I met my whole family through Baidu Tieba.

"???"

He Qiuzhu, Fu Rong, and Du Nanxin all turned their gazes toward them, looking bewildered, not knowing what Shen Kang was saying.

Only Xia Meng's eyes were somewhat evasive.

Seeing the three people's blank stares, Shen Kang added an explanation: "I mean, don't use an electric toothbrush to clean cups or anything like that."

"After all, this is something you use to brush your teeth. It would be too dirty to use it after brushing other things."

The three of them then realized what was happening.

Xia Meng's expression turned strange again.

"..."

Shen Kang's gaze swept casually across Xia Meng's face, thinking to himself, of all the girls in He Qiuzhu's dormitory, Xia Meng is the least innocent; she seems to know everything.

As she washed the cups, she seemed to be thinking about something strange.

"Alright, I'm starving, let's go inside and eat..."

Shen Kang gave them the box of electric toothbrushes he had opened to play with, then carried the cardboard box and invited them to go inside and eat first.

He Qiuzhu and her roommates didn't really like the boxed lunches on the first floor; they thought the specialty food stalls on the second floor were much better. Whenever Shen Kang ate with them, they usually went to the second floor, and today was no exception.

After discussing it among themselves, the four of them arrived at the entrance of a soup restaurant and ordered various soups and rice dishes. Shen Kang was open to eating anything, so he didn't participate in the discussion and just followed behind them, ordering a simple three-ingredient soup and rice dish.

After ordering, the group found a nearby six-person table and sat down.

The girls were quite self-disciplined; Fu Rong, Du Nanxin, and Xia Meng automatically sat in a row, leaving He Qiuzhu in the other row.

After putting the cardboard box on the ground, Shen Kang sat down next to He Qiuzhu, then absentmindedly tugged at the little pom-pom on top of her hat before casually asking, "By the way, have you guys started reviewing?"

He Qiuzhu swayed back and forth, dodging his hand, "No."

Shen Kang looked somewhat surprised. "It's already finals, and I've already started reviewing. You guys haven't even started reviewing yet? You're obviously not good students."

The three people sitting opposite her, Xia Meng was still examining the electric toothbrush, silently watching it buzz and vibrate in front of her, lost in thought.

After the initial novelty wore off, Fu Rong and Du Nanxin were now preoccupied with other things and were whispering to each other on their phones, though it was unclear what they were saying.

Hearing Shen Kang's words, Fu Rong couldn't help but interject, "What you're saying is fine for us, but it's definitely not right for Qiu Zhu. Judging from how she studies, I reckon she doesn't need to review at all, and she'll have a chance to get a scholarship in her subject."

He Qiuzhu completely ignored the matter of whether the students were good or bad, and just stared at Shen Kang, asking, "Shen Kang, did you go to study today?"

Shen Kang nodded, his chest suddenly puffing out as if he wanted to throw his breasts out. "Yeah, I simply went to the library and studied for three hours."

He Qiuzhu looked at her with admiration, "You're so busy, yet you still find time to study. You're so self-disciplined."

Shen Kang feigned nonchalance, "It's alright. I only had three hours to memorize the basics of e-commerce. Maybe that's what makes someone a genius."

He Qiuzhu was even more impressed: "Amazing! A genius!"

He then added with some regret, "It's a pity we're not in the same major, otherwise we could study together."

She really wanted to see what Shen Kang was like when he was studying hard. She had known him for more than half a year but had never seen him before and couldn't imagine it.

Seeing her like this, Shen Kang felt even more satisfied.

Fu Rong and Du Nanxin watched this scene silently. Fu Rong even chimed in, complaining, "Qiu Zhu, you actually believe that? How could someone possibly memorize an entire book in three hours?"

Shen Kang was displeased and glanced at Fu Rong. "Who memorizes the whole book for an exam? Can't I just memorize the key points?"

After saying that, she couldn't help but sigh, "Fu Rong, you don't have a boyfriend yet, do you?"

