Can following the rules be called rebirth?

Chapter 268, Section 266: A Pure Black Curtain

At 7:20 p.m., the auditorium was already packed and bustling with activity.

Logically, it would be difficult for so many people to attend such a party on Christmas Eve.

Young people either go out on dates or celebrate together, so what do they get out of coming to a party to join in the fun?
But this time it's different.

The student council announced the Christmas Eve Carnival early on the school forum and online communities, and the sponsor, Jieyou Media, would be giving away more than one big gift that night!
It's said to be quite expensive, but it's definitely worth the price.

So tonight's audience, or rather, the number of people who want to try their luck, is greater than expected.

Apart from Cai Zhipeng, who was out on a date, all the boys in dormitory 501 were present.

"Wow"

"What a grand display! They even have special little bags for it!"

"Brother Zhou's publicity campaign was spot on."

"Advertisement is nothing, there's a lucky draw coming up later!"

Zhou Mingyuan and his roommates sat in the front row near the aisle, where they had an excellent view.

Xiong Yao and Yu Feiyang chatted back and forth about tonight's carnival gala.

At 7:30 p.m. sharp, the lights in the auditorium dimmed, and the noise gradually subsided.

A spotlight shone on the center of the stage, and a male and female host walked out side by side.

As the music began, Zhong Yujun picked up the microphone, her clear and melodious voice traveling through the equipment and reaching every corner of the auditorium.

"Distinguished guests, dear students, good evening!"

The male host took over the conversation.

"Welcome to the 'Winter Warmth Songs - Christmas Eve Carnival' at Nanhu University!"

"I am the host for tonight."

"Zhong Yuyun is getting more and more stylish."

"Of course, she's the host that the student council is pushing. When the senior is no longer around, they'll rely on her face to hold things together."

Two of Zhou Mingyuan's roommates were still whispering to each other in the audience.

"Actually, the Dianjin Dance Troupe has a girl who's alright! But for a small event like this, two hosts are enough."

"What's it called?"

"I've almost forgotten."

"Ding Yueyao".

Zhou Mingyuan said in a low voice.

"Holy crap! It's her! If it wasn't you, Lao Zhou, how did you know?"

"You already have Zhong Yujun, how can you still remember other girls' names so clearly?"

Yu Feiyang was stunned for a moment, then completely dumbfounded.

He once thought that since he spent every day on forums and online communities, he was at least an expert on everything, if not a know-it-all.

But Zhou Mingyuan is probably not at school four out of seven days. How did he know that?
Is this what a master's self-cultivation is all about?

"you're so dumb!"

Xiong Yao tugged at his roommate's sleeve and couldn't help but chuckle as he added, "It was fine before."

"Nowadays, any pretty and talented girl in school who has the idea of ​​becoming an internet celebrity or making money has probably already auditioned for Jieyou Media."

"Ding Yueyao is a dancer by training, how could Brother Zhou not know that?"

"Hold!"

Yu Feiyang slapped his thigh.

"I really do not know."

Zhou Mingyuan smiled and waved his hand, continuing to listen to Zhong Yujun and the male host introduce the program.

It has to be said that she is becoming more and more radiant on stage.

She was even more dazzling than Zhong Yujun in my past life.

In this life, her white moonlight was encouraged by him from an early age to break free from the constraints of small-town youth and participate in a large number of student activities.

I hosted the welcome party, participated in student union interviews, and got to know more and more group members.

Through various trials and comparisons, they naturally developed a strong ability to control the situation.

Not only did she deliver her lines fluently and naturally, but she also cooperated seamlessly with her partner. During the interactive segments, she cracked jokes to liven up the atmosphere, and she was able to calmly resolve minor mishaps caused by props.

"That's the meaning of Christmas Eve. Now, next program."

Her smile was always bright.

The burgundy dress, illuminated by the stage lights, accentuated her dignified and elegant aura while maintaining a youthful and sunny disposition.

As Zhou Mingyuan watched her graceful movements and charming smile on the stage, many past scenes involuntarily flashed through his mind.

The timid little girl who entered high school, the pretty girl who sat in front of me at the back door of the classroom and people would often come to catch a glimpse of her, and the somewhat naive and innocent girl who came to Jiangcheng to study.
Time seemed to have performed a wondrous magic on her, sculpting her into an even more radiant and captivating beauty.

The man's gaze followed Zhong Yujun.

Occasionally, the host would also look towards the audience.

