Daqi smiled slightly at them and said, "Don't worry, go to sleep!" So, the four of them took a bath and went to sleep.
Saturday morning was the national unified College English Test Band 4 (CET-4). Daqi and Beibei first met up with Qianru and the three "test-takers." He drove Beibei and the three "test-takers" to the school gate. When Beibei and the three "test-takers" got out of the car, Daqi called Beibei to his side and whispered, "Pretend you don't know them. Take them to the exam hall. They'll handle it themselves. If anything happens, pretend you don't know anything." Beibei nodded and said, "Don't worry, nothing will happen. I'll handle it. Master, you and Sister Qianru go back to the apartment to play mahjong!" After saying that, Beibei kissed Daqi and led the three people into the campus. Daqi and Qianru drove back to Baisha Apartment. When they returned to the apartment, Xiaoling and Jiaxin were awake and listening to the radio about the English exam. They were all happy to see Daqi and asked, "Master, have they all gone in?" Daqi nodded, and Qianru smiled and said, "Don't be nervous, everyone. Come on, let's start playing mahjong! By the way, turn off all your phones. They'll call after the exam. My phone is on. Let's start playing mahjong!" Qianru asked, "Little Ling, Jiaxin, have you eaten? Oh right, honey, you don't seem to have eaten either?" Daqi smiled slightly.
All three of them seemed a bit nervous. After all, this was the first time in their lives they'd actually had someone else take an exam for them, and it was a nationally standardized exam at that. Everyone knew the consequences if they were caught. The school had repeatedly emphasized that students were not allowed to cheat in any way. Daqi was also aware of the situation regarding "test-takers" in recent years. Last year, quite a few university students were expelled after being caught hiring "test-takers."
When the announcement about the CET-4 (College English Test Band 4) came over the loudspeaker, he calmed down. He said, "Sister Qianru, make noodles for the three of us, there's some in the fridge. Ling'er, Xin'er, get the mahjong set ready!" The three of them smiled and nodded. While Qianru was cooking the noodles, Xiaoling and Jiaxin had already prepared the mahjong set. Xiaoling said, "Master, let's eat noodles and play mahjong at the same time." Daqi smiled and nodded.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Beibei led three "test-takers" to the teaching building. She told them, "Your exam rooms are on the third or fourth floor. Find them yourselves. I'm going into the exam room." The three "test-takers" replied, "Okay, we'll handle it ourselves." Beibei then went into the exam room. The three test-takers slowly made their way to their respective exam rooms. They were all experienced test-takers, and this kind of scene was nothing new to them. They entered their exam rooms about five minutes before the exam started. Take Tong Daqi's exam room, for example. Many people were only focused on their own exam and didn't know who else was taking the exam with them. Because in the same exam room, some were from the same class, and some weren't. About three-quarters were from the same class, and about a quarter were from different classes. This actually made it easier for the "test-takers" to operate. They usually didn't talk much, and after sitting down, they waited for the teacher to distribute the papers.
After arriving at the examination hall, "Tong Daqi" went to his assigned seat according to his admission ticket number. This test-taker remained silent and calm throughout the exam. Next to him was a classmate of Daqi, who kept staring at "Tong Daqi," wondering: "He's also called Tong Daqi? Isn't Daqi the class leader? What's going on?" Fortunately, the classmate didn't cause any trouble; he was just curious. The invigilator checked everyone's identification in turn. "Tong Daqi" placed his ID card, student ID, and admission ticket on the upper left corner of the desk without even looking at the invigilator, allowing the invigilator to check his documents. "Xiaoling" and "Jiaxin" encountered similar situations. They were both professional test-takers and had seen this kind of thing many times before.
Daqi, Xiaoling, and Jiaxin ate noodles while the three of them played mahjong with Qianru. Although playing mahjong is supposed to be relaxing, Daqi's heart was still racing a little. However, he still played with a relaxed expression. Qianru would occasionally tell a joke. Although Xiaoling and Beibei seemed happy, Daqi knew they were also quite nervous. Mahjong was indeed a good thing; after a few rounds, time flew by. About an hour and ten minutes later, Qianru's phone rang. At this point, everyone except Qianru—Daqi, Xiaoling, and Beibei—felt anxious. Qianru smiled slightly and said, "Someone must have handed in their paper." She answered the phone.
