Chapter 13: The Liar Chen Hansheng

Xiao Rongyu wished so much that Chen Hansheng would throw away the piece of paper with a phone number on it. Unfortunately, he pocketed it instead. In that instant, Xiao Rongyu felt as if she was losing Chen Hansheng, even though she had never truly had him and had even rejected him before.

Xu Zhixi was humming happily in the dorm, while the other roommates were busy with their own tasks. Chen Hansheng had already left, and the room was full of packages that needed sorting. Suddenly, Xiao Rongyu felt very sad and homesick. She picked up her phone, intending to call her father, but eventually held back.

Just moments ago, reality had given Xiao Rongyu, who had grown up in a sheltered environment, a harsh lesson. At Gangcheng No. 1 High School, she was everyone's goddess, but in the dormitory at Donghai University, she was starting from zero.

Right then, Chen Hansheng's voice suddenly echoed from the doorway, "Xiao Rongyu, could you come down for a moment to vouch for me? The dorm warden won't let me out otherwise."

Xiao Rongyu sniffed and stood up. She didn't want the "heartless" Chen Hansheng to see her true feelings. 

"Let's go," Xiao Rongyu said coldly.

Chen Hansheng led her to the corner of the second-floor landing and looked at her thoughtfully. 

"What do you want?" Xiao Rongyu avoided eye contact with him.

"University dorm life is more complicated than high school dorms. You have to be careful with your words and actions," Chen Hansheng said.

Xiao Rongyu had already clashed with her roommates, which would make her university life more difficult, although the main reason was Chen Hansheng's flirtatious behavior. 

"If you have any problems, just come to me," Chen Hansheng added sincerely.

Hearing the concern in Chen Hansheng's words, Xiao Rongyu felt a slight flutter in her heart. But remembering how he had just been joking and laughing with another girl while ignoring her, she still felt very hurt.

"Got it, now go," Xiao Rongyu said, turning around and pretending to urge him.

In a completely unfamiliar environment, far from home and already feeling wronged, Xiao Rongyu really wanted to spend more time with the roguish Chen Hansheng.

Chen Hansheng watched her slender figure and thought, *In both this life and the last, I've loved Xiao Rongyu for a total of six years.* In a way, Xiao Rongyu represented his entire youth. Even though he had changed his mindset after being reborn, he couldn't completely ignore her. That's why he came back to remind her.

"We're fellow townspeople, so we should look out for each other. Besides, if I had succeeded in confessing that night, you'd be my girlfriend, and I should take care of you more," Chen Hansheng said earnestly.

Xiao Rongyu was touched by his words and couldn't hold back her tears. 

"And yet you keep making me sad. I didn't cry more than twice in three years at Gangcheng, but today, you've made me cry twice in one day," Xiao Rongyu said, sobbing bitterly. She was trying to vent all her frustrations, homesickness, and feelings of abandonment but had to keep her voice down to avoid being overheard. 

Pretty girls even cry beautifully. Xiao Rongyu's long eyelashes were covered with tears, making her look as delicate as a lotus emerging from water. The tears seemed to linger on her fair skin, reluctant to fall.

"And you even kept another girl's phone number," she added impulsively.

Xiao Rongyu knew it was irrational; she had no claim over Chen Hansheng and he could keep any number he wanted. Yet Chen Hansheng turned his pocket inside out to show her: "I threw it away earlier."

Xiao Rongyu glanced at his pocket and, seeing it was empty, felt a little more at ease.

"Remember, try to be more accommodating in the dorm," Chen Hansheng reminded her again.

Xiao Rongyu nodded in acknowledgment.

"Alright, I'm leaving now. Head back upstairs," Chen Hansheng said.

Xiao Rongyu hesitated for a moment, then asked shyly, "Weren't you asking me to escort you out?"

Chen Hansheng chuckled. "I just needed an excuse to get you out of there. The girls' dorm is as chaotic as a market now, so you can come and go as you please."

"Chen Hansheng, you're such a liar," Xiao Rongyu said, her voice muffled.

Chen Hansheng reached out, intending to wipe away her tears. Xiao Rongyu instinctively wanted to pull back but hesitated. In the end, she stood still, feeling the warmth of his fingers on her skin.

Neither said anything as they parted, one going up and the other heading down.

After leaving the girls' dorm, Chen Hansheng took out a piece of paper from his shirt pocket—it was the one Xu Zhixi had just given him.

This scoundrel had lied to Xiao Rongyu again.

...

The School of Finance's campus was much smaller than Donghai University's, so Chen Hansheng didn't need directions and found his way to the student activity center for new student registration.

He first queued at the payment counter to pay his fees. This place, like a hospital, reflected the ups and downs of life. Parents' eyes showed not only pride that their children had been admitted to university but also the pain of parting with thousands of yuan in tuition fees.

After paying, Chen Hansheng took his receipt and went to register at the Public Administration Class 2 table.

There were two desks at the registration spot, with a middle-aged man and a college-aged girl seated behind them.

"Are you in Public Administration Class 2?" the girl asked.

"I'm Chen Hansheng, from Public Administration Class 2," he replied with a smile.

The saying goes, people don't hit a smiling face. Chen Hansheng wasn't unattractive, tall, and robust despite being tanned from farm work. He radiated health and energy.

"I'm Hu Linyu, also a new student. We'll be classmates," the girl said warmly.

Chen Hansheng already knew of Hu Linyu. If events played out as they did before, she would be the class president for four years and later become a civil servant through a special selection process.

Hu Linyu's looks were ordinary. In a school like the School of Finance, she was the type to blend into the crowd. However, she was proactive, with short, ear-length hair and a fast-talking, efficient demeanor.

"This is our instructor, Mr. Guo Zhongyun," she said, introducing the man beside her.

Chen Hansheng thought to himself, *Old Guo, better not get too familiar later.*

Guo Zhongyun wore gold-rimmed glasses and was still in the phase of observing his new students. He greeted Chen Hansheng with a smile and handed him some registration forms. "Fill out your personal information, and I'll assign you a dorm."

While Chen Hansheng was filling out the forms, Hu Linyu asked curiously, "Didn't your parents come with you?"

"No, I came by myself," Chen Hansheng replied.

"That's impressive. You and one other girl are the only ones in the class who came alone. It's really admirable," Hu Linyu praised sincerely.

Hu Linyu was unaware of how this comment might affect the nearby parents, who had accompanied their children to register. They looked up at Chen Hansheng and Hu Linyu with a mix of embarrassment.

Chen Hansheng, unaffected, said, "It's not impressive at all. My parents had their tickets booked for Jianye, but an emergency back home delayed them."

Hu Linyu was taken aback, not catching Chen Hansheng's intention, but the other students looked more at ease.

Instructor Guo Zhongyun glanced at Chen Hansheng but said nothing.

After completing the paperwork, Chen Hansheng officially became a university student. He said goodbye to Hu Linyu and left.

Back then, Hu Linyu had great prospects as a specially chosen civil servant. However, her straightforward personality led to struggles within the system, and she eventually resigned voluntarily.

The world is full of diligent people who give their all but don't always see the results they expect. If they took a moment to look up from their busy lives, observe, think, broaden their perspectives, and absorb feedback from their surroundings, their lives could potentially be even more successful.