Chapter 72: A New Dormitory, New Roommates

Chapter 72: New Dormitory, New Roommates

Ye Qiong and Wang Ying could only watch as their homeroom teacher and Zhang Shen acted out a scene reminiscent of a "tomboy" roughing up a boy who was completely powerless to resist.

Hao Lei finally managed to drag Zhang Shen out and shouted, "Zhang Shen, what nonsense are you spouting in front of these two? You keep confessing things—did you tell them about me?"

Zhang Shen looked completely baffled by Hao Lei's question.

He thought to himself, “Why is she bringing this up now? I was only trying to do a good deed, so why is Hao Lei overthinking it?”

Seeing Zhang Shen lower his head in thought, Hao Lei barked at him again, "I'm asking you a question! Say something!"

At that moment, not only did Zhang Shen hear her, but he also caught a rather nosebleed-inducing sight.

“Wow, that's amazing!”

Zhang Shen watched as Hao Lei's chest heaved up and down with her rapid breathing, presenting a tantalizing sight of spring. Unfortunately, that beauty was still tightly guarded—otherwise, he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't be tempted.

Sensing the hint of impropriety in Zhang Shen's gaze, Hao Lei took a few steps back, then softened her tone just a little. "Next time, don't talk about that in front of a crowd."

Though Hao Lei was grateful to Zhang Shen for treating her, that didn't give him license to take liberties with her.

“Mm-hmm.”

Clearly, Zhang Shen hadn't yet torn his gaze away from that alluring view, and his response was perfunctory at best.

Annoyed, Hao Lei stepped forward and smacked him on the head. "Stop staring. I'll take you to your dorm."

Observing from up close certainly had its perks, but getting smacked hurt plenty too. Zhang Shen quickly came to his senses and silently recited, "See no evil."

Hao Lei found it amusing—men truly were all the same, hopelessly smitten by beauty.

When they reached the base of the boys’ dormitory, Hao Lei pointed to the building in front of them. "From now on, you'll live here."

"This is the boys’ dorm?" Zhang Shen asked.

"Of course. Is there some kind of problem?" Hao Lei thought he might be concerned about the conditions, but his next question caught her completely off guard.

"So where's the girls’ dorm?"

Hao Lei thought to herself, “What a little rascal. But it’s only natural—after all, everyone was young and naïve once.”

"Why do you want to know?" she asked, deliberately not following his lead.

"I'm just asking. If classmates need help in the future, wouldn't it be convenient?"

Hao Lei knew he was just making excuses. It was clear he wanted to find Ye Qiong and Wang Ying, but insisted on coming up with some far-fetched reason.

As Hao Lei hesitated over whether to tell him or not, a man in his thirties emerged from the dormitory.

"Ms. Hao, you’re here. Sorry, something came up upstairs and I’m late."

The male teacher’s voice trembled a bit when he saw Hao Lei.

"Mr. Lu, it’s no trouble. We just arrived ourselves," Hao Lei replied quickly.

After a brief exchange, Hao Lei introduced Zhang Shen. "Mr. Lu, this is the student I mentioned—Zhang Shen. Would you help him find his dorm? I’m not supposed to enter the boys’ dormitory."

Mr. Lu nodded. "So this is Zhang Shen. He’s become quite a celebrity at our school, though I didn’t expect him to look so refined."

Hao Lei knew he was being complimentary, but as Zhang Shen’s homeroom teacher, she felt obliged to answer in kind. "You flatter him, Mr. Lu. He’s nowhere near as sturdy as you, our PE teacher."

Then she introduced Lu Ming to Zhang Shen. "This is your PE teacher, Lu Ming. He’s also the dorm supervisor for this building. If you need anything, just find him."

Zhang Shen, polite as ever, greeted him. "Hello, teacher."

Lu Ming was instantly taken with Zhang Shen’s well-mannered ways—especially since Hao Lei had brought him in personally.

Seeing that she’d handed Zhang Shen over, Hao Lei felt her task was complete. "Mr. Lu, I’ll leave him to you. I have class this afternoon, so I’ll head back now."

Lu Ming had hoped to chat with Hao Lei a bit longer, but she’d already turned to leave. Realizing he’d missed his chance again, he felt a twinge of disappointment.

Zhang Shen noticed the subtle undercurrent, but as it was his first encounter with Lu Ming, he thought it best not to mention anything. After thinking a moment, he spoke. "Mr. Lu, can we head to the dorm?"

Lu Ming suddenly remembered the young man by his side. "Of course, I’ll take you up."

To Lu Ming, Zhang Shen was just another student—at least until last night’s incident, which had made Zhang Shen’s name the talk of the teachers’ lounge. Everyone wanted to know what kind of person could stir up so much attention in just a couple of days.

Now that Lu Ming finally met the legendary Zhang Shen, he found him quite different from what he’d imagined. He’d expected someone tough and burly, certainly not so slender and delicate.

Zhang Shen paid no mind to Lu Ming’s musings. All he wanted now was to get some sleep, then visit Wang Ying’s house for dumplings that evening.

At the door of Dorm 602, Lu Ming knocked.

After a few knocks, a chubby boy opened the door.

"Mr. Lu, what brings you here?"

"Why shouldn’t I be here? Have you been sneaking snacks again, Fatty?"

"No... I haven’t."

Lu Ming turned to Zhang Shen. "This is your dorm. This chubby fellow is Meng Ran, your roommate and classmate."

"We’re in the same class?" Zhang Shen thought he’d never seen this guy before.

"Mr. Lu, is this...?" Meng Ran was visibly excited the moment he saw Zhang Shen. He could hardly believe he’d be living under the same roof as the "legendary figure."

"Isn’t it obvious? You’re roommates from now on."

"Really? That’s great!"

Lu Ming nodded, though inwardly he thought, "It’s not as if you’re moving in with a girl. What’s he so happy about? I’ll never understand this chubby kid. All he thinks about is food."

With that thought, Lu Ming gave a silent shake of his head.