Xiong Wan pursed her lips, ultimately not daring to repeat herself. The main reason was that she felt if she really fought with Sang Ling in the dorm, she wouldn't win.
Besides, Tang Shengnan probably wouldn't help her fight Sang Ling.
Hmph, a bunch of freaks! Is it just because Liu Chen is richer than me? Sycophantic little people!
Sang Ling was unaware of Xiong Wan's thoughts, and even if she knew, she wouldn't bother to respond.
The atmosphere in the dorm returned to how it was before that night.
...
In the pitch-black bedroom, Liu Chen, sleeping under the down comforter, extended her hands out of the blanket and randomly patted the surface of the comforter. Her head, resting on the pillow, swayed from side to side, and she mumbled something continuously.
"Ah!"
Opening her eyes, Liu Chen saw only darkness. Feeling the rapid, thumping heartbeat in her chest, she realized her down comforter had been kicked off somewhere. In Beijing in October, the nights were a bit cold, and Liu Chen couldn't help but sneeze.
Sensing the moisture in her nostrils, Liu Chen got out of bed barefoot and walked to the window from memory. She pulled open the velvet blackout curtains, and moonlight instantly poured into the spacious bedroom.
Looking at the fallen leaves on the street outside the window, in the early hours of the morning, a slight breeze blew. The wind stirred the withered leaves on the ground, swirling them up into the air along with the breeze, heading into the distance.
Liu Chen couldn't help but swallow. Standing by the window, she remained there until the sky began to show a faint, fish-belly white. Only then did she take a deep breath and walk out of the bedroom.
"Chenchen, you're awake so early? I was planning to go for a walk nearby with your mom. You don't know, that TV show, 'Dwelling Narrowness,' is so good. The only downside is that after watching it, it gives you a desperate urge to buy a house."
Ren Yuanying sat by the dining table, eating a congee with green vegetables and pig liver. Upon seeing Liu Chen emerge from the bedroom, she murmured.
Liu Chen thought about "Dwelling Narrowness." She hadn't watched it, but in her previous life, she often heard colleagues talk about it. "Dwelling Narrowness" was practically a prophetic drama; real-life housing prices rose every single day, just as the show depicted.
Sometimes, after a price was set, the seller would go back on their word, preferring to pay damages for breach of contract rather than sell at the agreed-upon price.
"Perfect timing. Auntie is going to buy a few properties in Beijing during National Day. The 'Da Di Gong Guan' where we live is quite good. It's close to Shui Mu, the layouts are very airy, it's not close to the main street, and there's less noise at night."
When it came to buying property, Liu Chen was no longer sleepy. Perhaps it was a way to vent her inner fear. The whole morning, Liu Chen and her godmother, Ren Yuanying, discussed buying houses from home all the way to the Shui Mu University campus.
Having heard Mi Zhuzhu's phone call yesterday, Liu Fang had rushed to the airport to buy a ticket and left without packing. Fortunately, it was autumn, and the clothes she was wearing were still bearable. She would buy a couple of sets of clothes at the mall after lunch.
Therefore, Liu Fang was still wearing the Li Ning t-shirt and sweatpants she wore to work, with running shoes on her feet. Although it didn't look very fashionable, the outfit was very comfortable in the store.
Ren Yuanying, on the other hand, was not particularly fond of luxury goods. She preferred buying property. She was wearing a trench coat and suit pants tailored by a dressmaker, also with flat shoes on her feet.
As Liu Chen was taking the two of them for a stroll around the Shui Mu University campus, Xiong Wan, who was preparing to go shopping, spotted them.
Xiong Wan, with just a glance, could tell that the clothes worn by the two older ladies were not from any major brands.
And...
One of them had a Li Ning logo printed on her hoodie.
Having been stewing in anger in the dorm all night, seeing these two women, Xiong Wan recalled her earlier speculations about Liu Chen's background—a third-generation descendant of high-ranking officials!
Now it seemed, what nonsense about a third-generation descendant! She had been completely deceived by Liu Chen, that liar!
Thinking of this, a sly smile appeared on Xiong Wan's face. She called out in a sweet, flirtatious voice towards the three figures in the distance: "Liu Chen!"
Xiong Wan took a turn and walked towards Liu Chen's direction, her face beaming with a bright smile, greeting her familiarly.
Liu Chen was somewhat perplexed by Xiong Wan's enthusiastic approach. However, in front of her mother, Liu Chen didn't want to make Xiong Wan feel awkward, lest her mother think she was being cold to her roommate on campus.
As Xiong Wan approached, she reached out to take Liu Chen's hand, smiling and saying, "Liu Chen, you didn't come back to the dorm last night. I was so worried. Who are these two beautiful aunties?"
Liu Chen smiled slightly, avoiding Xiong Wan's outstretched hand. She wasn't a naive eighteen-year-old girl who would trouble herself over the feelings of an ordinary classmate.
After all, one of the signs of maturity is not caring about what others think.
"Mom, Godmother, this is classmate Xiong Wan, one of my roommates, and she's from the Food Science department."
