Chapter 38

On the morning of the fifth, Du Ling dressed up beautifully and waited at the school gate for Yang Jingxing to pick her up. As soon as she got in the car, she started scolding Zhang Yang and the others: "Can you guys not be so disgusting?"

Zhang Yang glared at Lu Lin: "I'm talking to you!"

Lu Lin revealed: "It wasn't me who polished the shoes all night."

In any case, everyone was dressed up quite nicely, with hair gel, sunglasses, and decent clothes. Lu Lin, who wanted to grow a beard to show his determination, had also shaved his chin clean.

Du Ling showed Yang Jingxing the brand of her dress: "Over two thousand, bought at the start of the semester."

Yang Jingxing whistled: "More expensive than my whole outfit."

No wonder Du Ling had to gather so early; she still needed to get her hair done. Not just any salon would do; it had to be one on Huaihai Road. This really made things difficult for Yang Jingxing and the others, who spent a long time looking for a parking spot and then waited boringly for two hours.

Fortunately, Zhang Yang and the others could get their revenge. Du Ling's curly hair looked quite fresh, though it suited her face well, adding a touch of charm. However, her friends were immune to her beauty.

Du Ling was furious and shouted: "Yang Xing!"

Yang Jingxing quickly smoothed things over: "Beautiful, really."

At eleven, Yang Jingxing and the others arrived at the music college on time. After waiting for a few minutes, they saw a red and white Mini slowly stop on the west side of the school gate. With his good eyesight, Yang Jingxing drove closer.

Tao Meng had already gotten out of the car, a smile ready on her face. Zhang Yang and the others didn't make a fuss and followed Yang Jingxing out of the car with a cultivated demeanor.

Yang Jingxing opened his arms to Tao Meng, who didn't even look at him: "Long time no see, come for a hug."

Tao Meng turned her body to avoid him, still smiling at Du Ling and the others: "Sorry, there was a bit of traffic. Did you wait long?"

Lu Lin and the others didn't answer, just looking at Tao Meng. Today, Tao Meng wore a pair of red short-heeled shoes with water diamond decorations, almost matching Lu Lin's height and definitely taller than Du Ling. Her outfit was also well-thought-out, with black trousers that felt like silk, a white short-sleeved shirt with a wide and high collar that matched her exposed collarbone, and a cute black vest that emphasized her slim waist. This outfit was a world apart from her former school uniform.

Tao Meng's face was small, with standard features, neither too short nor too long, neither too wide nor too narrow, and her chin was neither too pointed nor too round. However, her facial features were distinctive, with small lips, especially the upper lip, which was thin and short. Her nose was delicate but had a three-dimensional feel, though not very high, it was straight. Tao Meng's eyes weren't particularly large, but compared to her small nose and lips, they looked quite expressive, with black pupils and light, fresh eyebrows that contrasted and highlighted her features.

Interestingly, although Tao Meng's face and features were slightly small, her high and slender figure contrasted with her slightly chubby cheeks, which were white and tender.

In short, Tao Meng, smiling and showing a few fine, white, and neat teeth, made a very good and deep first impression.

Yang Jingxing said grandly: "Come, let me introduce you..."

Tao Meng stopped him: "No, let me guess... Are you Du Ling?"

Du Ling and Tao Meng competed to see who could smile better: "Hello."

Yang Jingxing muttered: "So smart, guessed it right away."

Tao Meng ignored him and looked at Zhang Yang: "Are you Zhang Yang?"

She guessed right, but Yang Jingxing said: "Wrong."

Zhang Yang quickly nodded: "That's me, right."

Tao Meng glanced at Yang Jingxing and continued guessing: "Are you Lu Lin?"

Lu Lin nodded repeatedly: "Hello."

Tao Meng then said to Xu Wei: "You must be Xu Wei."

Xu Wei smiled: "That's right."

Tao Meng happily said: "Yang Jingxing often talks about you, feels like I've known you for a long time."

Yang Jingxing pointed at Tao Meng and said to his friends: "Guess who this is."

Tao Meng introduced herself: "I'm Tao Meng. We had a high school reunion yesterday, but Yang Jingxing didn't go because of you guys, so I came to see you. I hope I'm not disturbing you?"

Zhang Yang and the others said no. Du Ling chuckled: "It's our fault you couldn't have your reunion."

Tao Meng shook her head: "No, we're all in Puhai, so there are many opportunities." She then asked Xu Wei and Lu Lin: "Did you come together? It shouldn't take long, right?"

Lu Lin said: "A bit over two hours, pretty fast."

Tao Meng then said to Zhang Yang: "It's also fast from Nanling."

Zhang Yang nodded: "About an hour and a half."

Tao Meng asked Du Ling: "Which campus of South China Normal University are you at?"

Du Ling said: "The main campus, Shiqi campus."

