Wednesday, 9th of November. Renmin University.
When Ning Qing entered her dormitory room, she was not surprised to see her roommate, Du Wei, lying lazily on her bed.
"Ning Qing, good morning!"
Ning Qing walked over to the window and opened the curtains, letting the bright sunlight enter the room. She was about to reply that it was almost 12 o'clock, but looking at her roommate's dark eye-bags, she swallowed her words.
"You stayed up last night?"
"Ugh, don't talk about it, why does that old geezer always give us so much work?! You're so lucky Ning Qing, your supervisor is much better."
"Hah, well…" Actually, even though her supervisor was not particularly strict, she was a scholarship student doing an accelerated program so she still had a lot of work.
"Have you had breakfast?"
"No, not yet. Let's go to the cafeteria?"
"Alright." Ning Qing placed her bag down on her bed.
"Ahh, Ning Qing, I'm so lonely here without you!" Du Wei couldn't help but complain. When Ning Qing still taught at cram school she stayed at the dorms most of the time since it was closer to the school. Now she was alone.
"I came yesterday, you know."
Du Wei sighed and sat up on her bed and pulled out her mirror. Looking at the big red pimple that was still there on her forehead she groaned. Graduate school was really making her fall apart. She even found a lot of loose hairs in the shower yesterday.
She glanced up at Ning Qing who was sitting on her bed looking at her phone. Look at that unblemished skin, that healthy complexion, no bags under her eyes either. Damn it.
"Say Ning Qing, we're both graduate students but how come you still look so good?! Your skin is so clear and you don't look tired at all!" Du Wei complained.
"Well, I've always been healthy since I was a kid."
"..."
Du Wei nodded. Yes, yes, you are very healthy.
She thought back to the freshman year talent contest at the end of military training. Ning Qing was very popular even then, many of the boys were excited to see what she would do. Everyone thought she would sing or do a dance performance, but when they saw the figure in a white hanfu giving a very vigorous martial arts demonstration everyone was a little stunned to say the least.
"Ugh, you're so beautiful Ning Qing, if only I could have half of your beauty!" Du Wei said sadly.
Ning Qing didn't reply.
She got up from her bed and walked to Ding Wei. When she reached her bed, she bent down a little, tucked her hair behind her ears, and said very seriously.
"I think you're very beautiful."
Looking at her roommate's hazel eyes shining under the sunlight and her brilliant smile, Du Wei's heart skipped a beat.
Putting her hand to her chest she couldn't help but shout exaggeratedly, "Dangerous, too dangerous! Those eyes are too dangerous! Mother, father, I almost ended the family line!"
"Hahaha!" Ning Qing's bell-like laughter echoed in the room.
Ding Wei was dazed.
She fell back on her bed and stuffed her pillows between her ears, "No more! No more!"
Ning Qing was laughing even harder now. Seeing her smiling eyes, the poor roommate felt a shiver run down her spine. The only thing more powerful than a beautiful woman, is a beautiful woman who knows she's beautiful.
This girl really is too dangerous.
After a while, Du Wei shook her head, and sat up again. Looking at Ning Qing who was now packing her bag for the lecture, she asked curiously, "So how is your tutoring going? It's for Sister Yuerong's younger brother right?"
Du Wei was also familiar with Lin Yuerong, but she didn't know anything about her brother, so she was curious.
Ning Qing paused and thought for a bit, "Well, it's only been a week, but it's not bad. He's quiet but I think we can get along well."
Then, considering that Du Wei had never met him, she introduced him, "By the way, his name is Lin Yuan. He's actually very smart, I heard he was even studying for the international maths olympiad. I'm only helping him with English right now."
"An honour student huh? He's in high school right?"
"Yes, in his final year."
"Ahhh, I remember those days. I was so stressed back then with cram school and exams. I promised myself I would never work like that again after highschool, but look at me now…" Du Wei sighed sadly and held up her mirror again. Seeing that the dark circles under her eyes were still there, and thinking of how she was already losing hair at such a young age, she couldn't help but get angry again.
"Hehe, little brother I curse you, I curse you to become bald! Hey Ning Qing, you should be really strict with that kid, so he knows what a cruel world is waiting for him hehe…"
Ning Qing glanced at Du Wei who seemed to be going insane.
