When Chen Hansheng sat down earlier, he "unintentionally" placed his hand on Xiao Rongyu's shoulder. At that moment, he could clearly feel her soft body suddenly tense up. However, surrounded by a group of bashful male students, Xiao Rongyu turned her head without saying anything.
Now that the crowd had dispersed, Xiao Rongyu felt the gesture was too intimate and reminded Chen Hansheng to be more mindful.
"Oh, I just can't seem to control this hand of mine," Chen Hansheng responded playfully, but it was obvious to anyone that he had done it on purpose.
Xiao Rongyu sighed inwardly. Ever since she turned down Chen Hansheng's confession, he had continuously been crossing boundaries, whether verbally, physically, or in his thoughts. By all logic, she should have been angry, but she also felt that reacting too strongly would seem pretentious. After all, they were classmates, friends, and fellow townsfolk in a new place.
"After all, he has liked me for three years—might as well let it go," Xiao Rongyu thought to herself as she glanced at Chen Hansheng. His facial features were sharp, with a playful and defiant look in his eyes. Chen Hansheng had been like this since high school, although he used to treat her with more respect back then.
Chen Hansheng didn't notice Xiao Rongyu's expression as he gazed at the familiar yet foreign city, his mind filled with memories.
"Years have passed, and who would have thought I'd come back? How are all the girls at the university?"
…
The trip from Jianye Train Station to Jiangling University Town took about an hour. Many new students, unfamiliar with such a long bus ride, felt nauseous from the swaying. Even Xiao Rongyu's face looked pale when she got off, prompting Chen Hansheng to silently curse the driver, who drove the bus like a low-flying plane.
Donghai University and the School of Finance were separated by only a 30-meter-wide road, making them true neighbors.
"Just can't tell her that I will protect you and make you smile…" Suddenly, Xiao Rongyu's phone rang, and Chen Hansheng recognized Jay Chou's song, *Can't Speak*. He mused about how the 2000s to 2010s were the golden era of Chinese pop music, with countless classics that never grew old.
But that was just a thought—Chen Hansheng, being tone-deaf, would never plagiarize lyrics.
The call was from Gao Jialiang, who hadn't forgotten about his crush even after arriving at school and had called specifically to check on her. Xiao Rongyu kept the conversation brief, but Gao Jialiang wouldn't stop repeating things like, "Take good care of yourself," "I'll come find you as soon as I'm settled," and "Be careful not to get tanned."
Chen Hansheng, feeling annoyed, grabbed the phone and said, "Enough with the chatter, I'll take care of Xiao Rongyu." Then he hung up.
Xiao Rongyu, though not eager to talk to Gao Jialiang, felt it was inappropriate for Chen Hansheng to hang up the call without her consent.
"How could you do that?" Xiao Rongyu tried to reason with him.
Chen Hansheng glanced at her luggage on the ground and said, "Are you coming or not? If not, I'll go back to my own school."
Xiao Rongyu had a lot of luggage that she couldn't manage by herself. She glared at him but eventually conceded.
"Xiao Chen, let's make up."
Chen Hansheng paused, surprised. "What do you mean by 'make up'?"
"I mean, let's go back to how we used to be, okay?" Xiao Rongyu said, feeling aggrieved.
Chen Hansheng understood. He thought to himself, *Yeah, right. Back then, I was chasing you and being nice all the time. Now that I'm not interested, going back to that would just frustrate me.*
But outwardly, he remained playful. "Sure, if you become my girlfriend."
"Xiao Chen, I don't want to date until I graduate…" Xiao Rongyu began, but Chen Hansheng cut her off.
"Okay, then let's not talk. I'll take your luggage to the dorm and head back to school."
Chen Hansheng picked up the heavy bags and walked into Donghai University without waiting. His attitude was as cold as it had been earlier at the bus station, leaving Xiao Rongyu on the verge of tears.
Chen Hansheng knew the university well and led Xiao Rongyu through the registration process. Xiao Rongyu silently followed behind, and finally, they reached the entrance to the girls' dormitory.
"I'll carry your luggage upstairs, and that'll be the end of my promise to Uncle Xiao. This way, your dad and my dad won't nag."
