Chapter Seventy-Two: Unaware of Being a Guest in One’s Own Dream

In a fog of confusion, Dong Yanyan was vaguely aware of being dragged out of the karaoke room by Ren Jiaxuan. The cold wind outside cleared her head a little.

“I want to go home, I want to go home,” she mumbled unsteadily.

“Home, we’re going home right now!” Ren Jiaxuan propped her up and hailed a cab at the roadside, finally managing to flag one down after a long wait.

“Didn’t you drive? Why are we taking a cab?” Dong Yanyan asked in confusion.

“It’s so late already! The school gates must be locked by now. Who knows if we’ll even be able to get in,” Ren Jiaxuan said as he bundled her into the back seat. Dong Yanyan leaned against him, her eyelids growing heavier by the second; she was desperate for sleep.

The taxi driver glanced back at them. “Where to?”

“Da Jing Road Four—” Yanyan slurred.

Ren Jiaxuan eyed her suspiciously. “Are you really drunk or just pretending?”

Dong Yanyan closed her eyes in exhaustion and said nothing.

“Where to?” The driver asked again.

“Quan’an Plaza, 42 Da Jing Road!” Ren Jiaxuan repeated.

At the school gate, after getting out of the cab, Ren Jiaxuan was at a loss. Usually, when they returned late from a night out, they would simply climb over the gate. But now, burdened with a drunken girl, what could he do?

“It’s fine, we’ll just jump over the gate!” Dong Yanyan, unconcerned, reached for the locked iron gate, only to pull her hand away with a cry at the icy touch.

The light in the gatekeeper’s lodge flickered on, and a flashlight beam swept over them. Someone came to open the gate. To her surprise, Dong Yanyan saw it was Song Mingcheng. She gave him an awkward smile, caught off guard.

Song Mingcheng yanked Dong Yanyan away from Ren Jiaxuan and pointed angrily at his nose. “Where did you take her?!”

Ren Jiaxuan, already simmering with anger, strode over and grabbed Song Mingcheng by the collar. “None of your business, is it?”

Dong Yanyan saw things were about to get out of hand and hurried to explain, “I’m sorry, I asked him to take me out. We just came back a bit late. I didn’t expect you to be here waiting.”

“A bit late? Do you know what time it is?!” Song Mingcheng glared at her, shouting. “You’re just never going to behave, are you?”

“What does my behavior have to do with you?! Did you wait up just so you could scold me the moment I walked in?” Dong Yanyan snapped back.

“If your father hadn’t asked me to keep an eye on you, I wouldn’t bother!” Song Mingcheng grumbled, half-dragging, half-carrying her back to the dormitory. He opened the door and tossed her onto Leng Yue’s bed.

To Dong Yanyan’s surprise, the lights in the dorm were still on, the table cluttered with fruit and drinks. Not only were her own dormmates awake, but boys from Song Mingcheng’s dorm were also there.

“What’s going on? Why is everyone here?” She grabbed the bedpost, sat up, and looked around the room in confusion.

“It’s simple, our two dorms decided to pair up tonight, so we had a little party. You were the only one missing,” Tian Tian said with a sweet smile. “Where did you go, Fifth Sis? I was so worried about you!”

“A dorm party? Why didn’t anyone tell me?” Dong Yanyan complained.

“We tried to, but you’d already disappeared by the time we came down from upstairs,” Leng Yue said, frowning. “Fifth, did you go drinking? You reek of alcohol.”

“Then why didn’t anyone call me or even text? My phone… Where’s my phone?” Dong Yanyan rummaged through her bag, heart sinking as she failed to find it. Oh no, she’d lost her phone again!

“What are you looking for?” Leng Yue asked curiously.

“My phone’s missing,” Dong Yanyan muttered, then remembered she didn’t even have a phone at this point in time. She forced a bitter smile. “Never mind.”

Before she could finish, Song Mingcheng suddenly hauled her upright again. “What did you say just now? What phone? Say it again!” He gripped her arm, urgency in his voice.

Tian Tian hurried over to pull him away. “Fifth Sis has had too much to drink. Why don’t you all head back.”

Leaning against the bedpost, Dong Yanyan nodded, gesturing weakly at Tian Tian and Leng Yue and burping, “Fourth Sis, if you want to scold me, do it tomorrow, okay? I just want to sleep now!” With that, a wave of exhaustion swept over her and she passed out.

*

The next morning, she woke with a splitting headache. Rubbing her temples, Dong Yanyan sat up in Leng Yue’s bed. The dorm was empty except for Tian Tian, who sat at the opposite desk eating an apple.

“Fifth Sis, you’re awake?” Tian Tian beamed at her.

Dong Yanyan glanced at the clock above the door—it was already ten in the morning. Her stomach rumbled. “Tian Tian, is there anything to eat?”

