CH 23

The Second Kiss

This masquerade ball didn’t have a specific theme, and not all the guests were expected to come in prepared costumes. The organisers, the Social Council and Student Union, suggested that if someone was interested in dressing up and portraying a character, they could choose a character with an official CP.

Of course, the organisers themselves would lead by example and follow the rules.

Wen Le chose to cosplay as Harley Quinn, the partner of Joker from Batman.

Harley Quinn’s makeup was relatively simple. 

Since she would be wearing a mask on her face, the makeup didn’t need to be too elaborate. However, since the mask would expose the eyes, Wen Le still applied a smokey eye makeup and dark red lipstick.

Wen Le’s costume was not the typical red and blue outfit with fishnet stockings. It was a yellow gold jumpsuit with a pink bra from the movie “Birds of Prey”.

This outfit didn’t accentuate the figure; the loose jumpsuit concealed the leg and waist lines. However, fortunately, Wen Le had good leg proportions, so even while wearing this figure-detracting jumpsuit, her legs still appeared long and her waist seemed slender.

The upper body that was exposed was also eye-catching with delicate collarbones, beautiful shoulder blades, a slender neck, and smooth, glowing skin. Even while wearing such an outfit, Wen Le still stood out.

After changing into the costume, Wen Le held an ordinary white mask with eerie blue and red patterns drawn around the eyes. It perfectly matched Wen Le’s Harley Quinn look.

The mask was quite big, such that only her chin and red lips were exposed, completely concealing Wen Le’s true appearance.

That was the intention behind Wen Le’s choice of the mask. However, for some unknown reason, Wen Le absentmindedly put on the emerald ring from yesterday.

With the costume fully prepared, Wen Le turned around and asked the female classmates nearby, “Can you recognize who I am?”

The female classmate looked at Wen Le in astonishment and laughed, “I can’t tell. But Wen Le, this is such a clever approach. It’s neither funny nor not funny. You’re somewhat pretty, but not that good-looking. Tsk tsk, if I had known, I would have chosen Harley Quinn too. You’re so smart.”

Wen Le chuckled, “Your Poison Ivy is not bad either.”

The female classmate shook the red apple in her hand and said, “Jealous? I can even bring snacks with me.”

Wen Le responded, “You look stunning. Just don’t eat the floral lipstick.”

The female classmate laughed along.

Around five o’clock, some students who had bought the paper mask started heading to the prepared DIY room to make their own masks.

Wen Le, wearing a mask, was responsible for maintaining order and organising DIY materials in the DIY area with her classmates.

Wen Le watched as a master craftsman turned an ordinary paper shell into a work of art in forty minutes.

The craftsman sat attentively at a prepared table, gradually attracting a crowd of onlookers.

Wen Le stood on the inside of the long table, directly facing the craftsman, which allowed a clear view of his every move.

The craftsman seemed to be a DIY video blogger, as he immediately placed a small smart camera on the table and adjusted the angle before getting to work.

Wen Le stood behind the craftsman, watching him cut aluminum cans into the same shape to secure them to the mask, he painted them with colors, sealed the edges with lace, created tassels with beads and silk thread, and added feathers as a final touch.

The craftsman seemed to have a sketch in his mind from the start. After burying himself in his work for forty minutes, the inexpensive paper shell had become a piece of art in his hands.

When he finished and lifted his pen, Wen Le almost wanted to applaud him.

And indeed, the surrounding crowd began to applaud.

Wen Le quickly approached and took photos of the craftsman’s work, and asked if he was alright with them uploading the pictures to the forum for voting and a final auction.

Wen Le believed that this mask definitely had the potential to compete until the final auction stage.

The craftsman smiled foolishly and said, “That was actually my plan. I genuinely feel that your event is particularly meaningful, and I didn’t know what I could contribute. So, I thought I’d make a beautiful mask to support your event.”