Xiao Rongyu wanted to say something but held back as she watched the "heartless and unreasonable" Chen Hansheng.
"Tch, acting all moody," Chen Hansheng muttered with a sneer.
As it was orientation time, male visitors were allowed in the dorms. After registering, Chen Hansheng noticed Xiao Rongyu was walking ahead slowly.
"Xiao Rongyu," he called.
"What now?" she snapped, ready to demand an apology no matter what he said.
"You're heading toward the public restroom. The dorm is this way, idiot," he said disdainfully.
"Oh, oh, okay," Xiao Rongyu muttered, embarrassed, giving up on asking for an apology.
When they opened the door to dorm room 303, several girls were already settled in. They were friendly and helped with the luggage, introducing themselves.
"Is this your boyfriend?" asked a girl with small tiger teeth and a sweet face.
It was a question on everyone's mind. After all, most students were accompanied by parents, and only Xiao Rongyu had been brought by a male companion. Usually, this implied a romantic relationship.
Xiao Rongyu was about to deny it, intending to maintain a focused image in college. But Chen Hansheng quickly waved his hands.
"No, no, don't misunderstand. We're just high school classmates. Her dad had something come up and asked me to help, that's all."
Seeing his earnest explanation, Xiao Rongyu felt a pang of sadness. She lowered her head, pretending to organize her belongings while listening to Chen Hansheng chat with her roommates.
"So, what school are you from?" the girl with the tiger teeth asked.
"I'm from the Finance College across the street," Chen Hansheng replied.
Hearing the name of the college, some roommates lost interest. Compared to Donghai University, the School of Finance was not as prestigious, and many were still used to judging by academic scores.
The girl with the tiger teeth didn't mind at all, smiling as she said, "My name is Xu Zixi, from Jianye. What's your name?"
"I'm Chen Yingjun (Handsome Chen)," he said, boasting a little.
"No way! Who would name their kid that?" Xu Zixi said, turning to Xiao Rongyu for confirmation. "What's your classmate's name?"
"His name is Chen Hansheng," Xiao Rongyu said, rolling her eyes.
"What a mischievous liar," Xu Zixi said, giggling. She had a small, delicate face, sparkling eyes that darted around when she spoke, and fair skin that resembled freshly peeled water chestnuts. Her laughter revealed a row of cute little teeth.
"I'm serious. Hansheng sounds like 'handsome' in English. So calling myself Chen Handsome isn't wrong," Chen Hansheng explained earnestly.
"Haha!" Xu Zixi burst out laughing, and the rest of the room followed suit. Only Xiao Rongyu felt more heartache. Chen Hansheng used to joke around just to make her smile.
"Chen Handsome, tell us, have you dated many girls before?" Xu Zixi teased.
Chen Hansheng shook his head. "At my age, not many women make my heart flutter."
He glanced around the dorm and said, "You're numbers 104, 105, 106, 107, and 108."
"Pfft, such a sweet talker," Xu Zixi said, her eyes squinting with laughter. The room filled with laughter again. Compliments never failed to cheer people up.
Xiao Rongyu silently counted; it was exactly five people. Chen Hansheng had deliberately left her out. Watching him banter with her roommates, she felt an unexpected surge of jealousy, as if her man was flirting with someone else. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore, took a deep breath, and said as calmly as she could, "Hansheng, thank you for carrying my luggage. You should hurry back to your school and register."
Chen Hansheng nodded. He was about to leave anyway, but just then, Xu Zixi handed him a piece of paper.
"This is our dorm phone number. Handsome, feel free to call."
"No need," Xiao Rongyu interjected, rejecting it for him. "Chen Hansheng only needs to call my cell phone. He already knows my number."
The atmosphere grew a bit awkward. Girls who could get into Donghai University were undoubtedly proud. Xu Zixi's eyes flickered, and she walked up to Chen Hansheng, slipping the paper into his hand before hopping away.
Xiao Rongyu's eyes reddened slightly as she looked at Chen Hansheng.
Chen Hansheng chuckled to himself. Room 303 had some interesting characters.
…