I met my whole family through Baidu Tieba.

"The laundry room on the west campus is still empty. The students at those dorms have to travel a long way to get to your laundry room every time, which is very inconvenient. I reckon the new laundry room will be located on the west campus..."

Qian Ming'en first spoke from the perspectives of the student and the school, then looked at Shen Kang and asked, "Shen, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

Shen Kang smiled. "This is a good thing. We are definitely very willing to cooperate fully with the school's actions to serve more students. We must open it!"

Qian Ming'en then asked, "Regarding funding?"

Shen Kang looked listless. "I'm definitely broke. I'm in debt from all sides lately, but it doesn't matter. The laundry room isn't mine anyway, and Boss He has money."

Qian Ming'en nodded, not even bothering to ask Boss He if he was willing—that little girl was already so outrageous that she carried Xiao Shen's interview video on a USB drive with her, what else was there to ask?

Shen Kang glanced at Qian Ming'en and then suddenly asked, "Didn't anyone have any objections at the meeting? For example, considering we're still students, why continue to assign us the task of building the new laundry room, as if the school is oppressing us? So, did you suggest finding someone else to do it?"

Qian Ming'en laughed, glancing at Shen Kang a few more times. "You were right, even your words were almost identical. You were saying that it's not easy for you students to set up a laundry room, and assigning you new tasks would be like putting pressure on you. I suggest finding new people to do it."

Then Qian Mingen said nonchalantly, "But all of that is nonsense, I refuted it."

"Thank you, Dean Qian. Next time our milk tea shop has a new flavor, we'll need your help to taste it first and give us your feedback."

"Don't try that on me, kid, 'ma tach!'"

"Tach should definitely help the students out and give us feedback on our new product. I also hope Dean Qian can provide some directional suggestions for our next new milk tea."

"Then let's go for the red panda flavor."

……

After making the visit, bringing the new flavored milk tea, and chatting with Qian Ming'en for a while, Shen Kang left with He Qiuzhu to visit relatives and friends, including Dai Qiu, Yu Jinping, and others.

After completing all the visits, the two went to the startup base.

The employees have all left, and the once bustling 211 is now deserted, as is the neighboring 212.

Shen Kang led He Qiuzhu to the door of 212. For some reason, he felt a little emotional. He had asked Dai Qiu for help to quickly acquire these two places because the 302 study room had been turned into a commercial venue and could no longer be used. So he wanted to find a new place so that he and He Qiuzhu, the brother and sister, could have a place to privately communicate their brotherly and sisterly feelings.

As it turned out, things didn't go as planned. Room 212 inexplicably became Lin Mian's workplace, used to entertain various male clients, and thus turned into a public place.

Now that everyone's on holiday, this place has finally become a "private space" where we can connect with our siblings...

The door to room 211 was locked, while the door to room 212 was ajar.

Shen Kang pushed open the door, and the room was empty. Lin Mian's table, which was piled with all kinds of forms, was hard to clean today, with only a monitor and a lonely pen holder remaining.

The corridors of the startup base were so quiet you could hear your own footsteps, a stark contrast to the usual bustling atmosphere.

Shen Kang went inside and stood by the window for a while.

After hearing the message "He Qiuzhu knocking on the door" at the school gate, he deliberately took He Qiuzhu to visit several shops first, then took her to "visit relatives and friends" again, and finally brought her here to rest.

Yes, as expected, all those things before were meaningful. He's much calmer now, and his mind isn't filled with intense sibling feelings like it was at the south gate before.

Thinking this, Shen Kang turned around, leaned against the windowsill, and looked at He Qiuzhu.

He Qiuzhu stood at the door, her hands in the pockets of her down jacket, looking at him. The white down jacket had a light downy trim around the hood, which made her beautiful face look even smaller.

Shen Kang wanted to say something.

For example, talk about that P thing, talk about why she always sits alone in the dormitory staring blankly at that dark window, talk about how she can see everything but never goes to look through it, she just stands outside the door and knocks, asking "Are you there?"

He had so much to say, but when he actually stood there, looking at He Qiuzhu quietly waiting for him at the door, he suddenly felt that he didn't need to say anything.

"Come here," Shen Kang said.

He Qiuzhu then walked over.

