If it were the past, Ou Lan would have definitely rushed over first thing and joined in the shouting troop, screaming louder than anyone else, "Baili Mu, you can do it!"
But today, she simply walked to her bed, picked up a book, and read listlessly, no longer paying any attention to Baili Mu.
Whether she admitted it or not, her marriage to Zhan Moxiao meant that she was out of the running for a romantic connection with the handsome man, Miss Ou was now Mrs. Ou, and any infatuation with a handsome man would mean being nailed to the pillar of shame for not behaving like a good wife.
As time ticked away, the room suddenly erupted into an even more fervent round of screaming:
"Ah! Baili Mu won!"
"Oh yeah, Baili Mu took the championship again!"
"My gosh, Baili Mu has broken his own record once more!"
A few roommates celebrated excitedly, dancing with their hands and feet, hugging each other, and even started singing a popular ancient-style song, "How fortunate I am to be in the same country as the Prince..."
As a few roommates were singing at the height of their excitement, they suddenly noticed Ou Lan quietly lying on the bed reading, and they looked at each other in bewilderment, "Ou Lan, when did you come back?"
"While you were all obsessively cheering for Baili Mu."
"Then why didn't you come to cheer?"
Ou Lan got up lazily, packed her school bag, and said, "Class is about to start, aren't you in a hurry?"
Looking at Ou Lan's retreating figure, the roommates were once again exchanging glances. This was very uncharacteristic of her; in the past, she was the one most infatuated with Baili Mu. What was going on with her today?
Lin Ziran quickly packed up her books and followed Ou Lan downstairs. On the tree-lined path, she caught up with her, "Ou Lan, what's wrong with you, are you sick?"
Ou Lan turned and looked at her friend who grew up with her in the Southern city slum and was so close that they could share skirts, wanting to tell her about her marriage, but in the end, she chose to keep silent.
All day, Ou Lan was sullen. Just the thought of having to move into Zhan Moxiao's castle that evening made her feel like she was carrying a mountain on her shoulders.
When school was over, Lin Ziran said, "Ou Lan, let's go have fun tonight, to celebrate my Prince winning the championship again."
"I'm not going."
"What's wrong with you? You've been like a lost soul all day."
"Do you want to switch souls? If you swap souls with me, I'll treat you to a year's worth of chicken soup and rice noodles."
"You're crazy," Lin Ziran laughed and slapped her on the head.
Looking at the time, there wasn't much left of the deadline Zhan Moxiao had set. Ou Lan quickly packed up her things, ready to leave. Lin Ziran looked at her in surprise and asked, "Where are you going? You're really not going to celebrate with us?"
"My dad wants me home."
Ou Lan told a lie and quickly left the dorm. She was afraid that if she exceeded the deadline, Zhan Moxiao might send someone to the school to look for her. If her married status became known, it would ruin her life.
Rushing out of the campus, she took the number 2 bus to the outskirts of the slum, then walked home.
Ou Chenghai was still busy in the noodle shop, so Ou Lan had to pack her things alone. The thought of having to move away from home, no longer able to live with her father, made her heart ache.
She had been motherless from a young age and had depended solely on her father.
Simple and unskilled, Ou Chenghai had managed to raise Ou Lan on the meager earnings from a small noodle shop. It had not been easy.
The truth was, Ou Lan did have a mother. She lived in the same city, only she resided in the affluent Northern District, while her mother lived in the impoverished Southern District.
Having never been cherished by her mother, and with a simple and honest father, Ou Lan had suffered much bullying. The ones who bullied her the most were her mother and the daughters her mother had with her current wealthy husband.
Suddenly, the door was kicked open and Wen Nanping, disguised with intent, appeared at the door, boding ill.