The boy instinctively wanted to step inside as well, but Gu Lianxing turned and raised her hand to block him at the door.
“You can’t come in. The dorm matron downstairs said you have to leave within five minutes. Just give me the luggage.”
The boy had pale skin, wore a white shirt with gray casual pants, and under his medium-length fringe sat a pair of heavy black-framed glasses. The thickness of the lenses was visible to the naked eye, giving him a rather dull appearance.
He nodded expressionlessly, pushed the suitcase into the dorm, and then turned to leave.
Though they were opposite sexes and he had helped her move, Shen Ci could sense they weren’t a couple.
“My driver’s son. He’s in the math department.”
Gu Lianxing explained casually.
Shen Ci understood immediately. Judging from Gu Lianxing’s appearance and bearing, it was easy to tell she came from a wealthy background—a pampered young lady raised in luxury.
Gu Lianxing looked around and finally settled on the bed opposite Shen Ci’s, speaking with obvious reluctance. “I’ll take this one then, across from you.”
Then, tilting her head and flashing a smile, she added, “You’re really pretty.”
Shen Ci froze slightly, not expecting such a sudden compliment from this heiress with such a whimsical mind.
“You’re very pretty too,” she returned politely. And indeed, Gu Lianxing was strikingly beautiful—her beauty vibrant and eye-catching.
But in the next second, Gu Lianxing curled her lip. “This dorm looks like it’s been empty a long time. There’s a thick layer of dust everywhere.”
“You don’t strike me as the type who does cleaning, do you?” Shen Ci asked.
Gu Lianxing nodded without shame, then looked at Shen Ci a little sheepishly. “If I let you clean alone, that’d make me look kind of awful, wouldn’t it?”
Her eyes lit up suddenly. “I can treat you to a big meal instead!”
Shen Ci couldn’t help but laugh. Her new roommate wasn’t just pretty—she was cute too. Shen Ci found herself liking her already.
“Leave it to me,” Shen Ci said, pulling out her phone.
Curious, Gu Lianxing leaned over to look. She saw Shen Ci open a group chat called ‘UST Dorm Cleaning Orders Group’.
‘West Dormitory C-336, deep cleaning, 3 slots, 0.01 yuan each, first come first serve.’
Almost immediately, someone in the group accepted the order.
Gu Lianxing blinked in amazement. “You can do that?”
Shen Ci explained softly, “This group is made up of our university’s students, boys and girls alike. Most come from poor families and take odd cleaning jobs to earn some living expenses.”
She had been added to the group when she first entered university. Though she received a stipend each month as a special recruit, she sometimes accepted orders to make a little extra. Later, after dating Li Xiao, he disapproved, so she stopped. But she never left the group, and today it came in handy.
Before long, three girls with cleaning tools knocked on the door. They were all freshmen.
“Hello, seniors.”
They were polite. Shen Ci gave instructions: “This is an empty dorm. There’ll be a lot of hidden dirt, so please give it a thorough cleaning.”
One cent each was actually a generous wage. Shen Ci had raised the pay because of the extra work required.
Gu Lianxing quickly added, “Especially the bathroom—it has to be spotless.”
The three juniors nodded. “Don’t worry, seniors. Leave it to us.”
The cleaning would take about two hours. Standing around would only get in the way. Shen Ci turned to Gu Lianxing. “Shall we go out for a while?”
Naturally, Gu Lianxing agreed. She had no desire to stay in a dust-filled room.
But once outside, Gu Lianxing suddenly grew uncharacteristically quiet, not saying a word.
Shen Ci was puzzled, but before she could ask, Gu Lianxing suddenly turned her head and shouted, “Ah!”
Startled, Shen Ci froze, wide-eyed. “Ah?”
“I finally remembered—Shen Ci, right? I know you!” Gu Lianxing looked at her excitedly. “You’re Li Xiao’s girlfriend! Last year, when you’d just entered school, someone posted a photo of you on the campus forum. I saw it!”
“Ah, finally! It was killing me. I thought you looked familiar from the start. After hearing your name, I knew I’d heard it before. I’ve been racking my brain—now I remember!”
She let out a long breath, looking visibly relieved.
Shen Ci didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. So that’s why she’d suddenly gone silent—she’d been trying to recall who Shen Ci was.
But from the way she mentioned Li Xiao, she seemed to know him well.
“You know Li Xiao?” Shen Ci asked cautiously.
Gu Lianxing pouted and nodded. “Yeah. My dad and his dad are business associates. I’ve known him since I was little, but we rarely met—only when our parents got together for social occasions.”
“But I did know about your relationship. I even saw it when Li Xiao brought roses and confessed to you in front of the girls’ dorm.”
“I broke up with him,” Shen Ci cut in quickly, before Gu Lianxing could gush on with words of admiration.
Gu Lianxing’s mouth fell open. “What?”
Shen Ci smiled faintly and nodded.
Gu Lianxing’s expression shifted, but she couldn’t help asking, “Why?”
Shen Ci pressed her lips together, hesitating. In her last life, Li Xiao had stolen her thesis—but that wouldn’t happen until three years later, so she couldn’t use that reason now.
After a pause, she leaned close to Gu Lianxing’s ear and whispered, “He’s… not very good in that aspect.”
“That aspect? Which aspect?” Gu Lianxing blinked blankly. Then, seeing Shen Ci’s meaningful expression, her pretty face flushed scarlet, right down to her neck. “Th-that aspect?”
Shen Ci put a finger to her lips, signaling her to keep it secret. “Don’t tell anyone.”
After glancing around to make sure no one was nearby, Gu Lianxing’s shyness gave way to curiosity. Lowering her voice, she muttered, “That can’t be right. He… he looked like he’d be pretty good at it!”
Shen Ci shook her head in disappointment. “Looks can be deceiving.”
“Tsk, tsk.” Gu Lianxing shook her head too. “What a waste of a six-foot frame.”
The topic unexpectedly drew them closer. Arm in arm, they strolled across the West Campus sports ground and out through the school gate. Gu Lianxing insisted on treating Shen Ci to a “breakup feast.”
But the two of them ended up at a grimy little eatery on the snack street behind the university.
Gu Lianxing looked around with open disdain, wiping the greasy tabletop again and again with tissues, no matter how many times the paper still came up stained.
“I said I’d treat you to a feast, and this is what you picked?”
End of Chapter