“There is! Seventh Sis got you breakfast this morning. It’s on her desk.” Tian Tian gestured inside. Dong Yanyan spotted her lunch jar on the table, covered by a bowl. Slipping on her slippers, she hurried over and lifted the cover to find her favorite spicy tofu—Xinran was always so thoughtful.

She poured hot water into an empty jar and placed the smaller jar of food inside to warm it up. The dorm didn’t allow electric appliances or alcohol stoves, so this was their usual way of heating meals.

“Oh, by the way, Song Mingcheng called this morning. He asked me to tell you he delivered your newspapers today,” Tian Tian said, sidling up to her with a grin.

Only then did Dong Yanyan remember the newspaper deliveries. She knocked her head, which felt as though it were stuffed with glue—heavy and aching. Thank goodness for Song Mingcheng. She owed him her thanks.

She picked up the phone and dialed Song Mingcheng’s dorm. After two rings, someone answered.

“Hello? Is Song Mingcheng there?” she asked softly.

“He’s not here. This is Yang Xiaohai.”

Dong Yanyan hung up immediately upon hearing Yang Xiaohai’s voice.

Tian Tian chuckled, “Fifth Sis, I think Song Mingcheng is really into you. Since it’s just us, I’ll say it—Ren Jiaxuan may be outstanding, but he’s too much of a player. If I were you, I’d pick Song Mingcheng.”

Dong Yanyan laughed. “Sister, I know Song Mingcheng is dependable, but the thing is, he’s just not interested in me, and I don’t have feelings for him either. So your premise doesn’t hold. I’m not as universally adored as you think.”

“Really? He acts so cool with everyone else, but he talks to you and always looks after you. All the girls in our class think he likes you,” Tian Tian giggled.

“That’s just because he only talks to creatures within three meters of himself. Have you ever sat face to face with someone on a train for five and a half hours and exchanged fewer than ten words? Have you ever bought someone gifts for every holiday only to be rebuffed every time? Have you ever slogged up and down stairs delivering newspapers while he lounges downstairs watching the sunrise? Have you ever failed a calculus problem and been looked at with disdain? That’s how we interact. But I’m content. At least I don’t have to wash his clothes or clean his shoes like the other girls—he probably thinks I can’t even wash them properly,” Dong Yanyan said with a wry smile. Four years of university and all the years since, she and Song Mingcheng had spent countless days together. If feelings were going to develop with time, surely a spark would have appeared in more than ten years.

He was too cold, and she needed to be cherished. They were like a polar bear and a penguin—both shivering in their own worlds, never crossing the expanse between them for warmth, because half the earth lay in between.

“So you like Ren Jiaxuan! Where did you two go last night?” Tian Tian asked, her big eyes curious.

Dong Yanyan took the lunch jar from the hot water and started eating the tofu, though it tasted bland. “I never said I liked Ren Jiaxuan. Besides, I haven’t seen any sign he’s chasing me—no confession, no love letter, not even a slip of paper. That he’s a flirt, I can see, and I bet he hits on any girl who looks lonely, but I’m not that naive.”

“If he’s so flirtatious, weren’t you afraid he’d take advantage of you when you went out with him last night?” Tian Tian was skeptical.

Dong Yanyan smiled. “That’s exactly the conclusion I reached after spending half the night out with him! Ugh, my head is killing me. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have drunk so much.” She tidied her lunch jar, picked up her basin and hot water bottle, and went to the washroom.

When she returned, Liu Siying was waiting in the dorm with a bag in hand, and Dong Yanyan remembered they’d planned to go to the bathhouse together today. The school’s bathhouse only cost fifty cents a visit—economical, but cold and drafty, and most of the showers barely worked. In winter, they’d rather cross the street to the bathhouse opposite the school, pay three yuan, and enjoy a clean, warm shower and a sauna.

“Lazybones, you’re up late today!” Liu Siying teased with a laugh. “I’ve come by several times this morning, and you were still asleep every time.”

“It’s the weekend—can’t I sleep in?” Dong Yanyan quickly packed her toiletries and change of clothes, slipped her arm through Liu Siying’s, and headed out.

Since it was the weekend, the bathhouse was crowded. They waited ages in the changing room for a free shower. Inside, the place was steamy, water splashing everywhere. Dong Yanyan undressed, turned on the shower, and let the warm spray wash over her body—utter bliss. These days, she loved bathing more than anything. Her skin was now smooth and fair, glowing with youth under the water’s caress, her slender waist easily encircled by a hand. Youth was a blessing—she loved her body more than ever, though it was still a little too thin.

She glanced at Liu Siying out of the corner of her eye. Liu Siying’s figure was curvy, her bust full and round—enough to make even other girls drool. Dong Yanyan looked down at her own “little apples”—barely enough to fill an A cup, despite months of tonics and massage.

Some things simply couldn’t be envied. Both seventeen, yet such a difference.

“Yanyan, your waist is so tiny, I’m so jealous,” Liu Siying giggled, pinching her waist.