Her footsteps were light, her canvas shoes making almost no sound on the floor, as she walked up to him and looked up at him.

The sunlight streaming through the windowpane cast two tiny glimmers in her eyes, making her fair face glow like jade.

Shen Kang reached out and placed his hand on the top of her head, rubbing it as usual. He Qiuzhu didn't dodge, letting him rub her head, but her eyes remained fixed on him, unblinking, as if waiting for him to say something.

Shen Kang couldn't stand her gaze, so he took his hand off her head, turned around, and sat down in front of the broken sofa in room 212.

This sofa was a secondhand item that Lin Mian found. The cushions had collapsed, and there was a hole in the armrest from a cigarette burn.

Shen Kang leaned back on the sofa, which immediately creaked under the weight.

He Qiuzhu followed over, stood next to the sofa, looked at the sofa, then at Shen Kang, and then sat down next to him as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

The sofa wasn't big, and the two of them were squeezed together. Her shoulder was against his arm, and he could feel her body heat even through two layers of down jackets.

"What's wrong with you today?" He Qiuzhu asked.

Her voice was soft, with a hint of probing.

"Nothing much," Shen Kang said, "It's just..."

He paused for a moment, then turned to look at her.

He Qiuzhu was looking at him sideways, their faces very close, close enough for him to see the curve of her eyelashes.

The door of one of the offices in the corridor rattled in the wind, but Shen Kang didn't pay any attention to it.

He suddenly realized that the soundproofing of the startup base was quite good. Everyone in the building had left, and the entire corridor was empty, making it a good place to discuss serious matters.

"He Qiuzhu," he called her by her full name.

He Qiuzhu blinked.

"What do you usually do in your dorm room, staring at that dark window?"

He Qiuzhu was stunned for a moment.

For a fleeting moment, her expression showed panic, like someone caught secretly reading in class. She lowered her eyes, thought for a moment, and then whispered, "Just knocking to see if you're there."

"Why didn't you just send me a message?"

"I didn't want to bother you. You have so much to do."

Shen Kang remained silent.

He leaned back on the sofa, looking at the fluorescent light tubes on the ceiling.

The light bulb had probably been used for too long; it would flicker slightly every few seconds, emitting a barely audible buzzing sound.

He remembered the cigarette he smoked at the South Gate that afternoon, the phone call he made to Ouyang Yu, and how he solemnly wrote "Steadfast Dao Heart" in his memo.

Then he thought of He Qiuzhu, who was alone in her dormitory every day, staring at that black window that she couldn't even understand, typing a command, waiting for a reply, and feeling relieved when she saw "Reply from [address]", and if she didn't see it, she would just keep waiting.

"Are you stupid?" he said.

He Qiuzhu didn't understand what he meant, but she didn't ask.

She simply moved closer to him, then quietly took one hand out of her down jacket pocket and placed it on his knee without saying a word, as if testing the waters.

Shen Kang looked down at her hand, then at her face, and then stood up.

"Watch TV," he said.

Then I went to my desk, went online to look for programs, and browsed the homepage of the oil depot:

"Fated to Love You", "The Starry Night", "The Difficult Love of a Diamond Bachelor"... How come they're all romance dramas?

However, Shen Kang still managed to find a very suitable program.

Yes, this is good.

Shen Kang clicked on the program with satisfaction and started playing it. Then, he put down the mouse, picked up the monitor, and placed it on the coffee table next to him—luckily, the cable was long enough.

After bringing the monitor over, Shen Kang sat down on the sofa again and looked at the screen in front of him.

On the table to the side, the small speaker that Lin Mian had bought was still emitting sound, matching the images on the screen.

"Kobe, it's Kobe! Kobe's got the ball again. Let's see if he's going to go straight in..."

In the Lakers vs. Celtics game, Kobe was driving to the basket. After getting past two players, he finally managed to jump and shoot from a contested angle, but he was still interfered with and missed the shot.

"Oh, Lao Da." Shen Kang felt sorry for Lao Da in his heart, while at the same time, he glanced at his knee without showing any emotion—after he sat down, there was another small hand on it.

"watch TV."

Shen Kang repeated himself, then reached out and pressed her head onto his shoulder.

He Qiuzhu didn't resist; she just rested her small head on his shoulder and looked at the monitor in front of her.

