Chapter 39: Chapter Thirty-Nine: I Just Paid My Dues and Haven't Even Moved In Yet!

Early the next morning, He Yuzhu moved all the belongings from the main house to the side room, planning to renovate the side room after the main house was done. Once he had sorted out the odds and ends, only a few bulky items remained that he couldn't move himself. 'All right, I'll come back tomorrow and let Old Lai and the others take care of them,' he said, then grabbed the packed bedding roll and rode his bike to Huaxia University.

After arriving at the dormitory building, He Yuzhu handed the note and money from Director Liu to the dorm manager. The dorm clerk then gave him a receipt and led him to the single dormitory. He Yuzhu walked in, looked around, and felt it was decent—at least he wouldn't have to share a room with a crowd.

After strolling around the dorm, He Yuzhu headed to the lecture building to get ready for class. As he entered the classroom, he saw a male student standing beside Gao Yue, chatting with her. Gao Yue was looking at that guy with an excited expression. Seeing this, He Yuzhu thought, 'Isn't this an obvious love rival?'

He Yuzhu walked over to Gao Yue and told the male student, 'Classmate, move aside—you're blocking my way.' The guy talking to Gao Yue had a handsome face. After hearing He Yuzhu's words, he glanced at He Yuzhu and asked, 'Who are you?' Then he went on chatting with Gao Yue.

'Who I am is none of your business, but you know you're blocking my way? Move it, or I'll have my buddies beat you up!' He Yuzhu said, raising his fist.

The male student gave He Yuzhu another look, said nothing, and walked out of the classroom. Only then did He Yuzhu sit down beside Gao Yue, but he ignored her.

They fell silent for a moment, then Gao Yue let out a puff of laughter. He Yuzhu felt a vein pop on his forehead from her laughter, stared at her, and asked, 'What are you laughing at?'

Seeing He Yuzhu's expression, Gao Yue laughed even harder, chuckling for a good while before asking him, 'Don't you want to know who he is?'

Seeing Gao Yue laugh, He Yuzhu realized things weren't as he had imagined. He gave a small laugh, fixed his gaze on her, and said, 'I don't want to know right now.'

Gao Yue blinked in surprise and asked, 'You really don't want to know? That person is very important to me.'

Hearing Gao Yue's words, He Yuzhu's heart clenched again. He immediately asked, 'Gao Yue, who is that pretty‑boy?' Seeing He Yuzhu take the bait, Gao Yue instantly turned her head to read and ignored him. He Yuzhu felt even more annoyed.

Then He Yuzhu quickly gave in, saying, 'Little Yueyue, just tell me.' He pleaded for a while, but Gao Yue still didn't respond. Feeling a bit anxious, he lowered his voice and said, 'Wife, if you don't tell me, I'll enforce family law on you.'

Hearing that, Gao Yue finally retorted, 'Pah, who's your wife? All right, I'll stop messing with you—I can tell you, but you're in trouble, He Yuzhu. You've offended him, so just wait and see; this time I can't help you.'

'Well, I've got a short temper—tell me who that pretty‑boy is, and I'll go find him right now,' he said, rolling up his sleeves.

'That person,' Gao Yue glanced at He Yuzhu and continued, 'is my brother, my real second older brother Gao Jun. Go find that pretty‑boy.' After saying that, she looked at He Yuzhu and blinked.

He Yuzhu sheepishly lowered his sleeves, gave an embarrassed chuckle twice, and said, 'Little Yue, is that really your brother?' Gao Yue hummed in affirmation, 'Indeed, she's my genuine second older brother.'

'So does that mean I've offended my second uncle? Why didn't you stop me earlier?' He Yuzhu said, then tapped Gao Yue's forehead twice.

After He Yuzhu tapped her forehead twice, Gao Yue wasn't angry; she chuckled and said, 'Did I have a chance to speak? When you came over, your face could freeze a person—I didn't dare say anything.'

But He Yuzhu felt that Gao Yue's smile and eyes always carried a hint of schadenfreude, and he thought to himself, 'Is this really my wife?'