When her gaze swept in his direction, there was a very brief pause, her eyes sparkling with a smile.

The theme of this spontaneously organized party is simply to create a lively atmosphere.

The program, like every year, lacked innovation and remained consistently conventional.

There are energetic street dance performances, heartfelt choral performances, and witty comedy sketches.

"Big Bear, look! Look at that, it's awesome!"

"really."

But no matter how much his roommates watched, Zhou Mingyuan's attention was mostly focused on the magenta shadow.

Watching Zhong Yujun gently stomp her foot on the side of the screen during the curtain change.

Standing in high heels for a long time must be very tiring.

Watching her secretly pick up the water bottle and sip water.

I watched her whispering with her staff, her profile flashing by.

The students' meticulously prepared performances continuously ignited the atmosphere, but an even stronger sense of anticipation permeated the air.

The lucky draw segment had generated a lot of anticipation from the very beginning.

The allure of headphones, digital products, and even a grand prize of tens of thousands of yuan is like a giant magnet, attracting everyone's attention.

Soon, the party entered its most breathtaking segment.

The background music shifts to an orchestral piece filled with suspense and a grand narrative, the stage lights change, and beams of light sweep across the air, finally focusing on the host.

"Distinguished guests, dear students!"

The male host raised his voice, got into the mood, and almost shouted out loud.

"Our grand finale for Christmas Eve is the most heart-pounding, adrenaline-pumping segment of the night!"

"The ultimate lucky draw is presented by our most generous exclusive title sponsor for this gala, Jieyou Media!"

"A lucky star to relieve your worries!"

"Wow ah ah ah!!!"

The audience erupted in a tsunami of cheers, screams, and thunderous applause.

Many students were so excited that they jumped up from their seats, waving their raffle tickets, and the entire auditorium floor seemed to shake.

The reason isn't complicated; everyone knows that Jieyou has money.

He's rich, willing to spend money on sponsorships, and fucking willing to give back to his classmates.

Everyone who comes gets a share; at the very least, they can take home a large power bank.

Who wouldn't be excited?
"That's right!"

Zhong Yujun smiled broadly, seemingly infected by the atmosphere of the scene.

She stepped forward, her voice clearly coming through the microphone, carrying just the right amount of excitement.

"Thank you to Jieyou Media for preparing such a generous Christmas Eve dream gift for us!"

"This is not just a prize, but also a heartfelt wish for each and every one of our students!"

"Now, let's open the lucky door to the third prize!"

One hundred lucky winners will receive a power bank!

The lottery process was fair and transparent, and both tense and exciting.

On the huge LED screen, numbers scrolled wildly, and each pause drew gasps and sighs.

One hundred lucky individuals, amidst countless envious glances, joyfully went on stage, received small power bank boxes from the etiquette ladies, their faces beaming with happiness.

Keep in mind that there were only about a thousand people in the auditorium tonight, meaning the odds of winning were one in ten.
That's really not low.

Next up was the second prize.

Jieyou Media prepared ten Apple Beats headphones for everyone, which once again brought the atmosphere to a climax.

"Holy crap! Powerbeats2s aren't cheap!"

The moment Yu Feiyang saw the earphones, he couldn't help but stand up and repeatedly examine the lottery number in his hand.

"Brother Zhou, you're so generous."

Then, numbers scrolled across the big screen, and ten more lucky people went up on stage to receive their pristine white headphone boxes, overjoyed.

"Damn! I didn't get it again."

The free Apple earphones are definitely a really good product.

"Next, brothers!"

The male host spoke again, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

"The moment that's about to happen is one that will make everyone scream!"

"There are two first prize winners, and they will each receive a top-of-the-line iPhone 6 Plus, gold, provided by Jieyou Media!"

Screams echoed throughout the auditorium, the emotions almost piercing the eardrums.

"what?"

"Fuck me!"

"seriously?"

"Isn't that a bit too extravagant?"

"Top-of-the-line model? That's at least ten thousand yuan, right?"

The lights flashed wildly, and the drumbeats of the music resonated deeply in everyone's hearts.

Two students, seemingly blessed by Lady Luck, practically ran all the way to the stage, tightly clutching the phone box that symbolized cutting-edge technology and fashion, so excited they were almost incoherent.

"Damn, Zhou, you're really magnanimous, aren't you?"

"Twenty thousand yuan, just given away like that?"

Yu Feiyang and Xiong Yao were completely stunned.

