Chapter 20

It was the weekend, and Zheng Wen returned to her home in the old campus of the university. She lay on her bed, swinging her legs while reading a romance novel, giggling from time to time.

Her father, Professor Zheng Zhong from the mathematics department, walked in and said, "Wenwen, so relaxed, have you finished your math exercises?"

Zheng Wen was quite unhappy and pouted, "Dad, why do you always come in without knocking? I'm a girl, you know. What if I was changing clothes? What would you do then?"

"What's the big deal? I'm your dad. When you were little, I changed your diapers several times a day. I've seen it all." Although Professor Zheng knew his daughter was growing up and becoming more self-conscious, he still argued.

This earned him a big eye roll from his daughter.

"The exercises from Professor Kong this year, I've seen them. They are as difficult as those for the math department. You should do them well; you'll gain a lot from it," Professor Zheng advised.

"Ah, I know, I know. So annoying. I already finished them at school. It's so easy, okay! Dad, you don't have to worry about my math anymore," Zheng Wen said, as she was reading a particularly exciting part of her novel. Her father's presence was really affecting her mood.

"Really? You finished them so quickly? Can I see them?"

"I left them at school. Don't you know whose daughter I am? It's a piece of cake. Now, go out. Mom called you to cook together. If you don't go, she'll get mad," Zheng Wen got up and pushed her father out. Professor Zheng left with a puzzled look, thinking, "Is my daughter really that talented? Is she? Or isn't she?"

After a few steps, he suddenly remembered something and said, "You should get up too. You have a tennis match with Gu Pan this afternoon. Lying in bed like this, how will you ever find a husband?"

......

In Dorm 305 and 307, everyone was finally back. Cheng Cheng had rushed back from his hometown, and Dongdong asked with a sly smile, "Bro, how did it go? Did you apologize successfully?"

"Everything's back to normal. I gave her a good scolding, and now she's much more obedient. Women are like that; you can't spoil them. If you don't discipline them for three days, they'll start causing trouble," Cheng Cheng said confidently.

Just as he was speaking, his phone beeped. It was a call from He Qin. He immediately became nervous and slipped outside, speaking softly, "Hey, baby, you miss me already? I had a safe trip and just arrived in Ice City..."

"Damn, you're such a liar," Dongdong spat.

......

On Sunday morning, Liu Meng didn't sleep in until noon. Instead, he got up at 7 and went to the stadium to run 10 laps. In high school, Liu Meng was very diligent, running and exercising every day. Although he was thin, he was quite fit. Since entering university, his life had slowed down a bit, but he had grown about 1 cm taller and gained some weight.

Old Ma also got up early, as usual. On weekends, he planned to go to the library to read and relax, and then rent some manga in the afternoon.

"It's already the 23rd, only a few days until the 26th," Liu Meng thought as he went to the business hall. Today, it wasn't the young girl from before, but an auntie.

"I need a phone number."

The auntie showed him all the available numbers.

"Are they all here?" Liu Meng was quite helpless. The number he used to have had mysteriously disappeared, and he couldn't find it. He had even called it from the phone of the leader, Deng Jinyao, but it was still an empty number, not used by anyone.

"Son, these are the numbers available. If you're not satisfied, a new batch will come in a few days. You can come back then," the auntie said.

A new batch of numbers excited Liu Meng. Could his number be among them? He asked eagerly, "When will the new numbers come in?"

"Probably around next Wednesday," the auntie replied with a smile.

Liu Meng was in a good mood and had a mischievous idea. "Auntie, there's a young girl working here who recently broke up. She's in a bad mood. You should take care of her and help her find a reliable young man."

Aunties love to play matchmaker.

The auntie's face changed. "What? That girl broke up? She didn't mention it. Her father asked her yesterday, and she said everything was fine."

Oh, they were mother and daughter. Liu Meng mumbled a few words and quickly fled.

After breakfast, he returned to the dorm. The other three were still sleeping. They had spent the night at the internet cafe and had just fallen asleep. He took a cold shower, feeling refreshed, and checked the time. It was time to go.

Yesterday, while browsing the school's BBS, he found a post on the second-hand section. A senior was selling a used laptop. Liu Meng was excited. The configuration was good, and the price was reasonable at 3500 yuan.

The senior had bought it less than a month ago. His girlfriend thought the screen was too small for watching Korean dramas and wanted a desktop, so he was selling it. A new one would cost over 6500 yuan.

At the agreed time, Liu Meng went to the old campus. The senior lived nearby, and they met up quickly. They exchanged money and the laptop.

