Chapter 109: Casting a Long Line to Catch a Big Fish

Dong Yanyan stuck out her tongue apologetically. She felt that today she had unintentionally become the one to spoil the mood. With that thought, she tried to lift her spirits, and the lively atmosphere around her helped push her bad mood aside—for the moment, at least.

After eating and drinking her fill, while others were tidying the table, Dong Yanyan felt dizzy. She found a clean corner by the table and dozed off. Lin Feng saw that she had fallen asleep like that and wanted to wake her to move her to bed.

Song Mingcheng, as if anticipating this, stopped him with a smile: “Don’t touch her. Let her sleep a while; she didn’t get much rest last night.”

Lin Feng paused briefly, glanced at Song Mingcheng, then took off his jacket and draped it over her. Half-conscious, Dong Yanyan mumbled softly, turned her head, and nestled her arms under her head, falling into a peaceful sleep.

Leng Yue sensed the atmosphere had shifted slightly and smiled at them. “She really didn’t sleep well last night. You guys go play; I’ll keep an eye on her.”

“Yu Xia, Liu Ying, shall we play ‘Paoyao’?” Song Mingcheng pulled out two decks of cards from the desk and beckoned them over.

Yu Xia noticed Dong Yanyan had gone to sleep after eating and joked, “Number Five really knows how to enjoy herself—eats and then sleeps. A couple of months and she’ll be ready for the market.”

“Have you seen how listless she’s been all day? She didn’t sleep at all last night—sat on the bed hugging the radio, listening to songs half the night. Exams are coming up; she’s really worn herself out!” Liu Ying found a seat and laughed casually.

Song Mingcheng sat beside her, shuffled the cards, pulling out two jokers and four threes, and dealt them out. The group eagerly picked their cards.

“Song Mingcheng, this time we’re definitely winning! I got four fours!” Yu Xia exclaimed excitedly, then frowned. “...But no ‘sharp’ cards.”

Song Mingcheng thought silently: You don’t fear an opponent who’s godlike; you fear teammates who are like pigs.

* * *

Dong Yanyan was awakened by a cacophony of noise. She lifted her head, rubbed her sore arm, and stretched lazily. Looking around, she saw two groups playing ‘Paoyao,’ another playing mahjong, and two people playing chess.

Her eyes widened in surprise: Xinran was actually playing chess with Jiang Fan—and looked genuinely interested! In her memory, she had never seen Xinran smile at any boy like that before.

Such an unusual behavior from this little creature—was an earthquake coming?

The jacket draped over her slipped onto the chair as she moved. Instinctively, she reached out to catch it. The familiar coat, the familiar scent—was it Lin Feng’s? A faint smile curved her lips.

By her side, Leng Yue rested her head on her arm, turned to her, and smiled: “Number Five, what sweet dream are you having? You’re smiling the moment you wake up.”

Dong Yanyan squinted her eyes and covertly pointed at Xinran. She smiled softly. “I dreamed of a blooming iron tree.”

* * *

“Leng Yue, why don’t you take over for me for a couple of rounds? I’ll take Dong Yanyan back to the dorm,” Song Mingcheng said as he approached, casually tossing Lin Feng’s jacket to him.

Lin Feng caught it naturally and returned a gentle smile to Song Mingcheng.

Leng Yue gave them a meaningful glance, then happily ran over to join the game.

Dong Yanyan frowned slightly, and when Song Mingcheng gave her a look, she understood immediately, rolled her eyes at him, and stood to follow him out.

She trailed after Song Mingcheng down the stairs weakly, glancing at the empty stairwell and the occasional passing boys. She teased, “You really don’t care about appearances, huh? Must everything be done in private?”

Song Mingcheng turned back, stretched lazily, and smiled. “I’m just kindly warning you—someone might try to take advantage of you when you’re feeling down. To keep him from sweet-talking you, I had to call you out first.”

Dong Yanyan smiled. “You’re Lin Feng? I’d be thrilled.”

“Lin Feng and I—you refused to join the student council, but what’s with the gift to Old Tang? You burning money?” Song Mingcheng chuckled.

Dong Yanyan smiled softly. “Maybe others don’t know, but the student council folks are very familiar with Old Tang’s character. If I joined like that, what would they think of me? Gossip spreads quickly. Such a good girl like me can’t afford to ruin my reputation over trivial gains. I gave Old Tang something because I don’t want to offend him yet—just keeping the favor for future use.”

Song Mingcheng looked unconvinced. “If you can’t rely on him, there’s no need to fear offending him, unless you plan to stay in this circle after graduating. We’ll be doing LAN networks, real estate, websites—none of those are harder than working at the TV station. If you want connections, Old Guo and Old Wang will be more helpful than him.”

