Chapter 3

The teachers' single dormitory was not on the campus of the Beijing Film Academy but in the residential area behind the school. Zhang Ran and his two companions walked down from the teaching building, exited through the school gate, crossed Huangtingzi Road, and walked for a few dozen meters. The residential area of the Beijing Film Academy was right in front of them.

The single dormitory was next to the teachers' dormitory, a six-story building. There were stairs on both sides, and the rooms were arranged along a corridor. Zhang Ran's room was on the 5th floor, room 505.

Zhang Ran, carrying his suitcase, climbed to the 5th floor with Zhou Zheng and Li Xinyue and found room 505.

Li Xinyue looked at Zhang Ran's door number and smiled, "Teacher Zhang, I didn't expect we'd be neighbors!" Li Xinyue had stayed at the school after graduation last year and also lived in the single dormitory.

Zhang Ran looked at the two rooms next to his and smiled, "That's great! I'll come over for a meal sometime. I wonder if you live in 504 or 506?"

Just as Li Xinyue was about to speak, the door of 504 opened, and a person walked out.

A young man in his mid-twenties, with a straight nose, dark eyes, thick eyebrows like a sword, and a well-defined face, stood tall and straight, a handsome guy.

Since they were colleagues and neighbors, they should get to know each other. Zhang Ran nodded at the man and greeted him with a smile, "Hello, I'm Zhang Ran, a new teacher at the school this year. We'll be colleagues, so please take care of me!"

"You're Zhang Ran!" The man looked Zhang Ran up and down, his tone neither warm nor cold, "I'm Hu Weiguo. No need for special treatment, I dare not treat someone who has returned from America!" With that, Hu Weiguo turned and walked away without looking back.

Zhang Ran was puzzled. He had just arrived at the school and shouldn't have offended anyone or caused any conflicts. Why did Hu Weiguo have such an attitude towards him? He looked at Zhou Zheng and asked, puzzled, "What does Hu Weiguo teach?"

"Hu Weiguo is a master's graduate who stayed at the school this year. He is in charge of the second class of the 01-level vocational program. If you hadn't come, he might have been the head teacher of the undergraduate class." Zhou Zheng shook his head and then lowered his voice to add, "His uncle is the deputy dean of our Performance College, Huang Zhenyu, who doesn't get along well with Dean Chen Jianfeng."

Zhang Ran understood what was going on. Indeed, wherever there are people, there is a 'jianghu' (a term for the complex social network in Chinese society), and the school is no exception. No wonder Dean Chen Jianfeng said there were many eyes watching. He thought it was a way to encourage him, but it turned out to be true. It seemed he wouldn't be able to stay quietly at the Beijing Film Academy!

Zhang Ran shook his head helplessly, took out his key, and inserted it into the lock without hesitation. He turned it gently, and the door clicked open.

The dormitory conditions were good, about 40 square meters, with a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and a balcony. Living alone should be quite comfortable, at least better than renting a place outside.

However, the room was empty, without even a bed. To settle in, he definitely needed to buy some furniture.

Zhang Ran looked at his watch; it was already past eleven, time for lunch.

Since it was their first meeting, Zhang Ran felt he should treat his two assistants to a meal. It was a matter of courtesy and would make things easier. He put his suitcase in the bedroom and went downstairs with the two teaching assistants for lunch.

At the table, the three of them chatted casually. They were all young and had studied performance, so despite being strangers, there was no sense of awkwardness.

Zhou Zheng and Li Xinyue were quite satisfied with Zhang Ran. He was handsome, had a good personality, and spoke sincerely, showing no pretense. He genuinely wanted to work together well. As teaching assistants, they hoped their teacher would be capable, tolerant, and cooperative, giving them a chance to stand out. They saw this potential in Zhang Ran.

Zhang Ran was also satisfied with the two of them. Li Xinyue was enthusiastic and had been the student council president at the Beijing Film Academy, making her well-connected and capable. Zhou Zheng was Dean Chen Jianfeng's graduate student, with a deep understanding of performance theory. Having them as his teaching assistants would undoubtedly make his teaching work much easier.

"We are all new teachers, and we are in charge of new students. This is not an easy task, so we need to work as a team and do our best to lead this class well!" Zhang Ran raised his glass.

Zhou Zheng, who was not a talkative person, raised his glass and said, "Let's all work hard!"

Li Xinyue looked at her two partners and smiled, "I can't promise too much, but I will do my best and won't let you down."

"Cheers!"

The three glasses clinked together, making a clear sound.

After lunch, Zhang Ran went to the mall to buy a bed. Without a bed, he would have to sleep on the floor that night. He didn't want to trouble Zhou Zheng and Li Xinyue, but they insisted on accompanying him, so he had no choice but to let them come along.

They stood by the roadside for a while but couldn't find an empty taxi. The weather was too hot, so they had no choice but to take the bus.

The bus wasn't too crowded, but there were still many people standing in the aisle. Zhang Ran and his companions stopped near the rear door, holding onto the handrails and chatting about school matters.