Qianru: "Hello, oh...oh...okay, okay. Go back to the hotel right away." After hanging up the phone, Qianru said, "Little Ling, you're alright!" "Yay! Yay! Yay!" Little Ling was so happy she almost jumped off the mahjong table. Five minutes later, Qianru's phone rang again. She answered and said a few words. After finishing the call, she said to Daqi, "You rascal, you're treating us!" Daqi laughed heartily. Little Ling was so happy she kissed him across the mahjong table and said, "Master, long live, long live! We've all passed." At this moment, Jiaxin looked worried. Qianru said, "Xin'er, it's okay, there will definitely be news within ten minutes." At this moment, Jiaxin couldn't play mahjong anymore. She said with a worried look, "Why haven't I heard anything yet? What's wrong?" Ten minutes passed, and there was still no news. Daqi couldn't hold back any longer and asked Qianru, "Sister, why haven't we heard anything yet?" Qianru replied casually, "Every test-taker has a different style; some like to hand in their papers early, some like to hand them in late. Just wait." Xiaoling also looked at Jiaxin nervously, while Daqi hugged Jiaxin and said, "Xin'er, it's okay, just wait a few minutes!" Jiaxin's heart started racing, and she kept saying, "Won't I get arrested?" Qianru said, "If you were arrested, she would have called already. You definitely won't get arrested! Xin'er, don't worry!" It's true what they say, "Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see clearly." Qianru remained relaxed, while Jiaxin's face turned pale with tension. She simply hugged Daqi, who kept reassuring her.
"Beep—beep—beep—" Qianru's phone rang again. Qianru quickly answered the phone, and Jiaxin stared at Qianru with wide eyes, cold sweat beading on her forehead. After hanging up, Qianru said with a distressed expression, "Xin'er, I'm so sorry..." Jiaxin said, "What? Did you get arrested?" Qianru sighed, "Sigh!" Jiaxin burst into tears, and Daqi quickly hugged her and comforted her, "Xin'er, Xin'er, don't cry, don't cry. It's all my fault!" Xiaoling also quickly comforted her, but unexpectedly, Qianru burst into laughter. As soon as she laughed, Daqi understood that it was all Qianru's doing—she had deliberately scared Jiaxin.
Qianru said, "Jiaxin, you definitely passed with a high score. I was just kidding!" Hearing this, Jiaxin immediately stopped crying. She wiped away her tears and said, "Sister, you're not kidding me?" Qianru said, "I'm kidding you like this!" She made a turtle gesture. At this, everyone in the room shouted, "Yay! Yay! Yay!..."
Daqi laughed and scolded Qianru, "Really, don't scare Xin'er, she's timid!"
Jiaxin laughed and said, "It's okay, it's okay. As long as I can get through this, I'm willing to cry again."
Daqi said, "I'll go pick up Beibei!" Qianru, Beibei, and Xiaoling all said, "We'll go too." So, Daqi drove to the school gate. Soon, Beibei came out of the school gate. As soon as she saw Daqi's car, she ran over and got in. Daqi asked Beibei, "How did you do on the exam?" Beibei said, "Passing is no problem! There were at least five people in our class who took the exam for me. I can guarantee with my integrity that I'm not lying. I specifically looked at the names on the admission tickets posted on the table. Five of them were supposed to be my classmates. But these five people didn't come; they were strangers who took the exam."
Qianru said, "Let's go home first!" Daqi then started the car and drove back to Baisha Apartment. In the car, Beibei explained the situation at the exam venue. The general situation was as follows:
Overall, the school's invigilation for this CET-4 exam was very strict. Every teacher rigorously checked identification, but the fake IDs brought by the "test-takers" went undetected. This is because the invigilators were from other departments, and they couldn't possibly know what the students looked like. Some students brought so-called standard answers into the exam room, writing them on their hands and copying the multiple-choice answers as soon as the exam started. Others put their phones on vibrate, and about an hour into the exam, they would check their messages, finding that some had already submitted their papers and sent their answers to a group chat…
Back at their lodgings, everyone looked relaxed. Qianru called the three "gunmen" and said she'd treat them to lunch. Qianru said to everyone, "Let's treat them to a meal..."
