"What are you doing?" Deng Yifan covered his mouth to avoid breathing in the swirling dust, watching Xiang Lan climb the ladder like a monkey.
"Honey, it's time for you to do your part for me." Xiang Lan looked at her with ill intent.
There's a small shop downstairs in the dormitory building, half of which sells general merchandise and the other half is a printing shop, catering to students' daily needs. Deng Yifan took over the printing shop, filling several work-study slots. When he didn't have classes, he would work in the shop, using the computers and internet for free to search for writing materials.
Xiang Lan searched out all the drawings, counted the parts that were presentable, and dragged her downstairs, determined to digitize all the drawings today.
She placed the heavy sketches beside Deng Yifan and said pitifully, "Honey, you're a big shot in the printing industry. Look, all of these need to be scanned and archived. Can you give me a discount?"
Deng Yifan reached out and weighed the pages. "Girl, this is several hundred pages! Are you trying to make me bleed money?"
"Buy more, get a discount, and I'll even give you a special discount for acquaintances!" Xiang Lan grabbed her arm and shook it. "I'll squat right here. As long as it requires some physical labor, just say the word, and I won't refuse!"
"Don't try to be cute with me, I really can't stand you." Deng Yifan was so dizzy from being shaken that he had no choice but to give in. "Okay, okay, I'll leave it for now and help you with it when I have time."
"We need to hurry! They can't wait—"
"The other family?" Deng Yifan got goosebumps and looked at her sideways. "Which family?"
The two chatted and laughed as they packed their things. Deng Yifan went to a small cubicle to move the machine to preheat it, saying, "Li Xingda asked me to meet him here. He'll be over in a bit."
"What is it?"
"have no idea."
Xiang Lan chuckled and called out into the cubicle, "The big boss doesn't come here unless he has something important to say. There must be some trouble for you to clean up."
Before Deng Yifan could answer, the door to the printing shop was pushed open.
A tall man walked in. He peeked out, his gaze sweeping coldly over Xiang Lan before sliding back into the room, as if searching for something.
"Xiang Lan, where's Deng Yifan? We arranged to meet here to discuss something, but she's nowhere to be seen—"
Xiang Lan turned her head and saw Li Xingda looking at her. She blinked, looked down at the drawing under her palm, and pressed her hands down tightly so that he wouldn't see it.
The forum is currently flooded with posts about her being a perverted spy on Li Xingda, and she absolutely doesn't want her artwork to be exposed as having anything to do with him. He's always been cold and aloof; if he knew about this trouble, he would definitely give her a condescending "don't get involved" comment, which would be incredibly annoying.
"She's over here!" Xiang Lan replied perfunctorily, glancing around and spotting an empty plastic bag. She quickly reached in, grabbed it, and stuffed the drawing inside to hide it.
"The president's here!" Deng Yifan poked his head out of the cubicle. "Find a seat yourself, this place is too small and messy—"
Li Xingda is over 1.8 meters tall. After entering the printing room, the room seemed even smaller, especially after he looked around and couldn't find a suitable place to stand.
This wasn't a place to linger, and he wasn't one to procrastinate; he got straight to the point, saying, "There's something I'd like to ask of you two—"
"What is it?" Deng Yifan walked out and stood beside him. "Chairman, if it's a personal matter, just let me know if there's anything I can do to help you."
“It’s not a personal matter, but I wanted to ask you for a favor privately.” Li Xingda leaned against his desk, looking somewhat troubled. “Last Friday at the regular meeting, neither of you came. The publicity department suggested making a promotional display board for May Day. Wang Runqiu took on the task, but she called today saying she injured her hand in an accident and it hurts even to move it, so she might not be able to—”
Deng Yifan smiled slightly, "Help Wang Runqiu clean up his mess?"
The language used was a bit vulgar, and Li Xingda frowned slightly.
"I'll listen to my daughter on this matter—" Deng Yifan crossed his arms and looked at Xiang Lan, who was busy putting the drawings into the filing cabinet.
Li Xingda shifted his gaze and moved over there.
At this moment, Xiang Lan, with her back to the two people, stood on tiptoe and held up the wrapped plastic bag. She had taken off her overcoat, revealing a white, form-fitting wool dress. Her entire body was taut, with slender and graceful lines undulating from her shoulders and neck to her waist and hips, and from her thighs to her ankles. Her limbs were slender and long, with well-proportioned bones and flesh, and the deep indentations on both sides of her ankles made them appear especially delicate, with thin silver leather shoe straps encircling them.
He didn't speak, and his expression didn't change at all, but Deng Yifan saw his eyes move slightly.
“I’ll do whatever my daughter tells me to do. How about that?” Deng Yifan asked again.
