Huang Haibao was somewhat reluctant, there were so many people in the class, yet it was the three of them who were closest. Old Cao could be heartless, fine, but you, Old Third, you dare to laugh at me?
"No, really, Old Huang, they're just going out to see a movie, is it really worth getting upset over?"
"You don't understand."
Huang Haibao sighed deeply, "Since Fang Minhui agreed to go watch a movie, she must be willing to accept Li Zhanpeng's feelings, and my chances are completely gone."
"You never had a chance to begin with. Without this Li Zhanpeng, there would be another Liu Zhanpeng. In my opinion, you're just deluding yourself."
Cao Shunjin ruthlessly added another stab.
Speaking of Li Zhanpeng, Shen Yuan also always disliked him. This guy always bragged and was two-faced, acting one way in front of others and another behind their backs.
On the day school started, Li Zhanpeng drove a second-hand Accord to school to register, trying to show off.
But little did he expect that his car would be overshadowed by Shen Yuan's BMW 4 Series.
It was already notable for a college student to drive a personal car to school, but Shen Yuan's 4 Series made his Accord look like a clown's car.
At the time he was sarcastic behind the back.
"People like Shen Yuan rely on their family's money, could he drive a 4 Series on his own?"
"Unlike me, even though my parents plan to buy me a BBA, I declined. Driving a second-hand Accord is enough, just for commuting."
Later, when Li Zhanpeng heard that Shen Yuan's family went bankrupt, he couldn't wait to give his unsolicited advice.
"I always said, the tourism business won't last long, the real economy is what's solid."
"When the tide goes out, you find out who's been swimming naked. Some people, after their family goes bankrupt and can't help at all, are truly failures."
Of course, Li Zhanpeng never dared to say these words in front of Shen Yuan.
Shen Yuan, with his height of 182 cm, had an air of casual audacity and wildness, so Li Zhanpeng mostly bad-mouthed him behind his back.
Huang Haibao and Cao Shunjin also really disliked Li Zhanpeng's behavior, so they were the ones who told all this to Shen Yuan.
At the time, Shen Yuan verbally retorted a few times, but he didn't really take it to heart.
When someone despises you, whatever you do will rub them the wrong way.
Later, when Li Zhanpeng found out that his roommates Huang Haibao and Cao Shunjin were close with Shen Yuan, he and another student applied to transfer to another dorm.
Subsequently, Shen Yuan's family sold their house and rented the current two-bedroom apartment, and that was when he moved into room 503.
This was also why there were only the three of them in dorm room 503.
"Damn it!"
Huang Haibao spat at Cao Shunjin, "I treated you to that fried rice just now, and you even ate my portion. Spit it out!"
"I won that, what do you mean you 'treated' me to it."
Old Cao let out a loud burp, "It's no big deal, Old Third got his heart broken today too, and it didn't really affect him."
"Damn, you all knew?"
The incident at the school gate had just occurred that afternoon, and Shen Yuan hadn't expected the news to have already spread.
"It's different for Old Third."
Huang Haibao looked up at Shen Yuan, noting his well-proportioned frame and solid abs, it was normal for girls to like him, but when he looked down at his own scrawny body, Old Huang felt even more dejected, "At least he's been with a senior in the sheets, but me?"
At this point, even the usually cheerful Cao Shunjin fell silent; in three years at International campus, a school swarming with beauties, having never dated or been with a woman, was indeed too humiliating to admit.
Seeing their crestfallen expressions, Shen Yuan couldn't bear to hit them with more bad news. He had planned to mention that, apart from Zhou Wanting, Fang Minhui had also shown her affection towards him at the beginning of school.
Shen Yuan remembered how during the military training break, Fang Minhui would bring him water, she'd even sit next to him on purpose when they dined in the canteen, and she would message him on WeChat in the evenings.
On one hand, Shen Yuan's appearance and height really did make a killing in college, but more importantly, back then, he had the cash to splash.
But then Zhou Wanting quickly nipped that in the bud; every few days, she would run over to the class to find Shen Yuan, acting overly affectionate.
It was as if she was announcing to everyone that he was her catch, and no one else should even think about it!
So, everyone thought the two of them were an item.
Shen Yuan ended up being tied to Zhou Wanting like that for three years of college, because of her intentional high-profile behavior, other girls didn't dare to approach Shen Yuan.
