57: Chapter 57: The kind of friend you can have 'deep conversations' with?

"See you the day after tomorrow."

She stood outside the car door, leaning over to look at Hu Tian in the driver's seat. There was a hint of "anticipation" in her eyes, as if she were waiting for a lover's vow.

"Hmm, nine o'clock the day after tomorrow morning. I'll be here on time to pick you up. Don't be late."

Hu Tian nodded. His tone was as firm as a "promise," as if he were making a solemn vow.

Zhou Waner smiled and was about to close the car door when a loud, resonant shout suddenly came from the entrance of the dormitory building. The voice was as loud as a "lion's roar," lingering in the air as if it would never fade.

"Hey! You, the female student!"

Zhou Waner paused and turned her head. She saw the dormitory warden sticking half her body out of the guard room, staring at her and Hu Tian's car with sharp eyes. Her gaze seemed to be saying: "Another 'little vixen,' daring to get cozy on my turf!"

"Boys aren't allowed in the dormitory building! Cars can't park here either! This is a 'restricted area'! If you don't leave now, I'm going to issue a ticket!"

As the warden spoke, she stepped out of the guard room, holding a thermos. She looked ready to chase them away at any moment, her aura even more aggressive than a "city inspector," as if she were holding not a thermos, but an "imperial sword."

Zhou Waner's mouth twitched, and she quickly waved at Hu Tian. Her movements were as fast as "lightning," fearing that if she were a second late, the warden would "execute her on the spot."

"I'm going up now. You should leave quickly, or you'll get 'chased off'! This warden is basically 'Abbess Miejue'!"

After saying that, she closed the car door, shouldered her bag, and walked quickly toward the dormitory building. Her retreating figure looked a bit "disheveled," as if she were fleeing a "crime scene."

The warden stood at the entrance, her gaze scanning back and forth between Zhou Waner and Hu Tian's car. After confirming that Hu Tian had no intention of getting out, she relaxed her guard slightly, though her eyes remained locked on the car like a "radar."

Zhou Waner walked to the dormitory entrance, swiped her access card, and pushed open the glass door to enter. Her movements were cautious, as if she were "defusing a bomb."

She walked a few steps, then couldn't help but turn back and glance outside through the glass door.

Hu Tian's car was still parked in the same spot, not having left immediately. The headlights flashed once, as if saying goodbye to her.

Zhou Waner felt a slight warmth in her heart and waved toward the car. Her smile was brighter than a flower, as if the earlier "fright" was nothing at all.

Hu Tian saw her action through the car window and raised his hand in response, his movement as dashing as a "movie star."

Only then did Zhou Waner turn and walk toward the stairs, her steps as light as a "butterfly," her heart feeling sweet.

After walking a few steps, she couldn't help but look back again.

Hu Tian's car was still parked there, as if guarding something.

She bit her lip and quickened her pace up the stairs. Her mood was like that of a "guilty" thief—both nervous and excited.

When she reached the corner of the second floor, she stopped again and poked half her body out to look downstairs.

The warden was still standing at the entrance, her thermos raised to her lips, but her gaze remained firmly locked on the car outside, as if monitoring a "suspicious person."

Zhou Waner sighed, completely giving up the idea of looking back again. She took the stairs two at a time toward the dormitory, her speed even faster than "fleeing for her life."

Hu Tian watched through the car window as Zhou Waner's figure disappeared into the dormitory building. Only then did he shift gears and slowly drive away from under the building, the taillights carving a red arc in the night.

The car drove out of Jinling University campus and merged into the evening traffic, heading toward Jinling International Hotel. The speed was neither fast nor slow, as if he were "going for a joyride."

The sky gradually darkened, and streetlights turned on one by one. Hu Tian held the steering wheel with one hand, his expression calm, but in his mind, he was already calculating how to handle that painting after returning to Binhai.

The car soon drove onto the main road, speeding toward the city center. The engine sound was low and powerful, as if "roaring."

Zhou Waner pushed open the dormitory door. Before she could even put down her backpack, her three roommates turned their heads almost simultaneously, their movements so synchronized it was as if they had "rehearsed."

"Yo, you're back!"

On the upper bunk by the window, Lin Xiao set the snack bag in her hand onto the bed, her eyes bright as searchlights. "Waner, whose car was that downstairs? I looked down from the window, and that man driving was just too good-looking! It's like the reincarnation of 'Daniel Wu'!"

Zhou Waner paused slightly and hung her backpack on the hook at the head of her bed, saying in a flat tone, "A friend."

"A friend?"

Su Manman, sitting at the desk, turned her chair around and put her pen on the table. She looked her up and down, a meaningful curve tugging at the corner of her mouth. "What kind of friend? A regular friend or an 'extraordinary' friend? Is it the kind of friend you can have 'in-depth exchanges' with?"

Zhou Waner didn't respond and lowered her head to rummage through her backpack. Her movements were a bit "guilty," as if she were hiding some "unspeakable" secret.

"Don't pretend!"

