chimed in excitedly, "There's a super-hot guy in the art department! Everyone's buzzing about him. Haven't you heard?"
She waved her phone in front of Wang Xuan. When he saw the stunning face on the screen, he couldn't help but pause.