The next morning, Wang Cheng dragged himself out of the bed that was so warm he wanted to sleep in it forever. He reached toward the other side and found the sheets already cold. Chu Yifeng must have been up for a while. Moving slowly, Wang Cheng got out of bed and shuffled into the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face. By the time he finished, his head was finally clear.
The bedroom they were staying in now was twice the size of the one in their Shanhai City apartment, and the wardrobe was twice as large too. It covered an entire wall, with rows of new clothes hanging inside and another level above and below. None of them belonged to Wang Cheng, though. Chu Yifeng had not brought luggage when they came. The bags he had packed were all Wang Cheng’s. There were always new ways for rich people to be extravagant beyond imagination.
When Chu Yifeng opened the door, he found Wang Cheng standing in front of the mirror, bundled up like a rice dumpling. Whatever he was wearing underneath was hidden, but on the outside he had on a long coat with a fur-trimmed hood that wrapped him from head to toe.
“How do I look?” Wang Cheng turned and asked.
“Where did you find that coat?” Chu Yifeng remembered organizing his luggage and had never seen it.
“In your wardrobe. I noticed this one fits me perfectly. The size is different from your other clothes, and it’s really warm, much warmer than what I wore yesterday.” If Wang Cheng had not been sharp-eyed, he might never have found it.
“As long as it fits. Come out and eat first.” Chu Yifeng decided not to bother pursuing why the professional company that stocked the house had gotten the size wrong.
Wang Cheng answered, took off the coat, and followed him out.
Breakfast was takeout again. There was no morning market near Binhai Garden. If they wanted to eat at home, they either had to cook for themselves or order delivery. The delicate food was rich and fragrant in his mouth. Wang Cheng had to admit it tasted even better than what he made himself.
“What are you doing today?” Wang Cheng asked after swallowing a shumai. He planned to visit his younger sister at Jing University. Chu Yifeng could not really accompany him, but leaving him alone at the villa felt a little inconsiderate.
“I have something to take care of. You’ll be fine going alone, right?” Chu Yifeng said.
“Of course. I’m not three years old.”
After breakfast, Wang Cheng cleared the bowls and chopsticks from the table, then went back to the room to change. He put on the coat he had found in Chu Yifeng’s wardrobe and a pair of high-top boots lined with fur. He had bought the boots himself later. The shopkeeper had claimed the lining was real fur. Wang Cheng knew nothing about that and could not tell whether it was true, but they were comfortable and warm.
Chu Yifeng found a dark-brown knitted hat in the wardrobe and put it on his head.
“Does wearing a hat make me look strange?” Wang Cheng rarely wore hats. The moment he put one on, he felt as though he had returned to his bald period.
“It’s too cold. Without a hat your ears could get frostbite.” Chu Yifeng adjusted it for him.
Wang Cheng laughed. “Should I wear a mask too?” His face was even bigger than his ears.
“If you want.”
“Forget it.” The air in the capital after the snowfall did not seem too bad. Yesterday he had seen plenty of people without masks. The weather was cold, but it was not more than he could withstand. His physical condition had always been good.
“Done.”
Chu Yifeng had dressed too. He was not wearing nearly as many layers as Wang Cheng and did not need a hat. Wang Cheng was just about to comment when Chu Yifeng pushed him out the door. A wave of cold air rushed over him, and every word vanished from his mind. Chu Yifeng really had been more farsighted.
Chu Yifeng drove the car the driver had left for them the day before and personally took him to Jing University.
The snow from yesterday had already stopped. Hardworking sanitation workers had cleared the roads long before, revealing the hard black pavement underneath. More and more cars were appearing now. Few people wanted to leave home at this hour in weather like this, but anyone who needed to earn a living still had to go out.
The car stopped outside Jing University. This elite campus was even cleaner than the streets. Students on morning duty had cleared the heavy snow from the school grounds before eight. Many students were coming and going through the gate. University was different from high school. Students did not necessarily have seven or eight classes every day unless they chose many electives. It was Monday, and Wang Cheng had asked Wang Ziyu beforehand. She had relatively few classes that day.
