Ch83 What? Who Are They Talking About?
"Holy crap!"
When Meng Ci woke up the next morning and pulled back the curtains, the snow had stopped.
But the accumulated snow had now completely buried the five-door sedan across the street.
Meng Ci pulled out his air thermometer and measured the temperature-it had dropped to minus thirty-six degrees Celsius.
Terrifying.
Meng Ci quickly closed the curtains and rushed over to warm himself by the stove.
He'd only stood at the windowsill for two minutes, yet he felt like he'd been trapped in an ice cellar.
After recovering, he pulled out a savory pancake and a serving of tofu pudding from his storage space. He also grabbed a plate of fish-flavored eggplant, a steamed bun, and a steaming cup of milk tea. Satisfied, he finished his meal.
He stuffed all the trash into the stove, burning it to destroy the evidence.
After feeding the rabbits, he sat on the sofa and continued playing his game.
"Mr. Meng."
The walkie-talkie beside him suddenly crackled with Yun Jingcen's voice.
"Teacher Yun, what is it?"
Yun Jingcen explained, "We just went downstairs to check. The snow has frozen solid enough to walk on now."
"So we plan to go out and chop some firewood for warmth. Would you like to join us?"
Although there was a decent supply of coal in the storage space, Meng Ci felt it was still necessary to go out occasionally to chop firewood, to avoid arousing suspicion.
"Sure."
After agreeing, Meng Ci messaged Shen Que. The two changed into appropriate clothes and headed out.
Cheng Yu, Duan Yan, and Mao Xinyu were already waiting at the door.
Cheng Yu and Duan Yan had always dressed warmly, and with the recent cold snap, they were layered even more heavily.
Mao Xinyu, however, had previously prioritized style over warmth, dressing as lightly as possible even around freezing temperatures.
Now she wore not only a military overcoat but also a red scarf and a black military cap pulled low over her head.
As the two approached, Mao Xinyu was still complaining.
"I told you I didn't want to wear a scarf, but Jingcen insisted. This red scarf doesn't match my coat
at all."
"Aren't they saying red and green together make dog shit? I sure don't want to be compared to dog shit."
"And these boots don't even have heels. They don't accentuate my presence at all."
Mao Xinyu stood at 5'3", and to appear taller, she never left home without high heels.
"Ugh, why is it getting colder? I was looking forward to wearing skirts and shorts!"
Duan Yan replied, "You can wear them when it actually gets hot."
Hearing Duan Yan's nonsense, Mao Xinyu suddenly clutched her waist and burst into laughter, though she couldn't quite pinpoint what had tickled her funny bone.
"I know I can wear them when it's hot, but Xiao Yan, why do you always deliver these lame jokes with such a deadpan face?"
As she spoke, Mao Xinyu reached out to pinch Duan Yan's cheek.
Cheng Yu swiftly swatted her hand away, shielding Duan Yan behind him.
"Just talk, don't get handsy."
Mao Xinyu retorted defiantly, "So what if I do?"
"I've known Xiao Yan much longer than you have. Haven't you heard of first come, first served?"
"Back in the day, I was his senior. We were even in the same club."
"You have no idea how popular Xiao Yan was with the girls back then."
Mao Xinyu was one year older than Duan Yan, and they attended the same university for both their undergraduate and graduate studies.
However, Mao Xinyu worked for a year after graduating before pursuing her master's degree.
Although they were in the same graduate cohort, Duan Yan always addressed Mao Xinyu as "senior."
Cheng Yu felt a pang of jealousy at these words.
He and Duan Yan had only met during graduate school. It wasn't until they reunited at the same university after graduation that they gradually started dating.
Every time Mao Xinyu mentioned how long they'd known each other, Cheng Yu couldn't help but
sigh-wishing he'd attended the same undergraduate school as Duan Yan. Seeing Cheng Yu's darkening expression, Mao Xinyu only grew more determined to tease him.
"You have no idea how shy Xiao Yan used to be. Just a few words from us would make his face flush bright red."
"He'd stare at you with wide eyes and whisper, 'Senior..."
Hearing Mao Xinyu about to recount more old stories, Duan Yan quickly interrupted, "Senior, please stop."
"Alright, alright, I'll listen to Xiao Yan. Big sis won't say another word." Mao Xinyu replied with a beaming smile.
Back when Duan Yan first
entered university, he was still a shy young man who spoke in a soft, quiet voice.
The literature club where Mao Xinyu belonged had many female members. Seeing such an adorable boy naturally sparked everyone's affection.
During club meetings or events, they'd always bring food for Duan Yan.
But during his junior year
internship, his baby face and lack of authority made students barely listen to his lectures.
Even their chatter during class drowned out his voice.
Duan Yan later trained himself to change his vocal tone,
maintaining a cold expression that made him seem intimidating.
"Cheng Yu, let go. This isn't right," Duan Yan whispered.
Cheng Yu didn't release him; instead, he tightened his grip.
"I won't let go. It's the end of the world now. What difference does teacher or student make? Let them see if they want to."
Back in school, when they were dating, Duan Yan had forbidden Cheng Yu from holding hands in public, citing concerns that being too affectionate might be noticed by students and create a bad impression.
After the downpour began, even with Ruan Qing around, everyone was living together, so Duan Yan hadn't made unreasonable demands.
But public displays of affection, like kissing, were still strictly forbidden by Duan Yan.
Seeing his hand couldn't break free, Duan Yan reluctantly gave up.
Mao Xinyu slapped Duan Yan's shoulder, glanced at Meng Ci and Shen Que, and burst out laughing. "Exactly! What's there to be shy about?"
"Maybe they've done even more outrageous things. To them, you two just holding hands is like a minor scandal compared to their major scandals."
Meng Ci was utterly baffled by Mao Xinyu's gaze, wondering inwardly: Whose "they" was she referring to? And what could possibly be "more extreme"?
The banter ended, and with all five members present, they descended the stairs together.
Meng Ci and Shen Que each grabbed an axe, while Mao Xinyu and the others took two axes and a knife.
Heavy snow had now buried the fifth floor, so they descended to the sixth floor. They chose a window on the north side of the stairwell, planning to jump from there.
Shen Que stopped Meng Ci, who was about to jump first, and leaped down himself.
Sure enough, the snow had frozen solid, eliminating the risk of stepping through into the floodwaters below.
Only after confirming the area was clear did Shen Que signal for Meng Ci and the others to follow.