"Looking back now, Zhou Wanting really knew what she was doing, I was clearly manipulated by her at that time."
Shen Yuan inwardly complained. Just then, Huang Haibao, seeing everyone falling silent, couldn't restrain himself any longer. "Today is a day worth remembering," he announced. "Old Third and I both got dumped. I suggest we go to the food stall, drink until we can't drink anymore, and I'll pay!"
"Damn it!"
Cao Shunjin stood up and cursed. "I just finished two servings of fried rice. Why didn't you say so earlier!"
"Who told you to eat my share."
Huang Haibao shot back.
Cao Shunjin grumbled, "Damn Huang Haibao, I seriously suspect you let me eat those two servings on purpose. You want to save money, but not like this!"
"I'm really not that kind of person," Old Huang still argued.
Old Huang and Old Cao were like a pair of comically mismatched friends. Shen Yuan could do nothing with them and intervened. "Alright, alright, let's go early and come back early or else the dormitory doors will be closed later."
With youthful fervor, college students moved fast. After a few bottles of beer, Huang Haibao was back to his lively self.
On their way to the dormitory, he still rambled drunkenly, "Women are like clothes, brothers are like limbs. I could live without women in this life, but not without brothers!"
Many students from the International campus looked at Huang Haibao as if he were a fool. Even Shen Yuan and Cao Shunjin felt embarrassed standing next to him.
The next morning, as daylight began to emerge, Cao Shunjin rigorously pulled Shen Yuan and Huang Haibao out of bed, claiming they should go for breakfast together, as roommates should be neat and organized.
This darned guy from Liaobei, drinking beer like it was water. Last night, the three of them had two crates, and he finished one on his own.
Huang Haibao and Shen Yuan grudgingly got up, cursing Cao Shunjin's family all the way.
The breakfast at International Campus Canteen 1 was rich - besides the staple soy milk, dough sticks, and buns, there were also cakes, noodle soups, sauce-flavored pancakes, and even rice rolls from eastern Guangdong…
"Hey, look over there."
The three of them each had a bowl of noodle soup and were sitting in a corner of the canteen. Just a few bites in, Cao Shunjin's eyes widened like bells.
Following Old Cao's gaze unconsciously, Shen Yuan and Huang Haibao were surprised to see Fang Minhui and another classmate, Chen Ling, buying breakfast.
Fang Minhui was tall, at least 5'6", with fairly pale skin. Today she wore a pair of teal micro shorts, showing off her long, straight legs.
Her top was a belly-baring white tube top containing her ample bust.
Her abdomen was flat and toned, her waist slender, clearly a sign of regular exercise.
Luckily she wore an oversize light-colored shirt over it, covering some of the stark white; otherwise, all the male eyes in the canteen would be focused on her.
Meanwhile, her companion, Chen Ling, obviously just a sidekick, wore dungarees and a bun, just about passing for cute.
"Old Huang, there's some good news," Shen Yuan took his attention away.
"What?"
Seeing Fang Minhui again, Huang Haibao wasn't very excited, even a bit downhearted.
"Fang Minhui went to the movies with Li Zhanpeng yesterday, but they didn't go to a hotel afterward," Shen Yuan said.
"How can you tell?"
"If they had gone to a hotel, they wouldn't have come back so early, and they wouldn't be in the canteen for breakfast. Even if they were, she'd be with Li Zhanpeng, not Chen Ling."
"Your analysis makes some sense, Old Third."
Huang Haibao felt a flicker of hope reignite within him.
"How is this good news?"
Cao Shunjin retorted, "The way things are developing between them, getting into bed together is only a matter of time."
"Damn, can't you just shut up for once?!"
"..."
Shen Yuan was also exasperated with the two of them. He couldn't help but roll his eyes and continued scouting for beauties in the canteen.
Meanwhile, after Fang Minhui and Chen Ling got their soy milk and buns and sat down, they also noticed the presence of Shen Yuan and his friends.
Shen Yuan's gaze drifted around and inadvertently returned to Fang Minhui, just as she was looking at him.
In that moment of eye contact, Shen Yuan clearly saw the Feel-good Index value above Fang Minhui's head.
[Feel-good Index toward the host: 72]
...