Chapter 51

He He stood outside the door for a while, and the more she looked, the more something seemed off.

Is this female classmate interested in Chen Jingbai?

No one around her was as close as this female classmate; even the male classmates were farther away.

However, she didn't want to assume malicious intent towards others, so she pretended not to see it. She believed that Chen Jingbai would be able to handle it well if he knew.

He He walked into the classroom, and upon seeing the person, she happily called out, "Chen Jingbai."

Hearing the familiar voice, Chen Jingbai looked up and saw that it was He He. He smiled and asked, "Why are you here?"

The students who were standing around heard a girl call out Chen Jingbai's name and looked up curiously to see who it was.

He He is exquisitely beautiful, with radiant skin and arched eyebrows, so everyone who looks at her is amazed.

Chen Jingbai leaned back slightly, realizing he had bumped into someone, and frowned slightly. "Uh, everyone, please move aside, don't crowd so close. My girlfriend is here, let me go out for a bit."

The boy sitting next to Chen Jingbai said loudly, "Wow, your girlfriend is so beautiful. I've never heard you mention her before."

Chen Jingbai glanced at him but didn't say anything.

We're just ordinary classmates. He's not a loudmouth; he's not going to announce to everyone that he has a girlfriend.

Apart from his roommates who had met He He and knew that He He was his girlfriend, his classmates probably didn't know.

However, since he had met them, he introduced them to everyone. He He smiled and greeted them in return, her gaze lingering on the face of the female classmate who had almost leaned her whole body against Chen Jingbai.

He He noticed the glint in the female student's eyes and smiled softly.

Without much small talk, Chen Jingbai packed his things and said, "Let's discuss it again tomorrow. I'll go have dinner with her, and you can continue your discussion there."

Someone replied, "Since you've left, we'll go to the cafeteria for lunch now, so we don't miss out on good food if we're late. We were just listening to what you said anyway, and we couldn't come to any conclusions."

Zhao Xiaohui stared intently at Chen Jingbai, "Want to go out for dinner together? It'll be more fun with more people."

“This is the first time we’ve met your boyfriend.” After saying that, she glanced at He He standing next to Chen Jingbai. The two were behaving intimately, and Chen Jingbai had just taken the things she was carrying.

He He immediately realized what this female classmate was up to, and she raised her eyebrows and smiled.

Even Zhao Xiaohui's best friend felt embarrassed. Chen Jingbai's girlfriend had come, clearly intending for the two of them to have dinner alone. Wouldn't it be a waste for them to go along?

She gently nudged Zhao Xiaohui's arm, somewhat puzzled as to what was wrong with the usually clever Zhao Xiaohui today. Had her brain turned to mush? She couldn't even see this.

The cheerful male student casually said, "I wouldn't do that. Seeing people with partners sitting next to me eating so lovingly makes me lose my appetite."

As soon as Zhao Xiaohui said that, everyone could see that Chen Jingbai's face was so dark it looked like ink was about to drip from it. He clearly didn't want them to disturb his date, so who would dare to go up and cause trouble?

Others might dare, but he wouldn't.

As soon as he said that, the others echoed his sentiments and said they wouldn't go.

Seeing that no one responded to her, Zhao Xiaohui felt ashamed and lowered her head in a muffled voice, no longer speaking.

Seeing that they were sensible, Chen Jingbai said, "Then we'll be leaving now."

He left with He He, and the two walked down the corridor.

Chen Jingbai asked, "What did you bring? What brings you here today?"

He He: "My family sent me a lot of guava, more than I could eat by myself, so I came to bring it to you and Sister Jingyi. I've already delivered it to Sister Jingyi, but I didn't see her in person. I gave it to the dormitory supervisor downstairs."

Chen Jingbai weighed the bag in his hand; it was quite heavy and contained a lot of items. "My sister must have gone to the library again. Shall we eat at the cafeteria or go out to eat?"

The food at Rongda's cafeteria was pretty good; He He had eaten there a few times. It felt like ages since she last ate there, and she missed Rongda's food, so she said, "Let's eat at your cafeteria. I don't know how crowded it is outside."

The two chatted casually.

As they chatted, He He steered the conversation toward him, "Is there anyone at your school who has a crush on you?"

Chen Jingbai was puzzled as to why He He suddenly asked such a question. "What's wrong? I don't think anyone is interested in me. I'm not a very attractive person, and no one is pursuing me. Don't worry."

He was hard of hearing, so no other girl would be interested in him. They would just avoid him if they could. Only He He didn't mind and was willing to be with him.

When he first returned to the city, he went to a large hospital in the provincial capital to have his ears checked. The hospital said that there was a high chance of hearing recovery, and that the technology was now more advanced and that surgery would solve the problem. However, the medical technology in the province was not yet mature enough, and the surgery was expensive and might fail.

The doctor told him that to increase the chances of a successful surgery, it would be best to go to the capital for treatment. The ossicular chain fracture repair surgery in the capital is more advanced, and the surgical equipment is better. After all, the capital was among the first to perform this type of surgery, so they are more confident in all aspects.

Chen Jingbai didn't have much hope when he first went to the hospital. His family took him to the hospital immediately after the accident. The doctor said that the possibility of repair was not high and the price was too expensive to be worthwhile. No one knew if the surgery would make things worse. He could still hear and was not completely deaf. The doctor's advice was to treat him conservatively.

