Big Shot Ch.160.2

Chapter 160.2: Storm Premieres

Netizens approved wholeheartedly, flooding the comments in support of the school’s stance:

— Beautifully done. People who keep making the same mistakes over and over like this trash don’t deserve to stay in school. Absolutely satisfying!

— Finally, it’s not about pressuring the victim to compromise by offering continued enrollment, guaranteed grad school admission, or scholarship bribes.

— That’s because Xiu-baby directly blocked off both the scholarship and grad school pathways.

— Come on, who at Jinghe doesn’t know that Shen Xiu racks up scholarships like it’s nothing? Getting a guaranteed grad school spot would be effortless for him—they probably don’t even know how to rank someone that outstanding.

— Jinghe: “This time it’s really difficult… yeah, let’s not protect Ling Yuanzhen anymore.”

— But just thinking about how other schools still respond to similar situations by only pressuring the victims—it’s infuriating.

— What can you do? We’ll never understand what goes on in the minds of the decision-makers. Clearly, expulsion is the best solution, but they always insist on protecting the perpetrator. It’s so absurd. All we can do is warn people online to steer clear of those garbage schools after the college entrance exam.

…

Jiang Jinya scrolled through her phone, reading the netizens’ commentary while sneakily watching Shen Xiu out of the corner of her eye as he sat on the sofa across the office, reviewing class material. She couldn’t help but marvel at how sharp the netizens were.

Schools usually deal with these kinds of incidents by using scholarships or guaranteed grad school admission as bargaining chips to “resolve things quietly.”

But this time, Shen Xiu had uploaded the evidence directly online, bypassing any private mediation the school might have tried with Ling Yuanzhen. It was absolute—he hadn’t given the school any room to maneuver.

—

Second class of the afternoon.

Shen Xiu grabbed his materials and left Jiang Jinya’s office.

On the way to class, he heard the bustle of students walking quickly and chatting. Recalling his midday confrontation with Ling Yuanzhen, his good mood was ruined, and a quiet storm of pressure seemed to emanate from him.

He reached the classroom just a second before the bell rang. When he didn’t see Ling Yuanzhen inside, his gloomy mood instantly vanished.

Shen Xiu was a little surprised, but he didn’t pause and walked straight to his usual seat.

Less than ten seconds after Shen Xiu sat down, the instructor entered, and class began as usual.

Shen Xiu was multitasking—on one hand, he was memorizing what the teacher said and keeping his eyes on the paragraph being discussed; on the other, he was wondering: there were only a dozen or so people in their class, so if someone was absent, the teacher could usually tell at a glance. Why hadn’t they asked where the missing student went this time?

Could it be that because he didn’t accept Ling Yuanzhen’s apology, Ling Yuanzhen got so angry he took a leave of absence?

The thought left Shen Xiu puzzled, but he was too embarrassed to ask. He quietly stewed in his growing curiosity.

Ding…

Who knew how much time had passed when the long bell signaling the end of class finally rang, and the teacher left.

There was only one class this afternoon. With it over, everyone began packing their things and chatting in low voices.

“Did you hear? Ling Yuanzhen moved out.”

“When did that happen?”

Hearing the name Ling Yuanzhen, Shen Xiu’s hand froze mid-motion as he was about to cap his pen.

Driven by curiosity, he unconsciously slowed down as he packed up.

Seeing the four girls who had been chatting about Ling Yuanzhen leave with their bags, Shen Xiu silently picked up his books and followed behind them.

He didn’t dare get too close—his steps were light, keeping just enough distance to still catch bits of their conversation.

Because of this, there were a few people between Shen Xiu and his classmates ahead.

Everyone in class knew that if he had nothing else going on, Shen Xiu usually showed up for class right on time and made a quick exit through the back door as soon as it ended.

So, the group chatting ahead had no idea that this time, Shen Xiu had broken his usual routine—just to eavesdrop on the gossip.

“Just a little after the counselor left, actually. My boyfriend, desperate to get the freshest scoop, rushed straight to Ling Yuanzhen’s dorm and saw with his own eyes how he was packing up.”

At the words “fresh scoop”, Shen Xiu’s ears turned slightly red, but his steps remained light and steady.

“My boyfriend said that once he finished packing, Ling Yuanzhen didn’t say a word. He just dragged his suitcase downstairs, hailed a taxi, and left.”

“Honestly, it makes sense. He got expelled. The disciplinary statement was already issued, with the school seal and everything. There was no room to turn things around. Leaving is normal—staying in the dorm would just be embarrassing.”

“Serves him right. I can’t stand people who spread rumors. The school really handled it well this time!”

Shen Xiu: “!”

No wonder Ling Yuanzhen didn’t show up to class today—he got expelled!

“Wait a minute… don’t you feel like it’s suddenly a bit chilly behind us?”

“I felt it the moment we left the classroom. Gave me the creeps. But you two were gossiping non-stop, and I really wanted to hear it, so I didn’t say anything…”

The classmates nearby who had also slowed their steps to secretly eavesdrop: “!”

Only now did they realize—ladies, Shen Xiu is right behind you!

Now that his curiosity had been satisfied, Shen Xiu came to a halt. Only then did he realize he’d walked in the wrong direction and was now heading toward the cafeteria with the others.

According to his usual route, he should’ve gone the opposite way, heading toward the school gate to go home.

Shen Xiu: “……”

Damn. He got too caught up in the gossip and ended up going the wrong way.

