Gong Xiaoqiao slept on the top bunk towards the inside, with Leng Jing on the top bunk next to her.
When it was time to sleep, Leng Jing nudged her, "Hey, are you really going to go?"
"It's a great opportunity, why shouldn't I?" She hadn't slept well the previous night and was in dire need of some catch-up sleep at this moment.
"Would your family's Gu Hangshen allow you to go to that kind of place?"
"What's it got to do with him!" The moment Gu Hangshen was mentioned, she felt so irritated she almost couldn't stop herself from climbing back up to work on practice papers.
Speaking of which, her current excellent grades owed a great deal to Gu Hangshen.
The next evening.
When Gong Xiaoqiao passed through the small grove by the school on her way to Meisei Bar, she discovered an indistinct object bundled up in the bushes.
She swiftly sidestepped over and kicked it.
The object let out a yelp and bounced up.
"Tang Yu, why is it you again? You treat A University like it's your own house, don't you! Hanging around here all the time. What kind of perverted thing are you doing here lurking about in the middle of the night?" Gong Xiaoqiao stood with her hands on her hips, looking as if she were about to dispense moonlit justice.
Tang Yu looked up with tearful eyes, his hair dotted with bits of dry grass, a picture of exhaustion.
"What's with the dark circles? Did little Jing beat you up again?"
Tang Yu muffled his tears, appearing as though he had encountered a kindred spirit.
Gong Xiaoqiao squatted down, "Why do you keep provoking her if there's nothing wrong? Haven't I told you our Xiao Jing likes gentle and elegant gentlemen? You should learn from Leng Tou occasionally, stop bouncing around her all the time—grow up and be a bit steadier, can't you?"
"Knowing that she doesn't like you showing up at the school so ostentatiously, you still insist on coming. And coming isn't enough; you even had to drive that ratty flashy car over. Despite knowing you're so attractive you're swatting bees and butterflies, you still stand there posing. You're just asking to be smacked!"
"Pretension invites thunder strikes; I definitely don't want to act like that guy Leng Tou! Xiaoqiao, don't rip on me anymore, I really had no choice this time," Tang Yu said with a mournful face, "My mom is forcing me to go on a blind date next week."
"Hmm... so?"
"My mom gave me two options: bring a girlfriend home this weekend or go on the blind date. So I confessed to Xiao Jing again."
Gong Xiaoqiao nodded in understanding and reached out to pat his disheveled head, "Poor kid, no wonder you ended up like this."
Tang Yu exclaimed, "Xiaoqiao, what should I do? If Xiao Jing doesn't accept me this time, I will really have to go on that blind date. Absolutely not, I can't do anything that would betray Xiao Jing!!!"
"Ay! Should I say you're dumb, or should I say you're dumb!" Gong Xiaoqiao sighed.
"Xiaoqiao!" Tang Yu suddenly sprang up, looking at her earnestly and hopefully, with the kind of expression that made Gong Xiaoqiao bristle as if a puppy had just seen a bone.
"What?" Gong Xiaoqiao took a step back, warily eyeing him.
"Pretend to be my girlfriend and meet my mom with me!"
Gong Xiaoqiao immediately dodged away, "Are you kidding me?"
"It's just pretending to be my girlfriend, to help me dodge this bullet! You know how scary my mom is! If she makes me go on a blind date this weekend, she might force me to get married the next day! I'm still young; I don't want to die! Of course, unless it's dying together with Xiao Jing... to die for love, hey, hey hey..."
Gong Xiaoqiao turned her head, refusing to look at his unbearable expression whilst daydreaming, "It's easy for you to say, but I would be the one in trouble."
"You don't have a boyfriend anyway; what does it matter if you lend yourself to me?" Tang Yu said, implying she was being petty.
Gong Xiaoqiao's face darkened, "Even so, no way! Do you think you can just borrow me whenever you want?"