Chapter Ten: Where in Life Do We Not Meet

  It was just so strange that before the night she had a run-in with Chen Xiao Zheng, Zheng Wei had never heard of him or noticed his existence. Of course, maybe he had passed by her side countless times, and someone had mentioned his name in front of her intentionally or unintentionally, but at that time, this person and his name meant nothing to Zheng Wei, so she didn't notice. However, when she started paying attention to this guy, she found out that he was everywhere. The architecture department and the civil engineering department were in the same college, with a close relationship, and they were even in the same teaching building, it was like "look up and see him, look down and see him". Zheng Wei was also surprised to find out that this guy had some fame, many people in the school had heard of him, no wonder he was the top student last year with high scores, his grades were pretty good, and he had won awards in architectural model design competitions and so on. It was similar to what Ruan Ruan had said, even the old professor of engineering graphics had mentioned him in class with a tone of pride, as if he was a proud student. Even at the dormitory meeting, she had heard his name from Li Wei Juan's mouth, which made Li Wei Juan, who was always arrogant, quite envious. Zheng Wei thought that people were indeed grouped together by their kind, and Li Wei Juan, being such a hypocrite, should be in the same group as that bad egg. So when Li Wei Juan praised Chen Xiao Zheng, she felt extremely disgusted and snorted at her. Of course, Li Wei Juan said that Zheng Wei was biased against others, and strongly defended her ideal student model, but Zheng Wei didn't argue with her. One day, while walking around the school with Ruan Ruan, they happened to stop in front of a bulletin board, where the list of "three good students" from the previous year was posted, along with their photos. The face that she despised was also on the list.

  Zheng Wei said at the time: "Damn it, how can this guy be seen everywhere, it's like a ghost that won't disperse."

  Ruan Ruan said, "Others are originally like that, if you pay attention with your heart, naturally his shadow will be everywhere."

  Zheng Wei glared at the expressionless face through the glass window and waved his fist, "Still talking about being well-rounded in both moral character and scholarship? Forget about the scholarship, that moral character is simply not up to par."

  Ruan Ruan knew that advising was useless, so she ignored it. After a few days, she unintentionally passed by the window again and found that only Chen Xiaozheng's photo had two strokes of eight-character beard, and she couldn't help but feel both angry and amused.

  Zheng Wei didn't know why she felt such strong dislike towards that guy named Chen Xiao Zheng, every time she saw him, it was as if the entire universe was ablaze. The incident at Old Zhang's dormitory was indeed the root of her dissatisfaction with him, but his subsequent displays of disdain, disgust and coldness were what made her loathe him even more.

  She had always believed in the principle of "know yourself, know your enemy, and win every battle." It didn't take long for her to dig up all the details about Chen Xiao Zheng. According to Old Zhang and other informants, Chen Xiao Zheng was a local, from a medium-sized industrial city not far from G City. He had no siblings, and she automatically ignored the descriptions of his academic achievements. She only remembered that Old Zhang said Chen Xiao Zheng was an extremely low-key person who wasn't difficult to get along with, but he was also somewhat introverted and didn't like to socialize. As a result, he didn't have many close friends in school, and most of the time, he went about his daily routine alone. He wasn't interested in participating in classmate or dormitory activities, and he rarely expressed his opinions. He was meticulous about cleanliness, had a mild case of mysophobia, and his bed and surrounding area were the only spotless places in the entire dormitory. His habit of washing and drying his clothes every day had become legendary among his roommates, but what they found unbearable was that he strongly disliked anyone smoking in the dormitory. Whenever someone lit up, he would either try to dissuade them or open all the doors and windows, regardless of whether there were classes or not, or if it was a weekend. He would always get up at dawn, wash up, make his bed, sweep the floor, and do his morning exercises. Although the sleepyheads who got woken up by him weren't pleased, they eventually got used to it over time.

  Although he is difficult to get along with and has high standards, his grades are excellent, and his notes are renowned for being meticulous and well-organized. They are usually the model that the lazy students in class copy from, and his homework is naturally the most popular reference material. Whenever there are experiments or design projects that require grouping, everyone wants to be paired with him, not only because it's a guarantee of success but also because he takes care of the reports, so you don't have to worry about them. As for the final exams, people who sit near him almost need to draw lots to determine their seating arrangement. Under the influence of these powerful advantages, his relationships with others are not too bad after all.

