"Wang Lei, can you fucking wash your socks? They've piled up like a mountain in the washbasin. It's already hot in summer, and as soon as I enter the dorm, I smell something."
That day, as soon as Chen Pingjiang entered the dorm room, he smelled a sour stench.
Chen Pingjiang and Wang Lei's bunks were right next to each other, making him the first victim.
Wang Lei was startled by Chen Pingjiang's roar, then his face flushed, and he quickly took his washbasin to the washroom.
"Hmm?"
Chen Pingjiang felt the atmosphere in the dorm was a bit off today.
Usually, when he came back at this time, Zhao Shaoyang would be playing World of Warcraft, yelling loudly, but today he was unusually quiet, tapping away on his desk, messaging someone.
Seeing Chen Pingjiang return, Zhao Shaoyang hesitated for a moment, called Chen Pingjiang to the balcony, and respectfully lit a cigarette:
"Brother Chen, I have something to ask of you."
"What's up?"
Chen Pingjiang perched on the balcony with his rear sticking out, puffing on his cigarette, the glow of the cigarette butt making his face flicker in and out of darkness.
"Lend me five hundred yuan."
Chen Pingjiang turned his head suspiciously to glance at Zhao Shaoyang:
"You're actually short on money, what for? Lost too much playing cards with Wu Zhaogang and the others?"
After much hesitation, Zhao Shaoyang chuckled and said,
"I've asked Shen Menghan out for dinner, and she agreed. We plan to go to Lijing, but I'm worried I don't have enough money."
Lijing Western Restaurant quickly became the representative high-end Western restaurant in Dongjiang after opening for more than half a year.
The average consumption per person there was at least four or five hundred.
Chen Pingjiang frowned, thinking, but couldn't recall who this person was for a while.
"Who is Shen Menghan?"
As soon as he said it, he froze.
"Oh, don't tell me it's your 'princess'?"
Zhao Shaoyang felt 'princess' didn't sound good and earnestly explained,
"She's just working part-time there. Her family's financial situation isn't good, and her father is ill."
"What, your white moonlight has fallen for you?"
At the mention of this, Zhao Shaoyang's face lit up with excitement.
"Last time, we exchanged contact information. She actively messaged me, telling me not to spread rumors in our circle of classmates. Over time, we started chatting. Mostly, I guess it's because my charm is just too great. Brother Chen, you really have to help me this time."
Chen Pingjiang gave Zhao Shaoyang a deep look. As the saying goes,
"Good advice is hard to give to the doomed; great compassion cannot save those who abandon themselves."
He had clearly advised Zhao Shaoyang last time:
"Even off-duty, your white moonlight still won't fancy you. You might think she's pathetic, but she'll think you're poor."
But he didn't expect Zhao Shaoyang to still jump into the fire pit.
It was obvious to Chen Pingjiang that Shen Menghan probably didn't want too many people to know about her working as a 'princess' at the commercial KTV, which is why she proactively messaged Zhao Shaoyang.
However, Zhao Shaoyang, whether out of a desire to make up for an inner regret, or lust, or perhaps the thought of persuading someone to lead a better life, was becoming more and more invested.
After taking out five hundred yuan for Zhao Shaoyang, Chen Pingjiang began to imagine in his mind what his annoying younger brother would look like heartbroken.
A week after school started, everyone gradually settled into the routine of university life.
Those who wanted to study, studied hard; those who liked to browse the internet and read novels indulged themselves; those who wanted to date, dated.
Even the lives of the few people in room 603 began to change.
Zhao Shaoyang often skipped classes to go online and frequently messaged girls.
Dong Tinghui occasionally skipped classes, and his studies were mediocre.
He Siyu was a good role model, studying diligently.
Wang Lei never attended classes, usually holed up in the dorm, unable to extricate himself from novels.
Guo Dewen joined the guitar club and often went to learn guitar in his free time.
...
The next day, Chen Pingjiang, who hadn't attended classes for a while, finally appeared in the classroom, attracting side glances from a group of people.
Everyone knew Chen Pingjiang was busy starting a business and enthusiastically greeted him.
Before he could even warm his seat, Wang Liwen ran over to complain:
"My busy class monitor, you're acting like a hands-off boss, I'm practically dying of exhaustion. The counselor is also biased, always picking on me to do things. All sorts of forms to fill out at the start of school, applications for impoverished students, and I can't even find you."
Chen Pingjiang hadn't expected Lao Zhu to be so thoughtful.
"This is the counselor giving you more responsibility, a sign of trust in you. You must do a good job and not betray the organization's trust in you."
Wang Liwen rolled her eyes speechlessly.
"You think I'm a three-year-old, don't you?"
Dong Tinghui also came closer, threatening Chen Pingjiang:
"Old Chen, don't bully Wang Liwen, otherwise, I won't let you go even as a ghost."
Chen Pingjiang, while talking to Wang Liwen, rolled up his textbook and then swatted Dong Tinghui with it.
"You bastard, you prioritize girls over friends."
"What nonsense are you talking about!"
Wang Liwen put her hands on her hips, itching to hit Chen Pingjiang a couple of times.
She and Dong Tinghui weren't officially together, so she didn't like Chen Pingjiang saying that.
After they had teased enough, Chen Pingjiang appeased her, saying,
"You know I'm usually very busy, and being class monitor is really just a title for me. But I'm quite sensible. I don't want any of the honors; I'll give them all to you. Whether it's scholarships, joining the party, or anything else, how about it?"
Wang Liwen said,
"Who cares?"
