Outside the library of Beiqing University, Xiao Qianxi happily held a few books and showed them to He Xiaozhou.
"look!"
He Xiaozhou took a look and asked curiously: "Where did you get so many English books?"
Xiao Qianxi replied with a smile: "Sisters from the Department of Foreign Languages, they are selling used books. I have been watching them for several days and finally grabbed the TOEFL and the Little Red Book of the Foreign Graduate Entrance Examination. Look, they are the cleanest ones.
Several copies are here."
He Xiaozhou took it over with a smile and looked at it. Xiao Qianxi was still excited and chattering non-stop.
"If you buy these books outside, at least one book will cost dozens of dollars. After all, I have saved a hundred or ten yuan. Am I awesome?"
"It's awesome, it's awesome, but I don't need it now."
"Why don't you need it? There must be no problem with your graduate school admission. The key is that if you pass the TOEFL and the Foreign Graduate Entrance Examination, you can study abroad. Didn't you tell me that Zhou Chen is willing to help you go to Stanford University for graduate school?
.”
Xiao Qianxi lowered her voice: "I heard from Wang Ying that Zhou Chenhe has successfully cooperated with Stanford University to build a laboratory. This means that he must have a voice at Stanford University and there is absolutely no problem in helping you, but even if you have him
Don’t slack off in helping, you must pass the TOEFL and GRE. I have confidence in you.”
He Xiaozhou's face changed slightly when he heard this: "Qianxi, Zhou Chen did mention it to me, and I didn't doubt his ability. I know you are doing it for my own good, but I really haven't thought about going to Stanford University yet.
"
Xiao Qianxi said anxiously: "What else should you consider for such a good opportunity? That's Stanford, one of the top universities in the world. How many people want to go but can't go there? I know you must be worried about money, but first
Don’t think about money, prepare for the exam first, and then we’ll work hard together.”
"It's not just about money either."
"That means you are reluctant to separate from me. It doesn't matter. I will study hard, follow in your footsteps, and try to go to Stanford with you. Then we can be together again, but you may have to wait for me for a year.
"
Seeing his girlfriend's happy and expectant look, He Xiaozhou smiled on the surface, but actually sighed in his heart.
He didn't think it through, not only for this reason, but also because of his mother. His mother's illness was getting worse and worse, and she might not be cured one day, so he didn't want to study abroad, and he also wanted to accompany his mother there.
at last.
But how could he say no now?
"Okay, then let's work hard together."
"Well, I believe in you, Xiaozhou, so you also have to believe in me. If we work together, we will definitely be happy in the future."
Xiao Qianxi's eyes showed expectation and ambition, looking forward to the future and eager to succeed.
Maybe the starting point of people like Zhou Chen and Wang Ying is higher than their ending point, but she still wants to fight and work hard, and rely on her own efforts to prove that she is no worse than anyone else.
In fact, He Xiaozhou's thoughts are similar to hers, except that He Xiaozhou's character is not as strong and ambitious as hers, and his family and feelings occupy a higher proportion in his heart.
"Qianxi, your birthday will be here in a few days."
"Yes, Qiao Qiao and Wang Ying insisted on celebrating my birthday. They also said that a girl's twentieth birthday is very important. I can't even refuse."
"Then let's get together and have a good time. This is the first full birthday I want to spend with you."
"As long as you say yes, then I'm fine with it."
The two held the book, holding hands, swaying and walking happily.
In Houhai, Zhou Chen and Wang Ying parked their cars and walked to a courtyard house.
"This is it?"
Although it is within the second ring road, the environment in this area can only be regarded as average. Along the way, I saw many private houses. After all, it was still 2002, so it cannot be compared with the future.
Even twenty years later, there are still many old and small houses in the capital.
In fact, it's not that bad here. The main reason is that Wang Ying's living environment and the places she comes into contact with make her feel that this place looks a bit backward and the environment is not very good.
"But it's not too far from our home."
Zhou Chen looked at the dilapidated courtyard in front of him and said, "This courtyard is relatively well-preserved in Houhai. It is a two-story courtyard with more than 700 square meters. If you work on it, it should still be very good."
"It's such a big area. If you renovate it, the cost will go up, but you can just like it."
Wang Ying looked indifferent. She also saw that Zhou Chen might not really want to live in the courtyard when he bought it.
"How much did it cost to buy this place?"
Zhou Chen raised a finger: "One thousand, mainly because the property rights are clear, and there is no trouble in buying it."
