Chapter 32

After Ruan Ruan finished speaking, the dorm fell silent.

The amount of information in that one sentence was overwhelming. Tang Tianman and the eavesdropping Li Tong both froze, needing a good while to process it.

Li Tong latched onto the most crucial point. She leaned over the edge of the bed and asked Ruan Ruan, “Who exactly are you trying to seduce?”

Ruan Ruan grabbed a pillow and hurled it at her. Once she’d thrown it, she flopped back onto the bed and buried her face under the pillow. “No need to answer—I get it. That face of yours is more than enough.”

Li Tong tilted her head toward Tang Tianman. “Ruan Ruan’s right.”

Tang Tianman frowned thoughtfully. “Well, anyway, I think treating people with good intentions can’t go too wrong.”

Ruan Ruan let out a couple of dry chuckles, then yanked the blanket over herself. “Go to your own bed. I’m going to sleep.”

Tang Tianman suddenly remembered something important. “Didn’t you skip lunch?”

Ruan Ruan replied, “Not eating. Dieting.”

“You can’t diet like that!” Tang Tianman said. “Skipping one meal will just make you eat even more at the next one!”

Ruan Ruan’s tone turned fierce. “I won’t eat the next one either! Let me starve to death!”

Li Tong tugged at Tang Tianman, signaling her to get down.

Tang Tianman hopped off the bed, looking puffed up herself. Li Tong whispered to her, “Right now, she’s not going to listen to anything you say. Wait until she cools off.”

“Mm.” Tang Tianman nodded. She pulled out her stash of snacks and set them on the table, then went to rest herself.

After a nap, Ruan Ruan was still huddled under her covers. The snacks on the table remained untouched.

Tang Tianman slung her backpack over her shoulder and headed to the library. She stayed until the sun dipped below the horizon. When she returned to the dorm, Ruan Ruan was still buried in her blankets.

Tang Tianman poked at her. “Do you want to lose weight or turn into Tongzi?”

Li Tong pulled back the bed curtain. “At least I got some work done. She’s just been sleeping.”

Ruan Ruan waved her hand dismissively, ignoring Tang Tianman. Tang Tianman climbed onto the bed for a closer look and confirmed that Ruan Ruan really was asleep.

And sleeping soundly, at that.

Tang Tianman sighed and asked Li Tong what she wanted to eat.

“You’re not waiting for…” Li Tong paused, blinking and nodding toward the person in question.

“She’s busy with training,” Tang Tianman said. “I’m heading to the cafeteria.”

Li Tong said, “Bring me some stir-fried noodles.”

“Sure.” Tang Tianman glanced at Ruan Ruan, set her things down, and went to the cafeteria.

When she returned, she’d not only brought Li Tong’s stir-fried noodles but also her own spicy hot pot.

The spicy hot pot from the Second Canteen was famous for its aroma—that mouthwatering scent you could smell from a mile away, always tempting students into a frenzy.

Tang Tianman popped the lid open and called Li Tong over to eat with her.

“You got so much! Oh man, this beef is so tender…” Li Tong played along perfectly, exclaiming loudly. “Fuck, fuck, fuck—it’s hot! Ah, so spicy, so good. Can I skip my stir-fried noodles?”

“Why don’t you dump the noodles in and mix them up?” Tang Tianman suggested.

“Hey, great idea.” Li Tong poured the noodles in with a flourish and stirred vigorously. “Fuck, my mouth is watering already.”

High carbs, high fat, spicy and loaded with seasonings.

All the things humans craved on a primal level wafted their alluring scent through the entire room.

Ruan Ruan finally stirred. She flung the blanket off in one go. “Fuck it, I’m done dieting!”

Tang Tianman and Li Tong watched as she leaped from the bed like lightning, snatched a pair of chopsticks from nearby, and shoved a huge piece of meat into her mouth.

“I’m done for,” Ruan Ruan declared. “The only thing in this world you can’t betray is good food.”

Tang Tianman pointed to the bag beside her. “I got you a salad.”

“After dinner, I’ll rinse my mouth,” Ruan Ruan said, spearing another piece of meat.

“What I mean is, go eat the salad,” Tang Tianman said. “Because this morning you were dead set on dieting and begged me to keep an eye on you.”

Ruan Ruan thought for a moment, then asked Tang Tianman, “Would you give up good food for someone who doesn’t even know you exist?”

Tang Tianman replied, “Of course not.”