Li Xingda looked Xiang Lan up and down, finally fixing his gaze on her slender calves, and nodded almost imperceptibly, "Okay."
Deng Yifan called out, "Hey girl—"
Xiang Lan put away the sketches and closed the cabinet door. Hearing Deng Yifan's voice, she turned her head and saw the two of them staring at her with serious expressions. Oblivious to her own reaction, she asked, "Why are you all looking at me like that?"
"I just think you're pretty," Deng Yifan replied to Lan with a smile.
"Oh, you have such a sweet tongue, what's troubling you now?" Xiang Lan swallowed the honey and spat out the cannonball.
“Wang Runqiu took over the display board for May Day, but he injured his hand.” Li Xingda looked at Xiang Lan. “The theme this time is mainly graduation season, so we would like to ask the two of you for help. It is also a kind of memorable thing.”
Xiang Lan was displeased upon hearing Wang Runqiu's name. She was a helpful young woman, but only if the person wasn't unpleasant. Wang Runqiu was the vice-minister of the publicity department, and compared to her own laziness, she was very proactive in participating in student council work. She possessed some talent, but her speech was a bit sarcastic, and she liked to overthink things; she wasn't exactly straightforward. Xiang Lan was a bit delicate, but she liked straightforward people like Deng Yifan, so she often became impatient with Wang Runqiu's roundabout ways of speaking. Wang Runqiu, on the other hand, didn't particularly like Xiang Lan, thinking she was prone to tantrums and didn't like having her do things for her.
Xiang Lan never gave this junior leader a kind look, who was always full of trouble.
So, the two girls didn't have any direct conflict, but they disliked each other for a long time.
Li Xingda knew this, so he came in person and even brought Deng Yifan along.
"I'm busy." Xiang Lan didn't even look at Li Xingda. He'd caused her a lot of trouble lately, unfairly branding her a voyeur. "My graduation project hasn't been approved yet; the professor wants us to experience life firsthand. I probably won't be staying at school for long—"
Deng Yifan looked at Li Xingda with regret, "Really, this time it was especially difficult for Niu'er."
"Do you need any help?"
"You studied biology, what help can you give me with my art?" Xiang Lan sat sullenly on a small stool, chin resting on the table. "If you're so capable of persuading Liu Nanyang, then I'll draw for you. I'll draw until the end of time!"
"It won't take much effort; the text for the display board is finalized." Li Xingda looked at Deng Yifan. "Yifan, why don't you finish the text first?"
“I write, and you draw; we’re a couple,” Deng Yifan insisted, refusing to budge.
Li Xingda thought for a moment, "Then should I have Wang Runqiu come in person?"
Deng Yifan gave Xiang Lan a look, and Xiang Lan shook her head. "No. This was originally a work-related matter, but she took it on without consulting us, and then an accident happened. And even after the accident, she didn't communicate with us, just used you to pressure her. I don't like this way of doing things. If you pressure her to come, she'll definitely put on a wronged face, and at the next meeting, she'll say, all aggrieved, 'It's all my fault, I didn't expect my accident to cause so much trouble for everyone.'" Xiang Lan vividly imitated Wang Runqiu's expression. "Then you'll comfort her, saying, 'Runqiu, you didn't mean to, it was an accident, there's nothing you can control.'"
Deng Yifan nodded, "She easily erased the credit for me and Niu helping her wipe her butt—"
"This isn't just her problem; it's also one of the last things we senior student council members can do for everyone." Li Xingda stood next to Xiang Lan. "How about this: from now on, you don't need to communicate with her about work-related matters; just report directly to me. I'll handle this personally, okay?"
Xiang Lan looked up at Li Xingda, then turned to look at Deng Yifan, giving her a knowing look.
"Alright! For the sake of Yifan and your hometown, we can't let you, the president, lose face! But let me make this clear beforehand: when Yifan and I are making the display boards, it's best if irrelevant people don't come and complain—" Xiang Lan relented for Deng Yifan's sake.
“Okay!” Li Xingda readily agreed. “Tomorrow I’ll move the boards, drawing paper, and paints directly to the logistics office, and I’ll give you the keys too.”
"It can be released before May Day, right?" Deng Yifan confirmed.
Li Xingda took out the key and placed it on the desk. "Yes."
"Then there's no problem." Deng Yifan put away the keys and rushed towards Lan with a smile, "Girl, you've done me a big favor. I'll scan it for you and give you a discount."
"I knew you were such a petty opportunist, pushing things onto me just to take advantage of me!" Xiang Lan slumped her shoulders, forced to submit to someone's tyranny, and reluctantly took on the task of displaying the posters.
The trouble has found a new home, and Li Xingda smiled slightly. Xiang Lan noticed something was amiss; no wonder he had so many female fans. When he smiled, his whole face came alive, and he was indeed very charming.