A yard with such a large area would be sold for at least 100 million more than ten years later.
Wang Ying took a breath. Although her family was also very rich, she had not seen many people like Zhou Chen who spent money without blinking an eye. Even her uncle was not as arrogant as Zhou Chen.
How should I put it, Zhou Chen gave her the feeling that money was not money at all, and she could buy whatever she wanted without considering the price at all.
As he said himself, money was not important to him at all. She felt that if she wanted a building, Zhou Chen would be willing to buy it for her if she had enough money.
As for her uncle, he is also very rich in running a company, but he is also very careful about budgeting. Anyway, her uncle's cousin always complains to her, saying that his father is reluctant to give him much pocket money.
"Would you like to go in and take a look?"
"Anyway, we're all here, so let's go in and take a look."
Zhou Chen took the key, opened the door and walked in. As soon as he entered, Wang Ying frowned and covered her mouth and nose.
Because the environment here is indeed not good, there are weeds everywhere, and there are many dilapidated buildings. If you clean it up, it will be okay to live in, but it just looks shabby.
After a brief stroll around, the two of them left the courtyard, mainly because there was nothing interesting to see and it was a mess.
"With such a big yard, even if we hire someone to clean it, it will probably take several days to clean it. How are you going to deal with it?"
Zhou Chen said: "Let's leave it alone for now. Don't worry. I'm not planning to live here anyway. I'll do it slowly when I have time later. Let's go, let's go eat first and then go home."
In the bedroom, Wang Ying, who had finished taking a bath and put on her pajamas, was reading a book seriously with a pen in hand, writing and drawing with the pen from time to time, very seriously.
Zhou Chen came out of the bathroom, hugged her from behind, and kissed her gently.
"I won't disturb your study. I'll go play some games next to you."
"Well, I'll call you after I finish reading."
Wang Ying turned around and kissed Zhou Chen tenderly, and then continued to read seriously.
Zhou Chen's genius attributes put a lot of pressure on her. Although she is not as strong as Xiao Qianxi, she is also a person who strives to make progress. Even if she is not as good as Zhou Chen, she must work hard to enrich herself to avoid being beaten by Zhou Chen in the future.
Pull it farther.
It wasn't until ten o'clock that Wang Ying came to the next room and shouted to Zhou Chen: "It's time to go to bed."
"coming."
Zhou Chen hesitated for a few minutes before closing the computer and returning to the room. Wang Ying was already lying on the bed. He chuckled and jumped up.
"Don't move. I'm sleepy. I have classes tomorrow morning."
"It doesn't matter, you sleep on your own and I can do whatever I want."
"Disgusting, you are really annoying..."
Early the next morning, Zhou Chen walked into the house carrying the buns he bought outside, and took a look in the kitchen. The rice porridge in the rice cooker was almost ready.
Although he doesn't usually cook, it doesn't mean he doesn't know how to cook. It just means that cooking for the woman he likes is a happy thing for him.
When I came to the bedroom, I saw that Wang Ying was still sleeping peacefully. No one else was there, so she hugged a pillow. Her hair was even messier because she was tossing and turning under the quilt.
Zhou Chen walked to the bed and patted her face gently.
"Wake up, miss, wake up, it's getting late, you can get up."
Wang Ying didn't even open her eyes, she stretched out her hand to push away Zhou Chen's hand, and then continued to sleep. Zhou Chen called out twice more, and she simply turned over, with the back of her head facing Zhou Chen.
Zhou Chen was not impatient, but smiled and then forcibly turned her over.
"Don't touch me. I'm so sleepy. Let me sleep for a while."
"Don't sleep, get up quickly, wash up and eat. You have classes in the morning."
Seeing that Wang Ying was still lying there, Zhou Chen lifted the quilt directly. Wang Ying was so surprised that she turned over and sat up.
Grabbing the quilt and wrapping it around her body, Wang Ying opened her sleepy eyes and stared at Zhou Chen angrily.
"Zhou Chen, you are still not a human being. You don't let me sleep at night and you don't let me sleep in the morning. I'm really going crazy."
Zhou Chen looked innocent: "You can't blame me. You asked me last night to wake you up in the morning no matter what. I just did it."
Wang Ying patted the quilt several times angrily: "I'm so angry that I won't come back with you next time. If I'm in the dormitory, I can sleep an extra half hour in the morning. No, I can also go to bed early at night."
