Chapter 23: And Just Like That, Xie Siheng Moved Next Door
Chi Wang first resigned from his dog-walking job.
The senior was quite regretful and tried to persuade him to stay, even playing the emotional card by saying how much Egg Fried Rice liked him, going on and on.
Chi Wang looked at him and laughed. That silly dog would happily run up to any stranger, being so friendly—does it even understand what liking someone means? He politely declined the senior’s offer.
He did get along well with Egg Fried Rice. At the very least, he enjoyed the carefree feeling of running freely under the night sky with the dog.
His six-pack abs were actually developed from walking Egg Fried Rice.
Tomorrow, he was supposed to go to work at the Milky Way Club. Should he keep this job?
He had already taken many days off from his tutoring job. Fortunately, his teaching was effective, and the student had improved a lot, so the parents didn’t complain about his frequent absences.
His online job was quite stable, but they wouldn’t be polite when deducting his salary.
Chi Wang always made decisions quickly. For example, in elementary school, he decisively chose to skip grades—not for any other reason but to shorten his schooling time as much as possible.
In middle school, whenever he had the idea of skipping a grade, he did so immediately without much hesitation.
But when it came to money, he could be indecisive for a long time.
Chi Wang currently had some savings, but every penny was hard-earned. He felt it was shameful to look down on small amounts just because he had some money.
After thinking for half an hour, Chi Wang made a decision: he would cut two of his four part-time jobs—quitting the caddie and dog-walking positions—and keep tutoring and online work.
The caddie job paid well but required a lot of physical activity. He had to constantly pick up balls and run. In terms of professional skills, he had learned almost everything; what remained was more about interpersonal interactions.
As for why he kept the online job, he thought about it a lot. First, the job was stable. If he worked full-time, his after-tax salary could exceed 10,000 yuan. Plus, it was a startup company with potential for future growth, so he decided to keep it.
After making his decision, he approached the manager of the Milky Way Club to inform him of his resignation.
The manager was surprised. Chi Wang did his job very well. He was sweet-talking and knew how to communicate. Although sometimes he couldn’t tolerate injustice and could be a bit sharp, he handled things himself and wouldn’t escalate matters.
For example, some time ago, the manager was aware that Chi Wang had a conflict with a senior caddie named Wu Jingtian. He had heard that Wu was bad-mouthing Chi Wang to make him uncomfortable, and Chi Wang had taught him a lesson, even involving the manager.
The manager liked Chi Wang and intended to stand up for him, but Chi Wang resolved the issue himself without causing any penalties for Wu.
This made the manager admire the young man, feeling that he was capable of great things. Indeed, he was impressive—not only did several wealthy heirs regard him differently, but even two well-known wealthy women at the club liked him.
Yet Chi Wang managed to maintain his principles and didn’t get involved in such murky waters.
He was quite an outstanding person. So when Chi Wang wanted to resign, the manager couldn’t understand and couldn’t help but try to persuade him to stay—especially knowing that the caddie job was in high demand with people coming and going frequently, and he didn’t have the energy to persuade everyone.
However, Chi Wang firmly refused, and the manager had to give up.
After quitting the caddie job, Chi Wang subconsciously thought about what kind of part-time job to find next.
But he quickly realized that he shouldn’t take on more.
Chi Wang cherished his body very much. With Chi Cheng as a contrast, he deeply understood the importance of health.
Physical health issues could, to some extent, cause psychological distortions. Chi Cheng (Chi Wang’s younger brother) was quite twisted, with a heavy inclination toward antisocial behavior. Chi Wang always felt that if Chi Cheng’s health weren’t failing, he might have become a murderer.
Chi Wang could sense the jealousy and anger in Chi Cheng’s eyes when he looked at him.
But that’s getting off-topic. In short, health is most important.
Losing two part-time jobs made Chi Wang feel a bit empty inside.
Inevitably, his mood dropped slightly.
Just then, his phone rang. Chi Wang picked it up and saw it was a message from Xie Siheng.
Xie Siheng: [Your dormitory currently has an empty bed, right?]
Chi Wang: [? What’s up? You don’t plan to move in, do you?]
Xie Siheng: [Yes.]
Chi Wang: [… There’s no need; that’s too abrupt.]
Xie Siheng: [You said you wanted me to take responsibility. Does that not count?]
Chi Wang: [Crying bean clasping fists emoji. Of course it counts.]
Since he had decided to keep the baby, he would definitely need Xie Siheng’s help, but Chi Wang wasn’t eager to tell Xie Siheng that he had changed his mind.
Meanwhile, Xie Siheng couldn’t take his eyes off the cute emoji Chi Wang sent.
Chi Wang: [Things are a bit complicated now. I’m not sure which part I want you to be responsible for. Bean covering face crying emoji.]
Xie Siheng: [Don’t cry. We’ll solve the problem together.]
Chi Wang: [Bean carrying a small backpack crying emoji.]
It wasn’t Chi Wang’s fault for continuously sending emojis; honestly, he didn’t know how to chat with Xie Siheng—the awkwardness was creeping back.
But he had no idea that Xie Siheng was staring at his silly emojis for quite a while.
