novelraw Chapter 61 Hmm, that's interesting.
Chapter 61 Hmm, that's interesting.
In a corner of the activity room, Sun Xiaowen and her psychology junior, Hong Zhenbo, were intently observing the male and female guests present.
The guests in the activity room were in various states of mind at that moment:
Some people tried to strike up conversations in small groups, while others quietly observed or scrolled through their phones. A few appeared composed, but most wore obvious signs of nervousness.
While observing the guests' micro-expressions, social distancing, and interaction patterns, Sun Xiaowen and Hong Zhenbo quickly recorded key behavioral data on their computers.
Geng Zhi was discussing the opening video that was about to be played with Song Qinghe when he suddenly felt someone pat him on the shoulder from behind.
"Junior brother! Senior brother Song!" Zhang Qinghua, wearing a striking red trendy hoodie, appeared behind the two with a grin.
"Tsinghua, you've finally arrived!" Song Qing couldn't help but laugh when he saw his slightly flamboyant outfit.
"Absolutely! The most dazzling girl in the whole place today has to be the last one to appear." Zhang Qinghua flicked his carefully styled parted bangs, lowered his voice, and leaned closer to Geng Zhi, "Junior brother, quickly point out to me which girl from the School of Foreign Languages I chose...?"
"Senior brother, I really don't know." Geng Zhi chuckled and shrugged. "I can only help you bind your CP to the system; you'll have to find real-life partners yourself through events. That's the fun, right?"
Seeing that Geng Zhi was tight-lipped, Zhang Qinghua looked to Song Qing for help with his eyes.
Song Qing immediately pretended to be engrossed in debugging the equipment, ignoring his eye signals.
Finally, Zhang Qinghua had no choice but to sidle up to Huang Haitang and say with a grin, "Senior sister~ my dear senior sister! Can you give me a hint? Which one is my 'destined one'?"
"Tsinghua," Huang Haitang rolled her eyes at him, annoyed, "I already broke the rules to help you last time because you were so persistent. We're a legitimate company now, and we have to be responsible to our users. We can't resort to these underhanded tactics anymore."
"No, senior sister, when did I ask you for help..." Zhang Qinghua tried to play dumb.
"Oh?" Huang Haitang raised an eyebrow, her gaze sweeping over his shoes. "Then tell me, how many centimeters of height-increasing insoles did you put in your shoes to barely make your height measurement reach 1.8 meters?"
Zhang Qinghua immediately shut up, leaned back tactically, and pretended to look at the ceiling.
At this point, there were only five minutes left before the event started. All 64 guests had checked in, and the background music volume was gradually turned down.
The room, which had been filled with whispers just moments before, gradually quieted down, and a tranquil atmosphere, a mixture of anticipation and tension, filled the air.
Under Song Qing's control, the large screen in front of the activity room suddenly lit up and began playing a carefully produced one-minute opening video.
This is an audio and video edited by Huang Haitang, which includes tributes from the "Jiaotong University Matchmaker" team as well as a mashup of individual performances from several registered guests.
"From the very first day of our 'Jiaotong University Matchmakers' program, we've wanted to do one thing..."
"I hope to meet someone who can understand my silence..."
"Is love an unsolvable problem, but we're still willing to try..."
The short film ended, and the screen froze on the "Jiaotong University Matchmaker" logo, with the time pointing exactly to 2 p.m.
The entire venue fell into a breathless silence.
With a calm smile on her face, host Shu Beibei walked gracefully onto the stage, microphone in hand.
"Good afternoon, everyone! Thank you to all the little elephants for joining us for the first episode of 'Jiaotong University Matchmaker's Guide to 'If You Are the One'! I'm your host today, Shu Beibei from the School of Liberal Arts at Jiaotong University!"
"Clap clap clap—!" The whole audience burst into enthusiastic applause, mixed with excited screams and whistles from a few people.
"Since this is our first event, first of all, please welcome Geng Zhi, the founder of 'Jiaotong University Matchmaker,' to give a brief opening speech." Shu Beibei turned to the side and made an elegant gesture of invitation.
Applause erupted again.
Geng took the microphone directly, without any polite welcome or lengthy emotional appeals. His gaze calmly swept across the entire room, and he began to speak:
"A few minutes ago, I looked at everyone present. I saw some anticipation, a little nervousness, a lot of curiosity, and 64 'possibilities' of not wanting to leave alone at the end of the day."
"Our team prepared for today for 28800 minutes. But the courage you mustered for today is priceless."
"Many people might have thoughts like: 'Am I being impulsive by signing up for this event?' 'Will I feel awkward later?' 'What will others think of me?'"
He paused deliberately at this point, his gaze slowly sweeping around again.
Below the stage, many people unconsciously nodded slightly or revealed a knowing smile as if they had been told the truth, and the atmosphere quietly relaxed.
"This is perfectly normal. Because in our education, the most important lessons—how to deal with loneliness, how to express feelings, how to build a deep connection with another soul—are often taught without a timetable, without a textbook, and without a mentor."
"Therefore, your courage in participating in the 'If You Are the One' event today deserves our respect."
Geng Zhi's words cleverly generalized and justified the guests' personal nervousness.
A sense of relief, that "it turns out I'm not the only one like this," quietly spread in many people's hearts, instantly bringing them closer to the group.
"Our psychology expert, Dr. Sun Xiaowen, once said that in the realm of emotions, excessive rationality can sometimes be a 'curse of talent'."
Upon hearing this, Sun Xiaowen, who was sitting in the corner, widened her eyes slightly, and Hong Zhenbo next to her also looked at her with a puzzled expression.
Sun Xiaowen gently shook her head, indicating that she had never said that—but it was a very apt description.
Geng Zhi continued, "We are too good at deconstructing, analyzing, and weighing the pros and cons. We can dissect a complex paper and plan a flawless project, but when faced with the purest signals of attraction, these abilities that we are so proud of may make us more hesitant and more lonely."
Many high-achieving students in the audience listened thoughtfully, as these words struck a nerve with many.
"So," he changed the subject, "none of today's activities are meant to help you use reason to calculate the 'optimal solution.' On the contrary, we want to give your 'intuition' and 'feelings' some space."
"Today, please allow yourself to temporarily refrain from searching for the 'perfect' person, and instead gently touch the person who makes you think, 'Hmm, this is interesting.'"
These slightly subversive words, like a gentle breeze, dispelled the fog of rationality in the minds of many guests.
The atmosphere inside the venue became noticeably more relaxed and open.
"For the time being, please forget everything I just said. You only need to trust two things: your intuition at this moment, and the rhythm of your heartbeat."
"The rest of the time is entirely up to Beibei and everyone. Have a great time and hopefully meet some wonderful people!"