"Damn it, I thought I was already incredibly unlucky after studying languages for 10 weeks, but there are actually people who are even worse off than me, getting dumped because they failed the IELTS."
Fang Ze laughed for a while and then remembered, "Shi Ling, you really got the right score. You have no idea, during that period, Chi Cheng was so motivated that he was like he was on steroids every day. He went crazy taking the IELTS exam. He was really obsessed back then. With just over a month left, he was registering for the IELTS every week. You don't know, you can't register for the same place every week. This week Chi-ge went to Hong Kong, next week to Thailand, and then to Vietnam. For the last two weeks, he practically stayed in Thailand and Vietnam and didn't go back to China. He took the exam four times in a row, and he actually passed. You have to admire him."
Fang Ze naturally stayed in contact with Chi Cheng while studying the language in England, complaining bitterly, but he didn't expect that Chi Cheng was having an even worse time than him.
"Especially during that period, Chi Ge was growing wisdom teeth and had a fever. He had his tooth pulled one day and went to take the exam wearing a mask the next day. Damn, he was really tough."
Fang Ze was clearly suspected of speaking well of Chi Cheng, and he himself knew it.
"Don't you believe me? We went to the same agency and school as Brother Chi, right? My mom is such a gossip. She met Brother Chi's mom through the agency and heard about it from her. Then she scolded me, saying, 'Look, Brother Chi passed the exam, and I'm the one who spent so much money studying languages and it's so embarrassing. Otherwise, would Brother Chi have told me about something as silly as getting a tooth pulled and having a swollen face?'"
Shi Ling knew bits and pieces of what he said.
She felt helpless and desperate when she saw him give up IELTS for such an unreliable thing. She wondered if she had been wrong about the relationship from the beginning. With such different personalities, it was impossible for them to go far based on hormones and a momentary infatuation.
Even after breaking up, who wouldn't have regrets at some point?
However, Shi Ling thought it best to provoke him and help him pass the exam. So after the breakup, Chi Cheng tried to get back with her once, but Shi Ling used the IELTS exam to stab him in the back. They then deleted each other on WeChat, and he never contacted her again.
Chi Cheng is so proud that he hates being looked down upon the most.
Shi Ling thought that if he still had any feelings for her, he should try his best.
Later, Shi Ling learned that he had passed the exam from a post on WeChat Moments by an agent who said that his student had narrowly missed the deadline by submitting his results two days before it was due.
Shi Ling breathed a sigh of relief.
Chi Cheng's English foundation was not bad, but he had always studied at a leisurely pace, so his passing the exam was within Shi Ling's expectations.
But she didn't expect that Chi Cheng had such a hard time back then. Fang Ze's description made it sound really miserable. Moreover, Chi Cheng was a proud person, so you can imagine that even so, he still looked calm and collected after the exam, but his face was probably swollen to no end.
Even though he passed the exam, Shi Ling still couldn't figure out how she felt about their relationship.
Perhaps he had spoken too harshly before, because even after passing the exam, Chi Cheng never contacted her again.
Shi Ling was still thinking that if he lowered his head, she might have agreed without thinking.
Unfortunately, all communication channels remained silent throughout August, as if the two had never been together at all.
Until the night Shi Ling arrived in England, the fire alarm went off so loudly that everyone in the building came down.
They exchanged a glance from afar in the crowd, and Shi Ling knew that their story was not over, nor would it ever end.
What's truly infuriating is Chi Cheng's attitude. He didn't contact her during the entire holiday, but when he saw her in England, he couldn't resist her again.
With a touch of smugness, a touch of nonchalance, and a touch of desire.
Everything was written on his face; his sincerity in wanting to get back together was far less than his irresistible urge to sleep with her.
Chi Cheng is always like this; he always acts as if he can get anything easily.
He pretended to be completely uninterested in her in front of Zhao Yongbin and Fang Ze, but then found opportunities to flirt with her behind her back. However, he didn't actually lower his head properly and said things like "go back to before we were together," which are nonsense that only a three-year-old would believe.
Shi Ling was unwilling to let him get his way so easily; wouldn't that be the same as when they first got together? Before, he would carefully lure her in step by step, watching her finally fall into his arms, looking as if he was certain she would admit defeat.
Sure enough, she fell for him; the moment she got on his motorcycle, she was completely at his mercy.
She didn't mean for Chi Cheng to misunderstand what happened today, but she was a little flustered because she didn't expect him to be outside the door. She used her usual tone of voice to argue with him, hoping that he would turn around and leave immediately.
Who knew that Chi Cheng, perhaps having recently become accustomed to being provoked by her, would suddenly become angry and insist on knowing who was inside the door.
Shi Ling sighed. Chi Cheng had probably never experienced anything so humiliating in his life.
It's no less than a crematorium.
As expected, Chi Cheng's attitude changed drastically after this incident.
That statement, "I will never bother her again," doesn't seem fake.
Given Fang Ze's loud and boisterous nature, Shi Ling didn't believe he hadn't explained the misunderstanding to Chi Cheng.
Fang Ze even sent gossipy WeChat messages to Shi Ling.
Fang Xiaozhe: Sister Ling, do you know what Brother Chi wanted to talk to you about that day?
Shi Ling: ?
Fang Ze: He said he heard from his tennis friend that he encountered a perverted exhibitionist in a dark alley near the dormitory and was almost dragged away and molested, but luckily he ran away. He wanted to warn you to be careful.
Shi Ling casually replied with an "oh".
Needless to say, his tennis friend must be a girl.
Several people chose the same elective course: entrepreneurship planning.
