Chapter 260: The games proceed
There was a long pause after Old Waiâs and Li Xingmingâs words.
Lu Xu shook in laughter, âYou mean thatâŚI know, I was inferior to her in the first place. Sheâs so great, and Iâm just a completely useless guy. Still, Iâm also not tying her down with anythingâŚ?â
Li Xingming and Old Wai were speechless as they exchanged looks, seemingly just unable to understand how Lu Xu could have managed to interpret their words in such a fashion, having even given such a reply.
Xu Tingsheng hauled Lu Xu over and looked at him. Then, he spoke, his words forceful in stark contrast to his calm tone.
âLu Xu, I actually donât want to manage your life too much. In my eyes, youâre still just like a kid. Just this once, Iâll ask very seriously for you to be a little more sensible and mature, setting your self-respect and inferiority aside and treasuring things properlyâŚotherwise, when youâre crying and regretting this someday, none of us bros will sympathise with or pay any attention to you.â
Lu Xu was rendered somewhat dazed by Xu Tingshengâs sudden earnest words of advice.
He remembered how Xu Tingsheng almost never spoke to them in such a manner. Even though everyone unconsciously treated him like their older brother, he behaved in much the same way as them when in their dormitory, messing around with everyone everyday with wild abandon.
âIâve seen too many people bawling their lungs out if only for a single âpill of regretââŚno such pill exists in this world,â Xu Tingshengâs tone eased, becoming warm, sincere, even a little desolate.
Actually, even Xu Tingsheng himself could not understand why he had suddenly been overtaken by emotion at that moment.
Xu Tingsheng usually disliked it, was even very rejecting of itâŚActing the role of a mature educator who pried into the lives of others and tried to tell them what to do with the face of a twenty-year-old-this was something he only ever did once in a while with Fu Cheng and Huang Yaming when it seemed necessary.
This time was an exception.
Perhaps it was because Xu Tingsheng had seen too much lost happiness and sad letdowns by ignorant youths in these two lives. Lu Xu and Chick Bao could both be considered friends of his in this life. He believed that Lu Xu did like Chick Bao, just that he was still insensible. YetâŚit was likely thatâŚthere wasnât enough time for him to become sensible before the tale came to an end.
People often lose many things that are precious to them in the process of becoming sensible, becoming âsensibleâ as a result of that âlossâ. Afterwards, they are only ever able to reminisce. Meanwhile, what was lost can never again be regained.
Like Old Wai and Li Xingming, Xu Tingsheng did not wish to see such a conclusion to this tale.
Lu Xu thought hard for a while before raising his head rather awkwardly, âBro Xu, Old Wai and Xingming too, sorry for just now. I, Iâll definitely think properly on it, then try my best to change.â
The three reached out and patted Lu Xuâs shoulder in succession.
Lu Xu still had an awkward smile on his face as his phone vibrated. He took it out, placing it on the table and turning it on right before the three.
Chick Baoâs text read: âSweetheart, wasnât I amazing just now? Wasnât I cool? Cold and aloof, handsome and authoritative, slaying enemies all roundâŚcountless girls swooned beneath my graceful skirtâŚsweetheart, arenât you proud of me? Will you still dare to bully me in the future?â
Lu Xu looked at his three roommates who had just given him advice. Thinking of what they had said to him, his eyes instantly turned red.
âThere isnât anyone whoâs better than you, Bao Peijun. Iâve been insensible for so long. Donât be angry with me and not want me anymore. I will be changing. I really do love you,â Lu Xu replied.
Lu Xu did nothing to hide his typing on his phone. Still, his three roommates were unable to take it any longer as they all turnedâŚthat was just so mushy that even their goosebumps were rising.
What should be said had already been said. As for whether or not Lu Xu could truly mature as a result, learning how to treasure those dear to himâŚthere was no one who could truly know this.
As they conversed, some dumb game, âCarrot Squattingâ, was currently ongoing up on stage, leading to peals of laughter resounding all around as everyone was excited beyond compare.
Five minutes passed, then another five.
Everyone had already grown tired of it, grown tired of laughing at it, but this dumb game had still not ended, just being unable to end somehow. Six girls up on stage, two from year two and four from year oneâŚnone of them had made a mistake in these ten minutesâŚand all of them were still completely into it, no one being willing to give up at all.
If this went on, they might really be squatting and rising all the way till daybreak.
Li Xingming drew the others of Room 602 close, saying dirtily, âTheyâre allâŚvery flexible!â
Standing by the wall, Tan Yao conversed with the female MC in hushed voices for a while.
Then, he stepped forward and called for a temporary halt in the game.
âSo,â Tan Yao said, âSince the six beauties on stage definitely canât be separated in terms of reaction and wits, letâs switch to a test of strength. Not amongst you, but amongst the guys.â
âWhat do you mean?â Someone asked.
âThe six beauties on stage, each of you choose a guy from everyone present and let him carry youâŚin carrot squatting.â
Right after Tan Yao had said this, wild cheering resounded throughout the entire room. There had finally appeared a game in this event that somewhat had a bit of a âmatchmakingâ nature.
The only doubtful thing here was how only two of the six girls whom Tan Yao spoke of lived up to the term âbeautyâ, these being the petite chick who had just performed an Indian dance and Zhang Ninglangâs girl with the long plait.
