Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Meng Fan hailed a cab and headed back to school. When he arrived, the gates were already closed.
When he had streamed in the afternoon, Meng Fan had long completed the experience required to complete task phase three of [Famous Streamer] and received 100 points and +1 charm as a reward. By now, the number of online viewers had already reached 1.21 million, entering the requirements for task phase 4.
After the +1 charm, coupled with his captivating smile, Meng Fan was confident he could get past the grandpa at the dormitory gate holding a thermos.
As he headed over, his phone rang.
It wasn’t a phone call, but a WeChat call request. Nickname: Freckles.
“Why is she calling me so late?”
Meng Fan picked it up, hearing her voice through the receiver. “Are you coming? Ten minutes right? I’ll wait for you.”
Meng Fan was baffled.
Freckles responded with another sentence. “I kept sending you messages did you not see? I called a bunch of times too, can you come fast?”
She hung up as soon as she finished.
Meng Fan was a bit dazed. What the hell?!
She’d called him?
He thought about it. He didn’t have her number, so her calls must have been intercepted and blocked as an unknown number by his spam call APP.
He checked his WeChat. There were quite a few messages, but he scrolled down to find the ones from Freckles.
“Meng Fan, I want to ask you for help.”
“When you’re done streaming can you come to pick me up from the Duo La Mi near campus?”
“I’m at karaoke with my roommates, and there’s a guy here who I’ve liked for a long time. I think he has a girlfriend and brought her too.”
“I’m a bit embarrassed and want to leave, but my roommates are keeping me here because someone she likes is here too.”
“They say they wanna go drinking after and I don’t want to join. My roommate said that there was nobody else in the dorm and I might not be able to get in, even when we return so she won’t let me go.”
“So I’m asking for your help, to tell them I have a friend coming to get me.”
“I know you like Wu Tong from the traditional painting department. I told them we are from the same hometown, so it won’t cause any misunderstandings for you.”
There were more than a dozen WeChat messages, spanning an hour between all of them. They had been sent incrementally every few minutes, evidently with the worry that Meng Fan would not come. She continued to explain herself again and again.
Meng Fan remembered when he had ‘confessed’ to Freckles, she had told him that she likes someone else. It seems like it wasn’t just an excuse to deal with him. As for this guy, she liked having a girlfriend, it was awkward he brought her to the KTV. In addition to all the weird business with her roommate and the guy that she liked… These weren’t things a single dog like Meng Fan could understand.
“Is it really obvious that I like Wu Tong?”
Meng Fan didn’t think Freckles would know about this too. But it was good that she knew; for after the last ‘confession’ and their interactions that followed, Meng Fan was worried that the girl had misunderstood him.
Guess he had to go.
Meng Fan estimated that based on Freckles’ character, it would be difficult for her to abruptly refuse her roommates appeal. It was awkward to stay, hence why she had sent him so many texts. Thankfully, it was only a few minutes from where he was to Duo La Mi.
When he arrived at Duo La Mi, Meng Fan sent Freckles a WeChat message. After waiting for approximately three minutes, Freckles came down the stairs. A group of students also followed her, around eight or nine. They were all done singing and ready to hit up the next round.
“He’s not the one picking you up, is he?”
Her roommates inquired, stunned. Meng Fan’s presence was so strong, these people had noticed him immediately.
“Yeah. I’m gonna head back first.”
Freckles nodded, then happily approached Meng Fan.
Out of this group of students, there was one who had been interested in Freckles. At the KTV, there were no shortage of solicitous boys—this was another reason why Freckles wanted to leave so bad, but it wasn’t easy to tell Meng Fan—and upon hearing that some guy was coming to pick her up was a bit upset. Now upon seeing Meng Fan, he was still upset. But he had to keep it in.
If it had been someone else, the guy could still think of a way to keep Freckles there or drive off the person picking her up. But Meng Fan, the man who had tackled a thief so bravely like a tiger; what could he do?!
The pickup went smoothly, as did the walk from Duo La Mi to the school gates. But their re-entry into the school did not go smoothly, as they were barricaded from going in.
