One might say that virtually everyone in the world admired and liked the current Xu Tingsheng more. He was steady and dependable, magnanimous and remarkable, even appearing to be omnipotent as he gave many people hope and care.

  This everyone should include Xu Tingsheng himself. Yet, Wu Yuewei could not be counted amongst them.

  In Xu Tingsheng’s previous life, Wu Yuewei had come to like Xu Tingsheng who had been unruly in his youth and completely unremarkable afterwards. For some reason, she had been unable to forget about him to the end. Now, in this life, she had requested him to wear less nice clothes and not drive around that kind of car as he accompanied her on a tour of his university.

  She still preferred his young, unruly self.

  Xu Tingsheng changed into white jeans, an old T-shirt and canvas shoes. He also secretly stuffed that notebook computer in Wu Yuewei’s suitcase.

  There were still two days before the new semester began. In Yanzhou University, while it could not be said that there were many people who had returned, it could also not be said that they were few.

  Xu Tingsheng brought Wu Yuewei to the library and the classrooms, to all the places that she wanted to see.

  He said, “Look at how all this is so advanced, all being brand new. Still, it definitely can’t compare to Qingbei at all. There’s all those resources and whatnot there, and the Weiminghu Lake. It’s great that you can study there.”


  Wu Yuewei smiled, “But I like this place’s name too. Xishan Tower, Xishan Tower’s Xu Tingsheng-how nice it sounds.”


  Xu Tingsheng said, “No tiger resides amongst these mountains.”


  Wu Yuewei said, “I’d like to take a look at the monkeys’ nest then.”


  “Huh?”


  “Your dorm.”


  Xu Tingsheng thought about it. Of the six people from his dormitory, at least five of them, him included, had already arrived. As Li Xingming lived in Yanzhou, he had returned a couple of days early. As for Lu Xu, because Chick Bao had been conducting lessons at the training institute over the summer holidays, he had just spent ten plus days at home before returning to Yanzhou University.

  Xu Tingsheng could basically imagine what kind of state his dorm room was in right now, such as what was playing on Li Xingming’s computer and trash, dirty socks and the like strewn all over the floor.

  “Have you ever been into the male dormitory?” Xu Tingsheng asked.

  Wu Yuewei shook her head.

  “Dirty, messy, unseemly, smelly, unfit for human eyes.”


  “I want to go.”


  “Then……you walk on my right, I’ll shield you.”


  Xu Tingsheng brought Wu Yuewei upstairs, greeting a number of acquaintances who directed him meaningful looks along the way. Outside the door of Room 602, Xu Tingsheng asked Wu Yuewei to wait for a moment.

  Then, he went up and knocked forcefully on the door, yelling loudly, “Clothes on, computers off, clear up whatever’s unspeakable and act like normal people. We’ll be barging in in five minutes, and those who fail will be directly executed at gunpoint a hundred times.”


  Various clanging sounds soon resounded in the room. Wu Yuewei giggled a little as she heard this, looking a little embarrassed at her intrusion.

  Wu Yuewei entered, smiling as she waved. Tan Yao, Old Wai, Li Xingming and Lu Xu were all inside, crowding by the table as they looked somewhat blankly at Xu Tingsheng as well as Wu Yuewei who stood beside him.

  This seemed to be the second time Xu Tingsheng was bringing a girl into their dorm room after Apple on the day of his matriculation.

  If the Apple of back then had been like an enthusiastic rose, this girl was like a lily, or an orchid.

  Li Xingming immediately grabbed a Wang Guozhen poetry book from the table.

  Tan Yao analysed it, feeling that she was likely a freshman of Yanzhou University who was an acquaintance of Xu Tingsheng’s as he ran a hand through his hair before going up and asking, “You must be a junior! Are you from Bro Xu’s hometown? Hi, I’m Tan Yao, Chinese Grade 3 Class 2. What course does junior study?”


  Wu Yuewei smiled brightly, turning to look at Xu Tingsheng.

  Xu Tingsheng looked at Tan Yao, smiling, “It is a junior, but just mine, from senior high and junior high. As for university, she’s just about to go to Qingbei.”


  The audible sighs of Tan Yao and Li Xingming could be heard in Room 602.

  When in their dormitory usually, everyone, Tan Yao included, would not treat Xu Tingsheng like that Xu Tingsheng from outside. This was something that he had requested of them, something which had taken quite some time to actualise……this was just the kind of interaction he preferred.

  “They’re all lies. Isn’t it said that there are no beauties amongst study queens? Isn’t it said that the better a girl is at studying, the lower her quality?”


