The next few days were uneventful for Xu Tingsheng. When some professors called out ‘Xu Tingsheng’ during attendance taking, they were able to hear a righteous ‘here’ that was filled with conviction for once. Most of the time, they would glance carefully over for confirmation a couple of times.

  There was even one who said, “Oh, he’s really here. Looks like I can’t directly fail you for this module then. How regretful.”


  Actually, university classes on stuff like Chinese, History and Politics were comparatively relaxed. Virtually every group had a few students like Xu Tingsheng who usually skipped lessons from time to time, only becoming more obedient towards the end of the semester.

  At 9.50am, Xu Tingsheng and Zhang Ninglang returned to Room 602 after two periods of ‘Ancient Chinese Literature’. Old Wai, Tan Yao and Li Xingming were all still sleeping there.

  Although Lu Xu had clearly not attended lessons, he wasn’t here right now. He had probably gone to look for Chick Bao.

  After a while, Li Xingming too was awoken by a call as he quickly left.

  “Yangyang asked me to go with her to make the advertisement board for the new year party,” Li Xingming hurriedly emerged from washing his face, saying excitedly as he put on his clothes.

  “Doesn’t the Student Union have anybody?” Blearily asked the drowsy Tan Yao who was the Vice Head of the Student Union in name but actually seldom participated in their affairs.

  “But aren’t I more familiar with Yanzhou?” Li Xingming chuckled as he soon left.

  After a while, Old Wai said, “The fella definitely boasted in front of his girl again, saying that he knows someone and that he can help get a discount or whatnot, paying the difference in price himself in the end. It’s nothing much, really. Men all like face. Who’s never slapped their face swollen and acted like a plump rich dude before?”


  Zhang Ninglang smiled, saying, “I and our junior haven’t. We’re always calculating on how to save money together.”


  Tan Yao asked resentfully, “Do you think everyone has it as good as you?!”


  After sitting around leisurely for a while, Xu Tingsheng returned Apple an email on his computer, apologising to her and carefully explaining why it was that he had not ‘casually stopped by’ New York. Then, he surfed the Internet for a bit……it was on the Internet that Hucheng’s boss learnt the news that was related to his company.

  The lawsuit.

  The attack on ‘Youxin’.

  Xu Tingsheng did not know the specifics of this and did not think too much about it. He thought that Lu Zhixin had probably not reported this to him in order to give him some space to recover.

  Worried that Lu Zhixin might be too busy, being under too much stress, Xu Tingsheng gave her a call, asking briefly about the two things he had learnt about on the internet.

  Actually, there were two other things which Lu Zhixin did not tell Xu Tingsheng about over the phone, this being the delay of the acquisition of a training institute in Xihu and Tang Guangyi having shifted to another department.

  “Relax, I’ve already finished making all the arrangements. There won’t be any problems,” Lu Zhixin said, “Actually, all the remaining matters have been arranged for as well. I will be free after this to properly prepare for finals.”


  “That’s good then,” Xu Tingsheng said.

  “Yep. Take the exams in peace and then go home when the holidays come. I hope that you can go home happily for the new year. We don’t have to worry about Hucheng’s matters for the time being.”


  Lu Zhixin had just hung up when Tang Yufei walked in.

  “In an interview with the media yesterday, the boss of Youxin scolded us, saying that we are a gangster company, that the contracts we signed with the companies are tyrannical. Also, in the matter of that former teacher, he said that we intentionally arranged that, competing unethically,” Tang Yufei said.

  Lu Zhixin smiled, saying breezily, “Get Lawyer Zhang to send him a lawyer’s letter. Sue him for libel.”


  Taken aback, Tang Yufei asked, “But our chances of winning the lawsuit wouldn’t be high, right? Judges will generally mediate and play down things like this. Also, even if we win, we probably won’t get much in terms of compensation.”


  “It’s just to make things difficult for him,” Lu Zhixin said, “I predict that over this period of time, those investors of his will already be starting to consider backing out, some of them. Let’s find some more trouble for them now. In this era where everyone is impatient to see quick success, investors generally aren’t very patient at all.”


  “Understood. Then, is there anything else?” Tang Yufei asked before taking her leave.

  Lu Zhixin retrieved an office key from a drawer, saying, “Sis Yufei, this is for you. For the upcoming time, come directly to this office for work every day.”


  Tang Yufei was somewhat unable to get her head around this.

  Lu Zhixin put the key in her hand, saying, “All the upcoming work has more or less been taken care of. Therefore, you as boss’s high-class assistant can just be charge of implementing it. Let’s see, you should give me an overall report everyday. I won’t be able to come to work everyday for a while.”


  After this huge wave of activity from Hucheng, things would indeed be comparatively stabler for a time. It was fine that Xu Tingsheng did not manage their affairs. After all, everyone had long since gotten used to this. But to think that even a workaholic like Lu Zhixin could put things down so easily……Tang Yufei was rather taken aback by this.

  “I changed my major this semester. It’s easy to fail mods like this. Xu Tingsheng expressly mentioned this before. I don’t want to be laughed at by him, so I intend to earnestly attend lessons and revise for finals.”


  As she spoke of Xu Tingsheng, Lu Zhixin’s tone and manner were totally different.

  Knowing this, Tang Yufei entered the mode that she used for speaking with her bosom female friend, smiling slyly, “It’s not just that, right? The way I see it, it’s grabbing……with the company’s affairs more or less dealt with, your individual assault is about to begin.”


  Lu Zhixin nudged her away, holding her hands as she smiled, nodding, “Yep, I intend to get him to go with me to revise at the library. Then, we can eat a meal and go for a stroll together, right?”


  “University relationship……feels-style assault?” Tang Yufei asked.

