Chapter 193
The Mystery Man
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So began a new semester .
On this fine morning, the plaza in front of Tiannan Station was a sight to behold: colorful booths set up and arranged into a square formation; student representatives (no doubt the best-looking ones) from various universities could be seen manning the booths, greeting their respective freshmen with remarkable enthusiasm .
It was a long-held tradition for universities to give their freshmen a warm welcome at the beginning of every new intake . As a fourth year senior of Tiannan University and an integral member of the student council, and a prospective candidate for the next student council president, Feng Na would never miss out on such a noble undertaking .
"Ugh! Nana! Another bottle of water, please! I need a drink!"
Feng Na glanced to her right at that familiar voice . Sure enough, Cheng Cheng was standing right there with her left palm extended towards Feng Na .
"Hurry up already, Nana! God…" Cheng Cheng fanned herself with a cute little plastic hand fan that she was holding in her right hand . "I'm dying of thirst here!"
Smiling, Feng Na reached down for the box and pulled out a bottle of mineral water . "How many freshmen have you welcomed today?" She tossed the bottle towards Cheng Cheng .
Cheng Cheng caught the bottle, then immediately turned to smile at another freshman walking past their booth .
"Welcome! Enjoy your first day!"
After the freshman walked away, Cheng Cheng turned back around . The smile was gone from Cheng Cheng's face almost instantly . She scowled and said, "That, was the 138th . Ugh! This is so exhausting! I think I'm gonna drop dead soon . " She uncapped the bottle and took a huge gulp . Then, she swallowed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand . "And you wanna know the worst part, Nana?"
Amusement crept into Feng Na . Worse than doing manual labor here? Somehow, Feng Na doubted it . But still, she would indulge in her bestie's need to whine .
Feng Na cleared her throat . "Alright then . Lay it on me . What's the worst part of today?"
Cheng Cheng rolled her eyes in her usual dramatic fashion . "The new guys are all perverts! I swear to God! It's like they can't even go for two seconds without staring at my boobs!"
Feng Na stared at her bestie for a second or two . Then, she burst into laughter .
"Oh, shut up . " Feng Na swatted Cheng Cheng's shoulder . "Quit being such a drama queen . And you should be grateful for your… um… assets . " Feng Na waved a hand in front of Cheng Cheng's melons . Indeed, some women would die for boobs like that . Women like me, a small voice inside Feng Na's head taunted .
"Besides, you had it coming," Feng Na said .
Cheng Cheng gasped . "Ex-cuse me?" She looked completely appalled . "I had it coming? How could you say that?"
Feng Na gave her bestie a huge eye roll . "Uh… Hello?" Feng Na waved a hand at Cheng Cheng's voluminous boobies . "You're the one who chose to wear this low-cut outfit . Look at that cleavage! Perverts are going to leer if you flaunt your assets like that, Cheng Cheng . That's just how it works . "
Cheng Cheng rolled her eyes dramatically . "Like, sure, they can look, but maybe for a second or two . They shouldn't keep staring at them like . . . " Cheng Cheng waved her hands in the air as though she was trying to search for a proper description for some kind of unsolvable dilemma . "Like… Like they wanna shove their eyeballs into my cleavage!"
Feng Na opened her mouth to speak but was quickly interrupted by the sound of someone panting .
A voice sounded beside her .
"Yo! Feng Na! Can I have a bottle of water, please?"
Feng Na turned and saw Wu Hui trudging towards them . The dude was drenched in sweat .
Feng Na reached for another bottle of mineral water and then tossed it at the man . "Have you sent them off to the bus already?" Feng Na smiled . "From the looks of it, I'm guessing their bags are pretty heavy . "
Wu Hui uncapped the bottle and took several long gulps of water . After that, he poured the rest of the water onto his head and stood there with his arms akimbo .