Fu Rong was taken aback. "How did you know?" Then she glanced at He Qiuzhu. "Qiuzhu told you?"

He Qiuzhu looked completely innocent.

Shen Kang shook his head. "How could she tell me such gossip? I just feel that with your smooth talk, most guys probably don't like you."

Before Fu Rong could respond, Du Nanxin spoke first: "Shen Kang, you've misunderstood. Someone else is confessing their feelings to Fu Rong."

As she spoke, she picked up the phone they were looking at together and waved it at Shen Kang. There was a text message on it, but at a glance, she couldn't make out the contents. It seemed to be a confession of love.

Fu Rong didn't seem to care; instead, she appeared somewhat annoyed.

Seeing this, Shen Kang's gossipy nature kicked in, and he asked, "What's wrong? You don't like him?"

Fu Rong nodded silently, looking somewhat conflicted.

Shen Kang said, "If you don't like it, just refuse. Why are you looking so conflicted?"

Fu Rong sighed, "The key is that I don't know how to refuse appropriately."

Shen Kang became even more interested—he loved hearing about these things. "What do you mean by not knowing how to refuse appropriately? Is there more to this than meets the eye?"

Shen Kang wasn't an outsider, so Fu Rong explained the situation in detail: "He's a boy in our class, and we actually get along pretty well. We've done several group projects together, and we even have a shared meal buddy group. If we were to say something too harsh, it would be quite awkward if we ran into each other in class later."

Du Nanxin continued, "We discussed it for a while, but we still couldn't figure out how to say it."

Fu Rong sighed again, "If it really doesn't work out, just say so. At worst, we can just pretend we don't have this friend anymore, and it'll be awkward if we run into each other in class."

Du Nanxin looked at Shen Kang and He Qiuzhu, as if she had thought of something, "By the way, Shen Kang, you and Qiuzhu are used to getting confessed to all the time, you're very experienced, you should be good at handling this kind of thing, right?"

Fu Rong also looked over.

Good heavens, these two are really working together; they've got their eyes on me. Shen Kang thought to himself, and without refusing, asked the two what the boy's personality was like and what his usual behavior was like.

Upon seeing that Shen Kang was indeed willing to offer suggestions, Fu Rong quickly shared her thoughts, with Du Nanxin also adding her own suggestions.

After listening to their descriptions, Shen Kang formed a general judgment about the boy.

"Based on your descriptions, I think this guy is pretty good and would be a good friend," Shen Kang commented.

Fu Rong said, "It is indeed quite good, but I just don't feel anything."

After listening, Shen Kang did not immediately respond, but instead glanced at Fu Rong thoughtfully.

To be honest, judging from Fu Rong and Du Nanxin's descriptions, the boy had a good personality, was reliable, shared a circle of friends with Fu Rong, and they naturally developed feelings for each other in their daily interactions—in Shen Kang's eyes, who had been through it all, he was already considered a pretty good prospect.

If this were in the real world, in the dating market, with such a good match, frankly speaking, Fu Rong might not be at a disadvantage. It's just that now it's a university, especially a computer science department, where there are far more men than women. There are only a handful of girls, surrounded by a circle of men, creating a serious information asymmetry that easily leads to the illusion that "I deserve better."

Shen Kang was all too familiar with this kind of thinking. He had seen too many people in college who were arrogant and picky, always thinking that the next one would be better, only to find out after entering the workforce that those they rejected back then were the ones they might not be able to reach in the job market.

This is why we often see women with less-than-ideal circumstances having husbands with very good circumstances, or vice versa, men with less-than-ideal circumstances having wives with very good circumstances.

Often, it's because they met, came into contact, and got together in an environment of information asymmetry.

Such an environment of information asymmetry can be advantageous for people who have little advantage in a fully competitive market but have unique advantages in this environment of information asymmetry, and they can make good use of it.

But if I said that now, Fu Rong probably wouldn't listen anyway.

Shen Kang understood the mindset of this young girl and didn't want to act as a life coach here; it would be too disappointing.

