Chapter 3

It’s so embarrassing.

I decided to stand still and lie dormant for a few days.

Until Du Hongting’s mobile number was pushed down in my phone call records. 

After a few days.

I went directly to the boys’ dormitory in the math department of the neighboring university.

In the building manager’s office, a young building manager was sitting.

The young man asked, “Did you forget your key?”

Me: “…”

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Rq R alxlxcla nsaalnvzu, vbkp cwkzekdt kp vbl xyzl esaxkvsau.

Gqvla rwvvkdt sd bkp tzypplp, vbl uswdt xyd pyke, “Xb, psaau, R eked’v pll nzlyazu. Gal usw zssjkdt qsa psxlsdl?”

R ypjle, “Ps usw jdso Pw Tsdtvkdt?”

“R esd’v jdso bkx,” vbl uswdt xyd pyke. “Mblal yal bwdealep sq rlsrzl kd vbkp cwkzekdt. Tso nyd R jdso lhlausdl?”

“Tl’p ekqqlaldv, hlau lypu vs alnstdkgl,” R alnyzzle. “Tl’p y ckt qyv twu obs olktbp vos bwdeale rswdep.”

“Mbld usw’al zssjkdt kd vbl oasdt rzynl. Mblal’p ds sdl blal obs olktbp shla sdl bwdeale yde qkqvu rswdep.”

Gqvla alvwadkdt, R nyzzle xu eye.

Yu eye pyke, “Tl eslpd’v zkhl sd nyxrwp.”

“Why not?”

Did he have a bad temper and get bullied by his roommates?

Was he afraid his roommates would poison him because his grades were too good?

My dad said, “His roommates stay up too late studying, which affects his sleep.”

“He doesn’t study?”

“When he lived with us, I never saw him study,” my dad continued. “What time did he go to bed when he lived with us?”

As soon as I thought of this, I gritted my teeth with jealousy. “It wouldn’t be later than nine o’clock.”

Based on the address my dad gave, I found Du Hongting’s current apartment.

In order to salvage my dignity, I even put on makeup and borrowed a dress from my roommate, who was a senior.

It was one size too small, 

Black in color, 

And clung to my body, accentuating my curves.

Combined with my somewhat sketchy demeanor, I looked like I was involved in some shady business.

I pressed the floor button on the intercom downstairs and, once connected, I got straight to the point: “I’m Meng Qiqi!”

A young woman’s voice responded, “Uh… what?”

After a brief pause, she said, “Wait a minute.”

Could she be his girlfriend?

Soon, Du Hongting’s voice came through the intercom, “Wait for me downstairs.”

After living together for a year, he didn’t even invite me in?

I was so embarrassed that I didn’t know how to continue.

I waited for a while.

Through the security door’s glass, I saw the elevator doors open and a slim figure appeared.

The lighting was not enough to see who it was clearly. 

I remembered my dad saying he had lost weight 

and had become handsome. 

At that moment, scenes of overweight people turning into thin and attractive ones, like those in the movies “Weight Loss” and “Ugly Woman Turnaround,” rushed through my mind.

Could it be true? 

He lost so much weight? 

I got instantly excited, my ears and cheeks turning red, my heart pounding with adoration.

As the person approached, I craned my neck to get a better look.

Suddenly, a massive overweight person came into view behind him, 

And my heart deflated like a pricked balloon.

Although he had lost some weight and matured a bit, the overweight person was still the same overweight person.

Du Hongting pushed the door open and walked towards me, saying, “Long time no see.”

I suddenly became nervous, “Long time no see.”

Then I took out the ham I bought at the campus supermarket, “My dad sent me some local specialties from our hometown and asked me to bring them to you.”

Du Hongting asked, “Oh. How did you know my address?”

I replied, “My dad told me.”

Du Hongting asked, “Then why didn’t he send it directly to me? Why did he ask you to deliver it?”

Me: “…”

Du Hongting glanced at the “specialty” I brought and said, “I remember you’re from Chongqing.”

“Yes.”

“So why is the specialty Jinhua ham?”

Me: “…”

Du Hongting: “What’s the matter? Why are you looking for me?”

Me: “It’s nothing, nothing.”

Du Hongting turns around: “Really nothing? Then I’m leaving.”

I hesitate for a few seconds, “Hey, there is something.”

Then I explained briefly.

After listening, Du Hongting says, “I’m in the mathematics department, but I’m not in the finance direction, and I haven’t dealt with programming before.”

I look confused, “Oh… then, never mind.”

Du Hongting says, “I can try though.”

Does that mean he has to start from scratch?

Just to satisfy my desires?

I can’t do that, it’s not right.

I quickly say, “No, no, it’s fine. I’ll leave now.”

A question flashes through my mind:

Three years ago, I asked him to tutor me, and he agreed.