After a while, Shen Kang spoke.

"Can you understand basketball?"

"can't read."

Upon hearing this, Shen Kang glanced discreetly at his knee—the small hand was no longer just on his knee, but had quietly moved up to his thigh.

Hmm, so she doesn't understand basketball. No wonder her hands were flailing around; it's mainly because she doesn't understand it, she's too bored, and has nothing to do, so she can only find something else to do to kill time.

excusable.

As Shen Kang thought this, he continued to stare intently at the screen in front of him, admiring Da Tie's impressive skills.

He Qiuzhu rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes glued to the screen, but her little hands were restless, wandering back and forth on Shen Kang's thigh.

"..."

Shen Kang suddenly reached out and grabbed He Qiuzhu's small hand.

He couldn't stand being touched.

"You should choose another one," Shen Kang said, somewhat helplessly.

He Qiuzhu thought for a moment, then stared at his face, her eyes sparkling.

"……bring it on."

Shen Kang closed his eyes.

Anyway, it's not the first time.

I'm in a good mood today, so I'm giving you a reward.

……

A Bentley, at some point, came to a stop downstairs at the startup base.

Zhou Man walked up the stairs of the startup base.

Last night, when she learned in the group chat that He Qiuzhu was also coming back with Shen Kang, she did indeed say "okay" on her phone.

But unfortunately, she happened to be passing through the area because of some business at her company.

Now that we're already here, it wouldn't be right not to pick He Qiuzhu up and take her back, would it? After all, it would be a bumpy ride of several hours on Shen Kang's car, and a Bentley would be much more comfortable.

As for Shen Kang—he drives himself, he's a grown man, it's not like he doesn't know the way.

Zhou Man even mentally planned out a schedule: after picking up Qiu Zhu, they would go home first, have the housekeeper turn on the heating in Qiu Zhu's room beforehand, and make up her favorite pink sheets. There were also those handmade glutinous rice balls with sesame filling that Qiu Zhu had mentioned wanting to eat last time in the refrigerator. By the time she had showered, changed into her pajamas, and snuggled on the sofa eating the rice balls, Shen Kang would probably still be stuck in traffic. That was good.

The more Zhou Man thought about it, the more she realized how brilliant her decision to "go along the way" was.

She stopped on the stairs, adjusted her scarf, turned up the collar of her cashmere coat, and took out a small mirror from her handbag to check her appearance. She looked well, and her lipstick hadn't smudged.

Qiu Zhu will probably be very happy to see me suddenly appear at school, right? This child usually doesn't show much emotion, but her eyes will squint slightly when she's happy.

The corridors of the startup hub were quieter than she had imagined.

As she walked past room 211, she glanced inside. The lights were on, but no one was there. Several documents were spread out on the table, and a coat, whose owner she didn't know, was draped over the back of a chair.

She knew from their usual family games that this place was also Shen Kang's, and He Qiuzhu would come here sometimes. So when she went to He Qiuzhu's dormitory and found that she wasn't there, this was the first place she thought of.

Zhou Man took a few more steps forward and then saw the door to room 212.

The door wasn't closed properly, just ajar, leaving a crack about the width of a hand. Light was coming out, and there were sounds—not voices, but some kind of program, muffled, like a sports game being broadcast.

Zhou Man raised her hand to knock on the door, but her gaze inadvertently swept in through the crack in the door, and her hand hung in mid-air.

This is what she saw through the crack in the door:

Shen Kang sat on the tattered sofa with his eyes closed. He Qiuzhu lay on top of him, her hands supporting her chest, her head lowered, licking Shen Kang's face with her little tongue.

It's not kissing, it's licking.

Like a kitten drinking milk, it licks its chin from its mouth to its lips, and then back down to its chin, with seriousness, focus, and meticulousness.

She even stopped to examine her work closely, as if to make sure she hadn't missed any corners, before lowering her head and giving Shen Kang a final peck on the tip of his nose.

Shen Kang's hand was still on her waist, probably because he had put it down when he pulled her over and forgot to take it back.

Zhou Man stood there, one hand hanging over the door frame, the other hand gripping the strap of her handbag, her mouth wide open, but she couldn't make a sound for a long time.