Dong Yanyan sighed with a smile. “Maybe we don’t need it, but Xu Cheng does. His eldest brother is in the cultural department but not in charge. Old Tang may not have a high future rank, but he’s a leader at the Broadcasting Bureau, the direct superior of Xu Cheng’s unit. One word from him could save Xu Cheng several years of hardship. You know how promotions work there—30% ability, 70% connections. Xu Cheng has the ability but lacks someone to pull him up. I know Old Tang well—greedy and lustful, but he has his standards. If you get on his good side, he’ll definitely help you. Xu Cheng hasn’t realized this yet; I’m slowly guiding him. His career path will be swift. He’s not like us—he’s destined for that job because his parents want the prestige. His parents never made anything of themselves and brag about his position. But he’s worked so hard—only I know. I know we won’t always be on the same path, but if I can ease his burdens even for a few years, that’s good enough.”

Song Mingcheng smiled. “You think quite far ahead for him.”

Dong Yanyan gave a bitter smile. “He’s never wronged me all these years. It’s me who started something and left him. After all, he was good to me for ten years. If I can help him, it would ease my heart.”

Song Mingcheng was a bit annoyed by her guilt and self-reproach. He said dismissively, “Actually, you don’t owe him. He was good to you for ten years, slept with you for ten years—you both gave and got. It’s fair. And if you don’t marry him, you won’t ruin him either. No need for guilt. As they say, forgiveness is the best redemption, ha!”

That was too crude a remark. Dong Yanyan immediately blazed with anger and kicked at him. “Song Mingcheng, you lecher! How can you be so vulgar?”

Song Mingcheng quickly stepped back to dodge, calmly staring at her without changing his expression. “You’re showing typical double standards. Why does it have to be so joyous when it’s right hand and right hand? I think if you want gender equality, then let’s be completely equal—that’s fair.”

“I’m just teasing you, and you still remember it now? So petty!” Dong Yanyan complained.

Song Mingcheng looked at her seriously, enunciating each word: “It’s a matter of principle. I’m not Xu Cheng, nor am I Ren Jiaxuan, so—I’d rather lose my reputation than give up my rights! Not an inch!”

Dong Yanyan burst out laughing. “Song Mingcheng, you’re an adult—can you stop acting cute in front of me?” Then her mood dimmed. “Maybe we were a bit harsh on Jiaxuan. Actually, I teased him plenty before, and he didn’t mind.”

“I don’t care about your affairs. You figure it out,” Song Mingcheng said with an ambiguous smile, then looked up to see Xu Cheng and Leng Haoyang coming up the stairs.

* * *

“Song Mingcheng, what are you two up to?” Leng Haoyang shouted from a distance, pointing at them. Song Mingcheng smiled at them, but Dong Yanyan’s eyes caught a few people behind them—Li Zhe, He Jingxuan, and a few others. But Ren Jiaxuan was nowhere to be seen, and she felt a twinge of disappointment.

Li Zhe saw her too and smiled from afar. “Yanyan, you’re here! I was just looking for you.” He hurried up a few steps, slung an arm over her shoulder, and smiled. “Let’s go upstairs—I have something to tell you.”

“I just came down from upstairs!”

“Well, I just came up from downstairs. Didn’t you even have time to listen to me?” Li Zhe teased.

Dong Yanyan forced a smile and nodded. “Alright, let’s go.”

There was a dance tonight on the sixth floor. When Dong Yanyan and Li Zhe arrived at the ballroom, many students were already there. The lighting was dim, with only a spherical, multicolored rotating chandelier in the center casting colorful spots on the floor.

Li Zhe made a welcoming gesture and took her into the dance floor.

Dong Yanyan had no mood to dance and looked somewhat listless.

“Jiaxuan went to his grandmother’s place today. He’ll be back Monday. Don’t be mad about yesterday—he drank too much,” Li Zhe said quietly with a smile.

Dong Yanyan smiled lightly. “Li Ge, I think you’re like the fire brigade—you rush to wherever the fire is. I honestly think you work hard.”

Hearing that, Li Zhe put on a warm, affectionate expression. “Yanyan, you understand me best. I spend every day cleaning up their messes. If only they were as sensible as you.”

Dong Yanyan smiled ambiguously. Jiaxuan and the others enjoyed having someone cause trouble for them, and he loved being the leader. It was a mutually willing arrangement.

“Yanyan, do you still like that fluffy teddy bear? Your dorm is so cold—wouldn’t cuddling something furry be nice?” Li Zhe asked gently.

Suddenly, Dong Yanyan remembered that the teddy bear was his gift. She had heard from Tiantian that yesterday he used it to tease Dou Jingxuan. Taking it away might seem unkind, so she smiled. “I just wanted to annoy him yesterday—I’m petty like that. If he makes me unhappy, I won’t let him enjoy himself. The bear wasn’t meant to be kept; I’ll return it to you another day.”

“That’s too formal. As long as you like it, I’d give you a hundred,” Li Zhe said with a tender smile, then thought for a moment and asked, “Yanyan, be honest with me—do you like Jiaxuan?”

Dong Yanyan nodded quietly, her voice soft. “If I didn’t like him, I wouldn’t be so conflicted. He treats me somewhat well, but he doesn’t understand or respect me. I’m not the forgiving type. He’s so harsh with me, I can’t stand it. Maybe it’s better to just let it go.”