Chapter 63: Let's Adopt Each Other, Meow

Tang Wan was planning to return to her rented apartment around noon the next day to pick up some belongings, and Xia An offered to accompany her.

The international student dormitory turned off its lights an hour later than the regular dormitories and had no restrictions on coming and going.

The most impressive part was that male and female students were allowed to live in mixed dorms.

At the entrance, Xia An asked whether Tang Wan's double room was shared with a man or a woman.

Tang Wan calmly replied that it was a man.

Jokes are most awkward when you don't know how to respond, and Xia An was momentarily speechless.

Puffing up her cheeks in mock anger, Tang Wan gave him a light kick and said that only international students were allowed mixed-gender housing!

The other female PhD student had gone out for a night run, so Tang Wan led Xia An inside for a quick look.

To be fair, the environment was truly wonderful.

Right outside the window was the sea. The room featured normal single beds rather than bunk beds.

There was an en-suite bathroom, a computer desk, as well as an air conditioner and a television.

The two girls had already done some simple decorating, making the place feel quite cozy. The key was that with the addition of aromatherapy and perfume, it smelled delightful.

"Tsk, female PhD students..."

"What? You should be thrilled to find a highly educated girlfriend."

Tang Wan muttered, carefully placing the jar of little folded paper stars he had picked out for her on the bedside table.

She then casually flipped her roommate's framed photograph face down.

Seeing this, Xia An chuckled and said, "Do you take me for a flower-picking bandit? Ready to pounce the moment you see someone pretty."

Realizing her petty little thoughts had been seen through, Tang Wan's pretty face flushed. She pursed her lips and glared at him. "Who knows?"

"She's alright, but she falls far short of you."

Taking the opportunity, Tang Wan introduced Su Yi to Xia An in a few words.

Su Yi was majoring in Landscape Architecture.

She had completed both her undergraduate and master's degrees at Songjiang University, having stayed in Ice City for six or seven years.

She had originally intended to go abroad for advanced studies to pursue her doctorate, but a sudden family matter at home had delayed those plans.

Although she was a native of Suzhou, she was a few centimeters taller than Tang Wan.

"She's a very nice person, don't worry," Tang Wan concluded. "That's enough for you to know."

"That remark slightly hurts my ego. I'm no hoodlum."

Xia An volunteered to stop looking around and asked Tang Wan to walk him to the door, as he had other matters to discuss.

PhD students did not need to undergo military training.

The 32 newly enrolled doctoral students had already joined their respective research groups and started working long ago.

Today was merely for officially assigning dormitories to the few who weren't commuting from home, unlike the two-day registration period for undergraduates.

Starting tomorrow afternoon, Tang Wan would be participating in a three-day expert symposium.

She told Xia An that she planned to make a trip back to Dongshan next weekend.

"I'm going back to get some winter clothes. Is there anything you need me to bring?"

Xia An replied, "Just in time."

That was precisely what he wanted to talk about.

First, he had received a phone call the day before from Guo Chuan at Loud Voice Music Studio.

It was still about buying songs.

During the call, the other party once again sincerely expressed his desire to purchase the copyright for the song *Girl, Don't Panic*.

He openly stated that he wanted to sell it to a telecommunications company as a ringback tone, and the price was negotiable.

Xia An laughed the moment he heard this.

He had anticipated this all along.

In this era where divine talents were performing miracles left and right, a cheesy bubblegum pop song like that had zero chance of climbing the music charts.

However, ringback tones were indeed the most suitable monetization method for such a light and breezy musical style.

Send the song code to XXXX, costing anywhere from three to five yuan a month.

The operation was simple, and the charges were lucrative.

Classic capitalist tactics.

Once it went viral, the revenue would be no less than selling an album, perhaps even more.

That song *mice love rice* alone generated 150 million for the singer in just the past year.

How else could he have managed to get in touch with Dong Jie?

Right now, Jacky Cheung's *If Love*, Jackie Chan and Kim Hee-sun's *Endless Love*, and Michael Wong's *Fairytale* were all in the five-yuan tier.

For A-list songs, telecom companies and copyright owners generally split the profits evenly.

Even for lesser-known ones, a single subscription would earn at least one yuan.

This was the industry dividend gifted by the background of the era.

It was no less profitable than the early days of self-media in later generations.

The crucial point was that in this era, achieving fame meant reaping both wealth and renown, and being treated like a true celebrity.

In the future, people in his position would only be reviled as internet beggars cashing in on cheap fame.

Xia An had told Guo Chuan at the time that the song was a gift for his girlfriend, so he had to consult her opinion first.

Later, when little Youzi came back, it slipped his mind.

Hearing this, Tang Wan asked Xia An, "No matter how many people listen to it, this remains an exclusive gift you gave me, right?"

Those words filled Xia An with a trace of guilt.

Beneath the rain canopy, he wrapped his arms around Tang Wan's waist and said softly, "Of course. If you want to hear more, I'll write other songs for you."

Beaming with delight, Tang Wan said okay.

She readily and decisively agreed to go sign the contract with Guo Chuan over the weekend.

Her reasoning, however, was:

"Both of us are studying at university; we can't always rely on sports lottery betting to make a living. Having an extra source of income is always a good thing."

A woman, when she is loved by you, acts like your daughter.

When she loves you, she acts like your mother.

Xia An felt even more guilty.

He told Tang Wan that the funds in his betting account were close to seven million now, so money was not an issue.

Tang Wan sighed and looked at him meaningfully.

"Sigh, what a pity."

"A pity?" Xia An didn't understand.

