Chapter 13: Why don't you call me a lunatic?

Tang Chong was the first to arrive at the dormitory, so he had the right to choose his bed first. He glanced around and chose the lower bunk near the window as his place for the next four years. He liked the sunlight.

Although he came from a world of darkness and violence, where people who chatted and laughed with him one day could be sent to prison the next, his inner world was always soft and bright. His entire being exuded positive energy; seeing him would make you think of patriotism, helping the elderly and the young, and assisting ladies across the street.

He found an old newspaper under the bed, placed his duffel bag on the table, and covered it with the newspaper. Then he began a thorough cleaning. He wiped the windows, swept the floor, cleared out waste and garbage, and cleaned the tables and beds.

Tang Chong not only cleaned his own bed and table but also cleaned those of his three future roommates. The dormitory was not very large, and it felt odd to have his spot clean and tidy while the surroundings were still dusty.

Being kind to others was his principle, and he never wanted to make enemies.

Just as he was mopping the floor, the door opened, and "Master" Wang Aiguo, with his flat face, appeared again.

He glanced around the dormitory and exclaimed, "Wow, Tang Chong, you're great! You've cleaned the dormitory so thoroughly in such a short time?"

"I'm used to it," Tang Chong said with a smile. When he was young, the boss made him and the other prison guards clean the prison, which took over an hour each day. Compared to that, cleaning a small dormitory was nothing.

"Great. That's the spirit we need," Wang Aiguo praised. "Your performance is excellent. I'll recommend you for the Student Council."

"Student Council?" Tang Chong was taken aback. They had a student council in middle and high school, but he had never thought about joining. Dealing with love letters from girls was already a headache for him.

"Don't worry," Wang Aiguo said, seeing Tang Chong's confusion. "I'll keep this in mind. Once I finish the orientation, I'll come and talk to you. Now, let me introduce your new roommate to you—hey? Where is he?"

Wang Aiguo called out to a thin, short, and malnourished-looking boy at the door: "Li Yu, why don't you come in? This is your dormitory."

Li Yu finally stepped in, looking around cautiously, appearing nervous and frightened.

Tang Chong smiled and said, "I chose the lower bunk near the window. The other three beds are still available. You can pick any one you like."

Li Yu didn't say a word, just dragged a large suitcase in and placed his luggage on the upper bunk above Tang Chong's.

"Why didn't you choose the lower bunk?" Wang Aiguo asked. Generally, students preferred the lower bunks because the upper bunks were inconvenient and unsafe.

"I like the upper bunk," Li Yu said.

"Suit yourself," Wang Aiguo said indifferently. "This is your roommate, Tang Chong. He arrived before you and has already cleaned the dormitory. It wasn't like this when he first arrived."

Li Yu glanced at Tang Chong but didn't say anything.

Tang Chong smiled at him, indicating it was no big deal.

"Hey, you little brat," Wang Aiguo said angrily. "Can't you even say thank you? How can you study psychology if you can't even communicate with people? How can you understand others? How can you communicate with patients?"

"You used to be like me," Li Yu said suddenly, looking at Wang Aiguo.

"Bullshit. I've always been articulate and eloquent, unmatched in the world. How could I be like you?" Wang Aiguo was furious, pointing at Li Yu and scolding him.

"You were psychologically closed off as a child, with communication difficulties—" Li Yu's eyes darted away, looking unsure of his words. But he finally managed to finish. "Later, you were stimulated and became like this."

"You—" Wang Aiguo's mouth opened wide, staring at Li Yu as if he had seen a ghost.

After a long pause, he cursed, "Damn it."

Then he turned and walked out.

"Wang Aiguo," Tang Chong called out.

"I'm going to welcome the new students," Wang Aiguo's voice came from the stairwell.

Tang Chong turned to look at Li Yu, who was sitting on the upper bunk, and said with a smile, "Actually, he's not a bad person."

"I know," Li Yu said, looking ashamed.

"It's okay," Tang Chong waved his hand.

Bang—

The door was pushed open again, or rather, "slammed" open.

Then, Tang Chong felt the room's light suddenly dim, as if the entire dormitory door was blocked.

"Hey, you guys are here already?" said a tall, muscular man standing at the door. He grinned, like a gorilla, or Captain Akagi from *Slam Dunk*—still a gorilla.

"Yeah. Are you also in our dorm?" Tang Chong asked, inwardly sighing. Why do psychology students look so strange?

Li Yu was a quiet type, but he had shown his keen eyes and sensitive heart. Tang Chong could understand why he studied psychology. But this big guy—was he sure he was in the right place? He should be in a sports school or the civil engineering department, right?

"Yes. My name is Hua Ming. My nickname is 'Hua Wuque.' You can also call me Little Hua." The big guy's words made Tang Chong's skin crawl.

"Hello, I'm Tang Chong," Tang Chong said, feeling a bit suffocated. He pointed to Li Yu on the upper bunk and said, "He's Li Yu."

"Tang Chong. Li Yu. Great. From now on, you're my brothers, Hua Wuque's brothers." The big guy said heartily. "Come, help me with my luggage. I've been carrying it all the way and I'm exhausted."

Tang Chong smiled and went over to help him with the large suitcase. He didn't know what was inside, but it was indeed heavy.

A rugged version of 'Hua Wuque' came in with a small rectangular box and carefully placed it on the table.

He opened the box and took out a wicker cage.

Tang Chong almost fainted.

Inside the cage was a rabbit, a snow-white rabbit.

Hua Wuque brought his big black face close to the cage, speaking gently and kindly, "Little darling—my little darling, are you hungry? I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Dad was busy today, so I neglected you. Wait, I'll feed you something good. Let's have some lettuce leaves, okay? Shake your head? Alright, then let's have some carrots—fresh carrots. Is that okay?"

After greeting the rabbit, he quickly went to his luggage and pulled out a large bag of 'vegetables.'

He selected two washed carrots from the variety of vegetables, placed them on the table, and then took out a cutting board and a knife from his luggage. He skillfully cut the carrots into strips and put them in the rabbit's cage.

Tang Chong watched, dumbfounded.

He was even more stunned than when he first met his sister's butterfly group members.

"Little darling, eat slowly. Don't choke. Don't rush, there's plenty more—Dad won't let you go hungry," Hua Wuque said, looking very happy and satisfied as he watched the rabbit eat.

While the little rabbit was eating, Hua Ming turned to Tang Chong and said, "Its name is Little Darling. Isn't it cute?"

"Cute," Tang Chong nodded. He really wanted to say, "Not as cute as you," but he was afraid it might cause unnecessary misunderstandings, especially if Hua Ming thought he was confessing.

"Yeah, very cute, just like my daughter," Hua Ming said. "Seeing it eat with such relish makes me happier than eating myself. Why is it so cute, do you know?"

"---I don't know," Tang Chong shook his head. The question was too difficult.

"Why don't you call me a lunatic?" Hua Ming suddenly said.

"Huh?" Tang Chong was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"When you first saw me, didn't you think I looked like King Kong?" Hua Ming asked.

"King Kong?"

"Yes, the main character in a movie—not the human, the animal. You haven't seen it?" Hua Ming asked, puzzled. "Alright, a gorilla. When you first saw me, didn't you think I looked like a gorilla? Didn't you think someone like me couldn't possibly study psychology and should be playing basketball instead?"

Tang Chong looked at Hua Ming in surprise and nodded, saying, "I did think that."

Hua Ming didn't get angry; instead, he grinned and said, "You're an interesting person. If it were someone else, they would deny it—do you know why I came to study psychology? Do you know why I keep a rabbit?"