Just as the two were sharing a pleasant moment, Ruan Yu’s phone rang.
It was Jian Xiangxiang calling.
Ruan Yu glanced at the screen and said to Teng Yi, “They must be waiting for me. I have to go.”
Teng Yi reached out and ruffled her hair. “Go ahead, see you tonight.”
She smiled and waved goodbye, bouncing down the stairs with steps as lively as the little rabbit hanging from her backpack. After days of gloomy weather in her heart, the skies had finally cleared. Her joy at this moment was impossible to hide.
Sure enough, Jian Xiangxiang and the others were waiting for her.
The three of them stood in a row with linked arms, their gazes uniformly fixed on her as they blocked her way in the corridor.
“Ruan Ruan, do you have something to tell us?” Jian Xiangxiang asked.
“Let’s talk when we get back.” Ruan Yu glanced around the spacious corridor, worried that Teng Yi might come down and run into them.
“No, tell us now.”
The three presented a united front, their attitude resolute.
“You’ve been acting so strange these past two days. Last night you rushed out and didn’t come back, this morning you snuck back in and have been distracted all day. And of course, the strangest thing is Teng Yi – why did he show up in our class and sit next to you? There must be something going on…”
“Something is going on – we’re together now.” Teng Yi’s voice came from upstairs.
Ruan Yu and the others were stunned.
Then they saw Teng Yi running down the stairs, taking two steps at a time. He stopped behind Ruan Yu and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
Ruan Yu turned to look at him.
She hadn’t expected him to announce their relationship so quickly.
Teng Yi’s hand on her shoulder squeezed gently as if reassuring her.
“W-when did this happen?” Jian Xiangxiang asked.
“Just now, when I confessed.” Teng Yi gave the three a gentle smile. “She hasn’t had the chance to tell you yet, don’t give her a hard time.”
Jian Xiangxiang and the others completely melted at Teng Yi’s smile, waving their hands repeatedly.
“We wouldn’t dream of it! We’re just so happy for you both!” Chen Manbai said.
“Yes, yes!” Xia Qiaofeng chimed in.
“Then I’ll have to trouble everyone to take care of my girlfriend from now on.”
“Of course, of course.”
Teng Yi quickly got along with the three of them. Ruan Yu stood by listening to his thoughtful and detailed conversation, her heart cycling between warmth and sweetness.
She had been worried about how to explain things to her roommates, feeling that keeping it secret wasn’t good but telling them too soon wasn’t either. Fortunately, he had helped her resolve this difficulty just in time.
“I have something to do today, but I’ll treat everyone to a meal another time,” Teng Yi said.
“Sure, sure!” The three nodded continuously.
“I’ll be going then.” Teng Yi squeezed Ruan Yu’s shoulder again and gave her a meaningful look.
Ruan Yu nodded.
“Bye-bye!” The three waved to Teng Yi in unison.
“Bye-bye.”
After saying goodbye, he strode toward the school gate.
The four stood in place, watching his tall, straight figure cast a long shadow in the sunlight.
“How can someone be so handsome and gentle?” Xia Qiaofeng sighed. “He kept smiling at us just now. I finally believe that the ‘one smile to topple a city’ feeling from novels exists.”
“Tsk tsk, even our Qiaofeng couldn’t help herself. Looks like Teng Yi’s charm is truly formidable,” Jian Xiangxiang said, winking at the other two.
Chen Manbai and Xia Qiaofeng instantly understood Jian Xiangxiang’s meaning, and the three quickly pounced on Ruan Yu.
Ruan Yu let out a light cry and tried to escape, but they surrounded and hugged her.
“Quick, tell us, what does it feel like to win over the campus idol?” Jian Xiangxiang asked.
“Do we have to talk about this here?” The corridor was open on all sides, and someone could come up or down at any time.
“What does it matter? The idol himself already admitted it, are you still afraid of people hearing?” Chen Manbai said, then deliberately raised her voice to shout: “Our Ruan Ruan is dating Teng Yi!”
“Manman!” Ruan Yu quickly covered Chen Manbai’s mouth. “Shh, can you keep it secret for now?”
“Why? If it were me, with such an impressive boyfriend, I’d want to post it on the school’s gossip forum right away and let all the girls be jealous of me.”
“Great idea!”
Jian Xiangxiang excitedly reached for her phone, but Ruan Yu quickly stopped her.
“Don’t tease me.” She lowered her eyes, showing a hint of insecurity beneath her sweetness. “It still doesn’t feel real to me.”
Precisely because Teng Yi was so good and excellent, she was afraid she wasn’t good enough for him.
The three who had been teasing her caught this emotion and instantly grew quiet.
