The Opening Ceremony Shocked Everyone Who Is This Handsome Guy

She had never imagined she would have a day like this.

Falling in love with a boy more than a decade younger than her.

But it was worth it. A boy like him deserved her love—if anything, someone like her was the one who didn’t measure up to him in any way.

Now that the truth was out in the open, Zhou Yi’s attitude toward her filled her with joy and gratitude.

Yet, precisely because of this, You Man felt she shouldn’t involve herself too deeply with him. It wouldn’t do him any good.

He was still young. He had a vast future ahead of him—one that shouldn’t be weighed down by entanglement with someone like her.

She could only love him silently, never truly being with him. You Man told herself she should be content just being able to see him.

She could stay by his side as an older sister. One shouldn’t be too greedy—she had to learn to be satisfied.

With her mind made up, You Man sighed and returned to her room.

Downstairs, Zhou Yi glanced up at her retreating figure.

He knew she had been watching him—he could even guess what she was thinking.

After finishing his tasks, Zhou Yi knocked on You Man’s door.

She didn’t let him in, instead telling him to focus on school the next day and leave everything else for later.

Zhou Yi seemed to realize things were moving too fast. He quietly told her to rest well before leaving.

You Man leaned against her windowsill, watching the boy’s figure disappear down the street.

She made a wish upon the stars, praying that he would always shine as brightly as the ones she loved.

To her, Zhou Yi was her star.

The day Zhou Yi returned to school was the opening ceremony at Huaihai University.

The ceremony was set for 10 a.m.

Zhou Yi missed the 8:30 homeroom meeting.

“Where’s Zhou Yi? Why isn’t he here?”

Liu Wei, the homeroom teacher, adjusted his glasses as he called roll and realized Zhou Yi was absent.

Since the original Zhou Yi had no friends in class, naturally, no one covered for him.

Besides, with the homeroom teacher personally taking attendance, even the closest friends wouldn’t dare fake it.

Liu Wei walked over to Zhou Yi’s seat and asked his deskmate, Zhang Wu, why he wasn’t there.

Zhang Wu pressed his lips together and muttered, “How should I know? I don’t hang out with him.”

Zhang Wu had always resented the university’s policy of assigned seating—as if they were still in high school.

Who cared about grades in college? As long as they graduated, that was enough.

Most college students these days were all about slacking off. After surviving the grind of high school, they just wanted to coast through university.

Zhang Wu’s expression was full of disdain, as if associating with Zhou Yi would be a disgrace.

Liu Wei’s face darkened with anger. “If he doesn’t show up for the opening ceremony and the class gets penalized, he’ll have hell to pay!”

As Liu Wei left to check Zhou Yi’s address in the office, the class erupted into gossip.

“Of course he wouldn’t dare come. After that embarrassing stunt last week, I wouldn’t show my face either.”

“Probably scared of getting beaten up by Su Ning’s admirers, huh?”

“Hui-ge said he’d deal with him. Guess he chickened out.”

“Poor Su Ning. Getting stuck with a creep like that—must be sickening just seeing him.”

Su Ning, who had been reading, slammed her book shut with a loud thud.

“Enough. Stop dragging me into this. It’s disgusting.”

The chatter died down slightly, but the whispers continued.

Zhou Yi, Zhou Yi—his name seemed to follow her everywhere these days.

Being liked by someone like him wasn’t the issue—she wouldn’t even spare him a glance.

What infuriated her was how everyone treated it as a joke, pairing her name with his in gossip.

Su Ning had grown up as the cherished youngest daughter of a wealthy family, doted on by her two older brothers. Few dared to offend her, let alone speak ill of her to her face.

Her stunning beauty had always drawn attention, and her icy demeanor quickly earned her the title of campus belle.

From high school to university, she had always been the center of attention—but she hated it.

She had long grown tired of being discussed for her looks. She never saw beauty as an advantage and cared little for appearances.

What mattered to her was excelling academically.

Her goal had always been graduate school.

If not for falling ill during the college entrance exams, she would never have ended up at this university.

She resented herself for it—why did she have to get sick at the most crucial moment?

Her father and brothers had offered to donate a building to secure her admission to a top-tier university, but she refused outright.