"Actually teenage boys are all hooligans! Even though he seems like a good student, he must be secretly smoking in the school bathroom and hanging out in internet cafes with delinquents. Ning Qing, you shouldn't be lenient towards him, you must whip him into shape for Sister Yuerong's sake!"
"Your imagination is really vivid." Ning Qing was speechless, she couldn't picture Lin Yuan doing anything like that. Also, you are very cruel aren't you? You haven't even met him but you are already cursing him.
Du Wei could also feel that she was getting carried away. She coughed with embarrassment and began whitewashing herself, "Well, I'm only saying because I'm worried about you. Anyway, if he's Sister Yuerong's brother, he's probably a good kid."
"..."
"Yeah. He's a good kid."
…
…
…
Afternoon.
Ning Qing was heading to the seminar hall with Du Wei when she heard someone calling her name.
"Ning Qing!"
Looking back, a tall figure was walking towards them.
"Senior Zhou." Ning Qing smiled at the young man who had stopped in front of them.
"Senior Zhou Ye" Du Wei beside her also greeted him in a quiet voice.
"This is…your roommate?"
"Ah- my name is Du Wei, hello senior…no I mean nice to meet you!"
"Haha, nice to meet you!" Zhou Ye chuckled.
Seeing Du Wei so nervous, Ning Qing couldn't help but find it funny, thinking she really was a paper tiger.
"You're heading to a seminar?"
"Yes, Senior Zhou. What about you?"
"I have to see my supervisor. Well, I won't keep you then, I should also get going, I'll talk to you later Ning Qing." Zhou Ye then nodded at Du Wei, "It was nice to meet you Junior Du."
"Oh, oh, um bye Senior Zhou!"
Looking at Zhou Ye who was headed up the stairs, Du Wei was excited. She turned toward Ning Qing when she found that Ning Qing was looking at her with an interesting expression.
"What are you looking at?!" Du Wei was embarrassed.
"Hehe."
"Okay, okay, stop laughing!" Du Wei began walking with a slightly red face. Ning Qing quickly caught up with a smile on her face.
"..."
"But still I can't believe you know Senior Zhou, I'm so jealous!"
"Really?"
"Of course he's the most popular guy in our literature department, he's tall, handsome and also really mature. I heard he was in Germany before and he came back to finish his graduate studies here, ah though you probably already knew that."
"Well, yeah…"
Du Wei was still thinking about Zhou Ye, when it suddenly occurred to her, "Wait…how did he know I was your roommate? Did you tell him…?"
Could it be Ning Qing was trying to set the two of them up?!
Hehehehe.
Looking at the silly smile on her face Ning Qing could tell she was imagining all kinds of things, "What are you thinking? You've met him before, don't you remember? I'm even sure you've met him quite a few times."
"Huh?" Du Wei was sure she'd never forget such a striking man. She could swear on it!
"It was back when we were freshmen, he was in the literature club as well. He was very close to Sister Yuerong."
Seeing that Ning Qing seemed serious, Du Wei was deep in thought.
"What?! That was Senior Zhou?!"
Du Wei did remember she had followed Ning Qing to the literature club a few times when they were freshman. That's where she met Lin Yuerong for the first time, there was also another senior who was always hanging around Lin Yuerong as well. But thinking of the handsome and confident Zhou Ye, she really couldn't connect the two people at all.
"Wow, Senior Zhou really changed a lot…"
"-Ah! That's why he was laughing when I said nice to meet you!"
Looking at Ning Qing who was smiling beside her, Du Wei hugged her arm and cried, "Ning Qing you should've told me before! Ugh, so embarrassing!"
"Haha, I think Senior Zhou must've been very sad that you didn't remember him."
"..."
"Ning Qing, you really like to tease people!" Your smiling eyes are really deceiving.
Du Wei had a face like, "I'm very upset, come on, appease me!"
"Okay, okay, don't be angry." Ning Qing chuckled and said in a cajoling tone, "Come on, I'll treat you to dinner tomorrow."
"Why not today?" Du Wei's eyes were brighter, but she still had a frown on her face.
"I have tutoring today."
"Hmm, alright but I don't want to go to a restaurant, I want your food!"
Ning Qing thought that since tomorrow was Thursday it should be fine, "Alright. Are you going to come back to school?"
"No, I'll sleepover at your place!" Du Wei was excited, being a bit embarrassed in front of Senior Zhou in exchange for sleeping over at Ning Qing's place seemed like a good deal.