Chapter 26: Because I

“I shouldn’t have waited for her; I thought women take long to bathe, but girls are the same.”

Chen Yansen checked the time and muttered under his breath.

“Yeah, it’s almost one already, and we haven’t eaten lunch yet.”

Wang Zihao patted his stomach, speaking weakly.

“Creak—”

The door swung open, and Song Yuncheng stepped out slowly, pushing her suitcase.

Walking up to Chen Yansen, she looked up and said, “Given your good attitude in apologizing, I won’t pursue this. I’ll wash my own dirty clothes—next time, drive more carefully.”

She had been furious at the moment, but only when she saw her underwear mixed with her T-shirts did she realize how absurd her choice had been.

Let a guy wash her clothes?

Just thinking about it was ridiculous!

“Let me treat you to a meal as an apology—we’ve been waiting forever, look, my classmate’s almost starved thin.”

Chen Yansen pointed at the fat guy beside him and teased with a smile.

“Fucking Chen Yansen, you’re such a bastard.”

Wang Zihao’s face darkened, hands on his hips, firing back immediately.

Song Yuncheng couldn’t help laughing. She’d originally planned to refuse, but then thought: she couldn’t let him splash her with dirty water for free—she had to charge him dearly.

“Are you two really students from Xucheng College?”

Song Yuncheng asked curiously.

“I’m Chen Yansen—Chen with the ear radical, Yan meaning continuation, Sen meaning forest. I’m in the 2010 class, Journalism major. This fat guy beside me? He’s male, and his name doesn’t matter.”

Chen Yansen extended his hand, speaking seriously.

“Senior, I’m Wang Zihao, 2010 class, E-Commerce. We’ve met under rough circumstances—nice to meet you!”

Wang Zihao shoved Chen Yansen aside, grinning.

“I’m Song Yuncheng, 2009 class, Visual Communication Design. I’m technically your senior.”

Song Yuncheng replied with a smile.

“The rain’s stopped outside. Let’s put your suitcase in the car first, then after dinner, we’ll take you back to campus.”

Chen Yansen glanced out the window and changed the subject.

His true mental age was thirty-four—he wouldn’t call a girl “senior.”

“No need to trouble yourselves—I can manage on my own.”

Song Yuncheng shook her head in refusal; in her view, accepting his meal meant the incident of him splashing her was settled.

If he drove her back to campus too, it would seem like she was taking advantage.

“Stop talking nonsense—I’m starving.”

Chen Yansen waved his hand and turned toward the stairs.

“Senior, you know the restaurants around campus best—recommend the tastiest one, please.”

Wang Zihao urged beside her.

Song Yuncheng froze slightly; this seemingly simple question suddenly stumped her.

After a moment’s thought, she remembered her roommate mentioning QQ-E Family, so she said, “There’s a restaurant called QQ-E Family right by the entrance—affordable prices, decent taste.”

When the three entered the restaurant, they noticed the spacious dining hall had few customers—perhaps because they’d just passed mealtime.

They picked a clean table. Chen Yansen sat down, scanned the menu, and told the owner, “Land-pot chicken, sour cabbage fish, crispy duck, white-cut beef, and a bowl of West Lake beef soup. We’ll get our own drinks.”

“That’s too much!”

Song Yuncheng opened her mouth in surprise.

“Not much—only five dishes. Sen-ge, add three more, make it an even number.”

Wang Zihao suggested.

“Northern Anhui portions are different from our hometowns—wait and see.”

Chen Yansen ignored Wang Zihao and signaled the owner to place the order.

“Pfft, how big could they be?”

Wang Zihao clearly didn’t believe it, muttering and insisting on adding more dishes.

“Junior, they don’t use small plates here—they serve food in basins.”

Song Yuncheng grabbed his arm and gestured earnestly, making a circle larger than a washbasin.

“Holy shit! That’s insane?”

Wang Zihao froze, plopped back into his chair, and kept shaking his head in amazement.

Land-pot chicken, 28 yuan!

Sour cabbage fish, 18 yuan!

Crispy duck, 18 yuan!