Zhou Chen pulled her from the center of the bed to the edge of the bed, smoothed the messy hair on her forehead, and gently stroked her cheek, like coaxing a child.
"Stop complaining, get up and change clothes quickly. Food is ready and I bought you steamed buns."
"I don't want to think about it. I still want to sleep for a while."
"If you go back to sleep, you'll be late. Get up quickly and I'll squeeze out the toothpaste for you. That's alright."
Wang Ying got down from the bed very depressed: "You go out, I want to change clothes."
"It's not like I haven't seen it before."
"Go, go, go away..."
Ten minutes later, Wang Ying came to the table to eat.
"Every time I come here, you cook for me and wake me up. Do you think I'm too squeamish? Too annoying?"
Zhou Chen handed a bun to her: "It's annoying, but I can't help it. Who made me like you? Besides, it's just a breakfast, and it doesn't take much effort. If you feel bad about it, just..."
"stop."
Wang Ying directly covered Zhou Chen's mouth with her hand: "I know what you are going to say, eat quickly, eat."
There was a happy smile on her face. She actually didn't stay in bed so much when she was in the dormitory, but when she came to Zhou Chen's place, she couldn't help but want to linger and act coquettishly towards Zhou Chen.
She didn't know what other girls' boyfriends were like, but she liked Zhou Chen's kindness to her the most.
After dinner, Zhou Chen went to wash the dishes, while Wang Ying went to pack up books and belongings, and then left home together.
"hiss!"
As soon as she walked out of the unit door, Wang Ying trembled unconsciously.
"It's really getting colder today."
"It will feel better if you get in the car."
Zhou Chen drove, while Wang Ying pulled down the passenger mirror and simply put on light makeup.
"It's still a while before we get to school, would you like to squint a little longer?"
"No need, I'm completely awake."
Putting the lipstick in the car, she took out her phone and took a look. She still had plenty of time.
"I have something to tell you. It's Qian Xi's birthday on Friday. We are going to give her a good birthday. I will be responsible for ordering a cake for her. You and I can go to the cake shop at noon and choose one on the spot."
If Zhou Chen wasn't with her, she wouldn't be too lazy to go in person and would just call someone to customize it and deliver it. But with Zhou Chen by her side, it was different.
Zhou Chen replied: "Okay, then do I want to give you any gifts then?"
"It's Qian Xi's birthday. What gift do you want to give me? You can just go directly with me."
"Then does this count as me attending as a guest family member?"
"Yes, yes, yes, everything you say is right."
Time passed quickly, and it was Friday in the blink of an eye. In the afternoon, when Zhou Chen came to the downstairs of the girls' dormitory, he saw two cars parked there, and two Hanhan who were leaning against the cars and confronting each other.
Zhou Chen's arrival also attracted the attention of Yang Cheng and Qin Chuan. Seeing Zhou Chen get out of the car, Yang Cheng nodded towards him.
"Thank you for what happened last time."
"Qiaoqiao has already conveyed your gratitude, are you still waiting for them?"
Yang Cheng nodded proudly, while Qin Chuan ran to Zhou Chen and asked in a low voice: "Qian Xi's birthday, why did you call him?"
Zhou Chen said angrily: "You also know that it's Xiao Qianxi's birthday, so why don't you ask me? Go ask Xiaozhou and Xie Qiao."
"Yes." Qin Chuan scratched his head, feeling that he had asked nonsense.
At this time, Wang Ying, Xie Qiao and Xu Lin came over carrying things. Qin Chuan saw that the opportunity to show off had come and he immediately took action.
He wanted to open the trunk of his car to put things in for Xie Qiao and the others, but what was embarrassing was that after trying for a long time, the trunk could not be opened. He was so anxious that he was sweating all over.
Finally, Yang Cheng opened the trunk of the sports car in a very pretentious manner, and Xie Qiao and the others put their things into Yang Cheng's trunk.
Facing Yang Cheng's contemptuous gaze, Qin Chuan was embarrassed and angry. Zhou Chen shook his head. This was pure financial oppression.
Wang Ying said to Zhou Chen: "I will go to the cashier with Qiao Qiao and the others to arrange the private room first. Qian Xi and He Xiaozhou are in the library. You can pick them up there later. Qian Xi and I have already agreed in advance."
Zhou Chen nodded: "Okay, I understand. I'll go there in a minute. You go and arrange it first."
