Senior Sister, Shut Up!

But her eyes were full of gloating, and she even fanned the flames in the chat.

[Su Huaizhou]: This book is really good.

Ding Ning turned her head and asked in surprise, “Senior Sister, are you reading it too?”

“Yep.” Su Huaizhou nodded with a smile. “I started following it when it first came out.”

With Senior Sister Su’s endorsement, Jia Tongxue and Yi Luren clicked on the link, downloaded the Xidian app, and added the book to their reading list.

Over the past few weeks of debate matches, Su Huaizhou’s guidance had been spot-on, always able to point out their weaknesses with precision.

These first-year girls had come to admire and even envy Su Huaizhou, Senior Sister Su.

After all, she had both good looks and exceptional ability. Combined with her senior sister status, it was easy for people to admire her.

The corners of Jiang Miao’s mouth twitched. He gritted her teeth and wanted to salvage the situation.

“Books from male-oriented categories aren’t really suitable for girls. After all, they’re written from a male perspective, so it’s hard for girls to relate,” he persuaded.

“That’s not true,” Ding Ning said, blinking innocently. “I think for this book, girls can relate to the female lead. It feels like there are dual protagonists—both the male and female leads are the main characters.”

“And isn’t this book written by a girl anyway?” Pei Jue chimed in, already hooked after reading just one chapter. “Since a girl wrote it, it doesn’t matter if it’s male or female-oriented, right?”

“Don’t be fooled by the name Peach Jam. It’s likely some rough guy.” Jiang Miao continued to quibble. “Many male authors are doing this now. They use cute names to attract certain readers.”

“Junior Brother, don’t speculate about others like that.” Su Huaizhou patted his shoulder comfortingly. “It’s just a book, not a debate.”

Jiang Miao: “…”

Damn it!

I can’t live like this anymore!

Why are so many people at school reading my novel?！

First, it was Senior Sister and his roommate.

Now, even his debate team members were doing it.

If his identity ever got exposed, he’d never be able to clear his name, even if he jumped into the Qiantang River.

Might as well off him already.

Seeing Ding Ning enthusiastically sharing her reading experience with their other three teammates, Jiang Miao sighed.

Even though he had new readers—acquaintances at that—he couldn’t feel the slightest bit of joy.

[Miaomiao is Deep in Thought]: Senior Sister, you’re not secretly promoting my book, are you?

[Zhouzhou Loves Congee]: How is that possible? I only recommended it to your Senior Sister Qi. I haven’t told anyone else.

Jiang Miao: “???”

[Miaomiao is Deep in Thought]: Senior Sister Qi reads this kind of book?！

[Zhouzhou Loves Congee]: She didn’t want to read it at first, but under my irresistible temptation, she was easily hooked.

[Miaomiao is Deep in Thought]: I feel like my days are numbered.

[Zhouzhou Loves Congee]: What are you so afraid of?

[Zhouzhou Loves Congee]: They don’t know you’re the author. Isn’t it good to have more readers?

[Miaomiao is Deep in Thought]: Senior Sister, the way I’m feeling now is like if a lewd picture you drew was being passed around by people you know. Do you have an idea how shameful it is? α

[Zhouzhou Loves Congee]: I can’t relate. Nothing of mine has been discovered by anyone I know.

[Miaomiao is Deep in Thought]: Then let me help you!

Senior Sister didn’t respond in the chat, but Jiang Miao’s foot immediately felt the impact of a light kick under the desk.

[Miaomiao is Deep in Thought]: I was wrong! Your lewd drawings are for my eyes only!

[Zhouzhou Loves Congee]: Explain yourself! What do you mean by my lewd drawings?！

[Miaomiao is Deep in Thought]: Slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue!

After being pinched on the waist, Jiang Miao quickly grabbed Senior Sister’s hand, gently stroked the back, and playfully scratched her palm before smoothly pulling her hand into his.

“Stop messing around,” Su Huaizhou whispered. “There are people sitting in front of us.”