------------
Section Reading 235
They're leaving Rongzhou this afternoon. "Daqi agreed, and the three female students agreed too."
Jiaxin called her classmate to ask if the answers to the CET-4 exam were real or fake, specifically the ones someone was selling. Her classmate said, "They're fake, you've been scammed." Qianru replied, "Real exam questions are hard to get, and there are a lot of scams online. It's safer to hire someone to take the test for you. Of course, the risk is also high." Finally, Qianru said, "Okay, my three sisters, let's go have lunch." So, everyone went to eat.
Daqi drove to the hotel first. Qianru led the three "test-takers" into a private room and then notified the hotel to check out. The banquet was also arranged by the hotel at Qianru's request. During lunch, Daqi, Xiaoling, and Jiaxin repeatedly toasted the three "test-takers" to express their gratitude. The three men at the table all said that passing the exam was no problem. They even left their phone numbers with Tong Daqi. The "test-takers" said, "Next time, if your classmates need someone to take the exam for them, you can consider us again. This way, you don't need to go through a company; we'll take the exam directly for your classmates, and you can save on service fees." Daqi nodded in agreement, because going through a "test-taking company" would incur an extra service fee. However, Daqi never cared about the 2,000 yuan service fee per person. For an ordinary student, 2,000 yuan would be a huge sum.
At the banquet, Daqi said, "Thank you all for your help! Now we don't have to worry about passing the English proficiency test anymore." Xiaoling and Jiaxin also expressed their gratitude. Just as everyone was eating, Daqi's phone rang. He saw it was Han Meng calling. Han Meng asked on the phone, "How did it go? Did you pass?" Daqi laughed and said, "Don't worry, if I don't pass, you can punish me however you want." Han Meng said happily, "This year's test was quite difficult. You really passed? If you do, I'll treat you to a big meal." Daqi said, "Thank you, Sister Meng!..." The two chatted for a few more minutes before hanging up.
After having dinner with the "gunmen," Daqi sent the three female students back to Baisha Apartment. He and Qianru escorted the three "gunmen" to the train station, as they would be returning to Beijing and Shanghai that afternoon. Afterward, Daqi and Qianru went home together.
After returning home, Daqi first went to play with Xiaoqi. All three of his children could call him "Dad" and communicate simply with adults. Qiwen said to Xiaoqi, "Say 'Dad,' say it now!" Xiaoqi looked at Daqi and chuckled, "Dad...Dad..." Xiaoxue and Xiaofeng were also well-liked by Daqi, and they would compete to call him "Dad." None of Daqi's wives had gone to the coffee shop these past few days because of the SARS outbreak. Qiwen said, "I think the coffee shop can reopen in about two weeks." Daqi said, "Probably, it's all over now. It's okay, we don't have a single suspected case in Rongzhou. However, those foreigners probably won't be able to fully return for another three months. So, business will still be slow for a while."
All of Daqi's wives came over to ask how he did on his CET-4 exam. Daqi laughed and said, "I had someone else take the test, so I definitely passed. It wasn't my own ability; my English is terrible! I declare: I'm never looking at an English book again." Almost all of his wives said, "You rascal, university is no fun at all. You should have known better than to go." Daqi just smiled and didn't say anything more.
He was also thinking to himself: Is it really worth it to go to university these days? It is indeed very boring, but since I've already started, I might as well keep going!
His mother-in-law said, "Son-in-law, you haven't been home for two weeks because of your CET-4 exam. Oh, I missed you so much!" Daqi hugged her and whispered, "Mom, I missed you too! Look, I came back as soon as I finished the exam." His mother-in-law's eyes lit up and she said, "Then tonight..." Daqi said, "No, I have to spend tonight with Qin'er and Pingjia. You can do it next time!" After saying that, he kissed his mother-in-law, who pouted but didn't say anything more. Ye Huan and Zheng Jie were also at home. Daqi asked them, "How's your internship at the art school?" The two girls said, "It's alright. The school leaders value us a lot. Our students are also quite obedient." Daqi smiled and said, "As long as you're happy, as long as you're happy."
