Chapter 31.031. [Second Update] She's been looping this audio...
He Yan didn't know what she was laughing about, but seeing that the gloomy mood in her eyes had vanished, he breathed a sigh of relief.
It was indeed a lack of consideration on his part; he shouldn't have left her there watching them leave.
“Every time I come to your school, I always run into someone selling roasted sweet potatoes. I’ve memorized their advertising slogans,” he said, handing her the still-steaming sweet potato and softening his tone. “You didn’t eat much for lunch, so give it a try.”
Although Wen Xue wasn't hungry, she still took it, peeled off the sweet potato skin, took a bite under his gaze, and said in a slurred voice, "It's really sweet."
Warm and sweet.
The heart, which had been drifting and unable to find a foothold, finally landed steadily.
Before He Heng passed away, she was never a pessimistic person. Although they were poor students at that time, they were full of expectations for the future. She sincerely believed that the future would get better day by day, and even if they encountered setbacks, they would only be temporary. She would never be tripped up.
Just like when she was in high school, her grandfather passed away, and her beloved grandmother also breathed her last and closed her eyes forever. After crying several times, she was still able to cheer herself up, encourage herself, and face the college entrance examination seriously.
She didn't want to accept a script that would lead to a downfall.
Her dejection and despondency were not just due to He Heng's accidental death. For a long time, she kept thinking that people often say that life is a process of trial and error, but if this is a test, what will she gain in the end?
What she received was not what she wanted at all.
If that's the case, then the difficulties she encountered and the pain she experienced were actually meaningless.
She began to become pessimistic.
Just like now, she couldn't help but think that, just as winter vacation always comes to an end, her relationship with He Yan and the dormitory building will also come to an end. After today, they might still keep in touch at first, but the contact will gradually decrease until it stops.
That's how relationships between people are often; there's no need to be discouraged, she comforted herself.
However, He Yan reappeared in front of her.
This gave her the illusion that he would always be there for her in the future.
"Where are Sister Jing and Nana?" she asked.
He Yan walked beside her, noticing the sweet potato stain on her lips, and smiled faintly, "I told them to wait in the car; there are some things I forgot to tell you."
"What?"
The two walked side by side, the afternoon sun warm and comforting. "Eat three meals a day regularly, don't miss a single one, remember to take your Chinese medicine on time, take good care of yourself, call me if you need anything, or send me a message. If I don't reply, it means I didn't see it, so please send it a few more times."
Wen Xue smiled and agreed, then lowered her head to bite into a sweet potato.
Before they knew it, they had arrived at the dormitory building. He Yan glanced at his watch and said, "You can go in now."
"good."
She carried the unfinished sweet potato as she trudged up the steps, entered through the glass door, glanced back—he was still there—and felt a little relieved. She continued walking in, and at the corner of the stairs, she peeked back over the wall—he was still there.
Although he was looking down at his phone, she still reached out and waved slightly, saying goodbye.
He Yan glanced at the order Wu Yuejiang sent, locked the screen again, and looked up at the dormitory building. People were coming and going, but he couldn't see that pale yellow figure. He stood there for a few minutes, then turned around and strode away.
…
When Wenxue returned to the dormitory, her two other roommates had also arrived. They chatted and laughed, and even took out snacks from their suitcases to share with each other.
As usual, Wen Xue's phone alarm rang; it was time for her to take her medicine.
Her three roommates curiously gathered around, watching intently as she downed the drink in one gulp—
"What is this?"
"Traditional Chinese medicine for regulating the body and improving sleep quality."
"Can I have a taste?"
"I want one too!"
Why do you have to taste everything? Wen Xue was both amused and exasperated. "This is medicine, it's very bitter."
"It's okay, I love bitter melon, I won't eat it if it's not bitter!"
"Heh, I also had an espresso today. Who do you think you are? I'm not afraid."
