Had He Dated Anyone Before?

Sun Xiaoya asked, "Can you tell me about Zhang Shuai's past? Has he ever dated anyone?"

Wang Qiang replied without a second thought, "He's never dated anyone. He only came to Qingshui City after the New Year this year. Before that, he always lived in the countryside..."

Sun Xiaoya asked again, "He's twenty-five this year, and he's so handsome. It doesn't make sense that he's never dated anyone. A lot of girls must like him, right?"

Wang Qiang thought to himself that three months ago, Zhang Shuai had been anything but handsome. If he hadn't successfully lost weight, no one would have called him good-looking. Just as Wang Qiang was about to explain, he noticed his wife, Jing Fengqin, signaling to him with her eyes. He swallowed the words he'd been about to say.

Just then, Jing Fengqin asked, "Xiaoya, why are you asking? Don't tell me you like Zhang Shuai?"

Sun Xiaoya felt a little guilty. She definitely couldn't admit it—not with Wang Qiang there. They all lived in the same neighborhood, and Wang Qiang knew her father. If the news reached her dad, she'd be in trouble. So she hurriedly explained, "No, Zhang Shuai and I are just ordinary friends. I just think he seems a little naïve, so I'm curious about his past..."

Wang Qiang smiled. "He's not naïve; he just hasn't seen much of the world. He's actually very clever..."

As they spoke, the elevator stopped on the twenty-sixth floor. Wang Qiang fell silent. Sun Xiaoya still wanted to ask a few more questions, but she'd reached her floor, and she couldn't exactly follow Wang Qiang into his home to ask. She had no choice but to get off the elevator.

The elevator continued upward and soon stopped on the twenty-eighth floor. Wang Qiang carried the child inside with Jing Fengqin.

As soon as they entered, Wang Qiang asked his wife in confusion, "Fengqin, why were you signaling me? It's not like any of that is a secret. It wouldn't have been a big deal to tell Xiaosun."

Jing Fengqin said, "Didn't you get the feeling that Xiaosun likes Zhang Shuai? That won't do. Her father is only a minor official at the Education Bureau. How can he compare with the Lin family? We can't let Sun Xiaoya come between Zhang Shuai and Lin Xiuwen and ruin their relationship. If Zhang Shuai really becomes the Lin family's son-in-law, he's bound to be rich and powerful someday. You're so close to him, so if he becomes successful, he'll surely give you a hand..."

Wang Qiang said, "You're always thinking ten steps ahead. I actually think Director Sun's daughter is pretty good. If Zhang Shuai married her, she'd be a much more sensible choice than that Lin family heiress. The Lin family's status is so high—would they even accept Zhang Shuai? I still think Xiaosun is a better fit. They'd have a better chance of making it work."

Jing Fengqin said, "Xiaosun is nice enough, but Lin Xiuwen is obviously better. She has a good family background, and she's prettier than Xiaosun, too. More importantly, Zhang Shuai likes Lin Xiuwen. Didn't you see how smug he was when he showed off his girlfriend in front of us? They're clearly head over heels for each other. How could we let Xiaosun come between them now?"

"Fine. I'll have Zhang Shuai bring Lin Xiuwen over sometime so we can meet her. I want to see just how great this Lin Xiuwen is."

At Luyuan Mansion, in the Lin family's villa,

Zhou Wei was chatting with her daughter in the living room.

"Xiuwen, I'll have your Uncle Liu drive you to school tomorrow."

"Mom, there's no need to trouble Uncle Liu. I can drive myself."

"How could I let you? You've only just gotten your license, and you're not allowed to drive on the highway yet. Besides, I wouldn't feel at ease with you behind the wheel."

"Then I'll take the high-speed train to school."

"No. I've already told your Uncle Liu to come pick you up first thing tomorrow morning."

Seeing her mother's mind was made up, Lin Xiuwen said helplessly, "All right, all right. I'll trouble Uncle Liu, then."

