Volume One, Chapter 16: Dormitory Social Gathering

“Nonsense! Do I look like that kind of person?”

Wang Kai and Zhao Yuan nodded emphatically and said in unison, “You are!”

Creak—

The dormitory door opened, and Duan Wuhen stepped inside. He immediately noticed the strange atmosphere among the three of them.

“What are you doing?”

Zhao Yuan and Wang Kai hurriedly ducked behind Duan Wuhen.

“Fourth Brother, be careful! Gao Fan is a pervert. He stole my underwear!”

At this, Gao Fan found himself unable to defend himself, no matter what he said.

“That’s ridiculous. What does your missing underwear have to do with me?”

“Fourth Brother, you have to be careful. Our future marriages are counting on you.”

Duan Wuhen rubbed his forehead helplessly. The three clowns in his dormitory were truly going to make him die laughing.

“Since all of you want girlfriends, I’ll talk it over with Xiyue and see if we can arrange a dormitory mixer tonight.”

The other three instantly lit up. They slapped Duan Wuhen on the shoulder.

“Fourth Brother, from this day forward, you are our savior!”

Duan Wuhen brushed their hands away. “Don’t get ahead of yourselves. Nothing’s been decided yet.”

He then walked out onto the balcony, took out his phone, and called Yan Xiyue.

“Hello, my darling Xiyue. Are you free tonight?”

When Yan Xiyue saw Duan Wuhen’s call, she glanced at her roommates and quietly lowered the phone’s volume. She had no intention of repeating what had happened last time.

When she heard him ask whether she was free that evening, a secret thrill stirred in her heart.

Could it be that this guy was planning to…

Before Yan Xiyue could lose herself completely in her fantasies, Duan Wuhen’s voice came through the phone again.

“Hello, darling? Are you listening?”

“Oh! Yes, I am. Where are we going tonight?”

“Well, our dorm wants to hold a mixer with your dormitory. Do you girls have time?”

Yan Xiyue was instantly filled with disappointment.

“Oh, is that all? I’ll ask them whether they’re free.”

“Okay.”

Yan Xiyue hung up and turned to her three roommates.

“Are you girls free tonight?”

“No. Why, Xiyue?”

“Well, it’s like this…”

After Yan Xiyue explained everything, the others readily agreed.

“Wow, we’ll get to meet Little Yueyue’s boyfriend? Of course I’m going!”

“Then it’s settled. I’ll confirm the time with him first.”

When Duan Wuhen saw Yan Xiyue reply with an okay emoji on WeChat, he slowly spoke while the other three watched him expectantly.

“All right, it’s settled. Nine o’clock tonight, at the restaurant beside the school.”

“Yay! Long live Fourth Brother!”

At that moment, Dormitory 1-401 erupted in cheers.

The three men then rushed into the bathroom and began fussing with their hair in front of the mirror.

At nine that evening, Duan Wuhen arrived at the agreed meeting place right on time with the three boys from his dormitory, whom he treated like his own sons.

From a distance, he spotted Yan Xiyue and the other three girls walking toward them.

Duan Wuhen quickly waved at her. “Xiyue, darling! Over here!”

Yan Xiyue had been looking around for the restaurant when she suddenly heard someone calling out to her.

“Ooh, ooh, Xiyue, darling? He’s already calling you ‘darling’?”

The three girls looked at Yan Xiyue and teased her with amused smiles.

At that moment, Yan Xiyue wished she could find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.

How could this guy call me that in public, too? No. Once we get back, I’m definitely going to teach him a lesson.

When the two groups met, the atmosphere was somewhat awkward and restrained.

Duan Wuhen was the first to break the silence. With a smile, he said, “I’ve heard Xiyue say that all the beauties in her dormitory are exceptional. Now that I’ve seen you for myself, I can say the rumors were true.”

His words made the girls blush faintly, and they began playfully shoving and teasing one another.

Once inside the restaurant, everyone gathered around a table.

While ordering, Zhao Yuan held the menu in his hands, though his eyes kept darting toward the girls across from him. Stammering, he suggested, “How about… ordering a spicy dry pot? I’ve heard girls all like spicy food. It’s supposed to be good for your skin.”

The moment he finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter, and the tense atmosphere eased considerably.

After several rounds of drinks, the three young men began showing off their talents.

Wang Kai volunteered to sing a love song. Though he was somewhat off-key, his earnest expression still earned him a round of applause.

Zhou Huanru nudged Sun Yuewei beside her and joked, “That guy’s not bad. He’s exactly your type.”

Sun Yuewei rolled her eyes at her.

“If you like him, just say so. I won’t fight you for him.”

While the two girls continued bickering, Gao Fan performed a magic trick. His technique was somewhat clumsy, but he still succeeded in catching Zhou Huanru’s attention.

“Well, Huanru? Is he your type? You like magic tricks, don’t you?”

Zhou Huanru studied Gao Fan carefully, then nodded thoughtfully.

When it was Zhao Yuan’s turn, he shyly stepped forward and performed a dance, earning enthusiastic applause from everyone.

His face turned crimson from embarrassment.

Even Duan Wuhen had not expected the usually boisterous Zhao Yuan to have such a bashful side. He could not help feeling surprised.

Duan Wuhen and Yan Xiyue watched from the side. Yan Xiyue leaned against his shoulder and whispered, “I didn’t expect them to be so good at winning girls over.”

Duan Wuhen nodded. “Neither did I. They’re usually little troublemakers in the dormitory, but today they’re surprisingly good at putting their best foot forward.”

Just then, the music in the restaurant gradually grew louder, and the lighting softened.

Summoning his courage, Zhao Yuan invited Sun Yuewei to dance. Blushing, she accepted.

The two of them danced gracefully across the floor. Their steps were not especially polished, but their faces were radiant with happiness.

Gao Fan also nervously approached Zhou Huanru and stammered, “Miss, could I add you as a contact?”

“Sure.”

Zhou Huanru took out her phone and opened her personal QR code.

Gao Fan hurriedly pulled out his own phone and, at last, successfully added her as a contact.

Seeing how delighted he looked, Zhou Huanru let out a soft laugh.

When Wang Kai saw that both Zhao Yuan and Gao Fan had made connections with girls, he refused to be left behind. He edged over toward Fang Xinrui.

“Stay away from me!”

Fang Xinrui’s cold rebuke startled Wang Kai so badly that he froze, completely at a loss. He could only look pitifully toward Duan Wuhen.

Duan Wuhen spread his hands, indicating that there was nothing he could do.

On the verge of tears, Wang Kai could only return to his original seat.

The brief interruption did nothing to dampen the overall mood. All eight of them relaxed completely amid laughter and cheerful conversation.

After the mixer ended, Zhao Yuan and Gao Fan took the initiative to escort the girls back to campus.

After saying goodbye to Duan Wuhen and Yan Xiyue, the six of them headed toward the school together.

Duan Wuhen and Yan Xiyue, meanwhile, returned to Greenfield Apartments.

Lying on the bed, Duan Wuhen opened WeChat and found several unread messages.

Every one of them was filled with thanks, calling him things like “Godfather.”