Fortunately, later on Madam Lu Mingzhu finally could not stand it anymore. Smiling, she smoothly changed the subject with a few casual remarks, steering the conversation away from games and onto other matters.
Lu Luoluo secretly wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, finally able to continue the meal.
So whether there is something going on or not, never brag. A moment of smugness can bring endless trouble. That was Lu Luoluo’s conclusion.
The key point was that she had not even gotten to enjoy that smugness. She had only been busy feeling guilty.
…
After the meal, Madam Lu Mingzhu personally escorted everyone to the two dormitories, giving plenty of reminders and instructions along the way.
“Mom, please just go home. I’m already sixteen. How could I not know all this? Ming Nan and I can take good care of ourselves!” Lu Luoluo said animatedly, her brows dancing.
Dorm life officially began.
She read for a while, did some practice exercises, then waited for her good friend Ming Nan to finish tidying up before going to shower and blow-dry her hair.
The dirty clothes were sorted and placed into the washer-dryer combo. After that… which button was she supposed to press again?
Better check the instruction manual.
She washed some fruit as well and brought a plate over to Ming Nan. Which kind of detergent was she supposed to use again?
Madam Lu Mingzhu had said to use the one specially meant for fruits and vegetables… Lu Luoluo picked it up and checked the label.
Eat a couple of large cherries, then do some more problems, rub her eyes… Lu Luoluo glanced at the computer beside her.
Games had come up during dinner today. Having not played for more than half a month, Lu Luoluo could not help feeling a bit nostalgic.
Playing for a while would not hurt, right? Just half an hour.
No… she had to nip it in the bud.
Appropriate relaxation of the mind and body was beneficial for improving study efficiency.
Just play for a little while. Living on campus saved her so much time anyway. A tiny bit of waste could be allowed.
…
After a complicated internal struggle, Lu Luoluo opened the game’s official website and clicked download.
To ease her sense of guilt, Lu Luoluo decided to make full use of the game’s download time and finish half a math test paper.
…
Half an hour later, Lu Luoluo lifted her head and looked at the computer screen, carrying a trace of excitement and anticipation.
Download progress: 2.5 percent.
Lu Luoluo: …?
Lu Luoluo felt like a complete fool.
How could she have expected any speed from the campus network?
So she continued working on her test papers and reading.
Perhaps driven by some hidden sliver of hope, Lu Luoluo did not stop the download.
When the lights were turned off and the power cut at nearly eleven thirty, Lu Luoluo lifted her head from her textbook and glanced at the screen.
The download progress was stuck at thirteen percent.
Silently shutting down the computer, Lu Luoluo completely gave up on the idea of relaxing by playing games.
With this terrible network speed, even if the download finished, it probably would not be able to run properly, right?
“What kind of trash network speed is this?” Shen Rong clicked the mouse irritably. Lag lag lag lag lag lag lag…
He carried the heavy gaming laptop into the living room, and it was still lag lag lag lag lag…
After finishing up in the bathroom and blow-drying his hair, Lu Ran came into the living room and caught sight of Shen Rong looking furious, violently grabbing at his fiery, cloud-like hair while staring at the game screen.
“The network speed is the same in the bedroom and the living room. It can only be used to look up information and things like that.” Lu Ran stopped to watch for a moment, then kindly reminded him. “It should be a unified restriction set by the school.”
Lu Ran made an effort to suppress the urge to step forward and grab a couple handfuls of Shen Rong’s hair.
It was not because of any strange hobby. Lu Ran wanted to collect DNA from the hair follicles and take it to the hospital for a paternity test.
After all, the earlier he confirmed his target, the better he could prepare a response.
No rush. Do not alert the enemy. Act according to circumstances. He warned himself.
“The network speed is restricted too?” Shen Rong frowned as he thought. “Is there any way around it? Can we talk to the school?”
Ming Bei happened to come into the living room with a cup to get some water. Hearing that, he fell silent.
The school had deliberately restricted the network. Going to the school about it would be walking straight into a trap.
Ming Bei offered a more reliable suggestion. “From what Lu Qingjia said tonight, it sounds like he plays games pretty often. He lived on campus before. Why not ask him?”