Watching Yang Cheng's car leave, Qin Chuan angrily kicked his own car, and even more irritatingly, when he kicked his car, the trunk actually opened.
Qin Chuan was so angry that he cursed out loud, and Zhou Chen found it funny.
"You're quite angry."
Qin Chuan said angrily: "You just saw Xiao Yang's arrogance. What does he have to be proud of? It's just relying on his parents. Believe it or not, if he and I were at the same starting point, I would rely on him to flatter me.
Not as good as me."
"Xin, Xin, who are you Qin Chuan, the pancake boss?"
"Don't make sarcastic remarks. I'm going to drink tonight. I won't drive when I get in your car later. Also, lend me your dormitory for one night."
"what ever."
Qin Chuan found a place to park his car, and then went to the library with Zhou Chen. The two of them were waiting on the road not far in front of the library.
After waiting for a while, Qin Chuan became anxious.
"No, it's true that Xiaozhou and Qianxi are still studying on such an important day. Please give them a call."
Zhou Chen asked: "Hit their pager?"
Qin Chuan's tone suddenly faltered. Neither He Xiaozhou nor Xiao Qianxi had mobile phones. It wasn't that they really couldn't afford them, but that they couldn't bear to part with them. Both of them were representatives of thrift.
"Then go to the library and ask them. Don't waste time."
"Why are you so anxious? Wang Ying and the others have just gone to decorate. Why should we wait until they have finished decorating? Both Xiaozhou and Qianxi have a sense of time, so it won't be too late."
He knew that even though Qin Chuan was in a hurry to find Xie Qiao, he didn't tell him anything.
He Xiaozhou and Xiao Qianxi didn't let Zhou Chen and the others wait for long. After a while, they came out together.
Sitting in the back seat of the car, Xiao Qianxi said sheepishly: "I'm sorry, Zhou Chen and Qin Chuan, for keeping you waiting for so long."
Qin Chuan said with a smile: "It's okay, we just waited for a while."
Zhou Chen glanced at Qin Chuan and said, "You have all the good things to say."
He Xiaozhou also expressed gratitude: "I really trouble you all to celebrate Qian Xi's birthday."
Qin Chuan said loudly: "Why are you saying this? What is our relationship? Your girlfriend is our... our friend. We are all so familiar with each other. It would be too foreign to say this. You think so, Zhou Chen
.”
"Well, Xiaozhou, Qianxi, you don't have to be so polite."
When Zhou Chen and the others arrived at the cashier's box, Wang Ying and the others had already decorated the box, which was filled with balloons and ribbons. There was also a large birthday cake on the table, as well as fruit plates, beer drinks, etc.
As soon as Xiao Qianxi arrived, they all cheered: "The birthday boy is here, the birthday boy is here."
As everyone arrived and the birthday girl arrived, the atmosphere in the box suddenly became lively.
Xiao Qianxi was very moved and thanked everyone first. Then everyone lit candles for the cake and sang a happy birthday song to her. Xiao Qianxi was also the first to eat the cake.
Everyone was familiar with each other, so they were not restrained. Xie Qiao, Xu Lin and Xiao Qianxi all picked up the microphone and started singing. They really sang and danced, and they couldn't be happier with each other.
Wang Ying did not sing and dance together, but sat next to Zhou Chen and looked at them with a smile.
Zhou Chen asked in her ear: "Why don't you go up and sing?"
"It's not like you don't know that I don't have any musical talent."
"When you come to a place like this, who cares whether you sing well or not? Just sing at the top of your voice. The worse you sing, the more attention you will receive."
Wang Ying looked disgusted: "Forget it, I don't want this kind of attention at all. Why don't you come up and sing a song later? You keep saying that your singing is good. I'll give you a chance to show off in front of everyone."
.”
"No problem, watch me perform later."
Zhou Chen made a no-questions-asked gesture. Singing was really child's play for him.
Wang Ying was surprised: "You really want to sing?"
"You think I'm kidding you? I haven't sung for many years, and I sang tonight just for you."
It has been more than seven years since he traveled to this world, and he has indeed never sung a song for anyone.
After Xie Qiao and the others finished singing, Zhou Chen stood up and waved to Xie Qiao, who immediately walked over.
"Zhou Chen, are you planning to sing too?"
"Um."
Zhou Chen took the microphone and walked over to choose a song.
When everyone saw Zhou Chen preparing to sing, they all looked at Zhou Chen curiously, looking forward to Zhou Chen's performance.
