"I'm moving out."
Liu Dan dropped the news casually during lunch with Xiaopang and the others.
"What?! You're moving out?"
All three of them shouted in unison, loud enough to draw curious stares from nearby tables.
Rolling his eyes, Liu Dan sighed. "Guys, chill. This is the cafeteria, not a fish market."
They looked around awkwardly, then chuckled sheepishly.
Gao Wei leaned forward, his expression suddenly serious. "You've really made up your mind?"
Liu Dan nodded. "You all know I work at the bar. By the time I get off, the dorm gates are locked. Staying on campus just isn't practical anymore."
The others couldn't argue. Unlike them, Liu Dan didn't have parents paying his tuition or covering his expenses. He supported himself entirely—and that was something they deeply respected.
"When's the move? Say the word, and we're there to help," said Xiaopang, always the most grounded of the group.
Liu Dan smiled. "No need. You guys know I don't have much. As soon as I find a place, packing will be easy."
Despite his light tone, there was a hint of reluctance in his voice. After spending over a month with these guys, parting ways wasn't easy.
The rest of the meal passed with a subtle undercurrent of farewell.
That afternoon marked their first computer science class of the semester. The instructor? A fresh graduate from Xinhua University—barely a year out—and, according to certain well-informed sources, a four-time reigning campus beauty queen.
Naturally, Gao Wei and Zhang Tian were among those "informed sources." In fact, they'd even joined the so-called "News Club," a glorified gossip mill masquerading as a student organization.
"Boss," Gao Wei whispered excitedly, "brace yourself. This is the real deal. The goddess of Xinhua herself. One look and you'll forget what air tastes like."
"Absolutely," Zhang Tian added, grinning. "He didn't eat for three days after seeing her photo. Poor guy nearly wasted away for love."
Gao Wei shot back, "Please. Wasn't it you who queued for six hours to snag a blurry photo of her at graduation?"
And so their daily bickering resumed—an ongoing sitcom the whole dorm had grown used to.
Fortunately, their nonsense came to an abrupt halt as the classroom door opened.
And she stepped in.
The room fell silent. Every eye turned. Every breath held.
And she lived up to the hype.
Even Liu Dan, who had already met women like Huang Jing and FengQin, felt something shift in the air. The new teacher wasn't just beautiful—she radiated elegance, a quiet grace that seemed untouched by the world. Hers was a beauty to be admired from afar, not approached lightly.
She walked calmly to the podium and smiled, her voice clear and composed.
"Good afternoon, everyone. I'm your computer science instructor for this semester. My name is Zhou Qianru. You can call me Teacher Zhou—or Senior Zhou, since I graduated from Xinhua just this past year."
Her warm, unpretentious tone instantly won over the class—boys and girls alike.
"Good afternoon, Teacher Zhou!" they shouted in unison.
A passing school administrator nearly jumped at the collective cheer. Muttering darkly, he vowed, If I find out which class did that, someone's going down.
Whether he ever did remains unknown.
As class began, Zhou Qianru quickly proved she wasn't just a pretty face. Her explanations were crisp, engaging, and seamlessly linked textbook theory with current tech developments. Even Liu Dan found himself genuinely interested.
What puzzled him, though, was the way she kept glancing in his direction—subtle, almost imperceptible, but frequent enough to be noticeable.
Naturally, the ever-observant Gao Wei and Zhang Tian couldn't resist.
"Dude," Gao Wei whispered, "she's totally checking me out."
"In your dreams," Zhang Tian snorted. "She's clearly enchanted by my manly aura."
Liu Dan rolled his eyes and ignored them both.
Later that day, Liu Dan returned to the bar.
"Sis Qin, I'm here," he called as he entered the office.
Feng Qin, who had been gazing out the window, turned and gently touched his ear.
"Hmm. Looks good. No inflammation."
Grinning, Liu Dan replied, "You expected anything less? I'm built different."
"Oh, hush. Just a cheeky little brat," she teased, unable to resist poking fun at his puffed-up pride.
"I'm not a brat," he protested. "I'm the boss of my dorm, you know."
"All right, all right. Save the bravado. I found you a place to stay."
Liu Dan's eyes lit up. "Seriously? That's amazing! I was just wondering where I'd sleep tonight."
"It's close to campus," she said, clearly pleased with herself.
"I trust your taste completely, sis Qin!" he replied quickly. He wasn't dumb—his dad had drilled it into him: never, ever upset a beautiful woman. And his mother had proven that rule ironclad.
"Guess where it is," she said, lips curved in a teasing smile.
"Where?"
"It's the same place you stayed last night."
Liu Dan froze, stunned.
FengQin laughed. "What's wrong? Don't like the place? Or is my apartment too humble for you?"
"No, no, not at all!" Liu Dan scrambled to recover. "I'm just… surprised. Seriously, I don't know how to repay you."
"Well…" Her smile turned sly. "You can cook."
Ah. So that was it—she wanted his kitchen skills.
Seeing the look in his eyes, FengQin added, "My housemate wasn't thrilled about the idea at first. But when I told her you're a great cook, she agreed to let you move in. So don't embarrass me."
"What about you, sis Qin? You didn't want me to move in?"
Her cheeks flushed. She reached over and pinched his side. "You little rascal."
"Okay, okay, I give up!" he laughed.
"You're off tonight. Go pack up your things and move in. I already talked to Master Liu. No need to worry."
Grateful, Liu Dan nodded. "Thanks, Qin. You're the best."
She handed him the key. "I won't go with you—you can handle it."
Liu Dan returned to the dorm, gathered his belongings, and headed to the apartment.
Just as he was unlocking the door, it swung open from the inside.
"sis Jing (Huang Jing) ?!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
Huang Jing looked just as surprised. "This is my home. Where else would I be?"
Realization struck him. "Wait… you're the housemate sis Qin mentioned?"
"'Housemate'? Try Senior Sister," she corrected, then stepped aside. "Come on in. Don't just stand there like a statue with all your junk. You've already gone full dumb-dumb, and it's only been a few days."
"Yes, ma'am!" Liu Dan saluted and zipped inside with alarming speed.
Huang Jing slammed the door behind him. "Let's see you escape now."
Inside, Liu Dan suddenly felt a chill.
"Need a hand, dummy?" Huang Jing called from the doorway.
"No need, Jing. I've got this." Liu Dan was fumbling with his luggage.
Despite herself, Huang Jing joined him, folding clothes with practiced efficiency. She'd always enjoyed teasing him—but helping him felt… natural.
Together, they soon had everything in place.
"Qin says you're a decent cook," she said as they sat in the small living room.
"I studied for a few years," Liu Dan said modestly.
"Lucky us, then."
For all their talents, both Fengqin and Huang Jing were utterly hopeless in the kitchen. Takeout and cafeteria food had been their survival plan—until Liu Dan came along.
When he asked FengQin for help finding a place, she'd remembered his cooking and pitched the idea to Huang Jing. After a bit of negotiation, they'd agreed: having a live-in chef wasn't such a bad deal.
What they hadn't expected was that Huang Jing and Liu Dan already knew each other.
Funny how fate works.
Or, to put it another way—why let good talent go to waste?