Before going to sleep, Jiang Cheng received another wechat from Chen Xueer.
After asking a few questions about Jiang Cheng's Military Training, Chen Xueer gave him a detailed report on Luo Jia's recent movements.
In fact, the security company sent Jiang Cheng daily updates on Luo Jia's activities, so Chen Xueer's report was completely unnecessary.
Jiang Cheng never asked for it, yet Chen Xueer insisted on giving him a rundown every single day.
She even told him that Luo Jia had worked one hour of overtime today—no detail was too trivial.
Sharing the minutiae of everyday life is an intimate act; it's the quickest way to close the distance between two people.
Put yourself in her shoes: if someone insists on recounting every little thing, the subtext might be "I really like you"?
Jiang Cheng was fairly confident that Chen Xueer liked him, because her favorability value toward him had crept up again without him noticing.
Although he quickly realized she might have romantic feelings for him,
Chen Xueer herself hadn't yet figured out that she was interested in Jiang Cheng.
Put simply, she hadn't yet awakened to romantic relationships.
At the moment, Chen Xueer had removed her make-up, wore black-framed glasses and cute cartoon pajamas, and was curled on her bed texting Jiang Cheng.
Her pajamas were very loose, and she was lying on her stomach, half-propped up while holding her phone.
Fortunately no one else was present; otherwise the tantalizing view would have made any onlooker's nose bleed.
This girlish side of her was a world away from her usual cool-queen image.
Once a Girl falls for someone, she tends to soften and lose her edge; that was exactly Chen Xueer's current state.
In the past she'd always been cold and unsmiling, but now she stared at the chat screen, a smile unconsciously tugging at her lips.
After replying to Chen Xueer, Jiang Cheng opened the small group chat.
He saw Wang Zheng had @-mentioned them and posted two photos.
The pictures showed him with two Girls.
[Results of my bottled-water stall outside the Art College these past two days.]
Qi Yuan: "Damn, they look way better than the Girls at our school. I'm disappointed in us. As expected of an Art College—if I weren't stuck in Military Training, I'd go too."
Wang Zheng: "@Qi Yuan, you guys train for a month or just fifteen days? Skip it with an excuse. Come tomorrow; it's the start for freshmen, lots of new faces. Plenty of Girls didn't catch my code today—I think there's real potential."
Qi Yuan: "Not understanding the code is perfect. My family keeps me on a tight leash, wants me to set an example, no slip-ups. Good thing it's only fifteen days. Still, my Ferrari's turning heads—this year I'm one of the flashiest freshmen around."
Chen Hao: "Two in one day? Can you even handle that???"
Wang Zheng: "@Chen Hao, of course I can handle it better than you. Why bother going abroad? Easier sales and higher quality at the Art College."
Chen Hao: "@Wang Zheng, they call you the Electric Prince—what makes you think you can top me?"
Qin Fen: "Is it roomy in there?? Take care of yourself."
Wang Zheng: "Haha, one was last night, one tonight. Bottled-water game is best—light flavor, smells nice."
Qin Fen: "Damn, this is supposed to be a decent chat—keep the taste and color out of it."
Qi Yuan: "From what I know, Art College costs are high. Whether it's painting or music, daily expenses are several times a normal university's, so the Girls often take side gigs to get by."
Wang Zheng: "@Qi Yuan, exactly. One Girl last night told me a few gigs can scrape together tens of thousands for some brand of paint. I don't get it—what paint costs that much?? Most Girls splurge on bags; they're saving for pigments."
Qin Fen: "Clearly you don't follow art. Different brands vary in saturation, stability, and how many years they last. Some are limited editions. Good brushes cost even more; the smoothness while painting can't compare to ten-buck stuff."
Wang Zheng: "Lao Qin, hearing that makes me feel I should keep selling water at the Art College—not for the Girls, but for art. Without my water money they couldn't buy those pricey imported pigments, and without top-tier materials they couldn't create stable masterpieces."
Jiang Cheng: "@Wang Zheng, got it. So their late-night 0-0-0- activities with you count as dedicating themselves to art, right? Thanks, bros, for filling my knowledge gaps."
Chen Hao: "I used to be narrow-minded! My bad! Hearing you guys, I suddenly admire these Girls!"
Wang Congcong: "@Jiang Cheng, this group should rename itself to Art Charity Funding Organization."
Ignoring Wang Congcong's jab, Qi Yuan @-mentioned Wang Zheng enviously.
Qi Yuan: "@Wang Zheng, I get you now—won't misjudge these Girls again. We're contributing to the art world; next time take me along. I want to help cultivate the next great artist."
Wang Congcong: "University life is great."
Jiang Cheng quietly used the favorability value scanning system on the two Girls in Wang Zheng's photos.
One 8, one 10?
Hmm… middling numbers, I guess.
After checking, Jiang Cheng @-mentioned Wang Zheng.
Jiang Cheng: "@Wang Congcong, @Wang Zheng, both Girls are college students, just like Bro Wang said—living the good life. Learn your punctuation, folks."
Wang Zheng: "@Jiang Cheng, last night's was so-so; tonight's I'm not sure yet. She looks pretty innocent—told me she's only had one ex-boyfriend."
Reading that, Jiang Cheng burst out laughing: erase one digit from ten and you get one.
Ten Girls, minimum ten times each—that's a hundred times right there.
But that's only the bare minimum—who knows the real count?
"@Wang Zheng, looks innocent, but inside… hard to say after just one. Bring extra umbrellas."
Qin Fen: "Haha, Lao Wang's wide-track magic is welded on."
Wang Zheng: "I can't be that unlucky—five grand on the line! Wanna bet?"
Qi Yuan: "She does look innocent, but not my type—I like older women."
Wang Congcong: "@Qi Yuan, check out the senior-college program."
Qin Fen: "Bet on what? Whether it's roomy is your call. Five grand sounds above market rate, no?"