But things are different now. The doctor said that the small ossicular chain repair surgery has been steadily developing in recent years, and the technology is now much more mature. There is a high possibility that his hearing will be completely restored.

Chen Jingbai was quite happy. After all, no matter how much he didn't care, there would still be people who laughed at him because of his hearing problems. He couldn't hear others speaking softly, which would cause him to miss a lot of things.

If he could truly be repaired, he could live like a normal person, without having to care at all that he was an oddball.

However, the surgery was indeed expensive. The doctor at the provincial hospital told him that the surgery would cost about seven or eight hundred yuan, not including the cost of subsequent medication and follow-up examinations. If he were to go to the capital for treatment, the cost would be even higher, and he would also have to factor in travel expenses and accommodation costs in the capital.

Everything costs money, but what he lacks most right now is money; he doesn't even have a fraction of the surgery fee.

He He didn't believe it. Chen Jingbai was so good-looking, how could he be an unattractive person like she said? Didn't the behavior of that female classmate just now prove that Chen Jingbai was an attractive person?

"Really not?" He He asked again.

Getting into university is not easy, and all the students are enthusiastic about studying. No one has time to care about love and romance. They are all focused on their studies and don't care about anything else. Indeed, no other female classmates showed him any affection.

"Really, no. Even if there were, I would stay far away from them." Chen Jingbai whispered in He He's ear, "I will remember every moment, every second, that I can only be yours."

"Oh, you!" He He blushed. Chen Jingbai's words were something she had said before when she was in the Forward Brigade.

Back then, when emotions were running high and the atmosphere was perfect late at night, she blurted out those words without thinking. Now, he's using those words to tease her, in front of everyone—how shameless!

Chen Jingbai smiled, his clear, sharp eyes softening. "Am I wrong?"

He He didn't want to talk to him.

Chen Jingbai coaxed her, "Okay, I won't make a fuss anymore. Smile, it doesn't look good if you turn your mouth down."

He He was even more indignant, "I look good no matter what!"

Chen Jingbai: "Yes, yes, yes, He Bao is the most beautiful. No one is more beautiful than you. In my heart, no one can compare to you."

"That's more like it." He He was slightly satisfied, and a smile appeared on her lips.

The two arrived at Rongda Cafeteria, which was crowded during lunchtime.

Chen Jingbai led He He to find seats first. After putting their things down, he let He He stay in the seats and look at the things while he went to get food by himself.

When he returned with two dishes of food, He Hele excitedly peeked out to see what dishes Chen Jingbai had prepared for her.

Sweet and sour pork ribs, steamed egg, and stir-fried shredded pork with florets are all her favorite dishes.

Chen Jingbai looked into her bright, sparkling eyes. "How is it? Does it suit your taste?"

He always remembered what He He liked to eat, and when he ordered the dishes, he picked out all the ones she liked.

He He replied calmly, "It's alright."

The upturned corners of her eyes betrayed her nonchalance, and a closer look revealed that she was quite satisfied with the food.

Chen Jingbai didn't say anything, he just smiled.

After the meal, Chen Jingbai escorted He He back to school.

He was quite busy and planned to go to the library after dinner. Hehe was understanding and didn't ask him to go shopping with her.

Most importantly, He He was also tired. She had walked a lot today and her energy was depleted.

As the year drew to a close, the two rarely saw each other. He He wasn't busy, but Chen Jingbai was so busy that He He couldn't find him at all.

Sometimes she wanted to go shopping with Chen Jingbai, but she couldn't get him to come. This made her a little angry. She felt that Chen Jingbai was just a freshman in college. Why did he have so many things to do? He was so busy that he neglected his girlfriend.

Sister Jingyi is quite busy, but not as busy as Chen Jingbai. Cheng Sulin said that they can meet up twice a week!

This made He He, who could only meet Chen Jingbai once every two weeks, very indignant. Cheng Sulin was taking advantage of her and was showing off to her.

Many vendors selling all sorts of unusual items appeared on the street. At the beginning of the month, Chen Jingyi also went to buy some things wholesale and set up a stall on the street during her spare time. Cheng Surin accompanied her.

He He also went to join in the fun and found it was really good. She calculated that she could earn five or six yuan a night. If she set up a stall every day, she could earn more than a hundred yuan a month.

More than a hundred yuan is equivalent to three or four months' salary for an ordinary worker. All things considered, it's much more profitable than being a factory worker. No wonder so many people are willing to take the risks to set up a stall.

Now that the reform and opening up has only been going on for a short time, many people are in a wait-and-see state, not daring to do business easily for fear of being arrested by the police. Some bolder people have become the first to try something new and have actually made money.

In the past, supply and marketing cooperatives required ration coupons to buy goods in fixed quantities each month. But these street vendors don't require coupons, only money, and there are no limits on the quantity they accept. They are also very friendly.

Buying from any vendor is the same as buying from someone else; the best choice is the one that benefits you. That's why people prefer to buy from street vendors.

On the day He He went, there was a book stall next to Chen Jingyi's stall. Not only did they sell books, but you could also spend a penny to look at them on the spot for as long as you wanted. The stall owner was very good at doing business, and the book stall was surrounded by people in no time.

He He couldn't squeeze in even if she wanted to join in the fun. It wasn't until the excitement subsided and people who wanted to borrow books left to find a corner to read that she finally managed to squeeze in.