Chapter 16: Boldness or Reckless Desire?

Before getting off the car, Xia Kewei handed Wang Can a stack of documents, containing detailed information about several cafeterias at Shenhai University.

Wang Can glanced through them. The pile was over ten pages thick—he guessed she must have stayed up late working on it last night.

Looking at it this way, aside from her penchant for bickering, Xia Kewei was actually quite competent as a secretary.

Wang Can first went to the campus Unicom service center and signed up for a knockoff Android phone with zero down payment and a monthly plan costing 68 yuan.

His current V3 couldn’t send or receive WeChat messages, which made communicating with Xia Kewei quite inconvenient.

Since he was going to get broadband eventually, having a Unicom number wouldn’t be a waste.

After grabbing a quick, careless dinner at the cafeteria, Wang Can returned to his dormitory with the documents in hand.

Inside the dorm, all three roommates were present, but the atmosphere was oddly eerie.

The three of them held their phones in unison, their arms moving mechanically back and forth, producing a rhythmic clicking sound—like puppets under someone’s control.

“What’s going on? Have you all been possessed?” Wang Can exclaimed as he entered, nearly dropping the documents in surprise.

Chen Xiaobei looked up but didn’t stop his movements. “Old Wang, you don’t get it, do you? WeChat just launched a new 'Shake' feature today that lets you find girls nearby.”

His words stirred a distant memory in Wang Can. Indeed, the WeChat Shake feature had been introduced in 2012.

Simply put, by shaking the phone, users could match with others using the same feature at the same time.

It not only displayed the distance and personal status of the other user but also allowed direct friend requests.

It was through “Shake” and “People Nearby” that WeChat surged ahead in the fierce competition among social apps, eventually surpassing one billion users.

Though gradually forgotten over the years for various reasons, this “founding pioneer” feature wasn’t officially retired until 2024.

“Lowbrow interests only bring fleeting pleasure, but noble pursuits offer lasting fulfillment. Come study with me,” Wang Can said, raising the documents in an attempt to restore some dignity to the dorm atmosphere.

“You’re preparing for graduate school? Working so hard before classes even start?” one roommate commented.

“Hmph, you can study on your own,” another retorted.

“Hey, this girl looks good, but she’s too far away,” a third added.

“Different paths, no companionship,” Wang Can shrugged and sat back down, opening the thick packet of papers.

The information was extraordinarily detailed: maps showing the locations of six cafeterias within the college, floor plans for each, and even some internal operation data.

He had no idea where Xia Kewei had gotten it from.

Flipping through the pages carefully, Wang Can felt somewhat disappointed.

The first and fourth cafeterias were entirely outsourced to third-party operators—the leasing rights completely in their hands. The rest were managed by the school’s logistics department.

“Looks like I’ll have to pay a visit to the logistics office,” he muttered.

He had no intention of dealing with the outsourcing companies—there were no vacancies now, and even if he could negotiate, rent would likely be outrageously high.

School management was different—no rent, just a commission.

Closing the documents, he pulled out his brand-new phone and expertly registered a fresh WeChat account.

Next, he tapped the “+” icon in the upper right corner and selected “Mobile Contacts” under the “Add Friend” section.

The contact list loaded slowly, clearly showing who had WeChat.

His list was short, so he quickly spotted Xia Kewei, whose screen name was “Gardenia Summer.”

Opening her profile picture, Wang Can saw a photo of her giving a speech on stage, apparently at a foreign university.

“Oh, so she’s an overseas returnee after all,” he said with a slight smile, tapping to send her a friend request.

His gaze continued scanning the list and soon caught the WeChat IDs of Qiao Huayang and Qi Xia.

Their nicknames were “Stubborn Boy” and “Midsummer Night’s Cat,” respectively.

Wang Can promptly sent friend requests to both.

Just as he was about to continue, Zhang Bailan suddenly let out an exaggerated exclamation.

“Wow! This girl is gorgeous, and she’s within one kilometer!”

“Where? Let me see,” Wang Can put down his phone and leaned over.

Chen Xiaobei, stuck behind him, rolled his eyes.

“Old Wang, don’t you have noble pursuits? Why are you joining in the commotion?”

Without looking up, Wang Can replied seriously, “I’m just helping Bailan vet options. You young guys judge too superficially; you need someone wise to advise.”

“Fine, so you’re the strategist now,” Chen Xiaobei said.

All three looked at Zhang Bailan’s phone screen simultaneously.

The profile picture showed a girl bathed in sunlight, her black hair fluttering in the breeze, almond-shaped eyes sparkling with a smile—fresh and charming.

“Not bad at all. Go say hi,” Yang Shuang nudged Zhang Bailan’s arm.

“O-okay.” At his urging, Zhang Bailan opened the chat window and quickly typed, “Are you there?”

Just as he was about to hit send, Chen Xiaobei stopped him.

“Bailan, don’t you know? Starting with ‘Are you there?’ makes you look like a clown.”

“Ah? Then... what should I say?” Zhang Bailan’s fingers nervously hovered over the screen.

“You’ve got to strike the right balance—neither too eager nor too cold,” Chen Xiaobei said with the air of a seasoned Casanova. “Try sending an emoji first to test the waters.”

Zhang Bailan nodded thoughtfully and sent a simple smiling face.

His phone soon vibrated. The girl replied with the same smile.

“What does that mean?” Zhang Bailan’s palms broke out in a fine sweat as he stared at the screen.

“Why are you shaking?” Wang Can leaned over, puzzled.

“I get nervous talking to girls,” Zhang Bailan stammered.

“Relax, just say what’s on your mind,” Wang Can patted his shoulder. “You have to break through your shell and be bold.”

“But I’m afraid of messing it up,” Zhang Bailan admitted.

“Imagine if you were Chen Xiaobei. What would you say?” Wang Can coaxed.

Zhang Bailan’s eyes brightened with understanding.

He took a deep breath and typed heavily: “Wanna hang out?”

“Pfft!”

Wang Can and Yang Shuang burst into laughter, nearly doubled over, tears almost streaming down their faces.

Chen Xiaobei’s face turned beet red. “Bailan, is that really how you see me?”

“Come on, Chen, your turn if you’re so good,” Wang Can wiped tears from his eyes and handed the phone over.

“Me?” Chen Xiaobei hesitated, then took the phone, deleting “Wanna hang out?” His finger hovered over the screen for a long moment before settling on, “What are you up to?”

Zhang Bailan stared at the screen for two seconds. “Bro, that’s not much better than ‘Are you there.’”

Chen Xiaobei scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “This is my first time using this feature. Usually, the girls chase me.”

“Wow, turns out you’re just a pay-to-win player with zero skills.”

“Old Wang, you’re talking a big game. Come on, show us how to be bold,” Chen Xiaobei said, shoving the phone back.

“Me? I’m going to get serious,” Wang Can raised an eyebrow.

“Come on, don’t stall. Let’s learn from the master’s moves,” Chen Xiaobei urged.

“I trust you, Can. Go ahead,” Zhang Bailan nodded eagerly.

“All right, here goes nothing.”

Wang Can stared at the chat box, thought for a moment, then typed: “Show me your legs.”

“???”

The other three froze on the spot.

Was that bold or just shameless?