On an afternoon when he had no lessons, Xu Tingsheng found Vice-Principal Niu whose temperament was very compatible with his and stayed in the office of Yanzhou University’s principal, Zhao Kangwen, for the entire afternoon.

  Thereafter, following all that previous ruckus, the school finally stepped forward and gave an official explanation regarding Lu Zhixin’s switching of courses.

  A document ‘said’ to already have been officially approved several months ago was publicly released. Said document primarily concerned Yanzhou University’s student entrepreneurs, mentioning some rewards and measures for them which included the addition of points, loosening the requirements for switching courses and priority in appraisals etcetera.

  Also released was documentation behind Lu Zhixin’s application for the switching of courses:

  “Lu Zhixin is a core member of Yanzhou University’s major entrepreneurial venture, originally Hucheng Education and now Hucheng Tongcheng, having applied for a course change due to entrepreneurial needs. Following our analysis, this student’s situation is completely in line with the relevant policies in the document. She is specially allowed to switch courses without filling up the original quota of allowed students.”


  No one had heard of this document before this. Yet, an official copy of it existed right there, and it was impossible that the principal’s signature was a forgery. The date was also indeed from a few months ago.

  Some people decided to give up, while others never ceased in their complaints. Some soon discovered that there were even those who were directing their complaints at Xu Tingsheng.

  “Having money makes you so great? Starting up a company makes you so great? That the school management is helping you makes you so great?”


  Xu Tingsheng ignored all these voices, whatever their mentality, stance or motive. Still, he quickly gave them a response, blasting out a resounding, outright ‘yes’.

  Due to the loneliness and frailty he had felt from Lu Zhixin a few days ago at the airport, due to his guilt, Xu Tingsheng wanted to do something for her this time, at least helping to resolve the commotion caused by her switching of courses before she returned.

  Actually, if she wasn’t Lu Zhixin, wasn’t Xu Tingsheng’s ‘girlfriend’, this matter would not have been paid so much attention to, all this commotion hence arising.

  Lu Zhixin had always been strong.

  This, time, however, Xu Tingsheng did not want her to have to soldier through all this alone.

  Two days after the document had been publicly released, when voices of dissent were still resounding incessantly, Hucheng Tongcheng and Yanzhou University’s management jointly announced that Hucheng would be providing an initial sum of 200000 yuan, supporting the impoverished university students who had to work for their livelihoods, living independently.

  While 200000 yuan was not a huge sum, it would still be useful somewhat for the transportation expenses of Yanzhou University home tutors and the like. After all, this was still the year 2004, and the public bus fares in the years 2004 and 2015 were virtually the same.

  People generally wouldn’t feel the pinch when it was just one or two times. University home tutors had to go to and fro at least two or three times a week, changing buses a few times. Accumulated over the long term, this was actually not a small sum.

  Many people spent around one fifth of what they earnt from home tutoring on transportation.

  As for the reason behind providing this sum of money, the explanation given by Hucheng was: He who drinks from the well does not forget they who dug it. We are doing so to express our gratitude for the university’s support, reciprocating the student home tutors’ trust in Hucheng.

  This was perfectly logical and reasonable.

  This program had a fitting whilst also special name, ‘Hucheng’s heart’.

  Hucheng’s heart. Hucheng……Zhixin.

  Therefore, Hucheng. Zhixin.

  Anyone in the know could tell with a single glance. Anyone not in the know would easily be able to get it by listening to the explanation of others. It could not be any more obvious: This was Xu Tingsheng finally stepping forward to protect Lu Zhixin for the first time.

  From the previous confession incident to Hucheng’s face-off with Zhang Xingke to Lu Zhixin switching courses this time……this girl who had already been so eye-catching before had been repeatedly subject to the mockery and criticisms of others.

  Those first two times, the rumoured boyfriend, Xu Tingsheng, had virtually done nothing at all.

  Finally, this time, Xu Tingsheng had told everyone in a virtually upright and aboveboard manner: I’m surely going to protect Lu Zhixin this time, and I’m not afraid of you people being able to tell. I’d instead be afraid if you weren’t able to tell.

  The university’s attitude towards this and the public release of the official document made it such that the complaints to the principal’s mailbox and the calls to the education bureau and education department no longer held any significance.

  With Lu Zhixin not having been counted towards the original quota for switching courses, part of the outrage and indignation correspondingly vanished.

  With Hucheng’s monetary assistance scheme providing them actual money, most of the student home tutors and some other Yanzhou University students recognised his kindness. Those close to them and those who simply went with the flow were correspondingly affected, their dissenting voices dying down.

  Meanwhile, the attitude of Xishan Tower’s Xu Tingsheng gained the support and understanding of some. At the very least, those who had been unhappy with him earlier could not help but feel a bit of goodwill towards him now.

  While there were still some dissatisfied voices, these gradually became a stream, a trickle, stagnant, solitary. They would soon be disappearing however unwilling these people were.

  Lu Zhixin had still yet to return from Hong Kong.

  Her best friend and roommate told her about this matter and the various speculations regarding ‘Hucheng’s heart’ and ‘Hucheng Zhixin’.……perhaps these should not even be called speculations, being just so obvious.

  “Your family’s Xu Tingsheng’s just too cool this time. ‘Man’ like crazy!” Lu Zhixin’s best friend who was often filled with righteous indignation towards Xu Tingsheng on her behalf told her.

  Lu Zhixin who was far away in Hong Kong and had been feeling troubled in body and spirit these past few days finally seemed to feel a hint of warmth. There seemed to be someone standing behind her whom she could lean on.

  Glancing at her father beside her, Lu Zhixin refrained from dialling that number that she had just been about to call as she instead sent Xu Tingsheng a text.

  Xu Tingsheng received two words: thank you.

  He replied: It’s nothing. No need for all this.

  Lu Zhixin replied: Hucheng’s heart, huh?

  Xu Tingsheng replied: That did happen, just……I suddenly felt getting some fame would be nice.

  Lu Zhixin replied: Isn’t it Hucheng Zhixin?

  Xu Tingsheng replied: Is there such a thing? How haven’t I heard about it before? And I didn’t even say a word from start to end, just properly attending lessons, leaving lessons, going back to the company and attending to that slutty dog Dongdong everyday.

  When some time passed and Lu Zhixin had not replied, Xu Tingsheng sent another text: Take good care of yourself over there. If you meet with any difficulties and I can be of help, just tell me about it.

  Lu Zhixin replied: Got it. I’m fine, no need to worry about me……

  There was one thing that Xu Tingsheng had not lied about. Attending to Dongdong had indeed become a significant part of his everyday life, having become a rather difficult problem for him.

  Dongdong seemed to really hate not being cared about for long periods of time, even though it was actually beginning to ignore Xu Tingsheng more and more. Also, whenever it had been left alone at home for a while, it would bite things in Xu Tingsheng’s house to vent its unhappiness.

  He thought back on the storm that day, where they had braved the rain and crossed the overhead bridge together, and also the mood from the cigarette and the sausage……the relationship between man and dog had really been quite okay originally.

  “Could it be that this slutty dog’s gotten used to being taken care of by beautiful girls, such that it just can’t be bothered with me anymore?”


  Sometimes, when Xu Tingsheng made a threatening gesture as if to hit it over those things that it had chewed to pieces, it actually even dared to bare its fangs at him.

  “Could this dog of an animal know that I don’t dare to kill it because of who its former owner is? Could it be that clever?”