Daqi, with his left arm around Ye Huan and his right arm around Zheng Jie, sat on the sofa in the living room. Daqi stroked the two women's hair and said, "Huan'er, Jie'er, I have something to ask of you both." Ye Huan said, "Master, please speak freely." Daqi said, "Xiaoqi and the other two children are growing up. You two are their mothers too. You must educate them well and cultivate their artistic talents appropriately." Zheng Jie said, "Master, don't worry. I also consider them my own children." Ye Huan said, "We will fulfill our responsibilities as mothers!" Daqi smiled and nodded, saying, "You two are teachers; you'll have better methods for educating children. In short, as..." "Let the kids pursue their interests, but we can't spoil them. You must always remember that!" At this moment, Qiwen joined in, sitting directly on Daqi's lap, and said, "My two sisters, I'll need your guidance of these three children in the future. As their mother, I thank you in advance!" Ye Huan said, "Sister Wen, these three are also our children. You can rest assured." Zheng Jie said, "Sister Wen, you yourself are so knowledgeable and reasonable; just by setting a good example, the children will learn from you." Qiwen laughed, "Look at you two, always trying to sweet-talk people. Don't try to sweet-talk these three children!"
Chapter 32 Taking the Lead
Ye Huan laughed, "Sister Wen, we're not flattering you. You really are that kind of woman. Look how well you manage the household." Zheng Jie added, "Exactly, the whole family is harmonious and peaceful." Qi Wen smiled and said, "This is mainly the result of everyone's joint efforts, not just my achievement." Ye Huan said, "Your management is also crucial. You're always so generous and understanding of your master." Qi Wen laughed, "Alright, alright, stop talking about me. From now on, you two need to pay more attention to the education of these three children. After all, you deal with students all day, so your teaching will be more professional." The two women nodded repeatedly.
Daqi was very happy: the unity of his family was the most important thing to him.
That evening, Qiwen, one of the wives, asked the two nannies to prepare a few extra dishes, and she also brought out a bottle of good wine for everyone to drink. Xiao Li smiled and said, "What's going on today? This seems a bit unusual!"
Qiwen said, "Sisters, let's all congratulate our husband on passing the CET-4 (College English Test Band 4)! From now on, he won't need to read English books anymore!" Everyone was happy to hear this and toasted Daqi... Ye Huan, Zheng Jie, and Xiaoman happened to be there. They said, "What a load of rubbish English! It wasted so much of our time." Qianru said, "You guys were the same. If you had just told me, I would have taken care of everything for you. Why did you waste your time learning that stuff?" Xiaoman said, "If I had known you had a solution, Qianru, I wouldn't have spent two years learning something I'll never use." Ye Huan and Zheng Jie said, "The three of us passed, so let's all congratulate our master on passing the CET-4!" Daqi drank three glasses in a row, especially thanking Qianru for her great help.
Qiwen said, "Honey, are you really not going to study English anymore?" Daqi said, "If I do, I'll be a coward! Han Meng teaches English at school, she'll definitely let me pass. Besides, the teachers at school will set the scope, so I'm not worried. Once this damn exam is over, I'll start focusing on my Chinese books. That'll save me a lot of headaches." Chunxiao said, "Hey, why don't you try taking the CET-6 exam?" Daqi shook his head and said, "I said I won't touch English, so I won't touch English. Forget about the CET-6, I don't want it."
That night, Daqi had Suqin and Pingjia keep him company. He now takes precautions when having sex with his beautiful wives because he already has three children and doesn't want any more. Some of his wives said they already have three children, who, although not their biological offspring, are still their sons, so they choose not to have more; others said they would have more in a few years. Daqi said, "Those who want more will have to wait until I graduate from university!" All his wives accepted this suggestion.
