Volume 9: The Acidity of the Setting Sun
Chapter 15: A Tiger with Garlic Up Its Nose
That night, Lu Li lay in bed, constantly thinking: was there any way to get a hotel room without an ID card? The small rental rooms in the deep alleys outside the campus certainly didn’t require identification, but they were unsanitary and unsafe. He couldn’t possibly take the spotless Chu Jingyi to sleep in a place like that, could he? It would be too unfair to the young girl.
The temporary bed in the dormitory only had a single mattress, which was uncomfortable to sleep on. Lu Li tossed and turned, unable to sleep. His three temporary roommates had already become familiar with each other yesterday. At this moment, the three of them were playing some game together on their phones. They even invited Lu Li to join, but Lu Li looked at the thousand-yuan phone in his hand, a hand-me-down from Yameng, and politely declined.
He thought that if he came to Mulan University next year, he would definitely have to buy an apartment off-campus. He wasn’t very suited for this kind of communal living, especially eating and living with several big men.
He thought of the days in his previous life when he rented an apartment with Chen Jianing. Eating and living with a girl was obviously much more pleasant. Although Chen Jianing was a bit messy, the daily sensory experience of a girl’s delicate voice and fresh scent was completely different from that of men. A flash of inspiration struck Lu Li. Could he ask the Little Tiger to help him book a room?
Lu Li hesitated again. Would doing this be inappropriate? Would the Little Tiger agree?
The second day’s activity was a focused discussion. A total of fifty campers sat in a large circle on the grass of the sports field for a big class meeting. Lu Li was naturally averse to this kind of group activity; he had always been a person who lacked a sense of collective honor.
The hosting teacher would throw out some topics for the campers to answer, mostly questions related to social sciences and humanities, covering fields such as logic, management, economics, and psychology. The new students eagerly vied to answer, treating it as an opportunity to perform. Lu Li, however, was unenthusiastic and just went through the motions.
The Silly Goose deliberately sat next to Lu Li. As the others argued over the answers, the little girl’s hand secretly rested on Lu Li’s larger one. Lu Li understood. He took the girl’s soft, tender hand in his. Perhaps because she was nervous, the little girl’s palm was slightly damp with sweat.
She was actually a girl who was very easy to satisfy. Just having her hand held by Lu Li was enough to make her smile contentedly. Her warm body couldn’t help but lean closer to Lu Li; she just wanted to be a little closer to him. She pressed against Lu Li, the noisy chatter filling her ears, wishing the rest of her life could be just like this.
“Er… Lu Li, what are your thoughts on this question?” The hosting teacher picked up the roster, noticed that Lu Li’s number of responses was pitifully low, and took the initiative to call on him.
“Um… what are my thoughts… well…” Lu Li stammered. He hadn’t heard the teacher’s question at all. “I’m sorry, teacher, I didn’t hear you clearly before. Could you repeat the question?”
The teacher glanced at him and Chu Jingyi but didn’t grant his wish. “Sit down. Since you’ve come to the Winter Camp, you must be focused and attentive. I believe most of the students participating in this Winter Camp are from ordinary families, so you should cherish this opportunity even more. Don’t wait until the future to regret it! Otherwise, when it comes to the College Entrance Examination and you miss the mark by that one point, you’ll regret not having performed well in the Winter Camp!”
Respecting teachers and elders was a virtue in Shenzhou. Even though Lu Li didn’t actually need to participate in the Winter Camp and could get into Mulan University on his raw ability alone, he still nodded and listened to the lecture meekly. The hosting teacher didn’t make things difficult for him either and continued to call on others to answer questions.
Chu Jingyi’s ten fingers tightened worriedly. “Lu Li, maybe I should go sit on the other side. I don’t want to disturb you… If I really cause you to fail the exam, I’ll be devastated.”
Lu Li smiled, his large hand gripping hers even tighter. “Don’t worry, I don’t need the extra points from the Winter Camp. The only reason I came to this Winter Camp was to see you.”
“Mmm~” Hearing these words, the young girl felt an indescribable satisfaction in her heart. She let out a sweet, coquettish “mmm,” completely becoming a little lamb in the hands of the old hunter, Lu Li.
After the morning’s focused discussion ended, the campers had the afternoon for free activities. Lu Li temporarily bid farewell to the reluctant Chu Jingyi and, after asking around, finally found the classroom where Chen Jianing was having her class. He waited outside the classroom for about half an hour. After hearing the bell, students began to walk out one after another.
He saw in the stream of people a small figure being pushed and shoved, looking quite pitiful. Lu Li pushed through the crowd, grabbed the Little Tiger’s arm, and pulled her to an empty space.
“You—” Chen Jianing, who had been suddenly grabbed, was startled. When she saw it was Lu Li, her body subconsciously relaxed, and she was led away by Lu Li without any resistance.
“Why are you here?” Chen Jianing asked grumpily. “I still have a required course. I’m rushing to the classroom. If I’m late again, I’ll have to sit in the front row and get sprayed with the old hag’s saliva.”
Lu Li cut to the chase. “Can you help me book a room? I don’t have an ID card. I’ll transfer the money to you.”
Chen Jianing looked at him strangely. “What do you need to book a room for?”
Lu Li didn’t want to tell the truth, so he just said, “It’s an emergency. For tonight.”
Chen Jianing didn’t press further, just assuming he had some urgent activity. She took out her phone and fiddled with it for a good while before saying, “Alright, I’ve booked a hotel room for you on the platform. It’s the closest one to the school. I’ll take you there after my class is over. I have to go to class now.”
Lu Li was extremely grateful. The Little Tiger was quite loyal and her actions were swift and decisive. “Thank you. I’ll treat you to a meal another day!”
Chen Jianing looked at Lu Li suspiciously. “Remember to transfer the hotel money to me. It’s three hundred and ninety for one night. You transfer me four hundred. If you don’t pay up, the interest is one hundred percent per day!”
She really was a little money-grubber. Lu Li immediately transferred eight hundred to the little money-grubber on the spot, making her grin from ear to ear.
After parting with Lu Li, Chen Jianing hadn’t walked more than a few steps when her roommates came over. “Jianing! Jianing!”
“What?” Chen Jianing put on a sour face.
“What did your boyfriend say to you just now?” This was one of the female university students who had seen Lu Li the day before.
Chen Jianing huffed and puffed, lifting her head like a proud swan. “Nothing.”
These gossips, the men they find aren’t as tall as Lu Li, not as handsome as Lu Li, not as rich as Lu Li, and certainly not as gentle as Lu Li. Thinking this, the little tiger’s head lifted even higher, her nostrils acting as her eyes. For a split second, it was as if Lu Li had really become her boyfriend.
Another female university student said, “I think I heard something about getting a room. Jianing, are you guys already at that stage?”
Chen Jianing stood with her arms crossed, noncommittal. “It’s nothing special.”
“Are you coming back to the dorm tonight?”
“Are you stupid? Jianing is going to be with her boyfriend tonight. Why would she come back to the dorm?”
“Oh, oh, right. I’m so silly.”
Chen Jianing saw them chattering away and wanted to explain, but by now she was in a difficult position. Wouldn’t trying to argue her case just make her lose face? So she said nothing, neither confirming nor denying. Her behavior was taken by her roommates as a tacit admission, and so one by one, they began to tease her, telling her to be safe tonight.
Chen Jianing thought with regret, Next time, I’m definitely not going to bite off more than I can chew just to save face.
