Chapter 16

After understanding the details about changing majors, the four of them hurried off to class. This class happened to be taught by Professor Tong Shengrong, and they had two consecutive sessions. Finally, when class ended, Tong Shengrong called Meng Shengsheng aside.

“Have you finished memorizing it?”

Meng Shengsheng nodded, then realized the teacher was walking ahead and couldn’t see her, so she quickly said, “I’ve gone through it once and can almost remember it all.”

Tong Shengrong called her over mainly to check whether she had truly put in the effort and to assess her progress. Meng Shengsheng understood perfectly well; the teacher’s visit was to inspect her learning achievements. If she had been afraid of a surprise check, she wouldn’t have come along.

She had a feeling that if she seized this opportunity, she might finally find a mentor to guide her along the path of studying medicine.

Tong Shengrong’s questions focused on the contents and theories from the “Huangdi Neijing.” Whenever he asked, Meng Shengsheng answered. He realized she had indeed memorized everything. Then, he casually inquired about several other traditional Chinese medicine texts; she answered some but faltered on others.

Tong Shengrong thought to himself that achieving such a level in less than a month, mostly through self-study, was a genuine sign of talent. Traditional Chinese medicine is a discipline that values innate aptitude.

Although his mind was racing with thoughts, his expression gave nothing away—neither satisfaction nor dissatisfaction. Based on the spontaneous quiz results, he recommended several classic Chinese medicine books to Meng Shengsheng, specifying their publication years and editors in detail.

Noticing that Tong Shengrong had no further questions, Meng Shengsheng realized he had just come to check if she had diligently completed his assignments. After bidding him farewell, she left.

Once Meng Shengsheng’s figure disappeared, Tong Shengrong called his master. “Master, I think I’ve really found a talent in Chinese medicine…the young girl we met on the street last time…”

Since the first semester had few scheduled courses, students had ample time for extracurricular activities.

Zhang Yu had met a senior in the Go club who was preparing to open a studio specializing mainly in makeup, with additional services like costume rental and image makeovers.

Meng Shengsheng had just come out of the bathroom after a shower. Xie Jieyu and Luo Shu were eating potato chips and watching a variety show, occasionally commenting on the celebrities.

Zhang Yu spoke with envy, “The senior is only in her third year and hasn’t graduated yet, but she’s already starting her own business. Her family bought the studio’s venue for her. If she succeeds, she’ll never have to worry about food or clothing and can live however she pleases. How wonderful…”

Luo Shu said, “Success isn’t guaranteed. Nowadays, entrepreneurship is so tough. If you don’t start a business, it’s one thing, but if you do, you might just burn through all the money you have…”

Xie Jieyu chuckled, “That’s true. Luckily, I have a capable older brother to inherit the family business. I can just live off that. My dad even told me, it’s enough to hold onto the money I have and not rush into entrepreneurship.”

Zhang Yu said, “The senior seems impressive. She participated in many activities during her first two years and won lots of awards. She’s very capable, and since the studio’s venue belongs to her, her costs are lower, so she dares to start her business… Even if she fails, that experience will be valuable, something to put on her resume.”

Luo Shu replied, “That might not help much for our field. For us, working in big hospitals is essential. Such experience might only be meaningful on a resume if she plans a career outside our specialty.”

Everyone felt the pressure; just entering university, they were already planning their futures and careers.

Zhang Yu sighed, “I want to stay in the capital after graduation. My hometown is too poor. If I go back, my parents will pressure me to marry and have children. I don’t want that life…”

Luo Shu didn’t comfort her but spoke frankly, “Look at the housing prices here. If you don’t own a home in this city, it’s tough. Even the down payment is unaffordable for ordinary families. Before school started, my mom and I came early for a week to check. The apartments we saw were beyond the Sixth Ring Road. A place less than fifty square meters was priced at 3.5 million yuan. My mom immediately gave up on buying a place here for me. For us regular folks, renting is the most practical option. To ease the burden, you have to share with others or live in a basement, and the commute can take one to two hours daily…”

Zhang Yu glanced at Meng Shengsheng, who was renting in a neighborhood near the school, then honestly said, “The place I rent is well-known to you all—the environment is good, and it’s close to school. I negotiated the rent at 10,000 yuan.”

Zhang Yu let out a long sigh; life was truly difficult for kids from poor families. After graduation, if she didn’t work hard, she wouldn’t even qualify to stay here.

Perhaps this talk made her anxious. She opened her laptop and started browsing part-time job groups.