The morning classes ended quickly. He Yuzhu was just about to take Gao Yue to lunch when he saw her pulling along their dormmate Ding Suyun, who came up to him and said, 'Zhuzi, Suyun and I are going to eat; you go get lunch yourself today.' She stuck out her tongue at him and, without waiting for his reply, walked off with Ding Suyun.

Seeing the two leave the classroom, He Yuzhu muttered under his breath, 'Looks like I really have to enforce family law now—she's getting harder to manage.' Shouldering his bag, he set off for the cafeteria to eat.

Just as he stepped out of the classroom door, Gao Jun was standing there. Seeing He Yuzhu come out, he said, 'I heard you used to practice wrestling? Let's go find a place to spar.'

Without waiting for He Yuzhu's reply, he turned and walked off. He Yuzhu watched Gao Jun's back and muttered, 'This second uncle is tough to deal with.' He then quickened his pace to catch up, saying, 'Brother Jun, Brother Jun, wait for me—Brother Jun, sorry about this morning; I thought someone was flirting with Little Yue.'

Gao Jun glanced at He Yuzhu without a word and kept walking out. The two arrived at the school sports field; at this time most students were already at lunch, so only a couple of people were strolling on the field. He Yuzhu followed Gao Jun all the way to a corner of the field, where Gao Jun stopped.

He Yuzhu thought Gao Jun had stopped to talk, but instead Gao Jun turned and threw a punch. He Yuzhu instinctively blocked it, not expecting the punch to be a feint—Gao Jun's leg then drove straight into his abdomen. He Yuzhu didn't react in time and was kicked to the ground by Gao Jun.

Seeing He Yuzhu on the ground, Gao Jun said, 'Do you think you're worthy of Little Yue?'

He Yuzhu sat on the ground without getting up, looked at Gao Jun, and after a moment said, 'Brother Jun, do you know what I used to do?'

'I know. Since I found out about you, I've looked into you—I know everything about you,' Gao Jun said.

He Yuzhu stood up and said, 'Brother Jun, you also know I used to be an apprentice. After my father passed, I had no choice—I got a job as head cook at the Yagangchang steel plant. But from the moment I first saw Gao Yue, I've liked her.'

'But you lack the strength!' Gao Jun said bluntly.

He Yuzhu gave a wry smile and said, 'You're right, Brother Jun, but I want to say this: although I'm just a college student now, I used to be a cook. I may not know the details, but I can tell your family background is deep—perhaps deeper than I can imagine. But you know about my exam situation, right? That's just a start. I, He Yuzhu, like Gao Yue, and she likes me too. Together, no one can keep us apart.' Having said that, he ignored Gao Jun and walked away.

Gao Jun watched He Yuzhu's retreating back, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. He turned, walked to the parking lot, got into a jeep with a military license plate, and drove off.

On his way back to the dorm, He Yuzhu thought, 'No wonder Gao Yue ran off right after class—she must have been waiting for me here. Little miss, wait for me.' As he was thinking that, someone behind him called his name. He turned around and saw Director Liu.

After Director Liu caught up with He Yuzhu, he said, 'Zhuzi, I was planning to look for you this afternoon, but no need—the Metallurgy Department wants to temporarily transfer you for a while. The transfer order has already been issued; it's in my office.'

He Yuzhu looked at Director Liu and said, 'Transfer me? To the Metallurgy Department? Director, I'm studying radio engineering—why would you transfer me? Besides, I still have classes to attend.'

'How would I know? I'm just carrying out orders. What, you thinking of defying organizational orders, He Yuzhu?' Having said that, Director Liu gave He Yuzhu a serious look.

Seeing Director Liu like that, He Yuzhu immediately broke into a smile and said, 'Director, you know I just paid my dorm fees and haven't even moved in yet. Besides, the Metallurgy Department has nothing to do with my major. I definitely don't mean to defy organizational orders—I'll go report this afternoon, this afternoon.'

Seeing He Yuzhu back down, Director Liu's smile returned and he said, 'No need to go this afternoon; tomorrow morning is fine. Don't forget to come to my office this afternoon to pick up the transfer order. I'm heading out now.'

Watching Director Liu's back, He Yuzhu couldn't fathom why the Metallurgy Department was transferring him. Unable to figure out the reason, he shook his head, turned around, and changed course toward the cafeteria.