After nearly a year of effort, Geng Bin had transformed from a large fatty into a true heavy-hitter, now a handsome fellow with thick eyebrows, striking eyes, and a robust physique. Coupled with his towering height, he had genuinely caught the eye of quite a few young women.

The truth was, he had a constitution that gained weight easily; he possessed a massive appetite and ate heartily, meaning his weight would rebound with the slightest lapse in discipline. The price he paid to lose the weight was considerable.

Every time he went to the cafeteria, he would conjure up stomach-turning images—formalin, dissected earthworms, bloody rabbits—anything to ruin his appetite. This invariably suppressed his desire to eat, and even the most delicious food failed to entice him to lift his chopsticks. Over time, the results became apparent.

Jiangzhou was a major metropolis, and many students made a habit of staying out late, flocking to the street stalls for barbecue and late-night snacks after ten o’clock. Geng Bin rarely joined them. When they went out, he would once again engage in his elaborate mental exercises, crushing any budding appetite in the cradle, and forcing himself to sleep before the others returned, lest he be tempted by any leftovers they might bring back.

Thus, every time he met the beauties from the Nursing College, Geng Bin managed to surprise them. Moreover, at this time, slimming down was all the rage; many girls were struggling with it, so at every gathering, female students would flock around him, seeking his secrets.

“Why isn’t Wang Zhuo answering his phone?”

The meal was nearly finished, and Xia Zhi called Wang Zhuo again, only to be met with the persistent silence of an unanswered line.

Meanwhile, Wang Zhuo was engrossed in pleasant conversation with his future mother-in-law, while Gan Lin cleared the dishes.

The male student Huang He chuckled, “Meetings are probably like this. He has the most absences in our class; whenever the professor calls the roll, a few of us take turns answering for him.”

“So, should we wait here for him, or proceed with the next item?” As the organizer, Xia Zhi intended to wait for Wang Zhuo, but she also needed to consider everyone else's feelings, so she solicited the opinions of the young men.

The guys already knew Wang Zhuo wouldn't show up today. Lü Tiefeng pretended to act concerned, saying, “I’ll make another call.”

The call, predictably, disappeared into the void. Geng Bin then broke the silence. “Then let’s not wait. Let’s move to the next spot first. We’ll make him buy a few extra drinks when he finally gets here.”

There were seven boys and fourteen girls—exactly double the number of males. This disparity was partly because the Nursing College had very few male students, creating a surplus of “half the sky’s resources,” and partly because Wang Zhuo commanded significant influence. Even if the girls harbored no improper notions, they knew tonight was bound to be enjoyable and, crucially, wouldn't cost them anything.

“Where to now?” Xia Zhi asked.

“After eating and drinking our fill, of course, we go sing—how about Jiale Di?” Geng Bin suggested.

One girl immediately shook her head. “Jiale Di is nice, but if we don’t have a reservation, we’ll definitely have to wait for a room at this hour.”

Xia Zhi spread her hands. “Qian Gui, Jin Gui, or the others will be the same.”

After everyone chimed in with suggestions, a girl finally proposed BB KTV, which wasn’t far away. It was slightly more expensive, but guaranteed to have a private room available.

So, they hailed five taxis, and the large group descended upon BB KTV.

On the way, Lü Tiefeng shared a car with Xia Zhi and quietly asked, “What’s wrong with Xiao Bai? She seems rather unhappy today?”

“Unrequited love,” Xia Zhi replied with a helpless smile. “Of all people, she has to pine for Wang Zhuo—it’s beyond her reach.”

“Tragic, truly tragic,” Lü Tiefeng nodded sympathetically.

Xiao Bai was Bai Lu, who had come to campus once to cheer Wang Zhuo on. She was exceptionally beautiful with flowing long hair, standing at a striking one meter seventy-eight, complemented by a pair of meltingly affectionate, large eyes, and anchored by a pair of devastatingly long legs that stirred impulses of vigor and conquest in any man who saw her.

Unfortunately, Wang Zhuo had subtly rejected her once, causing her to lose sleep for several nights.

With Wang Zhuo absent today, Bai Lu’s demeanor was visibly scattered. She even angrily downed a shot of baijiu, seemingly to spite the boys, yet she showed no signs of intoxication. Xia Zhi and a few other girls guessed that she would certainly have a good cry once she got back tonight.

Arriving at BB KTV, they booked a large private room. Before the fruit platter and drinks even arrived, the resident mic hog had already picked a song and started singing. In previous gatherings, the girls had always won the drinking competitions, but that only made the boys more determined. The dice-shaking, drinking battle instantly commenced.

Over with Wang Zhuo, his future mother-in-law took a long call from a sister to the balcony to chat. Wang Zhuo seized the moment to relax, sitting on the sofa while Gan Lin massaged his feet.

“You’re turning into a real master from the old society,” Gan Lin teased, tickling the sole of his foot.

“A man should enjoy himself when it’s time to enjoy himself,” Wang Zhuo chuckled softly. “Women too. I’ll give you a massage later.”

As he spoke, he raised both hands into the shape of the ‘Dragon Claw Hand’ for kneading breasts, his fingers hooking and grasping in the air.

“You dare? My mother is right out on the balcony,” Gan Lin didn’t believe him for a second; she knew him too well—this kid was afraid of his mother-in-law.

“So what if she’s there?” Wang Zhuo scoffed triumphantly. “When I leave later, won’t you have to walk me downstairs?”

