Upon hearing that, Luo Yanqing burst out laughing, "Looks like Mom was right, you really are such a rascal."
He gave Kang Li a quick peck on the lips, the smile still in his voice, "The other party’s probably pissed to death by what you said."
Kang Li shrugged, unconcerned, "I don’t care! She was the one making trouble. If she wants to mess with me, she can’t blame me for teasing her."
The two of them lay in bed chatting for twenty or thirty minutes. Luo Yanqing then got up, settled at the desk and started reading, while Kang Li stayed on the bed, flipping through a novel. Luo Yanqing had bought that book especially for the dorm, just so Kang Li would have something to read whenever she dropped by and got bored.
Around nine-thirty, Kang Li closed the novel, pinched her brow, and got out of bed. "I’m going to sleep. What about you?"
"Go ahead and sleep."
Luo Yanqing closed his book, got up, and put it back on the bookshelf.
...
The dorm next door.
"Don’t you think it’s time to head back to your own room?"
Wen Siyuan lounged in his chair, shooting a look at He Wei, "You just can’t stay in your own dorm, gotta come to mine. I honestly don’t get what goes on in your head."
"I’m here to ask you stuff, and keep you company at the same time!"
He Wei sat cross-legged on the edge of Wen Siyuan’s bed and laughed, "What, you’re kicking me out now?"
"Look at the time, it’s almost nine-thirty. You’ve been here two hours already. If you don’t leave soon, you’re gonna mess up my sleep."
Wen Siyuan gave him a dark look.
"You go to bed at nine-thirty?"
He Wei said, "I don’t buy it."
"Believe it or not."
Wen Siyuan rolled his eyes at him, "If you miss your wife so much, just call her tomorrow and tell her to come see you. No need to pine away in my room for nothing."
He Wei’s eyes went wide, "Old Wen, come on, don’t say weird stuff like ’pine for plums to quench thirst.’ And in your room, no less?"
"Did I say anything wrong?"
Wen Siyuan’s expression stayed calm, "A woman like Comrade Kang is lucky for Team Leader Luo. Not only is she good-looking, she cares about her husband, is considerate—even if she’s busy and can’t come to the station herself, she’ll still call and ask after Team Leader Luo’s health. That’s something you can’t just envy."
He felt pretty sour saying that, but as soon as he thought of Song Ning, his first wife, all that bitterness was replaced by regret.
He used to have a wife who knew if he was hot or cold, who cared about him, and saw him as her world.
Though she never came to visit him in person like Comrade Kang did for Team Leader Luo, whenever he couldn’t get leave and go home for ages, she’d always call the station, checking if he was okay, asking if he needed anything.
Not like Su Man...
Forget it. They’re divorced now. Thinking about it only makes things worse.
"I’m not jealous of Team Leader Luo. I really just came to ask you questions and hang out. Since you’re going to bed, I’ll head back."
He Wei stood up, grabbed the professional book he’d brought, and made for the door. "I’m going. Aren’t you gonna see me off?"
"It’s barely two steps. You want me to walk you?"
Wen Siyuan shot him another look.
"Heartless man!"
He Wei tossed out that comment and left, shutting the door behind him.
A moment later, Wen Siyuan carried a washbasin to fetch water and ran into Luo Yanqing.
The two greeted each other and passed by.
"How long are you gonna be busy this time?"
Back in the dorm, Luo Yanqing put the basin away and casually pulled on the light switch string.
The desk lamp was still on, so the room just got a bit dimmer.
He settled back beside Kang Li, and when she asked, Luo Yanqing replied, "Hard to say."
It honestly was hard to predict when a project would yield results.
"After New Year’s, another three or four months and Rui Rui will be taking the college entrance exam. Wouldn’t you feel bad if you can’t be there?"
"I went into the exam hall alone when I took the college entrance exam."
"That was then, this is now."

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