Chapter 10: My First Love Is Still Here

When Wang Can returned to the dormitory, Yang Shuang and Zhang Bailan were huddled around Chen Xiaobei’s desk, completely absorbed in a brand-new MacBook. On the screen, the gruesome scenes from “Prototype” cast flickering shadows across their faces, the clatter of keyboard taps blending with the character’s anguished roars.

In the seat that should have belonged to Zhang Bailan, Chen Xiaobei lounged lazily, smoke curling around him. Upon seeing Wang Can enter, he casually flicked the ash from his cigarette and pulled out a fresh Zhonghua cigarette from the pack.

“Your cousin left?” Chen Xiaobei’s voice was hoarse with tobacco.

Wang Can, who seldom smoked, took the cigarette since it was offered. Lighting it with Chen Xiaobei’s lighter, he exhaled a perfect smoke ring.

“What cousin? Where would I have a cousin?” Wang Can replied.

“You’re trying to hog all the attention, just keep pretending,” Chen Xiaobei chuckled lightly but held no serious intentions.

His “cousin” was indeed breathtaking, yet Chen Xiaobei knew his own limits. Summer Kewei’s tailored professional suit spoke of high fashion, likely bespoke, and her watch and jewelry were all expensive international brands. Beyond these obvious markers, Chen Xiaobei keenly noticed the golden-rimmed glasses perched on her nose — made by the German handcrafted brand Lotos. A single frame worth the price of a small car.

Chen Xiaobei understood that such a wealthy and beautiful woman was like a luxury item carefully displayed in a shop window: admired from afar but reaching for her would only bring humiliation.

Though Wang Can wasn’t as brand-savvy as Chen Xiaobei, he could still recognize most of the labels. But these external markers held no meaning for him—not because of his current status, but because of a profound life insight: no matter how dazzling a woman is, she should never be deified. The moment you idolize her as a “goddess,” you lose the possibility of an equal conversation.

...

The afternoon passed quickly, and that evening, the entire dormitory mobilized for the first gathering in the history of Dorm 404. Guided by Yang Shuang, they arrived at a somewhat secluded barbecue stall nearby. Amid the flickering charcoal flames, meat skewers sizzled, their aroma spreading through the night air.

A few bottles of chilled beer later, everyone loosened up and, fueled by the warm buzz, they spoke of their university goals. Yang Shuang was determined to join the student council, paving the way for a future civil service career. Zhang Bailan wanted to earn some money through part-time work while studying, dreaming of becoming a wealthy and handsome man.

Chen Xiaobei’s ambition was simple: “Enjoy college life.”

When it was Wang Can’s turn, he summed it up succinctly in two words: “Make money, chase girls.”

“Damn, Old Wang, you’re so crude,” Chen Xiaobei teased.

“Right back at you, you’re just as vulgar,” Wang Can retorted.

Chen Xiaobei caught the hidden meaning in Wang Can’s words, a sly smile tugging at his lips. He subtly wagged his right index finger, eyes sparkling with unspoken understanding.

“Alright, let’s get to something more interesting. How many relationships have you all had before?”

Chen Xiaobei threw out the classic dormitory conversation starter.

Responses from male and female dorms always diverged sharply on this topic. Guys tended to inflate their numbers as high as possible, each added digit boosting their pride. Girls, on the other hand, consistently downplayed their numbers, sometimes even rounding down and adding a sheepish smile.

“Bailan, you go first. I’m most curious about you, hahahaha,” Chen Xiaobei teased.

“Me?” Zhang Bailan pointed at herself in disbelief.

“Don’t tell me you’ve never dated anyone.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Zhang Bailan flushed as she retorted, “I dated someone for two and a half years in high school. We broke up only after getting into universities in different cities.”

“Wow, two and a half years, that’s true love. And it ended?” Chen Xiaobei marveled.

“Well, it’s all in the past.”

“Shuang, how about you?”

“I had one in middle school, two in high school, and one ambiguous relationship,” Yang Shuang said casually, as if prepared in advance.

“Not bad, man!” Chen Xiaobei exaggeratedly gave a thumbs-up. “What happened to that ambiguous one? Still in Shenhai?”

“No, moved away to develop elsewhere.”

Yang Shuang quickly downed some beer, clearly wanting to drop the topic. “Enough about me, how many have you dated?”

He opened his palm, waving it as if to say, “More than this?”

Among the four in the dormitory, Chen Xiaobei looked the most like a player, so unless the numbers were absurd, nobody would be too surprised.

“Numbers are such a shallow thing to talk about. It’s meaningless to just state them,” Chen Xiaobei said, deliberately pausing, arms crossed casually.

“But I did date two girls at the same time, and they both knew about each other.”

“No way? That badass?” Zhang Bailan and Yang Shuang were stunned.

There had indeed been legendary figures in their previous schools who changed girlfriends monthly, but dating two simultaneously with mutual awareness was unprecedented.

“Eh, it was nothing special, pretty boring actually,” Chen Xiaobei waved it off.

“Brother Bei, you’ve got to teach me sometime!” Zhang Bailan’s eyes shone with admiration.

“No problem, if you’ve got trouble with any girls on campus, just come to me.”

Chen Xiaobei’s surface calm couldn’t hide the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth; he raised a hand to cover it, his gaze drifting to some distant, invisible point.

“Old Wang, how about you? How many have you dated?”

Content, Chen Xiaobei didn’t forget to pull Wang Can into the conversation.

“I? I’ve never dated,” Wang Can replied nonchalantly, lifting his bottle.

“Come on, Old Wang, don’t be insincere.”

If Zhang Bailan or Yang Shuang had said they’d never dated, Chen Xiaobei might have believed them, but from Wang Can’s lips? Impossible.

Though not a campus heartthrob, Wang Can definitely had appeal among the girls. More importantly, his confident demeanor made Chen Xiaobei inexplicably convinced he was an experienced player.

Zhang Bailan quietly breathed a sigh of relief; at least she wasn’t at the bottom.

“I did have a few close female classmates once,” Wang Can said, tilting his head back. His Adam’s apple bobbed as the icy beer slid down his throat, leaving a chill in its wake.

With a heavy thud, he set the bottle down and pulled a bitter smile, as if reminiscing:

“We studied together, ate together, watched movies together, even slept in the same bed—it looked like we were a couple.”

“But we never talked about life, values, the future, family, or our vulnerabilities and flaws.”

“We said good morning and good night every day, but in reality, we didn’t understand each other. We were just emotional crutches in the dullness of study life.”

“So, I’ve never really dated; my first love is still waiting.”

“?”

Chen Xiaobei’s mouth fell open, eyes wide as if mirroring Zhang Bailan and Yang Shuang’s disbelief moments ago.

“Damn, can he really keep up this act?”