Cao Yufan tried to smooth things over, pretending to be humorous, "Brother Meng, are you in such a hurry to come find me just to chat up my friends?"
Dong Lei, seeing that Meng Zijun didn't respond, cleared his throat and said, "I heard that our department is organizing a free computer maintenance activity for students and looking for a few key people to participate. We came to discuss with you—are you interested in signing up?"
"Interested, interested! How could I miss out on this?"
Cao Yufan's eyes briefly lit up before dimming again. "But nowadays, not many students in other departments have desktop computers or laptops, right?"
"Not many, indeed. But I did a quick survey—few freshmen bring laptops when they first arrive, but lots of sophomores have them. As for our major, don't even mention it; basically, everyone has one. Juniors tend to have desktops, and seniors, well, we don't really need to consider them."
"Who in your dorm has a computer?" Cao Yufan asked Bai Shasha and Li Si.
Bai Shasha and Li Si both shook their heads. Dong Lei sighed, "I was planning to first maintain the computers of these two beauties, but they didn't even leave me that chance. Tragic, absolutely tragic!"
Cao Yufan gave him an elbow jab, "What are you talking about? Smooth-talking no matter who you're with? Let me tell you, these two are like my sisters—don't get any funny ideas!"
Dong Lei exaggerated his expression, "Who would dare? Besides, the beauties wouldn't even be into my type, right? Someone like the talented Meng Zijun definitely has more appeal!" He even winked at Meng Zijun as he spoke.
"Don't keep goofing around. Since we've all eaten, why don't we go next door for something cool to drink, maybe some juice or ice cream?" Meng Zijun suggested gallantly to the group, sneaking a not-so-casual glance at Li Si.
Li Si really didn't have the mood to play along with him. She only wanted to leave any place where he was present as quickly as possible. She subtly shook her head at Bai Shasha. True to being her best friend, Bai Shasha immediately understood and came up with a perfect excuse for the two of them to leave first.
Walking along the main path on campus, Bai Shasha curiously asked, "Sisi, that Meng Zijun looked pretty handsome just now, right? Distinguished, graceful—why do you seem to have a problem with him? You were so cold to him—it's not like you at all!"
"What 'like me'? This is just treating people as they deserve, okay? Don't be fooled by how he appears decent on the surface. For all we know, he could be a playboy through and through!" Li Si couldn't explain what would happen later, so she just made up an excuse.
"Sisi, you definitely have something going on! Oh my god, don't tell me you've fallen for him at first sight and are pretending to be cold to play hard to get and attract his attention?" The more Bai Shasha spoke, the more it seemed plausible.
Li Si nearly choked from frustration. "I absolutely have not! Bai Shasha, I'm telling you seriously and only once—I hate Meng Zijun. Now and forever, I will never like him. If you're my friend, please don't bring him up in front of me again! Got it?"
Bai Shasha's mouth dropped open in shock. She was sure this was the only time she'd ever seen Li Si so serious in all the years she'd known her. Nervously, she hugged Li Si's arm. "Sisi, don't be so serious, okay? I promise I'll never bring him up again, all right? I was just joking earlier, don't take it seriously. Don't be mad anymore, okay? Let me treat you to some ice cream from the campus store!"
Li Si felt she might have been too harsh and hugged Bai Shasha. She whispered softly in her friend's ear, "Shasha, you're my best friend. I overreacted just now, I'm sorry. There are so many things I can't explain. But I really disliked him at first glance—like, deeply from the bottom of my heart—so please don't hold it against me, okay? Maybe this is what they call a karmic grudge!"
"It's fine, you know me! But you might be onto something. When we first met, I already felt like we clicked—maybe we were best friends in a past life. As for him, maybe he wronged you back then, so you're instinctively repulsed. Forget about him, Sisi. Ever since your dad passed away, you've changed a lot this semester… but honestly, I think I like the current you even more!" The two friends held hands as they headed to the campus convenience store for ice cream.
At the campus store, they originally planned to grab ice cream, but Bai Shasha got sidetracked by biscuits and sausages. Despite being called a "store," its size was actually substantial, catering to the student demographic with a wide variety of food and snacks.
A few days later, Yao Meiling and Wang Shishi somehow caught wind of the computer science department's active promotion. When they returned from home over the weekend, they each brought back a laptop. Li Si glanced at Yao Meiling's—it was the exact same brand, model, and color as hers. She couldn't help but mentally groan, thinking, what terrible fate—if I'd known, I wouldn't have chosen this brand.
These past few days, Li Si had been waiting until no one was around to take her laptop out of its hiding spot and go online. Now that most people in the dorm had laptops, she decided to use hers openly.
Kong Dan was the first to notice. With a slightly odd expression, she remained silent for a while before asking, "Li Si, did you get a laptop too?"
"Yeah, I bought it a while back!" Li Si replied while browsing Taobao, planning to buy some snacks.
"Huh? Then how come I've never seen you use it before?"
Li Si looked up from her laptop and glanced at her. "I kept it at home for a while. Kong Dan, if you ever need to use a computer, just let me know! You can borrow it anytime."
Kong Dan smiled shyly. "How could I? Your laptop must've cost a lot, right? If I broke it, I couldn't afford to replace it!"
Li Si laughed, "You're so funny! It's not made of paper; it's not going to fall apart with a touch. Don't worry about it at all. Besides, even if something does happen, we've got those computer science guys, right? We'll just have them fix it!"
Kong Dan chuckled in agreement. "True. Speaking of which, that activity they're hosting? All the girls in our department know about it now. A lot of people who didn't have computers even went to the electronics store to buy one!"
"Haha, exactly. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if everyone had one soon!" It was only after saying this that Li Si realized Kong Dan's expression looked a little off. Maybe she wasn't planning to get one—it's true, laptops weren't cheap back then.
Quickly, Li Si added, "But that's just me joking around. Honestly, it's not necessary at all if you don't need one. We're not computer majors—buying one is mostly for entertainment. It might even distract you, with all the games and chat apps. Unless you really need it, it's better not to buy one. Look, I only got mine for shopping on Taobao and stuff."
Kong Dan's expression softened a bit. "That's what I was thinking too. As students, it really isn't worth spending that money."
"Exactly, exactly. Oh, wait, is it lunchtime already? Want to grab lunch together?"
Li Si glanced at the time—it was already 12:30, a bit past the normal lunch hour. By now, the cafeteria probably wouldn't have much left. Might as well eat out. Bai Shasha had gone out with Cao Yufan's group today, and Li Si didn't feel like seeing Meng Zijun, so she hadn't joined them. She extended an invitation to Kong Dan instead.
Kong Dan quickly waved her off. "I'll pass. I'm just going to make instant noodles—too lazy to go downstairs. You go ahead!"