Three years later, I asked him to help me with programming, and he agreed.

His temper is so bad, why is he so good to me?

Without thinking too much, Du Hongting stopped me and said, “What’s your phone number?”

I gave him a string of digits.

He saved it on his phone and suddenly said, “It looks familiar.”

I suddenly remembered the last time I called him and he mistook me for a scammer because I was too nervous.

Before Du Hongting could say “So it’s you,” I quickly ran away.

A few days later, I had forgotten about the incident with Du Hongting.

He actually sent me a text message: “How do I cook this Jinhua ham?”

In my heart, I thought, “You can steam it, stir-fry it, boil it, or just eat it straight up.”

Then I wrote a simple cooking method and asked, “Can you do it?”

Du Hongting replied, “No.”

I gritted my teeth and went to his house to cook a table of Jinhua ham with eighteen dishes.

I was very nervous during the cooking process, afraid that his girlfriend would come over and question why there was such a strong newlywed atmosphere.

After dinner, I took the dishes off the table and Du Hongting put his laptop on the table.

He showed me a financial software that was exactly what Zhou Taidi wanted.

I asked him, “Where did you get it?”

Du Hongting said, “I made it.”

Three days?

Three days!

Our team had been working on it for almost four years and we still couldn’t produce it. He did it in three days…

I was speechless.

Du Hongting: “Most of it is borrowed from others. If you want to do it seriously, many parts need to be refined and improved.”

Me: “Are you really going to join our group?”

Du Hongting: “I won’t join the group. I’ll just give you some simple guidance for a month.”

Me: “…”

My knees were about to give out.

I told Zhou Taidi about this news.

Originally, I wanted to explain why Du Hongting refused to join the group.

But when I looked up, Zhou Taidi was in tears.

Zhou Taidi: “Du Hongting? The No.1 math genius from the neighboring university? The fat guy who applied for a full scholarship to Massachusetts Institute of Technology before even graduating?”

The prefix was too long for me to be sure, but once he mentioned the fat guy, I knew it was him.

How could I have known he was so talented?

He said he was just giving guidance, but he actually helped me write the code.

It was like back in middle school when he tutored me and I cooked for him.

After a month of coding and testing, the app was finished.

The result far exceeded Zhou Taidi’s expectations.

The president praised it endlessly, and the school even used it as a success story to praise it at a school-wide meeting.

Later, the app went online and sold for $1.99, with 14,000 downloads and a 95% five-star rating.

But there was no Du Hongting among the developers.

Because Du Hongting said, “This app is poorly made.”

Me: “…”

Thanks to the fat guy, Zhou Taidi began to look at me in a different light.

The External Relations Department held a large dance party, inviting alumni from several fraternal schools to have fun together.

Zhou Taidi gave me a little black dress, CHANEL.

Before that, the only foreign brand I knew was ONLY.

CHANEL, CHANNEL, channel?

Before, because of the research group, Zhou Taidi, Du Hongting, and I became WeChat friends.

So when Zhou Taitai posted a selfie on his moments of the decorated dance floor and added a “waitting for you” message, I liked it.

Du Hongting replied, “Are you going too?”

“Too?”

I replied to Du Hongting, “Are you going too?”

For a long time, Du Hongting suddenly replied, “Together?”

I was curious, “Are you still looking for a dance partner?”

Doesn’t he already have a girlfriend?

Du Hongting didn’t reply for a long time.

I replied, “Zhou Taidi invited me to be his dance partner. We’re both single, helping each other out.”

Du Hongting messaged me, “Did Zhou Taidi tell you he’s single?”

“Yes,” I replied.

“You’re stupid,” Du Hongting said.

Me: “I’m stupid? Damn it! If he has a girlfriend, why would he invite me to be his dance partner? And even give me a dress?”

Du Hongting: “Idiot.”

Why are you so angry? Are you crazy?

Me: “You’re the idiot!”

As it turns out, the idiot in this situation – was me, it was really me.

After the dance guests arrived at the scene, there was a bit of a situation.

Three beautiful women from three different universities claimed to be Zhou Taidi’s girlfriend.

The scene was a bit awkward.

Three women and one man, a melee.

Different from the focus of everyone present.

I was fully focused on observing the three ladies’ little black dresses.

All of them were the same as the one Zhou Taidi gave me.

When I got home, I just threw it away.

Later on, I heard that someone hacked into Zhou Taidi’s WeChat account, and the “waitting for you” message was set to be visible to everyone.

This move was a great relief for dealing with such a scumbag who cheated on his girlfriend.

But hacking someone’s WeChat like this is a violation of privacy and is illegal, so I hope this “friend of women” won’t get caught in his lifetime.

I even apologized to Du Hongting for this matter.

After calling me an idiot three times, he finally reluctantly ate the dish of cheese baked rice I made.