Xie Siheng: [I’ll move in. As a senior, I don’t have classes and have plenty of time.]
Chi Wang: [Better not. Have you ever lived in a dormitory?]
Chi Wang didn’t think Xie Siheng would fit in.
Xie Siheng: [No.]
As expected, Chi Wang advised, [You see, you’ve never lived in a dorm. If you move in, everyone will feel uncomfortable.]
He spoke frankly; some things needed to be said clearly.
Xie Siheng took a step back. [I’ll live next door to you.]
Chi Wang: [Huh? There’s someone in the room next door.]
Xie Siheng: [There can be no one.]
Chi Wang: […]
For a moment, Chi Wang didn’t know what to say. Forget it; no point in dwelling on it. If he wanted to come, so be it.
So Chi Wang replied, [Alright then.]
Xie Siheng: [Okay.]
Xie Siheng acted quickly. Chi Wang didn’t know exactly how he managed it, but soon the guys in the next dorm started moving their belongings, looking as excited as if it were New Year’s.
Being sociable, Chi Wang asked at the door. The dorm leader next door replied enthusiastically, “A wealthy guy is swapping dorms with us! He lives in the apartment building across from us, which has water and electricity, and you can cook whatever you want! He’s already paid the rent for two years, and now we get to enjoy it for cheap!”
“…” Chi Wang showed a surprised expression. “Is there really such a good deal?”
The dorm leader laughed mischievously. “Too bad your dorm just missed out. Also, your room number is 404; the feng shui isn’t great. Never mind, maybe another big spender will come along to experience dorm life and swap with you.”
Another guy said, “Maybe it’s because we put up this ‘Fortune Comes to the Door’ sign that it worked. Sometimes you just have to believe in these things!”
“Yeah, your dorm number is 404; that’s really unlucky.”
Luo Lianyun and Shu Tingyu also heard this, wearing expressions of disbelief. Nothing feels worse than seeing people around you strike it rich.
Shu Tingyu immediately took out his phone and quickly downloaded a virtual incense app, respectfully offering electronic incense. “Please let a big spender swap his two-year apartment with us.”
Luo Lianyun said jealously, “Why didn’t he swap with us? It would be even more convenient for us to take care of the baby if we lived in the apartment—no dorm inspections, and we could cook.”
Shu Tingyu added, “The rent for two years in the apartment must be tens of thousands of yuan, while dorm fees are just over a thousand per year. What kind of big spender is this? It’s right next door; why couldn’t it be us? Why!”
Chi Wang: “…”
Stop it; even I’m getting jealous now.
The four guys next door happily moved their things and conscientiously began cleaning. At midday, the lively commotion attracted quite a crowd.
Soon, the entire floor knew that a rich guy had come to the dorm to experience campus life.
Good heavens, why didn’t such good fortune happen to them!
Luo Lianyun had already taken out red paper to start cutting out the character for “fortune.” Knowing that Chi Wang could write calligraphy, he assigned him the task of writing couplets.
Chi Wang: “…”
This was quite surreal.
Shu Tingyu hurried to buy ink, brushes, and more red paper. He cut the paper to size and had Chi Wang write the couplet: “Smooth sailing every year; may everything go well and reach higher steps,” with the horizontal scroll reading “Five Blessings Arrive.”
The cut-out “Fortune” character perfectly covered their room number 404, making it look a hundred times more auspicious.
Other dorms followed suit and began cutting out “Fortune” characters to paste on their doors. For a while, the fourth floor of the male dormitory was bustling with activity.
Sometimes you just have to believe in these things. Among so many male dorm buildings—just their building had six floors—how did it happen that the wealthy guy chose to swap with Room 405 on the fourth floor?
Watching everyone so enthusiastic, Chi Wang sighed, worrying about the future of the country. “This is all feudal superstition. You guys are science students, yet you still believe in this stuff.”
Luo Lianyun said, exasperated, “Don’t you know that many scientists end up turning to religion after delving deeply into science? The end of the universe is metaphysics!”
Shu Tingyu agreed, “Exactly. Have you ever had your fortune told? Why are some fortune-tellers so accurate? It’s because humans operate like a set of programs. You might not believe it, but you can’t say it’s all feudal superstition.”
Luo Lianyun added, “Yeah, your bad luck might have some explanation.”
Shu Tingyu said with a serious expression, “Based on my extensive reading, there’s an eight or nine chance you’ve provoked some unclean entity—like being blocked by a ghost or something.”
Chi Wang: “… You guys have wasted your time studying Marxist philosophy.”
That evening, Xie Siheng moved in next door, bringing them a large fruit basket.
When Luo Lianyun and Shu Tingyu saw Xie Siheng, they suddenly realized that it wasn’t their neighbors who had struck it rich, but that Xie Siheng had used his financial power to get closer to Chi Wang!
Chi Wang asked Luo Lianyun and Shu Tingyu, “Still feeling superstitious?”
Luo Lianyun felt deeply remorseful. “… We should still believe in science; superstition is unacceptable.”
Shu Tingyu didn’t say a word, silently pulling out his phone to delete the virtual incense app.
Thank you for the update!!!