Wen Le was deeply moved and shook hands with the craftsman, saying, “Thank you very much for your support. It’s our organisers’ good fortune to have a guest like you.”

In reality, if they hadn’t organized this DIY event, Wen Le wouldn’t have known that their school had so many talented craftsmen.

Their university, A University, didn’t have any art majors, and Wen Le thought that such a DIY event would be even more spectacular at a university with an art program. Unfortunately, their school didn’t offer an art major.

However, to Wen Le’s surprise, even without art students, A University still showcased extraordinary talent during this DIY event.

Each exquisitely crafted mask was ultimately donated by its creator to the organizers, allowing them to conduct a final auction.

To be honest, it was truly touching.

The stunning masks were not limited to just thirty pieces. This posed a dilemma for the staff, as they found it difficult to select which masks to keep. In the end, they decided to upload pictures of all the masks they couldn’t choose between and let the netizens decide.

At 7 PM, all the DIY handmade masks were completed, and everyone entered the venue.

Because it was a masquerade ball, the lighting tonight was not as bright as the previous night. The lighting technician turned on colored lights, creating a mysterious and romantic atmosphere in the dim environment.

Others often thought that top students were serious and earnest, but in reality, they could also be playful and silly at times.

To liven up the atmosphere, the organizers initially stipulated that every staff member should dress in a whimsical and funny manner. The underlying meaning was to be as silly and funny as possible because it wouldn’t be fun if everyone was too serious.

In fact, the organizers greatly underestimated the silliness level of the top students.

Since Wen Le walked from the DIY room into the dance floor venue, she almost died laughing.

Wen Le saw some Sailor Moon characters standing together, looking like they were going through a case of a second puberty crisis and she guessed that they must be from the same dormitory.

There were many other cosplay outfits by dormitory groups like this.

For example, in the southwest corner, there were four people dressed as the Tang Monk* and his disciples.

*Tang Monk/Priest refers to the chinese classic character in “Journey to the West”

Wen Le was about to burst out laughing and asked a female classmate beside her, “May I ask who is the official couple among the Tang Monk and his disciples?”

The girl was puzzled for a moment and said, “Is there one? Really?”

Wen Le also witnessed a person wearing a suit but with a Husky dog mask on their head walking past her.

Wen Le stood dumbfounded on the spot, then she saw that guy find his partner a girl wearing a white dress with a Samoyed dog mask.

Wen Le was shocked. What kind of silly couple was this?

And that’s not all, there was a male version of an angel wearing a deep V-neck white gown, with fake wings on his back and a white wire circle on his head.

Wen Le felt overwhelmed by what she was seeing.

Suddenly, the girl next to Wen Le, the Miss Poison Queen, pointed to a spot and said, “There are four Spider Demons over there.”

After saying that, she muttered quietly, “Those four Spider Demons should all be with the Tang Monk…”

Wen Le: …

Of course, Wen Le also saw many popular couples like Harley Quinn and Joker, but most of them were wearing red and blue outfits. Wen Le managed to avoid matching with anyone.

At 7 o’clock, the host took the stage punctually and announced the beginning of the masquerade.

The host was now a different guy. In fact, during the three days of the Orientation, the host was changed every day.

After the host finished reading the script, which Wen Le had seen before and had already memorised, something unexpected happened. 

The host suddenly said, “Now, please invite your official CP of the character you are portraying, to enter the dance floor and perform the first dance of the night together.”

Wen Le was bewildered because this was not part of the planned schedule.

Wen Le looked at her senior sister who was equally confused, and then they both looked at the student union president, who had a mischievous grin on his face.

Alright, now she understood. It turned out that portraying characters with a CP was for this purpose.

But Wen Le didn’t pay much attention to it. She was a staff member, and she hadn’t planned on dancing tonight anyway.

However, unexpectedly, the host added, “One minute from now, anyone who hasn’t entered the dance floor will face a dare as punishment! Of course, those who chose the wrong CP will also face a dare! This applies to everyone present, whether guests or staff members.”