Covering her mouth with a smile, Tang Wan remarked that women should be the ones managing the money, and asked him:

"Is a thousand yuan of pocket money a month enough for you?"

—Hiss.

Xia An's guilt instantly vanished.

The second matter was that Xia An hoped Tang Wan could accompany him to see their political counselor tomorrow morning.

They needed to address Lu Fei's situation.

Lu Fei had already secured his tuition for his freshman year, but what drove him to the brink of a breakdown was his worry about the remaining three years.

Yet, these problems could all be solved; there was no need to cry like that.

Taking preventive measures was always a good idea.

Tang Wan looked at Xia An deeply.

Xia An puffed out his chest and said, "What? Are you touched by my righteousness and nobility?"

Tang Wan asked, "Is Lu Fei a girl?"

Xia An: "???"

Tang Wan let out a soft snort of amusement.

"I'm just teasing you. I agree."

After planting a proactive kiss on Xia An's cheek, she whispered into his ear:

"You are fond of beauty and lustful, yet you are also very kind."

—

Upon returning to the dormitory, Xia An saw the hallway littered with male students in a flurry of activity, rushing to throw trash into the bathroom.

Inside the room, some were sweeping the floor while others were wiping the windows.

Lu Fei was busy cleaning the balcony.

Qi Buyang muttered that the counselor had already been by, and not a single room passed the hygiene inspection.

"A female counselor?" Xia An rolled his eyes and asked.

"You bet. Would a male counselor obsess over such trivial nonsense to torment people?" Qi Buyang complained.

Xia An smiled knowingly.

Qi Buyang was actually mistaken.

This young counselor was also a novice who had just stayed on at the university.

A tiny potato of a woman, short in stature with a booming voice.

Normally, she liked to put on an air of haughtiness, striking a fierce pose with her hands on her hips and her chin tilted up.

Behind the scenes, however, she was quite simple-minded.

She had been caught by her students several times crying her eyes out while reading sentimental stories in *Readers*.

She was exceptionally easy to fool.

And she was also very kind.

During the first two years of university, more than half of her salary had been secretly deposited into Lu Fei's meal card under the guise of a university subsidy.

This was the very reason Xia An thought of approaching her to offer preemptive comfort to Lu Fei.

Carrying a mop, Lu Fei entered the room and gave Xia An an honest, good-natured smile before starting to mop the floor.

On their very first night sleeping in the dormitory as roommates, Xia An stood out as completely out of place from the others.

Yet he slept exceptionally soundly.

...

Early on the second morning of the school term.

Xia An once again stood out from the rest of the college students.

He woke up exceptionally early.

He and Tang Wan went together to see that little potato of a counselor.

After the introduction, the counselor sent Xia An off to gather a few people to line up and collect their military training uniforms, leaving Tang Wan behind to continue chatting.

When Xia An returned to the dorm, Lu Fei had already been called away.

By the time Lu Fei returned looking radiant and happy, Xia An was out again.

Qi Buyang and Lu Yao asked Lu Fei why the counselor had called for him.

A faint blush crept across Lu Fei's dark face.

He was genuinely overjoyed.

The counselor had specifically called him to her office... for a heart-to-heart talk.

She said she was already aware of his family's financial situation.

And she told him that she could help him apply for the financial aid green channel starting this very year.

Secondly, she urged him to study his major diligently.

If he could secure a first-class scholarship, he wouldn't need his family to provide for his tuition and living expenses anymore.

Thirdly...

"Teacher Xu said that secondhand cameras and computers aren't actually that expensive.

"She'll help me get in touch with senior students who are in good financial standing and looking to upgrade their equipment, so she can find something cheap for me to use."

Lu Yao remarked, "She's not a bad person at all."

With a dismissive sound, Qi Buyang said, "She already told us: you don't need to buy a computer or camera for now, we can all share."

With a sheepish smile, Lu Fei asked, "Where's Xia An? Once he gets back, I'll treat you guys to a meal. I was the only one who didn't chip in yesterday."

—

Xia An had spent a great deal of effort finding the necessary props around the campus.

Then he hurriedly rushed to ambush the area outside Tang Wan's door.

After receiving his text message reading "Meet at home," Tang Wan deliberately dragged her feet for a while, killing time before she dared to go back.

For no other reason than she feared the lustful Xia An would pull something during the noon break.

Ascending the stairs, before Tang Wan even reached her door, her attention was caught by a gigantic cardboard box sitting in the corner.

Scrawled on it in bold handwriting were the words: Signed for by Tang Wan.

Taking a closer look, it was the box for a large Philips upright refrigerator.

—Did I buy a fridge?

Tang Wan twisted her lips in bewilderment.

—Did that bad boy send it? Why would he send a fridge?

She walked over with tiptoeing steps.

Thump!

The middle of the cardboard box was suddenly ripped open.

An oversized, utterly bizarre, and hilariously hideous giant cat poked its head out.

With a resounding "Meow," it startled Tang Wan so much that she clutched her chest and stumbled backward against the wall.

She almost cursed out loud on reflex.

Xia An was wearing cat ears on his head, with three whiskers painted on each of his cheeks.

He stroked his non-existent whiskers with furry cat-paw gloves.

"I've been a stray for a long time too. Let's adopt each other."

Hearing this, Tang Wan felt her heart skip a beat, and she looked at him between tears and laughter.

Xia An leaped out of the cardboard box, walked over, and pulled Tang Wan into an embrace.

"I love you, and just like that, I don't need my ego either."

"You're a pest," Tang Wan scolded with a smile as tears glistened in her eyes. "I'm taking you to get neutered first!"