On Sunday, he made a special trip to the coffee shop his wives owned, as it was reopening and the SARS epidemic that had swept the country was nearing its end. In the past few days, good news of victories against SARS had been coming from all over the country. Daqi was quite happy to hear this, because his coffee shop could reopen, and school life could return to normal.
On Monday, Daqi drove back to school. When he arrived in the classroom, his classmates were all talking about the English exam on Saturday. One classmate ran up to Daqi and said, "Hey, there's another guy in our school named Tong Daqi. He's taking the exam in the same room as me. Haha, I didn't expect there to be someone with the exact same name as you in this school." Daqi pretended to be surprised and said, "Really? How come I didn't run into him?" Daqi thought to himself: This idiot, he didn't even realize he was a "test-taker." Daqi asked Li Xianming in a low voice, "Class monitor, did you hire a 'test-taker'?" Li Xianming shook his head and sighed, "My classmate came, but he's too scared to go into the exam room. I'm so anxious. He said the proctor seemed really scary, so he just couldn't bring himself to go." Daqi then asked Xie Changjin, "What about you?" Xie Changjin laughed, "I passed. I bought my multiple-choice questions for 200 yuan. Someone in our school who passed the CET-6 also took the CET-4 exam. He charged me 200 yuan, and after he finished the multiple-choice questions, he sent a group text message to us." Daqi gave a thumbs up, "That's a brilliant move, low risk and low cost!" Xie Changjin laughed, "You don't know, in the exam room I did the non-multiple-choice questions first. After finishing the non-multiple-choice questions, I waited for his text message until I was almost desperate before he finally sent it." Daqi said, "How many people did this guy collect money from?" Jin said, "I don't know about other departments, but in our department, I estimate around seventeen or eighteen. This guy was broke, so his classmate gave him 1000 yuan to take the exam. Then, he suddenly thought, why not make more money? So he posted on the campus BBS that he was willing to help everyone with multiple-choice questions, for 200 yuan per person, in exchange for their phone numbers. I tried it out, and it actually worked. Once he saw he'd collected enough, he deleted all the related content from the BBS. He's really good at making money; I estimate he made at least 6000 yuan." Daqi joked, "Now I think the CET-4 exam is necessary!" Xie Changjin said, "Hey, it supports a whole bunch of people; those 'test-takers' get so much profit." Li Xianming said, "Next semester, I'll use this method too." Daqi nodded with a slight smile. Li Xianming said, "The school's invigilation was quite strict this time. They caught one 'test-taker' and two others using text messages. I reckon all three of them will be expelled." Xie Changjin laughed, "If you're not good enough, don't try to cheat. Cheating takes skill. I'm not bragging, but from elementary school to middle school, and from middle school until now, I've never been caught cheating." The three of them burst into laughter. Daqi said to Li Xianming, "Class monitor, don't worry too much. You can pass next semester. Figure it out yourself. If all else fails, I'll find you a 'super test-taker.'" Li Xianming said, "Thank you, boss, thank you, boss."
Because Li Xianming was Daqi's roommate, he was willing to help him. However, Li Xianming later passed the CET-4 exam by sending a text message, but that's another story.
On Wednesday, during English class, Han Meng specifically asked her classmates, "The CET-4 exam is over. Who among you is confident about passing? Raise your hand so I can see." Nearly a quarter of the class raised their hands, with Xie Changjin's hand also raised high. Daqi didn't raise his hand; he was embarrassed, having hired a substitute to pass, and didn't want to attract too much attention. Han Meng specifically asked, "Tong Daqi, didn't you say you were sure you'd pass? Why aren't you raising your hand?" Daqi said, "Teacher Han, the results haven't come out yet, and I'm still a little worried. So, I'm not raising my hand." That was all Daqi could say. Han Meng smiled but didn't say anything. She continued, "Once the results come out, whoever passes CET-4 will get a KFC treat! Those who don't pass are fine; they can try again next time, and I'll treat them next time!" The whole class erupted in enthusiastic applause. After class, Han Meng called Daqi into the teachers' lounge and asked him, "Did you pass?" Daqi said, "Teacher Han, I'm so sorry..." Han Meng said, "Don't say that. If you didn't pass, you can try again next time." Daqi said softly, "Let me tell you the truth, teacher, please don't blame me!" Han Meng said, "Tell me quickly, if you pass, everything will be fine." Daqi could only stammer that he had hired a "ghostwriter." After hearing this, Han Meng said, "I guessed you would do that. In the future, please don't do such a thing again. What if... I'm worried about you..." Daqi lowered his head and said, "Teacher Han, please keep it a secret for me. That's why I didn't dare to raise my hand in class. Because I didn't pass, and even if I did, it would be a cheating!" Han Meng smiled and said, "It's all in the past, don't tell anyone about it. You didn't lie to me, which is enough to prove that you are an honest person. Just forget about all this, and focus on your Chinese books and professional books from now on. You don't need to look at my homework." Daqi smiled and said, "Thank you, Sister Meng!" She immediately made a "shh" gesture, and Daqi realized that this was the school, not her home. He immediately stuck out his tongue, and Han Meng smiled slightly...