Tao Meng nodded: "That's close, very convenient. I'm on Handan Road, a bit farther. By the way, do you have any plans for the afternoon?"

Yang Jingxing said: "We're waiting for you to help us plan."

Tao Meng asked: "Have you all seen his school... How about I come next time? There's not much to see in Puhai. Have you been to the Oriental Pearl Tower?"

Yang Jingxing said: "How about we go to your school, a prestigious university."

Tao Meng was serious: "Southeast University and South China Normal University are both great schools! Southeast University's architecture program is famous nationwide. Zhejiang University is now ranked higher than Fudan!"

Yang Jingxing nodded: "Okay, okay."

Tao Meng asked the others: "Do you want to go see it?"

Of course, they all did.

Tao Meng then asked: "Is your car crowded? Du Ling, do you want to come with me?"

Du Ling nodded: "Sure."

Tao Meng then instructed Yang Jingxing: "I'll go in front, drive slowly."

On the road again, Zhang Yang called out: "Beauty! I thought you were going to scare us!"

Lu Lin exclaimed: "So tall! Damn!"

Xu Wei said: "She seems nice."

Lu Lin asked Yang Jingxing with a grin: "Don't you have any thoughts?"

Zhang Yang asked: "How much is her car?"

Tao Meng really drove slowly, almost being overtaken by bicycles. It took over forty minutes to arrive, and they spent some time parking on the side of the road.

The boys went over and found Tao Meng and Du Ling chatting happily. Tao Meng said: "We have one in our class who is particularly good at being cute. Every time we stand in military posture, she makes it the shortest."

Du Ling envied: "Our instructor doesn't buy that, I hate it."

Looking at the time, it was already twelve. Tao Meng asked Yang Jingxing: "Shall we eat first?"

Yang Jingxing shamelessly said: "This is your territory, you treat us."

Du Ling gently punched Yang Jingxing's arm: "How can you let a beauty treat you?"

Tao Meng said: "It's my duty, let's walk, it's not far."

On the way, Du Ling walked on Yang Jingxing's right, and Tao Meng chatted with the girls. They naturally talked about the food in their school canteens. Lu Lin asked Tao Meng: "Do you eat at school?"

Tao Meng said: "I eat lunch at school, but usually go home for dinner. You and Xu Wei live close, so you can go home on weekends."

Xu Wei said: "It's not easy to get out, I haven't been back yet."

Tao Meng laughed: "Boys might not miss home much."

Du Ling said: "I don't either."

Saying it wasn't far, but they walked for over ten minutes. Tao Meng led them to a decent restaurant. In the private room, Tao Meng sat next to Du Ling and asked Yang Jingxing: "You can't drink with your friends, right? You have to drive later."

Du Ling said: "They've had enough these past few days... The other night, Yang Xing carried each of them up the stairs!"

Zhang Yang slapped the table, but didn't curse.

Tao Meng asked: "You all stay at his place?"

Du Ling asked: "Have you been there?"

Tao Meng shook her head: "I heard he lives outside the school." She then asked Yang Jingxing: "How big is the place? Can it fit everyone?"

Yang Jingxing said: "Each person needs about two square meters to lie down."

Tao Meng couldn't help but say: "You treat your friends like this?"

Xu Wei quickly explained: "Our relationship is different, very casual... We don't mind, we can sleep on mats on the floor."

Tao Meng then asked Du Ling: "What about you?"

Du Ling laughed: "I go back to my dorm, Yang Xing drops me off."

Tao Meng then asked Yang Jingxing: "Did you used to be called Yang Xing?"

Du Ling explained: "Only I call him that, out of habit."

Tao Meng nodded in understanding: "Let's look at the menu... We'll order casually."

The food here was much more expensive than Xiaodongting. Each of Zhang Yang and the others ordered one dish, and Tao Meng called Yang Jingxing: "You should know their tastes, you order."

Yang Jingxing asked: "What do you like?"

"Don't worry about me!" Tao Meng then asked Du Ling: "Do you prefer light or heavy flavors?"

Six people, ten dishes, Tao Meng suggested: "Lu Lin, you three can have some drinks."

Lu Lin shook his head: "We can't finish the food."

Tao Meng wasn't worried: "He can eat a lot."

Yang Jingxing was surprised: "You know this secret?"

While waiting for the food, Tao Meng chatted: "Do you all play together every day during holidays?"

Du Ling helped answer: "Eight out of ten days, the alcohol in our town is all drunk by them."

Tao Meng chuckled: "You all have known each other since childhood, right?"

Zhang Yang briefly recounted their history: "Lu Lin was in the same class as Yang Jingxing in kindergarten, I sat next to Xu Wei in first grade, and in second grade, Xu Wei and Lu Lin lived in the same courtyard."

Du Ling's memories were also triggered: "Back then, he and Lu Lin fought every day."

