Chapter 126: Never Trading This Life for White Tofu

When they returned from lunch, Dong Yanyan noticed that Xiaohan was angry, throwing her lunch pail about, and Liu Ying also looked quite displeased, while Tiantian was whispering words of comfort to her on the side. Of course, Yanyan knew why Xiaohan was angry: Liu Ying hadn't let her copy during the exam. In truth, one couldn't blame Liu Ying; who would willingly let others copy what they had spent a whole semester studying so hard to learn?

"Teacher Liu Qing is just too mean. Whenever he’s proctoring, no one dares to move. Xiaohan, it’s all his fault. He snatched my paper away before I even had a chance to check it," Yanyan said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and smiling. "Come, soothe my wounded little heart."

"From now on, I won't rely on anyone! I’ll do it myself, alright?" Xiaohan glared at her, annoyed.

Yanyan looked at her with an innocent expression, then turned around, slumped over her desk, and began to wail. Seeing her shoulders heaving as if she were crying bitterly, Gu Xiaohan panicked. "Don't cry! I wasn't even mad at you. I was wrong, okay?"

"Then who were you mad at?" Yanyan asked, sobbing.

"I was mad at Teacher Liu! It’s all his fault. How could he be so heartless? Stop crying, it’s fine. Your grades are so good, you’ll definitely pass. I didn't finish several big questions, and I’m not crying," Gu Xiaohan comforted her in a flurry.

"Who said I was crying? I was just teasing you." Yanyan lifted her head, laughing until she shook.

"How can you be so wicked? You scared me to death! I thought you were actually upset," Gu Xiaohan pouted, twisting her body.

"We’re sisters in the same dorm, what’s there to be angry about? Hurry up and eat; we have the English exam this afternoon."

*

After the afternoon exam, Xiaohan and Tiantian went out to go shopping. Liu Ying still wasn't talking much to them. Dong Yanyan sat on her bed, listening to music and reading a book, but after a while, she felt bored and climbed onto Liu Ying’s bed.

"Third Sister, still angry?" she leaned in close and asked softly.

Liu Ying nodded, looking quite unhappy. "Does she blame me for not letting her copy? I hadn't even finished my own questions, and she kept kicking my chair from behind. The teacher even noticed. How could I have passed her a note?"

Yanyan nodded in agreement. "I know. How about this: next time she kicks you, just tilt your paper secretly so she can take a peek. She only wants to scrape by with a passing grade. If you let her see three out of ten questions, she’ll be happy enough. She doesn't really expect to copy much; she just wants that feeling of being looked after. Let's just indulge her."

Liu Ying sighed, brow furrowed. "I just can't stand her temper. It’s like we all owe her something."

"That’s her only flaw. Since we’re the older sisters, we just have to put up with it," Yanyan laughed. Thinking back, hadn't she once been short-tempered and fragile-hearted herself? Hadn't they tolerated her back then?

Liu Ying smiled. "I don't have a temper as good as yours."

"That’s not true, my temper is the worst, and you all give way to me," Yanyan said, leaning against her shoulder and acting spoiled. "Listen, this song is so good." As she spoke, she took one earphone off and tucked it into Liu Ying’s ear.

*

At five o'clock in the evening, the dorm lights were turned on. Liu Ying’s bed didn't have curtains, and since it was an upper bunk, it was very bright. Leng Yue also crawled up onto the bed to compete for space with them.

Gu Xiaohan was listening to music on the lower bunk in a good mood, but feeling the bed shaking above, she got a bit scared. She poked her head out and shouted up, "You three, get one person down! Don't collapse the bed."

"No!" Three heads hung down from the upper bunk, shouting in unison.

"Fourth Sister, you’re squashing me!" Dong Yanyan yelled, pushing against Leng Yue. Unable to push back, Leng Yue simply collapsed onto Liu Ying. Liu Ying rolled over and started tickling her. Leng Yue struggled and laughed out loud. Yanyan crawled over and helped Liu Ying pin her hands down.

"You... you two villains!" Leng Yue gasped for air from laughing so hard.

Unable to bear the psychological pressure, Gu Xiaohan ran over to Tiantian’s bed to read.

"Number Six, turn your recorder down, I can't even read my book," Li Hui complained.

Gu Xiaohan’s beautiful eyes rolled, and she hugged her portable player, shaking her head and singing to herself, "You, you, you, for the sake of love, you aren't calm tonight. You, you, you, for the sake of love, watching the stars alone~~~"

Yu Xia, on the upper bunk, reached out and patted her on the head, laughing. "Number Six, you little villain, I told you to turn it down and you started singing instead!"

Gu Xiaohan was caught off guard and startled. "Oh my, Second Sister, you scared me to death!" She clutched her chest, still shaken.

A knock came at the door. Tiantian ran to open it and saw seven or eight people from Lin Feng’s dorm standing there, with Jiang Fan holding a camera.

"Hurry, come in!" She enthusiastically ushered them inside, and Li Hui quickly jumped down from the upper bunk.

"Let me see who’s here." Leng Yue struggled to poke her head out from under the clutches of Yanyan and Liu Ying, but upon seeing so many boys, she let out a shriek.

Song Mingcheng found it amusing and reached out to pat her head.

