Xu Tingsheng still didn’t know that his best friend Fu Cheng wanted to ‘hack’ him just over a woolen sweater……how much of a sad thing was that.

  In order to keep clear of Old Wai’s resentful vibes, Xu Tingsheng left his dormitory room, wandering about directionessly and casually giving Huang Yaming a call.

  After a long while, when he was almost about to hang up, the call was finally answered. A deafening ruckus as well as women’s laughter and the clinking of wineglasses could be heard on the other end. Xu Tingsheng felt rather helpless. Huang Yaming was clearly in a bar again.

  “Hey, Tingsheng! Wanna come over and play together?” Huang Yaming asked.

  “Just say it straight out. What exactly do you want?” Hearing Huang Yaming actually inviting him along as well, Xu Tingsheng replied exasperatedly whilst also amusedly, “Is there never going to be an end to this?”


  “No, I’m already fine,” Huang Yaming said.

  “And you’re still going……”


  “You were talking about this? ……This is intrinsically different. If earlier, I was like you said, decadent and venting and whatnot……now, it’s just some……pure good-to-do debauchery.”


  Huang Yaming seemed to have pumped out all his brain juices to find an appropriate explanation. However, Xu Tingsheng was clearly unable to accept it.

  At Xu Tingsheng’s silence, Huang Yaming could only continue, “Let me tell you this. When this bro was lying on my bed yesterday night, I suddenly gained enlightenment on something, something major. My life……it told me to be a man of debauchery. That is my destiny.”


  Xu Tingsheng was mystified by this, “It, who? Who told you to live a life of debauchery?”


  “The heavens……could also be a Buddha or the Lord or whatever. Anyway, it’s the designer for my life……it’s arranged my fate. I shouldn’t think of loving someone till the end of our lifetimes, holding hands till both our heads of hair turn white and whatnot. That’s just not for me.”


  Xu Tingsheng didn’t know what state of mind Huang Yaming was in as he said all this. Was it a mocking of fate that cared not about his tragic wounds, or was it true enlightenment that had descended upon him? Still, since he had already called out all the heavens, Buddhas, Lord and whatnot, what was he still to say then?

  “You win……Just make sure you don’t overstep yourself then,” Xu Tingsheng said.

  “Relax! Look, I’m not drunk today at all……Also, it’s the chicks who’re treating me today,” Huang Yaming lowered his voice midway through, saying, “Thanks. You can rest assured, I really know what I’m doing……just let me do as I like for a while.”


  Xu Tingsheng said, “Okay.”


  After hanging up the phone and wandering about for a bit, Xu Tingsheng found himself somehow having ended up at the dormitory district of the Yanzhou Economic Institute. He thought about it and decide that he might as well call out Song Ni to have supper together.

  After coming down, Song Ni said, “Please, can you not wait for me right in front of my dorm building? How am I supposed to find a boyfriend like this?”


  “Looks like there’s something?” Xu Tingsheng mused.

  “Huh?……Like there is……alright, there is one whom I’m getting rather close with. Still, as you know, I’m a little afraid. I don’t really dare to enter a relationship anymore,” Song Ni said.

  Xu Tingsheng patted her on the head and said, “There’s nothing to be afraid of. Just call him out for us to see next time.”


  Song Ni waited till he had moved his hand away before saying, “Sometimes, you feel just like my big brother. The feeling of having someone to protect me is really great.”


  Xu Tingsheng laughed affectionately, telling her, “Fu Cheng, Huang Yaming and I-the three of us are all your elder brothers.”


  The two sat down at a stall for supper. They talked about Huang Yaming’s matter for a while, next coming to the topic of Rebirth’s strange new song. Song Ni said that her roommates would discuss them sometimes, saying that their songs were good, just that it was a pity that they were too ugly……In her own words: I really wanted to jump out and tell them that my two big brothers are crazy handsome, then grab you guys over to show you them.

  “Right, Apple says that the two of you have been very distant lately. You seem to be intentionally keeping your distance from her. Is that true?” Song Ni asked after a while.

  Xu Tingsheng did not speak in a silent admission of her words.

  “Why?” Song Ni asked him.

  “Do you think that the two of us are suited for each other?” He instead asked.