Ruan Ruan slapped her palm against her own. “Exactly. Me neither.”

She kept devouring her food, and Tang Tianman didn’t try to stop her again.

Ruan Ruan had been truly heartbroken today. If food could comfort her, then let it for now.

They could deal with the rest later.

The three of them polished off the spicy hot pot, followed by a bit of salad to cleanse their palates. Tang Tianman ordered desserts and milk tea too.

They’d been eating from dawn till dusk. While Li Tong cleaned up the trash, Tang Tianman and Ruan Ruan slumped on either side of the table, too stuffed to move.

Tang Tianman rubbed her belly. “I feel like I’ve got a food baby.”

Ruan Ruan shot her a glance. “You don’t show it at all.”

Tang Tianman grinned at her. “Full and regretting it already?”

“Not really regretting.” Ruan Ruan let her arm dangle over the back of her chair. After a moment’s thought, she said, “I was pretty worked up this morning, and again when I came down for dinner. Now that I’ve calmed down, I think I can handle this rationally.”

“Mm. So what exactly happened?” Tang Tianman asked.

“I don’t want to be looked down on,” Ruan Ruan said, her expression deadly serious.

Tang Tianman opened her mouth to respond, but Ruan Ruan pressed on. “It doesn’t matter who looked down on me today or whether it was a misunderstanding. What matters is me—I’ll feel looked down on because deep down, I believe there’s something about me worth looking down on…”

Ruan Ruan paused and patted her rounded belly. “This. Everything else about me is fine. Just this.”

She gave a wry smile. “Truth is, which fat person isn’t insecure?”

“Time to lose it?” Tang Tianman gazed at her. “For yourself.”

“Yes.” Ruan Ruan snatched a sheet of paper and scribbled across it. “Here’s my written pledge in black and white: starting tomorrow, if I break your plan even once, I pay fifty bucks.”

Tang Tianman’s eyes widened. “For real?”

Li Tong crowded in too. “Ruan Ruan, think it over. Tangdou can afford to break promises like that—we can’t!”

“Who says I’ll break it?” Ruan Ruan shot her a sidelong glance and signed her name with a flourish.

With a flick of her wrist, she sent the paper sailing into Tang Tianman’s lap.

Li Tong said, “I suddenly think you’re badass.”

Ruan Ruan replied, “Don’t fall for me.”

Li Tong laughed. “Relax—one dorm, three lesbians. It won’t happen.”

For Ruan Ruan’s diet, Tang Tianman had already researched a ton of info and gathered all the supplies. They hadn’t really been put to good use until now. With Ruan Ruan so determined today, Tang Tianman felt a surge of confidence.

Maybe it was the habit from organizing research materials, but before bed, Tang Tianman sorted through all the dieting knowledge and tailored a new plan to Ruan Ruan’s specific situation.

It wouldn’t be too harsh—health came first, even if the weight came off slowly.

The next day marked a fresh start.

Ruan Ruan got up and immediately weighed herself, logging it on the chart taped to the wall.

Then she followed Tang Tianman’s meal plan to the cafeteria for breakfast, showing zero temptation toward sugary, fatty foods.

This time was different. Ruan Ruan could feel it herself.

Whenever a flicker of temptation arose, Jiang Xue’s face popped into her mind.

Why had she wanted to get to know Jiang Xue the moment they met? Why had she kept throwing herself at Jiang Xue, sticking her hot face to someone else’s cold butt, time after time?

Because she envied Jiang Xue.

Jiang Xue embodied the disciplined life Ruan Ruan had never had but always yearned for.

Jiang Xue wasn’t prettier than Tang Tianman.

But she was restrained, methodical, calm—from the tips of her hair to the soles of her feet, from her studies to her daily routine, everything was under her control.

She was like a clock that never faltered, always ticking along the right path. To someone as scatterbrained as Ruan Ruan, that held a fatal allure.

One day, two days, three days—Ruan Ruan didn’t break a single one of Tang Tianman’s rules.

Four days, five days, six days—a week in, and Ruan Ruan had dropped five pounds. The results were astonishing.

Li Tong stared at the scale and clapped wildly. “Keep it up, baby! At this rate, you’ll be transformed in a month. The dorm’s flower is about to change hands!”

Ruan Ruan smiled shyly. “The first losses are mostly water weight, so it drops fast at the start.”

Tang Tianman patted her shoulder. “Doesn’t matter what it is—as long as you keep going, you’re golden. If you’re feeling good physically, we can start adding exercise.”