After a while, the bus suddenly braked hard, and everyone inside couldn't withstand the inertia and lurched forward.

"Ah, what the hell!"

"How do you drive? Are you trying to kill us?"

Some people screamed in fright; some almost fell and were very angry; others hit their heads on the seats in front of them and cursed loudly.

Zhang Ran also couldn't withstand the impact and lurched forward. Fortunately, he reacted quickly, took a step forward, and steadied himself. Li Xinyue's hand slipped off the handrail, and she lunged forward. Fortunately, Zhang Ran pulled her back, and she managed to steady herself.

Zhou Zheng was less fortunate. Due to the inertia, he reached out and accidentally grabbed the right breast of a girl in her late teens with a few strands of blonde hair.

The girl let out a terrifying scream, so loud it could have shattered the windows. Zhou Zheng kept apologizing, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I lost my balance, I didn't..."

"You pervert!" The girl interrupted Zhou Zheng, raised her hand, and slapped him across the face.

"I really didn't mean to, why are you hitting me!" Zhou Zheng said angrily.

"You did it on purpose!" The girl glared at Zhou Zheng, looking aggrieved, and complained to her boyfriend, "He just touched my chest!"

"Damn it, I'll cut off your damn hand today!" The girl's boyfriend was a young man in his late teens, tall at about 1.8 meters, and quite handsome. Hearing that Zhou Zheng had touched his girlfriend's chest, he flew into a rage and slapped Zhou Zheng across the face.

Zhou Zheng blocked with his hand but was still scratched by the other's fingers, which stung. "Why are you hitting me!"

The young man, furious, raised his hand to slap again. Zhang Ran quickly reached out and grabbed the young man's wrist. "Enough! The bus was jolting, and it's inevitable to bump into each other. He has already apologized. Are you going to hit him again? Is that reasonable?"

The young man felt as if his wrist was clamped in an iron vise, and it almost shattered. Sweat dripped from his forehead. "Let go of me!"

The girl saw her boyfriend's pale and pained face and started yelling like a shrew, "You perverts, you even hit people! Help, perverts are hitting people, perverts are hitting people!"

Zhang Ran and Zhou Zheng had never encountered such a person before and were taken aback.

Li Xinyue, who had worked in the student council for four years, had seen all kinds of people. She looked at the girl and said coldly, "My friend is from the Performance Department of the Beijing Film Academy. Many girls chase after him, and he would flirt with you?" She looked the girl up and down, tsked, and said sarcastically, "Really!"

The girl almost fainted with anger. What did she mean? Was she saying that she was ugly? She shouted, "What's so great about the Performance Department? My boyfriend is also from the Performance Department of the Beijing Film Academy!"

Li Xinyue couldn't help but look at the young man. He was tall and handsome, with a good temperament, and looked like he could be from the Performance Department, but she had never seen him. "There are only about 200 people in the Performance Department. I can't say I know everyone, but I would remember. I've never seen you before. Besides, our students have good taste!"

Was she saying that she was terrible? The girl couldn't accept Li Xinyue's sarcastic tone and shouted, "Who do you think you are? Just because you haven't seen me, I'm not? My boyfriend is from the 01-level undergraduate class of the Performance Department!"

01-level undergraduate class?

Zhang Ran and Li Xinyue exchanged a look, both speechless. Was this guy in their class?

Zhou Zheng's face turned dark, looking like he had stepped in dog poop. He had been wrongly accused of being a pervert and even slapped by a student. This was too unlucky!

Zhang Ran looked at the young man and smiled. "You really are from the 01-level undergraduate class of the Performance Department at the Beijing Film Academy?"

"Really, senior, I give you this face. I was wrong today, I was impulsive, I apologize," the young man said, thinking Zhang Ran was a student from the Performance Department and begging for mercy.

Senior? Kid, you should call me teacher!

"Since you know you were wrong, I'll let you go!" Zhang Ran couldn't really do anything to him, after all, he was his student. A lesson was enough. "But hitting people is definitely wrong. You must apologize to the man you hit!"

"Okay, I admit it." The young man, ignoring the pain in his wrist, turned to Zhou Zheng, who was looking at him coldly, and said, "I'm sorry, I won't do it again!"

Zhou Zheng was extremely frustrated. This was a misunderstanding, and the young man was his student. He couldn't really hold a grudge. He waved his hand and said, "Forget it, don't be so impulsive in the future!"

The young man nodded repeatedly, "Sure, sure, I won't be impulsive in the future!"

At this moment, the bus arrived at the stop, and Zhang Ran let go of his hand.

The young man pulled the girl's hand and quickly got off the bus. After the door closed, he pointed at Zhang Ran in the bus and shouted, "Damn it, remember this! If I see you again, I'll kill you!"

Zhang Ran sighed. This kid was too ungrateful. He raised his voice and said, "I'm Zhang Ran. On the first day of the new semester, I'll be at the registration point waiting for you. Come and kill me then!"