Meng Fan didn’t understand. Was his charm lacking or his smile not good enough? Or had he already won over the grandpa at the gate? Or else, why would this grandpa holding a thermos give him such a strange look.
That look repeatedly said to him, “Young lad, chief can only help you up to here.”
What the hell!?
Freckles looked at Meng fan. “Now what…?”
Meng Fan also felt helpless. He didn’t know if he really understood the grandpa’s intention so it was difficult to explain. He thought about it, and asked Freckles, “Do you have somewhere to go?”
Freckles shook her head.
Meng Fan asked once again, “Did you bring your government ID?”
Freckles hesitated for a moment and nodded.
“Then, the only thing we can do is get a hotel room.”
Freckles paused and then carefully asked Meng Fan, “Then what about you?”
Meng Fan hurriedly justified himself. “You take one by yourself, I won’t go in.”
Freckles looked nervous, but she had no other ideas. “Then, it seems like this is the only way.”
Seeing the boy and girl leave, the gate guarding grandpa revealed a gratifying smile that seems to have an insight to everything.
You won’t go in?
The grandpa recalled the statement the young lad had said. I’ll just dwindle for a moment and not to go in. Hehe. Young people these days are all playing this routine, huh?
Meng Fan naturally didn’t know he had understood the look conveyed by the grandpa. Even more, he didn’t know that his conversation at the gate with Freckles had triggered the imagination of the grandpa.
Not long after, the two arrived at a fairly nice hotel near the national art academy.
“I’m leaving. If you need anything, send me a WeChat.”
Of course, Meng Fan was not the type of person to follow her in. After checking her in, he turned and left.
There was no way he’d walk her to her room. Who knows what trouble that trip would cause. Even if nothing happened, Freckles might misunderstand him for harboring some bad intentions.
Meng Fan didn’t return to the school, nor did he check in another room.
So where did he go?
He had the choice to go to an internet cafe, but he would be uncomfortable not showering for so long. So he turned around and headed towards a neighborhood on the right side of the academy.
When Meng Fan was in elementary school, his family had bought a house near the HuaXia art academy. Conveniently, they were lucky, and the houses had been cheap. Plus they had confirmed Meng Fan was going to Hua Xia academy and wanted to facilitate his future living. Who knew the housing prices would skyrocket so fast? Carelessly, it had become a successful investment.
The house here had been used for renting. It had been refurbished before Meng Fan began college and was no longer rented from then on. The rent they received in that year was enough to rival the money they’d spent on the house.
During his first year, Meng Fan would come to live here for a few days every now and then. But after he became familiarized with his roommates, he only went over once every week or two. Recently, he had been going even less; it must have been three weeks since he last went over.
He took a shower happily and strolled around the room with no clothes on. A space with nobody else in it, how free?!
Lonely?
To a homebody, this term did not exist.
Video games and manga kept him up until 2 am. He then switched to listening to the dreamlike sounds of virtual girls who were projected on his stream assistant’s interface. He interacted with them for a bit, then went to bed satisfied.
The next morning, Meng Fan habitually woke up at five o’clock. Thinking about it, he clutched his pillow and snoozed for another two hours.
School was already out, so he should give himself a break too. Besides, Wu Tong wasn’t even here. Today’s morning run was canceled!
At seven, he crawled out of bed and went downstairs to grab his several bags and art tube. Then grabbed breakfast and headed back to his house.
He had to plan out his October 1st holiday.
During the holidays, there were bound to be loads of tourists plaguing the scenic areas.
If it had been the old Meng Fan, he would have rather died than went to squeeze in the crowd. But it was different now. While the spots were crowded, he could go and collect some likes. He also had to continue working on his [Night Touring God] task.
Then on the fifth, he had to rush to Shanghai to meet Wu Tong for Shan Jin bro’s concert.
When he got to this, a bold idea formed in his mind.
Why not tour his way from Hangzhou to Shanghai?
Hangzhou’s scenic spots could be visited anytime, but the other places cannot be visited so freely.
What do people fear most when out on vacation?
Traffic!
But he didn’t have to be!