Chapter 16: The Girl in the Dream

Hearing that Hao Meng was about to leave, Jiang Fan stood up to see her off.

"No need, the national highway is right outside. I'll just catch a ride myself. The temperature's pretty low now—remember to use the electric rod to boil some hot water, don't bathe with cold water."

Hao Meng had already noticed that, beneath Jiang Fan's seemingly simple and honest demeanor, there was a certain resilience and stubbornness. He was especially considerate of her feelings, often yielding to her wishes. In order not to reveal her workplace, she gently refused his offer to escort her.

"Why do you only come every two or three days? If you're busy, I could wait for you near your job!"

Seeing Jiang Fan's reluctant expression, Hao Meng couldn't help but feel a little reluctant herself. "My work doesn't have a fixed schedule. I'll come see you whenever I can."

Jiang Fan had been in Dongguan for two days now. Every day, he saw most of the girls working on the street dressed in cheap factory uniforms—loose and baggy for convenience, completely hiding their attractive figures and youthful energy.

But when he met Hao Meng yesterday, though she wore no makeup, her stylish work attire—a suit jacket paired with a pencil skirt—showcased her curvaceous figure and lovely face to the fullest.

Her appearance and aura were distinctly different from the so-called factory beauties seen on the street.

Seeing Hao Meng repeatedly refuse to reveal her workplace, Jiang Fan was curious about what she did, but he restrained himself and respected her privacy.

After she left, Jiang Fan prepared to tidy up the bed and get some rest. As he unfolded the cotton quilt he’d bought that morning, he found a box of underwear tucked inside.

So that was it—out of consideration for his pride, Hao Meng had slipped away to buy them while he was trying on clothes, hiding them in the quilt.

Jiang Fan held the underwear in his hand for a long time, his eyes welling with tears. He murmured to himself, "How could someone as unlucky as me, expelled from school, suddenly have such good fortune to meet a girl so kind?"

Moved, yet uncertain, Jiang Fan wondered if their relationship could be called romantic. He lay on his freshly made bed, thinking for a long time, but couldn't settle on a clear answer.

Exhausted after several restless nights, he drifted off to sleep.

In his dream, he once again saw Hao Meng, who had just left the rented apartment, and also that other girl—someone he had tried to forget, but who had haunted his dreams for days.

The girl who kept appearing in his dreams was Wang Wenyu. It was because of his encounter with her, at the wrong place and time, that he had been expelled from school and forced onto this wandering path.

It all happened the day before Jiang Fan left Beijing.

Jiang Fan remembered it vividly—Beijing had been blanketed in heavy snow, the temperature plummeting to minus twenty degrees Celsius.

During his time at university, every weekend he would take on part-time jobs in the Shichahai neighborhood, hauling coal briquettes with Li Wine Barrel to help cover his living expenses.

That night, it was nearly ten o'clock when he finally finished his deliveries in Nanluogu Lane and hurried back to his school in Weigongcun.

Battling the wind and snow, he trudged back to the dormitory. As soon as he entered the corridor, his first instinct was to rub his chapped hands for warmth, grumbling to himself, "Damn, why is it so cold? Ever since the deep winter started, I haven't had a single comfortable day!"

With only ten minutes until the bathhouse closed, he didn't have time to think. He quickly grabbed his clean clothes and dashed to the men's bathhouse.

Jiang Fan was used to bathing in the innermost stall—private and safe.

He quickly undressed and headed straight in, head down.

The dim glow of the incandescent bulb was shrouded in thick, steamy mist. From one of the stalls near the middle, he could hear the sound of water splashing.

As he passed by, he glanced through the dense fog—and was shocked to see a girl inside!

She was over 170 centimeters tall, with fair skin and a slender figure, her eyes closed as she rinsed shampoo from her long, black hair.

Her graceful form and supple skin were laid bare before him.

"Why is there a girl bathing in the men's bathhouse?" Jiang Fan wondered aloud.

Driven by curiosity, he couldn't help but steal a few more glances.

After two years at university, barely making ends meet, he’d had no chance of getting close to a girl, let alone seeing one naked.

When he finally made out her features, he realized with a jolt that it was Wang Wenyu, the beauty of the psychology department!

She was a dazzling presence on campus—a dream girl for countless young men.

And those hopeless dreamers included Jiang Fan, who would blush just talking to a girl.

His hormones surging, Jiang Fan forgot all sense of propriety, standing there dumbly, gazing in awe at the beautiful silhouette shrouded in mist.

When Wang Wenyu finally rinsed the foam from her hair and opened her eyes, she found a naked stranger standing less than half a meter away, his eyes fixed upon her equally naked body. She screamed in terror.

"Ah… ah… ah…"

Panicking, she tried to cover both her sensitive areas with the towel she’d been using to dry her hair.

But it happened so suddenly, and the floor was slippery from soap and water. In her fright, not only did she fail to cover herself, but she also lost her footing. With a cry, her bare body toppled backward.

"Careful!"

Jiang Fan snapped out of his daze at her scream. Seeing her about to crack her head on the concrete wall, he leapt forward, catching her around the waist with his left arm, taking care to avoid her curves, and pushed upward to steady her.

Drawing on his martial arts training, Jiang Fan did his best to keep them both upright. But the floor was too slick, and after a few seconds, he lost his footing again. Wang Wenyu, barely steady, lost her balance once more, her body pitching forward. In her panic, she tried to grab Jiang Fan's arm, but missed. As she fell, her hand grabbed for something—whatever it was, she clutched it tightly, driven by instinct.

"Ouch!"

Jiang Fan's face turned a deep shade of purple with pain. Quickly, he pried her fingers off, but didn't forget about Wang Wenyu, who was still off balance. Without hesitation, he caught her securely, ending up kneeling awkwardly on the floor.

For a moment, his mind went blank. The world was utterly silent, save for the sound of the shower.

With one hand covering his most sensitive area and the other around Wang Wenyu, he bent low, head down.

The scent of floral shampoo filled his senses.

The beautiful girl he’d so often dreamed of was right there, naked and within arm’s reach.

Yet all Jiang Fan could feel at that moment was pain.

After half a minute, he finally regained some composure. Looking at Wang Wenyu, whose body was pressed close to his, he realized she had fainted from the shock, her eyes rolled back.

He felt a soft sensation under his fingers—instinctively, he squeezed gently; it fit perfectly in his hand…

He couldn’t help but look up. His dirty palm was planted firmly on her left breast, leaving a distinct, coal-smudged handprint on her pale skin.

That elasticity sent a thrill through him, but his conscience reminded him: "A man must not take such liberties."

Jiang Fan took a deep breath, looked at his hand, then at the unconscious Wang Wenyu. Remembering that saving her was the priority, he gently patted her face several times, calling out, "Wake up, come on, wake up."

After six or seven pats, he heard her cough and sputter—Wang Wenyu was regaining consciousness!

As soon as he saw her waking, Jiang Fan quickly let her go, dashed back to the changing room, pulled on his trousers, threw on his clothes, and bolted for the dormitory.