“Didn’t I touch your leg in class earlier?”

“That was different!” she whispered, pinching his hand.

Back then, it was during class, and everyone’s attention was either on the lecture or on their phones.

But now, even though they were still in a classroom, Ding Ning and the others in front could turn around at any moment.

Besides… Su Huaizhou was a senior sister!

It wasn’t a big deal if her classmates and roommates in the same year found out she was dating Junior Brother. There would just be some harmless teasing and joking.

But if the underclassmen found out, she would feel far more embarrassed.

… Especially since she was their team leader.

She started dating the only male member of their team…

With this thought, Su Huaizhou’s body tensed up. She began to worry that the three girls in front would turn around and find her holding hands with Junior Brother.

“The last person has arrived. Let’s begin,” Zhao Lu announced as he walked in with the final team member.

The people in the front row immediately stood up and moved to their respective positions as debaters. In the back row, Su Huaizhou was so frightened that she quickly withdrew her hand.

Sitting in the same row, Qi Lianyue had long noticed their small actions and curled her lips.

Once Zhao Lu sat down beside her, she stealthily reached out and grabbed his hand.

Zhao Lu: “?”

Why does it feel like Yueyue is being unusually forward today?

First, she served me food, and now she’s holding my hand. Where did she learn all this from?

…

The mock debate went smoothly, and the topic was: My mother is obsessively supporting a male celebrity and neglecting our family. Should I stop her?

It was a very modern question. After all, it seemed difficult to associate ‘obsessively supporting a celebrity’ with mothers.

But in today’s internet era, many things that once seemed inconceivable were now becoming realities, both good and bad.

After the mock debate, Zhao Lu handed the debaters’ notes to Su Huaizhou’s team and left with his team members and girlfriend.

Su Huaizhou and her team stayed behind to continue discussing the debate topic.

Their team was on the affirmative side—they had to argue for stopping the mother.

At first glance, the affirmative side seemed to have the upper hand. After all, it was crazy for someone to neglect their household to obsess over a celebrity. It surely couldn’t be a good thing.

But these days, whenever a topic touched on the idea of liberating women’s minds and freeing mothers from domestic chores, such arguments could easily overwhelm other voices.

During the debate just now, as they argued back and forth, both sides’ focus gradually shifted from ‘obsessively supporting’ to whether mothers must always take care of their families.

“You all let yourselves be led around and forgot all your key attack points,” Su Huaizhou said with a smile while standing at the podium. “Let’s go over it again.”

She held the first debater’s notes from the opposition side, which outlined the opposition’s definitions and arguments.

She wrote them down on the blackboard one by one and began discussing each one with the four female team members.

Since Jiang Miao had nothing to do, he discreetly took out his phone to slack off and looked through his group chats.

[Ten Thousand Words a Day Writing Group]

[Dog Doesn’t Care]: I’m preparing to sell my house. Once I receive the money, I should be able to pay off my debt this year.

[White Rice Vinegar]: You’re really selling it? Brother Dog, aren’t your royalties pretty good now? Why sell your house?

[Dog Doesn’t Care]: It’s still unstable. My editor resigned a while back, and the traffic to my book dropped drastically.

[White Rice Vinegar]: What the hell? How does your editor quitting affect your book’s traffic?

[Dog Doesn’t Care]: The editor-in-chief must have lost it. My editor offended him and was ostracized. Now, all the books he was responsible for have suffered.

[Dog Doesn’t Care]: My current book was performing the best out of everything I’ve written. But now, the royalties have plunged from 10,000 a month to just 2-3,000.

[Dog Doesn’t Care]: If I hadn’t saved up a bit before, I wouldn’t have even been able to pay this month’s debt payment. I thought about it and decided selling the house would give me some peace of mind.

[Moonfall Frost Heaven]: Brother Dog, have you found a buyer for your house?

[Dog Doesn’t Care]: Not yet. I’ve contacted a few interested buyers, but nothing is set in stone.

[Moonfall Frost Heaven]: I remember you’re from Shandong, right?