  After understanding all this, Zheng Wei deeply felt that this person had all the conditions of a psychological abnormality. Weren't Hitler and Dr. Hannibal from "The Silence of the Lambs" also this type? She couldn't stand people who were hypocritical and truly abnormal, so after Liang Zi Jie's incident, whenever his shadow appeared in her line of sight, her body hair would automatically stand up, immediately entering a state of combat readiness. Facing her provocations and unreasonable behavior, Chen Xiao Zheng initially still retorted with a few sentences, but as time went on, he found it exhausting, so he simply avoided her whenever possible. If he really couldn't avoid her, he could only face her coldly. One time, when he was truly fed up, he said in exasperation, "Zheng Wei, aren't you tired of being like this? Or should I let you win and consider the matter settled?" Zheng Wei laughed loudly, feeling triumphant, and for several days afterwards, she hummed songs as she walked, her mood exceptionally good.

  Ruan Ruan said, "Chen Xiao Zheng also met you and it's quite unlucky for him. Someone like him is willing to say such things, so stop bothering him."

  Zheng Wei had no intention of giving in, and in her opinion, not getting along with Chen Xiao Zheng had become second nature to her. As soon as she saw him, she would start to get worked up, and in the process, she even found it quite entertaining, completely elevating it to a height of enjoyment in life. So for a period of time, the sentence she most often said in front of Ruan Ruan was: "Fighting with a pervert is endless fun."

  At lunchtime, Zheng Wei and Ruan Ruan walked together to the school's large cafeteria with their bowls, still enthusiastically discussing celebrity gossip from the latest issue of a tabloid magazine. The cafeteria was always crowded during meal times, with every window filled with hungry students. Although the school had other dining options, such as the teachers' cafeteria and small restaurants, which were slightly more expensive but offered better food, Zheng Wei usually chose to eat at the large cafeteria with Ruan Ruan. When she ate with Xu Kaiyang, they would often go to the small cafeteria, where Xu was particular about his food and would ask the chef to prepare a simple dish. Zheng Wei didn't like to take advantage of others, so even though Xu always offered to pay, she insisted on taking turns paying for their meals using their meal cards. She believed that this way, they could eat more comfortably. Zheng Wei and Ruan Ruan had also been to the small restaurant many times before, as they shared similar tastes and preferences. However, due to limited living expenses, they couldn't always afford to eat there. Sometimes, they would splurge on clothes, snacks, or books, leaving them with less money for food. Therefore, they usually ended up eating at the large cafeteria, where Zheng Wei was a familiar face to the staff, who would often give her extra portions of food. However, the long queues and crowded atmosphere could be overwhelming, and even Zheng Wei had to patiently wait in line with the other students.

  As they looked at the long queue, Zheng Wei rubbed her belly and said, "Ruan Ruan, I'm so hungry."

  Ruan Ruan also made a bitter face, "I haven't even had breakfast."

  "Alas, it's hard to eat mixed rice," Zheng Wei sighed, and in the midst of boredom, she used her spoon to tap against the bowl in her hand, softly singing the "Lotus Flower Falls" that Ruan Ruan had taught her.

  "In the past, I used to tell guests that 'the lotus flower has fallen, and the tone of the song is sometimes high and sometimes low.' When I had money, I would ride horses on the long street wearing brocade clothes, reading the Four Books and Five Classics every morning...". Her voice was not loud or soft, and the people in line in front and behind could all hear clearly. Seeing that it was a delicate little girl, they all burst out laughing. Ruan Ruan laughed so hard she had to hold her stomach, "You really have talent!" Zheng Wei also held back her laughter, singing seriously, but Ruan Ruan suddenly discovered that Zheng Wei's tone changed abruptly, from being carefree and lively to having a strong and powerful sound, even the way she tapped the bowl was full of energy. Ruan Ruan's first reaction was "Oh no, won't we run into Chen Xiao again?" She followed Zheng Wei's line of sight and looked forward, and indeed, the person wearing a white shirt, who had just finished eating and was talking to someone beside him, was none other than Chen Xiao.

  Zheng Wei only noticed the person beside Chen Xiao Zheng after he had already seen him, it was a plump and tall girl with long hair, oval face, thin eyebrows and eyes, not particularly beautiful but well-proportioned, gentle and quiet, looking quite pleasant. Chen Xiao Zheng was talking to the girl with his head down, smiling slightly, as they walked towards the cafeteria entrance, during which people squeezed in to buy food, he even carefully blocked for her once.

  Zheng Wei gritted her teeth and thought to herself, "This guy, usually so stern and cold towards her, she had thought he was born with that deadpan expression. But it turns out he can smile, and at another girl no less! He's definitely up to no good." As she thought this, she didn't stop talking, "... warning the world to remember, as a person you must stick to the right path. A woman's charm is like a knife that kills people, one moment of carelessness and you'll end up in prison, with nothing but a bamboo rod and a gourd to your name, singing the Lotus Flower Tune on the road to ruin." She finished her song through gritted teeth, but couldn't help herself, so she quickly ran a few steps to the nearest member of the school's student council, flashed him a smile, "Brother, can I borrow your armband for a sec?" The boy with the honest face hadn't even reacted before his armband and the person in front of him both disappeared from his line of sight.

