"Zhao Yuan! How dare you leave!" Chen Wanxin hastily adjusted her cotton shawl and ran out of the room, crying foul. Zhao Yuan was sitting on the sofa. He ignited his lighter with a snap, lit up a cigarette, and exhaled a long and deep breath of smoke.
"Wanxin, I don"t think a boyfriend has the duty to sleep with his girlfriend," he said coolly.
"I"m not forcing you to…" Chen Wanxin said softly.
"I"m not willing. I"ll sleep on the sofa from now on," Zhao Yuan replied emotionlessly.
"You!" Furious, Chen Wanxin walked back to the bedroom and slammed the door shut. For a long time, she couldn"t placate her indignation. When she woke up the next morning, she found Zhao Yuan long gone.
She considered this to be a small confusion in her overall plan. Her plan was to cook a frog in the boiling water but she had been too hasty last night. After pondering over this issue, she finally got an answer.
It was another breezy autumn night with a bright moon hanging overhead. A spirited Zhao Yuan privately invited Lin Wenxi for a delightful flute-playing session by the lake. Even though Lin Wenxi knew that Zhao Yuan was Chen Wanxin"s boyfriend in name, Zhao Yuan continued to treat him like usual. Gradually, he let down his heavy heart.
Feeling that he had not fully expressed himself, Zhao Yuan gave Chen Wanxin a call that night. He told her that he was preoccupied and wouldn"t be returning. After thinking about it, Chen Wanxin called Zheng Kai and asked, "Is Zhao Yuan drinking with you?"
"We"re playing Chinese chess and eating melon seeds in the dorm. Lately, we"ve become cultured men," Zheng Kai said distractedly.
The phone call suddenly ended mid-conversation. A woeful Zheng Kai watched Zhao Yuan and Lin Wenxi playing Chinese chess. Lin Wenxi had given up his chariot, horse, and cannon pieces to make a clean swipe of Zhao Yuan"s pieces. With three soldier pieces surrounding a general piece, Lin Wenxi had already backed Zhao Yuan into a dead-end. Thus, Zheng Kai said, "Zhao Yuan, your wife is asking you to go home and sleep."
"My wife is watching a Korean drama." Zhao Yuan addressed a teary-eyed w.a.n.g Xiang who had his eyes fixed on the computer screen.
w.a.n.g Xiang was unmoved and continued immersing himself in the Korean drama mission that Zhang An"an a.s.signed him.
Zheng Kai t.i.tled his head to glance at him. Frowning, he said, "That"s a boring drama. The male lead dies in the end. Unable to accept his death, the female lead kills herself as well."
w.a.n.g Xiang looked up in anger. "How will you know when you don"t watch Korean dramas?!"
Zheng Kai widened his eyes. "I might not have watched this drama but Gu Xi did. She"s always babbling to me about this. It"s so annoying that my bird is shrinking!"
"You don"t believe me?" When Zheng Kai saw that w.a.n.g Xiang was sprawling over the table and ignoring him, he picked up the mouse and tapped lightly to select the last episode of the drama. Sorrow music began playing as a beautiful and pleasant woman pa.s.sed through a cemetery and then collapsed on the ground next to a bottle of poison. w.a.n.g Xiang looked away with his eyes closed. Zheng Kai raised his foot over w.a.n.g Xiang"s lap and locked the latter in his seat. Zheng Kai pressed w.a.n.g Xiang"s head with a single hand and tugged the latter"s eyelid open with his other hand, forcing him to watch a good five minutes. Tears fell from w.a.n.g Xiang"s eyes.
"Let"s see if you"ll keep watching something unhealthy and meaningless like this!" Zheng Kai said indignantly.
w.a.n.g Xiang was momentarily silent and proceeded to run every episode at double the speed. Then, he opened a game application and continued playing.
Zheng Kai was quietly watching Zhao Yuan when Chen Wanxin"s call came again. She repeated her previous words: "Has Zhao Yuan left the dorm?"
"Nope! He"s kissing Lin Wenxi"s lips!" Zheng Kai yelled as he glanced at Zhao Yuan and Lin Wenxi who were chatting and laughing non-stop with their faces close together.
Zhao Yuan and Lin Wenxi looked up at the same time. The former wore a meaningful smile. He lowered his body and told Lin Wenxi, "Why don"t we give him a basketball? Yun Che doesn"t exercise and looks sickly all year round. We don"t know if he"ll be able to make a baby with that silly girl."
"You might as well give him a dumbbell!" Lin Wenxi said in annoyance.
"Good idea! Ziping will be grateful to you for her entire life!" Zhao Yuan said in delight.
"The jersey you"re wearing is pretty nice too. Why don"t you give him that as well?" Lin Wenxi pouted. Zhao Yuan swiftly covered the pit of his stomach. "This is a jersey that a certain someone would become a thief to protect. How I can bring myself to give it away?"