She dismissed leaflet distribution jobs and ultimately accepted her senior’s invitation to work part-time at the new studio on weekends and free days. The base salary was 1,500 yuan plus commission—not much, but enough to ease family financial pressure.

Zhang Yu looked at her three roommates and then at Meng Shengsheng, asking, “The senior said they still need people. Shengsheng, do you want to go?”

Meng Shengsheng shook her head. She was busy studying and memorizing prescriptions. With so many books Tong had recommended, she planned to check the library first, and if unavailable, buy them from bookstores.

Before the weekend arrived, Wang Chuanze returned. The friend He Yifeng mentioned was Li Zhang, a director preparing a film he had been planning for years. The project was secretive; no one but a few trusted old friends knew about it.

Wang Chuanze was reading the script in his rented room. It told the story of a graduate from a big city who volunteered to teach in rural areas. The working title was “The Light of a Candle.”

After finishing the script and talking with He Yifeng, Wang learned the film had designated investment shares to place investors or companies in the crew. Those brought in this way usually got secondary roles—second or third male or female leads. They would appear on screen but weren’t the main protagonists. The lead roles were decided through auditions, with the director choosing suitable actors.

Currently, the film was negotiating with investors, and the cast hadn’t been finalized.

Wang Chuanze thought it was a good story. With a great director and team, success was likely.

There was time yet; he needed to consider which role suited him best.

Seeing Meng Shengsheng’s class schedule on his desk and noticing the time, he knew she had finished class and called her.

“Have you eaten dinner?”

Meng Shengsheng was about to go to the cafeteria with her roommates and said, “You’re back?”

“Yeah, I’m back. Are you eating at home tonight?”

Xie Jieyu crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. “By the way, it seems you’re the only one in our dorm who’s in a relationship. Don’t you owe us a nice dinner?”

Wang Chuanze overheard and said, “Sure, why not today?”

Meng Shengsheng hung up and smiled at her three roommates, “We won’t eat at the cafeteria today. Let’s go out for something good. Tell me what you want.”

Not wanting to make her roommates uncomfortable, the meal location was not extravagant; they settled on a nationwide chain hotpot restaurant.

Though Luo Shu had said earlier that Meng Shengsheng’s boyfriend was very handsome, when Xie Jieyu and Zhang Yu saw him in person, they were genuinely stunned—such a rare gem was a first for them in real life.

Xie Jieyu grabbed Meng Shengsheng’s hand. “I never expected you to keep this secret so well. Where did you find such a gorgeous guy?”

Meng Shengsheng didn’t mention Wang Chuanze’s entertainment industry ties, only saying, “Tonight, it’s on us. Order whatever you want.”

Xie Jieyu laughed, “Then we won’t hold back…”

While Wang Chuanze helped Meng Shengsheng prepare the dipping sauce, Xie Jieyu pulled her hand again. “Sister, does your boyfriend have brothers? Or friends who look as good as him? Come on, I’m open to all, give me their WeChat!”

Zhang Yu’s eyes sparkled as she pulled out her phone.

Meng Shengsheng laughed wryly and said, “Most of his college roommates already have girlfriends. There’s one single guy, but he’s not as good-looking as him. He’s 1.7 meters tall and weighs 170 jin…”

Xie Jieyu and Zhang Yu immediately put their phones away, muttering, “Isn’t it said that handsome guys only hang out with handsome guys…”

Wang Chuanze brought two bowls of dipping sauce. The topic shifted to who was dating whom in their class and who had been scammed while seeking part-time jobs.

Wang Chuanze sat beside Meng Shengsheng, placed her specially prepared dipping sauce in front of her, and moved her iced water over to himself.

He remembered that it was her menstrual period, so she shouldn’t drink cold drinks.

Noticing this, Meng Shengsheng smiled warmly and squeezed his hand.

They ate hotpot for nearly two hours, their clothes smelling of the broth. Since it was close to school, Wang Chuanze and Meng Shengsheng strolled back with the others to the campus gate before returning to their rented room.

Once home, they showered and changed, finally shedding the lingering scent.

Meng Shengsheng dried her hair and sat on the sofa. “Director He introduced you to a new project?”

“Yeah, a story about a volunteer teacher in a rural area. I’m reading the script now.”

“Is this time you the lead?”

Wang Chuanze smiled, “The roles aren’t decided yet. You’re really confident in me?”

Meng Shengsheng was quite sure of Wang Chuanze’s looks—flawless from every angle, effortlessly handsome. She didn’t know much about his acting ability, but knowing him, she believed it wouldn’t be a problem. She nodded with certainty.