Chapter 034

Before Meng Li could fully process what had happened, Ji Chen had already walked over and sat down beside her bed.

He tilted his head slightly to look at Meng Li, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, and asked, “What’s wrong? It’s been only half an hour since school ended, and you don’t recognize me anymore?”

Meng Li snapped out of her daze and shot a quick glance at Ji Chen’s face.

Then, she sat down on the stool by the desk beside her bed, her expression serious as she stared at Ji Chen.

Ji Chen wasn’t fazed by her gaze. He leaned casually against the bed frame, hands in his pockets, meeting Meng Li’s stare. “The house is too far away, and it’s a hassle to keep running back and forth. So, I applied to live on campus with Old Wang.”

Meng Li continued to look at him, remaining silent.

She was deep in thought, wondering if he had moved to the school because of her.

If it wasn’t because of her, then why did he apply to live here now, of all times, and not earlier or later?

But if it was because of her, what exactly was he trying to do?

Could it be…

Did he really have… that kind of preference?

At the thought of this, Meng Li couldn’t help but shudder, quickly averting her gaze.

But then she felt that maybe she was overthinking. When he had asked her if she liked men before, his tone had clearly been teasing.

After a moment, she turned around and flipped open the book on the desk, pretending to focus on it. “The school dormitory isn’t my home. If you want to stay, just stay. There’s no need to explain so much to me.”

Ji Chen smiled again. “That won’t do. If I don’t explain myself, you might think I have some improper intentions toward you.”

Meng Li: “…”

Did he know what she was thinking?

With her back to Ji Chen, Meng Li cleared her throat softly. “I didn’t think that at all.”

Ji Chen lifted his arm behind his head and spoke in a lazy tone, “It’s best if you don’t think too much. I’m not interested in men.”

Meng Li: “…”

He said whatever he wanted to say.

Meng Li ignored Ji Chen after that, sitting by the window reading as nightfall approached.

Ji Chen remained lounging on the bed, not getting up. He casually grabbed a book from the bedside, his gaze shifting back and forth between the book and Meng Li’s figure.

By nearly 9 p.m., Ji Chen was the first to get up from the bed.

Without hesitation, he called out to Meng Li, and after grabbing a basin, soap, toothbrush, and toothpaste, he headed to the bathroom.

When he returned from his shower, Meng Li was still sitting by the window, reading.

He set his things down and spoke to her, “I’m going for a walk. You should hurry up and take a shower. When I come back, I’ll turn off the lights and go to sleep.”

Meng Li slightly turned her head back. “Got it.”

She had been struggling with how to manage her personal hygiene with Ji Chen around, but now, he was about to leave.

Once Ji Chen was gone, Meng Li wasted no time. She grabbed a basin and the kettle of hot water and headed to the washroom.

Of course, she didn’t go to the communal bathroom. Instead, she always filled several large basins with water from the washroom and brought them back to her dorm to bathe using the large bucket she had bought.

Though it wasn’t as comfortable as a shower, given the situation, it would have to do.

If the communal bathroom had partitions, she could have gone there, but there were none.

She hurriedly filled the basins and returned to her dorm to wash. Afterward, she poured the water out, one basin at a time.

After washing up, changing into fresh clothes, and drying her hair, Meng Li sat in her bed, her heart racing. She waited for about twenty minutes before Ji Chen finally returned.

When he entered, Meng Li was already sitting on her bed—the top bunk—leaning against the headboard with a book in her hands.

Ji Chen turned around, locked the door, and glanced up at her. “Still reading? I’m turning off the lights.”

Meng Li closed the book in her hands and placed it beside her pillow. “You can turn it off.”

Ji Chen, in his usual calm manner, didn’t say anything more. He simply turned off the light, walked over to his bed, and climbed up.

Once he was lying down, he adjusted himself to find a comfortable position, folding his hands behind his head as he stared up, lost in thought.

After days of planning, he had finally moved into the school dorm, and he was sharing a room with Meng Li. Perhaps due to the excitement, he felt no drowsiness at all. Unable to fall asleep, he wanted to say something to Meng Li but found himself unable to bring up any words.

The dorm was quiet, the curtains blocking out the moonlight, leaving the room shrouded in darkness.

In the stillness, every sound felt amplified. Ji Chen could hear Meng Li adjusting her blanket, even the soft rhythm of her breathing.

Each time she moved on the top bunk, the bedframe shook slightly, making his bed tremble along with it.

He waited for Meng Li to fall asleep but didn’t close his own eyes. Instead, he lay there in the strange, almost eerie atmosphere, trying to steady his emotions.

It only took a couple of days for him to adjust. Before long, Ji Chen was calling Meng Li “bro” naturally and interacting with her more casually.

Since Ji Chen would go out for a while every night, giving her enough time to wash up, Meng Li gradually became more comfortable with his presence as a roommate.

Because he had been kind to her, Meng Li, albeit reluctantly, would sometimes help Ji Chen with his schoolwork.

Their relationship remained harmonious, maintaining a balanced distance—neither too close nor too distant.

It was, of course, impossible for Meng Li to treat him the same way she did her friends like Zhuo Xi.

But, in truth, she had let go of most of her wariness and hostility toward him.

And since Ji Chen had moved into the dorm, Meng Li’s life had become a little more lively again.

When she was with Zhuo Xi and the others, their activities mostly consisted of cruising around, chatting, eating, and generally just passing the time without much else going on.

But Ji Chen was something else. In just a week, he brought a guitar into the dorm, and then, secretly, he brought in a record player along with a large stack of vinyl records. Later, he even brought several banned books.

