Chapter 24: Reading Club, School Anniversary Plan, Butler Cafe…

Chapter 24: The Reading Club's School Festival Proposal – Butler Café Event...

About fifteen minutes later, Qi Heyin finished another round of laps.

She had copied the boys' breathing and movements the entire time, and this time, it actually felt better.

If she kept practicing like this, she might actually pass the running portion of the P.E. test in a week.

Thank goodness... Qi Heyin let out a small sigh.

"Hey, Qi, where are you heading next?"

After the running drills, Jiang Yanche continued to follow closely behind Qi Heyin like a stubborn shadow.

Qi Heyin replied, "I’m going to a club activity."

"Wait, what? What club did you join?"

"Today’s activity is for the Reading Club."

"The Reading Club?" Jiang Yanche froze for a moment before grinning ear to ear. "Awesome, I’ll come too!"

Qi Heyin: "?"

"Why the skepticism? I’m a member of the Reading Club too, you know. I’m totally into books," the boy said, displeased by the skepticism on her face.

Qi Heyin: "Alright."

Jiang Yanche continued, "And back when I joined, it was only after the club president begged me multiple times that I agreed!"

Qi Heyin was genuinely surprised. "Why?"

"Because she said I could be the club’s recruitment magnet!" Jiang Yanche puffed out his chest proudly. "Apparently, just by standing there during recruitment, newbies would swarm in without any need for promotion."

Qi Heyin: "...No wonder they groveled." Maybe that’s all he’s good for.

Since it was rare to meet another Reading Club member, she thought for a moment and asked, "I heard the Reading Club holds activities every Tuesday morning. So, do you go every week?"

"Oh, not really," Jiang Yanche said casually. "I usually have basketball practice on Tuesday mornings, so I don’t go."

Qi Heyin: "..."

"But since you’re going this time, I definitely have to join," the boy said with a smile, dropping the blunt line with ease.

Hearing this, Qi Heyin twitched the corner of her mouth, remaining as indifferent as ever.

The two walked side by side for about ten minutes before finally arriving at the Reading Club room.

Jiang Yanche had been talking nonstop the whole time, so Qi Heyin’s first feeling upon entering the room was relief.

She mused about his Mimic. According to the theory that "a person’s Mimic traits are highly likely to align with their personality," could it be some kind of bird? After all, he was energetic and loud—never shuts up.

Completely unaware that Qi Heyin had already pegged him as "some kind of noisy bird," Jiang Yanche beamed at the Reading Club president.

"Cousin, long time no see."

"Well, look who’s here," the president said, eyeing him in astonishment. "To what do we owe this *unexpected* visit?!"

"Hesitated..." She paused. "Perfect timing—I’ve got something to bring up."

Soon, all the members attending today's club activity had arrived.

In the activity room, President Zhu had everyone read an engaging novella together, then opened the floor for discussion about the reading.

The entire session lasted about an hour and wrapped up quickly.

President Zhu clearly had something to announce today, so after the reading exchange ended, nobody made a move to leave.

President Zhu glanced around and smiled, "Since everyone is here today, this seems like the perfect time to discuss plans for the upcoming school anniversary in advance."

"As in previous years, this year's celebration will involve each department preparing a performance for the evening gala, while every club is responsible for setting up a booth for the club fair. I’d like to hear your ideas on how to make our booth stand out this year."

"What else can we do? Same old thing—compile everyone's reviews into booklets," Jiang Yanche said casually.

"Cousin, that’s so outdated," President Zhu gave him a look before continuing, "Last year’s club fair was considered boring, and President Zhu wasn’t satisfied. He ordered the Student Union’s Club Organization Department to demand more creativity from us this year."

She sighed, "Moreover, the Student Union will come judge us on-site. If our score falls short, we might get our budget cut next year..."

"Wow, that’s strict! Guess we'll have to come up with some creative ideas," someone frowned.

"Exactly," President Zhu nodded solemnly. "I’ve heard many clubs are pulling out all the stops this year. For instance, the Drama Club is planning a haunted house and has already started buying props for rehearsals. The Skateboarding Club is organizing a campus treasure hunt, and the Cooking Club is transforming their area into a food street..."

"We can’t fall behind. Can everyone think of activities that align with our Reading Club? Also, what style should we use to decorate our booth?"

The group started thinking hard.

"How about setting up a book corner?" someone suggested.

Immediately, another countered, "We've done the book corner thing to death. Didn’t we just agree we need something creative this time?"

"What if we turn our booth into a reading-themed café? Visitors can answer book-related questions to earn custom drinks as rewards. It’d also provide a resting spot for people needing a break."

"The quiz-for-drinks idea is nice—I can mix drinks and make coffee. But just a café still feels a bit plain..."

"How about a themed café instead?" a girl suddenly suggested. "I’ve seen many popular themed cafés online, like cat cafés, music cafés, or maid cafés. A special theme would make it pop."

"Sounds good," someone agreed. "I like the maid café idea."

"No freaking way I'm wearing a maid outfit!" another girl shrieked in protest.

President Zhu pondered and said, "I agree with the themed café idea. It’d be great if everyone could wear distinctive uniforms, but preferably not maid outfits. You know how creepy some guys here get... Our club is mostly girls, so let’s avoid unnecessary trouble."

"Huh? Cousin, don't lump all us Faro guys together like that," Jiang Yanche raised an eyebrow, exasperated. "You were totally checking out Junior Qi when the maid outfit was mentioned earlier. If you could control your wandering eyes, cousin, you might actually sound convincing."

Jiang Yanche: "......"

"I agree with President Zhu!" a girl chimed in. "Plus, it’s too cold for short skirts right now."

"In that case, cosplaying for an anime theme isn’t ideal either—standing outside all day would freeze us to death."

"...Then what should we wear? We can’t just dress in animal onesies and throw a furry party, right?"

"How about butler outfits?" Qi Heyin suddenly spoke up.

As everyone turned to her, she smiled, pulled up a photo on her communicator, and showed it to the group. "Like this. I think it has a clean, sharp look. Though it’s technically menswear, girls can pull it off too, giving it a more refined look than guys could."

The president studied it for a moment before smiling. "I think this could work."

Someone chimed in, "And butler cafes are blowing up on CONT right now."

"Ah, I can already picture the scene. Should I address customers as 'My Lady'? Sounds fun..."

"This outfit is killer. We always see male butlers on CONT, but having an all-female butler team would be a fresh take, right?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"So, is our event theme settled then?" The president blinked and announced cheerfully, "It's decided! Butler Café!"

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone burst into applause.

"...Totally boring." Jiang Yanche said flatly. "I'm sitting this one out, cousin."

"No way! You're our main attraction! You're essential for drawing crowds!" The president shook her head frantically, pleading. "Besides, I have a way to make it fun for you!"

"What way?" Jiang Yanche paused, eyeing her skeptically.

"Hee hee, well... Since everyone's doing a role reversal this time—we're all in butler outfits—how about you dress as a maid, cousin? Hee hee, that’ll make our café go viral—"

"Jiang Shuyue!!!" An incredulous roar instantly cut her off.

"Me? In a maid outfit?!" Jiang Yanche turned red and exploded. "Over my dead body!!!"