“I told you, didn’t I? If it’s yours, it’s yours. No one can take it from you. You are the best student in our department after all!” said Mei Xiawen. He felt so proud of Gu Nianzhi; he could not help patting her on the head affectionately.
Gu Nianzhi was overcome with joy. She did not mind Mei Xiawen patting her on the head. She could not stop smiling. Her eyes were brimming with happy tears and she bit her rosy bottom lip in excitement.
He Zhichu’s voice sounded through the receiver, crisp and clear. “Tomorrow morning, eight o’ clock. This is your last chance.”
Gu Nianzhi hastily nodded at the receiver, and then said, “Yes! I’ve got this! I will not be late this time!”
Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu then decided upon the venue for the interview. Once that was settled, Gu Nianzhi happily set the receiver down and left the specialist building with Mei Xiawen.
They returned to her dormitory building, but Mei Xiawen did not follow her inside this time. He undid her seat belt, but then grasped her hand. “Chin up, and put your best foot forward. I’ll pick you up for the interview tomorrow.”
“You don’t have to do that, Class Rep. The interview will be in the law department’s conference room. I know how to get there.” Gu Nianzhi stepped out of the car and waved. “See you around, Class Rep.”
Gu Nianzhi ran up to her dorm room, her loud steps echoing in the hallway. She pushed open the door, and shouted, “Green Tea Fang, Lady Cao, Little Temptress! I’m back!”
“What are you so excited about? Forgot to take your crazy pills?” Green Tea Fang smiled as she handed her a glass of water. “Here, have some warm water. The crazy pills go down easier if you dissolve them first.”
“Green Tea Fang, my, you’re looking more and more lovely today! Come, give your Lil Sis a kiss!” Gu Nianzhi bent her face towards her.
Green Tea Fang kissed her face with exaggerated kiss sounds, then patted her cheek and said, “All right, now go tie up whatever loose ends you have while the sun’s out. Class Rep will be treating us to dinner tonight. Lil Sis, don’t forget, you’re the VIP today.”
They were always kidding around like this in the dormitory. The other two roommates were completely used to it by now. One was sitting on the upper bunk bed, taking large bites out of an apple, her long, slender legs leisurely swinging back and forth in the air; the other was out on the balcony with her headphones on, working on her English.
The one on the balcony was Lady Cao.
She smiled and waved at her roommates. “Lil Sis, come here, quick. Your boyfriend still hasn’t gone. Tsk tsk, someone should tell our lovestruck Class Rep to stop being such a show-off. Such a tall, strapping body! Such a lovely, handsome face! Oooh, I feel the need to fan myself very time I look at him! Like they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder!”
“Lady Cao, stop. Your ignorance is showing. That idiom isn’t used the way you think that it means,” said Little Temptress as she walked out to the balcony, arm-in-arm with Gu Nianzhi. Green Tea Fang followed behind them, eager to join in on the fun.
Downstairs, in full view of the balcony, Mei Xiawen leaned against his deceptively plain Buick. He would occasionally look at his watch.
“Lil Sis, you should seriously consider dating the Class Rep. Look at him! He has the body of a male model, a gorgeous face, and an IQ worthy of the best universities around. He’s also the heir to a massive family fortune, and—this is obviously the most important part—he treats you like a princess. Where else are you going to find another man like him?” Little Temptress had just finished singing Mei Xiawen’s praises when a girl in a white woolen dress appeared downstairs. She walked over to Mei Xiawen, and presented him with a scarf that was very obviously not store-bought.
“Ugh! She’s doing it on purpose! That’s Song Ruyu! She’s that two-faced b*tch from Class Two, isn’t she? She has no shame!”
Of the four onlookers on the balcony, three had completely blown their tops at this new development.
Little Temptress picked up an empty Coke can from the balcony and tossed it down to the ground, shouting, ” Song Ruyu! Release the Class Rep this instant!”
Mei Xiawen and Song Ruyu looked up and saw the four girls crowded on the fifth floor balcony.
Song Ruyu felt humiliated in front of her crush. She was so angry that she was unable to stop grinding her teeth. She did not retaliate, however. Instead, she inched closer to Mei Xiawen and arranged her face into a gracefully hurt expression. She shyly murmured, “Xiawen, I like you. That’s all, really. I don’t have any ulterior motives. We’ll be graduating soon. If I don’t tell you how I feel now, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”
Mei Xiawen did not say anything. He merely smiled quietly, his hands still firmly in his pockets. He made no move to take the scarf from her.
