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墨書 Inktalez
After getting off the bus, Hu Ruoyun first took his ID card and checked into a room at the Post and Telecommunications School Guesthouse. The room had a private bathroom and 24-hour hot water, costing only twelve yuan for a night. Hu Ruoyun paid for three days, and since today was just the beginning, he looked forward to spending the weekend with Mao Na.
Once everything was settled, he freshened up in the bathroom, putting on a clean sky-blue short-sleeved shirt and a pair of cream-colored trousers that Mao Na had bought him during the May Day holiday. He slipped on a brand-new pair of Warrior sneakers. Looking in the mirror, he noted that despite being a bit darker, shorter, and less attractive than others, he still looked quite spirited.
As adults, he couldn't let Mao Na down.
Exiting the guesthouse, he approached the entrance of the Post and Telecommunications School. He presented his student ID (which was more useful than his ID card at this moment) to the guard for verification and entered smoothly. Following the instructions in the letter, he asked around for Building 6 and finally arrived outside Mao Na's classroom. Through a glass panel on the door, he could see her sitting in the third row, attentively listening to the lecture.
As Hu Ruoyun was lost in thought, someone suddenly tapped him on the shoulder. "Student, what are you doing here?"
He looked up to see a middle-aged man with fair skin and an elegant demeanor standing before him. Instantly straightening his posture, he politely replied, "Teacher, I'm Ji Nan's brother. I'm here to see my sister."
The man's expression softened. "I'm the counselor for this class. What's your sister's name? I'll let her know after class; you don’t need to wait here."
Hu Ruoyun borrowed a pen and paper from the teacher and quickly wrote down Mao Na's name along with his room number at the guesthouse before thanking him respectfully and leaving.
Mao Na spent some time watching television in her room but found it rather dull. Eventually, she lay down on her bed and fell asleep.
After an unknown amount of time, she was stirred by someone knocking on the door. Startled awake, she jumped out of bed barefoot and rushed to open it.
Standing outside was indeed Mao Na, but her expression struck Hu Ruoyun as particularly strange—there was happiness, excitement, awkwardness, even embarrassment. Just as he thought about embracing her, he noticed there was a man standing behind her.
This man appeared to be around Mao Na's age but was half a head taller than Hu Ruoyun. He wore a white T-shirt tucked neatly into fitted casual pants. A shiny watch adorned his left wrist; with a square face and thick eyebrows framing big eyes, he bore a striking resemblance to "Little Ma," smiling warmly at Hu Ruoyun from behind Mao Na.
What was going on?
Before Mao Na could speak, the man extended his hand first. "You must be Mao Na's brother? Let me introduce myself; I’m general Qi, your sister's classmate! I just heard from Counselor Xing that you came to visit your sister, so I thought I’d come over to meet you and invite you both out for a meal!"
What kind of situation was this?
Seeing Mao Na’s awkward expression made it clear she wanted to find a hole to hide in. Hu Ruoyun understood immediately—this was clearly an “rival” showing up at his doorstep.
In an instant, turmoil erupted within Hu Ruoyun’s heart: What did this mean for Mao Na? Had she moved on so quickly?
Sadness, grievance, anger, humiliation… all sorts of emotions surged within him like a storm; he felt like punching this pretty boy right in the face!
But he didn’t. He hesitated for just three to five seconds, then made a face at Mao Na and gestured invitingly, “Brother Qi, right? Come on in!”
He recalled something he had once told Mao Na: most failures in marriage stem from doubt; even the strongest family cannot withstand the impact of suspicion. He chose to trust her!
This left Mao Na confused. The expression on the face of this “black coal” had changed so many times that she worried he might suddenly explode. Now, however, he was being overly warm, which only made her feel more uncertain: what was he trying to do?
Hu Ruoyun let them in and invited them to sit in two chairs by the small tea table. “Just a moment, I’ll wash my face.”
After a short while, she came out of the bathroom, wiping her face with a towel as she said to Mao Na, “Mom knows I came to see you and sent a lot of delicious food with me…” She set down the towel and went to open the bag on the bedside table.
Mao Na didn’t know how to respond; she couldn’t very well ask, “Is it your mom or mine?”
It was General Qi who stood up without a care for his own safety. “Come on, brother, I’ll treat you both to a meal. You two can catch up later.”
Things were getting increasingly complicated.
Mao Na’s group had opened two classes this year, with people from the Postal System coming from almost every county in the province, most of whom had some background.
General Qi was from Ji Nan’s Huangchuan County and was quite an outgoing person—talkative and sociable. He had been appointed class leader by their counselor and was also a member of the student council’s discipline committee.
Huangchuan and Annan both belonged to Ji Nan, so he and Mao Na could be considered fellow townsfolk. They got to know each other through various interactions, and eventually, General Qi developed feelings for Mao Na.
In Mao Na’s dormitory was another girl named Di Rong from Huangchuan who shared a bunk with her. Di Rong said that General Qi was quite the flirt; relying on his father’s position as a leader in the Huangchuan County Post and Telecommunications Bureau, his good looks, and his family’s wealth, he often made inappropriate comments to female colleagues and even got hands-on at times, which was quite annoying. He also had unclear relationships with two girls from another class.
Mao Na suppressed her annoyance and clearly told him that she had a boyfriend. But this guy wouldn’t give up; he kept finding ways to get close to her, boasting about his father’s influence in the Huangchuan County Post and Telecommunications Bureau and how things would go for him after graduation. He even promised that if Mao Na transferred her work relationship there, she would be valued and promoted…
Mao Na remained unmoved by his advances; his persistence only made her more exasperated and helpless.
That afternoon after school, their counselor handed Mao Na a note: “Mao Na, your brother has come from home to see you. Here’s his room number at our school’s guesthouse; you should go meet him.”
Unexpectedly, General Qi approached again: “Mao Na, your brother is here? You’ve been turning down my invitations to dinner; today is perfect! I’ll treat you both—let’s welcome your brother!”
Mao Na refused. “No need; you can eat by yourself. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other; we need to talk.”
But he stubbornly insisted, “Come on! You can save your conversation for later tonight. It’s mealtime anyway; let’s go! We can invite him too; that Dong Sheng Li Du nearby has great food…”
General Qi truly believed that with his looks and status, he could win her over!
Mao Na gritted her teeth in frustration; she wanted to shout at him: “That’s not my brother; he’s my future husband!” But her upbringing held her emotions in check.
Ignoring everything else, she packed her things and headed outside, but General Qi followed her like an annoying adhesive plaster.
Let him meet her "Black Charcoal," and she felt like dying, but he insisted on following her, ready to win over her younger brother, "Curve to Save the Country"!
Now, seeing Hu Ruoyun's behavior, Mao Na didn't know what to do next.
general Qi stepped in again, saying, "Come on, let's go eat outside first. You two can talk when we get back."
Hu Ruoyun replied, "Brother Qi, I feel bad making you spend money."
As she spoke, she stood up and took Mao Na's hand, leading her out. "Let's eat at your school cafeteria; I want to experience college life."
general Qi was a bit confused: Were the siblings this close?
Since they were heading toward the school, he couldn't insist on going to Dong Sheng Li Du anymore and could only follow closely behind the two of them.
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