Late at night, in a bar in Yangcheng.
On the dance floor, the crowd swayed frantically, unleashing long-suppressed hormones…
Lin Feng, however, was in no mood to watch. He had just finished his college entrance exams and been accepted into Yangcheng University. At a friend's recommendation, he had taken a summer job at this bar to earn his college tuition.
At the moment, he was carrying a tray, weaving through the private rooms to serve customers their drinks.
"Hey, handsome! Don't go, have a drink with me?"
Lin Feng carried the drinks into a private room that felt rather strange. Compared to the other rooms, this one was exceptionally quiet, where a single, sexily dressed woman stood singing and drinking by herself.
The woman wore a spaghetti-strap dress, her figure incredibly sultry, yet her face was remarkably innocent. She looked to be in her early twenties.
From what little experience he had in bars, Lin Feng figured this beauty was most likely heartbroken.
Lin Feng set down the drinks and was about to leave when she called out to him.
"Come on, handsome! Have a drink!"
The woman was clearly drunk. She lifted her glass and leaned against Lin Feng, her warm breath on his skin as she spoke.
She was gorgeous, with an amazing figure. Any other man would have probably already succumbed. But Lin Feng knew he was just a student, and wanting to avoid trouble, he pushed her away.
"I'm sorry, miss. I'm working, so I can't keep you company."
After he spoke, Lin Feng picked up the tray and turned to leave.
BANG!
Just then, the woman took her glass and smashed it on the ground. The sound of shattering glass made Lin Feng stop in his tracks. He turned to see her eyes red and swollen, with faint tear stains at the corners.
"You men are all the same! A bunch of liars!"
The woman pointed a delicate finger at Lin Feng and yelled, "You, sit down… drink with me!"
Lin Feng felt helpless but managed a smile. "Miss, I'm really sorry. I'm just here on a summer job. If you need a drinking companion, I can call a colleague over."
Hearing the words "drinking companion," the woman grew even angrier.
She glared at Lin Feng, her delicate body trembling as she demanded, "What's that supposed to mean? Do I look that cheap to you?"
"That's not it… Miss, you're overthinking it!"
"Then cut the crap! You're drinking with me today!"
As she spoke, the woman pulled out her wallet, withdrew a thick stack of cash, and slapped them across Lin Feng's face.
"You just want a tip, right? Here! Take this US$ 5,000!"
Seeing the money on the floor, Lin Feng was tempted. He only earned less than two thousand yuan a month from his summer job. If he could get this US$ 5,000, his college tuition would be covered.
Lin Feng hesitated, feeling uneasy. He was, after all, just a recent high school graduate who had never been in a situation like this. Ultimately, however, Lin Feng decided to refuse. He picked up the money, placed it back, and said to the woman, "Miss, I can sing with you, but I really can't drink. I'm not legally an adult for another two days…"
"Fine… then come here!" the woman said, patting the sofa next to her.
Lin Feng hesitated for a moment before nodding and sitting down beside her.
Lin Feng could have never imagined that he, a prospective student of a top-tier university, would now be in a bar, singing with a woman. Life truly is unpredictable!
Lin Feng picked up the microphone from the table, selected E-God's "Happy on a Cloudy Day," and began to sing with deep emotion.
After nearly half an hour of singing, his throat was almost raw. The woman beside him had also put down her glass, turning her face away to secretly wipe her tears.
"Sigh…" Seeing this, Lin Feng could only sigh helplessly. He had never been in love in his entire life and had no idea how to comfort her.
Finally, Lin Feng picked up a glass of baijiu and said to her, "I don't know what happened to you, but my Chinese literature teacher used to say, 'What has left me, I cannot keep from yesterday's day; what troubles my heart brings only sorrow to today's… When life doesn't go your way, tomorrow you can let down your hair and set sail on a small boat.' Life is full of hardships and tears, but if you persevere, you will see hope."
With that, Lin Feng downed the baijiu in one go.
COUGH, COUGH… "That's strong! But damn, it feels good!"
It was the first time Lin Feng had ever drunk baijiu. As soon as he swallowed, a cough burst from his throat.
"Exactly!" the woman slurred, leaning toward Lin Feng and shouting, "The Chinese literature teacher was right! When life doesn't go your way, tomorrow you can let down your hair and set sail on a small boat! To hell with love! To hell with marriage!"
"Let's toast the Chinese literature teacher! Teachers are the greatest! Let's keep drinking!"
Hearing her last few words, Lin Feng was speechless. He hadn't wanted to drink more, but seeing that the beautiful woman had already downed another glass, he couldn't back down and had to see it through to the end.
"Hahaha… Awesome! This feels great!"
After half a bottle of baijiu, the woman was already hazy with drink. She pointed at the clock on the wall and said, "It's almost midnight. Tonight, whoever falls first is the loser!"
"Fine! You're on!"
Eventually, after an unknown amount of time, they were both dead drunk and unconscious.
In the end, it was the woman who helped Lin Feng to a nearby hotel and got a suite.
Lin Feng remembered that night vividly.
It was his first time.
And it was also her first time.
After that night, Lin Feng never saw the beautiful woman again. She vanished as if into thin air, disappearing from his world completely.
Lin Feng gradually put the incident behind him and started his university life.
「Two years later.」
In a classroom at Yangcheng University.
Today, the class was unusually lively because a new instructor had arrived. Word was that this instructor was a goddess-like figure. Not only was she beautiful, but she was also a highly-educated professional who had returned from studying overseas—a true combination of beauty and brains.
Lin Feng, however, couldn't care less. He was sprawled on his desk, fast asleep.
Ever since starting university, Lin Feng had been working part-time every day as a food delivery driver. The day before, he'd delivered food until two in the morning, and he was utterly exhausted.
As the bell for class rang, a beautiful woman in a form-fitting skirt walked gracefully into the classroom. At the sight of her, a chorus of wolf howls erupted from the class.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Zhang Yuxi!"
"Since Teacher Wang is on maternity leave, I will be your new counselor from today onward."
"Now, I'll take roll."
Lin Feng was sound asleep, but he snapped awake when he heard Zhang Yuxi introduce herself. That voice was far too familiar.
He lifted his groggy head, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and looked toward the podium. His heart lurched.
Holy shit! This can't be a dream, can it?
"Lin Feng!"
"Is Lin Feng here?"
Zhang Yuxi called his name twice from the roster.
Lin Feng jolted and shot to his feet.
"Here!"
At the sight of Lin Feng, the roster in Zhang Yuxi's hand slipped from her grasp and fell to the floor with a THUMP. Her pupils shrank, her lips quivered, and her expression was one of pure disbelief.
How could it be him?!