Under their piercing gazes, Wen Xue had no choice but to take out a bag and hand it to them. The three agreed to take a bite each. Ye Manni won the rock-paper-scissors game, so the first bite was hers. She tore open a hole, tilted her head back, and swallowed. Her body stiffened, her face contorted, and she stomped her feet, yelling, "What should I do? I look so cute!"
The other two were both scared and didn't believe in superstition, and as a result, they were both knocked down.
Wen Xue chuckled as she listened to their loud cries.
They seemed to have returned to their freshman year, working together to clean their dorm room thoroughly in the afternoon, then walking hand in hand to the cafeteria for food. Even after nightfall, the temperature remained bitterly cold, but wrapped in a scarf and linked arm with her roommate, Wenxue was like a duck in a lake; those who are immersed in the cold are often the first to feel the arrival of spring.
On the other side, after dropping Li Jingru and Nana off at the tenement building, He Yan stepped on the gas and drove back to the company. He then picked up Wu Yuejiang, who was working overtime, to meet a client. This year, they were considering whether to open up a courier service. When they went out for business dinners, they inevitably had to drink and socialize. By the time they got back from the dinner party, it was already past 10 p.m.
He Yan took the car keys from the designated driver and got out of the car. Out of some habit, he looked up and glanced around, his gaze stopping at the room at the end of the third floor.
It's pitch black. Are they already asleep? She went to bed quite early today.
After drinking, his thinking was much slower than when he was sober. After a while, he pinched the bridge of his nose and then remembered that she had already returned to school.
Wu Yuejiang was so drunk that his glasses were askew. The two of them staggered into the stairwell. The two-story staircase seemed like an endless ladder to heaven. They stumbled and staggered all the way to the door. Wu Yuejiang struggled to take the key out of his pocket, his body swaying as if he was about to fall over at any moment.
suddenly.
"Old Wu, come here."
He turned his head with hazy eyes and saw He Yan standing against the wall, waving lazily at him.
"What?" he muttered, still staggering over. "What, are you going to throw up? Then throw up somewhere far away."
"I've got something good for you."
He Yan's hands trembled slightly, but he still managed to find the switch on the rabbit lantern. In an instant, the soft light emitted dispelled the darkness, and he chuckled, "How was that?"
This little thing is still somewhat useful.
Wu Yuejiang: "...?"
He held back for a few seconds, then said, "Are you crazy?"
"Alright, you can go back now." He Yan waved his hand. With the light shining, the key was inserted into the lock without any problems. He turned it, and the door opened.
"I'll steal it for you tomorrow."
Wu Yuejiang chuckled and walked towards his room, supporting himself against the wall.
"Give it a try."
After saying that, He Yan slammed the door shut and turned on the light. He was a little dizzy. He groped for a glass of water, dragged over a chair, sat down, drank half a glass, and then, supporting his forehead, gradually regained his senses after the effects of the alcohol wore off. His gaze wandered aimlessly around the room, passing over the strawberry plant he had placed in the corner. Remembering how reluctant she had been to entrust it to him, he couldn't help but chuckle.
He downed the remaining half-glass of water in one gulp, stood up, took a few steps, squatted down in front of the potted plant, reached out to fidget with the leaves, thought for a moment, then took out his phone from his pocket, unlocked the screen, and slowly typed a search query—
How to care for a potted strawberry plant
The page indicates that it requires careful maintenance and fertilization, and it likes light but cannot tolerate strong light.
This is such a hassle.
He muttered to himself, but wrote it all down.
Wen Xue fell asleep during the late-night chat. Her roommates listened intently, and seeing that she didn't make a sound or laugh, they all tacitly fell silent. If she hadn't confessed today that she was taking Chinese medicine to improve her sleep quality, they wouldn't have known that she hadn't been sleeping well.
No matter what kind of relationship it is, no one will unconditionally accommodate the other, but Wen Xue is an exception. She is too good. In the first year of college, she would always bring them breakfast. When Ye Manni was heartbroken, her eyes were swollen like walnuts every day, and Wen Xue was always there for her, gently accepting all her emotional baggage. During exam week, she also helped them organize their review notes. Therefore, in the first semester of the second year, even though the three of them were very tired, none of them would exclude her.