With these words, the relationship between them was clarified—limited to that of classmates.
How could Liu Fang and Ren Yuanying, both shrewd individuals, not understand? However, they didn't know the specifics of the conflict between Liu Chen and her roommates, so they could only smile politely and nod.
Xiong Wan had already concluded that Liu Chen was faking her third-generation status. Recalling the box of clothes sent to her, she assumed it was all fake merchandise Liu Chen had bought somewhere to put on a show. Since she hadn't actually seen anyone wear those brands, it was normal that she couldn't recognize fakes.
"Aunties, since you're here, why don't you come and see our classroom? As the class monitor of Food Science Class 1, I invite you. I can also show you around Shui Mu University's attractions along the way."
Liu Chen frowned slightly upon hearing this. Although she had planned to take her mother to her class, Xiong Wan's words made it seem as if she was only going because of Xiong Wan's invitation.
"Classmate Xiong Wan, as the class monitor, shouldn't you have more important things to do? I saw you heading outside the campus earlier. I'm taking my mom to tour the school, and I don't think you need to join the excitement."
Liu Chen's words were quite blunt. Having barely slept a few hours due to the nightmare, she was tired and irritable. Seeing Xiong Wan's smug smile, it was already a considerable feat that she managed to restrain her temper and offer a warning.
The smug smile on Xiong Wan's face faltered slightly. She glanced at the somewhat agitated Liu Chen and the two plainly dressed individuals behind her. Taking a deep breath, her smile returned to her face.
"Aunties, it seems Liu Chen is still suffering from the aftereffects of that man who almost killed her yesterday. It's alright. I'm the class monitor, and I'm very sorry about what happened to my classmates."
Liu Fang looked at the young girl in front of her, but a sense of familiarity emerged in her heart.
She had remained silent for a long time because she was trying to figure out what this familiar feeling was.
Only now did Liu Fang remember. She looked at Xiong Wan, who was smiling and talking to Liu Chen's classmates, and tentatively asked:
"Zhang Lili?"
"Huh? Auntie, I'm Xiong Wan. Did you misremember?" Xiong Wan's smile was now genuinely stiff. Who was this person? She had just introduced herself!
"Pfft!" Liu Chen, seeing the dazed expression on her mother's face, immediately guessed the implication of that question.
Seeing that the sun overhead was beginning to exert its power, Liu Chen couldn't be bothered with Xiong Wan anymore. Following her original plan, she took her mother and godmother to the teaching building.
Along the way, Xiong Wan, uninvited, kept introducing the campus attractions next to Ren Yuanying, while also feigning casualness to inquire about Ren Yuanying's profession.
"Auntie, looking at you, you must be a boss like my dad, right? You have a certain aura."
Ren Yuanying smiled, unbothered by her probing.
"It's alright, I just own a few chain hot pot restaurants."
"What kind of hot pot restaurants are they? When we classmates go to S Province, we'll definitely patronize Auntie's establishments. Auntie, will you give us a discount?"
"Da Yuan Zi Lao Huo Guo in S Province. You're all Chenchen's classmates, so you're welcome anytime. Auntie will give you complimentary drinks!"
Along the way, Xiong Wan and Ren Yuanying appeared to be getting along very well, which somewhat surprised Liu Chen.
What was Xiong Wan's game? Did she recognize that her godmother was Ren Yuge's birth mother? Was she trying to win over her godmother?
When they reached the classroom, Liu Chen introduced her seat to her mother and godmother, while also pointing out the projector used for classes.
Liu Fang sat in her daughter's seat, touching the desk with a sense of emotion. This was the most prestigious university in all of China, and her daughter was studying here. Even though school had started a month and a half ago, she sometimes still felt like she was dreaming.
Meanwhile, Xiong Wan outside the door was searching on her phone for 'Da Yuan Zi Lao Huo Guo in S Province.'
A quick search on Baidu immediately brought up a string of news articles about the hot pot restaurant, such as 'S Province's Top Ten Chain Hot Pot Restaurants' and 'Ten Best Hot Pot Restaurants in S Province.'
"So many branches, then... that seems pretty wealthy?"
Xiong Wan held her phone, feeling somewhat dejected. She had thought that with Liu Chen's mother visiting, she could finally expose Liu Chen's pretense. However, after probing for so long, she discovered that Liu Chen was genuinely wealthy?
And it seemed like her family was even richer than hers!
Xiong Wan's finger unconsciously scrolled down, but she was completely captivated by the title of a link.
'Interview with S Province's Top Science Student in 2009'
Seeing this title, Xiong Wan, as if possessed, clicked on it. While Liu Chen was showing her mother around the classroom, she placed her phone's microphone to her ear, fast-forwarded through the content, and skipped to listen to the segment where Liu Chen was featured.
Only when she heard the part about her mother buying a house last year, with a mortgage, outside the Third Ring Road, did Xiong Wan involuntarily lift her head and look at the sunlight outside the window, a genuine smile appearing on her face.
"This time, I've got you, Liu Chen."