Oh dear, how did your campus card end up on my leg

Chen Zhi soon arrived at the gate of the Central Conservatory.

But the cab driver didn't drive away immediately.

"Brother," the driver finally said, clasping his hands together in a gesture of respect, his tone weathered yet admiring. "This trip today was worth it. Get busy, I won't delay you from winning glory for our country."

With that, the legendary vehicle with the license plate ending in 0721 finally hit the gas and merged into the evening rush hour traffic, hiding its merits and fame.

Chen Zhi stood on the curb at the school gate, feeling completely hollowed out.

He plopped down on a nearby stone bollard and let out a long, heavy breath.

What the hell kind of day was this?

From morning until now, he had been running back and forth on the capital's Third Ring Road, which was jammed up like a sausage, seamlessly juggling three demanding princesses. Even a pack mule wouldn't be worked this hard.

After resting for two minutes, Chen Zhi took out his phone and checked his collar for lipstick marks.

After making sure everything was flawless, he sent a WeChat message to Lin Wanwan.

[Chen Zhi: I'm here, Wanwan. I'm at the gate. I missed you.]

Instant reply.

[Wanwan: Coming down right now! I was just caught by my counselor to fill out a form, give me two minutes!]

Putting down his phone, Chen Zhi looked at the grand gate of the Central Conservatory.

Less than two minutes later, a white figure dashed out of the school gate.

Lin Wanwan was wearing a simple white T-shirt and denim shorts.

She stood at the gate looking left and right, and quickly spotted Chen Zhi sitting on the stone bollard.

"Chen Zhi!"

From a distance, the girl called out in a crisp voice, completely ignoring the gazes of the passersby, and threw her arms wide open as she rushed over.

Chen Zhi tactfully opened his arms and braced himself.

With a soft thud.

A warm, fragrant body crashed fully into his embrace.

Lin Wanwan wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, rubbing her head against his chest, her voice full of unconcealed joy: "What took you so long? I've been waiting forever. My roommates wanted to drag me to the cafeteria just now, but I said no, I have to wait for my boyfriend..."

Chen Zhi smiled and rubbed her head, but just as he was about to speak, his expression stiffened.

Crap.

Just a moment ago, that wicked woman Pei Ningxue had been rubbing against him all the way in the taxi.

If Wanwan smelled another woman's scent on him, he was dead meat.

The girl in his arms seemed to have rubbed enough. Just as she was about to look up, her delicate nose twitched slightly, as if about to initiate her "routine inspection" mode.

Danger!

Chen Zhi's mind raced. At a time like this, to explain is to cover up, and to cover up is to admit guilt.

He had to overload her brain, otherwise he was finished.

Just as those almond eyes looked up, before her gaze could even focus, Chen Zhi reached out and cupped Lin Wanwan's chin.

Then, he lowered his head and kissed her.

"Mmph..."

Lin Wanwan's eyes widened instantly. Her eyelashes fluttered a couple of times before she slowly closed her eyes.

The "olfactory radar" she was about to turn on instantly crashed. Her mind went completely blank, leaving only the warmth of his lips and teeth and that familiar scent.

It was a long kiss.

It wasn't until the girl in his arms went soft and her breathing grew ragged, having completely forgotten about the inspection, that Chen Zhi finally let her go, still leaving her wanting more.

Lin Wanwan's cheeks were flushed, her eyes shimmering with moisture. She leaned dizzily against his chest, completely forgetting about any perfume smell.

"Ahem, ahem..."

A few coughs suddenly came from the side.

"Oh my, Wanwan, we're still at the school gate! Aren't you two being a bit too mushy? Are you going to leave any way out for us single dogs?"

Lin Wanwan bounced out of Chen Zhi's embrace, frantically fixing her hair, her face red enough to drip blood.

Only then did Chen Zhi clearly see three girls standing behind Lin Wanwan, looking at them with teasing, auntie-like smiles.

"Ah! Sister Nan, stop it!" Lin Wanwan stomped her foot in embarrassment and quickly pulled Chen Zhi over to introduce him to her roommates.

"Chen Zhi, these are my roommates."

Lin Wanwan pointed to the tall girl with a neat short haircut on the far left. "This is the oldest in our dorm, Zhao Nan. She's from the Northeast, super straightforward."

Zhao Nan waved generously at Chen Zhi, speaking with a thick Northeastern accent: "Hello there, brother-in-law! Wanwan has been talking about you all day, my ears are practically growing calluses. Seeing you now, you've definitely got something going on. No wonder you've got our big star so mesmerized."