“If Little Rain wants to eat with me this afternoon, I might not be able to eat with you. I’ll text you then.” Wang Cheng closed the car door, bent down, and spoke to Chu Yifeng through the window.
“Okay. Go in.”
After watching the car leave, Wang Cheng headed for the gate. He had heard that Jing University had a standardized uniform, but students only had to wear it on specified occasions. They could dress normally at other times. Wang Ziyu had told him that the university’s uniforms were not the ugly kind they had seen before, but stylish suits. The boys wore casual-style suits, while the girls wore skirts. Some students liked the uniforms enough to wear them even when they were not required.
Wang Cheng could already see several men and women in uniform. Some looked good in them and some did not. Laughter and conversation rose around them. An elite university really did feel different. Jing University gathered talented students from everywhere. Its academic atmosphere was unlike that of ordinary colleges. Many people believed university meant freedom, but here the balance of study and recreation was every bit as intense as high school, and competition was fierce.
Jing University advocated a more human-centered kind of freedom while encouraging students to practice and demonstrate what they could do. Rules were necessary, but if every action and every word had to be constrained by regulations, how were students supposed to learn self-discipline? So Jing University removed many rigid restrictions. Reassuringly, the students had not relaxed simply because they had greater freedom.
Anyone capable of testing into Jing University was already outstanding. Talented people had their pride, and none wanted to lose to others. Even first-year students lived amid intense competition. Wang Ziyu loved exactly that stimulating atmosphere. Wang Cheng still remembered her complaining that the students in high school had been too relaxed, leaving her with no pressure at all. Without pressure, improvement was difficult, so she eventually began treating Big Brother as her goal.
“Student, wait a moment.”
An older man’s voice suddenly came from behind him. Wang Cheng did not realize the man was calling him and kept walking until someone grabbed his arm. He turned and saw an elderly man slightly out of breath, probably the gatekeeper. Wang Cheng walked quickly, so the man had chased him for a short distance.
“Sir, were you calling me? What’s the matter?” Wang Cheng gave him a gentle smile.
Uncle Chen had originally intended to reprimand him, but the smile made the words die in his throat. The young man was unexpectedly handsome. That was precisely why Uncle Chen was sure he had never seen him before. He said, “You’re not a Jing University student, are you?”
“How could you tell?”
“With a face like yours, I’d remember you after seeing you once.” Uncle Chen’s eyes scanned his face almost like X-rays.
Wang Cheng laughed. “You have a good eye, sir.”
“A gatekeeper needs eyes like these. If you’re not a student here, what are you doing inside? Don’t tell me you’re another person coming to find a friend?” Uncle Chen asked.
From his tone, Wang Cheng realized outsiders must often come to Jing University looking for people. “I’m here to see someone. My younger sister is a first-year student.”
“What’s her name?”
“Wang Ziyu.”
Uncle Chen’s expression immediately became serious, and his attitude seemed to grow distant. “The Wang Ziyu you mean is the campus beauty who was also the provincial top scorer in the college entrance examination?”
“That’s her. She’s my younger sister.” Wang Cheng nodded.
Uncle Chen shook his head and sighed. “Young people these days never focus on proper things. Their heads are full of chasing girls. This trick doesn’t work anymore. Someone already used it before. Just to pursue a girl, you people really can invent anything.”
Wang Cheng stared at him in astonishment. “Sir, I really am Wang Ziyu’s brother.”
“That’s what the others said too. Go on. Spend more of your energy on your studies instead of chasing girls. Your parents will be much happier.” Uncle Chen wore an expression that clearly said, Don’t even think of fooling me.
Wang Cheng did not know whether to laugh or cry. Being stopped at the entrance like this felt strangely familiar. Didn’t television always say handsome people made a better impression? Why did that rule fail completely when it came to him? He had wanted to surprise Little Rain, but apparently that was impossible now. He took out his phone and made a call. Wang Ziyu’s excited voice soon came through.
“Second Brother? Why are you suddenly calling me?”
“Because I miss you. You don’t have class right now, do you?”