Xiaoling, Beibei, and Jiaxin were in high spirits these past few days because they had passed their CET-4 (College English Test Band 4) smoothly. Daqi resumed his normal reading life at the library. Although final exams were approaching, he didn't look at his textbooks at all. In his own words, "I could pass them even with my eyes closed." He went to the special collections room to read, and when Old Zhong saw him, he immediately said, "Oh, Xiaotong, where have you been all this time? It's been so long since anyone had tea with me." Daqi said, "I've been busy preparing for the CET-4, so I haven't come here. As soon as the exam was over, I came, didn't I? Teacher Zhong, how are you?" Old Zhong said, "Come, come, come, sit down, sit down. I have a pot of excellent Tieguanyin tea, drink up!" The two then drank tea and chatted. The topic of conversation was entirely about SARS and the CET-4 exam.
Old Zhong said, "It's quite amusing that SARS caused so many high-ranking officials to step down all at once."
Daqi said, "I am just an ordinary citizen. Whether someone is an official or not has nothing to do with me. It doesn't matter who is in office."
Old Zhong laughed and said, "If the mayor of Beijing and the Minister of Health hadn't been removed, officials in many parts of the country might not have taken it so seriously. Many things in China only work if the central government takes real action."
Daqi said, "Fine, let the incompetent get out. Teacher Zhong, we ordinary folks are too lazy to deal with so much bureaucratic stuff. We just need to pay attention to whether SARS is over. My family suffered heavy losses when SARS came."
Old Zhong: "What? What did your family lose?"
Daqi: "Both coffee shops have been closed for three months, and they cater to foreigners. As soon as the foreigners heard about SARS, they all ran back to their hometowns."
Old Zhong: "Haha, why didn't the Anglo-French allied forces have a similar 'SARS' outbreak back then? That way, the Old Summer Palace wouldn't have been burned down."
Daqi laughed and said, "These foreign devils are just afraid of death. You could tell from SARS. Hey, even if the Anglo-French allied forces hadn't burned it down, would the Japanese have let the Old Summer Palace go? It would have been destroyed anyway!"
Old Zhong: "That's true, such is the fate of the nation. Will you pass your CET-4 exam?"
Daqi laughed and said, "It will definitely pass."
Old Zhong: "This is the most meaningless exam. Even for us teachers applying for senior professional titles, the English exam is torture."
------------
Section Reading 236
Some people only take the English exam for professional title evaluation, and then they just throw it away. Confucius said, "Teach according to aptitude." This mandatory English exam is meaningless. How much time has been wasted? It's hard to estimate, incredibly hard to estimate. If everyone had to learn English, the level of Chinese proficiency would probably decline. Haha, just one person's opinion, just one person's opinion.
Daqi: "Teacher Zhong, you're absolutely right. People who love learning English should learn it, why force someone like me who doesn't learn English to learn it? I'll never use that stuff in my life, it annoys me just looking at it."
Old Zhong: "Let's not talk about it, let's not talk about it. It's good that you passed. Once you pass that damn English, you can read more Chinese books. You're always welcome!"
Daqi: "Don't worry, I will definitely come often, I will definitely come often."
