Campus Ace Girl-Chapter 501 - 502: Decided, The First Place is KO

King Jingyao naturally recognized this famous elder, shook hands, and exchanged pleasantries. "Mr. He, are you also interested in this?"

Mr. He chuckled. "I don’t usually follow, but today is a competition for one of my younger generation, so I must definitely watch."

This piqued King Jingyao’s interest. He smiled. "May I ask which junior of Mr. He is in the competition? I heard that it’s KO, the disciple of Master Xunyi."

King Jingyao, being busy with myriad matters, was not well-acquainted with these circles and thus, ignorant of their intricacies.

Mr. He’s beard twitched. He scoffed, "He dares to say that! KO is his disciple? Clearly, KO is everyone’s favorite. Moreover, I was her first teacher. That’s totally different."

These words left King Jingyao in a fog, and after some time, he asked, "KO is also your disciple?"

Mr. He nodded. "Yes, she is indeed my disciple."

Now King Jingyao was even more confused. "Isn’t your disciple Luo Lin?"

Mr. He chuckled. "Indeed, she is Luo Lin. KO is her name at Xunyi’s, and she also uses the name KO during car races. This rascal likes using different names at different places—so many that I’ve lost count. I’m old and can’t quite remember them all. You should ask her when you get the chance."

King Jingyao was left speechless, staring at Mr. He for a long time.

The secretary general thoughtfully offered King Jingyao a cup of floral tea. "Mr. Wang, this should help calm your nerves."

Only after taking a gulp of water was King Jingyao able to ask softly, "Mr. He, are you saying Gu Anxi is Luo Lin, and also KO?"

Mr. He still wore a grin. "Yes, didn’t you know?"

King Jingyao’s face darkened considerably. After a while, he huffed, "That little troublemaker. I will settle scores with her later."

While they were talking, Bo Xichen brought Master Xunyi over. Upon seeing Mr. Wang’s unpleasant expression, Bo Xichen guessed what had happened and offered a slight smile.

As a person of significant status, King Jingyao quickly composed himself and exchanged pleasantries warmly with the two Masters.

Meanwhile, the warm-up onstage had begun. A group of influential figures watched as the troublesome youngster bagged first place as effortlessly as having a simple meal.

The secretary general was dumbfounded.

At this moment, he leaned in and whispered to King Jingyao, "Mr. Wang, the artwork you took a liking to, was it submitted by Dr. Gu?"

He asked a redundant question. If Gu Anxi is KO, then who else could have designed that piece?

Hearing this, King Jingyao glanced at him but said nothing—

The secretary general didn’t dare speak either. Hadn’t Mr. Wang previously described the designer as a sweaty, uncouth layman? That was quite the slap in the face.

However, Mr. Wang’s situation was one thing; Gu Mingzhu’s must have been the most humiliating, a spectacular public blunder.

She claimed to be KO, and now with Master Xunyi present, the truth was out. And even if Master Xunyi hadn’t come, she wouldn’t have secured first place. Ultimately, skill is what matters.

A few spectators left for the parking lot after the competition ended. Approximately half an hour later, Gu Anxi changed her clothes, opened the car door, and climbed in. Master Xunyi and King Jingyao were also in the car.

Uncle Wang’s expression wasn’t pleasant.

Gu Anxi clapped his shoulder forcefully. "Old pal, the mountain ginseng you gave me really packed a punch!"

King Jingyao turned his face away, not wanting to pay her any attention.

Master Xunyi smiled and played mediator. "It seems your old pal here is angry with you."

Gu Anxi grinned. "He gets angry every time he sees me. I’m used to it."

King Jingyao truly didn’t know how to handle her, but it was Bo Xichen who stepped in. "Anxi, you mustn’t bully people all the time."

Gu Anxi responded with an "Oh," before whispering, "His family is so powerful and influential. How could I dare to bully him?"

Bo Xichen chuckled softly; he was also used to it.

Unable to resist, King Jingyao spoke up, "Xichen, you need to discipline her properly later. She’s so young yet shows no respect for her elders."

Gu Anxi made a funny face at him.

At this, Master Xunyi and the others burst out laughing.

The car arrived at a small, private restaurant that oozed class and charm.

The two groups met in the foyer, got a private room, and had a meal together.

Mr. He and Master Xunyi were old acquaintances—the kind who bickered as soon as they met—so the meal was quite lively and boisterous.

In such an atmosphere, even King Jingyao let his guard down, occasionally making witty remarks. Watching the two elders squabble over a disciple was also quite amusing.

As for the matter of the design, no one brought it up. Gu Anxi was clearly KO; her victory was beyond doubt.

After dinner, King Jingyao had other business to attend to and his driver came to pick him up.

After getting into the car, his face slightly flushed from the small amount of alcohol he had consumed, he leaned back in his seat and said softly, "Don’t mention Master Xunyi’s arrival. Just release the news that KO is the winner."

The secretary general’s heart skipped a beat; he understood immediately. Mr. Wang was extremely displeased with the Gu family! He was planning to deal with them and avenge his precious Anxi!

However, it wasn’t appropriate for him to voice such blunt thoughts, so he simply nodded. "Alright."

With his eyes slightly closed, King Jingyao suddenly spoke again, "That little rascal, she’s really something else."

The secretary general dared even less to respond to this, merely offering a placating smile and making some lighthearted comments to soothe his master.

The master must be feeling quite conflicted!

Master Xunyi came over, and Gu Anxi spent a good few days thoroughly entertaining him, along with Mr. He.

The three of them, friends despite their age differences, had a wonderful time together, as they all worked in the arts and had common topics to discuss.

Plus, Anxi, being an excellent guide, took them to Emperor’s Glamour in Beicheng to have a fantastic time. Needless to say, they were overjoyed.

After a few days of such lively escapades, a piece of news leaked out from King Jingyao’s office: KO was the champion of the COMO design competition.

Of course, this wasn’t an official announcement, but it spread so widely that people couldn’t help but believe it.

Naturally, Tang Yuan got the news firsthand. Elated, she rushed home and shared it with Gu Mingzhu, whose face lit up with surprise. "Mom, is it true?"

Tang Yuan said, "Of course, it’s true. The absolutely confirmed news is that KO won the award. Mingzhu, besides you, who else could it be?"

Only then did Gu Mingzhu feel relieved. She said with a touch of modesty, "Mom, we should keep a low profile before the award ceremony."

Hearing this, Tang Yuan was very gratified. "You’re right. We should keep a low profile; otherwise, it wouldn’t be good to incite jealousy."

After saying that, she added gleefully, "Now that you’ve earned Mr. Wang’s recognition, who would dare look down on you in the future?"

Gu Mingzhu was still a little worried. "Mom, I’m still afraid that the fact I’m not KO will be exposed. What if Master Xunyi hears the news here..."

Tang Yuan smiled. "It’s not as if only *that* KO can be called KO. Couldn’t it possibly be you? Besides, it was the people from Italy who introduced you; it wasn’t us who proactively recommended you to Mr. Wang. There’s nothing to worry about."