It didn’t take long for two of the four girls to spring into action at this development.
Green Tea Fang had always been the de facto leader of their little group. Little Temptress was assertive and had a sharp tongue; she was not the type to take things lying down. The two of them ran downstairs. They pointed accusingly at Song Ruyu once they reached them. “What do you think you’re trying to pull here?” Little Temptress asked.
Song Ruyu held her head high and refused to back down. “What, am I not allowed to confess my love to Class Rep? What’s it to you? He’s not your boyfriend!”
“Song Ruyu!” Green Tea Fang glared at her, “he’s not even your Class Rep! You’re from Class Two, so you don’t get to call him Class Rep. I bet your actual Class Rep would cry at this embarrassing act, ashamed by your ignorance!” Little Temptress pulled Song Ruyu towards her. “Don’t stand so close to him; he doesn’t even know you!”
Song Ruyu stole a glance at Mei Xiawen; he was still calm and composed, unperturbed by the commotion. She swooned. She could feel herself falling even deeper in love with him. She turned and scowled at Little Temptress and said angrily, “You little transvestite! Mei Xiawen isn’t even your boyfriend! What are you all up in arms about? Ooh, I know! I bet you’re also secretly crushing on your Class Rep!”
Wang Junya’s nickname was “Little Temptress”, but Song Ruyu had deliberately twisted it into “Little Transvestite” as an insult.
Little Temptress was furious, but before she could say a word Green Tea Fang had stepped in front of her. She sneered at Song Ruyu. “Everyone in our department knows that Class Rep Mei already has someone he likes. Are you really this stupid, or are you just pretending?”
“Look who’s talking! Yes, I know Class Rep Mei is crushing on Gu Nianzhi, that little orphan girl roomie of yours! But she hasn’t said anything, so why are you all so eager to suck up to her?”
“Oooh, you’re a two-faced b*tch, all right! You’d do anything to steal a man!” Green Tea Fang had struck a nerve with her comment. Song Ruyu was now hopping mad as she shrieked, “Well, what about you?! Green Tea b*tch! Fake Green Tea!”
“So what if I’m a Green Tea b*tch? I don’t sabotage my friends. What about you? You’re always seducing guys who are already taken: that’s why everyone knows you’re the Two-faced B*tch!” Green Tea Fang coolly retaliated. She was still standing tall and dignified, not a strand of hair out of place despite the yelling and arguing.
She may be praised for her ‘green tea’ disposition, but she wasn’t going to let anyone walk all over her.
They had not bothered to lower their voices; Gu Nianzhi and Lady Cao, who were still standing on the balcony, were able to hear every retort, loud and clear.
Gu Nianzhi covered her face and said, despairingly, “Please, stop, this is so embarrassing!”
“What are you afraid of? We’ll be graduating soon. We’ll probably never see most of the people around here again. This is our chance to tear off our masks and say whatever we like. I’m done pretending to be a proper lady. I’ve had to keep it up for four years!” said Lady Cao as she watched them from the balcony, relishing every minute of the quarrel below. She held Gu Nianzhi firmly in her grasp, preventing her from ducking back into the room to hide.
Song Ruyu was sorely humiliated by what Green Tea Fang had said, but she was unable to refute her. She did not get along with her dorm mates; she had slept with the ex-boyfriends of all three of her roommates. It came as no surprise then that no one had come forward to back her up now. She was all alone, and she was out-numbered. She was in a ring, up against two fiery women from Class One—she didn’t stand a chance.
She became increasingly desperate as she saw the crowd of onlookers, attracted by the commotion, continue to grow in size. Finally, she grit her teeth and said loudly to Mei Xiawen, “Xiawen! Tell me, right here, right now: do you have a girlfriend?! If you actually have one, I’ll leave you alone. I’ll be gone from your sight this very instant! I am not a boyfriend stealer! I’m not going to stand for these baseless accusations!”
Mei Xiawen slowly lifted his head at this. He looked straight at Gu Nianzhi, who was still watching. He said, in a clear voice that soared up to her, “Gu Nianzhi, will you be my girlfriend?” As he said that, he brought out a large bouquet of red roses from his car and slowly knelt in the direction of the balcony, lifting the roses towards her.
“They’re soooo getting together!”
“Watch out, there’s a new couple in town!”
“Look at the lovebirds!”
The onlookers, mostly graduating seniors hungry for any kind of excitement, had gone completely wild. They clapped and cheered, making a tremendous show of the public confession.