The second half of the game ended before it could even properly begin. The Pharmacy team claimed they were short a player, but everyone knew the real reason: Wang Zhuo's fan club was so overwhelmingly potent, they simply couldn't handle the pressure.
The farce concluded just like that. Wang Zhuo was left with a wry smile, feeling a slight twinge of guilt toward Han Yuanzheng, though not enough to feel indebted. After all, if Han Yuanzheng's skills were lacking, he should have fought back harder.
They’d only played for ten minutes, and everyone still had energy to spare. Wang Zhuo’s crimson cheering squad was in high spirits, but the teams from the other classes refused to spar with Wang Zhuo and his crew. Heaven knew what kind of trouble those Nursing College girls might cook up next; it was better to steer clear.
Seeing that basketball was out of the question, Wang Zhuo threw on his jacket, ready to head back to the dorm, but before he could take a single step, three girls intercepted him.
These three were none other than the most spirited girls from the Nursing College group. One was the one who whistled—Geng Bin jokingly called her a vocal prodigy. Another was the ringleader who led the chants, the one demanding things from Han Yuanzheng. The third was tall, nearly 1.75 meters, with flowing long hair and striking looks; her big eyes lingered appreciatively on Wang Zhuo, showing no reserve about her favorable impression.
The chant leader was a curvaceous young woman, fair-skinned and instantly likable. Acting completely familiar, she cut straight to the chase: “Coach Wang, we insist on treating you to dinner. Will you honor us with your presence?”
Geng Bin, standing beside Wang Zhuo, coughed pointedly. Wang Zhuo understood and smiled, replying, “My apologies, but my buddies and I already have plans.”
Seeing Wang Zhuo so promptly decline the beauties' invitation, Geng Bin and the others nearly kicked him in the rear, only to hear the charming girl laugh heartily, “Then bring them along! More people make it livelier. You are more than welcome.”
Wang Zhuo readily agreed, and everyone else suddenly understood. So, this was Wang Zhuo’s finesse—this subtle tactic of pushing away only to draw closer was as masterful as a flowing river meeting a secluded peak, brilliantly played.
Seeing Wang Zhuo consent, the curvaceous girl shouted "YES!" in excitement. With a gesture, several more girls quickly flocked over. Geng Bin mentally counted: exactly seven, making ten with the original three. On their side were only five boys. Damn it, that’s a two-to-one ratio.
Students from the Medical University spent their days surrounded by earthworms, rabbits, and cadavers; when did they ever have access to such an abundance of beautiful women? Watching Wang Zhuo and his group walk toward the campus exit, surrounded by the lively throng of girls, filled countless single bachelors on the court with envy, eliciting waves of mournful cries.
Fortunately, quite a few beautiful Nursing College students who came as part of the touring group remained. The boys who had been playing ball immediately redoubled their efforts. These girls would eventually become nurses, and the boys would work in hospitals after graduation. Their professions aligned perfectly; if they performed well enough, picking one up wouldn't be hard. This was a rare opportunity today, so they resolved to strike up a connection and win a beauty.
As for Wang Zhuo’s party of fifteen, a brief exchange revealed that the girls had arrived by bus; few had even taken a taxi, let alone owned a private car.
This was hardly surprising. If a daughter of a well-off family were to graduate into the service-oriented profession of nursing, why would her parents send her to study it? Some girls, unwilling to endure poverty, had already secured wealthy patrons or become mistresses. None of the girls present today seemed to fall into that category.
As for how many of the ten girls already had boyfriends or were cohabiting, that remained unknown, given the notoriously open reputation of the Nursing College...
Wang Zhuo naturally paid for the meal. As the host, he couldn't let the visiting girls pay. Moreover, these girls genuinely didn't have much money; the more affluent had monthly allowances of eight hundred yuan, while the less fortunate had to work part-time jobs to get by.
Geng Bin and the other boys knew Wang Zhuo was wealthy. They had initially intended to act generously and split the cost with him (AA style), but after Wang Zhuo ordered several dishes, they wisely dropped the pretense.
Over dinner, they all spoke openly, and just as Wang Zhuo had suspected, the girls were not primarily motivated by celebrity fandom. They were really just looking for fun, essentially a way to pass their leisure time.
The prank against Wang Zhuo had merely been an impromptu suggestion by the tall girl named Xia Zhi, much like an urban flash mob—the action itself wasn't important, just the amusement. As for why they targeted Wang Zhuo, well, he was somewhat famous, after all...
This reason left Wang Zhuo utterly speechless and amused. They had a blast, and he realized that the school's BBS tonight would certainly be buzzing; his notoriety was about to skyrocket.
After eating, the girls boisterously suggested going to karaoke, and the boys immediately seconded the motion.
Wang Zhuo excused himself to the restroom. When he returned, he ran into the tall girl, Bai Lu. During dinner, Xia Zhi had deliberately seated her next to him, clearly attempting to play matchmaker. Bai Lu’s behavior was measured—she neither hid her favorable opinion of Wang Zhuo nor made excessive suggestions. She seemed like a decent girl.
“They’ve pretty much decided on Melody Hall. You coming?” Bai Lu asked Wang Zhuo with a hint of expectation.