"Song Mingcheng, why are your hands so restless!" Dong Yanyan climbed off Leng Yue and glared at Song Mingcheng.

Liu Ying jumped down from the upper bunk, laughing, while Leng Yue complained as she smoothed out her hair.

Dong Yanyan found two decks of cards in the box at her headboard and tossed them onto the table. She then climbed down to fetch a fruit knife from her desk to peel some fruit. Liu Ying set out sunflower seeds on the table, and everyone began to chat while snacking. At this time, the topics between the boys and girls were nothing more than exams, going home, or exchanging contact information. Since the holiday was approaching, as a friendly dorm, they naturally had to show some mutual concern.

Xinran sat quietly to the side reading a book, appearing detached from the world, as if all the liveliness had nothing to do with her.

"Yanyan, what are your plans for the holiday?" Lin Feng asked, sitting in the chair by Dong Yanyan’s bed.

Dong Yanyan handed him half of a freshly peeled tangerine, frowned, and thought for a moment. "It’s freezing outside, there’s nowhere to go. I guess I’ll just busy myself until the New Year." She turned to ask Song Mingcheng, "What are your plans?"

"Nothing for now. I’ll call you if I need your 'friendly support'," Song Mingcheng said noncommittally.

Dong Yanyan laughed. "My family doesn't have a phone yet. If you need my friendly support, write me a letter."

Song Mingcheng frowned. "What a hassle."

Dong Yanyan shrugged and smiled. "I can't help it, my family won't have a phone until next year. By the way, give me your contact info; I’ll write to you if I’m bored." She took some stationery from her desk to record their addresses, then suddenly noticed a few lines written on the paper. She remembered she still owed an editor an essay and had been too busy to finish it.

"Lin Feng, can you do me a favor? I owe an editor an essay that needs to be submitted before New Year's. Do you have a draft I can borrow?" she asked with a smile. She knew he had plenty; his diary was filled with essays and prose.

Lin Feng agreed readily. "Sure, I’ll bring my notebook down in a bit, you can take your pick."

"I knew you’d say yes!" Yanyan said happily. "Think of a pen name for me so I can submit it tomorrow. Your writing is so good, it’ll definitely get published."

Lin Feng smiled indifferently. "Just put your own name on it."

"Forget it, I’ll think of one for you!" Dong Yanyan laughed. She had already decided: she would call it "Li Gexiao," because she was a fan of Huo Jianhua. Oh, it would be years before she could see him again; she truly missed him.

Seeing her lost in thought, Lin Feng couldn't help but ask, "What are you thinking about?"

"How about 'Li Gexiao'? Only handsome guys get to use a name like that," Dong Yanyan said casually.

Lin Feng pondered for a moment, took a pen, and wrote the three characters on the paper. Then he smiled gently. "Li Gexiao—these three characters, right? Not bad."

Song Mingcheng, who was playing cards with Yu Xia, glanced at the name and teased, "You’re a hopeless fangirl. Why not call it 'Changqing'? I remember you like 'White Tofu' the most."

Dong Yanyan looked at him in astonishment and asked, confused, "How are you so gossipy that you even know that? Are you a fan of *Chinese Paladin 3* too?"

"You have to ask who *doesn't* know! Your QQ status says 'Never Change My White Tofu' every single day; it’s hard not to remember," Song Mingcheng laughed.

"Huh? What does 'Never Change My White Tofu' mean?" Yu Xia asked curiously.

Song Mingcheng explained patiently, "It means she likes eating 'handsome tofu' the most."

Dong Yanyan kicked him, annoyed, "Would it kill you not to smear my reputation for one day?"

Song Mingcheng smiled calmly. "If I died, what would you do?"

Suddenly, Dong Yanyan felt a chill run down her spine, a cold breeze creeping up her back, and she shivered.

Seeing her face go pale, Lin Feng quickly broke the tension. "Yanyan, let’s play cards."

Yang Xiaohai teamed up with Lin Feng, and Dong Yanyan teamed up with Tiantian. The four of them began playing *Pao Yao*.

They were in the middle of a heated game when the phone rang. Dong Yanyan picked it up. "Hello? Hi there!"

Ren Jiaxuan’s voice came through. "Hello? Is that Yanyan?"

"Yes, it is," Yanyan laughed. Seeing Yang Xiaohai play three twos, she immediately threw down a four-of-a-kind. "Four nines!"

"Yanyan, what are you talking about?" Ren Jiaxuan asked, puzzled.

"Nothing, go ahead," Yanyan said, throwing out two fives with her left hand while she spoke.

"Why is there a boy’s voice in your dorm?" Ren Jiaxuan’s voice sounded displeased.

"We’re playing cards! Wait a second, let me collect my points first!" Yanyan played a winning card. Lin Feng glanced at her with a smile and played a trump—two big jokers and a small one.

"Tiantian, didn't you say you were covering the points?" Yanyan slapped the table, complaining.

Tiantian propped her chin on her hand, looking distressed. "I was trying to cover them, but I told you I didn't have enough."

"Too bad, we're taking the points!" Yang Xiaohai said, laughing triumphantly as he raked in the points.

"Yanyan, put the cards down!" Ren Jiaxuan shouted from the other end.

"I can't put them down, we’ve already lost," Yanyan said, utterly deflated.