The moment the words fell, the bedroom door at the side opened, and Lu Qingjia came into the living room carrying his gaming laptop.
Noticing the three newly moved-in roommates all looking straight at the… laptop in his arms, Lu Qingjia raised his eyebrows in confusion.
“…You have a solution?” Shen Rong asked with a hint of hope.
He had not planned on interacting much with his roommates, but the situation was special now.
Lu Qingjia quickly understood. “A network speed issue?”
He said, “In the entire dormitory building, there is only one room with no limits on network speed or electricity.”
“Yours?”
Since everyone kept calling him the top student, even Shen Rong, who did not really attend classes, knew that Lu Qingjia was academically outstanding.
Shen Rong knew the world was unfair, and students with good grades received all kinds of preferential treatment.
But treating electricity usage and internet access differently too, was that not a bit excessive?
Household appliances had already gone to the countryside. Internet signals covered rural areas now.
“Of course not,” Lu Qingjia replied calmly. “If that were the case, I would not need to leave my room.”
“It’s the dorm supervisor’s room.”
“The dorm supervisor is very kind. He generally does not refuse students who want to borrow the network, it’s just that most people do not know about it.” He asked politely, “Do you want to go together?”
Shen Rong: …
The dorm supervisor who had dragged him aside earlier today and lectured him for ages about how students should not dye their hair and so on?
Shen Rong had used silence as his weapon to resist that supervisor for a full hour, personally witnessing how the man went through five stages within that single hour, from earnest persuasion, to irritation, back to earnest persuasion, then irritation again, and finally complete surrender.
Was it still possible to dye his hair back now?
“I won’t go,” Ming Bei said with a smile. “I’ll read for a bit.”
“I’ll play during winter break instead.” Since it was a promise he had made to his mom, Lu Ran generally kept it.
Lu Qingjia looked at Shen Rong.
Shen Rong said, “…I’ll pass too. I’ll see if there are any mobile games I can play.”
Lu Qingjia nodded, hugged his laptop to his chest, and went out.
He did not remind Shen Rong that due to the building’s structure and signal coverage, the mobile network signal in the dormitory was not very good either.
That night… Shen Rong went to bed early.
Going to bed early resulted in waking up early.
When Shen Rong got up in a daze to use the bathroom, his hair a complete mess, he discovered that the living room lights were already on.
And his two roommates, Lu Ran and Ming Bei, were both in the living room. They looked like they had already finished washing up, changed into sportswear, and were warming up.
Shen Rong: ?
He glanced at the wall clock. Beijing Time, six in the morning.
“We’re both heading out for a morning run anyway,” Ming Bei said with a smile. As he explained, he also asked politely, “Do you need us to bring breakfast back for you?”
If it had been Lu Ran asking, Shen Rong might have refused on the spot, saying he could go to the cafeteria himself. But Ming Bei left a very good impression on him.
Or rather, he left a good impression on everyone.
Since Ming Bei took the initiative to show goodwill, Shen Rong scratched his head, thanked him, and then went back to the bedroom.
It was too early. He would sleep a bit more.
After finishing their warm-up, Lu Ran and Ming Bei jogged toward the track field.
On the way, Lu Ran asked his roommate, “Are you used to getting up early to run too?”
Ming Bei smiled. “I’ve been running for several years. Getting up early to run for a while keeps my energy up for the whole day. Since you have the same habit, how about we do it together from now on?”
That was exactly what Lu Ran had been thinking. “Sure. How many laps do you usually run?”
…
In short, Lu Ran bade farewell to his mother and welcomed a new running partner.
This running partner had been added to his list of suspected biological fathers. The suspicion level was C, and at present, it seemed to be showing signs of rising further.
After their morning run, Lu Ran and Ming Bei went to the cafeteria together. At that hour, the cafeteria had just opened, so there was no need to line up, and the aunts and uncles working there were all very enthusiastic.
The two of them brought back breakfast for four people to the dormitory.
At this time, it was Beijing Time, six fifty in the morning.
The other two roommates had not gotten up.