After having tea with Old Zhong, Daqi looked at the books in the special collections room for a while, then said goodbye to Old Zhong and went to the reading room to look at periodicals. Xiaoling, Beibei, and Jiaxin were also there reading. Daqi suddenly remembered something and asked the three of them, "Did you pass the general exam?" Xiaoling said, "We passed easily, nothing to brag about." Beibei said, "Next semester we should aim for Level 1A; Level 1B is the minimum that someone studying broadcasting should have." Jiaxin said, "When we took the general exam, you went home, so we didn't tell you." Daqi said, "It's okay, it's okay, I was just asking. You should work hard on your majors; it will benefit you." The three girls said, "We understand!"
Student life returned to normal. Daqi, having nothing to do in the evenings, would go to the open-shelf bookstore to read. One day, while he was reading there, someone called out from behind, "Hey bro, you're here too?" He turned around and saw it was Shu Dongyue. The girl was even more charming, mature, and sexy than before; she looked incredibly alluring, making him drool!
Daqi: "Dongyue, what are you doing reading here? I haven't seen you in so long."
Shu Dongyue: "Hey, I rarely get to go back to school, and I'm so bored, so I came here to find some novels to read. Daqi, why isn't Xiaoling with you?"
Daqi: "She's in the study room preparing for final exams. What about you? Have you started preparing for final exams yet?"
Shu Dongyue: "Just looking at those books gives me a headache. Whatever, I'll pass if I can, and retake if I can't. I retaken four subjects last semester, and I passed them all."
Daqi: "Wow, you're amazing! You retake four subjects?"
Shu Dongyue nodded and said, "There are five other students in our class who are also taking exams, and I'm just at an average level!"
Daqi: "What book are you reading?"
Shu Dongyue handed the books to Daqi and said, "Look at these tattered books!" Daqi looked at them and saw that they were all by Qiong Yao and Xi Juan. He said, "You like reading Aunt Qiong Yao's books?" Shu Dongyue smiled and said, "I can't understand other books, so I can only read hers." Daqi smiled and didn't say anything. He clearly remembered that some time ago, Shu Dongyue said that she had read the Twenty-Four Histories.
Da Qi thought to himself: This woman has long forgotten what she once said. Someone who has read the Twenty-Four Histories, would she only understand the books of Qiong Yao and Xi Juan? Impossible!
She asked, "Big brother, have you read any of Aunt Qiong Yao's books?" Daqi nodded and said, "Just one or two." Shu Dongyue asked, "Which one?" Daqi said, "The Sky Full of Colorful Clouds, I read it when I was in junior high school." Shu Dongyue said, "I've read it too, I've read it too, it's very good. What do you think, big brother?" Daqi smiled and nodded, "I still prefer classic Chinese literature, I have reservations about Aunt Qiong Yao's books."
Shu Dongyue frowned and said, "Reservation of opinion? What does 'reservation of opinion' mean?"
Daqi said, "Well, I think her book is a scam for middle school and elementary school students. It might be okay for teenage girls to read, but women in their thirties definitely wouldn't read it. Haha, just my opinion."
Shu Dongyue: "So, my IQ is only that of a teenager?"
Daqi shook his head and said, "Dongyue, please don't take this personally, please don't. Actually, Aunt Qiong Yao has a lot of readers. Look at 'Princess Pearl,' after it was made into a TV series, it became a hit all over the country! 'The market is the ultimate truth.' Just because I don't like it doesn't mean that others don't like it either."
Shu Dongyue nodded and said, "Actually, I don't believe in the love stories written by Aunt Qiong Yao either. But I don't know why, I just love reading them."
Daqi said, "Everyone hopes for a pure and innocent relationship, which is why Aunt Qiong Yao became so famous. Haha!"
Shu Dongyue said, "Big Brother is Big Brother, he's always clear-headed. Unlike us, we're like lost lambs, not knowing why we went to university. Daqi, can we sit down and talk? I still have a lot to talk about with you, you're a very insightful person."
