This Love Can Only Be Recalled as a Memory

Elsewhere, on his way back to his dorm after parting with Jiang Ruolin, Liu Shang drew no small number of looks.

Since they were not familiar with one another, not many people came over to talk. Still, their unmistakable gazes said everything they wanted to say.

Most of them were filled with shock and intense envy.

Only a few months into the school year, Liu Shang, an unknown student from the Chemical Engineering Department, had managed to win over Jiang Ruolin, one of the most popular freshman girls on campus.

That was absolutely fierce!

Quite a few looks also carried resentment and jealousy. Why had Jiang Ruolin from the Student Union chosen him?

What was so special about this guy, anyway?!

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Liu Shang silently shook his head, climbed up to the fourth floor, and returned to his dorm.

The moment he opened the door, the previously silent dorm exploded into an uproar. A large group of students from the same major and dorm, all relatively familiar with him, swarmed over amid rowdy cheers.

"Damn! Liu Shang!"

"Haha, you're finally back!"

"Holy shit, Liu Shang, that was insane! You really brought glory to our Chemical Engineering Department—you actually got one of the School of Economics and Management's most famous beauties, Jiang Ruolin!"

"Yeah, yeah! When someone came back to report it earlier, we didn't believe it at all. Jiang Ruolin became hugely popular in the Student Union only a few months after enrollment. How could she possibly be that easy to pursue?"

"But who would've thought we'd get slapped in the face so fast? Quite a few people saw what happened downstairs at the girls' dorm just now~"

"Come on, make way! Let me smell Liu Shang and see whether he's carrying the goddess's lingering fragrance!"

"Fuck, drag this pervert out and beat him to death!"

At last, after the commotion died down, everyone dispersed amid laughter, leaving only the four people from their dorm.

In their dorm, arranged by age, Liu Shang was the second oldest.

The oldest was Zheng Shiwei. He came from an ordinary family, was simple and honest, and not good with words.

The third was Fu Liang, a skinny, tall guy over 180 centimeters. He had a hot temper, valued loyalty, and was cheerful. He had probably gotten into plenty of fights back in school.

The youngest was Cheng Meng, the only local in the dorm.

His family was very well-off. Both of his parents were executives in the banking system. He was a good boy, the secretly flirtatious type, with a genuinely nice personality.

"Liu Shang, not bad!"

"You got a girlfriend so quickly without making a sound?!"

"Damn! If I'd known joining the Student Union made it this easy to find a girlfriend, I would've joined too!"

"By the way, is it too late if I want to join now?" Fu Liang grinned broadly, his smile dazzling.

Zheng Shiwei also came over. "This is a good thing. Our dorm has finally opened for business—someone's found their other half first."

"From what they were saying, Liu Shang's girlfriend is pretty gorgeous, right?"

"By the way, Cheng Meng, you were sitting on your bed spacing out while they were fooling around earlier. What were you thinking about?"

"You must be hoping to find a beautiful girlfriend like Jiang Ruolin too, right?"

Before Zheng Shiwei could finish, Cheng Meng choked and spat out his drink, coughing so hard tears came to his eyes.

"No, no, no, big brother, spare me!"

"Jiang Ruolin is a pearl of Wind City's social circles, a princess-level figure."

"Not to mention how outstanding she is herself, there are even more rumors about her family background."

"Before, no—probably even now, there must be children of high-ranking city officials among those pursuing her."

"To be honest, my family's circumstances are decent. If I really wanted to, I could probably barely squeeze onto the outermost edge of that top-tier circle."

"But when it comes to core-level people like Jiang Ruolin and her family, I can't even get a word in. The gap is just too enormous."

"From the first time I met Liu Shang after school started, I knew he was extraordinarily gifted and no ordinary person."

"But I never expected this—Liu Shang is way too fierce. He actually won Jiang Ruolin over!"

"You probably don't know it yet, but after today, all of Wind City's social circles are definitely going to explode!"

"My god, that's too terrifying. I don't even dare imagine it!"

As he spoke, Cheng Meng's comically flirtatious side surfaced again. He threw his arms around Liu Shang's thigh. "You're absolutely my idol! My lifelong happiness is in your hands from now on."

Just as Liu Shang laughed and grabbed Cheng Meng by the collar, Fu Liang and Zheng Shiwei froze beside them.

Fu Liang tilted his head and blinked. "Damn, Hou'ai, are you serious about all that? Liu Shang was this fierce all along?"

Zheng Shiwei also took a deep breath. "I was originally planning to use this chance to welcome the new member of our dorm and have everyone get together for a meal."

"Uh, but looking at things now, we should probably put that off for a while."

His words earned Cheng Meng's wholehearted support. "Big Brother is right. Put it off, put it off."

"To be honest, I get really nervous whenever I'm in that kind of situation."

"I have a feeling that if I really met Jiang Ruolin, I wouldn't even dare say much, let alone sit at the same table and eat with her..."

These guys made Liu Shang laugh in exasperation. "Hou'ai, stop it already."

"Anyone who didn't know better would think you were talking about some man-eating monster!"

"It's settled, then. We'll find a suitable time later, get everyone together for a meal, and I'll treat."

There was no doubt that most of the topics at their dorm's late-night chat that evening were about Liu Shang and Jiang Ruolin.

Especially after hearing Cheng Meng recount all sorts of legends about Jiang Ruolin, Fu Liang and Zheng Shiwei were left utterly stunned.

At this very moment, most dorms were probably discussing this explosive subject as well.

Lying in bed, Liu Shang answered the questions of the three curiosity-stricken guys on and off while texting Jiang Ruolin.

In 2006, those damned mobile carriers charged ten cents per text message. For couples like them, texting expenses were a substantial monthly cost.

This was also one of the details that had left a deep impression in countless people's memories.

Perhaps because Liu Shang was too busy texting to satisfy Fu Liang and the others' curiosity, they eventually sighed, pulled their blankets over their heads, and went to sleep.

But even after all three of them had fallen asleep, Liu Shang still did not feel the slightest bit drowsy.

Jiang Ruolin's text read: "It's getting late. Aren't you sleepy?"

Liu Shang shook his head with a bitter smile and typed his truest feeling at that moment: "Quite the opposite. I'm not sleepy at all..."

"Oh? That doesn't sound like your usual style. Let me guess—is it because you miss me?"

"I miss you every moment of every day. Not only now, but throughout the rest of my limited life."

"...Since when did you become so good at making girls happy?"

"A while ago, one of my uncles gave me two mobile top-up cards. As a reward for being so good at making me happy, I'll give you one as a gift, okay? I'll get angry if you refuse."

"There's one more thing. The girls in my dorm really want to meet you. Tomorrow happens to be Friday, so after class, how about the two of us treat them to hot pot? Let's tentatively go to that little hot pot place off campus. I really like eating there."

Looking at the phone screen, Liu Shang was deeply moved. Jiang Ruolin was constantly protecting and looking after him, but unfortunately, his former self had been far too numb to all of her quiet devotion.

The mobile top-up cards Jiang Ruolin mentioned were most likely because she was worried about the expensive texting fees he had accumulated.

And that little hot pot place was famous for being affordable and cheap.

With Jiang Ruolin's high-quality lifestyle, how could she possibly truly enjoy eating there?