6、
So third rib was Xu Moting after all ah…
Anning lay on her bed thinking… there really were all kinds of coincidences in this world. How did it turn out to be him after going around in a circle? But somehow, it didn’t feel abrupt either. Thinking about the expression he had when asking for her number afterward, it had seemed so natural… How could someone carry out certain things with such complete confidence?
When Shen Chaoyang came in, she saw Anning curled up on the bed hugging a pillow with earphones on, and was slightly surprised. “A-Miao, you didn’t go to class?”
Anning raised her head. “I went. I came back.”
Chaoyang looked at her watch. “It’s already ten! I got so dizzy doing experiments. Oh right, today Qiangwei and Mao Mao went to the neighboring university to watch a basketball match—”
Anning had already taken off her earphones and climbed down to look for slippers. “I only saw the text after class. But the teacher didn’t take attendance today.”
“Tch, every time I skip he takes attendance. What kind of attitude is that?” As she spoke, Chaoyang handed Anning a flyer. “Someone handed it out on the way. Pretty interesting.”
“X University Image Ambassador” hot recruitment underway… “Oh.”
“Hehe, should we make Mao Mao go participate?” Chaoyang laughed and casually picked up a book on Anning’s desk. “Why are you reading this kind of book?”
“Mm…” Anning had already walked over to the water dispenser for a drink.
Shen Chaoyang flipped through it twice. Just as she was about to put it down, she seemed to notice something and picked it up again. “Xu… Moting? A-Miao, this book isn’t yours?”
“It isn’t.”
“Xu Moting… why does that name sound a bit familiar?”
“……There are quite a lot of people surnamed Xu.”
Chaoyang suddenly gave a sly grin. “A-Miao ah, this won’t do. Confession earns leniency, resistance earns severity!”
Anning: “Mm… then I’ll choose severity.”
After attending a class that was useless in terms of content, Xu Moting returned to the dorm to put down his things. Zhang Qi was startled when he saw him. “Weren’t you at the Supervisory Office today?”
“Came over to handle something.”
Xu Moting always kept a low profile. During his first year of graduate school he had already been working at the Supervisory Office. Only occasionally would he come to school when there was something to deal with. “Handle something? Did something huge happen at school that I don’t know about?”
Xu Moting patted his shoulder. “Private matter. None of your business.”
“Hah, speaking of which, you’ve been coming to school pretty often lately. Boss, this doesn’t seem like you ah… could it really be like little sister Cheng Yu said, that you’ve taken a liking to some girl at our school?”
Xu Moting smiled. “I won’t deny it.”
The next time Anning saw Xu Moting was three days later at the “Image Ambassador” registration event. Shen Chaoyang and she had been dragged there by Qiangwei, while the person accompanying him was the girl who had moved furniture with her last time.
The night before, Anning had been dragged into gaming with her cousin for most of the night and was sleepy to death. There were a lot of people registering, and it would probably take at least half an hour before their turn. Right now Anning only wanted to find a seat and nap for a while.
“Chaoyang, I’m going outside to sit for a bit. You keep Weiwei company.”
Shen Chaoyang had personally witnessed a certain Miao nodding off while playing Warcraft the previous night, so she waved her hand grandly. “Go!”
The moment Anning walked out the side door of the gymnasium, her cousin called. “I got woken up!”
Anning: “The Pharaoh said disturbing other people’s sleep will send you to hell.”
Cousin: “Then go carry it out. Send our dorm supervisor to hell.”
Anning: “If I could carry it out, I wouldn’t have gotten up this morning. Also, about last night…”
Cousin: “What?”
Anning: “Mm… the weather’s nice today. I want to sleep.”
Cousin: “Don’t tell me you’re hinting that I should go to hell?”
Anning: “Actually, I’m stating it directly.”
Her cousin burst out laughing. “You woman. Fine, I won’t drag you into playing that thing next time.”
Anning smiled. “Thank you.”
Cousin: “Ai, I love you so much!”
Anning: “I love you too.” Mm, as long as you don’t drag me into gaming in the middle of the night.
In the end Anning picked a wooden bench under the shade of a tree and closed her eyes to rest.
In her haziness, it seemed someone sat down beside her. Then in her haziness again, her head leaned onto his shoulder.
Anning was awakened by Qiangwei. “You actually fell asleep out here in public? Aren’t you afraid someone will rob you or molest you?”
Anning: “Everyone’s civilized.”
Qiangwei: “……”
Anning stood up and stretched lazily. “Where’s Chaoyang?”
Qiangwei: “Went to the bathroom.”
When Shen Chaoyang ran back, a luxury sedan passed by her, causing her to sigh emotionally. “I’ve always wanted to experience a sports car making a 180-degree turn, stopping, and a beautiful leg stepping out… Weiwei, make this dream come true for me?”
Qiangwei looked disdainful. “I’ve never even sat in the driver’s seat before. If I drive, the two of us can ascend to heaven together.”
Chaoyang chuckled. “I just saw a handsome guy.. the one who came to Old Zhang’s class asking for the blacklist last time.”
Qiangwei: “Didn’t you say last time he was only so-so?”
Chaoyang: “Last time he was too far away, I couldn’t see clearly. Tsk tsk, when he walked toward me up close, only then did I understand what a tall, elegant man really is… Anning, you missed another golden opportunity. Such a pity.”
Anning: “Oh.”
Qiangwei wrapped an arm around Anning. “Our Anning here isn’t the shallow type who turns lovestruck at the sight of handsome men, right A-Miao?”
Anning: “Right—it is quite a pity.”
Qiangwei: “……”
Shen Chaoyang had already collapsed laughing against Anning.
After the talent competition registration incident, ghostly howling vocal practice could be heard from every corner of the girls’ dormitory. In Chaoyang’s words, it was “pure skill.” In Anning’s words, “The Pharaoh should go to hell.”