Most outrageous of all, West Lake beef soup was only 8 yuan!

Chen Yansen stared at the menu, sighing inwardly—he’d often come here with his dorm mates for extra meals in his past life.

Not long after, several heavy basins of food arrived.

“Holy shit!”

Wang Zihao leapt to his feet, immediately pulling out his phone and snapping several photos to send to his parents.

All three were starving and immediately picked up their chopsticks.

Though they’d just met, all were young, and conversation quickly flowed around college entrance exams and campus life.

When Chen Yansen and Wang Zihao learned Song Yuncheng was responsible for welcoming new students tomorrow and was also selling phone cards part-time, they exchanged a glance.

“How much commission per card?”

Chen Yansen asked directly.

“Thirty yuan per activated card—if I sell ten, that’s 300 yuan—enough for my monthly living expenses.”

Song Yuncheng chewed on her chopsticks, her eyes gleaming with hope.

Only 300 yuan a month for living expenses?

Wang Zihao thought that was pitiful—he got 800 yuan monthly from his dad.

Chen Yansen felt differently: in his past life, as a yes-man, he spent his allowance buying gifts for others—he was always broke. To him, 300 yuan a month was enough, but barely enough to survive.

Rice with soup on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays; winter melon, bean sprouts, tofu on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays; on weekends, a bottle of Lao Gan Ma counted as a feast.

He knew this life all too well.

“Eating so little and still this fit—your talent is insane!”

Chen Yansen couldn’t help glancing again, silently marveling.

“How about you join us? Fifty yuan commission per card sold.”

Chen Yansen paused, then offered.

“You’re selling cards too? But you’re freshmen!”

Song Yuncheng looked puzzled, unable to believe it.

“We’re the official agents for Telecom at Xucheng College—we can give you a second-tier agent’s commission rate.”

Chen Yansen put down his chopsticks and explained slowly.

The implication was clear: he was telling Song Yuncheng she’d been ripped off by twenty yuan.

“No thanks—I already promised my senior.”

Song Yuncheng’s expression shifted, then she exhaled deeply and still refused Chen Yansen.

Many in her department wanted to become agents; though her senior profited from the price gap, she knew without her senior’s connection, she wouldn’t even have the chance to earn those 30 yuan.

“Zihao, remember what I said before? A person with too strong a moral compass is destined never to get rich.”

Chen Yansen didn’t want to call her stupid outright, so he brought up old words, using Song Yuncheng as a cautionary example for Wang Zihao.

“I think keeping promises matters more than twenty yuan.”

Song Yuncheng didn’t get angry—instead, she spoke earnestly, voicing her true thoughts.

“Senior’s right! Chen Yansen’s just a vulgar guy—ignore him!”

Wang Zihao, sensing awkwardness, quickly cracked a joke to lighten the mood.

Chen Yansen smiled but said nothing.

College students are naturally innocent—it’s normal. Send them to an electronics factory for a few days of screwing, and they’ll instantly understand society’s bottom logic: survival of the fittest!

Innocence and kindness only mark you as “weak and easy to exploit.”

“I’m just a vulgar person too.”

Song Yuncheng sighed softly.

The meal reached its later stages in silence. No one spoke. But after leaving the restaurant, Chen Yansen still opened the car door and gestured for Song Yuncheng to get in.

She couldn’t refuse him, so she obediently slid into the front seat.

“Chen junior, do you think I’m stupid?”

As the dorm building neared, Song Yuncheng finally couldn’t hold back and asked the question she’d wanted to ask all along.

“No. In my eyes, kindness and keeping promises are the most valuable qualities of a good person.”

Chen Yansen grinned.

“Then why did you—”

Song Yuncheng was confused.

"Because I'm not a good person."

Chen Yansen parked the car steadily beneath the dormitory building and said in a flat tone.

"..."

Song Yuncheng was speechless, even tempted to laugh; she had never met a boy quite like this—one spouting nonsense, evil with unshakable conviction.

"By the way, do you have a boyfriend?"

Chen Yansen leaned down slightly, unbuckling her seatbelt as if casually asking.

(End of Chapter)