Chapter 60: Event

Wang Wanjun stood quietly beside Li Yan. At the moment, the two of them were waiting for a car at the entrance, as Li Yan had already called for a ride-hailing service.

Li Yan was lost in thought, pondering how to pick up his discarded photography skills over the next few days. Meanwhile, Wang Wanjun kept her head slightly lowered, opening her WeChat app to check her remaining balance.

The figure was just over 500, and it filled Wang Wanjun with a sense of despair.

Having just heard the compensation amount mentioned by the lawyer, she had panicked completely right then and there.

The sum of tens of thousands, or perhaps even over a hundred thousand yuan, left her with no mental capacity to notice the gaze the young man beside her was casting her way.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Ah? I... I'll pay you back as soon as possible..."

Hearing Li Yan's voice beside her, Wang Wanjun subconsciously and hastily locked her phone screen, which was displaying her wallet balance.

Her voice sounded soft and milky, tinged with nervousness, timidity, and panic.

Wang Wanjun had never even thought that although the matter of paying compensation arose because of her, strictly speaking, this was not something she desired.

She only knew instinctively that the responsibility for this incident lay with her.

"This matter doesn't really have much to do with you. I simply couldn't stand those two idiots."

Li Yan spoke the truth, knowing full well that this situation—especially the subsequent compensation amount—might have frightened Wang Wanjun.

Ever since they got into the police car, Li Yan hadn't really tried to comfort her much.

This didn't mean he lacked a protective instinct toward women or didn't know when to say and do things that would win a girl's favor.

It was simply that there were matters to attend to, and besides, while Li Yan did appreciate Wang Wanjun's beauty and harbored thoughts of pursuing her,

he couldn't be bothered to use those cliché techniques or smooth talk.

He simply found it pointless.

Two truly suitable people attract each other organically, rather than saying the right things or doing the right things at the correct time.

In short, ever since acquiring the God-Tier Tycoon System, Li Yan had grown somewhat lazy when it came to the effort of chasing girls.

Even so, his statement was entirely accurate; he truly just couldn't stand those two fools.

Although the incident was triggered by Wang Wanjun, her actual involvement was minimal.

Of course, Li Yan also knew that offering comfort in this manner wouldn't have much of an effect.

He looked at Wang Wanjun standing beside him.

She was still dressed in that simple, pristine outfit.

On her upper body, she wore a basic pure white T-shirt, paired with denim shorts on the lower half, complemented by white mid-calf socks and canvas shoes.

Her face remained completely bare of makeup, tied back into a simple ponytail.

Such a simple attire appeared utterly flawless, elevated by her jade-like, milky-white complexion and fresh, lovely appearance.

With her hands holding her phone in front of her, her snow-white, slender legs stood straight, and a few strands of hair fell gracefully across her fair forehead as she kept her head slightly bowed.

As a warm evening breeze blew past, Li Yan could clearly catch the faint, refreshing fragrance emanating from the girl beside him.

"Since you feel so bad about it, just treat me to a cup of milk tea."

Li Yan said this while looking at Wang Wanjun, whose height he estimated to be at least 170 centimeters.

Naturally, he knew that such a compensation amount was unacceptable for a student like Wang Wanjun, and he could easily tell that her family background was far from wealthy.

This much could be roughly inferred from the phone she used.

At the same time, Li Yan could also tell that she was not a vain girl.

This, too, was evident from the phone in her hands.

Wang Wanjun froze. An amount of tens or even hundreds of thousands of yuan was something she could never accept, yet she had no intention of running away from it.

However, upon hearing the words that came from Li Yan's mouth, a wave of bitterness welled up deep inside her.

It wasn't flirtatious at all, yet that casual remark seemed to strike her right in the heart.

All the experiences of today—starting from being harassed, to Li Yan stepping forward to protect her, and finally the shock of the compensation demand—

had all pressed down heavily upon this eighteen-year-old girl.

Having lived alone with her mother since childhood, Wang Wanjun was no stranger to bearing hardships.

Given her special family conditions and environment, one either gets lost within them or grows strong through them.

Wang Wanjun was the latter.

Even so, today's events made her heart—which she thought was resilient enough to endure hardship—feel once again as though it was about to break under the strain.

The bustling life in the big city was so prosperous and wonderful,

yet the hardships that came with it could be so overwhelmingly difficult to bear.

Milk tea?

Wang Wanjun suddenly remembered the cup of milk tea she had ordered for Li Yan, which was still sitting at the tutoring center.

She had originally intended to give it to him after he finished practicing the piano, but she never expected so many things to happen afterward.

And there was also that fruit bowl, which clearly wasn't cheap. Wang Wanjun felt as though she had known Li Yan for less than a full day, yet she already owed him so much.

"Okay~"

Though her heart was still burdened with many thoughts and she spoke little at the moment,

she still nodded earnestly as she looked at the young man beside her.

As for the cup of milk tea left at the tutoring center, she would just take it back for her best friend to enjoy~

...

The car arrived. Li Yan opened the door and let Wang Wanjun get in first, then climbed in himself and closed the door.

They were heading back along the same road to the tutoring center, since one of Li Yan's backpacks was still left there, and Wang Wanjun's belongings were also there.

By this time, it was already the evening rush hour, and the road was somewhat congested, meaning the return trip would likely take a little longer.

Unlike their time in the police car—where matters were still unresolved and Li Yan naturally spoke very little—

things were different now.

"I might be organizing an event recently, and I'll need you guys to help out. It's that thing I mentioned before."

Li Yan said, looking at Wang Wanjun seated beside him.

Wang Wanjun knew about this, as Li Yan had previously mentioned it to her and the other three administrators, though he hadn't revealed the specific details of the event.

With a hint of curiosity, she turned her head to look at the young man beside her. While ordinary college freshmen were either taking on part-time jobs or traveling right now, Li Yan seemed like a wealthy second-generation heir, though she had no idea what kind of event he wanted to run.

"I... I get off work at 6 p.m., so I'll have time to help you in the evening~"

Her tone seemed to have returned somewhat to normal, retaining that crisp, clear quality.

"Alright. It might get a bit busy and take up some time. Let me give you a general idea about the specific event and the compensation."

Li Yan had already planned to get the project rolling within the next few days, so bringing it up with Wang Wanjun right now was perfect.

"I'm planning to host a campus belle selection contest."

"As for your compensation, it will depend on the duration of the event. For now, it's calculated on a daily basis, and since everyone is responsible for different tasks, the pay will vary accordingly."