On Sunday, Room 602 in the School of Finance dormitory was unusually quiet.
Yang Shichao and Guo Shaoqiang, both internet addicts, along with Jin Yangming, who had just gone through the pain of a breakup, practically lived in internet cafes.
Dai Zhenyou, a background character, either read thick online gaming novels or lay on his bed sleeping.
Only Li Zhenan was studying in the dorm.
At noon, Li Zhenan had just brought back his lunch from the cafeteria when he heard the door creak open. To his surprise, Chen Hansheng, who had left in the morning, had come back.
"Hey, Chen Ge, you're done with your business?"
Normally talkative, Chen Hansheng was unusually quiet this time. He kept his head down and casually said, "Yeah, finished."
Then he walked straight into the bathroom, and Li Zhenan soon heard the sound of water running.
Li Zhenan, concerned, was very respectful of Chen Hansheng, who managed to be class president, dorm leader, and vice minister of the external relations department. Although he didn't study much, he excelled in other areas, including his relationships with women.
"Chen Ge, are you okay?"
Li Zhenan pushed the bathroom door open and saw Chen Hansheng brushing his teeth, with blood visible in the sink.
"Did you hurt your mouth?" Li Zhenan asked.
"Yeah, I accidentally bit myself," Chen Hansheng replied, speaking a bit slurred.
Li Zhenan didn't think much of it. Biting your lip occasionally was normal.
Just then, the dorm phone rang. Li Zhenan was about to pick it up, but Chen Hansheng rushed out and grabbed the receiver.
"It's probably for me," he said.
"Hello, I'm looking for Chen Hansheng."
A clear female voice came through the phone.
"This is him."
"How's your mouth?"
Li Zhenan, sitting closest to the phone, overheard. He tried to subtly listen for more details, but before he could, he felt a tap on his head. Chen Hansheng silently motioned to him with his lips:
"Shut up."
Li Zhenan rubbed his head and moved away, eager to learn more gossip.
"She sounds really pretty. I wonder how she compares to Shang Yanyan?"
Li Zhenan thought to himself. He didn't know many other beautiful girls, so he used Shang Yanyan as a benchmark.
"Xiao Rongyu, you really have the nerve. Now I'll have to eat noodles for half a month."
Chen Hansheng muttered.
The voice on the phone giggled joyfully. "Well, you shouldn't have kissed me without my permission. We're not even a couple yet."
Chen Hansheng was annoyed and didn't want to waste time on the phone any longer. "Anything else? If not, I'm hanging up."
"Hmph, next week I want to go shopping in the city center of Jianye, come with me."
The sweet-sounding girl's voice said.
"I'm busy!"
Chen Hansheng answered without hesitation.
"Then I'll tell my dad and tell Aunt Liang and Uncle Chen too."
"Wait, actually, time is like water in a sponge, if you squeeze it, there's always some left. When's the weekend?"
After hanging up, Chen Hansheng frowned and sat there, feeling regretful.
"It's my fault for being too careless. Xiao Rongyu's lips aren't just for anyone to kiss; her parents know me!"
Chen Hansheng sighed, feeling uneasy. This kind of situation was the perfect scenario for a marriage after graduation—both families know each other well, and the children are in a "relationship," both are university students, and in a small place like Port City, it was basically a perfect marriage model.
But Chen Hansheng didn't want to get married. What about Shen Youchu? What about the rest of his circle of friends?
"Good thing we haven't officially confirmed the relationship yet. I can always find another chance to break up with her."
Thinking like this made Chen Hansheng feel a little better. He turned and accidentally locked eyes with Li Zhenan, who was clearly desperate to know more.
"Did you hear?"
Chen Hansheng asked Li Zhenan.
"Just a little bit."
Li Zhenan replied cautiously, downplaying it.
Chen Hansheng sighed and lit a cigarette, "Women are like tigers. Li Zhenan, I suggest you become a monk."
"Chen Ge, I'm still a virgin, being a monk would be a waste."
Li Zhenan was embarrassed.
"You don't listen to older advice, then you'll regret it. What did Yin Susu warn Zhang Wuji in *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*? The prettier a woman is, the more of a liar she is. I'm passing that advice on to you."
Chen Hansheng spoke with a hint of disappointment and then suddenly remembered something. He turned to Li Zhenan and said sternly, "If today's matter leaks to anyone in our class, I'll castrate you."
Li Zhenan was startled, "What if someone else leaks it?"
"Same thing. I'll castrate you!"
The next day marked the beginning of a new week, and Chen Hansheng had a lot on his plate.
First, he had to push the "College Student Entrepreneurship Support Project." The framework had already been set by Zhong Jiancheng, and now he just needed to secure approval from the university's Youth League Committee and Yu Yueping.
Second, Chen Hansheng received notice that the student union was starting to plan the freshmen party, and that evening, the student union leaders would have a meeting.
The student union work was manageable. After all, Chen Hansheng wasn't the main minister, so he would just complete whatever tasks Qi Wei assigned him.
But communicating with Yu Yueping was proving difficult. Directly asking him to help with the entrepreneurship project was tricky, as their relationship wasn't strong enough yet.
It would be perfect if something happened to push things forward.
Just as Chen Hansheng was pondering how to create such an opportunity, he received a call from his counselor, Guo Zhongyun, informing him that Shen Youchu's student aid had been approved.
It seemed that Yu Yueping wasn't lying, and the money was already in the school. Once the Youth League Committee gave the final approval, it would be processed.
For Chen Hansheng, this was also an opportunity to strengthen his relationship with Yu Yueping.
The next day in class, Chen Hansheng called over Hu Linyu and Shen Youchu to inform them about the student aid.
"That's great! Now Youchu won't have to worry about living expenses this year."
Hu Linyu was genuinely happy for her extremely beautiful, self-conscious, yet kind-hearted roommate.
"Thank you," Shen Youchu quietly thanked Chen Hansheng.
Chen Hansheng smiled and playfully made a "kiss" sound to the air.
Shen Youchu immediately remembered the kiss they had shared that night by the lake under the moonlight, and her face turned red.
"What are you doing?"
Hu Linyu was confused.
"I'm practicing my speaking skills, planning to take the Mandarin proficiency test."
Chen Hansheng made up an excuse, then added, "Getting Shen Youchu's student aid settled quickly was partly my doing, but Hu Zhi's early work was also helpful."
Hu Linyu felt embarrassed since her work had caused more problems, and Chen Hansheng had to step in to fix things.
"But we can't rest easy. We still need to maintain a good relationship with the Youth League Committee, so I plan to send a small gift to Secretary Yu on behalf of the class to show our gratitude."
Hu Linyu didn't understand, "But isn't this part of Secretary Yu's job? We've already received the aid, why go through all this trouble?"
"Expressing gratitude afterward shows sincerity," Chen Hansheng explained. "Do you know what 'favor' means? It's about asking for something first, then thanking. That way, relationships deepen."