Chapter 235
The door was quickly opened, revealing three girls standing inside.
One had ear-length short hair; her name was Li Juan.
One wore her hair in braided pigtails; her name was Zhao Xiaomei.
Another wore glasses; her name was Wang Fang.
All three were from the Chinese Literature department.
Their next class wasn't until later today, so they were sitting in the dorm organizing their books.
Hearing the knock, they had assumed it was another student. They never expected to open the door and see a handsome man in a military uniform standing behind Auntie Zhang.
The three girls froze instantly, a blush quickly spreading across their faces as they subconsciously pulled their clothes a little tighter around themselves.
"Auntie Zhang, this is..."
Li Juan was the first to react, asking in a low voice.
Auntie Zhang smiled and pointed at Pei Zhengnian, then pointed to a bottom bunk at the very back of the dorm room.
"This is Shen Nanchu's family member. He's here to drop off her luggage."
Pei Zhengnian nodded and walked into the dorm room carrying the bags.
There were ten beds in total in the room, arranged as bunk beds. Shen Nanchu's bed was indeed at the very back, right next to the window.
Pei Zhengnian first set Pei Yunzhou's small cloth bag down to the side, then carried Shen Nanchu's large duffel bag over to her bed and began to unpack and organize.
Li Juan, Zhao Xiaomei, and Wang Fang initially thought Pei Zhengnian would just drop off the luggage and leave. To their surprise, he squatted right down and pulled a clean rag out of the large bag.
First, he carefully wiped the dust off the bed boards, then wiped the railings at the head of the bed, not even missing the corners underneath. His movements were serious and meticulous. After wiping, he even reached out to feel the bed boards to ensure there was no dampness before he was satisfied.
After wiping down the bed, he took a quilt and a thick mattress pad out of the bag. He first laid the thick pad on the bed boards, pressing it flat, then spread the quilt smoothly on top. Finally, he skillfully slipped on a pink cotton bedsheet and tidied it up.
He moved quickly but with immense precision. In no time at all, the pink quilt was folded into a perfect square, as neat and crisp as a block of tofu, with sharp, distinct edges.
Auntie Zhang stood at the door, her eyes wide with amazement.
"My goodness, comrade, you are far too capable! You're a hundred times better than my old man at home!"
Li Juan, Zhao Xiaomei, and Wang Fang were also completely stunned. They looked at each other, their eyes full of disbelief.
Zhao Xiaomei couldn't help but whisper to Li Juan, "Shen Nanchu's partner is so considerate! He's actually making her bed and folding her quilt. In all my life, I've never seen such a meticulous man. Even my mom isn't this thorough."
Li Juan bit her lip, a flash of jealousy in her eyes, and said in a sour tone,
"What's the big deal? It's just folding a quilt. Maybe he's just putting on an act to show off in front of us."
Wang Fang pushed up her glasses and chimed in,
"Exactly. There are other girls in this dorm. It's so uncomfortable having a man stay in here for so long. And Shen Nanchu is really something else, having the nerve to let her partner come to the girls' dorm to help. She could have just organized it herself after class. So lazy."
Pei Zhengnian heard their words loud and clear. He glanced at the watch on his wrist.
"I am sorry, female comrades, for disturbing you."
"I spent a total of three minutes and twenty seconds tidying up this bed."
"I hope you can forgive the intrusion."
Slap, slap, slap...
It felt as though an invisible hand had slapped the three of them across the face.
The faces of Zhao Xiaomei and the other two instantly turned red enough to bleed.
Having finished organizing, Pei Zhengnian picked up Pei Yunzhou's luggage and walked out of the dorm.
Just as he reached the dorm entrance,
"Brother Pei!"
A girl wearing a thin red woolen coat stood at the door. She had two long, dark braids tied with red hair strings, and wore a thrilled smile on her face.
It was none other than Qin Rong, who lived in the military family compound.
She had just returned from breakfast and never expected to run into Pei Zhengnian right at the door of her own dorm. It was a wonderful surprise.
Hearing the voice, Pei Zhengnian frowned slightly, his eyes showing a bit of confusion.
"You are?"
The smile on Qin Rong's face instantly froze. A hint of sadness and disappointment flashed in her eyes, and her voice carried a touch of grievance.
"Brother Pei, it's me, Qin Rong! My dad is Qin Gang, Staff Officer Qin. We used to live in the same family compound, just a few houses apart. In the winter, I even built snowmen with your little brother. Have you forgotten?"
"Oh, you are Staff Officer Qin's daughter."
Pei Zhengnian finally realized who she was and nodded. His tone was flat, devoid of any extra emotion, as if he had merely recalled an ordinary acquaintance.
Qin Rong felt a wave of disappointment in her heart. She had harbored feelings for Pei Zhengnian since they were young.
Pei Zhengnian was not only handsome but also young and promising; he was the object of affection for all the girls in the family compound.
Later, when the Pei family was sent away, Qin Rong thought she would never have the chance to see Pei Zhengnian again in this lifetime.
She never imagined that she would reunite with him at Jinghua University right at the start of the early spring semester.
She had originally thought Pei Zhengnian would remember her, but to her surprise, he had no impression of her at all. This made her feel quite terrible.
But Qin Rong quickly adjusted her emotions. She took a deep breath, a smile reappearing on her face, and her eyes held undisguised admiration.
"Brother Pei, I really didn't expect to run into you here. Why are you at the girls' dorm? Do you have some business here? I can help."
Pei Zhengnian didn't notice Qin Rong's gaze. He pointed toward Shen Nanchu's bed, his tone still flat.
"I was dropping off some luggage for Shen Nanchu."
Hearing the name Shen Nanchu, the smile on Qin Rong's face instantly solidified.
She had a strong impression of that beautiful woman, Shen Nanchu. Shen Nanchu was Pei Zhengnian's sister-in-law, but after the Pei family was sent away, people rarely mentioned her anymore.
Since Shen Nanchu was Pei Zhengnian's sister-in-law, shouldn't she use this connection to get closer to him?
Pei Zhengnian was completely oblivious to Qin Rong's thoughts.
It wasn't long until his meeting, so Pei Zhengnian needed to hurry up and leave now that he was finished.
He nodded to Auntie Zhang and said,
"Auntie Zhang, sorry for the trouble today. I'll be going now."
Auntie Zhang quickly smiled and said, "It's nothing, you're too polite. Take care on your way out!"
Qin Rong quickly snapped back to reality.
"Brother Pei, take care."
"Don't worry, I'll help you take good care of Shen Nanchu."
Pei Zhengnian paused for a moment.
Did his own wife need someone else to take care of her?
Even if there was a line to do so, it wouldn't be her turn!
Out of politeness, Pei Zhengnian still nodded.
Pei Zhengnian glanced once more at the three girls in the dorm, his eyes calm. Without saying a word, he walked straight out of the dorm.
Qin Rong watched Pei Zhengnian's retreating back, her eyes full of reluctance and infatuation. She didn't snap out of it until his figure disappeared at the end of the corridor.
At this moment, Zhao Xiaomei couldn't help but speak up.
"Classmate Qin, do you know that military comrade from just now? What exactly is his relationship with Shen Nanchu? They seem so close."
Qin Rong wore a look of slight smugness on her face.
"He's my childhood friend and an older brother to me."
"As for Shen Nanchu..."
Qin Rong's face was full of contempt.
"Don't pay her any mind. She's just an irrelevant person."
...