Compared to her, Shen Qi was much less impressive, still wearing an old, faded mid-length winter coat. Although she entered the dormitory together with Wang Xiaoyi, she only nodded to An Ran and Xiao Xiao before dragging her few belongings to her spot.
An Ran hadn’t talked much at school before, not to the extent of Shen Qi, but not much better either. She would only act a bit more lively in front of Xiao Xiao.
Seeing that others had arrived at the dormitory, she stopped messing around with Xiao Xiao, greeted Wang Xiaoyi, and went back to her bed to sort her things.
Xiao Xiao was more lively by nature. Seeing Wang Xiaoyi carrying large bags, she asked, "Xiaoyi, did you go back home for the winter break?"
When holidays came, Wang Xiaoyi had mentioned that she was going to work in Nan’an and wouldn’t be going back home for the festival.
While putting her things under her bed, Wang Xiaoyi replied, "I went back once after the Spring Festival to deliver some money and stuff to my family."
"I bet you missed someone pretty badly?" Xiao Xiao teased.
Wang Xiaoyi had a childhood boyfriend, which everyone in the dorm knew about. Xiao Xiao’s teasing didn’t upset her; she instead pulled out specialties from her hometown and shared them with everyone. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝕟𝕖𝕥
An Ran often went out to work during the first half of the year, so she wasn’t very clear about the situations of her roommates. Listening to Xiao Xiao talk, she didn’t pay much mind to it, only feeling that the dorm’s atmosphere was much more harmonious without Guo Xinyi and Sun Beibei around.
Guo Xinyi and Sun Beibei were both from Nan’an city, so the dormitory was like a mere formality for them. With the new semester just beginning, it was certain that the two wouldn’t be staying in the dorm.
"An Ran, how’s your tuition fee coming along?" Wang Xiaoyi handed a bag of hazelnuts to An Ran and casually asked, "You wouldn’t believe how busy the bar was during the Spring Festival. I opened so many bottles that my hands felt numb. The boss asked about you a few times. If you’re willing, you can go back anytime."
"Thank you, but I don’t plan on working at the bar anymore," An Ran said as she accepted the hazelnuts.
When Mu Xingfeng decided to keep her by his side, he solved her tuition problem. He also gave her a card that she carried with her. She tried to return it several times while in Imperial City, but he always refused.
Now that she understood her feelings, she wouldn’t quibble over money with him. She would use her whole life to repay him.
According to Mu Xingfeng, she owed him enough already, so it didn’t matter. If she really wanted to repay him, she could just sell herself to him.
Now, she had decided: to sell herself.
"That’s really a shame," Wang Xiaoyi said regretfully.
An Ran knew that Wang Xiaoyi had a sense of loyalty, so she thought for a while and said, "Xiaoyi, try not to work at the bar if you can. It’s too chaotic there, not really good for a girl."
Wang Xiaoyi understood what An Ran was hinting at. She flipped her long waves behind her back, pointed to her face, and smiled indifferently. "With my looks, I’m totally safe. Even in nightclubs, I’m safe. Don’t worry."
Seeing her carefree attitude, An Ran understood that everyone’s situation was different. She had been in need of money before, and Wang Xiaoyi indeed needed the job, so she didn’t say anything more.
Her primary task now was figuring out how to confess to Instructor Mu. After today’s long-awaited reunion with him, An Ran felt that this matter couldn’t be delayed anymore. If she truly wanted to be with Instructor Mu, she needed to be all in.
Honestly, she found that after deciding to be with Instructor Mu, the more she cared about him, the harder it was to speak out. She didn’t want to hide anything; regardless of the outcome, at least it would be fair to Instructor Mu.
She would rather end up heartbroken than disappoint Instructor Mu.