After saying that, the host looked at everyone with a wicked smile, as if implying that the dares would be quite scary.

As a result, the whole venue became lively.

Those who hadn’t participated in character cosplay could easily grab a dance partner and enter the dance floor, while those in character cosplay frantically searched for their character’s CP on the dance floor, never mind if they were official or unofficial, as long as they could find them.

In this entertaining gathering, hardly anyone would go against the game rules set by the organizers. They all cooperatively looked for dance partners on the floor.

Wen Le was portraying Harley Quinn, so she just needed to find a Joker. And she did see quite a few of this popular Harley Quinn-Joker pairing already on the dance floor.

Unfortunately, it seemed that there were a bit too many Harley Quinns.

The host was still counting down on the stage, “45, 44, 43…”

Wen Le saw a guy dressed as Zhu Bajie* blocking a girl in front of her. The girl was in a panic and said, “Big brother, please, I’m Black Widow, not a Spider Demon! Ahhh, time is running out!”

*Zhu Bajie is a character from the chinese classic “Journey to the West” who is a man reincarnated as a pig. 

Wen Le spotted a Joker with a purple suit and green hair in the distance and quickly walked over.

“20, 19, 18, 17…”

With fifteen seconds remaining, Wen Le approached the Joker.

The Joker had a tall and slender figure, and the well-tailored purple suit accentuated his broad shoulders and long legs, making him stand out.

He wore a black mask that covered most of his face, but his outstanding demeanor made Wen Le feel that he was somewhat familiar.

Her lips curved slightly as she took two steps forward, about to call out to the Joker.

But she was cut off by a Harley Quinn in red and blue fishnet stockings.

The Harley Quinn wore ultra-short shorts that revealed a pair of incredibly beautiful long legs, straight and slender. The legs were wrapped in torn fishnet stockings, resembling a mermaid who had just emerged from the water. The captivating long legs, coupled with a tight crop top that exposed her midriff, accentuated her ample bosom against her slender waist.

Wen Le could sense that the guys around her seemed envious of the Joker.

Wen Le stood behind, motionless, silently observing the Joker.

The Harley Quinn in front extended an invitation to the Joker.

The Joker remained motionless, neither refusing nor accepting, while the Harley Quinn was determined to win him over.

In the end, the Joker relented, holding the hand of the Harley Quinn and leaning down to give her a kiss.

Wen Le’s expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

*TN: Someone’s jealous~ 

Whispers started to circulate around them, as people recognized the tall stature and actions of the Joker that it was Zhou Kao.

The two of them entered the dance floor, hand in hand.

Wen Le stood in place, her aura becoming subdued. She felt a strange anger and a coldness in her heart.

The host continued the countdown.

“10, 9…”

Wen Le felt disinterested. She turned around, intending to go back to the backstage area, but at that moment, a figure blocked her path.

It was a Joker.

However, it wasn’t the handsome Joker in a purple suit. This clown was wearing the type of orange and yellow striped overalls seen in amusement parks. He didn’t have the comical multicolored wig, but instead wore a matching-colored top hat, making him appear less comical.

Wen Le thought to herself that this was indeed correct. Clowns at amusement parks were also a Joker, but she didn’t feel like entering the dance floor now.

Wen Le shook her head, gesturing to the Joker that she didn’t want to dance.

However, the Joker stubbornly bent down and extended his hand, inviting her.

“5, 4, 3…”

Listening to the host’s countdown and looking at this persistent Joker in front of her, it seemed like he really wanted to dance.

Wen Le’s heart softened. Fine.

Wen Le placed her hand on the Joker’s hand.

The Joker lowered his head and gently kissed the emerald ring on Wen Le’s hand.

Wen Le suddenly raised her head and gazed at the Joker.

TN: Oooo cliffhanger!!! Which joker do you think Zhou Kao was?