  “If it was before when I was not yet well acquainted with Apple, I would definitely be against it……However, understanding her better now, and also having come to know about some of the things that’ve happened between the two of you, honestly speaking, I feel that the two of you would be very happy together,” Song Ni answered.

  “I feel the same,” Xu Tingsheng’s frankness rather surprised Song Ni, but then he continued, “But there’s already someone in my heart.”


  “Xiang Ning? ……I heard Fu Cheng mention this before.”


  “Yeah.”


  “I really want to meet her. I want to, and Apple wants to as well.”


  “You will……perhaps.”


  Song Ni looked uncomprehending as she said after a while, “Forget it! Anyway, I’ve discovered that you’re the person I currently can’t understand the most.”


  Xu Tingsheng had no way of explaining it to her.

  After seeing Song Ni back to her dorm room, seeing that it was already rather late, Xu Tingsheng hurried back to his own dorm as well. Arriving outside his dormitory building, he discovered a girl standing there, a scarf in her hand.

  In the vicinity were numerous onlookers who feigned nonchalance yet were actually secretly spectating. Those on the corridors upstairs were even more direct as they leaned against the railing, openly gesticulating and discussing the matter.

  This was because the girl standing in front of the male dormitory building was really too famous. Ever since matriculation day, her name had already spread amongst the guys of all the various faculties.

  This girl studied English. The English course was a place heaped with beauties, even in Yanzhou University where more than seventy percent of the student population was comprised of girls.

  However, even in the English course where beauties were as common as the numerous clouds in the sky, this girl, Lu Zhixin, was one of a kind. Standing at more than 1.7m in height with her exquisite features and slim figure, coupled with her demeanor that was indifferent to the point of even being a little cold, she stood out even amongst the numerous radiant flowers around her.

  Xu Tingsheng was acquainted with her. The reason for this was simple. The two had chosen the same common elective, which Xu Tingsheng was the only one in his dorm room to have chosen.

  Without any roommates to attend the lesson with him, Xu Tingsheng could not bunch up together with people as he generally just sat in a corner on his own.

  Once, Lu Zhixin had sat beside him. After knowing that she was from the English course, Xu Tingsheng had warmly taken the initiative to become friends with her, because he had always been looking for an opponent to practice his spoken English with.

  Ever since then, the two would sit together during that lesson, conversing in English. This consisted of serious, proper conversation as well as random chatting that was all over the place.

  Xu Tingsheng had a rather good opinion of this girl.

  Seeing her standing there, he wondered rather emotionally, “This is even a case of the girl taking the initiative to confess……who’s the lucky guy?”


  Passing by, he had originally not intended to disturb Lu Zhixin. However, seeing that she had discovered him, he could only wave to her in greeting.

  Lu Zhixin walked over.

  Xu Tingsheng asked in a low voice, “Waiting for someone?”


  “Yeah.”


  “Confessing?”


  Lu Zhixin immediately shook her head rather forcefully in response. But then, she nodded firmly.

  “The person’s not here yet?”


  “He’s here,” Lu Zhixin said, “Xu Tingsheng, don’t act dumb……the scarf’s for you, I knitted it.”


  Acting dumb? I’m acting dumb? ……Xu Tingsheng was stunned for a moment. The two indeed got along very well, both being rather appreciative of each other as they had even eaten together after the lesson a few times before. Still, Xu Tingsheng really hadn’t thought about her in that sense at all.

  The mentality of a man in his thirties, perhaps, was different from that of a young lady of about twenty. Xu Tingsheng had just wanted to befriend her, even having had a clear motive in doing so. He wanted someone to practice English with, and there really was no one that he could do so with in his dorm room or his class.

  However, he had been too warm and enthusiastic, also not having paid enough attention to the changes in Lu Zhixin.

  From the perspective of a girl of about twenty, a guy who had approached her so warmly and enthusiastically, also having persisted in doing so, inviting her for a meal time and time again……wasn’t his motive then very clear?

  Also, being from another course and not having interacted with Xu Tingsheng’s roommates before, Lu Zhixin did not know about Apple.

  Seeing how the common elective was soon to end and Xu Tingsheng had still yet to give a definitive expression of his intentions, Lu Zhixin had thought: Alright, since it’s always been you who’s taken the initiative before, this final step-I’ll take it.