But… out of the corner of his eye, Shen Xiu sneaked a glance at the classmates around him.

If he were to suddenly turn around now, they’d definitely think he was weird.

To slip away naturally and avoid the embarrassment of everyone realizing he had gone the wrong way just to eavesdrop on gossip, Shen Xiu decisively turned left and headed toward the side entrance of the library.

Just as Shen Xiu’s figure disappeared, the few students who had been gossiping about Ling Yuanzhen finally turned around—only to spot Shen Xiu walking toward the library.

Everyone: “……”

What could possibly be more awkward than gossiping about someone only to realize one of the people involved had been listening the whole time?!

“So… Shen Xiu was behind us the entire time we were talking about Ling Yuanzhen?”

“Help… I won’t even be able to look at Xiu-baby in class tomorrow!”

Seeing Shen Xiu change direction, the gossipers let out a collective sigh of relief—at least he hadn’t called them out. Meanwhile, the rest of the students, who had also been listening in, glanced over with sympathetic looks and couldn’t help but comment:

“Hahaha, I was behind you the whole time—saw Shen Xiu there and didn’t dare say anything. He was literally right behind you!”

“My toes were curling from secondhand embarrassment so hard, I think I dug out a whole mansion with a garden!”

“I don’t usually laugh this easily, but sisters, you were so funny just now—hahahaha…”

“I was wondering why Shen Xiu walked this way. Didn’t he already move out of the dorms? Turns out he was going to the library! No wonder he’s our school’s legendary top student!”

“Honestly, when we mentioned Ling Yuanzhen getting expelled, Shen Xiu didn’t even look surprised. He clearly already knew what was coming.”

“Well of course he knew. The guys in our class said that around 1 p.m. today, the school leadership brought Shen Xiu along to confront Ling Yuanzhen at the dorm. Not long after they left, the school’s official account posted the expulsion notice.”

At the same time, the system watched as Shen Xiu, who had originally only turned toward the library to avoid the awkwardness of being caught walking the wrong way, pressed the elevator button to head up to the fifth floor.

System: [?]

[No one knows you took the wrong path now—why are you actually going up?]

Shen Xiu: “If I leave right after arriving, the smarter classmates might figure out I took the wrong turn. Since I’m already here, I’ll just stay until eight…”

That way, no one could possibly deduce the truth—that he’d gone the wrong way because he was too caught up in gossip.

System: [……]

If it remembered correctly, it was only 5:30 p.m. now. Shen Xiu planned to stay in the library for a full two and a half hours? Just to cover up the embarrassment of walking the wrong direction? Was that really necessary?!

—

On June 1st, the first round of ticket sales for Storm opened.

Storm had only done one roadshow, but through interviews with the cast at the theater, audience anticipation was sky-high.

The fans of The Galaxy members, of course, rushed to buy tickets without hesitation to support their idols’ first film appearance.

Netizens, intrigued by the compelling plot hinted at in the interviews and curious about the film’s star-studded cast and lavish production, also joined the ticket-buying frenzy.

On release day, for the very first screening, cinemas with available showtimes were completely packed.

Shen Xiu, who had originally been worried about the box office numbers, opened the app to check ticket availability at the closest theater as soon as sales went live.

He found that not only was the premiere sold out, but screenings over the next few days were also fully booked—completely red across the board, not a single gap in sight.

A mix of shock and happiness filled Shen Xiu’s heart. At the same time, he was immensely relieved that he had gotten tickets from Director Xuan in advance.

It was his first time acting in a film—a movie directed by his idol, with every member of The Galaxy in the cast. For Shen Xiu, this meant everything. Without hesitation, he chose to use the tickets he got from Director Xuan and head to the cinema to watch the film alongside the audience.

Excited, Shen Xiu skillfully put on a hoodie with the hood up, grabbed a mask, said goodbye to Lucky, and headed out, stepping into the elevator.

Inside, he pressed the button for Basement Level 2.

At 6:25 p.m., Shen Xiu arrived at the underground parking lot of the mall.

Looking into the car’s rearview mirror, he carefully adjusted his mask and pulled the hood lower over his head. From head to toe, only his hands and half of the skin around his eyes were visible. Only after confirming everything was concealed did he finally open the door, get out, and head toward the elevator.

At this time, there were few people in the parking lot. As the first to enter the elevator, Shen Xiu naturally took a spot in the back corner when others entered after him.

Ding!

The elevator arrived on the third floor. With his head slightly lowered, Shen Xiu stepped out.

“Hurry, hurry!”

“The ticket check is over there, it’s about to start!”

It was Shen Xiu’s first time at this location, so he didn’t know where the entrance was. Gratefully, he followed the couple ahead who were rushing toward the screening. Quietly tailing them, he passed the ticket check and entered the theater.

He had timed his arrival precisely to avoid attracting attention or being recognized, and to prevent any unnecessary gathering.

There weren’t many people around at this time, but there were still a few audience members, just like Shen Xiu, who had timed their arrival right before the movie started.

“So tall.”

“That figure… no way, could it be—?”

“Come on! He’s already gone, why are you still following? We didn’t even buy tickets for this screening room!”

“Okay, okay, coming… Huh? Where’d he go?”

Shen Xiu had just taken his seat in the front row, near the exit—precisely as the clock struck 6:30 p.m. And right on cue, the first screening of Storm began.

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