  Chen Xiao Zheng and the girl had just walked to the entrance of the cafeteria when they saw a serious-looking Zheng Wei appear in front of them. He immediately felt a headache, "What do you want to do again?"

  This time, Zheng Wei's attitude was surprisingly good. She smiled and pointed to the sleeve badge on her left arm, "Classmate, I'm from the Student Union, today I want to inspect the food in the cafeteria to see if it meets the standards. How many liang of rice did you have... three liang? ... four liang? ... never mind, I'll just weigh it and know." She took Chen Xiao Zheng's bowl without asking, ran to the nearby balance scale, poured the food from the bowl onto the weighing pan, fiddled with the weights for a bit, then handed the empty bowl back to Chen Xiao Zheng, "Good, the portion is just right. Thank you for your cooperation."

  Chen Xiao Zheng did not reach out to take his own bowl, he slightly lowered his head, as if looking at his toes, and didn't know what he was thinking.

  "What's wrong, you don't want your bowl anymore? Oh... I see, otherwise I can help you put the dishes on the tray back into your bowl?" Zheng Wei said with a smile, pretending to be oblivious.

  He finally looked up at her, and only then did she notice that his face was unusually ugly. He slightly turned his head to the side, as if forcing himself to calm down, before saying to her, "Had enough fun? Was it enjoyable? I'm really thoroughly fed up. How about this: I apologize to you, consider yourself the winner, and please don't appear in front of me again."

  Haha, he finally admitted defeat, and she had won after all. But why did Zheng Wei feel not the slightest bit happy? Her heart felt as if it was being pressed down by something heavy, making her feel suffocated and on the verge of gasping for air. She didn't smile again, but instead stared at him fixedly, still holding out the bowl in front of him with a stubborn hand.

  Chen Xiao Zheng's voice and expression were equally icy, "I don't know what you're trying to do. You want to play? Many people like playing with you, but don't come bother me. I don't have as much idle time and energy as you, nor the conditions to waste a bowl of rice like you do. This is really very annoying."

  Ruan Ruan also felt that something was off, and the queue had already been dismissed. She quickly walked over, pulled her friend's sleeve, "Wei Wei, let's go get lunch..." As she looked up at Chen Xiao Zheng, she thought to herself, these two are really a match made in heaven. "Sorry, no ill intentions, or we can re-make another portion for you?"

  Chen Xiao Zheng shook his head, "I don't dare to trouble you." He coldly took back his bowl from Zheng Wei's hand and turned to the girl beside him who had been staring at him in shock, "Let's go."

  As he walked past Ruan Ruan's side, he suddenly thought of something and added a sentence, "Ruan Wan, I really can't understand why you would be friends with someone like that."

  Zheng Wei's eyes suddenly turned red, she bit her lower lip and loudly said to the back of him and that girl: "Chen Xiao Zheng, I hate you... I hate how much you hate me!" However, this second half of the sentence was forcibly swallowed back into her belly.

  Ruan Ruan didn't know what to say either, so she just grabbed her hand and said, "You said you were hungry, let's go eat quickly."

  Zheng Wei didn't know what got into her, she suddenly pushed Ruan Ruan's hand away, and stopped eating, then walked in the direction of the dormitory. Ruan Ruan chased after her, "What's wrong with you? Why are you mad at me?"

  "Don't bother with me anymore, you're in cahoots with him, I'm not worthy of being friends with you." Zheng Wei said as she walked away.

  "You also believe his nonsense?" Ruan Ruan said with a smile.

  Zheng Wei stopped at this point and looked at Ruan Ruan with a suspicious gaze, "How did he know your name? You're so familiar with him, yet you've never told me."

  Ruan let out a sigh, "I just chatted with him a few times at the language corner, that's all. We do know each other, but you dislike him so much, how can I mention this in front of you?"

  "In short, you're just cheating me. I hate it when people cheat me. You're the same as him. I won't bother with you again." Zheng Wei stormed off, walking faster and faster.

  Ruan Ruan, who had always been even-tempered, was also slightly annoyed. She didn't chase after him anymore and stood still, saying to Zheng Wei in a light tone, "Are you angry because I deceived you or are you concerned about my relationship with him? Since you dislike him, why bother being so concerned about his affairs? However, being concerned is useless, you can't control him unless... he's yours."

  Zheng Wei, who was walking in front, suddenly covered her ears and took off running. Ruan Ruan shook her head, "Zheng Wei, you big idiot!"