Pursuing Her Best Friend after Confession Failed-Chapter 34 - 33 Can I add you as a contact, senior?
A hint of red crept onto Zhong Tingyue’s snow-white face. She shyly lowered her head, fidgeting with the hem of her clothes, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. "Senior, can I have your contact information?"
Seeing this demure display, Li Yuan was taken aback and couldn’t help but look at her more closely. In his past life, Zhong Tingyue had been a remarkably calm and collected Goddess. While she was warm and proper with others, her measured approach caused many lecherous men to back off. They only dared to admire her from a distance, fantasizing in their minds, but never acting on their impulses.
"I’ll call you," Li Yuan smiled, using the new Nokia N95 he had bought after arriving in Modu to dial her number.
As the ringtone sounded, Zhong Tingyue took a pink and white phone from her bag and waved it at Li Yuan with a gentle smile. "Got it, Senior!"
Li Yuan, too, revealed a boyish grin. "We’ll be in touch later! If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask. I’m quite familiar with Daxia University."
Zhong Tingyue, feeling lost as a newcomer to Daxia University, was delighted to hear this. "Okay! See you later, Senior!"
"Bye!" Li Yuan waved and turned to leave without lingering.
Only after Li Yuan’s back disappeared from view did Zhong Tingyue cheerfully head upstairs, still wondering who, exactly, he was. After more than a decade of diligent study, her memories of classmates from primary and middle school had become a blur, except for a few she had been especially close to.
Senior Li Yuan is really a nice guy!
Li Yuan had no idea he had just been friend-zoned by Zhong Tingyue. Carrying his backpack, he followed the registration instructions to his dormitory. Daxia University was huge. It had a long history of nearly a hundred years and boasted beautiful trees and green spaces on campus.
The men’s dormitories were close to the women’s, separated only by a road and a garden. The building was named Lan Yuan.
Li Yuan climbed up to the third floor. His dorm was D-3223, a standard six-person room.
He was holding his key, about to unlock the door, when it unexpectedly swung open on its own. A young man with a buzz cut poked his head out. He was about 1.74 meters tall, with dark skin and a youthful face, and was dressed simply in a cheap tracksuit.
Li Yuan was surprised. "Oh, someone got here even earlier than me?"
The buzz-cut young man looked at Li Yuan with a mix of surprise and unease. He hurriedly greeted him in heavily accented Mandarin, "Hello, my name is Yi Jing."
Li Yuan sized him up—this was his first college classmate and roommate, a simple and honest-looking young man.
"Hi, I’m Li Yuan. How come you’re here so early?" Li Yuan asked.
Yi Jing seemed inexperienced at socializing. Noticing that Li Yuan was dressed like a city boy, he grew even more reserved. "My home is very far from here. I was worried I’d be late, so I came two days early."
Li Yuan’s thoughts drifted back to his own first year of college. He had been just as naive and clueless, filled with a mix of anticipation, wonder, and fear. After all, it was the first time for many to travel a thousand miles from home, all alone in a new place. Most found it hard to adapt.
Li Yuan smiled. "We’re the same. I came early because I was worried about being late, too. Yi Jing, judging by your accent, you’re from the north?"
Seeing Li Yuan’s friendly demeanor, Yi Jing secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "My hometown is Tianze City in Ganzhou, which is really far from Modu. The train took more than twenty hours, and it was a standing-room-only ticket. My legs are still numb."
"Li Yuan, are you also from the north? Whereabouts?"
Li Yuan had heard of Ganzhou but had no idea where Tianze was. Hearing that Yi Jing had stood the whole way, combined with his simple clothes, led Li Yuan to guess that his family wasn’t well-off. This was a common situation back then; children from poorer families often studied harder. This was especially true at a top-tier 985 university like Daxia, where students from ordinary backgrounds were the majority.
Li Yuan smiled and introduced himself. "I’m from Qiao Jun in Hui Province. Geographically, it’s also considered the north, but it’s pretty far from your hometown."