Xiang Lan watched for a while, then slumped onto the desk, fiddling with the scanner lid. She silently urged Li Xingda to leave so she could start working on the artwork immediately. Slender and with an almost innocent look in her eyes, she said with a slightly coquettish expression, "It's best not to stay up all night painting the exhibition panels; you'll get dark circles under your eyes."
"No! There's still time," Li Xingda reassured him.
"You deliver the things to the logistics office yourself; don't let the propaganda department come—"
"good."
Li Xingda granted Xiang Lan's many capricious requests, such as wanting new paintbrushes and new paints. Finally, he suggested, "Shall I treat you to dinner tonight?"
"No." Xiang Lan's attitude was firm. She was preoccupied with her beautiful man and had no time to waste on others.
Li Xingda looked at Xiang Lan with some regret and then left.
"Why was he so polite?" Xiang Lan asked, puzzled. "Leaders are usually very aloof, aren't they?"
Deng Yifan patted her shoulder meaningfully and said, "True beauty lies in being unaware of it. You'll make Li Xingda's female fans swoon—"
Chapter 5
Scanning images was charged per page, ranging from several yuan per page, but having connections in high places made things easier. Xiang Lan used her skills to bribe an internal employee, naturally securing a discount. She occupied the print shop's vacant computers and scanners, focusing intently on data entry, even having Deng Yifan bring her simple stir-fries for dinner.
Xiang Lan worked late into the night, sending her brother a text message explaining that she would be staying at school for the next few days. Midway through, Deng Yifan couldn't stay awake any longer, leaving her the key before going back to his dorm to sleep, but she remained energetic. Pleasing the beautiful woman was a priority; desire drove her until she finished inputting and compressing all the artwork.
At twenty-one, her two previous crushes were both fleeting and superficial; though they stirred some emotions within her, they paled in comparison to the fervor and eagerness she felt this time.
The electronic documents were too large, and the school network was slow. Xiang Lan looked at the dozens of files being sent at a rate of only a few KB, and then saw the estimated sending time of more than 300 hours. She felt completely deflated.
She shook her head to relieve the pain in her neck and shoulders, then pulled out her phone and stared blankly at Fang Zidu's number. It was 10:30 PM. Would it be better to just call him out in person and give him the USB drive directly? But that seemed too forward, wasn't it? If she continued to wait like this, without knowing his contact information, she wouldn't get any results. Should she call? How should she call? That was the question.
Xiang Lan slumped helplessly onto the table, letting out a deep sigh. It was the first time she had struggled with establishing a connection with a boy, and it was a difficult thing.
But she just couldn't hold back any longer, so to hell with patience!
Her hand trembled, the phone rang once, and she quickly hung up.
That was close! If the person on the other end had answered, she wouldn't have known what to say yet.
Xiang Lan was still feeling relieved when her phone rang without warning. She grabbed it and saw Fang Zidu's name flashing on the screen. Suddenly, the empty printing shop felt incredibly small, the air tense, and even breathing difficult. She jumped up, took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and forced herself to calm down before answering the call.
"Hello—" Xiang Lan asked cautiously, "Excuse me—"
"Who is it?" Fang Zidu's voice on the phone was clear and bright, unlike his previous low voice, presumably he had already taken off his mask.
"I am Xiang Lan."
"Xiang Lan?" Fang Zidu was puzzled for a moment, then recalled, "Oh—"
Xiang Lan felt a sliver of her fragile heart shatter. She gritted her teeth and said, "Why did you call me? Is something wrong?"
Fang Zi paused for a few seconds on the phone before reminding him, "Xiang Lan, you called me first."
"Really? It's probably a bug in the phone's software!"
Even through the phone, you could feel Fang Zidu's suppressed emotions, despite the blatant lies he was telling.
"Have you finished reading the online serial?" Xiang Lan casually changed the subject.
"I've finished reading it."
"I've already finished organizing the drawings. Where are you? I'll bring them to you."
"No need, I'll come to you to get it!" Fang Zidu said after a long silence.
Inside Xiang Lan's heart, bursts of blood erupted, the tiny droplets of blood sizzling and burning as they landed on her skin—a manifestation of her frenzied, heightened state of mind.
"Okay, do you know where I am?"
"You didn't tell me."
Xiang Lan chuckled, "There's a printing shop downstairs in the girls' dormitory. I'll wait for you at the entrance."
"Okay, please wait a moment, I'll be right there."
Fang Zidu's deep, magnetic voice seemed incongruous with his youthful appearance; Xiang Lan felt as if her ears were pregnant. She hung up the phone, jumping for joy as if she had accomplished something momentous.