“Come on, Ruan Ruan, where did your usual confidence go?” Chen Manbai hugged Ruan Yu’s shoulders tightly and shook her. “You’re the top student! The best in our whole school. When it comes to excellence, no one compares to you.”
“That’s right, and you’re very pretty too!” Xia Qiaofeng pinched Ruan Yu’s cheek. “I think you’re the prettiest in our dorm.”
“Ouch!”
“Ouch!”
Jian Xiangxiang and Chen Manbai simultaneously turned to glare at Xia Qiaofeng.
“Qiaofeng, don’t you know how to talk? How can you say ‘prettiest’ in front of everyone? In our dorm, we’re all beautiful, no one’s above the others, okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, we all have both beauty and wisdom, looks and talent, right?”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Xia Qiaofeng repeatedly apologized.
Ruan Yu burst out laughing.
“But seriously, our Ruan Ruan already has great features. If she dressed up a bit, she wouldn’t be any less attractive than the campus beauty,” Jian Xiangxiang said, then suddenly remembered something. “Oh! What about that campus beauty Fang Wan and Teng Yi? What’s going on there?”
“Shouldn’t we be asking you that?” Chen Manbai grabbed Jian Xiangxiang’s ponytail. “Where did you hear that Fang Wan was Teng Yi’s girlfriend?”
“That’s what everyone’s saying.”
“There must be some reason for such rumors, right?”
“Well, it happened like this: During this year’s freshman orientation, a junior girl tried to give Teng Yi a love letter, but Fang Wan intercepted it. The junior asked if Fang Wan was Teng Yi’s girlfriend, and Fang Wan didn’t deny it. Not denying means admitting, right? After that, the news that Fang Wan was Teng Yi’s girlfriend spread everywhere.”
“There’s this kind of operation?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Looks like Ruan Ruan needs to watch out for this woman from now on. She has feelings for Teng Yi.” Chen Manbai looked Ruan Yu up and down. “This won’t do. Sister’s going to teach you about fashion and makeup. You can’t stay this plain anymore, or you might lose your boyfriend without even knowing where to cry.”
Ruan Yu: “…”
–_–
The three dragged Ruan Yu back to their dorm room, where Chen Manbai brought out her entire beauty influencer collection. Bottles, jars, brushes, and tools covered the entire desk.
“My goodness, Manman, how much did all this cost?” Jian Xiangxiang picked up an SK-II red bottle and shook it. “Must be at least twenty thousand, right?”
“About that,” Chen Manbai replied.
Twenty thousand?
Ruan Yu was shocked.
For the average college student, spending twenty thousand on cosmetics would be considered a huge expense.
Women were expensive creatures.
“Manman, is livestreaming really that profitable?”
“It’s okay.”
“I’m jealous. I want to do livestreaming too.” Jian Xiangxiang reached for another TF lipstick.
“Could you handle it?” Chen Manbai pointed at her lips. “In one livestream, I have to swatch hundreds of lipsticks. My lips are nearly raw. Plus there’s no breaks, you have to keep smiling, can’t lose your temper, have to drink water secretly, and hold it if you need to use the bathroom.”
“That tough?”
“Of course. You have to suffer to make money. Did you think it would just fall from the sky?”
Jian Xiangxiang fell silent. She had thought being a livestreamer just meant sitting in front of the camera, singing songs, chatting, and waiting for fans to send gifts.
Different industries were worlds apart.
“Alright, alright, let me do Ruan Ruan’s makeup first.” Chen Manbai sat Ruan Yu down in the chair.
“Um, Manman…” Ruan Yu quickly grabbed Chen Manbai’s hand, trying to escape at the last moment. “Maybe we should forget it. I won’t be used to it.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll do very light makeup. I won’t make you look like a monster. Trust my skills.”
As she spoke, Chen Manbai got to work. Being a professional, her makeup technique was skilled and expert.
A sweet cosmetic scent soon filled the air, and Ruan Yu’s heart began to flutter with anticipation.
She hadn’t understood before why people in relationships wanted to fix themselves up, but now she seemed to suddenly understand that determination to become better in every way for someone.
Whether it was Chen Manbai’s magical hands or the magical makeup, when the makeup was done and Ruan Yu faced herself in the mirror again, she felt completely transformed.
The person in the mirror was almost too beautiful to be familiar, but looking carefully, there was still a hint of recognizable self beneath the unfamiliarity.
“Aren’t you stunned by how beautiful you look?” Chen Manbai asked.
Jian Xiangxiang and Xia Qiaofeng crowded around to inspect the results.
“Wow, really stunning!”
Ruan Yu’s features were originally quite delicate, giving off a gentle beauty. With Chen Manbai’s slight enhancement, her gentleness instantly became refined, yet this refinement was understated, not flashy at all. The whole makeup look was clean and natural.