“I don’t. Why?”
Wang Cheng cleared his throat. “I’m at the front gate of your school. Come down and get me. The gatekeeper won’t let me in.”
“Really? Second Brother, you really came to the capital?” Wang Ziyu’s excited scream through the phone stabbed straight into Wang Cheng’s eardrum.
“You little brat. Are you trying to make your second brother deaf by shouting that loudly?”
“Second Brother, you’re not that fragile. I’m coming down right now. Wait for me.”
Before Wang Cheng could answer, the call had already ended. He put away his phone and looked at the half-convinced Uncle Chen with a smile. “Sir, I think you’ll see Wang Ziyu herself very soon. Then you’ll know whether I’m really her brother.”
Wang Ziyu did not make Wang Cheng wait long, though Jing University really was huge. Even on a borrowed bicycle, it took her five minutes to get there. Walking normally would have taken more than ten. The moment Uncle Chen saw her, he knew he had made a mistake. The man really was her biological brother.
“Sorry about that, young man. Looks like I really misunderstood you.” After an awkward moment, Uncle Chen admitted his mistake frankly.
“It’s fine. You were only doing your job,” Wang Cheng said with a smile.
Wang Ziyu added, “Exactly, Uncle Chen. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have known Second Brother deliberately came to Jing University without telling me.”
She meant to thank him, but Uncle Chen felt even worse. If he had not deliberately stopped Wang Cheng, the man could have surprised his sister properly.
Wang Cheng found the reaction amusing. After reassuring Uncle Chen a few times, the siblings finally went inside.
Uncle Chen watched their backs. What a good pair of siblings.
Jing University’s management of the male and female dormitories was not especially strict, but like most universities, men were generally forbidden from entering the women’s dormitory. If a female student personally brought someone in, however, it was allowed. The dormitory aunt downstairs would not stop them, though she would inevitably make a comment or two.
When Wang Ziyu brought Wang Cheng upstairs, the dormitory aunt clearly had not expected Jing University’s sweetest and gentlest campus beauty to bring a man into the building. It was a first. By the time she recovered from her shock, she had already missed the best chance to ask questions.
The roommates already knew Wang Ziyu’s second brother was coming to Jing University. The fourth roommate had a particularly amusing name: Qian Baobao. She was the liveliest person in the room and also had a weakness for handsome men. Before Wang Cheng and Wang Ziyu even arrived, she had already entered a state of frantic nervousness, practically bouncing off the walls.
Qian Baobao had actually seen Wang Cheng before, but she had never spoken to him. The reason was precisely her weakness for handsome men. When someone who looked like the kind of heartthrob she normally only saw on television suddenly appeared in front of her, she froze completely. Only after Wang Cheng left did she regret it.
“What do you think Ziyu’s second brother is like? Ziyu has such a good personality, so her brother’s probably not bad either. What do you think the chances are that he’ll like me? I’ve never dated a guy this handsome before.” Qian Baobao cupped her cheeks and began daydreaming.
Mi Li had no interest in responding. Her eyes never moved away from the book in her hands.
Pang Chunjuan was not as devoted to studying. She held a huge bag of potato chips in one hand while the other continuously fed food into her mouth. Hearing Qian Baobao, she looked surprised. “Haven’t you never dated any guy at all?”
Qian Baobao ignored her and continued bouncing excitedly. Halfway through, she suddenly screamed and grabbed her messy hair. “Oh no. If Ziyu’s second brother sees me looking this sloppy, my image will be completely ruined.”
Pang Chunjuan looked almost reluctant to be cruel, but still pointed toward the doorway. “He already saw.”
Qian Baobao followed her finger. Two people were standing at the door without her noticing, one Wang Ziyu and the other the handsome man she had been imagining.
She slowly turned her head and extended a hand toward Pang Chunjuan. “Let me die. Don’t stop me.”
“Go ahead. I’m not stopping you. I’m not even holding you back.” Pang Chunjuan stared at her outstretched hand and crunched another potato chip loudly between her teeth.
Wang Cheng burst out laughing.