[Dog Doesn’t Care]: Yeah, why?

[Moonfall Frost Heaven]: Let’s chat privately. I might be able to help you find a good buyer.

[I Am the Immortal Emperor]: As a struggling author, I’m trembling in fear, unable to join this conversation at all.

[Cat in the Snow]: Sister Moonfall, aren’t you abroad? Still awake?

[Moonfall Frost Heaven]: Burning the midnight oil to write.

[Peach Jam]: I bet you’re staying up late playing games.

[Moonfall Frost Heaven]: I’m gathering material!

[Ao 10K]: Daily 10,000 Word Count Taskmaster invites you to the Orange Melon Word Sprint. Target: 15,000 words. Room: Lies Everywhere.

[Ao 10K]: Get in. We’re starting in ten minutes.

[Dog Doesn’t Care]: Coming, coming. If I don’t write soon, I’ll die of poverty.

[White Rice Vinegar]: Ahem… I’ll leave first.

[I Am the Immortal Emperor]: Old Thief White Vinegar! Giving up already?!

[Cat in the Snow]: Immortal, you should worry about signing your contract first.

[Peach Jam]: What contract? Immortal’s new book?

[Cat in the Snow]: It stopped getting recommendations after the trial recommendation ended. What else could he do? Of course he had to drop it.

[I Am the Immortal Emperor]: …

[Peach Jam]: Hang in there, Immortal.

[I Am the Immortal Emperor]: The way you’re comforting me… coming from a high-quality big shot, it feels so mocking!

[White Rice Vinegar]: Immortal is a masochist. Peach, don’t be polite with him.

[I Am the Immortal Emperor]: Get lost! Dog Vinegar!

“Jiang Miao!”

Just as he was enjoying goofing around in the group chat, Su Huaizhou suddenly called out his name.

“Do you have anything to add?”

“No, no. What everyone said was great.” He was a seasoned pro at this and shook his head quickly, indicating he had nothing to say.

However, Su Huaizhou clearly wasn’t planning to let him go. With a smile, she said, “You’ve given your opinions on the previous debate topics. Now that we’re in the semifinals, everyone is looking forward to your performance.”

Jiang Miao: “…”

Looking at Senior Sister, who was like a cunning fox on the podium, he really wanted to go up, scoop her into his arms, put her on his thighs, and spank her butt.

But seeing the expectant gazes of the four teammates in front, he knew he couldn’t remain silent.

He could only put away his phone helplessly and look at the debate topic and its various definitions and arguments on the blackboard.

[My mother is obsessively supporting a male celebrity and neglecting our family. Should I stop her?]

After pondering for a moment, Jiang Miao asked, “I don’t have much to add. I just want to ask, how do you define obsessively supporting?”

“It’s pretty clear on the blackboard,” Jia Tongxue replied matter-of-factly. “It refers to irrational and fanatical idol worship, to the point of not coming home at night and wasting a lot of money and time.”

“But I think it’s still too superficial.” Jiang Miao touched his chin in thought. “We can dig deeper into it.”

Pei Jue looked at him curiously. “How else do we dig deeper? Isn’t that just what excessive idol worship is?”

“Yes, what I mean is that we can summarize the essential characteristics of obsessive support,” Jiang Miao said and looked at Ding Ning. “Whose songs do you like the most?”

“Hao…” She subconsciously started to answer but quickly covered her mouth. Only then did she realize that Jiang Miao was asking for a singer’s name and quickly changed the name. “I like Xu Song’s songs the most.”

“What about Jay Chou’s songs?” he asked.

“They’re okay? A few slow songs are nice, but I’m not into rap,” she said after some thought.

“See, this is a normal expression of fandom.” Jiang Miao pointed at Ding Ning and said to the others, “In obsessive idol worship, the common behavior is to think that only their favorite celebrity is the best and everyone else is trash.

“One is simple admiration, where someone can admire one celebrity while also appreciating other outstanding celebrities.

“But once they become obsessed, it often leads to exclusivity, and they believe that their idol is the best and everyone else is inferior.”