"Freshmen these days . . . I swear to God… They bring everything!" Wu Hui growled . "Desktop PCs are still acceptable . But TVs? Come on! Some even brought those bulky electric fans! It's like I'm running a goddamn moving company around here . Ouch, ouch! Great, even my back hurts now . " Wu Hui sighed dramatically . "Hey . If there are any more bags to carry later, you girls need to handle them yourselves . I think I pulled a muscle . "
Feng Na bit back a snarky retort . Even though Feng Na disliked Wu Hui, she didn't want to bite his head off in front of everyone; after all, he did do quite a lot to help out at the booth . Granted, his main motive might be to impress the ladies, but still…
Feng Na smiled at Wu Hui, hoping that it seemed genuine . "Well, what is it that they always say? The heavier responsibility falls on the shoulders of the capable?" Feng Na turned to Cheng Cheng . "Isn't that right?"
Cheng Cheng nodded . "You bet!"
Feng Na looked towards Wu Hui again . "You're the only male student here . Of course you should be the one to move the bags . You have the strength that none of us girls possess . "
Wu Hui sighed . "But there are so many of them, you know!"
Feng Na resisted the urge to roll her eyes . "Well . It's their freshman year . It's normal for them to bring more stuff . "
"Wow . Are you guys bad-mouthing us freshmen already?"
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All three of them swiveled around to face the owner of the voice: a beautiful young lady dressed in a long, pale-yellow dress .
Underneath the lady's white straw hat was a typical pretty face—large eyes, long lashes, and fair skin . What struck Feng Na, though, was how tall the girl was (165 cm if she were to venture a guess), not to mention the slim yet curvy figure, which rendered her appearance infinitely more attractive .
"Hello, seniors," said the girl, blinking those large eyes at them .
Apparently, those eyes were the perfect remedy for Wu Hui's back problems as he suddenly stepped forward to introduce himself .
"Hello . Are you a freshman of Tiannan University? What's your name? Which department will you be joining?"
The corner of the girl's lips tugged upwards .
"I'm Jiang Xiuxiu . And I'm in Visual and Performing Arts . "
"Jiang… Xiu… Xiu . . . " Cheng Cheng wrote something down on a new form . "Like this?" Cheng Cheng turned the clipboard around to show the girl what she'd written down .
Jiang Xiuxiu nodded, apparently satisfied that Cheng Cheng had gotten her name right . Her eyes, however, glinted with what appeared to be vanity .
"Do you guys know that the Xiu in my name means exceptionally beautiful?"
Feng Na shared a glance with Cheng Cheng, who looked like she was struggling to hold back a litany of snarky retorts .
Feng Na smirked . You and me both, girl .
Their exchange was interrupted by Wu Hui, who suddenly stepped towards the girl .
"Here . Let me take your luggage . "
Feng Na gave Wu Hui a sidelong glance .
"I thought you couldn't handle any more heavy lifting today because you um… how exactly did you put it… pulled a muscle?"
Okay, that was a little mean, but Feng Na couldn't help it . Besides, the mortified look on Wu Hui's face was totally worth it .
"You should be careful, senior . These suitcases are pretty heavy," Jiang Xiuxiu said, pointing at the two sizeable suitcases beside her feet .
Wu Hui let out a laugh . Then, with a casual wave of his hand and perhaps an ego the size of a cow, he said, "Don't worry! I'm the member of the student council's sports committee!"
Wu Hui struck a pose like a bodybuilder .
What an idiot, Feng Na thought, then shared another glance with Cheng Cheng . Feng Na had no doubt that her bestie had the exact same thing in mind—Cheng Cheng's disdain was all over her face .
Jiang Xiuxiu's giggles made Feng Na look away again .
Wu Hui had just finished striking another pose .
Feng Na suppressed yet another eye roll . But before she could say something to end Wu Hui's theatrics, the guy was already reaching for one of Jiang Xiuxiu's suitcases .
The look on his face a second later nearly made Feng Na laugh: saying that he looked constipated would be putting it lightly .
