Girls' Dormitory

Chapter 187

Downstairs of the girls' dormitory, the heat waves rolled, and the cicadas chirped so loudly it made people feel restless.

Gu Ran opened the trunk of the Audi A6L and, much like Doraemon reaching into his magic pocket, first pulled out two shopping bags before lifting out the young girl's silver RIMOWA suitcase.

This bag has Ferrero Rocher chocolates, some nuts, and a few Starbucks tumblers.

He handed the bag to Ye Zhenzhen, slipping right into a nagging dad mode. When you get to your dorm, share these with your roommates first. As the saying goes, people are less likely to make things difficult for you after accepting your gifts. If you establish a good first impression, it will be much easier to skip class... ahem, to cover for each other in the future.

Ye Zhenzhen took the heavy bags with both hands, her body swaying slightly under the weight, and her small mouth could not help but pout. You are so nagging. I am the older sister here, do I really need you to teach me?

This is the voice of experience. Listen to good advice and you will have an easier life.

Gu Ran reached out to tidy up her slightly messy bangs, his gaze gentle yet serious.

College is a miniature society, and a girls' dorm is practically a battlefield. Even though we do not go looking for trouble, we cannot let people think you are a pushover. With me around, I will hold up the sky if it falls, but for the everyday little things, you still need to be smart and alert.

I know, I know. The young girl playfully stuck out her tongue, her eyes full of unconcealed joy and reliance.

She stood on tiptoe and, taking advantage of the fact that no one around was paying attention, quickly planted a loud smooch on Gu Ran's cheek.

Then, carrying all her bags and dragging her suitcase, she dashed into the dormitory building like a happy little deer.

Gu Ran touched the lingering sensation on his cheek and watched her retreating figure, the corners of his mouth turning upward.

This girl is getting better and better at flirting.

...

Room 302.

Pushing the door open, a complex scent mixing air freshener and a faint mustiness rushed to greet her.

It was a standard four-person dorm room with bunk beds that had desks underneath.

Three girls had already arrived and were sitting together chatting.

Hello everyone, I am Ye Zhenzhen, from County A of Qinglin City.

Ye Zhenzhen put on a standard polite smile and placed the bags she was carrying onto a desk. This is a little meeting gift I brought for everyone. Please, have some, do not be shy.

The three girls, who had been chatting, were first stunned by the young girl's breathtakingly beautiful face, and then their eyes locked onto the clearly expensive snacks on the desk.

Wow! Ferrero Rocher! And this brand of nuts is super expensive!

A round-faced girl with short hair, who looked naturally outgoing, jumped up first, her eyes sparkling as she took the bag. Thank you, thank you! Let me hug the rich lady! I am Zhao Xiaoxiao, a local!

Another quiet-looking girl wearing black-rimmed glasses also smiled shyly. Thank you for spending so much. I am Chen Jing.

Only the girl sitting by the window, wearing a breezy slip dress and touching up her makeup in the mirror, simply cast a cold glance through her compact and did not even shift her weight.

She looked the young girl up and down, her eyes carrying a bit of pickiness and scrutiny.

Thanks, but I am on a diet. I do not eat high-calorie things like this.

The girl turned her head back and continued drawing her eyebrows. Her tone was lukewarm and oozed a sense of superiority. I am Lin Yu.

Ye Zhenzhen did not mind. She smiled and nodded, then turned to start organizing her own desk.

With a click, her suitcase opened, and the previously harmonious atmosphere in the dorm suddenly turned into an eerie silence.

First, a brand new MacBook Pro was placed on the desk, followed by an iPad 2, and finally, the white iPhone 4 she held in her hand.

In 2011, this Apple ecosystem was simply synonymous with being wealthy, delivering a massive visual impact.

But that was not all.

The young girl then began pulling various bottles and jars out of her suitcase, stuffing them into her desk drawers.

A green bottle with a gold cap—La Mer moisturizing cream.

A red bottle—SK-II Facial Treatment Essence.

The half-eaten chocolate in Zhao Xiaoxiao's mouth suddenly lost its flavor.

She looked at the cheap lotion on her own desk, then at the pile of literal money sitting on Ye Zhenzhen's desk, her mouth dropping open into an O shape.

Lin Yu, who was drawing her eyebrows, felt her hand tremble, and her eyebrow pencil slipped, ruining the line.

She whipped around, staring fixedly at the items on the young girl's desk, the jealousy in her eyes practically overflowing.

Oh my, Student Ye, does your family own a mine?

Lin Yu sounded envious, but her words were laced with sarcasm, her voice a bit shrill. This whole set must cost tens of thousands, right? How could us regular students afford to use this?

The dorm room suddenly fell dead silent.

Both Zhao Xiaoxiao and Chen Jing heard the thorns in her words, awkwardly shrinking their necks back and not daring to chime in.

Seeing that no one spoke up, Lin Yu grew even bolder. She crossed her arms and looked at Ye Zhenzhen with a fake smile. Student Ye, do not blame me for talking too much, but we cannot take shortcuts just because we are young and pretty. Some men out there in society might have money, but that money burns the hands when you take it...

She did not finish her sentence, but her meaning was glaringly obvious.

She was just short of plastering the words sugar baby right onto the young girl's face.

Ye Zhenzhen was speechless.

This level of petty, mean-girl behavior was not even close to Pei Susu's.

Also, what was wrong with this person?

Seeing someone use expensive things automatically meant they were being kept by a sugar daddy?

Sure enough, to a dirty mind, everything looks dirty.

Ye Zhenzhen paused her unpacking.

She turned around, looking at Lin Yu's somewhat mean face, and suddenly recalled the image of Gu Ran spouting absolute nonsense with a straight face at the electronics store.

Since you want to put on an act, this lady will play along with you.

So, she took a deep breath and put on a serious, highly professional expression.

Classmate, you have misunderstood.

The young girl pointed to the Apple products on her desk, her tone as earnest as if she were giving a quarterly business report.

These are not my personal belongings; they are fixed company assets. I am a software testing specialist for GR Technology, and these devices are used for iOS system compatibility testing. I signed an agreement when I was hired. If I quit or if they get damaged, I have to compensate the company for their full value.

Huh? Lin Yu froze, wearing a look that said, are you freaking kidding me?

As for these skincare products...

Ye Zhenzhen picked up the jar of cream worth thousands of dollars and sighed, putting on a look of utter helplessness at the hardships of life.

These are company benefits, falling under the reimbursement category of corporate image maintenance funds.

The boss says that testing specialists often have to stay up late to test for bugs, and to prevent this from affecting the company's external image, we are strictly required to use high-end skincare products for maintenance.

Honestly, I find it quite annoying too. Smearing this and that on my face every day is exhausting, but what can you do? You take their money, you do their bidding.

Listen to that—was that even human language?

You could hear a pin drop in the dorm room.

The chocolate in Zhao Xiaoxiao's hand slipped and fell to the floor.

Chen Jing pushed up her glasses, her eyes filled with awe toward high-end corporate jobs in the big city.

Lin Yu's jaw dropped wide open, and for a long time, she simply could not close it.

She wanted to retort, wanted to scoff, but looking into Ye Zhenzhen's big, crystal-clear, innocent eyes, and seeing her earnest expression that screamed "I'm just a lowly corporate drone," all the words caught in her throat.

The excuse sounded incredibly absurd, yet somehow, coming from her mouth, it felt completely genuine?!

Did a dream company like this actually exist?

Are they still hiring?!

...