So he didn't say anything, just thought for a moment, then held out his hand, "Give me your phone."

Seeing that Shen Kang was willing to help, Fu Rong was very happy and quickly handed her phone to him.

Shen Kang then picked up his phone, bent down, and started fiddling with it, pressing buttons incessantly.

He Qiuzhu eagerly leaned her little head closer to see what Shen Kang was typing.

Fu Rong and Du Nanxin were also quite nice, especially Fu Rong. This was her phone, so the messages sent were her own. So the two of them got up from their seats, leaned over, and looked down at the phone screen to see what Shen Kang had sent.

Xia Meng was the only one who hadn't come over. She was still sitting there, studying the electric toothbrush. She even tried it out, placing her fingertips under the bristles and carefully feeling the pressure. I don't know what she was thinking.

Meanwhile, Fu Rong and Du Nanxin were watching the words Shen Kang kept typing.

"Why are you confessing your love to me? That's not how it's done in Zhou etiquette! You should first ask a matchmaker to express your intention to marry to my family. If I agree, then send someone to present a goose as a gift to me for betrothal."

"Then they asked me my real name, birth order, date of birth, and my mother's name. Then my father hosted a banquet to entertain your envoy, offering him wine and meat dishes."

"Then you go to the ancestral temple to divine, and if the divination is auspicious, send someone with a wild goose to inform me. Then send an envoy to present me with a bundle of black and red silk and a pair of leather garments as betrothal gifts. Then have someone tell me the wedding date and seek my family's consent."

"Then everything will be over. On the wedding day at dusk, you will first have your father perform the ritual for you, and he will order you to come and marry me. Then you will wear your noble robes, get into a carriage, and be accompanied by two other carriages and the one I am in."

"Then my parents held a banquet at my family's ancestral temple. After exchanging bows and salutations with you, I invited you to the hall. You then bowed and placed the goose on the ground. After that, I went down from the hall with you and went out. You helped me into the carriage and personally drove it. We drove around three times before handing it over to the charioteer you brought."

"Then you take the same car you came in and wait at your door. When I arrive at your house, you bow to me and invite me to come in with you. We sit facing each other, share the same wine, eat the same food, and share the same sacrificial animal."

"Why did you confess your feelings to me like that?! Zhou Lili is not like that at all! I don't accept it!!! I reject your confession!!!"

Due to the technical limitations of SMS, mainstream mobile phones only have a maximum of 70 Chinese characters per SMS message. Therefore, Shen Kang typed these messages separately, using a total of seven SMS messages to send them all.

"..."

Fu Rong and Du Nanxin watched in silence.

Fu Rong even felt a strong sense of regret—what on earth was all this about!

She knew it; Qiu Zhu's boyfriend was too abstract, and she shouldn't have entrusted such an important matter to him...

He Qiuzhu stared intently with her large eyes, memorizing all the procedures.

So that's how you confess your feelings! I've learned something new!

After Shen Kang finished sending all the messages, she added, "Shen Kang, you know so much!"

Her eyes finally left the phone screen—she had memorized the entire process.

"Well, you've learned something new, haven't you?"

Shen Kang was somewhat pleased and returned the phone to Fu Rong, who was standing to the side.

Fu Rong took the phone, her hand trembling slightly. She stared at the screen, wondering if there was a text message recall function.

Du Nanxin couldn't help but ask, "Shen Kang, are you sure you can do this?"

Shen Kang said, "Judging from your descriptions, the other party knows how to behave and understands that this is giving them a way out, so it should be acceptable. If it's not acceptable, then it means there's a discrepancy between what you described and what's actually happening, but that's unlikely, because my deduction is based on both of your perspectives."

Fu Rong, holding her phone, couldn't help but ask, "Why hasn't he replied to my messages yet?"

Shen Kang said, "What's the rush? Put yourself in their shoes. If you were rejected, you would definitely be very upset, and you would have carefully considered this last text message."

"……All right."

Fu Rong was at a loss.