Although they didn't win, they were still utterly shocked by Zhou Mingyuan's generosity.

The iPhone 6 Plus, released in China in October, was already being wildly popular on the scalper market.

The highest price even reached 20,000.

Even though it's the end of the year now and the market prices aren't that high, buying such a phone is definitely not an easy thing.

Besides, how many people would buy the top-of-the-line version of an iPhone?
Entry-level products priced at 6,000 yuan are the choice of over 90% of users in the market.

A mobile phone costing five figures is something that college students, unless they are from wealthy families, would not even consider.

"so far so good."

"Tonight's prize is a plate of dumplings made for a dish of vinegar."

"What kind of dumplings?"

Xiong Yao was taken aback and asked in return.

"that is."

Zhou Mingyuan smiled, but before he could finish speaking, all the lights in the room suddenly went out. Only a single, dazzling pure white spotlight remained, like a divine revelation, enveloping the two hosts.

The background music shifts, filled with boundless anticipation, as if welcoming the arrival of some sacred moment.

The male host took a deep breath, raised his voice, and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Now! At this very moment! The most, most, most suspenseful moment of the night is about to be revealed!"

"The only Grand Prize of this year's gala!"

"The prize is the sum of the first, second, and third prizes, plus an opportunity similar to the legendary lunch with Buffett!"

"A path to limitless possibilities, a dinner with the founder of Jieyou Media, and the opportunity to work at Jieyou Media at any time!"

"Which lucky person will be blessed with this precious Christmas Eve miracle?!"

There was dead silence.

Even the sound of breathing seemed to have disappeared.

The first, second, and third prizes combined!
Everyone stared wide-eyed, their hearts pounding, their eyes glued to the empty center of the stage and the number that would soon decide their fate.

"At this moment, we are extremely honored."

The male host's voice rose with excitement, and he turned to the audience, his gaze filled with respect.

"Please welcome the creator of this miracle, the pride of our Nanhu University, and Zhou Mingyuan, the founder of Jieyou Media, to the stage to personally draw tonight's lucky winner and present this precious gift that carries dreams!"

"Wow!!!"

It was as if a bomb had been dropped on the audience.

A cacophony of voices, gasps of surprise, and gasps of astonishment erupted instantly.

"Holy crap, Lao Zhou is usually so low-key, but tonight he's really going all out."

"Indeed, Brother Zhou is either not pretentious or, when he does, he's a complete show-off."

Yu Feiyang and Xiong Yao exchanged a glance and then smiled knowingly.

"Is Jieyou Media his company?"

"Who is this person?"

"With sponsors participating in the lottery, it's definitely fairer and more impartial than a machine lottery! That machine lottery might have been rigged by your mom beforehand, let's see what happens this time!"

"Hit me! Hit me! Hit me!"

Whether people knew Zhou Mingyuan or not, everyone was focused on him at this moment.

"This prize is amazing!"

"You can go directly to work at Jieyou Media!"

Senior students, nearing graduation, whispered amongst themselves, eager to try.

"So the genius was right next to me! I even took the same political theory class with him!"

"This person looks familiar. Have you seen them on WeChat official accounts before?"

"Seems to be!"

Under the gaze of countless eyes filled with shock, inquiry, admiration, and disbelief, Zhou Mingyuan slowly stood up.

He remained calm, casually patting his collar and cuffs with a smile on his lips.

The spotlight followed him closely, casting a soft halo around his shirt collar.

"This guy is actually quite handsome."

At this moment, many people have the same thought in their minds.

Zhou Mingyuan walked steadily to the center of the stage, first bowing slightly to the audience, then turning his head to shake hands with the two hosts.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, he gently scratched Zhong Yujun's palm.

The female host blushed immediately.

"Mr. Zhou, please."

The male host quickly took a few steps forward, held the transparent raffle box in front of Zhou Mingyuan, his eyes full of anticipation.

Zhou Mingyuan smiled and nodded, then reached out and slowly dipped his hand into the lottery box.

The entire venue fell into a deathly silence once again.

The sounds of heartbeats, cheers, silent prayers, and suspenseful drumbeats in the background music.

The man didn't rush to smoke.

Instead, to make it clearer for everyone, he waved his finger among the countless ticket stubs inside the box.

This prolongs the suffocating anticipation to the maximum extent possible.

"Hurry up!"

"Old Zhou is a fucking bastard!"

"It'll affect my buddy's chances of winning the lottery!"

"hurry up!"