"Are you heading out?"
"Yeah, it was too far to bring a duvet, sheets, and toiletries, so I’m going to go buy some."
Li Yuan needed them as well. His bed was the top bunk on the inner side of the room, above a long three-person desk—the standard layout for a six-person dorm.
"Then I’ll go with you!"
Yi Jing hadn’t expected Li Yuan to go shopping right after arriving. Since he was unfamiliar with the area, he was naturally happy to tag along.
There was a campus supermarket selling bedding sets for new students, but the quality wasn’t great, and Li Yuan had no interest in them.
"Yi Jing, the quality of the bedding here is no good. Let’s go to a mall outside campus to buy some."
Yi Jing hesitated. He touched the bedding in the campus store and thought the quality seemed perfectly fine. But since Li Yuan had already spoken, he was too embarrassed to refuse.
At the mall, Li Yuan ignored the prices and chose bedding based on the feel and material.
"Ma’am, I’ll take two sets—one light blue and one gray," Li Yuan said. He planned to get an extra set for laundry days.
Yi Jing was still looking, his expression conflicted. He stared at the prices. One set cost over four hundred yuan, which was far beyond his budget.
He spoke up, somewhat embarrassed, "Li Yuan, I think I’ll look around some more."
Li Yuan replied without thinking, "What’s wrong? The quality of this bedding is pretty good, isn’t it?"
"Well, it’s just a bit..." Yi Jing trailed off, unable to finish.
Li Yuan was taken aback. The quality was great. But then he noticed Yi Jing’s reserved and hesitant expression and instantly understood.
Damn, my EQ is way too low.
He patted his roommate’s shoulder. "Ma’am, add another gray set to that, please."
The owner was a savvy middle-aged woman. She smiled and said, "Alright, handsome. Three sets come to 1,200, but since you’re students, I’ll make it 1,100."
Li Yuan didn’t bother haggling. He took out his wallet and counted out eleven red banknotes. "Here you are. Is delivery included?"
The owner took the money, her smile growing even broader. "Of course, delivery is included. Which university are you from, handsome?"
"Xia University, right across the road. Please have someone deliver them." Li Yuan spoke up. There was no way the two of them could carry three sets of duvets, sheets, and pillows by themselves.
"Wow, two handsome gentlemen from the prestigious Xia University! It must be my lucky day, having such bright students stop by." The owner then took out three toiletry kits and stuffed them into Li Yuan’s hands, beaming. "Tell you what, we also sell toiletries. I’ll give these to you for free. Just do me a favor, handsome, and tell a few of your classmates about our shop, okay?"
Li Yuan glanced at the toiletry bags. They contained a complete set of common brands: shampoo, a toothbrush, toothpaste, facial cleanser, a towel, and a washbasin. He couldn’t help but glance at the still-charming owner. She really knew how to do business. A discount plus freebies, a full-service package—these were the little tricks of the trade.
"Thank you so much, Ma’am!"
"No problem! Just send a few classmates my way. Now, what’s the exact address? I’ll have it sent over shortly."
"Daxia University, Lan Yuan Residence, Building D. Just call this number when you get there." Li Yuan wrote down the address and his phone number on a slip of paper.
On the way back, Yi Jing looked troubled, hesitating to speak. He pulled a wad of cash from his pocket. The bills—a mix of hundreds, twenties, and tens—were damp with sweat. It was about three or four hundred yuan in total. He held the money out to Li Yuan and stammered, "Li Yuan... I only have a little over three hundred on me. Please, take this for now. I’ll pay you the rest once I get more money."
Li Yuan didn’t take the money. Instead, he patted Yi Jing’s shoulder. "Yi Jing, my fault. I wasn’t thinking. Sorry about that. Just use this set for now."
Yi Jing looked hesitant but didn’t insist. That three hundred-odd yuan was his entire living budget for the month. Li Yuan’s guess had been correct: his family was indeed very poor.
