Chapter 0255: Christmas Dinner

Actually, Zhao Fusheng knew that Tan Kaixuan was never short of girlfriends.

With a decent family background, passable looks, and a generous, outgoing personality, it was no exaggeration to say that while Tan Kaixuan might not be the epitome of a ladies' man, at the very least, he would never lack a girlfriend.

In fact, Zhao Fusheng could tell that when Hu Xia first got together with Tan Kaixuan, at least two of her dormmates actually liked him.

After all, they were still young. Changing girlfriends a few times during college was perfectly normal. Zhao Fusheng had even met a prodigy who had dated over two hundred girlfriends in four years.

Fortunately, Tan Kaixuan wasn't that kind of promiscuous person.

He just needed someone to keep him company.

When they returned to the dorm, Wen Yu was playing games.

“Why aren’t you chatting with that online friend of yours?” Zhao Fusheng asked with a smile.

“She’s chatting on her roommate’s computer. She said she’s from our school,” Wen Yu looked up and said to Zhao Fusheng and Tan Kaixuan.

“Oh, you’re something else,” Tan Kaixuan laughed. “I’ve chatted for so long and only met three people from Ninghai City. You casually chat with someone and end up with a schoolmate—impressive!”

Wen Yu said, “What do you think? Should I meet her?”

Zhao Fusheng didn’t know about this in his previous life, so he couldn’t offer any advice. He just sat there quietly, listening to Tan Kaixuan give Wen Yu suggestions.

“You definitely have to meet her. How about this: I’ll go with you. You stay hidden at first, and I’ll go ahead. If she’s pretty, I’ll call you over. If she’s not, you find a place to call me, and we’ll bail,” Tan Kaixuan said with full confidence.

Zhao Fusheng looked at them helplessly, thinking, “The more cunning the fox, the better the hunter.”

…

…

In 1999, due to the underdeveloped internet, festivals like Christmas didn’t have much influence among young people. People knew about the holiday but didn’t think of celebrating it grandly. At most, couples exchanged gifts, and friends gave each other apples.

On one hand, they were all students with little money. On the other, no one considered it an important holiday.

Unlike later years, when it became a hot topic for businesses and social media—that was absolutely impossible.

In Zhao Fusheng’s dorm, Wen Yu and Tan Kaixuan were bona fide singles. Wang Zhen’s girlfriend was in Binzhou. Zhao Fusheng always claimed to have a girlfriend, but not a trace of her was ever seen, so everyone had long stopped teasing him about it.

So today, they planned to go out for a meal to celebrate the holiday.

Just as they were putting on their coats to go downstairs and find Wang Zhen, the dorm phone rang. Tan Kaixuan answered it, then turned to Wen Yu: “It’s for you.”

“Me?”

Wen Yu looked confused. “Who is it?”

“Your little sister,” Tan Kaixuan grinned, giving Wen Yu a gloating look.

Little sister?

Wen Yu’s expression turned strange. Zhao Fusheng and Tan Kaixuan exchanged a knowing smile, their faces mirroring each other.

The only girl everyone called Wen Yu’s little sister was Han Meimei.

They went downstairs together and saw Han Meimei standing there, wearing a white cotton-padded jacket and ear muffs. In her hands, she held several apples, each wrapped in homemade packaging with bows, looking especially nice.

“These are for you,” Han Meimei said, glancing at Wen Yu, then at Zhao Fusheng and Tan Kaixuan. “Brother Wang Zhen has some too.”

“This girl is thoughtful,” Zhao Fusheng said with a smile. He had a decent impression of Han Meimei. She was the typical gentle and refined girl—maybe not helpful for a man’s career, but definitely reassuring to have as a wife.

But Wen Yu glared at her. “It’s so cold out. What are you doing here? Go back quickly.”

Then he said to Zhao Fusheng and Tan Kaixuan, “You two go find Old Wang first. I’ll catch up.”

It seemed he planned to walk Han Meimei back to her dorm before joining them.

“No need. You go ahead. I can go back by myself,” Han Meimei said with a smile. Her cheeks were red from the cold wind, making her look like a red apple.

That was Han Meimei. Because of Wen Yu, she often ate with the group. Every time she joined, she seemed a bit out of place, sitting in a corner with a glass of water, blinking as she listened to everyone boast.

“I’ll walk you. It’s not safe for you alone,” Wen Yu said to Han Meimei.

It was already past five in the evening, and it was getting dark. Han Meimei walking alone really wasn’t safe.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled and said, “No need to go through all that trouble. Meimei, why don’t you come with us and grab a bite?”

“No, I have plans with my roommates,” Han Meimei hesitated, glanced at Wen Yu’s expression, then shook her head and refused.

Zhao Fusheng smiled. “All your roommates have boyfriends, don’t they? Besides you, tell me, who would eat with you?”

Han Meimei’s original dorm had bad relations after the incident with the thugs. Wen Yu had asked Qin Wentao to help, and through the college leadership, she was reassigned to a new dorm. The new roommates were nice, but as freshmen in advertising, they were open-minded and all had boyfriends within a semester.

Of course, to outsiders, Wen Yu was also Han Meimei’s boyfriend, even though they both repeatedly denied it.

Since they were all familiar, when Han Meimei used that as an excuse, Zhao Fusheng bluntly called her out.

“I—what if my roommate just broke up?” Han Meimei stomped her foot, glaring at Zhao Fusheng.

“Enough, stop with the excuses. Come on, let’s go together,” Zhao Fusheng waved his hand, making the final decision.

He didn’t give Han Meimei a chance to refuse.

Tan Kaixuan also chimed in with a laugh, “Yeah, other people can only spend Christmas with one boyfriend, but you get to choose from four of us. How lucky.”

Zhao Fusheng stumbled as he walked ahead. He turned back to look at Tan Kaixuan, wanting to kick him to death.

That guy’s mouth was a disaster.

But Tan Kaixuan didn’t realize he’d caused trouble. He was still joking with Han Meimei, making her laugh heartily.

Zhao Fusheng looked at Tan Kaixuan and shook his head helplessly. This pig was hopeless.

Turning to look at Wen Yu, who had been silently walking at the back, Zhao Fusheng smiled to himself. This was good. Let’s see how long this guy could hold out.

People were like that—sometimes they needed a push to truly understand their own hearts. Zhao Fusheng thought maybe he should give someone a little nudge from behind. Otherwise, if Wen Yu never wised up and only made up his mind after graduation, he might miss a beautiful romance.

With that thought, Zhao Fusheng quickened his pace. He would need Wang Zhen’s help with this.

As for Tan Kaixuan, Zhao Fusheng knew he couldn’t count on him. It would be good enough if he didn’t cause trouble.

…

…

The group soon arrived at the studio. Since it was Christmas, Wang Zhen had given the four staff members the day off. But when Zhao Fusheng walked in, he was surprised to see Dong Guoxiang.

“What are you doing here?” Zhao Fusheng asked in surprise.

Dong Guoxiang smiled honestly. “I don’t have a girlfriend. I figured I had nothing to do, so I came to see if there was anything I could help with.”

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback but nodded. “Alright then. We’re about to have a dinner gathering. I’ll leave things to you.”

He had a good impression of this guy—quiet, honest, and though he cared about money because he came from a rural background, he was hardworking.

In Zhao Fusheng’s view, people like him could always find a foothold in the city.

Because they had experienced poverty and hardship, they understood better how hard-won happiness was.

People often remembered bad times vividly, so when they finally had a good life, they cherished it all the more.