The suitcase had barely risen a few inches off the ground before it slipped out of Wu Hui's hands and crashed back down .
"W- What the—" Wu Hui gaped at the suitcase . "What did you put in it? Bricks? How come it's so heavy?"
Out of curiosity, Feng Na stepped forward and tried to lift the suitcase herself: she couldn't even get it off the ground despite have used both hands .
"Well then!" Feng Na grinned at Wu Hui and patted his shoulder a few times . "We're counting on you now, big guy!"
Wu Hui bent down and grabbed each suitcase by their top carry handles . This time, he fared better—at least he managed to keep the suitcases stable . Feng Na watched in amusement as he took several wobbly steps before he gave up and put the suitcases back down .
"Argh . . . Can't do it," Wu Hui said, waving his hands . Then, he bent over and placed his hands on his knees and panted as though he'd just finished a marathon . "I think I'll have to carry them one by one . "
Feng Na snorted . Or you could just extend the handle and drag it towards the bus, moron .
Feng Na kept that thought to herself .
"God, you're such an idiot!" Cheng Cheng said with a laugh . "Why do you have to carry them when they've got wheels?! See?" Cheng Cheng pressed a button and pulled upwards to extend the trolley handle . "Just roll them to the bus, geez . "
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Apparently, her bestie didn't feel like watching the asshole make a fool of himself .
Wu Hui smacked his own forehead . "Oh, right! Why didn't I think of that?"
Feng Na had about a dozen answers to that question, all of which ran along the lines of: because you're dumb .
"Coz you just want to show off in front of a pretty girl," Cheng Cheng mumbled .
After that, Feng Na and Wu Hui towed Jiang Xiuxiu's suitcases towards the bus . Then, with much effort, Wu Hui managed to lug both suitcases onto the bus . I wonder what he's planning to do if Jiang Xiuxiu asks him to bring those suitcases up to the girls' dorms . A smirk tugged at Feng Na's lips . Well, she supposed it would be fine if she stayed on the ground floor . But what if Jiang Xiuxiu got assigned to the fifth floor dorms?
Feng Na decided to take pity on Wu Hui . "Hey, Wu Hui," she said . "Why don't you stay here and watch the booth for me . I'll accompany Jiang Xiuxiu back to campus . Oh, don't worry about the bags . I'll just ask a few more guys to help carry them when we arrive . "
Wu Hui glanced towards Jiang Xiuxiu . Perhaps he hadn't realized that Feng Na was trying to give him a way out .
"I mean," Feng Na continued, "if you leave with the bus, then Cheng Cheng and I wouldn't be able to handle the bags on our own . "
Apparently, that remark did the trick . Wu Hui nodded enthusiastically . "Ah . True! Alright! I guess I'll get back to work then . "
Wu Hui turned around and walked away without sparing Jiang Xiuxiu another glance .
"Hey, senior . That guy seems fun . . . " Jiang Xiuxiu was staring after Wu Hui .
Fun? Sure . If you like the dumb ones, that is .
Feng Na kept that thought to herself .
"And he's quite handsome too . "
Handsome, huh? Feng Na smiled . An unbidden image of Li Yundong, whom she hadn't seen for two long months, formed in her mind . I wonder how he's been . . . Did he change over the past two months?
Feng Na's thoughts drifted further and further away . Soon, her mind was filled with images of Li Yundong .
" . . . hello . . . senior? Anybody home?"
Feng Na snapped out of her thoughts when she realized that Jiang Xiuxiu was waving a hand in front of her face .
"You totally spaced out right there, senior . What were you thinking about?"
When Feng Na didn't answer right away, a teasing look formed on Jiang Xiuxiu's face . "Ooh . . . You were thinking about that handsome senior just now, weren't you?"
And that comment right there destroyed every single remnant of her fantasy . Feng Na glared at Jiang Xiuxiu . "Him?" Feng Na snorted . "Why on earth would I think about him?"