Ruan Ruan flashed an OK sign.

Tang Tianman was stunned.

Because of her weight, exercise had always been inconvenient and exhausting for Ruan Ruan, so she’d hated it with a passion.

She hated doing it herself but envied others running or playing ball.

Tang Tianman hadn’t been into sports either—until Zheng Xiyu. Now she occasionally watched games and felt like an athlete herself.

So seeing Ruan Ruan ready to get moving filled Tang Tianman with pride and emotion.

Using the words Ruan Ruan and Li Tong used to tease her with: her “daughter” was all grown up.

Grown up, with secrets of her own—and the courage and resolve to stick to them.

Tang Tianman still didn’t know exactly what had happened that day, but from then on, they all tacitly agreed never to mention Jiang Xue again.

The exercise plan came from Tang Tianman’s online research, but she needed someone to vet it.

Naturally, that was Zheng Xiyu. Lately, Tang Tianman had been chatting with her frequently on WeChat, grinning at her phone for ages each time.

Zheng Xiyu approved of the plan and advised them to take it easy, progressing gradually.

It was the weekend today, so Tang Tianman simply dialed her number. “I might be able to jog along at first, maybe half a lap, and then I’ll be done.”

Zheng Xiyu chuckled softly. “If you can stick with it, even better. That way, when winter comes, you won’t catch a cold.”

“I haven’t caught a cold once since I met you!” Tang Tianman shot back, unconvinced.

“Quick, spit on that.”

“Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! No colds! Hahaha…” Tang Tianman burst into laughter. “I found this really interesting vegetarian spot. Let me know if you’re free the next couple of days.”

“I like eating meat.”

“I’ll broaden your horizons.” Tang Tianman smacked her lips. “Tsk, it’s pretty pricey, though.”

“Sure, I’ll cover half the bill.”

Tang Tianman shook her head playfully. “Girl, you’d be getting a steal. I’ve got a membership card—eighty-eight percent off.”

The two chatted for a good while longer until Zheng Xiyu had to head to training. Then they finally hung up.

The next day marked the start of a brand-new week. Three alarms—set at 4:52, scattered in different spots far from any reachable human hand—blared to life.

Ding-ding-ding. A hellish racket pierced their ears and lingered endlessly.

Li Tong was the first to drag herself out of bed. She hurled a pillow at one, silencing it with a thud.

Next came Tang Tianman, ever the sensible one. She splashed cold water on her face in the bathroom, then went to rouse Ruan Ruan.

Ruan Ruan was groggy with her eyes shut, but the moment they fluttered open, she was just as clear-headed as Tang Tianman.

She hopped nimbly out of bed, freshened up, and pulled on a crisp new tracksuit.

The two headed out and made their way to the track for their planned run, just as scheduled.

Early morning at N University was crisp and clean. As Ruan Ruan’s legs churned steadily along the rubber track, she caught a faint trace of Jiang Xue’s scent in the air.

Tang Tianman kept pace with her for one full lap, then slyly eased off, slowing to a crawl.

She was on the verge of stopping altogether when someone drew up alongside her. A familiar voice floated down from right above.

“Morning,” Zheng Xiyu said.

“Morning!” Tang Tianman bounced on her toes.

“Out for a run?” Zheng Xiyu asked.

Tang Tianman glanced over. Zheng Xiyu was dressed in her usual morning gear—nothing fancy, her body radiating the warmth of a fresh jog.

Tang Tianman had scarfed down plenty of breakfasts brought by this version of Zheng Xiyu, but she’d never run beside her before, never felt that little breeze whipping past her ears.

“You bet!” Tang Tianman exclaimed. Energy surged through her suddenly, and she bounced again.

“Alright,” Zheng Xiyu said with a smile, offering pointers. “Keep your mouth shut. Breathe through your nose. Follow my rhythm: one, two…”

Tang Tianman gestured wildly: Slow down a bit.

Zheng Xiyu slowed her stride even more—practically down to a stroll.

Tang Tianman caught every bit of it, grinning from ear to ear, smug and delighted, bursting to speak.

She pointed at her mouth and mimed zipping it shut, begging permission.

“Go ahead.” Zheng Xiyu reached out and tapped her forehead lightly, flipping the switch.

Tang Tianman’s voice shone as brightly as her smile. “Running with you is so much fun!”

Zheng Xiyu laughed too. “Same here.”