"Enough. Let"s get back to business. I think a set of teaware sounds like a good gift. Last time I was at Ziyun Piano Store, I noticed some of Yun Che"s teacups were chipped. But I don"t know if Sister Ziping noticed," Lin Wenxi said.
"I say we give him something practical. I think a washing machine is a good idea. Not only is it durable, but it also saves them some money. Don"t you agree?"
Lin Wenxi and Zhao Yuan were engrossed in their quiet chat that they seemed to be ignoring Zheng Kai. They didn"t notice the dark cloud cast over Zheng Kai"s face.
Zheng Kai saw that w.a.n.g Xiang was completely absorbed in his game. Right then, Chen Wanxin"s third phone call came.
"b.i.t.c.h! If you want Zhao Yuan to go home and roll on the bed with you, call him! Stop pestering me!" Zheng Kai finally lost his patience and yelled at Chen Wanxin over the phone. Then, he pressed on the power b.u.t.ton of w.a.n.g Xiang"s computer. w.a.n.g Xiang sat dumbly in front of his computer and stared at the dark screen while listening to the incessant scolding of his teammates: "w.a.n.g Xiang! Why aren"t you moving?!" "You d.a.m.ned black sheep! Don"t you know how to dodge?!" He looked up and heaved a drawn-out sigh. Then, he ran out of their dorm and came back minutes later with Gu Xi and Sangsang. He made Gu Xi force Sangsang change their beds.
Gu Xi looked dumbfounded, not knowing what was going on. When she saw Zheng Kai lying on his bed with a grim face, she walked over to help tidy up his desk. She tidied his books and cleaned his ashtray. Seeing that Zheng Kai was still dispirited and saying nothing, she pouted and went off to help Lin Wenxi come up with ideas for a wedding gift for Yun Che and Zhu Ziping. Zheng Kai continued to lie on his bed, occasionally stealing glances at the three annoying fellows. When he thought of Chen Wanxin, anger rose in him. Dribbling a basketball, he ran down the stairs.
Within seconds, the three of them heard Zheng Kai"s voice coming from downstairs.
"If you don"t let me leave, I"ll smash the door!"
"It"s the rules! Lights off and sleep at 11 pm! It"s now over 12 am. Where are you going?"
"You"re not my grandson! Why are you asking me where I"m going?"
"How dare you insult the housekeeper! I"ll call the guards!"
"You"re never my grandson, so how is this considered an insult against you? If you were my grandson, wouldn"t that insult you instead?" Zheng Kai"s loud, mocking laugh could be heard from the corridor of their floor. The three couldn"t help trembling at the same time.
That night, Gu Xi slept on Zheng Kai"s bed in Dorm No. 216. Lin Wenxi and Zhao Yuan slept face-to-face on the same bed. Meanwhile, the sound of dribbling basketball echoed throughout the ma.s.sive field of Jifu University.
This continued for several nights. Finally, Chen Wanxin could no longer leave things be.
Thus, the housekeeper brought a student to Dorm No. 216.
"From now on, Guo Liang from Cla.s.s 1 will occupy the top bunk," the housekeeper said while covering his cheek and glaring daggers at Zheng Kai, who was "educated" by the university counselor. When he slapped on a smile as sharp as a knife on his rough face and tried to talk, the housekeeper immediately escaped.
Zheng Kai lay on the bed with both his feet raised high up and against the top bunk. He said to the newcomer Guo Liang, "We don"t welcome you here. Leave."
Naturally, Guo Liang had heard of Zheng Kai"s reputation. He had no choice but to call the housekeeper and wait in agony.
"Bro, this is a bed that the university a.s.signed me. My previous dorm is under repairs…" Guo Liang looked pained.
"Do you need me to repeat myself? Don"t you see that all the beds are occupied?" Zheng Kai asked sharply.
"Let me stay the night, at least. Where should I go otherwise…" Guo Liang pointed to his two large luggage hesitantly.
"Alright. You can stay the night." Zhao Yuan jumped off from the top bunk with a smile. "I"ll rough it in the lower bunk."
"Thank you. Thank you so much." Guo Liang hastily moved his luggage inside and let it pile freely. Trembling, he climbed to the top bunk with a quilt in hand.
Zheng Kai glanced sideways at Zhao Yuan and cleared his throat. "This beast is playing nice after gaining an advantage!"
Guo Liang got such a bad fright that he nearly fell off the bed.
"What do you mean "rough it"?" Lin Wenxi asked.
"I mean you"re going to have to rough it," Zhao Yuan said, biting Lin Wenxi"s ear. He sneaked his arm under Lin Wenxi"s body and rested it behind the latter"s neck, pressing them close.
Amid a conversation with Zhang An"an over the phone, w.a.n.g Xiang suddenly said, "The lady doth protest too much."
Guo Liang left the next day but Gu Xi was standing at the door of Dorm No. 216, hugging a quilt to herself.