"Wait, we can earn money AND get academic credits for a Fall Break trip?"
Hearing this, the students immediately perked up.
They'd been dozing through the originally boring class meeting, but now everyone was energized!
There were plenty of places to visit near Bayside City, and quite a few people were already planning to go out during the holiday anyway.
After all, Fall Festival combined with the weekend only gave three days off, so students whose homes were far away generally weren't considering going back.
It would be perfect to film a vlog while having fun. With good luck, they might even win money and credits. If luck wasn't on their side, there was no loss since they'd have fun anyway.
Seeing the students' enthusiasm ignited, Emma announced:
"I've connected you all with a class from the School of Arts. We'll be partnering with them for this event. Soon I'll create a group chat. Students can find partners in the group and form teams freely. Those who want to go to the same place can team up."
"Of course, in principle, team size shouldn't exceed 8 people."
"Those who want to be team leaders can DM me."
Oh damn, there's even a joint event?
Awesome!
Hearing this, many guys' eyes lit up as they rubbed their hands together excitedly.
After all, the gender ratio in CS was extremely imbalanced.
And STEM guys were introverted and awkward, not knowing how to meet unfamiliar girls. Now it was perfect—with a group outing activity, there was a golden opportunity to connect with girls in the chat.
Presumably the Arts class felt the same way, except their situation was reversed: more girls than guys.
"Emma, you're amazing! We love you!" Tyler started his usual flattery.
"Save your energy for chatting with girls in the group," Emma said with a smile.
"Dude, you already have a girlfriend. Why are you so hyped?" Evan shot back.
Tyler glanced at him, his face full of righteous indignation. "Who says having a girlfriend means you can't do a joint event with girls from other classes? It's just hanging out together, not like we're doing anything shady. Arden, don't you agree?"
"Me? I don't really care."
Arden genuinely didn't care. He could participate in this activity.
He'd see if there were any beauties among the arts students worth getting to know, preferably those with S-level charm who could generate cashback.
If this activity didn't exist, he would've just asked Imogen or his senior to spend Fall Break with him. He wouldn't be lonely.
It's hard for a rich person to be lonely if they want company.
Tyler's logic wasn't wrong, but he wondered if girls from the joint event would pay attention to him. Girls studying art had high material standards—would they look down on him?
"What's the point of art girls? They're all materialistic airheads," Evan continued proclaiming his refined taste. "I'm not interested."
After a while, Emma created the joint group chat for both classes.
Evan secretly clicked through girls' Instagram stories, browsed them, then changed his tune: "Actually, this activity might be worth experiencing..."
"Oh my, weren't you 'not interested,' Mr. Sophisticated?" Tyler said sarcastically.
"Wrong. I looked at some girls' stories and found they actually have pretty good taste. For example, this one actually uses Sennheiser headphones. Girls who know Sennheiser have culture—basic girls only mindlessly buy Apple."
"...It's just headphones. What does that prove?"
Tyler grumbled unconvinced, leaning over to look at Evan's phone. "Huh, this girl is also from Goddess Dorm? Lily Everett—I remember she's a freshman in Broadcasting. Didn't expect we'd actually be doing a joint event with their class."
"Yeah, I always thought Lily was one of those superficial art students. Who knew she'd be so knowledgeable about audio equipment?"
"..."
Tyler's expression soured.
Actually, Lily was the girl Tyler had his eye on when he first started at Pennbrook and learned about Goddess Dorm.
Supposedly she'd studied dance since elementary school, only switching to broadcasting in high school. Yet her talent was exceptional—she'd been admitted to Pennbrook with the top score in the arts entrance exam.
In other words, she had a dancer's exquisite figure and an angelic, melodious voice.
That doll-like, delicate face with its perfect balance of innocence and allure, combined with her slender, graceful curves, embodied "fair, slim, and young" to perfection.
Any young guy would be captivated at first sight.
There was even some rich guy whose family was worth hundreds of millions who'd confessed to Lily on the first day of school.
Because of that, although Tyler was very tempted, he didn't dare harbor any serious thoughts about Lily.
The competition was simply too fierce. He didn't have the firepower.
That rich guy supposedly drove a Porsche.
Listening at Evan's comments, could he also be interested in Lily?
Tyler muttered to himself.
It wasn't impossible.
After all, Imogen had been getting close to Arden recently, so maybe Evan had given up on her and switched targets.
Hearing the name "Lily Everett," Arden's lips curved into a meaningful smile.
But he didn't join Tyler and Evan's discussion.
At school, he had to pretend not to know Lily.
That was their agreement.
The class meeting had technically ended, but everyone was busy chatting in the joint group with the guys all showing off.
So many people remained in the classroom.
Tyler and Evan transformed into group chat masters, and the "Mr. Sophisticated vs. Local Rich Kid" battle continued from the dorm into the joint chat.
Soon, keywords like "four properties in Bayside," "driving a Volkswagen Passat as a freshman," and "from a LA executive family, old money background" inevitably flooded the screen.
The group buzzed with lively energy.
Arden didn't even bother changing his group nickname. He just went with the flow.
[BlakeOutCurtains: Eden, you going?]
Imogen's message came through.
Concise, but Arden understood the subtext.
This outing was voluntary—nobody had to participate. Arden had originally thought that with Imogen's reclusive personality, she definitely wouldn't go.
But now she'd suddenly DMed him. Her hidden intentions were crystal clear.
[WestOfEden: Want to go. Will you come with me?]
[WestOfEden: [Venmo Transfer - $2,000]]
[BlakeOutCurtains: ??]
[BlakeOutCurtains: Why are you sending me money again?]
[WestOfEden: Figured you probably don't like traveling, but I really want to be with you, so this is a companion fee. Like a paid companion.]
[BlakeOutCurtains: Why is it so expensive?!]
[WestOfEden: I'm not lying. That's market rate. If you don't believe me, search "Miami companion service"—three days two nights runs about this price.]
[BlakeOutCurtains: [shocked cat meme]]
Imogen searched it, and the results made her eyelids twitch and her breathing quicken.
T-that... what kind of companion service is this?! This isn't appropriate at all!
[BlakeOutCurtains: [scared cat meme]]
[BlakeOutCurtains: Th-that kind of companion you mentioned includes... those kinds of services, but I, um...]
[WestOfEden: I definitely won't ask you to do that stuff, don't worry.]
[BlakeOutCurtains: But a companion service without those services wouldn't be anywhere near this expensive, right?]
[BlakeOutCurtains: West, I can't take this money. It's too much.]
Tsk, this adorable honor student was pretty sharp!
Arden just needed to deploy his skill: sophistry.
[WestOfEden: But to me, the emotional value you provide is equivalent to what a Miami companion provides their client. I feel genuinely happy when I'm with you.]
[WestOfEden: Just take it. You know my spending habits are different from normal people's.]
[BlakeOutCurtains: But I think, um...]
[WestOfEden: I don't care what you think. I only care what I think.]
[BlakeOutCurtains: ...Okay then.]
[BlakeOutCurtains: [cat rolling around meme]]