But actually nodded in satisfaction and sat back down in her seat.
This was a matter of attitude.
She did all the work but got none of the benefits; anyone in that situation would be unhappy, so it was normal for Wang Liwen to complain a little.
As for Chen Pingjiang, he only wanted the title of class monitor and was perfectly fine with giving all the other benefits to Wang Liwen.
A waft of fragrance suddenly reached Chen Pingjiang's nose.
He looked up and saw Qin Bei leaning closer.
He was a little surprised, as the two hadn't had much interaction since the start of school.
"Something up?"
Qin Bei and Cong Nini were equally beautiful in appearance, both considered campus beauties.
Although they couldn't compare to the likes of Zhang Xinyue and Yan Yan, they were still top-notch.
However, Qin Bei and Cong Nini had two different styles.
If Cong Nini embodied a 'pure yet alluring' style, then Qin Bei was a sophisticated young woman, every frown and smile exuding charm.
Her makeup skills were particularly superb, which was practically a 'dimension-reduction attack' on other girls in the class, capturing the hearts of many boys in the class.
Qin Bei's bright eyes curved into crescents as she smiled and said,
"Class monitor, are you and Cong Nini together?"
This question stumped Chen Pingjiang.
"Are you that much of a gossip too? There's nothing going on between us."
Qin Bei elegantly curled her legs.
Her fair thighs swayed, catching Chen Pingjiang's eyes.
Then she naturally tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear.
"Then why are there rumors that you pursued Cong Nini, but she didn't agree?"
Chen Pingjiang grinned,
"She's dreaming."
Chen Pingjiang's impression of Cong Nini was still based on what she had said to him during the KTV dorm get-together.
From that, he could tell that Cong Nini was quite cunning.
She would definitely be a 'green tea bitch' later on, fond of collecting 'spare tires'.
Of course, Chen Pingjiang didn't dislike Cong Nini; they were classmates, and she hadn't done anything terrible to him personally anyway.
How she chose to live was her own right.
Having seemingly gotten the answer she wanted, Qin Bei strutted away contentedly.
Chen Pingjiang asked Dong Tinghui, completely baffled,
"I haven't been here for a few days, did something happen?"
Dong Tinghui tilted his head and whispered,
"The boys in our class like to compare the two of them. Then that day, Cong Nini said some rather unpleasant things. She basically implied that Qin Bei was nothing special, didn't look like a student, and had too much of a worldly air about her. Somehow, it reached Qin Bei's ears. Now, the two of them seem to have a subtle rivalry going on."
Chen Pingjiang was speechless for a long time.
"Indeed, 'where there are three women, there's a play,' the ancestors didn't lie. Even for such a trivial matter, they could make such a fuss."
Qin Bei now coming to ask about their relationship must be to confirm if Chen Pingjiang would side with Cong Nini.
During class, Chen Pingjiang, half-asleep, felt someone poke his arm.
He opened his groggy eyes and said discontentedly,
"What do you want?"
Dong Tinghui opened his palm to reveal a small white note.
"Here, Cong Nini gave it to you."
Opening the note, elegant handwriting read:
"Class monitor, check your phone."
The first unread message on his phone was from Cong Nini:
"Class monitor, what did Qin Bei say to you?"
Cong Nini, not far away, had been staring at Chen Pingjiang.
Her heart only settled when she saw him read the message.
In Cong Nini's eyes, both Qin Bei and Zhang Xinyue were rivals.
However, when facing Zhang Xinyue, she felt a subtle sense of inferiority, but against Qin Bei, she was very confident she could crush her.
Seeing Qin Bei sit next to Chen Pingjiang just now had made her very uncomfortable.
The phone vibrated.
Cong Nini saw the message from Chen Pingjiang:
"She asked what my relationship with you was? I said there was absolutely no relation."
Well, that thoroughly killed the conversation.
For a long time, Cong Nini didn't know how to reply.
Her face darkened as she imagined what Qin Bei must be thinking after hearing those words, yet she had to admit that Chen Pingjiang was speaking the truth.
She had recently learned that the dorm get-together was just an excuse Dong Tinghui used to pursue Wang Liwen, claiming that Chen Pingjiang had taken a liking to her.
At the time, she had also said a lot of strange things to Chen Pingjiang.
Now, thinking back, she felt embarrassed.
"Hehe, class monitor, you're still angry about what I said that day at KTV, aren't you? I had just arrived at school then and didn't know you well. Give me another chance, and I'll definitely show a completely different attitude."
Chen Pingjiang replied:
"What completely different attitude?"
Cong Nini: "I feel like you're very special, and I don't know if I like you."
Not long after, Chen Pingjiang replied:
"I don't really want to look for a girlfriend in college; studies are my priority, sorry about that. You're pretty good too, and quite good-looking; you'll definitely meet a guy you like."
After reading it, Cong Nini felt a pang in her stomach.
"Why did those words sound so familiar?"
"Damn Chen Pingjiang!"
Chen Pingjiang chuckled and put his phone back in his pocket.
He thought to himself,
"Damn, what nerve, trying to play me? I despise you girls the most, to actually use handsome me as a tool in your rivalry."
"Lao Dong, how much longer until class ends?"
Chen Pingjiang rubbed the sleep marks on his cheek and turned his head to ask Dong Tinghui.
"Five more minutes."
Chen Pingjiang let out a breath, surprised.
"I actually slept for so long."
Today's accounting class was like listening to gibberish for Chen Pingjiang.
He fell asleep shortly after.
It worked better than any lullaby.
(End of Chapter)
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