The classroom wasn't big, and Shi Ling was just a few rows away from them.
Fang Ze naturally sat with Tina, and Coco sat next to him.
When get out of class ended, she overheard Chi Cheng mentioning exhibitionism as he walked with them. However, his tone was wicked and his words were suggestive, which made Tina and Coco cover their mouths and laugh, and they almost hit him.
Shi Ling was unconvinced; he figured it was probably just something he said to attract attention.
Chi Cheng's previous indifference towards her was an act; Shi Ling could feel his gaze falling on her from time to time.
However, the current attitude is one of complete indifference.
Perhaps it was because it rained that day, and the keys were wet.
The door lock immediately started to rust.
Shi Ling has been doing a lot of homework lately, and she studies until after 10 p.m. before coming back, feeling dizzy and disoriented as she turns her keys.
Her fingers were a little stiff and she couldn't turn it. Then she used all her strength to turn it, and the key broke off inside, leaving only a piece of the handle.
Shi Ling glanced at the key handle in her palm and called Reception.
If no one answers the reception, they've probably closed for the day.
She spent a long time looking for the school's emergency contact number.
Finally, the matter has been clearly explained.
The response was that they were off work now, and if she changed the locks as usual tomorrow, she could go through the normal maintenance process. However, if she wanted to come specifically for her now, she would need to pay £100 in overtime pay.
Shi Ling frowned and said she would think about it some more.
She knocked on Fang Ze's door, and Fang Ze came out with Tina. He looked at the key handle in her palm.
The two laughed together for a while.
Shi Ling asked him if he had any solutions.
Fang Ze came up with a terrible idea, "Why don't we just kick the door down? He's going to change the locks for you tomorrow anyway, so it'll be considered reception."
Shi Ling immediately thought it was extremely impractical, but she was unwilling to waste the money.
She thought for a moment, "Maybe I should just forget about it and find a hostel to stay in for the night."
Fang Ze peered through the keyhole and said, "Should I try using pliers or tweezers?"
After saying that, he knocked on Zhao Yongbin's door. The two of them searched the kitchen and the tool room on this floor, but they couldn't find any suitable tools.
Fang Ze was still muttering about his dirty trick, "If you ask me, I'd just kick it open."
Zhao Yongbin clicked his tongue, "So violent?"
Fang Ze said smugly, "Am I not always like this?"
Zhao Yongbin glanced at Shi Ling, who was looking down at her phone, seemingly searching for a hotel on B.
"Shi Ling, stop looking. I have a bed over there."
He had barely finished speaking when Fang Ze patted his shoulder with a mischievous grin, "Hey, what do you mean? I have a bed there too."
“No,” Zhao Yongbin glared at him, “I have a folding bed there, which my friend bought when he came over.”
Zhao Yongbin not only got along well with them, but also with several Hong Kong people. On several occasions, his friends from other schools came to visit and apparently stayed at his place for one night.
He had just gone inside and brought the folding bed back when the door to room 203 opened.
Chi Cheng had been gone for a while and only just returned. Seeing the four of them gathered in the corridor outside Shi Ling's door, he casually nodded to them and walked towards his room without any curiosity.
Fang Ze called out to him, "Hey, Brother Chi, Sister Shi's key is broken inside. The reception said they'll charge a fee. Are you going to let her stay tonight?"
Zhao Yongbin and Tina now know about their feud, and Fang Ze's words are clearly just adding fuel to the fire by teasing them.
Chi Cheng opened the door without changing his expression, not even glancing at it.
"I'll charge whatever the reception charges."
After saying that, he closed the door.
Shi Ling was even more annoyed and didn't want to stay any longer. She thanked Zhao Yongbin and said, "I won't trouble you any further. I'll make do with something else for the night."
Fang Ze quickly stopped her, "Shi Ling, I was just joking. Tina usually sleeps here, but I'll sleep in her room today, you can sleep in mine."
Fang Ze glanced at Tina, who laughed, "OK, you're always too lazy to bring anything when I ask you to come over to sleep, today's perfect."
Fang Ze went in, grabbed a towel and toothbrush, and came out holding Tina's hand as they walked out.
Fang Ze told Shi Ling, "Don't be so polite with me."
It's better than Shi Ling having to sneak out to stay in the dark now. Shi Ling nodded, "Thanks."
Before Shi Ling went to sleep, she went out to boil water twice, but there was no movement from Chi Cheng's room.
They probably don't really care whether she has a place to live or not.
The more they wanted to ignore each other, the more they ran into each other.
Shi Ling borrowed Fang Ze's blanket that day. Feeling embarrassed, she took off his blanket cover and offered to wash it for him.
She took some time to throw the bed sheet into the laundry room. She usually washes them by hand, but since she was already there, Shi Ling decided to throw her clothes from the past few days in as well.
The laundry room is a bit far from the dormitory, and there are about four or five washing machines available.
When Shi Ling went to get the clothes again, she realized she had made a mistake.
The washed clothes were much heavier than before. With the bed sheet and her own thick clothes added, the laundry basket that Shi Ling was carrying was incredibly heavy. She tried to lift it, but could barely manage.
Just as she was about to turn around and leave the laundry room, Chi Cheng came in.
When Chi Cheng saw her, he paused for a moment, then pretended not to see her. He walked straight to the washing machine next to him, rolled up his sweater sleeves, and bent down to start taking out the clothes.
I hadn't noticed for a few days, and I realized he was wearing a leather bracelet that was dangling loosely on his wrist.
He never wears his sweaters properly; when he bends over, a section of his lower back is exposed, and you can even see the edge of his CK underwear.