Chapter 85: A Woman's Heart Is as Unfathomable as the Ocean

“Then why are you crying too?” Song Mingcheng glanced at her, smiling.

“What business is it of yours? Can’t I just be overly sympathetic?” Dong Yanyan shot him a playful, reproachful look.

“Alright—” Song Mingcheng chuckled, pulled Xu Cheng up, slung his arm over his own shoulder, and helped him out.

“You’d better take him to the washroom to throw up first, otherwise if he throws up on you, I won’t be responsible!” Dong Yanyan chased after them, kindly reminding him. She knew that when Xu Cheng was drunk, it was best not to move him—one wrong move and he’d be sick. If he threw up all over the handsome guy, that would be her fault.

Song Mingcheng agreed and left, and as Dong Yanyan watched the now-empty classroom, she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. In a hurry, she blew out the candle and ran all the way back to her dorm, crawling into bed before she finally felt safe. Lying under her covers, she calmed down and thought it over—this really wasn’t anything serious, and yet she’d ended up crying along with Xu Cheng for half the night! A grown man doesn’t have to worry about having no wife; if worst comes to worst, she’d find him one tomorrow—maybe that airheaded girl from the lower bunk. But then she reconsidered; Xinran only liked those promising young men, and Xu Cheng probably wasn’t her type. In those days when you had to guard against fire, thieves, and best friends, she was lucky not to have to worry, since Xinran didn’t even spare Xu Cheng a second glance—except when she needed a favor, like moving house or borrowing a car. She basically treated him as hired muscle. Besides, she wasn’t as socially adept as Liu Siying, and wouldn’t be able to handle Xu Cheng’s formidable mother either. Never mind, she thought, there’s no need to rush—there’s no shortage of suitable matches. After all, Xu Cheng wasn’t her husband; giving him away wouldn’t make her feel any loss. Lost in these meandering thoughts, she soon drifted off to sleep.

After settling Xu Cheng in, Song Mingcheng all but sprinted back to the classroom. He pushed the door open—no one was there; Dong Yanyan had already left. Staring at the deserted classroom, he gave a wry smile. “Love, pain, heartbreak, tears, breakups, abandonment… A woman’s heart is truly unfathomable—it changes in an instant. I almost don’t believe in love anymore.”

*

The next day, Dong Yanyan received another payment for an article, much to her delight. Just when she was worrying about what to do, fortune dropped a sticky rice cake into her lap—now she had money to pay for that pair of pants! She knew Xu Cheng was broke these days; even his meal tickets were borrowed from Leng Haoyang. How could he have money to buy someone new pants? After all, he’d been good to her for over a decade, so it was only right for her to help him out a little.

During lunch break, she picked up her payment and swung by the mall to buy a pair of men’s trousers. Then she hurried back to school. There was still time before class, and it wasn’t convenient to go looking for Zhang Yuhang in the production class, so she simply headed up to the sixth floor. She knocked on the door of room 605; Zhang Yuhang himself opened the door and looked surprised to see her. “What are you doing here?”

Dong Yanyan handed him the shopping bag with a smile. “To compensate you for your pants. This should be the right size, right?”

Zhang Yuhang looked at her, his face turning stern as he pushed the bag back to her. “I never asked you to replace them. Are you trying to embarrass me?”

“If you don’t accept them, you’re embarrassing me—questioning my taste in clothes! I’m telling you, you’ll look great in these pants. If not, I’ll take them back immediately, alright?” Dong Yanyan grinned.

“You don’t get it, do you? What I mean is, I can’t let you spend money on this. Besides, my pants are already clean—you didn’t need to buy me new ones. It’s not like I bullied you.” Zhang Yuhang chuckled. “Let’s just forget about what happened yesterday. Take them back and get a refund.”

“It’s freezing cold and you want me to run back? That’s too cruel. Besides, I just got paid for an article today—think of it as a treat.” Dong Yanyan pouted. “If you don’t take them, I’ll lose all face—as if I have to beg people to accept gifts. How does that sound?”

“Fine, then. Thank you.” Zhang Yuhang took the pants and went back inside. As Dong Yanyan turned to leave, she spotted Li Zhe coming out of their dorm room.

“Brother Li, did you change dorms?” she asked, surprised.

Li Zhe gave her an exasperated, amused look. “I was just visiting. I heard a voice that sounded like yours, so I came out to check. Was the pair of pants Zhang Yuhang just took from you?”

Dong Yanyan nodded. “Yeah.”

“Does Jiaxuan know about this?” Li Zhe asked, puzzled.

“How would I know if he does?” Dong Yanyan chuckled. Only a handful of people had been there last night, and she hadn’t seen Ren Jiaxuan. If Xu Cheng had soiled Ren Jiaxuan’s pants, she wouldn’t have bothered—she’d have just told him to wash them himself.

Li Zhe’s expression darkened. Only then did Dong Yanyan realize what he was getting at, so she explained, “Here’s what happened: last night I got someone’s pants dirty, so I bought him a new pair. That’s all there is to it.”

Li Zhe frowned, giving her a suspicious look, and Dong Yanyan scratched her head, wondering how to explain further. Just then, Zhang Yuhang opened the door and came out, smiling. “Don’t get the wrong idea, Li Zhe. I’ll explain later. Dong Yanyan, you’ve got good taste. Don’t I look sharp?”