Some well-informed students were saying, âThose two are even from the same dorm room.â
The other four were generally average, though one of themâŚher tonnage was kind of horrifying.
âSo, weâll begin right away. Beauties, come out one by one to pick someone. Guys, raise your hands when you see fit, and then the beauties will freely pick from amongst youâŚunderstood, everyone?â Tan Yao asked.
âUnderstood!â Came the excited howls and the drumming of fists on the tables.
âCan it be mixed? Like year one students picking year two students and the other way around,â Someone asked.
âOf course! Getting to know one another is basically what todayâs all about, isnât it?â
Tan Yao blinked in indication to the guys: Relax, my bros. Iâve got this.
âI love my Bro Yao,â Li Xingming exclaimed excitedly.
Up on stage, Tan Yao continued, âDonât be in a rush, girls! The guys will be competing afterwardsâŚweâll just start directly with this. Donât feel shy to raise up your hands then, beautiesâŚthis is just a game.
Li Xingming felt incomparably pained, âIf only Iâd knownâŚIâd have signed up for sure. Sigh, whoever doesnât want to play, give me your spot!â
The selection process began.
First to step forward was the petite girl in that Indian dance costume which exposed her waist.
âHelp me out, big brothers. Iâm afraid that maybeâŚitâll surely be very pitiful if there isnât anyone.â
As soon as her delicate voice appeared, more than thirty hands were raised from amongst the seventy odd guys present from both years combined.
Xu Tingsheng just lay low by that corner of the room.
Li Xingming wasnât able to sit still on his chair at all as he was raring to go.
That girl happily looked around the area twice, completely ignoring the thirty odd âbig brothersâ who had raised up their hands in support for her at her earnest behest with no hesitation at all.
They were only there to âraiseâ her up.
She asked, âUpon entering our university, I heard that thereâs a senior from our Chinese course whoâs known as Xishan Towerâs Xu TingshengâŚI wonder if Senior Xu Tingsheng is here today?â
A great many gazes converged on the corner of the room.
Li Xingming said decisively, âHe isnât here.â
Laughter resounded throughout the room.
The girl did not look dejected as she smiled lightly before turning and asking Tan Yao, âThen, I wonder if Senior Tan Yao can participate in this game as the MC? Are you willing to raise your hand for me?â
This was a chick with a very big appetite.
Everyone thoroughly understood it now. Many of the upraised hands were promptly dropped.
Tan Yao was not some easy, inexperienced youth. Having hung out with Huang Yaming and Xu Tingsheng over this period of time and even attended one of Tianyiâs cocktail parties, a girl such as this really wasnât qualified for him to think anything of her.
The current him only teased girls once in a while just for fun, just because it was interesting. For example, he had been flirting with the female MC here simply because the mood would be more interesting that way.
And now, Li Xingming still had his hand raised as he was staring at him in a threatening manner.
âOh, Iâm sorry. I signed up for the guysâ game that will be happening in a while. If I participate in this too, I wonât have any strength left for later,â Tan Yao politely declined.
âOh, thatâs alright. Never mind then,â The girl did not exhibit any unhappiness as she smiled, looking back at those few hands which were still raised for her, including that of Li Xingming.
The most courageous person here actually wasnât Li Xingming. Instead, it was a second year student from Class 1. Seeing how the competition had diminished, he had just secretly raised his hand.
The problem was that he had a girlfriend. Moreover, said girl was from the same class as him.
Someone who was better acquainted with him asked him in a hushed tone, âHeck, youâre being so aggressive? Arenât you afraid of being discovered by your girlfriend?â
âI just saw her getting up to go to the toilet, heh. Iâm gonna give it a go, heh.â
Just at that âhehâ, his girlfriend appeared at the back door. Seeing him with with his hand raised, she instantly stopped in her tracks.
âWhat the, back so fast?!â The boy muttered.
An aggrieved look appeared on his girlfriendâs face as she turned and stormed off.
Seeing it, the boy hesitated for a moment before turning back, his hand still resolutely upraised.
âYou arenât going to go after her?â His friends asked.
The boy chortled, âSheâs run off in a huff anyway, so I might as well just try again.â
The people around him all felt that this dude really had kind of a robust mentality.
Up on stage, the girl scanned those few people who remained before finally looking towards that corner and asking delicately, âThat senior, can I trouble you?â
Li Xingming pointed at himself, âMe?â
Li Xingming couldnât wait for everyone else on the same row to make way as he directly vaulted over the table.
From the back row resounded a âthe heckâ of many mixed emotions, of agony and disbelief and of disappointmentâŚ
That boy from Class 1 who had persisted despite even causing his girlfriend to storm off finally put down his hand, his face filled with helplessness as he appeared unresigned to his downfall.
âHowâre you feeling now?â A nosy classmate asked him.
âLike an astronaut, flying to the moon. Coincidentally looking back, I discover that the earth has exploded. Thus, I can only continue flying towards the moon. In the endâŚthe moon drifts off its set trajectory, sucked by the gravitational pull of some deviant starâŚI think I may have to drift solitarily for a while.â
The boy gazed at the ceiling, voicing some deeply philosophical ponderings.
Following this, three of the remaining five girls finished their picks as well.
The second last person to step forward was the girl with the long plait.