Wang Zhuo had already made up his mind not to go. Matters back home hadn't been settled yet, and he didn't want to attract any more girls. Furthermore, he admitted a slight aversion to the Nursing College girls due to their reputation.
“I promised my girlfriend I’d watch a US drama with her. I’m afraid I can’t join you for karaoke.”
Hearing Wang Zhuo's words, Bai Lu simply said "Oh," but a clear look of disappointment flickered in her eyes. Wang Zhuo offered a reassuring smile to the girl whose eyes spoke volumes and headed toward the private room.
...
A few snowflakes drifted down as darkness fell; Christmas was truly approaching.
Around nine that evening, Wang Zhuo stood on his dorm balcony and called Gan Lin. Unfortunately, his future mother-in-law was present, so the conversation was brief and abruptly cut short.
He then called Qi Fei, teasing the beautiful older sister until he was satisfied.
After doing some leg stretches and chest expansions, he was about to return to his room when he saw four drunkards staggering toward the dormitory building, leaning on each other in pairs, occasionally tripping and getting their hands covered in mud.
Squinting, he couldn't help but laugh wryly. These four unfortunate souls were none other than Geng Bin and his friends. Had they finished singing already?
A short while later, heavy footsteps and loud chatter echoed in the hallway—the four drunks were coming upstairs. Wang Zhuo leaned against his dorm door, watching his classmates with genuine amusement.
“Wang Zhuo, Wang Zhuo,” slurred Lü Tiefeng, the point guard, as he stumbled up and draped an arm over Wang Zhuo’s shoulder. “Good brother, you’re loyal. Anything you need in the future, just say the word, I’m game.”
The words were disjointed, but the intent was clear: he was extending a gesture of friendship.
Lü Tiefeng wasn't the most intoxicated of the four. Muttering about how awesome it was, he found his room and staggered inside.
The other two boys, one slightly more sober and the other completely wasted, were helped upstairs. Only Geng Bin, his cheeks flushed red, entered Wang Zhuo’s room and collapsed onto the living room sofa.
After downing half a bottle of mineral water Wang Zhuo handed him, Geng Bin managed a bitter laugh. “God, what a disgrace. The four of us got taken down by two girls.”
Wang Zhuo looked surprised. “Isn’t your limit a full bottle?”
“That’s when I’m performing well. Usually, eight ounces knocks me out,” Geng Bin patted his own flushed face. “Madman can only handle half a catty, and Big Bug is allergic to alcohol—two ounces and he’s done. Those girls wanted to have a proper drink with us, but after two rounds, we were all toast. They ended up finishing the drinks themselves.”
“Good thing I didn’t go, or I would’ve crashed too,” Wang Zhuo scratched his head.
Geng Bin nodded repeatedly. “That one who was whistling, Liu Xiangyu, and your Bai Lu—those two can really hold their liquor.”
Wang Zhuo quickly corrected him. “Hold on a second. What do you mean, your Bai Lu? I have a girlfriend, don't spread nonsense.”
“I didn’t say that. Xia Zhi and the others did,” Geng Bin chuckled by way of explanation. “They know you have a girlfriend, but they're dead set on setting you up anyway. I couldn't exactly stop them, could I?”
“I don’t have time for your nonsense.” Wang Zhuo stood up, preparing to show him the door.
“They’re having a dance at their school for Christmas. Are you going?”
“Not going. Our school has one too. As the class monitor, I can’t just leave.”
“Ours is a Christmas Eve dance; theirs is a Carnival Night dance, hehe, Carnival!”
“Still not going. Either go back to your own dorm or sleep on my living room floor.”
“Alright, alright, I’m leaving. But Wang Zhuo, I’m telling you, Bai Lu is genuinely interested in you. She’s even a fan. If you dared to two-time, I bet she’d be yours instantly.”
“I’ll deal with you first. Now get out.”
...
After kicking out Geng Bin, the obnoxious pimp, Wang Zhuo reflected on the day’s events and found them somewhat amusing. He realized only today that he apparently had quite a way with women.
He was jolted awake in the middle of the night by a phone call. Qiu Lu’s excited voice was booming through the receiver: “Wang Zhuo, guess what we cut out of that giant slab?”
“Brother Qiu? Whatever you cut out shouldn't warrant this level of excitement. It’s the middle of the night. Did you cut out a watermelon or something?”
“Hey? Wow, you actually guessed it right? Let me tell you, Wang Zhuo, we did cut out a watermelon! And not just one. We’re rich now!”
After the massive raw material was brought back, Wang Zhuo had spent an entire day drawing the exact cutting lines, terrified that the technicians might make a mistake and damage the watermelon, which would be a huge loss.
New Year’s Day was approaching, so Qiu Lu and his crew had a lot of work lined up, laboring overtime daily. They hadn't touched the massive piece yet. Perhaps now that Qi Fei’s newly hired craftsmen had gotten up to speed, Qiu Lu finally had free time to peel the skin off the raw material as Wang Zhuo had instructed.
It went without saying that he wouldn’t have made such a late-night call unless he had been working continuously for at least several hours. The moment he saw the true face of the giant raw material, he lost track of time and called immediately to share the good news.