  “Right,” Lu Zhixin hid nothing as she nodded and admitted it.

  “Not ******* anymore?”


  “.……no, that seems to be pretty ineffective. That day, I……”


  Lu Zhixin recounted how she had asked Xu Tingsheng to stay at the riverside residence that night.

  After hearing her out, Tang Yuxin smiled, “Stupid. Who uses talking for *******? My teachings were totally wasted on you.”


  Lu Zhixin insisted, “Anyway, with my understanding of him, he instead yearns for simple things like this more. Actually, the same goes for me too! I’m just twenty. Xu Tingsheng even said that I’m just a young girl.”


  “Don’t laugh, Sis Yufei, when I say this. Actually, I’ve recently been thinking: Those people who are in a relationship-how do they end up holding hands for the first time? Naturally, or do they ask first? Sis Yufei, how did you come to hold hands for the first time? Do you still remember?”


  How was this the Lu Zhixin who had been going around decisively inflicting lethal damage for the past few days?

  Tang Yufei thought about it for a while before replying, “I can’t remember. Still, I do remember the first time I slept with someone. I remember that the bastard said at first that he just wanted to lie down together and sleep for a while. He swore a deadly vow that he wouldn’t do anything to me. Then, he hugged me, saying that he just wanted to hug for a while as he fell asleep, that he definitely wouldn’t make any false moves……”


  “Then, hugging for a while turned into touching for a while, looking for a while……and in the end, I somehow ended up giving it to him. Right, the first time’s pretty painful. You should be prepared for that. Remember to ask Xu Tingsheng to be gentler then.”


  “Huh? He should be gentler……I……hey, Sis Yufei, why’re you always talking about such things……”


  The two frolicked about for a while before Tang Yufei’s expression calmed and she said earnestly, “It’s actually great this way, really. Maybe I’m afraid that you’re always under too much pressure, but hearing you talking about all this, knowing that you’re thinking about such ordinary little things, I instead find this to be a very blissful thing for some reason. Go on, good luck! Take down Xu Tingsheng.”


  Tang Yufei pumped a fist, cheering Lu Zhixin on.

  Returning to the second floor of the riverside residence, Lu Zhixin removed her makeup, taking off that grey professional suit and putting on a warm-coloured blouse and sweater, white jeans and white canvas shoes.

  When she let down her long hair and walked into campus with a radiant smile and a light gait……

  “Doesn’t she always wear cold-coloured clothes and put on a cold face?”


  While it was clearly winter, as those guys who rarely saw Lu Zhixin smile despite attending lessons with her saw this, they vaguely felt as though……winter had just set in, but why did it feel like spring had arrived so quickly?

  The second and third year seniors patiently and painstakingly advised the first year juniors who were already all staring in a silly manner by the roadside, “New, don’t recognise her? Once the flower of the English faculty, now the goddess of Finance, that’s Lu Zhixin! Sadly……she’s taken.”


  “There are only incompetents, no current ownership that cannot be transferred,” Some rather more confident junior declared confidently.

  “You can just forget about it. Hucheng Zhixin, heard of it? ……A programme her boyfriend has sponsored to assist working university students-even that’s named after her.”


  “.……”


  Seeing such a Lu Zhixin on his way back to his dormitory, even Xu Tingsheng suffered a fright.

  “You……what’s this?” Xu Tingsheng asked.

  “I……” A nervous Lu Zhixin turned a full round and examined her clothes even as she asked, “What is it? Is it……I don’t look nice?”


  Xu Tingsheng examined her, smiling, “You do look nice, but it isn’t normal! How do I put it? It feels like Abbess Miejue suddenly put on a girly dress.”


  Abbess Miejue, Lu Zhixin, glared at him.

  “Where’s your Heaven Reliant Sword?” Xu Tingsheng continued messing around, not fearing for his life.

  Lu Zhixin groaned tragically, “If I had the Heaven Reliant Sword, I’d hack you dead in one blow.”


  “Abbess is vicious indeed,” Xu Tingsheng said, “Alright, stop messing around……”


  “I……just who’s messing around?” Lu Zhixin was really feeling very pained now.

  Xu Tingsheng chose to ignore this as he asked, “Right, what are you doing here dressed like this?”


  Lu Zhixin replied, “I was……waiting for you.”


  “Huh?”


  “I wanted to ask you: Are you going to the library to revise tonight?”


  “I’m not……”


  “.……But we’ve got exams coming up.”


  “Right, but do you think that our Chinese is as crazy hardcore as those whatever Finance or Accounting stuff? We just need to memorise the primary content of a few books and prepare a few notes, and everything’s all settled.”


  “.……Take it like you’re accompanying me then.”


  “Let me think about it……”


  “Yeah.”


  “Another day, perhaps.”


  Lu Zhixin was finally unable to keep from sending a kick at Xu Tingsheng before she furiously turned and stormed off for the library.

  A short distance away, Tang Yufei who had originally intended to send Lu Zhixin a document to sign smiled wryly for a while before she turned the car around, “I’d better not interrupt her today. This Xu Tingsheng, really……”


  Tang Yufei recalled the girls whom she had learnt were related to Xu Tingsheng from Lu Zhixin. That beautiful artiste, Apple, a nice little junior who had come knocking on their door one day, and some unknown girl that no one had seen yet might hold the greatest place in Xu Tingsheng’s heart.

  “With Zhixin’s looks, familial background, capabilities……she clearly should be pursued by countless people. It shouldn’t be possible that there’d come a day where she’s waiting for someone, fighting for him. Yet, in reality……things had turned out this way despite everything.

  And those other girls……all seemed very outstanding too, didn’t they?!

  An encounter with Tingsheng impedes living forever? ……God forbid!