Chapter 71: The Artistic Young Woman

When Li Dong returned to the dormitory, Li Tie and the others had not come back yet.

Taking advantage of the quiet, Li Dong began to pack up his things, preparing to move out the next day.

About half an hour later, there was a commotion in the hallway.

Then Xu Chen and a few others entered, looking exhausted.

"Dong Ge, you're so wise! If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have gone either!" 

Meng Qiping started complaining as soon as he walked in, saying he didn't enjoy the trip, didn't have fun, and was exhausted from sitting on the bus and climbing mountains. He almost couldn't make it back.

Xu Chen also added, "Exactly! I said I wasn't going, but the monitor insisted I go. The lunch cost over ten yuan, what a waste."

Li Tie, who was about to go get water, snorted and said, "Did I force you to go? Who was the one who decided to go early in the morning?"

"Wasn't it all for you? If you hadn't said you wouldn't go without covering the cost, would I have gone to that crappy place?"

Seeing the two about to argue again, Li Dong interrupted, "Have you all had dinner?"

"No, just got off the bus, didn't have time to eat," Meng Qiping said, rubbing his stomach and feeling too hungry to react.

"Then get ready. I'm treating tonight," Li Dong said.

"Wow, Dong Ge, treating us? Have you struck it rich?" Xu Chen, forgetting about the argument with Li Tie, jokingly teased.

Li Dong smiled but didn't respond. This dinner was probably a farewell meal.

He had initially wanted to relive dorm life, but with these guys constantly causing trouble, Li Dong decided it was better to move out.

Seeing Xu Chen and Meng Qiping still asking why he was treating, Li Dong snapped, "Just tell me if you're going or not. No need for so much talk!"

"Of course, we're going! Why not enjoy a free meal? Wait for me; I'll wash my face and be right there," Xu Chen said and hurried out with a washbasin.

The others had no objections either. Meng Qiping asked with a grin, "Dong Ge, can I bring my family along?"

Li Dong rolled his eyes and said casually, "If you don't mind upsetting the singles, bringing your family is fine. Just afraid you'll come back sideways later."

Meng Qiping pondered and reluctantly said, "Forget it. I'm afraid they'll get jealous and eat me up."

...

During dinner, the atmosphere was pleasant at first.

When everyone learned that Li Dong had rented a place outside and would be moving out the next day, the mood became a bit subdued.

Meng Qiping poured himself a drink and asked, "Dong Ge, is it because of your wife?"

Li Dong shook his head. Seeing Meng Qiping's reaction, he was asked, "Then why are you moving out?"

As everyone looked at him, Li Dong smiled and said, "No particular reason. Mainly because I have things to do outside, and sometimes I come back late at night. It's inconvenient to stay in the dormitory."

Hearing this, everyone stopped pressing further.

However, they weren't fools and guessed that the real reason might be discord with the dorm mates, which was why Li Dong was moving out.

Everyone kept this guess to themselves and continued to pour drinks for Li Dong, with Li Tie being the most vigorous, pouring three or four glasses in a row.

Li Dong only stopped when he refused the glass.

That night, everyone drank quite a lot, and there were bottles strewn all over the floor.

When they left the restaurant, all six of them were almost drunk.

...

The next day, Li Dong woke up around nine o'clock.

Even so, he was the earliest to get up. The others were still dreaming away.

Li Dong got up, washed up, and continued packing.

There wasn't much to pack. Besides clothes and books, he had hardly touched anything else.

He packed his blankets, locked them in a cabinet, in case he needed to come back for a night or two.

After packing everything, the others woke up.

Meng Qiping got out of bed, washed up briefly, dressed, and said, "Dong Ge, let me take you. I'll help you with directions too."

Li Dong was about to refuse but, seeing Meng Qiping's earnest offer, hesitated before agreeing, "Alright, let's go."

Seeing this, Xu Chen and Zhang Hao also said they would accompany Li Dong. Li Dong waved his hand, "There isn't much stuff. It's enough with Fatty. You guys continue to sleep."

Since the items were indeed few, they didn't insist further.

They reminded Li Dong to visit the dormitory often.

Li Dong smiled and nodded, pointing at the bed, "This is mine. Keep it for me. Maybe I'll move back someday."

Everyone responded with smiles, repeatedly assuring him that the bed was his, and no one would occupy it.

...

As Li Dong and Meng Qiping were dragging their luggage downstairs, they ran into Cheng Nan, who was looking for Meng Qiping.

Seeing the two with their suitcases, Cheng Nan asked curiously, "Fatty, Li Dong, where are you going?"

"Dong Ge rented a place outside, and I'm helping him move," Meng Qiping quickly explained.

Cheng Nan chuckled, "Li Dong, it looks like you're setting up a love nest. The first semester isn't even over, and you're moving out already."

Li Dong's face darkened. No wonder he and Fatty got along so well—they had the same way of talking.

Ignoring her, Li Dong said to Meng Qiping, "Fatty, you stay with your family. I can manage with this stuff by myself."

Meng Qiping was adamant about accompanying Li Dong.

Li Dong had no choice, and then Cheng Nan insisted on coming along too, making Li Dong even more helpless.

Unable to refuse the enthusiastic help, Li Dong had no choice but to accept.

So, the group of two became three. On the way, Cheng Nan kept chattering, asking Li Dong who he was seeing and whether it was a girl from their class.

Li Dong was speechless. Was moving out really about who he was seeing? What kind of logic was that? What are these young girls thinking these days?

It wasn't until they arrived at Wanyuan Community that Cheng Nan stopped her questioning.

Then she excitedly said, "Li Dong, you're quite the secretive one! Didn't expect you to be a wealthy guy."

Wanyuan Community looked quite upscale, and renting here definitely wouldn't be cheap.

Li Dong didn't respond, and Meng Qiping remained silent. He knew well that Li Dong wasn't short of money, and renting a better place was nothing.

A few minutes later, Li Dong opened the door to 2603.

As soon as Cheng Nan entered, she exclaimed, "So beautiful! I love it!"

She rushed to the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing outside and said dreamily, "Standing here, I suddenly think of a saying."

"What saying?" Fatty quickly asked, playing along.

"Watching the flowers bloom and wither in the courtyard, following the clouds rolling in and out of the sky."

As soon as Cheng Nan finished, Li Dong laughed, "I didn't expect you to be an artistic young woman. There aren't even any clouds in the sky, what clouds rolling in and out?"

Cheng Nan was taken aback and then retorted angrily, "Can't you wait until I finish my fantasy before commenting? How unromantic!"

"Hehe, if you want romance, you can ask your Fatty. He's the expert in romance," Li Dong chuckled.

Meng Qiping quickly added, "Yes, I'm very romantic…"

"Idiot!" Cheng Nan was irritated by Fatty's cluelessness and shot him a fierce look.

Meng Qiping grinned foolishly and leaned in close to Cheng Nan, "If you like it, we can also rent a place like this."

Cheng Nan was initially tempted but then retorted, "Why waste money? We're not rich. Better to spend it on good food."

Speaking of good food, Fatty immediately got interested and started flattering Cheng Nan.

As the two were chatting happily, Li Dong called out, "If you have time to talk romance, why not help me pack?"

Meng Qiping and Cheng Nan both cursed under their breath. Single people are the worst!