Of course, the term “banned books” was relative to the time, as these were books that, before Meng Li had crossed over, were often required reading during school—mostly Western literature.

When Meng Li borrowed the books from Ji Chen, she teased him, “You really consider me a brother? Aren’t you afraid I’ll go behind your back and report you to Principal Cao in the principal’s office? These books should have been smashed and burned back during the ‘Destroy the Four Olds’ campaign.”

Ji Chen didn’t mind. “If you’re really that kind of person, I’d accept it.”

With that, he picked up his guitar and asked Meng Li what song she wanted him to play for her.

Meng Li didn’t think about what she wanted to hear. Instead, she looked at him and said, “I didn’t expect you to know so many things.”

Ji Chen wasn’t modest. He answered confidently, “Of course. I know more than you guys, after all. There’s a lot to do. With all this time on our hands, and we can’t be fighting all the time, might as well find some fun.”

Meng Li couldn’t help but curl her lips slightly. “I think you’re just trying to impress someone.”

Boys were the same in any era. To impress a girl, they always tried to act cool, doing everything they could to stand out.

But to act cool, you needed some real skills, right?

Ji Chen only smiled. “Impressing girls doesn’t need all that. With my face, that’s all I need.”

Meng Li: “…”

What a shameless person.

But when she thought about it, the first time she saw him at Shichahai after crossing over, she had indeed thought he was the most handsome among all the boys.

Even now, she hadn’t seen any boy who looked better than him.

Ji Chen didn’t continue teasing her. Instead, he strummed a few chords on the guitar and said, “I’ll sing you a song, ‘Little Path.’”

Meng Li didn’t have any particular thoughts about it. She simply nodded. “Alright.”

Ji Chen sat at the edge of the bed, holding his guitar, and began strumming the strings. He then started to sing along with the melody:

A little path, winding and long,
Leading all the way to the misty distance,
I’ll follow this narrow path,
With my lover, to the battlefield.

…

Songs from this era seemed to carry the same imprint—simple, sincere, with lyrics and melodies full of deep emotion.

Meng Li slowly became immersed in the music, her gaze softening.

The evening breeze drifted through the window, making the curtains flutter gently.

Ji Chen sat there, playing his guitar, his voice telling a story unique to this time. A soft glow enveloped him, and the hem of his clothes fluttered in the wind.

For the first time, Meng Li truly understood what it meant to live in “the best of times, the worst of times.”

Everything unique to this era was something future generations would never be able to experience. The blood-tinged youth of this time, the romance that belonged only to youth, were things that would never be understood by those who came after.

After finishing Little Path, Ji Chen played another song for Meng Li, Listening to Mom Tell Stories from the Past.

Meng Li was more familiar with this song, so she slowly hummed along.

Bathed in the golden light of the setting sun, her profile was backlit, her long lashes fluttering, a faint smile playing at the corners of her lips.

Her voice gently merged with Ji Chen’s, blending together:

The moon moves through the white lotus-like clouds,
The evening breeze brings waves of joyful song,
We sit beside the high piles of grain,
Listening to Mom tell stories from the past…

…

Meng Li hadn’t told Zhuo Xi and the others that Ji Chen had moved into the dorm as well. Since she was getting along fine with him, there was no need to stir up trouble. After all, Zhuo Xi and the others had never changed their impression of Ji Chen and his group.

It had been nearly a month since she moved into the dorm, and everything was going smoothly.

On Thursday evening, Zhuo Xi and the others came to the school to find Meng Li. They told her that there would be a performance of The Red Women’s Army at the exhibition hall on Saturday night and asked if she wanted to go.

In this era, there were very few entertainment options, and whenever such a performance took place, everyone fought to get a ticket.

Because everyone wanted to go, tickets were incredibly hard to get.

Since Meng Li hadn’t watched a movie or seen a performance since crossing over, she, of course, wanted to go.

She nodded and asked Zhuo Xi, “But, do we have tickets?”

Zhuo Xi replied, “Tickets go on sale Saturday morning, but if Third Master wants to go, we’ll line up on Friday night.”

Before she finished, Wei Dong added, “If we can’t get them, we’ll snatch one for you.”

Zhou Nan chimed in, “Ji Chen and his group will definitely be able to get tickets.”

Jin Bei looked at Zhou Nan and said, “But didn’t we already make peace with Ji Chen’s group?”

Before anyone else could speak, Meng Li spoke up, “Then I’ll go with you all tomorrow night to line up. If we can get tickets, we’ll go. If not, then forget it. There’s no need to snatch them. If things get messy, we won’t be able to enjoy the performance anyway.”

Zhuo Xi nodded, “If we go early to line up, we should be able to get tickets.”

Then she thought of something and said to Meng Li, “The line for tickets will definitely be crowded and chaotic, so Third Master, you shouldn’t come. Leave it to us, and you can just come to watch the performance in the evening.”

Meng Li felt a bit embarrassed, “No, I should go with you.”

Wei Dong, on the other hand, was happy to have everyone together, saying, “Let’s all go. It’s been so long since we’ve hung out together, right?”

Zhuo Xi glanced at Wei Dong, but before he could speak, Zhou Nan added, “We’re a big group, so what’s there to be afraid of? Third Master spends every day cooped up at school, hasn’t had a proper break in ages. Let’s all go together.”

Zhuo Xi swallowed and then looked at Jin Bei, “What do you think?”

Jin Bei glanced around at the group, then looked at Zhuo Xi. “If Third Master wants to go, then let’s all go together.”

With four votes against one, Zhuo Xi had no choice but to agree. “Alright, after school tomorrow, we’ll pick you up.”

Meng Li nodded, “Alright, I’ll meet you at the school gate after class.”