The senior was very friendly. When he learned Liu Meng was a freshman, he gave him a 100-yuan discount.

Luckily for the 100 yuan, Liu Meng only had a few yuan left for the bus fare. Besides the 3500 yuan, he only had 700 yuan in his bank account. He needed to find a way to manage his living expenses, but he wasn't worried. He believed he could make it in Ice City and that poverty was only temporary.

Today, Liu Meng was very happy. Solving the computer problem meant he could start writing novels and designing circuits. In the coming years, electronics would evolve rapidly, and he could make some money from small gadgets.

Feeling happy, he wanted to share his joy. He thought of Meng Hao, a fellow townsman who lived in the old campus. Meng Hao had treated him to a meal when he first arrived in Ice City. With the 100 yuan left, they could have a meal together.

Meng Hao lived in the oldest dormitory at the university, built around 1950. It had six floors above ground and one below, in a square shape, with 100 rooms on each floor, each housing eight people. The dormitory housed over 5000 people.

At Meng Hao's dorm, Liu Meng knocked on the door. A guy in shorts opened it and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"Meng Hao, is he here?"

"Hao, someone's looking for you."

Meng Hao came out in shorts, saw Liu Meng, and was pleased. "What brings you here? Let's go eat."

The old campus was divided by an underground passage, which extended into an elevated road after the gate. Below the elevated road were many barbecue stands.

Meng Hao took Liu Meng to one of them, where a few tables were set up. "Boss, 20 skewers, 2 bottles of beer."

It was clear that Meng Hao was familiar with the boss, probably a regular customer.

"Why did you think of coming to the old campus today?" Meng Hao asked.

Liu Meng waved the bag in his hand. "I just bought a used laptop from a senior. It's lunchtime, so I thought I'd find you for a meal."

"Nice, a used one, still a few thousand yuan. Where did you get the money?" Meng Hao was surprised. He knew Liu Meng's family situation, similar to his own, and that Liu Meng had taken a student loan.

"I found a part-time job writing online. A computer is essential for that. Money, well, you can always find a way. It's an investment, and I might make more money," Liu Meng said with a smile.

Soon, the fragrant skewers arrived, and the boss opened two bottles of beer. They ate and drank, enjoying themselves.

Most of the people eating there were students, and after a few drinks, they started chatting and laughing, making it quite lively.

Skewers and beer were a perfect match. They ate 20 skewers and still wanted more, so they each ordered 10 more and two more bottles of beer.

They talked about interesting things from their hometowns. Meng Hao was quite reflective. "We studied hard in high school, thinking we'd have a bright future after college, but we don't know what we'll do after graduation."

His tone was somewhat negative.

Liu Meng patted his shoulder. "If you don't believe you can achieve something, you definitely won't."

Meng Hao sighed, thinking Liu Meng was still new to college. When he first arrived, he was also full of ambition, but the decadent life in college had worn him down.

After a hearty meal, Liu Meng helped Meng Hao back to the dorm. On the way, they passed a tall, luxurious building, a stark contrast to the old dormitory.

Meng Hao explained that it was the international students' dormitory. Indeed, many beautiful foreign girls walked by, mostly tall Russian girls in revealing outfits, very alluring.

The Korean girls, on the other hand, mostly had round faces, which were not very appealing.

After dropping Meng Hao off, Liu Meng walked through the familiar campus, feeling confident and as if the world was in his hands.

He stopped by the tennis court, where an intense match was taking place. The players on the court were very attractive, and passersby couldn't help but stop and watch.

Liu Meng watched as a girl jumped and used her entire body to serve, a powerful shot that was a display of strength.

It was a very entertaining match. Women's tennis is naturally entertaining, and this was a doubles match with three girls and one boy. The girls in their tennis outfits, with their tennis caps, were incredibly beautiful.

After about half an hour, the players took a break to drink water.

As Liu Meng was about to leave, he saw two girls walking over. They saw him and exclaimed, "Liu Meng!"

It was Gu Pan and Zheng Wen, with a beautiful woman and a middle-aged man beside them.

Seeing Gu Pan in her sports attire, Liu Meng was struck by her beauty. The tennis outfit seemed designed for her. She wasn't skinny but had a beautiful figure, with a slender waist. The outfit suited her perfectly, and after exercising, she looked even more attractive. Liu Meng was momentarily captivated.

So beautiful!

So charming! ... Readers, feel free to add this to your favorites and give me your recommendations. This is a chapter over 3000 words.