182: Chapter 178: Still Buying a House?
182: Chapter 178: Still Buying a House?
The long-haired student who woke Chen Hai was named Yang Xi.
During classes, the seat she occupied was two seats away from Chen Hai.
Professor Sun had called her name during roll call.
There weren’t many students in the Astronomy Department, just a handful.
In this large lecture, with students from two grades attending, there were only about four or five female students in total.
Considering her looks, Yang Xi could perhaps be considered average, but within the Astronomy Department, she was undoubtedly the belle of the department.
“Sorry, Classmate Yang, I was so engrossed in the lecture just now that I didn’t even realize when the class had ended!”
Chen Hai regained his senses, and after scanning the nearly empty classroom, he stood up unhurriedly and politely explained himself to Yang Xi.
“You were so engrossed in the lecture that your drool almost came out, Chen Hai.
You really were quite absorbed!”
Yang Xi had a strange expression as she covered her mouth and chuckled, teasing him.
“I never drool in my sleep, Classmate Yang.
I’m sure you must be framing me!” Slightly stunned, Chen Hai deliberately puffed out his chest as he responded earnestly.
Perhaps due to his flunking attribute, he usually had a lot of energy.
But during classes, he often felt listless and dozed off.
It was an old problem he had always had!
Especially when he didn’t understand what Professor Sun was lecturing about on the podium.
His first lecture of college life had only been half listened to, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.
“What?
Chen Hai, are you now admitting you were sleeping?”
Yang Xi snickered and added, “The Astronomy Department is already a niche subject, and it’s hard to find a job related to the field after graduation.”
“Among us students in the Astronomy Department, those who are truly interested in astronomy are probably only one or two out of ten.”
“Most people simply join the Astronomy Department because, among the various departments at Capital Political and Legal University, it has the lowest admission standards.”
“That last lecture, I specifically noticed that there were at least six or seven students dozing off during the class!”
“But like you, Chen Hai, who can sleep with your eyes open and still sleep so soundly, that’s really rare…”
With a quirky look at Chen Hai, Yang Xi’s words were clearly meant to tease.
“I say, Yang Xi, weren’t you paying attention during the class and just keeping an eye on me all the time?”
“Let me warn you, it’s not good like that.
You keep staring at me, who knows, you might accidentally fall in love with me?”
“Among the seven sufferings of life, there’s one called unattainable desire.
Your unrequited love for me, unable to have me, would make you very miserable.”
“Take my advice, while you’re still not too deeply entangled, pull yourself back from the brink.
It’s not too late.”
“I advise you, from now on in class, if you want to look, look at other male classmates, just don’t look at me, okay?”
Faced with Yang Xi’s teasing, Chen Hai was unabashed, and he joked seriously.
“Chen Hai, I’ve suddenly realized that you’re really thick-skinned!”
“Who has a crush on you?
I just think that someone like you, who entered the Astronomy Department thinking to see the stars, is a bit peculiar, so I just glanced at you a few more times during class!”
Giving Chen Hai a roll of her eyes, Yang Xi pouted and responded.
“If it’s not a crush, then I’m relieved!”
“My girlfriend is very good to me.
I don’t want to let her down!” Chuckling, Chen Hai said.
In just a few words, he and Yang Xi had walked out of the classroom and then went their separate ways.
Over by West Mountain, Chen Hai did own a villa, but that place, while tranquil, was a bit far from Capital Political and Legal University.
He still kept his bed in the dormitory.
On days when he had many classes, he usually stayed in the dormitory.
Otherwise, commuting back and forth to West Mountain Villa would take a lot of time each day, which was somewhat inconvenient for Chen Hai.
Considering he had classes in the afternoon, Chen Hai didn’t go back to West Mountain but went directly back to his dormitory.
“Laoliu, you’re quite something!”
“After a month of military training, several of us in the dormitory got tanned, but you, you disappeared after just a few days of training.”
“With those connections of yours, you didn’t think to cut us some slack and let us enjoy some peace by skipping the training.”
Inside the dormitory, several roommates were there.
Seeing Chen Hai come in, Jiang Hui, looking somewhat sardonic, greeted him.
These guys, I don’t know where they picked up these tricks.
Roommates in a dormitory, having only just met a few days ago, had to arrange based on age and establish a hierarchy like “big brother,” “second brother,” “third brother,” and so on.
