Volume One: High School Days Chapter Thirty-Six: A World of Three

Two days after the celebratory banquet, Liu Sheng went to participate in the district sports meet. Just like last year, wherever he went, no one else stood a chance; as long as he was present, others could only hope for second place.

On Monday at noon, after school, Liu Sheng, Ren Xiadong, Liu Meng, and Yang Fan sat together in the cafeteria for lunch.

Liu Sheng turned to Yang Fan and said, “Our company needs an HR manager. Doesn’t your mother have experience? Talk to her when you get home and ask her to come help out. The salary is twenty thousand a month.”

Yang Fan agreed without hesitation. Twenty thousand was equivalent to four months of income for her family; she was naturally delighted. With this job, her mother’s life would become much easier, no longer having to toil away day and night.

With Liu Yao World Animation Company now having more working capital, all the teams became busier, each creating new animations. As impressive as Liu Sheng was, he couldn’t be making animations every single day, and with so many people to support, he couldn’t allow them to be idle.

After lunch, Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong went up to the rooftop of the teaching building. Liu Sheng lit a cigarette and said, “I want to move out and live more freely. Why don’t we buy a place and live together? What do you think?”

“I’d like that too, but how do I explain it to my family?” Ren Xiadong asked as she lit her own cigarette.

“Just say that studying is too stressful. With days getting shorter and evening classes ending later as winter approaches, the school, for students’ safety, has arranged for accommodations.”

Hearing this, Ren Xiadong suddenly stood up and exclaimed, “That’s perfect! What a clever idea!”

Liu Sheng laughed and replied, “Then you’d better eat less pig brain from now on—after all, you are what you eat! And cut down on pig’s head meat too!”

“I knew you two were up here sneaking cigarettes!” Liu Meng called out as she climbed up the stairs.

Seeing Liu Meng joining them, Liu Sheng waved her over. “Come here, I have something to tell you!”

“What is it?” Liu Meng bounced over like a child.

“Do you want to live together?”

The moment Liu Sheng said this, both Liu Meng and even Ren Xiadong were stunned, the latter’s mouth falling open in astonishment.

Then Ren Xiadong said, “Brother, I think I’d rather go home to live.”

“No way! Without you, we’d miss out on so much fun!” Liu Sheng shot down her suggestion immediately.

Looking a bit embarrassed, Ren Xiadong replied, “I don’t like too many people, and besides, for things like that, wouldn’t it be awkward if it’s just the two of us?”

Liu Meng, meanwhile, was entirely lost in her own thoughts about what might happen if she lived with Liu Sheng, paying no attention to Ren Xiadong’s concerns.

Liu Sheng immediately understood and said, “You’re overthinking it. This Saturday we’ll go buy a place together, and the deed will be in Liu Meng’s name.”

“So you still claim you have no feelings for Liu Meng? You’d buy her a house! If I lived with you two, would I have to listen to your nightly amorous escapades? I couldn’t take it, I’m not going!” Ren Xiadong protested.

At her words, Liu Sheng turned and left, leaving Liu Meng standing there, still lost in her imagination of sharing a home with him.

“Hey! Time to go!” Ren Xiadong called.

When Liu Meng snapped out of her reverie and saw Liu Sheng was gone, she asked, “Where did Liu Sheng go?”

“He went to buy you a house. If you move out, won’t your family mind?”

After Ren Xiadong spoke, Liu Meng asked, “Didn’t Liu Sheng tell you? You two are so close!” Learning that Ren Xiadong didn’t know her situation, Liu Meng no longer kept it a secret and confided that she was an orphan.

Suddenly, Ren Xiadong understood why Liu Sheng wanted to buy a house in Liu Meng’s name.

Soon, Saturday arrived. The three of them went early to the sales office of Auspicious Garden, a high-rise residential complex near the school. Although it didn’t look quite as upscale as Liu Sheng’s home, it was far better than the old neighborhoods.

They spent the morning touring with a sales agent and finally chose the twelfth floor of a central building: three bedrooms, a living room, fully decorated, 140 square meters—spacious enough.

That afternoon, upon learning that the property transaction office would be closed the next day, the three hurried to complete the deal, paying in full to finish the transaction.

That night, each returned home—Liu Meng, of course, to the youth shelter. They agreed to meet the next day at the department store to buy furniture, appliances, and essentials.

When Liu Sheng got home, exhausted from the day, he collapsed onto his bed. Checking his phone, he saw a message from Liu Meng: “Thank you. I know all you’ve done is for me, whether out of affection or sympathy.”

Liu Sheng didn’t reply, but instead opened his chat with Xiao Ya, scrolled through their old conversations, and sent one more message: “Where are you?”

He thought he had moved on from Xiao Ya’s shadow, but that night, Liu Sheng once again fell asleep with tears in his eyes.