Chen Qing, who was scrolling on her phone on the lower bunk, sat up abruptly and slapped her phone onto the bed. "My eyes are sharp. I saw it too; that man waited until you went into the building before leaving! Would a regular friend wait for you to go inside?! Unless he's a 'delivery person,' but that car is way too luxurious!"

The dormitory instantly erupted, the liveliness even higher than a "wet market."

Lin Xiao slid down from the upper bunk in a flash and blocked Zhou Waner at the bedside, her eyes darting around. "Tell us, tell us, tell us! What's his name? How old is he? Where is he from? What does he do? Does he have 'abs'?"

"The most important question—" Su Manman stood up from the chair, crossed her arms, and looked serious. "Is he your boyfriend? Or is he just a 'fuck buddy'?"

Three pairs of eyes stared straight at Zhou Waner, the gazes even more penetrating than "X-rays," as if they wanted to see right through her.

Zhou Waner's ears turned slightly hot from the questions, and she glared at them indignantly. "He's just a friend, nothing more, okay? You bunch of 'perverts,' what are you thinking about in your heads!"

"You say he's nothing, yet your ears are red."

Chen Qing pointed at her, gloating. "Waner, your body's reaction has betrayed you. It looks like you're 'serious about it' this time."

Zhou Waner subconsciously raised her hand to touch her earlobe, then immediately realized this gesture made her look even guiltier, so she put her hand down and said with a dark face, "I've been out walking all day today and I'm tired. Can you let me sit down and drink some water before I listen to you 'being horny'?"

"Sure, drink your water, but you still have to answer the questions."

Lin Xiao generously handed over her water cup, acting very attentive. "Come, drink some water. After you finish, keep talking. We are very 'gossipy'."

Zhou Waner couldn't help but laugh and cry. She took the cup, took a sip, and said helplessly, "His name is Hu Tian. I met him at my grandfather's shop. We're just friends who go treasure hunting for antiques together. There's nothing else, don't think about it the wrong way."

"Treasure hunting for antiques?"

Su Manman raised her eyebrows. "The places you archaeology majors meet friends are quite unique. Did you meet while 'grave robbing'?"

"So handsome and also knows antiques?"

Lin Xiao rested her chin on her hand, looking infatuated. "Where can you find a man like that? Introduce one to me. I don't mind 'taking over' the leftovers."

"No introduction."

Zhou Waner returned the cup to her and refused decisively, her tone carrying a hint of being "protective over her food."

Chen Qing looked at her expression and suddenly smiled mischievously. "Hey, what do you think? If our department beauty is really taken, how miserable will those school hunks in our department be when they find out? They'll probably 'cry until they faint in the bathroom'."

As soon as she said this, the dormitory went quiet for a second, then all three of them burst into laughter simultaneously, the sound loud enough to "blow the roof off."

"Exactly!"

Lin Xiao patted the edge of the bed, unable to stop laughing. "The archaeology department's beauty, so many boys have been lining up to curry favor year after year, just waiting for the day they can achieve a happy ending. And guess what? Someone snatched her up quietly! It's like 'a flower planted in cow dung'... oh no, 'planted in a gold mine'!"

"She's not necessarily taken yet."

Su Manman looked at Zhou Waner meaningfully. "I just don't know who fell for whom first, and whether the 'rice has already been cooked'?"

Zhou Waner took a deep breath, picked up her toiletry bag, and said with a straight face, "I'm going to wash up. You guys chat and continue 'fantasizing'."

After speaking, she walked briskly toward the door. The laughter and teasing from the three behind her were still clearly audible through the dormitory door. She bit her lip, but her footsteps slowed down unconsciously, as if she had a "little rabbit" jumping in her heart.

Hu Tian's calm eyes suddenly surfaced in her mind. She lowered her eyes and suppressed that thought, pushing the door open and walking into the hallway. Her retreating figure looked a bit "lonely," yet also a bit "sweet."

The voices in the restroom hallway faded into the distance. Zhou Waner's hand gripping the toiletry bag tightened slightly, while those questions still echoed in her mind, her heart as messy as "a ball of tangled yarn."

On the other side, Hu Tian had just stepped into the revolving door of Jinling International Hotel. Before he could walk toward the elevator, a sturdy man with a crew cut stood up from the sofa area and quickly blocked his path, his movement as fast as a "cheetah."

"Mr. Hu, please wait a moment."

The crew-cut man politely reached out to block him, but his tone carried an air of refusal, as if he were "intercepting a criminal."

Hu Tian stopped and scanned the other person with calm eyes, then looked at two other men in the corner of the lobby who were vaguely staring in this direction. He instantly seemed to understand something.

"Something up?"

The crew-cut man nodded and said with a professional smile, "Mr. Zhao would like to see you. Please wait a moment; he will be here shortly."

As soon as he finished speaking, the elevator door opened with a ding.

Zhao Shanhe, wearing a charcoal grey custom suit with three bodyguards in black behind him, walked out of the elevator with a brisk, imposing stride. His aura was even more formidable than a "mob boss," and his shrewd eyes stared straight at Hu Tian, as if he wanted to see right through him.

Hu Tian's gaze rested calmly on the middle-aged man before him, a polite yet distant smile appearing on his face.

"And you are?"