Lu Ran and Ming Bei each took a shower, changed clothes, and ate their own portions of breakfast together.
Beijing Time, seven oh five in the morning.
The other two roommates still had not gotten up.
Morning reading started at seven thirty, and formal classes began at eight. In principle, students were required to be in the classroom before seven thirty.
Walking from the dormitory to the teaching building took six minutes.
“Should we wake them up in another ten minutes?” Ming Bei glanced at the clock, dropped a few goji berries into a transparent glass kettle filled with hot water, and suggested, “Lu Qingjia seemed to come back relatively late yesterday.”
Lu Ran casually picked up a copy of Don Quixote[1]Don Quixote is a classic Spanish novel written by Miguel de Cervantes. It follows the story of Don Quixote, a man who becomes obsessed with tales of chivalry and sets off on misguided “knightly” … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1516654_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1516654_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, flipped to the page marked with a bookmark, and indicated his agreement.
At seven fourteen, Lu Qingjia opened his bedroom door.
With sleepy eyes, he looked toward Lu Ran and Ming Bei. He probably had not expected to see two people who seemed to come with their own leisurely atmosphere the moment he got up, and he froze for a brief moment.
“Lu Ran and I brought breakfast for you,” Ming Bei said with a smile. “It looks like it needs to be heated up, but there should still be time. Just move a bit faster.”
Lu Qingjia said, somewhat confused, “Thank you.”
Then he put the slightly cooled breakfast into the microwave, set the time, and went to wash up.
Lu Qingjia had had two roommates before, both of whom woke up a little earlier than him.
However, they always went straight to the cafeteria. Lu Qingjia had never experienced having breakfast brought back for him.
One minute later, there was still no movement from Shen Rong’s room. So Lu Ran put down his book and knocked on the door.
“Breakfast,” he said.
Five minutes later, Lu Qingjia and Shen Rong were sitting at the table, eating hot steamed dumplings with soy milk.
Beside them, Ming Bei had earphones in, listening to an English broadcast. He held a cup of goji berry water in one hand, taking slow sips from time to time.
Lu Ran flipped through his copy of Don Quixote.
Three minutes later, Lu Qingjia and Shen Rong finished their meal.
Beijing Time, seven twenty-three in the morning.
“Let’s go. We’ll arrive at the classroom just one minute early,” Lu Ran said as he put down the book.
Ming Bei also took off his earphones and set aside the goji berry water.
The new roommates are pretty nice. Walking along the path to the classroom, Lu Qingjia made this assessment.
How did it turn out like this? Walking along the same path to the classroom, Shen Rong was deeply puzzled inside.
His imagined boarding school life: a lone wolf who came and went alone, immersed in games at night, sleeping through classes during the day, arriving late and leaving early, doing whatever he pleased.
The actual boarding school life: no games to play; enough sleep at night, meaning he probably would not be able to sleep in class; and now he was walking together with three other roommates toward morning reading.
What even was morning reading? Why did he, Shen Rong, have to do morning reading?
How did it turn out like this? The same question surfaced in Lu Luoluo’s mind.
Her imagined dorm life: no morning runs and no time wasted on the road. She would get up leisurely at six fifty in the morning, spend ten minutes washing up, go to the cafeteria for breakfast, then stroll unhurriedly to the classroom for morning reading.
The actual dorm life: since there was no morning run anyway and she was already on campus, she might as well stay in bed a little longer.
Coincidentally, the quilt was overly warm, and her good friend Ming Nan also wanted to sleep a bit more.
When the wall clock’s hands pointed to seven twenty, Lu Luoluo and Ming Nan opened their bedroom door at the same time and stared at each other.
They had no choice but to put the milk and bread Madam Lu Mingzhu had prepared into the microwave, then rush off to wash up.
After finishing, they took the milk and bread, stepped out into the cold wind, gnawed on them as they walked toward the teaching building, and entered the classroom right as the morning reading bell rang.
The grade director made his rounds every morning at seven thirty on the dot, starting from Class One.
As a result, Lu Luoluo and Ming Nan received a reproachful look from the grade director, along with a warning not to cut it so close.
References[+]