A while after Lin Xiuwen returned to her room, she received a message from Sun Xiaoya.

Sun Xiaoya said Zhang Shuai had bought a new car and was planning to drive to school. She asked Lin Xiuwen if she wanted to ride with them.

Lin Xiuwen immediately grew worried. She didn't trust Sun Xiaoya alone with Zhang Shuai. Given Sun Xiaoya's bold, flirtatious nature, if she spent the whole trip clinging to him and trying to seduce him, then without Lin Xiuwen there, Zhang Shuai might lose control—and if something happened between them...

The thought made Lin Xiuwen even more anxious. No matter what, she had to go along and keep an eye on them. She quickly messaged Sun Xiaoya: "Sure! We'll go to school together in Zhang Shuai's car!"

After that, Lin Xiuwen went back to the living room to plead with her mother. She sweet-talked and coaxed her, even making up a story, until she got Zhou Wei to agree that she could ride to school with Sun Xiaoya in her cousin's car.

In the end, Zhou Wei was worn down and had no choice but to give in.

Early the next morning, Zhang Shuai packed his clothes and luggage into the car's trunk, then drove to Sun Xiaoya's neighborhood to pick her up. After that, he went to the entrance of Lin Xiuwen's neighborhood and waited for her to come out.

Once Lin Xiuwen was in the car, Zhang Shuai set off for Hanjiang City.

Hanjiang was the capital of Chu Province in central China and a well-known education hub in the Dragon Kingdom. Zhang Shuai had never been there before, but with navigation, he wasn't worried about getting lost. He'd only recently gotten his license, but his driving skills were excellent. The car moved quickly and smoothly, maintaining a speed of over 120 kilometers per hour on the highway.

Three hours later, when the car's remaining charge was running low, he stopped at a highway service area for half an hour to charge it, then continued on his way.

At eleven in the morning, they finally arrived at the famous Hanjiang University.

Zhang Shuai had no memories of school at all. He'd only attended elementary school, and had completely lost all his memories of it. Though he had later taught himself the entire elementary, middle, and high school curriculum back in his rural hometown, he had never actually set foot in a school.

Once classes began, Sun Xiaoya and Lin Xiuwen would be third-year students. The two women first showed Zhang Shuai around the campus. Hanjiang University was huge, with sprawling grounds and pleasant scenery. There were plenty of cherry trees, though unfortunately, they weren't in bloom this time of year.

After the two women helped Zhang Shuai get familiar with the campus, they each returned to their dorms, while he went outside the university to look for a place to live.

The university didn't provide dorms for auditors, so Zhang Shuai could only rent a place off campus.

After looking around for a while, Zhang Shuai found a two-bedroom apartment less than three hundred meters from the university. The rent was 2,300 yuan a month.

The rent was a little steep, but considering how close it was to the university, it was understandable.

Zhang Shuai had money now, so he didn't mind the rent. After contacting the landlord and seeing the apartment, he decided to rent it on the spot.

He signed the contract, paid a 1,000-yuan deposit and three months' rent, and received the keys.

He parked the car and carried his luggage and clothes upstairs.

He'd be living here for several months, and Lin Xiuwen might come over to meet him in secret, so he definitely needed to keep the place clean. Zhang Shuai spent over an hour thoroughly cleaning and tidying up the apartment.

After Zhang Shuai had settled in, Lin Xiuwen messaged him to ask where he was.

Zhang Shuai told her he was at the apartment he'd rented off campus.

Lin Xiuwen asked him to come to the university so she could take him to complete the paperwork for auditing classes.

Zhang Shuai set out for the university at once and found the dorm building where Lin Xiuwen and the others lived. Before he even reached it, he spotted two graceful figures standing together beneath it in the distance.

They were Sun Xiaoya and Lin Xiuwen.

The two women were talking. Zhang Shuai slowed down and pricked up his ears. Before long, he could hear their conversation clearly.