Chen Zhi smiled and nodded. "Nice to meet you, Sister Nan."

Lin Wanwan then pointed to the girl in the middle, who was wearing a chic tweed suit and carrying a designer bag. "This is the second oldest, Su Rou. She's a Beijing local."

Su Rou looked quite delicate. She gave Chen Zhi a reserved nod. "Hello."

Finally, there was a petite girl hiding behind the two of them, wearing thick black-framed glasses.

"This is the fourth, and the youngest in our dorm, Zhou Xiaoyu."

Zhou Xiaoyu seemed a bit socially anxious. Clutching the hem of her shirt, she timidly called out, "H-hello, brother-in-law."

Chen Zhi wore a warm, spring-breeze-like smile on his face, neither overly attentive nor lacking in manners.

"Hello, beautiful ladies. I'm Chen Zhi, Wanwan's plus-one."

"Thank you all for taking care of Wanwan along the way. She can be a bit scatterbrained sometimes, so I'll have to trouble you all to look after her in the dorm."

As he spoke, he naturally wrapped his arm around Lin Wanwan's shoulder. "I'm treating you all to dinner tonight. Don't hold back, order whatever you want. Let's consider it my apology for making you wait so long."

His words were watertight. They declared his sovereignty, gave Lin Wanwan plenty of face, and brought him closer to her roommates all at once.

Hearing this, Zhao Nan laughed. "Alright, brother-in-law, you're a generous guy! Since you took away our dorm's big star, we won't hold back. We're definitely going to fleece you tonight!"

Su Rou also chimed in jokingly, "Then we'll have to pick a good place. We can't save money for Wanwan."

The group chatted and laughed. In the end, they didn't go anywhere too expensive, opting instead for a Haidilao hot pot restaurant in a nearby mall.

There was no helping it. Even though these girls talked a big game about fleecing him, they were all quite sensible when it came time to order.

Especially Zhou Xiaoyu, who clicked her tongue at the prices on the menu and hesitated for a long time just to order a half-portion of sliced potatoes.

During the meal, the atmosphere was very harmonious.

As the only man, Chen Zhi naturally took on the service duties of blanching the tripe, dropping in the shrimp paste, and pouring drinks.

His movements were practiced, and he took care of everything. Not only did he serve Lin Wanwan comfortably, but he also catered to her three roommates perfectly.

Moreover, he was humorous and witty. A few jokes were enough to liven up the atmosphere, and even the introverted Zhou Xiaoyu was made to laugh several times.

By the end of the meal, Chen Zhi had successfully established his persona as the "peerless good boyfriend" and "reliable brother-in-law."

Watching Lin Wanwan, who looked like she was doing nothing but eating and staring at Chen Zhi with a silly grin, Zhao Nan couldn't help but shake her head. She pinched her voice and mimicked:

"Oh, Chen Zhi~ This shrimp is so hot~"

"Oh, Chen Zhi~ I want to drink that plum juice~"

The whole table burst into laughter.

Lin Wanwan reached out to pinch Zhao Nan's arm in embarrassment. "Sister Nan, you're so annoying! I do not talk like that!"

"Give me a break," Zhao Nan rolled her eyes. "The way you were looking at my brother-in-law just now, the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. My teeth are aching from all the sweetness!"

When it was time to pay the bill and the waiter had just brought over the check, Lin Wanwan rushed to pull out her phone.

"I'll get it, I'll get it! I have money!"

Chen Zhi held her hand down, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "What are you doing? We agreed it's my treat, why are you fighting for it?"

"Oh come on, it's not easy for you to make money."

Lin Wanwan said righteously, "My prize money from the singing competition and the signing bonus add up to hundreds of thousands. I can't even spend it all. How much is your scholarship? You still need to save it to buy a computer and books."

Beside them, Zhao Nan and Su Rou exchanged a glance, both seeing the sour jealousy in each other's eyes.

They aren't even married yet, and she's already starting to save money for her husband?

"That's different."

Chen Zhi didn't let go. His other hand had already pulled out his phone and aimed it at the QR code. "Your money is yours, and my money is yours too, but I have to pay for this meal."

Lin Wanwan got anxious and tried to push Chen Zhi aside. "Once your scholarship is spent, it's gone. If I run out of money, I can just ask my dad for more. My dad is loaded! Comrade Lin Shuxian told me to spend as much as I want and not to save him any money!"

Pfft.

