Near noon, Chu Chen specifically went to the entrance of Bai Muyao's class to wait for Bai Muyao and Shen Tingting.
"I thought you were just joking, I didn't expect you to actually come." Shen Tingting smiled and teased when she saw Chu Chen, her tone carrying a hint of surprise and delight.
"I didn't expect you to dare joke with me either. Weren't you too afraid to even speak to me before?" Chu Chen raised an eyebrow, a playful smile curling the corner of his lips.
Hearing this, Shen Tingting was instantly at a loss for words. Her pretty face flushed slightly, and her eyes darted away.
"I'm Muyao's good friend, after all. You certainly wouldn't do anything to me," Shen Tingting muttered quietly, trying to cover up her awkwardness.
"Well, you guessed right." Chu Chen gave Bai Muyao a meaningful glance, his tone laced with a bit of banter.
Bai Muyao's face instantly turned red down to the roots of her ears. Unable to help herself, she reached out and gave Shen Tingting's arm a light pinch, scolding, "What nonsense are you talking about!"
Feeling the sting, Shen Tingting quickly rubbed her arm and ingratiatingly hooked her arm around Bai Muyao's. "I'll stop, I'll stop, okay?!"
The three of them went to the cafeteria together. Chu Chen specifically chose the school's most expensive No. 3 cafeteria, the kind where you can order dishes to be freshly made by the chef. The food was top-notch, and the prices were naturally higher than the other cafeterias.
After asking for Bai Muyao and Shen Tingting's opinions and ordering the dishes at the counter, Chu Chen impatiently began asking Shen Tingting about idol fandoms. "Which groups are popular lately? And what kind of merchandise sells best?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Tingting instantly perked up and began to rattle on without stopping. "The currently popular Korean wave groups include TVXQ, Super Junior, BigBang..."
Shen Tingting reeled off a long list of names as if she were counting her family's treasures, leaving Chu Chen completely dazed. He usually had zero interest in these things, so naturally, he didn't recognize most of them.
"Stop, stop, stop!" Chu Chen hurriedly called a halt, laughing as he said, "I'm not interested in these names. Just tell me what kinds of merchandise there usually are, roughly how much they cost, and where you guys usually buy them."
Only then did Shen Tingting realize she had gotten off track. She stuck out her tongue and said with embarrassment, "Oh, oh! As for merchandise, there's a huge variety: posters, postcards, keychains, phone charms, throw pillows, T-shirts, hats, light sticks..."
As she spoke, Shen Tingting ticked them off on her fingers, terrified of leaving anything out.
"As for the price, it depends on the celebrity's popularity and how rare the merchandise is. Generally speaking, it ranges from a few yuan to a few hundred yuan. Limited editions are even more expensive—some cost thousands or even tens of thousands."
"As for the purchase channels, people usually buy through official websites, fan clubs, purchasing agents, Baidu Tieba fan fundraising pools, and so on. Of course, if you can go to the concert in person, you can also buy a lot of limited-edition merchandise."
Shen Tingting said a whole lot in one breath, leaving Chu Chen dumbfounded. He hadn't expected that following idols had so many tricks to it.
"You certainly know a lot about this," Chu Chen said with a smile, his tone carrying a trace of admiration.
"Well of course, I'm a veteran fangirl!" Shen Tingting proudly tilted her chin up, her face full of self-satisfaction.
Listening from the side, however, Bai Muyao felt a rather unpleasant churning in her heart.
She didn't understand why Chu Chen had suddenly started caring about idol culture. Up until now, he hadn't even spared her more than a few glances.
At this thought, Bai Muyao's mood instantly plummeted, and even the delicious food in front of her lost all its appeal.
"What about you? Do you follow idols?" Chu Chen suddenly turned his head to look at Bai Muyao and asked with a smile.
Bai Muyao shook her head and said indifferently, "I don't follow idols."
"Why don't you? Following idols is so much fun!" Shen Tingting chimed in from the side. "You can find yourself a spiritual sustenance and meet a lot of like-minded friends. How great is that!"
"I don't need to," Bai Muyao said coldly, her tone carrying a hint of resistance.
Seeing this, Chu Chen tactfully refrained from pursuing the matter further. Instead, he smiled and said, "Everyone has their own hobbies and interests. There's nothing wrong with not following idols."
Shen Tingting wanted to say something more, but was stopped by a look from Bai Muyao.
"Why are you asking this?" Bai Muyao raised her head, looking straight into Chu Chen's eyes, and asked calmly.
Chu Chen shrugged. "I think this is a pretty good way to make money."
"Make money?" Shen Tingting and Bai Muyao asked in unison, their faces filled with confusion.
With a serious expression, Chu Chen analyzed it for them: "Yeah, look at how many people follow idols nowadays, and the merchandise market is so booming. If we can seize this business opportunity, we can definitely make a lot of money."
"As the grand young master of the Chu Family, do you even need to make your own money?" Shen Tingting asked in surprise. In her view, a wealthy scion like Chu Chen shouldn't have to worry about money at all.
"So what if I am?" Chu Chen retorted. "I want to make money through my own abilities. It's also a way to prove to everyone that I'm not completely useless."
Chu Chen's tone was firm, and the confidence and determination in his eyes left Bai Muyao momentarily dazed.
She hadn't expected Chu Chen to have such thoughts.
Was this still the arrogant, overbearing, and haughty young master of the Chu Family that she knew? Why did she feel like the current Chu Chen was like a completely different person?
Chu Chen looked at Shen Tingting again. "Let's eat. We can chat while we eat, and once we're done, I'll send you back."
Shen Tingting didn't overthink things like Bai Muyao did. She readily agreed and even gave Chu Chen a crash course on the various clever uses of Baidu Tieba and various fan QQ groups.
After finishing their meal, Chu Chen actually escorted the two of them all the way back to the downstairs of the girls' dormitory.
"Well, I'm heading back first. Bye-bye." Chu Chen waved his hand and turned to leave.
"Hey, wait!" Shen Tingting grabbed him and said with a cheeky grin, "I say, Big Young Master Chu, today you spent all your time talking to me. Now that you're about to leave, aren't you going to chat a bit more with our Muyao?"
Chu Chen raised an eyebrow. "Wasn't today's meal primarily meant to treat you? When I have time, I'll naturally invite Muyao out specially... and I'll invite you along to keep us company! As long as you're willing to grace us with your presence."
"Now that sounds great!" Shen Tingting said, purposely winking and making faces at Bai Muyao. "I think our Muyao definitely won't refuse."
Bai Muyao's face instantly turned completely red, and she pinched Shen Tingting's arm again. "If you talk any more nonsense, I'm going to get mad!"
"Alright, alright, I won't say anymore, I won't say anymore." Shen Tingting hurriedly begged for mercy, but the smile on her face was impossible to hide.
After all, Bai Muyao hadn't directly refused, had she? It seemed this young master Chu had really touched her heartstrings!
Watching the two of them scuffle and play, the corners of Chu Chen's lips couldn't help but curl upward. This was the first time since his rebirth that he had experienced such a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.
"Alright, it's getting late. You girls go back and get some rest early," Chu Chen said, waving once more before turning to leave.
Shen Tingting watched his retreating figure until it vanished from sight, then withdrew her gaze, turned to look at Bai Muyao beside her, and asked with a gossipy expression, "Hey, Muyao, tell me the truth—were you actually moved by our Big Young Master Chu?"