Her pride wouldn’t allow her to take shortcuts. She was determined to earn her way into a prestigious graduate program through hard work.

The constant noise from freshman military training had already frayed her nerves. Now, with all this gossip, her disdain for Zhou Yi only grew.

If not for him, none of this would be happening.

Su Ning shot a cold, disgusted glance at Zhou Yi’s empty seat.

“The opening ceremony’s about to start. Let’s go, Ningning.”

Her deskmate, a round-faced girl, cheerfully linked arms with her as they headed to the ceremony on the sports field.

This year’s event was unusually grand. The notoriously frugal principal had spared no expense, even inviting prominent figures from Huaihai.

Rumors had circulated since Zhou Yi’s enrollment that Huaihai University was aiming for first-tier status—perhaps the principal’s lavish display was related.

The principal had stressed that attendance was mandatory. Any absence would result in penalties for the class.

For homeroom teacher Liu Wei, this meant deductions from his bonus and stalled promotions—hence his fury.

Unable to locate Zhou Yi’s address, Liu Wei’s frustration mounted.

The boy had always been quiet and prone to failing classes, but he had never skipped without notice before. What had gotten into him?

Liu Wei dialed the emergency contact listed in Zhou Yi’s file—only to find the number disconnected.

With no other options, he braced himself for the dean’s reprimand.

Zhou Yi was enrolled in the art department, majoring in visual communication—a field related to advertising.

Su Ning’s family owned a renowned advertising firm, which she was expected to inherit someday.

Even among the art department’s abundance of attractive students, Su Ning stood out effortlessly as the banner bearer at the front.

In contrast, Zhou Yi had always dressed plainly, sticking out like a sore thumb in the artsy crowd.

At the mere sight of Su Ning, people couldn’t help but recall Zhou Yi.

The scandal involving the two had long been ridiculed across the campus forum.

The comments were pretty much the same as what Zhou Yi had heard earlier.

When it comes to college students, you could say they're busy—sometimes drowning in assignments that keep them up all night.

But then again, you could also say they’re idle, spending hours surfing the web, indulging in gossip with glee, even knowing which cafeteria auntie is dating whom.

A juicy story like Zhou Yi and Su Ning’s was definitely not something they’d miss. Campus dorm chatter mostly revolved around these kinds of things, and the rumors about these two had only grown wilder as they spread from mouth to mouth.

“Why is your class missing one person?”

The student council member taking attendance counted the heads in Liu Wei’s class and noticed the discrepancy.

“Oh, it’s like this, classmate—one of our students is...”

“Professor, I just went to the restroom.”

Zhou Yi suddenly raised his hand and stepped forward from the back row. His voice was loud enough to draw attention from several nearby classes.

“Who’s that? A freshman?”

“Holy crap, he’s so handsome—even more than Xu Lin! Oh my god, Pingping, look!”

“Who? Who? How have I never seen him before?”

“He looks familiar though, like I’ve seen him somewhere.”

“Isn’t that the white-shirt campus heartthrob from the forums?”

“Wait, that’s him? Was he even in our class? I don’t remember seeing him.”

“What the hell, why did he just walk out from the back of our class?”

Zhou Yi strode forward calmly. Liu Wei let out a relieved sigh and nodded. “Right, I was just about to say one of our students went to the bathroom.”

The student council member acknowledged it and moved on.

But Zhou Yi’s appearance caused quite a stir.

And it wasn’t for any complicated reason—just that face.

After gaining more favorability points the day before, Zhou Yi hadn’t hesitated to allocate them all to his looks.

Now, he was so ridiculously handsome that even a passing dog would stop and stare.

A 95-point appearance stat was no joke!

The system’s upgrades were never ordinary.

Without a doubt, Zhou Yi’s face was at a level where he could debut on the spot and have talent agencies fighting over him.

Putting that face in a crowd of students? The reaction was predictable.

Liu Wei leaned closer to Zhou Yi, giving him a once-over before asking, “Which class are you from? A friend of Zhou Yi’s? Did he ask you to cover for him? Where is he?”

Zhou Yi smirked. “Professor, I am Zhou Yi. Don’t you recognize me?”

Liu Wei and the surrounding students all widened their eyes in shock.

“Y-You’re saying you’re Zhou Yi?”