Finally, his fingers caught one of the cards.

The man pulled it out and held it between his fingers.

Instead of handing it to the host immediately, he took it himself, faced the audience, and walked to the front of the stage.

Grip the microphone firmly and read out the number, word by word.

The winner is...

“Section B – Row 2 – Seat 17”

After reading it, he raised his head again and glanced at Zhong Yujun with a smile.

There was a moment of deathly silence in the audience, followed by a tidal wave of discussion.

"Damn it, I didn't win again!"

"Damn it! What a fucking bad luck!"

"Section B, Row 2, Number 17?"

"Isn't that the staff and actors' area?"

"Wait! No one's claiming the prize, did it go unsold?"

No one stood up to claim the award for a long time.

The spotlight stood still, unsure which lucky person it would shine on.

"Row 2, seat 17 seems to be Zhong Yujun's seat! I saw her bag there!"

A full half minute passed before someone shouted out as if suddenly realizing something.

"The host?! It's Zhong Yujun?!"

"Really? What a coincidence?!"

"Holy crap! What is this? Is this some kind of conspiracy?!"

"Ahhh! How romantic! If only it were real!"

A cacophony of voices and exclamations rose and fell.

Excited screams, good-natured laughter, and curses from those who didn't win swept through the entire auditorium like a tidal wave.

Everyone's eyes were like searchlights, scanning back and forth between the empty seats in row 2, seat 17 of section B.

The male host was also visibly stunned.

He subconsciously looked at Zhong Yujun beside him, then at the empty seat where the winner was sitting below the stage, his face filled with shock and helplessness.

No, I haven't read this script!
"."

He opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know how to respond.

The spotlight is now on.

The guy operating the system immediately fired a beam of light at the target area.

In section B, row 2, seat 17, there was a small handbag and a coat sitting alone.

The empty space looked incredibly out of place under the bright light, yet it also seemed to be full of stories.

Zhou Mingyuan stood at the very front of the stage, taking in all the reactions from the audience.

He raised an eyebrow, turned his head to look at Zhong Yujun, who was standing there stunned, and then pointed at the audience, holding the microphone and teasing them.

"Oh?"

"It seems this incredibly lucky person is one of our staff members for tonight?"

"The winner of the prize in section B, row 2, seat 17, are you here? Please come up to the stage."

If not.

The man deliberately dragged out his voice.

"No bid! No bid!"

"No one has claimed the grand prize, let's start a new draw!"

A unified cheer immediately erupted from the audience.

"Yes! Yes! She's here!"

Before Zhong Yujun could react, several student council members and classmates she knew in the audience screamed excitedly, pointing towards the side of the stage.

"Junjun! It's you! It's really you!"

The entire audience's gaze and spotlights seemed to come alive instantly, and they all went "boom" again.

All eyes were on Zhong Yujun.

"."

Logically speaking, the host should be used to the lighting.

Zhong Yujun, dressed in a bright red outfit, stood in the center of a strong beam of light, yet seemed frozen on the stage like a newbie.

what's the situation?
I won the lottery?

Wait a minute, when did I participate in the lottery?

I don't think I participated at all!

Could this be a cover-up?
It took Zhong Yujun a couple of seconds to figure out why she had won the prize.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the blush on the girl's cheeks spread all the way to her ears and neck.

She covered her mouth with her hand, blinking her eyes, unsure whether she should walk up to Zhou Mingyuan.

The spotlight is so bright!

The aquamarine necklace that shone so brightly on the host's chest also shone, reflecting the shimmering light in her eyes.

"Wow!!!"

Seeing her reaction, even a fool in the audience would understand.

The audience, who had been watching the spectacle, erupted in even louder cheers, whistles, and applause.

"Is this a cover-up?"

"Is this the pre-selected grand prize?!"

"What a coincidence!!"

"Definitely, no doubt about it."

More and more people stood up, and the sounds became a chaotic mess.

That reaction, that expression, that coincidence!
No confirmation is needed at all!

"Congratulations to our lucky student, Zhong Yujun!"

The male host finally came to his senses and immediately resumed controlling the situation.

His professionalism allowed him to immediately get into character, using his loudest voice to create atmosphere, and a smile returned to his face.

"She's both the perfect host who commands the entire event tonight and a lucky charm for Christmas Eve, blessed by Lady Luck!"

"This is truly the most perfect arrangement of the evening! Let's give a warm round of applause to welcome our Lady of Fortune!"

(End of this chapter)