Chapter 73: Instantly Transformed into a Warmhearted Man

“All right, then. You two go ahead and get familiar with things. I’ll be going now.”
“Take care, sir!”
Zhen Shi, as natural as ever and equally polite, called out to Lu Ming.

As soon as Lu Ming left, Meng Ran sprang to life, immediately rummaging through his drawer and pulling out snacks for Zhang Shen.
“Bro, let me treat you to something.”
Zhang Shen was a bit puzzled upon hearing this—how had he suddenly become “bro” for no apparent reason?

Looking at Meng Ran’s chubby, almost ball-like figure, Zhang Shen could tell in an instant: this was clearly the result of an excessive intake of sugar. Still, seeing how enthusiastic the chubby fellow was, Zhang Shen didn’t have the heart to refuse, so he accepted a packet of snacks.
“It’s best if you don’t eat too much of this.”
“You’re right, bro. I promise, I’ll quit for good from now on.”

Hearing this, Zhang Shen just shook his head. In his eyes, he was certainly not the first to hear this promise, but he had every reason to believe he wouldn’t be the last, either.
“Let’s get some sleep. We’ve got class this afternoon.”

With that, Zhang Shen took off his clothes, getting ready for bed. Meng Ran still had a bellyful of questions he wanted to discuss with Zhang Shen, but seeing the other already preparing to sleep, he had no choice but to give up for now.

While Zhang Shen was deep in sleep, a series of sounds drifted to his ears.
Groggy, Zhang Shen opened his eyes to find Meng Ran standing by his bed, giving the just-awakened Zhang Shen quite a start.
“What do you want?”
“Bro, it’s time to get up for class.”
Zhang Shen glanced at his phone—sure enough, it was already two o’clock.
“Right, class.”

He hurriedly got dressed and headed to the classroom with Meng Ran. Only then did Zhang Shen realize that Meng Ran’s seat was right next to his own. No wonder Lu Ming had said Meng Ran was in his class.

Soon, more students trickled into the classroom. Wang Ying and Ye Qiong arrived together.
Once seated, Wang Ying asked curiously, “Who’s your roommate?”
“Guess.”
Wang Ying was forthright, replying honestly, “No idea.”

“How boring!”
Zhang Shen had planned to tease Wang Ying with this, but the girl wouldn’t play along, leaving him a bit deflated.
“It’s him.”
Zhang Shen then pointed at Meng Ran beside him.
“Him?”
Wang Ying hadn’t expected Meng Ran to be Zhang Shen’s roommate. Meng Ran’s appetite was the stuff of legends.

The three afternoon classes passed quickly. When Hao Lei’s class ended, the four who had made plans at noon each went their separate ways. Apart from Hao Lei, who returned to her office, the other three headed back to their dorms to prepare. On one side, Ye Qiong and Wang Ying began to touch up their makeup, while Zhang Shen went back to his room just to wait for their call.

Before long, Meng Ran returned as well. Seeing Zhang Shen sitting idly on his bed, scrolling through his phone with nothing to do, he walked over.
“Bro, let me buy you dinner tonight. I have something to talk to you about.”
“What’s up?”
“I heard people say your medical skills are amazing, and that you even drove off that jerk Tong Wei.”
“That? There's nothing much to say, just some old, trivial matters—hardly worth mentioning.”
Of course, Zhang Shen didn’t know that, in the eyes of ordinary people like Meng Ran, these feats were nearly miraculous.

“Ding-ding!”
Just then, Zhang Shen’s phone chimed with a new message. Wang Ying and the others were ready and told him he could head out.
After reading the message, Zhang Shen said to Meng Ran, “I’ve got plans tonight, so I can’t join you. How about tomorrow?”
With that, Zhang Shen headed out to the school gate. From afar, he could see three young, beautiful women standing there.

As soon as he approached, Ye Qiong lashed out at him.
“Zhang Shen, why are you so slow? How could you make us girls wait for you? Don’t you have any sense to cherish ladies?”

Zhang Shen was baffled by Ye Qiong’s unprovoked outburst.
“Come on, Ye, the message just came—how’s that my fault?”
“I’m not the one who sent the message, so how would I know when it was sent?”

Wang Ying, knowing full well Ye Qiong was just picking a fight, took advantage of a moment when Ye Qiong wasn’t paying attention and pinched her arm hard.

“Ow!”
Ye Qiong yelped in pain, then turned to retaliate against Wang Ying. But before her “eagle claws” could take effect, someone called out, “Miss Hao, are you going out?”

Everyone turned to see that it was Lu Ming.
“Yes, Mr. Lu. Wang Ying invited us out for dumplings, so we’re going out tonight.”
“Oh, is that so? Why don’t I give you all a lift? I happen to have some errands to run.”

Hao Lei understood Lu Ming’s intentions, but getting into his car could easily be misconstrued. Still, with her three students by her side, there was nothing to worry about. After all, they all belonged to the same school—it wasn’t as if she could refuse him.

“Thank you, Mr. Lu.”
“All right, wait here a moment while I get the car.”

Once Lu Ming left, Zhang Shen and the others exchanged glances at Hao Lei, their eyes carrying a hint of mischief. Finally, bold Ye Qiong spoke up, “Miss Hao, do you think Mr. Lu is making a move on you?”
Hao Lei immediately responded, “Ye Qiong, since when did you start teasing your teacher?”

As for Lu Ming, Hao Lei was well aware of his feelings. However, her own family was nothing special—her parents were farmers, while Lu Ming’s was prosperous; rumor had it his father was a high-ranking official in Yuehu City. Though she knew Lu Ming liked her, such a mismatch in status meant she dared not entertain any thoughts.

“I wouldn’t be so sure.”
“What do you think, Zhang Shen?”
Ye Qiong, ever the gossip, sided with Zhang Shen this time.
“Look, Miss Hao didn’t refuse Mr. Lu’s offer, which means she’s not opposed to him. Isn’t that obvious?”

Hao Lei hadn’t expected these clever students to analyze things so insightfully.
Soon, Lu Ming pulled up in his rugged SUV beside Hao Lei. Zhang Shen and the others, knowing their place, climbed into the back seats, leaving the front passenger spot for Hao Lei. As soon as the car stopped, Lu Ming hurried over, opened the door for Hao Lei, and reminded her not to dirty her skirt as she got in.

To Zhang Shen and the rest, it seemed that this seemingly tough Mr. Lu was actually quite considerate when it came to looking after girls.