After all, she had already asked Shen Kang to send the text message on her behalf, and the message had already been sent; there was no going back.

We can only hope that Shen Kang's abstract message will actually work...

Soon, the meal was ready at the window.

The group went to get their food and began to eat.

Fu Rong, however, was distracted, preoccupied with the text message, and kept taking out her phone to check it, but the other party did not reply.

When they were halfway through their meal, Fu Rong's phone suddenly rang twice.

Like a startled bird, Fu Rong immediately picked up her phone and opened the new text message.

It was indeed sent by the other party.

"Okay, I'll go buy the geese first."

The content is very short, just these few words.

Fu Rong stared at the text message, momentarily stunned, not quite understanding what it meant—after all that effort, all she got were these few words? What did it mean?

Fortunately, there was a "strategist" on site.

Fu Rong immediately asked for help: "He replied to the text message." Then, she read aloud what the message had said. "What does this mean?"

Shen Kang was eating a piece of pig liver.

Before he could answer, Xia Meng spoke up first.

She ate her food in silence, not even looking up: "It means he understood, then made a joke, and that's the end of it."

"Yes."

Shen Kang swallowed the pig liver in his mouth. "He knows you're giving him a way out, and he's going to take it. Saying something like 'buying geese' doesn't show any resentment or sadness, doesn't put any psychological burden on you, catches on 'your' words, and lets you see that he's responding to your joke."

After the two finished speaking, Fu Rong finally breathed a sigh of relief. After staring at the text message for a while, the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved into a smile: she had been worried that the other person might feel embarrassed, sad, or that they might not be friends anymore, but the other person's text message had dispelled all her worries.

"This person is actually quite easy to get along with," Fu Rong muttered to herself. There was even a hint of something subtle in her tone, as if she had suddenly discovered someone's good qualities but immediately realized that she had just rejected them and could only swallow that subtle feeling.

Shen Kang looked up at Fu Rong across from him, but didn't say anything.

Then, a mischievous glint appeared in his eye, and he said leisurely, "You two should just continue to get along as usual. But what if one day she starts dating someone, Fu Rong, what would you think?"

Fu Rongjue, what kind of question is this? Without hesitation, she replied, "That's a good thing. I definitely wish him well."

Shen Kang chuckled and gave her a thumbs up, "Sister Fu is truly magnanimous!"

He then stopped talking and continued eating.

After finishing their meal, the group left the second canteen.

Shen Kang carried the cardboard box and followed He Qiuzhu, planning to take them back first and then go back to his dormitory on the way.

As they walked, they noticed that He Qiuzhu seemed a little absent-minded, as if she was lost in thought.

"What are you thinking about? You can't even walk properly," Shen Kang asked casually.

He Qiuzhu snapped out of her daze and turned to look at Shen Kang. "Shen Kang, what does 'zhi wine' mean? Is it wine made by soaking a zhi (a type of ancient Chinese vessel) in water? And what exactly is a zhi?"

"?"

Shen Kang thought to himself, "You have a good memory, kid. You remembered everything after just a short while?"

Then he explained: "A zhi is an ancient bronze wine vessel. Wine served in a zhi is called zhi wine."

He Qiuzhu nodded, understanding, and then asked another question, "What does 'dried meat and pickled vegetables' mean?"

"Puhai is a snack to accompany alcohol; you can think of it as things like beef jerky and meat sauce."

What does "玄纁" mean?

"Black and red fabrics."

"A pair of deerskins."...

Shen Kang carried the cardboard box, walking, listening, and explaining as he went. He became increasingly surprised as he went on.

"...You memorized it all in such a short time?"

He couldn't help but turn to look at He Qiuzhu, his eyes filled with surprise, "Have you seen these things before?"

This kid has such a good memory; he memorized everything in just a short time? In a way, memory also reflects intelligence. This kid usually seems a bit slow, but is he actually this smart?

Seeing Shen Kang's expression, He Qiuzhu said, "Yes, I've seen it before."

Shen Kang said "Hey," relieved, "I knew it."