Dong Yanyan took a look—he really did look good in them. Her hundred-odd yuan hadn’t been wasted. She grinned, “Of course, senior, you have to look sharp! Well, I’ll leave you to it.”

*

That afternoon, she had class with the broadcasting group—Mr. Ma’s class, which was like a pre-final exam performance, probably with some skits and sketches. So Dong Yanyan went back to the dorm to put on a bit of makeup. She was becoming more and more fond of this kind of improvisational performance; it was almost addictive. Now she was only auditing acting and makeup classes, but she liked all the other courses too. As a girl who loved literature and hated math, taking classes with the broadcasting group was pure enjoyment. Too bad this major didn’t suit her for now—unlike those sons and daughters of privilege, her family hadn’t arranged anything for her in advance.

But she’d made up her mind—after graduating in four years, she’d go for a Chinese major at university. Since she’d come back, she was determined to do what she loved: enjoying these years as a student, finding ways to make money on the side, and opening a little shop after graduation to live a free and easy life. Just the thought made her happy.

Life, after all, is about the journey, not the destination.

Liu Siying came knocking then, and Dong Yanyan answered, grabbing her books and heading upstairs with her. Liu Siying glanced at her a few times, clearly wanting to say something, but Dong Yanyan didn’t press—her business had nothing to do with Dong Yanyan, after all. As a friend, yes; as a confidante, not quite.

Back in class, Xu Cheng was already waiting for her at her seat. When he saw her, he gave her a warm smile.

Dong Yanyan smiled back: though his eyes were still bloodshot and his face a little pale, his hair was washed and his clothes changed. His smile had a certain spring-like warmth to it. In truth, Xu Cheng wasn’t bad-looking; he was just the type of man who matured late. At eighteen or nineteen, he’d looked almost thirty—too old for his age. But once he reached his early thirties, his presence became more refined, his figure more upright, the lines of his face stronger—he looked much better than many classmates who’d grown pudgy and out of shape. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t be there to see that day, because she’d already, shamefully, moved on.

“Thanks for yesterday. How much were the pants? I’ll pay you back.” Xu Cheng pulled some money from his pocket and handed it to her.

Perched on the desk, Dong Yanyan grinned carelessly, “Don’t mention money with me. Talk of money drives people apart.”

“But I can’t let you spend money on me…” Xu Cheng tried to insist, but Dong Yanyan impatiently stuffed the money back into his pocket and beckoned him closer with a smile, “Frankly, I’m a ‘pay as you go’ person. I actually need a favor from you—can you help?”

Xu Cheng agreed readily, “Of course! Whatever you need, just tell me.”

Dong Yanyan smiled. “Here’s the thing: in about a month, winter break starts, and I’ll be going home. That means I can’t deliver newspapers during the holidays. I’ve been thinking it over, and since your family lives nearby, and you have relatives in the city, it’d be great if you could cover my route for two months. You can keep the salary for those two months—how about it?”

“No problem!” Xu Cheng agreed at once. “I’ll help for sure. But I can’t take your salary—when the semester starts, I’ll give it back to you.”

“I said, don’t mention money! Besides, you’re staying with relatives—wouldn’t you feel guilty freeloading? If you can help me keep my job, that’s already a huge favor.” Dong Yanyan laughed.

“Well—” Xu Cheng started to protest again, but Dong Yanyan glared at him, feigning annoyance. “If you keep fussing, I’ll find someone else!”

“Alright! Whatever you say.” Xu Cheng smiled broadly.

Dong Yanyan nodded, “That’s better.” She hated it when he dithered! This arrangement was perfect—he’d be helping his mother at the market over the holidays, which was cold, tiring, and didn’t pay much. Here, he could earn six hundred yuan a month, which was a decent sum for him at the time. Though he’d probably give all the money to his mother and never spend a cent on himself, at least he’d be able to enjoy a proper holiday. She still felt a pang remembering how overwhelmed he’d been the first time he spent New Year’s at her house.

There really are parents who don’t dote on their children, just as there are children who remain dutiful no matter how unreasonable their parents are. Such things truly exist in this world, and she wondered what their hearts were made of.

“Yanyan, you and Old Xu get along so well—why don’t you two just get together?” Leng Haoyang turned around and teased with a grin. Dong Yanyan wasn’t about to fall for that—after all, he’d been the one who goaded Xu Cheng into pursuing her back in the day. If she tripped over the same stone twice, how foolish would that be!

Without hesitation, she shot back, “Leng Haoyang, your family’s someone is good to Song Mingcheng too—why don’t you let the two of them get together?”

Leng Haoyang pursed his lips and pointed at her, his face darkening. “Why do you have to bring that up? Like he’d dare!”

“What’s there to be afraid of? Why drag me into your banter? I’m an innocent bystander!” Song Mingcheng said with a laid-back smile.

Dong Yanyan grinned mischievously, then glanced over to see Li Hui’s face frozen with hostility, while Liu Ying didn’t look much happier either. She quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment—teasing someone’s dream guy was clearly a bad idea!