The little rogue was planning to get handsy in the hallway again before leaving. Gan Lin shot him an irritated glance, and upon hearing her mother’s footsteps returning, quickly turned back to pretend to watch television.

...

In a corner of the BB KTV private room, Xia Zhi stopped a girl heading toward the restroom. “How much has Xiao Bai had?”

“About two bottles, she’s fine,” the girl replied.

At that moment, Zhou Huaian was shaking dice with three girls. Bai Lu was playing the most seriously; the other two had impressive alcohol tolerances, but Zhou Huaian was already looking precarious—his situation was worrying.

Xia Zhi frowned, pondering for a moment. She decided she needed to pull Bai Lu aside to rest first. At the very least, she couldn't let her get too drunk before Wang Zhuo arrived; otherwise, if the girl lost control, wouldn’t she regret it bitterly afterward?

Just as she walked up to the table, Zhou Huaian suddenly bolted upright, clapping a hand over his mouth, and staggered toward the restroom.

“Damn, Xiao An got too drunk,” Geng Bin, who was singing, quickly dropped the microphone and chased after him to help.

Zhou Huaian reached the restroom door, violently yanked it open—instantly snapping the fragile bolt—startling the girl squatting inside who cried out and jumped up, not even having time to pull up her underwear. She watched as Zhou Huaian rushed beside her, bracing himself with one hand against the wall, and began retching violently into the toilet bowl.

Geng Bin, who was supporting Zhou Huaian from behind, hadn't realized anyone was in the restroom. He stared awkwardly at the girl’s jeans hanging by her feet and her white panties dangling at her knees. As his gaze drifted upward, he accidentally locked his eyes straight ahead...

The restroom was soon a complete mess, with no dry floor space left. The dice game also concluded since the only male player had been defeated.

“Let’s go out for some air,” suggested Shi Lili, one of the girls who had been competing with Bai Lu.

Another girl named Jin Rong chimed in, “I think there’s a public restroom in the hallway; it’s a good chance to touch up our makeup.”

Bai Lu had been waiting and waiting for Wang Zhuo to show up, and her mood was already irritable, so she nodded in agreement.

The three of them took turns using the public restroom stalls, then stood before the large mirror to tidy their appearances. Jin Rong, naturally average in looks but skilled at makeup, took out her cosmetic bag to carefully reapply her foundation.

Just then, a young man in his early twenties walked past from the outside. Seeing the three girls, he paused, hesitated for a moment, then turned and entered the public restroom. He walked past the three girls from behind and headed toward the men's stalls.

This restroom was designed with four stalls—two for men and two for women—sharing three sinks, so his action didn't draw the girls' attention.

“Lili, your eyeshadow is smudged,” Jin Rong passed Shi Lili a powder puff.

Shi Lili was prettier and more slender than Jin Rong, who was already quite full-figured. After checking her reflection, she took the puff and meticulously fixed her eyeshadow.

“Xiao Bai, you have such a beautiful base, it’s a pity not to wear makeup,” Jin Rong said while shaping her lip line. “You don’t need much, just a light eyeshadow like Lili’s, and put on a natural color lipstick. Men nowadays really like that look.”

“I don’t know how to put on makeup; I just use a little Dabao skincare,” Bai Lu replied, looking slightly ashamed. The cosmetics Jin Rong and the others used were not cheap; besides not being used to them, she couldn't afford the expense either.

“Such a beautiful face, how can you use that garbage skincare?”

A jarring voice suddenly sounded from behind. It was the man, who had finished using the toilet and was now adjusting his belt while engaging them in conversation.

Bai Lu pretended not to hear him. Jin Rong and Shi Lili exchanged glances with the youth over the mirror and suddenly recognized him.

“Can’t remember who I am?” The young man smirked, squeezed past Jin Rong, and reached for the faucet. “Aren’t you Xiao Fang and Xiao Wen? Did you just change venues and names?”

“You must have mistaken us for someone else?” Jin Rong said, while subtly signaling Shi Lili to leave.

“Even if I mistook your faces, I wouldn't mistake your two big assets, hahaha!” The man laughed wantonly a few times, examining Bai Lu with a naked stare before grinning at Jin Rong. “Is this your classmate? Just started working? Pretty pure-looking. What’s your number? How much for one session?”

“She doesn’t work tables,” Jin Rong shoved Bai Lu slightly, winking hard. “You go on ahead; we’ll be back later.”

“I didn't tell her to go,” The man shifted his body, blocking the doorway, and said with a wicked smile, “Aren’t all you girls from the Foreign Languages College supposed to be ladies of the night? Why play hard to get with me?”

Bai Lu finally understood. It turned out these two classmates, with whom she hadn't associated much, had gone into sex work, using false names, and claiming to be from the Foreign Languages College. Now this man had recognized them and assumed she was one too.

A surge of white-hot anger filled her. She even grew resentful of Jin Rong and Shi Lili, saying coldly to the man, “Move aside, I’m leaving.”

“Oh, the little chick is quite feisty, is she?” The man smiled slowly and deliberately, then suddenly his face hardened, his eyes snapping wide open as he cursed, “Stupid bitch, who the hell do you think you’re ordering around, you slut!”

Slap. A fierce slap landed across his face. Immediately afterward, he felt a hard shove against his chest and simultaneously felt his heel tripped. He instantly lost his balance and crashed backward onto the floor.

“You want to die!” The man clutched his burning cheek, scrambling up in disarray, and quickly gave chase to the three fleeing girls.