The next morning, Wenxue had a dreamless night. When she woke up, it was not yet 6:30. She stared at the ceiling for a while, then reached under her pillow for her earphones and played a recording of Li Jingru whistling a song.
She closed her eyes, and suddenly a deep, slow male voice rang out: "Let me see if there are any parking spaces outside the south gate. If not, I'll drop you off at the gate first."
She paused, and after a moment of surprise, she remembered that such a thing had indeed happened yesterday.
He suddenly said something during Sister Jing's recording.
The audio stopped abruptly after he finished speaking.
She skipped back ten seconds and listened to it again, almost bursting out laughing. Worried about disturbing her roommates, she covered her mouth with her hand, but the laughter still shone through her eyes. No wonder Sister Jing was so angry; the whole song was only a few lines away from ending, and he had "ruined" it.
She listened to this audio on repeat for half an hour.
Half an hour later, the roommates gradually got up, yawning.
After quickly washing up, the four of them went to the cafeteria to buy breakfast. Wen Xue bought a bowl of soy milk and a fried dough stick. Ye Manni asked in surprise, "Why are you eating this?"
Having been roommates with Wenxue for over a year, this was the first time I'd ever seen her eat soy milk and fried dough sticks.
"It's delicious." Wen Xue smiled and, imitating He Yan's method, first drank half a bowl of soy milk, then dipped the fried dough stick into the soy milk. "I never realized before, it's really delicious."
"Then I'll eat it tomorrow too!"
Ye Manni hadn't even swallowed the noodles in her mouth when her phone vibrated a few times in her coat pocket. She took it out and saw a message pop up on the screen. With a look of utter despair, she complained with a gloomy face, "So annoying, so annoying."
"What's wrong?"
“It’s an aunt of mine. She’s a very good friend of my mom’s. We ran into each other during Chinese New Year dinner, and she asked me to help her find a tutor for her daughter. Where am I supposed to find one for her?”
"Aren't tutors easy to find?" another roommate said. "They're everywhere."
"You don't understand, do you? My aunt divorced a long time ago. Her son went abroad to study entirely on his own merit. She hopes he can get a green card and settle down there. It's all based on her own assumptions and thoughts. She also plans for her younger daughter to study abroad, thinking that the two siblings can take care of each other in the future. Her daughter attends an international private primary school."
"It turned out her son had no intention of settling down at all, which infuriated her. She pulled strings and went through all the trouble of getting her daughter into a public junior high school," Ye Manni said, rubbing her face in frustration. "But her daughter isn't adapting to the new education system and can't keep up with the pace. Her grades are at best below average. She wants to find a reliable tutor and has a lot of requirements. You'll see—"
Three heads popped out and all looked at the phone screen.
The requirements are indeed numerous, but also quite reasonable.
In particular, the requirement of being a "female college student" made them feel comfortable.
"Our aunt has such good taste!"
Wen Xue's attention was entirely focused on the three-digit hourly wage. Two lessons a week, two hours each, were arranged according to the tutor's schedule. With a slight change in her mind, she even ate her fried dough sticks much slower.
Before the midday break, she found Ye Manni in the laundry room and gently explained her purpose.
She wanted to try the tutoring job.
After her initial shock, Ye Manni looked at her with a slightly serious expression. "Wen Xue, are you short of money? If you are, just tell us. I'll lend you some, and you can pay me back whenever you have the money!"
Wen Xue was touched and shook her head, "I have money."
"and you?"
Tutoring is a challenging job. Two lessons a week may not seem like much, but covering Chinese, math, and English is not easy. Moreover, it often takes one or two hours to travel between the school and the student's home.
The other two roommates didn't seem particularly interested, but after careful consideration, they both gave up on the idea.
“Someone has helped me a lot, and his birthday is in two months. I want to earn money myself to buy him a more expensive and nicer gift.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com