Jiang Xiuxiu just smiled and bumped her shoulder into Feng Na . "Aww . . . Don't be shy, senior . . . "
Feng Na rolled her eyes . "Just get on the bus . And I already have someone I like . "
The two girls boarded the bus took their seats .
"Who is he?" Jiang Xiuxiu asked .
"Huh?" Feng Na decided to play dumb .
"The guy you like," Jiang Xiuxiu said .
Li Yundong's face popped up in Feng Na's mind once again . Something tugged inside her chest, and it didn't feel good .
Feng Na sighed . "Look . Just stop asking already . You wouldn't recognize his name even if I tell you . "
"Oh . "
Jiang Xiuxiu didn't say anything else after that, thank God . They sat in their seats for a while, waiting for other freshmen to arrive . When it was time to leave, Feng Na rose and walked towards the front of the bus .
"Mr . Zhao, please take us to the campus," she said to the driver .
"Very well, miss . "
The drive to campus took nearly half an hour . Even with the bus driver's help, it took considerable effort for them to carry Jiang Xiuxiu's suitcases off the bus . The poor driver could barely stand up after all that exertion .
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"It's fine, Mr . Zhao . Don't mind the suitcases . I'll just ask a bunch of guys to carry them for us . You can head back to the station first," Feng Na said .
Mr . Zhao stared at the suitcases for a moment, then nodded . "Alright then . "
After the bus left, Feng Na turned towards Jiang Xiuxiu .
"Wait here . "
Jiang Xiuxiu watched Senior Feng Na hurry through the gates . She didn't understand why Senior Feng Na had to go look for extra helping hands elsewhere when there were so many guys around them .
Just then, a guy walked past her .
"Hey, handsome!" she yelled without thinking .
However, the guy just kept walking without answering her call .
Not used to being ignored, Jiang Xiuxiu stalked after the guy . Damn it, she thought, he sure walks fast .
Jiang Xiuxiu quickened her pace .
"Hey, handsome! Wait up!"
The man was wearing a long-sleeved, white shirt, which she immediately recognized as Armani . She couldn't identify the brand of his dark pants though . Just as she was trying to work out what kind of sport shoes he was wearing, something else caught her eye: a long, bulky object (wrapped up in a dark cloth) sticking out of the top of his backpack .
The sight of that strange object made Jiang Xiuxiu stop walking .
What on earth was that thing? A telescope?
Whatever . She didn't care .
"Hey!!! Handsome! I need your help!"
Again, she was ignored .
Humiliation coursed through her . "Hey!!" By then, her voice had caught the attention of every single guy in the area except for the man her words were intended for . Is he deaf?
Jiang Xiuxiu stomped her feet in anger and then broke off into a full sprint . When she caught up to him, she reached out to grab his arm . She missed; the guy moved his arm away as though he knew when and where she was going to grab him .
It was like he had eyes on the back of his head .
When the guy finally turned around to face her, Jiang Xiuxiu's heart skipped a few beats .
Standing in front of her was perhaps the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on: tall (definitely around 175 cm) and manly; thick eyebrows; huge piercing eyes; straight nose that looked like a mountain ridge; strong jawline and well-defined lips; and the way he carried himself exuded an air of confidence .
Even though Jiang Xiuxiu had spent pretty much her entire childhood surrounded by boys, she had never seen a man this attractive before . For a long while, she just stared wordlessly at the man in front of her, utterly incapable of speech .
"Can I help you, miss?"
"U- Um . . . I- I just . . . " Jiang Xiuxiu cleared her throat . "Uh . . . S- Suitcases . . . I need . . . your help . . . "
"Ah . " The man smiled . "You're a freshman . "
Jiang Xiuxiu nodded . "Yes . "
Suddenly, the man looked past her shoulders . He appeared to be squinting at something behind her . What's he looking at? Jiang Xiuxiu turned around and followed his line of sight .