Chen Hai was understandably uninterested in the childish games of playing house.
Otherwise, with his stellar history of potential study abroad opportunities even in elementary school, leading the pack would have been a matter of minutes for him.
But now, because he didn’t cooperate with the roommate ranking, six people in the dorm, several roommates, directly crowned him with the title of Laoliu.
“Guys, college military training is a period full of wonderful memories worth cherishing.”
“I wanted to complete the training honestly with everyone, but unfortunately, there was a family matter, and I could only be absent temporarily!”
“You all saw the situation when I left!”
“Two soldiers, one on each side, took me away directly.
If it had been possible, do you think I would have wanted to leave like that?”
He chuckled and then casually explained.
Since returning to Capital City a few days ago, he had been staying inside West Mountain Villa, only coming to campus today because he had classes.
People are naturally curious; his roommates found his absence from military training intriguing, which is only human.
“Laoliu, a family matter that required soldiers to personally take you away?
Be honest, what exactly is your family’s connection?
Could it be, you’re one of those rumored military second generations?”
Another roommate, Ge Datong, flickered his eyes, trying to guess something.
His words now clearly carried a probing intention.
“I’m a pure and genuine country boy who started helping out with transplantation and harvesting the rice since I was five or six!”
“Ge, calling me a military second generation, you’re thinking too much!”
With a chuckle, Chen Hai, half-serious half-joking, continued, “Those soldiers came for me because a girl had a small mishap and they wanted my help!”
“Luckily, I still have some skills and successfully helped the girl out of her predicament.”
“The only bit of helplessness is, my charm is a bit too strong; after helping her, she doggedly wanted to be my girlfriend!”
“Having no choice due to her persistence, I gritted my teeth and reluctantly agreed to her pursuit, giving dating a try.”
…
Although his words were mostly true, paired with Chen Hai’s mischievous grin, it was hard to believe the authenticity of his story.
“Laoliu, when you start bragging, do you even need a draft?”
“Seriously, your storytelling skills are a waste in the Astronomy Department; you should be in the Literature Department.”
“It’s just the old cliché of saving a damsel and her offering herself in gratitude, right?
To tell you the truth, I frequently encounter this, but my resolve is ironclad.
I’ve managed to remain pure and untouched by any girl!”
“A bunch of animals, all you know is to boast.
Did I brag when several girls secretly handed me love letters yesterday?”
“Laosan is telling the truth here; I can testify.
I was watching from not too far away when the plump lady in the cafeteria secretly passed him a love letter!”
“Get lost…”
The group, jabbering away, started to jest and become somewhat indecent.
“Laoliu, you were asking about housing some time ago, right?”
“I’m not sure if you’re still interested in buying a house?” Wang Huachun, ranked fifth among them, leaned closer to Chen Hai and broached the subject hesitantly.
Wang Huachun is a local from Capital City.
He’s the guy who persuaded his own parents and friends to sell their homes and switch to renting.
In those initial days of military training, after hearing about his illustrious accomplishments, Chen Hai had actually taken the time to inquire about housing.
“Which house?
Is it far from our university?” After hesitating for a moment, Chen Hai asked.
“Not far, the house I’m talking about is only a mile or two away from Capital Political and Legal University, at most a ten- to twenty-minute walk!”
Seeing Chen Hai seemed somewhat interested, Wang Huachun quickly continued, “The house is a standalone courtyard, a good two hundred square meters.”
“The owner, an auntie, is good friends with my mom.”
“Knowing that my family had sold our house to rent, and hearing about my research theories from my mom, she also started thinking about selling.”
“If you’re interested, I can take you there sometime, and you can have a proper talk with that auntie!”
By the looks of his enthusiastic sales pitch, perhaps, helping others sell could be very beneficial for him.
Hearing what Wang Huachun said certainly piqued Chen Hai’s interest.
After all, while West Mountain Villa was nice, it was a bit too far, making commuting to university inconvenient.
If he could buy a house near the campus, it would naturally be the best outcome for Chen Hai.
“Huachun, a two hundred square meter courtyard surely isn’t cheap, right?”
“I am indeed somewhat interested in this house you mentioned, but if it’s too expensive, I won’t be able to come up with the money right away!”
After pondering for a while, Chen Hai hesitated and finally spoke.