The next morning, Liu Sheng awoke with swollen, red eyes. He washed his face, looked at his scruffy reflection in the mirror, then stripped and showered. While washing, he wondered, “Where on earth is Xiao Ya? Why won’t she contact me?”

After his shower, Liu Sheng drove out. When the three of them reached the department store, Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong became porters, while Liu Meng enthusiastically shopped for all the necessities of their new home.

In the afternoon, they bought furniture and appliances—beds, sofas, TVs, air conditioners, everything. Since delivery and installation would take time, only the beds were moved in that day.

The master bedroom went to Liu Meng, Liu Sheng took the second bedroom, and poor Ren Xiadong slept in the guest room. That evening they ate a simple meal; November in the north was already cold, and by the next day, all three had caught a slight cold. With no kitchen tools yet, they had breakfast at a small shop downstairs before heading to school.

Liu Meng was especially happy that day—not because she was living with Liu Sheng, but because she finally had a home of her own and didn’t have to stay in a dormitory. She felt free at last, felt what it meant to have a home, though she still lacked the love of parents.

During the lunch break, Liu Sheng received a call from the property management, informing him that all the furniture had been delivered and installed. Not wanting to miss class, he entrusted the supervision to the property office, paying a two-hundred yuan service fee. There’s profit in every job, it seems.

After school, Liu Sheng invited Sister Ya, Yang Fan, and Yang Fan’s mother—now employed at Liu Yao World Animation Company—to the new house for a celebratory meal.

Everyone except Yang Fan drank quite a bit.

“Boss, let me toast you. If not for you, I’d still be swallowing my pride at the KTV,” Sister Ya said, clinking glasses with Liu Sheng before downing her drink.

Yang Fan’s mother raised her glass as well, saying, “Liu Sheng—no, Boss—thank you for arranging this job for me. Life will no longer be so hard for my daughter and me.”

After clinking glasses with her, Liu Sheng said, “There’s no need for such formality in private; I’ll be counting on you all in the future. With my studies, I can’t be at the company every day, so I must trouble you.”

Having received two hundred million, Sister Ya was determined never to leave Liu Yao World Animation Company. Yang Fan’s mother, grateful for Liu Sheng’s help in her family’s time of need, also resolved to stay.

After the meal, they chatted a while longer before heading home. Everyone had drunk a bit too much; Ren Xiadong went straight to his room, and Liu Sheng collapsed onto his bed.

Liu Meng noticed Liu Sheng’s door was ajar and went to stand in his doorway. “Don’t you close your door when you sleep?”

“I’m not asleep yet…” he started, turning to look at her, only to be stunned by her next move.

Liu Meng, clearly tipsy, leaned seductively against the doorframe, beckoning Liu Sheng with her finger and murmuring, “My bed is big.”

“You’re drunk. You should go sleep. If you really can’t, we can have another drink,” Liu Sheng said hurriedly.

Liu Meng, intending to change her pose and continue her teasing, turned around, only to see Ren Xiadong staring at her in shock—one hand on his own door handle, frozen in place as if afraid to make a sound and disturb their intimacy.

“When did you come out?!” Liu Meng snapped back to sobriety and shouted.

Looking aggrieved, Ren Xiadong replied, “I just wanted to go to the bathroom. I just came out, didn’t see your seductive moves.”

“Are you looking for trouble? You just had to come out at this moment!”

Hearing this, Ren Xiadong called into Liu Sheng’s room, “I told you I shouldn’t live here, but you insisted. See? Now I’m in the way!”

Liu Sheng emerged and said, “Seems you can still drink. Want to join me for another round?”

Ren Xiadong retreated to the bathroom and, upon coming out, declared, “I won’t drink, I won’t disturb you two. If I come out again before dawn, I’m a fool!”

After Ren Xiadong returned to his room, Liu Meng said, “If you still want to drink, I’ll keep you company.”

Seeing Liu Sheng hesitate, she added, “Come on, I just want to have a bit more. Will you drink with me?”

Resigned, Liu Sheng fetched four beers from the fridge. “This is all there is. If you want more, you’ll have to drink alone.”

“Cheers,” Liu Meng said, and they downed their drinks.

Setting her glass down, Liu Meng asked, “Are you still not over Xiao Ya?”

“Let’s not talk about her. Let’s just drink.” Liu Sheng avoided the topic—not because he had forgotten Xiao Ya, but because he couldn’t forget and didn’t want to talk about it.

Noticing Liu Sheng’s gloom, Liu Meng stood up, spun around in front of him, and said, “I’m not bad myself, you know. I have all the right features, don’t I?”

The two joked and laughed in the living room, while in his room, Ren Xiadong muttered, “Young people really know how to have fun!” He put on his headphones and tried to sleep, though the lively conversation outside made the long night feel even more uncomfortable.