Zhang Yang proudly said: "I usually won."

Tao Meng chuckled and asked Du Ling: "Did you know them since elementary school?"

Du Ling said: "My mom and Lu Lin's mom were colleagues, but we weren't very close in elementary school. We became good friends in middle school... They were so bad in middle school!"

Tao Meng was interested: "How bad?"

Du Ling laughed: "Boys were afraid, girls disliked, and teachers hated."

Tao Meng chuckled: "You didn't dislike them, right?"

Du Ling said: "Yang Xing was okay."

Zhang Yang seriously said: "He was the leader, okay!"

Tao Meng was relieved: "Thankfully he came to Shangpu for high school, otherwise, he would have affected your studies."

Du Ling disagreed: "Yang Xing's grades were good in middle school, about the same as Xu Wei, both in the top of the grade. He scored over 520 in the college entrance exam."

Tao Meng said: "I know... He worked hard in his senior year."

After most of the dishes arrived, Tao Meng raised her glass: "Saying welcome now seems late, but welcome you to come often in the future."

Xu Wei and the others thanked her. They started eating, and the boys initially tried to act refined, but seeing Yang Jingxing still eating voraciously, they stopped pretending. Tao Meng and Du Ling remained ladylike, mostly just watching.

After less than an hour, Tao Meng prepared to pay. Lu Lin took out his wallet to stop her: "Let us, let us."

Tao Meng was serious: "No way... I might come to Quhang to play sometime."

Zhang Yang didn't care about Lu Lin's money: "That's our rule, we don't let girls pay."

Tao Meng said: "This isn't about gender, you're all guests, and I'm the local... Speak up!"

Yang Jingxing, of course, supported his friends: "It's a rule, sit down!"

Tao Meng glared at Yang Jingxing, but with the majority against her, she didn't say anything more.

Before leaving, they all went to the restroom. Lu Lin and the others seemed to have a good impression of Tao Meng, finding her enthusiastic and polite, with no airs.

The group slowly walked back, took out their camera, and continued to stroll around the campus. Tao Meng really tried to bridge the gap, taking photos with each of them, smiling broadly.

Tao Meng also found topics to talk about: "There might not be many girls at the University of Electronic Science and Technology."

Lu Lin shook his head with a pained expression: "There are some, but not many pretty ones."

Tao Meng suggested: "Du Ling's classmates might have many pretty girls, she can introduce you."

Du Ling said: "If there are any, I'll introduce them to Yang Xing first, he's so far away."

Yang Jingxing was happy: "Remember what you said."

Tao Meng said: "Some people at our reunion yesterday brought their boyfriends or girlfriends, but one couple has been together for a long time."

Yang Jingxing asked: "Who?"

Tao Meng glanced at him: "Do you want to know?"

Du Ling said: "Yang Xing was the earliest among us."

Lu Lin and the others didn't pick up on this topic, and Xu Wei said: "Two girls in our major have already been taken by seniors."

Tao Meng said: "It's usually like that... You'll be seniors soon, no need to worry."

The group chuckled, and Du Ling mocked: "They can wait that long!?"

They walked around the main road of the campus, laughing and chatting, and an hour passed quickly. Lu Lin's conclusion was that Fudan had many pretty girls.

But Tao Meng suddenly stepped aside to take a call and then said she had to leave: "I'm really sorry, my mom suddenly called me. I was going to take you to Lujiazui to see the night view tonight."

Du Ling said: "It's okay, go take care of it."

Tao Meng asked Lu Lin: "Are you going back to school tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"I can't see you off... Come and play often, Yang Xing probably doesn't have many friends here."

When saying goodbye, Tao Meng shook hands with Lu Lin and the others.

Naturally, the friends had to evaluate her. Xu Wei said: "Good manners, mature."

Lu Lin was realistic: "Can be a friend."

Zhang Yang was suspicious of Yang Jingxing: "A bit too enthusiastic."

Du Ling agreed: "Yes, feels fake. I asked her how much her car costs, and she said she doesn't know!"

Lu Lin said: "That's not unusual."

Du Ling asked Yang Jingxing: "Was she like this in high school?"

Yang Jingxing said: "I didn't see you guys in high school!"

That night, Yang Jingxing found a chance to call Tao Meng. Knowing she was with her mom, he kept it short: "Thank you."

Tao Meng chuckled: "For what?"

Yang Jingxing said: "You were so enthusiastic, I was surprised."

Tao Meng was angry: "They're your friends, okay? My mom grilled me for a long time. Is Du Ling your best female friend in Jiuchun?"

Yang Jingxing said: "She's my only female friend."

"What about your sister?" Tao Meng remembered.

Yang Jingxing laughed: "She's my sister."

Tao Meng said: "I'll call you when I have time to visit your school."

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