“Alright, go on your date looking like this tonight. I guarantee Teng Yi won’t be able to take his eyes off you.”
Ruan Yu blushed shyly, secretly looking forward to seeing him soon.
Finally, when evening came, she had just arrived at the Xiyou Base when she saw Teng Yi’s car whoosh away. She didn’t know where he was going, but he was driving quite fast.
Caihong happened to be coming downstairs and warmly greeted Ruan Yu when she saw her.
“Little Miss Top Student, you’re early today!”
“Mm, I had nothing else to do so I came early.” She pointed outside. “Where did he go?”
“Who?”
The question made Ruan Yu’s heart skip a beat.
“Um… your boss.” Her face inexplicably reddened again.
Having suddenly become boyfriend and girlfriend, even mentioning him felt unnatural.
“Oh, the boss? He went to the airport to pick someone up.”
Ruan Yu nodded, secretly wondering if she wouldn’t get to see him at all today. If so, this makeup would have gone to waste.
–_–
When Ruan Yu went upstairs, Teng Hao was already in the office. He was alone, head down and chin in hand, looking deeply troubled. When he heard Ruan Yu push open the door, he didn’t even lift his head.
“You’re here.” His voice was listless too.
“What’s wrong?”
He shook his head.
“Really, what’s wrong?” Ruan Yu could tell something was bothering him.
“My mom’s coming back.”
“Ah? Your mom’s coming back?” She unconsciously raised her voice.
So that’s why Teng Yi had gone to the airport – to pick up Shen Bing.
Teng Hao raised his eyes to look at her: “Why are you so excited? It’s not your mom.”
Ruan Yu nervously tried to calm her emotions.
True, it wasn’t her mom, but… it was her boyfriend’s mom.
She remembered their first meeting when Shen Bing had said “I’m very satisfied.” At that time, Shen Bing had been satisfied with her as Teng Hao’s tutor, but now, would she still be satisfied with her as Teng Yi’s girlfriend?
“Hey!” Seeing her zone out, Teng Hao waved his hand in front of her eyes.
Ruan Yu snapped back to attention and looked at Teng Hao. “What are you worried about? Worried she won’t let you dance?”
“Pretty much. Feel like she won’t agree so easily.”
“Why don’t you write a promise letter too?”
“My brother already tried that trick. She definitely won’t fall for it again.” Teng Hao let out a long wail. “My street dance dream – it’s not going to be crushed again, is it?”
“As long as you can show your determination to achieve your dream, no one can become a stumbling block on your path to pursuing it.”
“How do I prove it?”
Ruan Yu handed him the workbook. “Study hard first. Once you have confidence, then you can negotiate with her.”
Teng Hao scratched his head – seemed like this was the only way.
He picked up his pen and obediently started doing the exercises.
Ruan Yu checked his homework beside him.
Actually, compared to when they started, Teng Hao had improved a lot. If he could maintain these grades, Shen Bing probably wouldn’t interfere too much.
After tutoring Teng Hao for half an hour, he complained his eyes were tired and asked for a five-minute break. Ruan Yu agreed, and it was perfect timing as she needed to use the restroom.
As soon as Ruan Yu closed the office door behind her, she saw a familiar figure coming from the other end of the hallway.
“Han Zuo?”
Han Zuo saw her too, looking equally surprised.
“Hi.” He greeted her. “What are you doing here?”
“I work part-time here,” Ruan Yu pointed at the office, “as a tutor.”
“There are kids here?”
“A high school student.”
“Oh.”
“What about you?”
“I just found my crew here.” He smiled.
“Street dancing?”
“Mm.”
“That’s nice.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“…”
The two stood facing each other in the hallway, at a loss for words as the atmosphere slowly solidified and awkwardness set in.
“Well, carry on then.”
Ruan Yu nodded to Han Zuo and was about to pass by him when he suddenly reached out to stop her.
“Ruan Yu.”
“Mm?”
“I was a bit impulsive and rash before. I didn’t mean anything by it, I just wanted to be friends.”
“I understand.”
“So from now on, let’s be natural, just like friends. Let’s forget about what happened before.”
Ruan Yu knew Han Zuo said this to give them both a way out, after all, they would be seeing each other frequently here in the future.
“Okay.”
Han Zuo smiled with relief, and with that smile, he returned to being that sunny boy she had first met.
Ruan Yu felt much more relaxed too.
Feeling attracted to someone was ultimately different from liking them. Fortunately, it was different.
As they were talking, Fang Wan came out of the restroom. Seeing them, she gave a meaningful smile and quickly walked past. Not wanting to cause misunderstandings, Ruan Yu hurriedly said goodbye to Han Zuo.