"What nonsense! Let's go sit in the coffee shop downstairs." Shu Dongyue nodded and followed Daqi. There was a coffee shop/bookstore on the first floor of the library. Daqi, Xiaoling, Beibei, and Jiaxin often went there. He mainly went to drink coffee because he got tired of reading. Besides coffee, the three of them also went there to look at fashion magazines. The coffee shop had a lot of fashion magazines, but Daqi didn't read those so-called "Rayli Fashion" or "Shanghai Fashion" magazines. But his women loved to read them. Not only did the three female students at school love to read them, but all his wives at home—Qiwen, Muping, Xiaoli, and so on—almost all the women loved to read them. That's why they say women are naturally fond of beauty.
After Daqi and Shu Dongyue arrived at the coffee shop, the waiter made them two cups of coffee. The two chatted while drinking.
Daqi asked Shu Dongyue directly, "Dongyue, what does your boyfriend do?" Actually, Daqi knew that Dongyue was a woman kept by a wealthy man, but he referred to the man who kept Dongyue as her boyfriend out of politeness.
Dongyue said, "Boyfriend my foot, he's just a lover. He's a businessman, he runs a car business. Daqi, don't laugh at me, he's married."
Daqi nodded, because he already knew about this; Xiaoling and Beibei were very familiar with the affairs of the beautiful girls in their broadcasting department. He asked, "How does he treat you?"
Dongyue said, "He's been pretty good to me. Big brother, can you keep this a secret for me? I consider you a friend. At school, I only talk to you, Xiaoling, Beibei, and Jiaxin the most. I hardly talk to anyone else."
Daqi: "Why?"
Dongyue: "You don't look down on people, unlike others. Actually, I know in my heart that many people look down on me. They think it's immoral for me to be with a married man. Actually, I had no choice but to be with him in the first place."
Daqi: "I've heard about you from Xiaoling. Hey, Dongyue, don't worry too much about what others think of you. Really, he's really good to you?"
Dongyue: "He's afraid of his wife. He's only with me behind her back. If she finds out, she'll beat him. Once, she almost caught us in bed together. Luckily, I was hiding under the bed, otherwise, we would have been dead. His wife is so fierce!"
After hearing this, Daqi felt sorry for Dongyue. He knew she was with that man because of family reasons. He seemed to understand why this young girl liked reading Qiong Yao's works.
Daqi thought to himself: Dongyue also longs for pure love, but she's never had the chance to experience it. Dongyue is actually quite pitiful…
Daqi said, "Dongyue, are you having any difficulties right now? If you need anything, we're willing to help you. We all consider you a friend."
Dongyue nodded gratefully and said, "I knew you were a good person, brother. If I ever need anything, I'll tell you." Daqi smiled and nodded. Actually, Daqi genuinely wanted to help Shu Dongyue at this moment. He didn't have any ulterior motives towards her, because he had once been a poor child himself. His past poverty had delayed his university studies by several years, almost preventing him from attending university. Now, if Dongyue was willing to ask, Daqi would definitely help her without hesitation, because he no longer had to worry about tuition fees.
He and Dongyue chatted and drank coffee. Halfway through their drinks, Xiaoling and her two companions entered the coffee shop. Xiaoling immediately greeted Dongyue, "Dongyue, what are you doing here? Haven't seen you in ages! Why didn't you take the CET-4 exam?" Xiaoling had heard that Dongyue hadn't taken the CET-4, so she asked this. Actually, Xiaoling had always cared about Dongyue and often talked about her in front of Daqi. Everyone sat down and chatted over their coffee.
Dongyue said, "I haven't studied at all. I've missed so many classes, it's pointless to take the exam. So, I didn't go. By the way, do you three think you'll pass?"
Beibei said, "Yes, final exams are coming up soon, you should come back!"
Dongyue: "Yes, I'm always at school during finals too." The five of them chatted for a while, then Shu Dongyue said goodbye and went back to the girls' dormitory. When Daqi, Xiaoling, and the other two returned to Baisha Apartment, Daqi asked Xiaoling, "Dongyue seems preoccupied. Is she alright?" Daqi had a feeling that Shu Dongyue was troubled, but it was just his intuition.