“Not bad.” Su Huaizhou looked at Jiang Miao, who spoke eloquently and confidently, with a smile in her eyes. She picked up a piece of chalk and wrote down his points. “Admiration and exclusivity, make sure to note this down.”

“What about you, Yi Luren? Which celebrity do you like?” Jiang Miao continued, turning to look at Yi Luren beside Ding Ning.

Without hesitation, Yi Luren replied, “Wang Yuan.”

“I heard he smokes,” he said while supporting his chin.

“…” Her expression darkened slightly. “Smoking is indeed not good… but…”

“I don’t mean anything by it,” Jiang Miao quickly clarified. “What I want to say here is that rational fandom can involve only liking certain aspects of a celebrity.

“Perhaps it’s admiring their character or liking their songs, dancing, or movies.

“In short, if you can easily list both the strengths and weaknesses of the celebrities you like, then it’s a normal expression of fandom.

“But if whenever you talk about your favorite celebrity, no matter which aspect it is—even if they smoke—you still feel they’re the best, it might be problematic.”

Yi Luren instantly fell silent.

Su Huaizhou chuckled softly and wrote this point on the blackboard. “Anything else?”

“Do I have to say more?” Jiang Miao replied, feeling a bit awkward.

“Just say what you have. It’s not your first time doing this,” she urged.

“Then there’s one last point.” He turned to Jia Tongxue. “Which celebrity do you like?”

After thinking for a moment, she answered, “Xiao Wan?”

Jiang Miao paused for a second. “Who is that?”

“He’s the popular male lead of the TV drama Clear Morning Order.”

“Oh, I have some impression,” he said, recalling. “Perfect example. Didn’t he release a new song? And someone bought a hundred copies of the album. Would you follow the trend and buy a hundred copies?”

“Definitely not.” Jia Tongxue shook her head. “I listened to the one my roommate bought. I thought it was just okay, so I didn’t buy it.”

“That’s what I’d call normal fandom,” Jiang Miao said. “Regarding obsessive support, there will always be someone setting an extreme example.

“For example, if a fan buys a hundred copies of an album, someone might say, ‘A hundred albums is only the cost of one bag. Isn’t your love for your celebrity worth at least that much?’

“Or, like in the debate topic—if your mom bought a thousand albums to support a celebrity, others might say, ‘Look, even this auntie is going all out. Can’t you young people even compare to an auntie?’

“This sets an extreme example that pressures people to follow blindly and lose their rationality.

“But I’m getting a little off track.” Jiang Miao smiled and said modestly, “Just use whatever you think fits. If not, no worries.”

“Hmm, pretty good. Everyone, remember this and revise your drafts later.” Su Huaizhou jotted down the last point and clapped her hands. “We’ll meet again on Saturday. Get your drafts done as soon as possible.”

“Got it!” The four female teammates nodded.

With the discussion finally over, Jiang Miao heaved a sigh of relief. He got up to pack his things, ready to leave.

He had plans with Senior Sister to go to her place and cook stir-fried pork.

He was looking forward to it.

It wasn’t that he particularly liked cooking, but since she wanted to eat something he made, he would happily oblige.

And if he could get some material after dinner…

Jiang Miao’s mind began to wander as he left the classroom with Senior Sister and their four teammates. Absentmindedly, he reached out to hold her hand.

Su Huaizhou didn’t think much of it. Without any resistance, she naturally held onto Junior Brother’s hand in return.

It wasn’t until they heard the two exclamations behind them that they snapped out of their daze.

The four girls following them out of the classroom were standing there frozen, covering their mouths, eyes wide in shock, staring at Jiang Miao and Senior Sister holding hands.

Ding Ning’s face was blank, her mind still in a haze.

She stared at Jiang Miao in shock. The young Ding Ning had never expected that the real reason Jiang Miao joined the debate team, despite never participating in any debates, was to pursue Senior Sister!!

And he actually succeeded?!

In just a month, no less!

Amazing!