  Li Xingming slapped himself on the head with the Wang Guozheng poem book.

  Wu Yuewei smiled brilliantly.

  Xu Tingsheng told her, “You’ve seen it all already. We should be going then. It’s better not to linger long in places like the male dormitory. After guys have returned to their dorms, almost none of them are normal. You can take a look at the male dormitory in Qingbei later on. It’s actually the same.”


  Wu Yuewei said, “I won’t be looking. It’s not like I came here just to take a look.”


  She instantly zeroed down on Xu Tingsheng’s bed before removing the bedsheet, blankets and pillowcase with smooth, fluid motions and carrying them into the bathroom.

  Soon, the sound of flowing water and the clothing scrub resounded from inside.

  Xu Tingsheng’s roommates crowded over, pressuring him up against the wall.

  “So, what’s the situation?” Old Wai asked in a hushed tone.

  “A first love that never actually got to begin,” Xu Tingsheng answered honestly.

  They all scattered, returning to their seats and directing Xu Tingsheng meaningful smiles that gave him goosebumps. Knowing that there was no way he could stop Wu Yuewei today, Xu Tingsheng just started up Old Wai’s computer and played a game of Counterstrike, trying his best not to think about anything at all.

  Wu Yuewei was a girl who was used to doing chores. She quickly finished washing the sheets and blankets that were really quite difficult to wash, next coming out and asking Xu Tingsheng for a clothes rack to hang them up from.

  The other guys in the room ‘coughed’ non-stop, secretly flashing one another thumbs-ups as they looked at Xu Tingsheng with envy and jealousy. As if by tacit agreement, all of them took turns coming forward and clapping down on Xu Tingsheng’s shoulder hard, not saying a word.

  Wu Yuewei said through the glass door, “All done.”


  Tan Yao asked, “Hey……junior from Qingbei, how about dinner together tonight? My treat. If you might feel uneasy as the only girl, we’ll call a few more over.”


  Xu Tingsheng replied on her behalf, “We’ll just randomly eat whatever outside. We still have to go window shopping tonight.”


  Wu Yuewei smiled apologetically.

  Tan Yao smiled, “Never mind then. We can eat together the next time you come.”


  Due to this sentence, Xu Tingsheng sent a kick his way after Wu Yuewei had exited the room before chasing after her.

  Xu Tingsheng ran into a group of football mates at the field. Wu Yuewei requested him to join in the game. Then, she sat by the side of the field and watched on very happily and absorbedly as Xu Tingsheng played half-a-side football.

  After eating dinner together in the canteen beneath countless curious gazes and intentionally probing greetings which really could not have been any more obvious, Xu Tingsheng brought Wu Yuewei to Yanzhou’s city district.

  Wu Yuewei was brimming with excitement as she ate various kinds of street food, also bringing the food over to Xu Tingsheng’s mouth and feeding him. She even linked her arm with his in an incomparably nervous manner a couple of times when it got crowded.

  “Can this type of big stuffed bear be brought up the plane?”


  Wu Yuewei stopped outside a gift shop and pointed at a stuffed bear in the display cabinet.

  “I think so,” Xu Tingsheng said.

  “Buy one and give it to me then.”


  Carrying the stuffed bear, Xu Tingsheng found Wu Yuewei the best motel in Yanzhou’s city district.

  “Are you going back to stay?” Wu Yuewei asked.

  “I’m not. If I go back, I’ll still have to sleep on the sofa,” Xu Tingsheng replied, “I’ll get another room beside yours.”


  “You stay here then,” Wu Yuewei said.

  Xu Tingsheng was taken aback by her words.

  “You’re sleeping on the sofa,” Wu Yuewei smiled triumphantly as if she had just done something really amazing.

  As he dreamed, Xu Tingsheng felt her lips lightly kiss the area between his brows. Back in junior high, Wu Yuewei had said to the Xu Tingsheng who was always causing trouble, “You can don’t do eye calisthenics, but you can’t always be frowning.”


  Then, hot tears fell on his face which were quickly wiped off carefully by a small, warm hand.

  The next day, the two awoke early, travelling from Yanzhou to the airport at Xihu City. There were still a good couple of hours before the flight.

  Xu Tingsheng collected the plane tickets.

  Wu Yuewei said, “Let me see them.”


  Xu Tingsheng passed her the plane tickets.

  She said, “Go home, senior. You don’t have to send me off. Just it accompanying me is fine.”


  Wu Yuewei hugged the big bear, propping it on her kneecap and burying her face in its back.