Zhou Xiaoyu, who was drinking plum juice, almost did a spit-take.

Chen Zhi was also amused by this silly girl.

"Wanwan."

Chen Zhi's expression turned slightly serious as he looked into her eyes. "You bought me a watch and clothes. Can't I just treat your roommates to a meal? If you keep doing this, we're going to split the bill fifty-fifty every time we eat out from now on."

Hearing the words "split the bill," Lin Wanwan immediately backed down.

That was the most relationship-damaging phrase between couples.

"Alright..."

Lin Wanwan withdrew her phone feeling wronged, and muttered softly, "Male chauvinist."

Chen Zhi paid swiftly. It cost over five hundred in total, which was a drop in the bucket for him right now.

Looking at Lin Wanwan acting like a wronged little wife, Zhao Nan across the table couldn't hold it in anymore.

She pinched her voice and made an orchid hand gesture, mimicking her sarcastically: "Once your scholarship is spent, it's gone. If I run out of money, I can just ask my dad for more."

"Ew."

Su Rou also played along, rubbing her arms. "I'm dying of cringe. Even Haidilao's plum juice isn't as cheesy as you two. I'm never eating out with you guys again, it gives me indigestion."

"Love on the brain is truly terrifying," Zhou Xiaoyu pushed up her glasses and made a brilliant summary.

Lin Wanwan was so embarrassed by their teasing that she grabbed a throw pillow and tossed it at them. "Just eat your meat! Even that can't shut your mouths!"

...

After dinner, they wandered around the mall for a bit, and then Chen Zhi escorted the four of them back to the gates of the Central Conservatory of Music.

It was already past nine in the evening.

Lin Wanwan held his hand, reluctant to part. "Are you still going back to Peking University? It's so late."

"Yeah, I still have to go back and make my bed."

Chen Zhi checked the time. "Don't worry, I'll come find you tomorrow."

"Then text me when you get there."

"I know."

Watching Lin Wanwan look back three times with every step as she entered the school gates, Chen Zhi finally let out a long sigh of relief once her figure completely disappeared.

This damn day was finally coming to an end.

He felt like his health bar had hit rock bottom, and he desperately needed to lie in bed to regenerate some energy.

Chen Zhi went to the mall's lockers to retrieve his two suitcases, then stood by the road to hail a cab.

Since it was past the evening rush hour, it was much easier to get a taxi.

Half an hour later, the taxi stopped at the southeast gate of Peking University.

Dragging his suitcases and looking at the plaque bearing the four large characters for Peking University, Chen Zhi actually felt a touching sense of finally being home.

Following the guide in the freshman manual and asking for directions along the way, he finally found his way to the bottom of the Yuanpei College dormitory building.

There were access control turnstiles at the entrance of the building.

Usually, people entered using facial recognition or a campus card.

But freshmen hadn't had their faces registered yet, so Chen Zhi could only swipe his campus card.

Chen Zhi placed his suitcases on the ground and reached into his pants pocket to feel for his campus card.

Left pocket, empty.

Right pocket, still empty.

Chen Zhi's heart skipped a beat.

He patted his back pockets and even turned his backpack upside down.

His ID card was there, his bank card was there, but only that campus card was missing.

"What the hell?"

Chen Zhi stood in the cold wind, feeling completely devastated.

He clearly remembered stuffing that card into his pocket when he left the house!

Ding-dong.

Just then, a WeChat notification sound rang from his phone.

Chen Zhi had an extremely ominous premonition.

He opened WeChat.

The pinned contact with the note "Bad Woman" had sent a picture.

The background of the picture was the luxurious velvet bedsheets of a hotel.

A pair of fair, long, and beautifully contoured legs that made it hard to look away were casually crossed on the bed.

And on that snow-white skin lay a red card.

It was the exact Peking University campus card that Chen Zhi couldn't find anywhere on himself.

Right beneath the photo, a text message popped up.

[Pei: Oh my, good brother, how did your campus card end up on my leg?]

[Pei: Without this, you probably can't get into your dorm tonight, right? You wouldn't want to sleep on the streets, would you?]

[Pei: I'm in Room 1808 at the Shangri-La Hotel. You have half an hour to come redeem it.]

[Pei: I won't wait if you're late, little virgin.]

Chen Zhi stared at the screen, almost dying of anger.

He took a deep breath, looked up at the dormitory building that was so close yet inaccessible, and then looked back at the provocative photo on his phone screen.

Pei Ningxue.

Screw you.