It surprised her to see just how far she'd gone from the front gates . Her large suitcases were barely visible now . When she turned back around, the guy was no longer squinting . "Those two suitcases over there, you mean?" He pointed past her shoulders . "The ones with the ribbons?"
Jiang Xiuxiu did a double take . How did he see the ribbons from— She turned around again . The suitcases themselves were barely visible let alone those ribbons .
He probably just caught a glimpse of them when he walked past the gates just now .
There was no way he could see those tiny ribbons from here .
"Uh, yeah . Those are mine," Jiang Xiuxiu said, glad that she had managed to salvage a modicum of composure .
"Sure . I'll help you out . "
Jiang Xiuxiu followed the man back to the gates . After that, they rolled the suitcases towards the block where the girls' dorms were located .
Jiang Xiuxiu placed a hand on his arm when they reached the staircase . "Wait . These are pretty heavy," she said . "I'll go find a couple more guys to help out . "
Stupid dorms didn't even have an elevator .
As soon as she had turned around, the man's voice sounded behind her .
"There's no need for that, miss . These aren't that heavy . "
When Jiang Xiuxiu turned back around a second later, she literally had the shock of her life: the suitcases were dangling from the guy's hands like they weighed nothing .
"Y- You can lift them?"
The man gave her a funny look . "Err . . . Isn't that obvious?" He hoisted the two suitcases higher for emphasis .
Jiang Xiuxiu blushed heavily . "Oh . "
The man turned around and walked up the stairs . "You gotta tell me which floor, you know?"
Jiang Xiuxiu snapped out of it and ran up the stairs .
They resumed their climb after Jiang Xiuxiu told him that she was staying on the third floor .
"Aren't they heavy?" Jiang Xiuxiu asked when they reached the landing of the first floor . She stared down at her own suitcases .
"They're fine . "
Wow . Her suitcases had quite literally tortured a lot of men during her journey here . But this guy was carrying it around like they weighed nothing . Such monstrous strength . . .
Before she knew it, they had reached the third floor and were now standing in front of her dorms . Mr . Hercules followed her into the dorms and then placed her suitcases beside her bed .
"Well, then . I'll get out of your hair now . " The man smiled . "Have a nice day . "
"Wait!" Jiang Xiuxiu yelled . "At least let me walk you out . "
The man shrugged and walked out of the dorms . Jiang Xiuxiu scurried after him . It wasn't until they were walking down the stairs that she realized something strange: every student they had walked past began whispering behind their backs; most of them seemed awestruck the moment they saw him .
Is he some sort of VIP here? Jiang Xiuxiu thought . If he is, then I'm damn lucky to have run into him . I should ask for his phone number… Or his QQ address…
The man stopped walking and turned around to face her once they were out of the dorms building .
"This is far enough," he said with a kind smile . "I'm sure you have a lot of unpacking to do . You don't have to walk with me . See you around!"
He walked away before she could even come up with a response .
"Hey! I don't even know your name!" Jiang Xiuxiu yelled after him .
The man didn't even turn around when he waved his hand at her . "I'm Lei Feng!"
Lei Feng? But isn't Lei Feng that national hero . . . ?
"You're lying!" Jiang Xiuxiu yelled again .
The man walked on as though he hadn't heard her .
Jiang Xiuxiu kept staring at the man until a voice sounded behind her .
"Jiang Xiuxiu! Gosh . Where have you been?!"
Jiang Xiuxiu turned around and saw Feng Na approaching the dorms with several buff-looking men in tow .
"I told you to wait for me at the gates! Why did you run off on your own—" Feng Na stopped talking and glanced around . "Wait . Where are your suitcases? I didn't see them at the gates . "
Jiang Xiuxiu ignored the question and pointed at the man instead . He was quite far away, but still visible from where they stood .
"Hey, hey, senior! Do you know that man? He's from our university right? What's his name?"