Ruan Hui’s “Transformation”

The one with the blond hair was probably Zhang Peng, the second-generation rich kid. Chen Ling was the one that Teacher Feng had specifically asked him to look after. The non-mainstream Bao Zhenhai, with his dark skin and foil-permed hair...

Looking at each of them, Ye Jianwei felt that even calling them "utterly unremarkable" was too generous—they were clearly a bunch of oddballs!

But...

He glanced again at the stack of "golden mountains" on the table—yes, those little mountains of cash!

How was this possible?

Ye Jianwei continued to question his understanding of reality...

"By the way, there's something else!" He finally remembered that, at least in name, he was their counselor. "Ruan Hui said you guys took over his bed and won't let him return to the dorm. What’s going on?"

"The dorm belongs to everyone here. The building is school property. You're only living here—don't act like little thugs, bullying others just because you can. That won’t fly with me!"

Finishing his righteous admonition, Ye Jianwei seemed to regain some of his confidence.

That’s more like it, he thought. What was there to fear? He was the teacher here!

But before his words had fully settled, Bao Zhenhai voiced his displeasure. "Hey, Jianwei, you’re wearing glasses, right? See for yourself—who took over his bed? That Ruan Hui is just playing the victim. He’s only looking for an excuse not to come back to the dorm!"

Ye Jianwei frowned and took a look. Just as Bao Zhenhai had said, Ruan Hui’s bed was so neatly made that "immaculate" hardly sufficed—outside of certain special academies, what college student folds their quilt into perfect, angular blocks? It was literally sharp at the corners.

After getting his allowance two days ago, Bu Chunsheng had already moved back to his own dorm and, as a matter of habit, had left Ruan Hui’s bed neatly folded.

"As long as that’s settled," Ye Jianwei said, casting another suspicious glance around the room before turning away, clearly dissatisfied.

However, the moment he closed the door, he could hear contemptuous voices from within: "That Ruan Hui—even if we did sleep in his bed, we told him. Running off to tattle to the teacher—what is he, a primary schooler? Think telling the teacher will fix things? So childish!"

Outside the door, Ye Jianwei looked awkwardly at Ruan Hui. After a moment’s thought, he patted him on the shoulder. "Alright, since no one took your bed, go back and try to get along with your roommates."

Ruan Hui’s face was unreadable, but he nodded.

He waited until Ye Jianwei disappeared around the corner, and the voices in the dorm subsided, before taking a deep breath, putting on a cheerful smile, and pushing open the door.

"Hello, everyone! I’m back!" Ruan Hui greeted them with enthusiasm.

Bao Zhenhai just snorted and said nothing. Zhang Peng ignored him entirely. Only Chen Ling blinked and came over to greet him. "You sure were away a long time."

"This company’s not bad. I wanted to do well and hopefully get a permanent position." Ruan Hui put down his backpack and pulled out some snacks—and even a carton of Sunshine Liqun cigarettes.

"It’s been a while since I’ve seen you all. The dorm still feels the warmest." He ignored the coldness from Bao Zhenhai and Zhang Peng and maintained his enthusiasm. "I used to think I was the only smart one, that everyone else was a fool. Hey, don’t be mad—but after getting out into the real world, I realized I was the biggest fool of all!"

"Guys, I know I went too far before. This time, my apology is sincere!" With that, he even gave a slight bow.

Zhang Peng looked at him in surprise, then glanced at Chen Ling.

Bao Zhenhai was stunned as well. He’d been preparing to "teach Ruan Hui a lesson" when he got back, but as the saying goes, you don’t hit a smiling face. Besides, Ruan Hui’s attitude—well, he used to be all arrogance and self-importance, but now...

He was practically groveling!

"Then why did you go tattling?" Bao Zhenhai muttered, but his tone had softened.

Ruan Hui put on a look of innocent alarm. "I didn’t! I didn’t say anything at all. Maybe Ye Jianwei just has it out for our dorm? After all, Sister Dou resigned, and everyone says he’s been pursuing her, right?"

The way he said "our dorm" was casual, trying to include himself in the 3#310 crew.

His explanation wasn’t unreasonable. Everyone knew Ye Jianwei was after Feng Lifang. The trouble was, his affection was so "subtle"—people had been talking about it since freshman year, and now, in their third year, it was still just talk, with no action.

Chen Ling pursed his lips and nodded slightly.

Zhang Peng immediately put on a smile. "Alright, alright, we’ve lived together long enough. We’re all brothers here. No need to be so formal—those little things from before don’t matter."

Chen Ling opened the cigarettes Ruan Hui had brought, tossing a pack each to Zhang Peng and Bao Zhenhai, leaving the rest on the table. "You learned to smoke?"

"Yeah, just started. Otherwise, I can’t handle the late-night work." Ruan Hui took a pack for himself, lit one up.

The atmosphere in the dorm slowly warmed, though beneath the camaraderie, there was something off.

Chen Ling, recently "leveled up," certainly wasn’t fooled by Ruan Hui’s new attitude. On the contrary, if something seems unnatural, there must be a reason. The more eager and obsequious Ruan Hui was, the more wary Chen Ling became.

After all, the system had just issued a new mission. For Ruan Hui to appear right now—well, that was telling enough.

"Let’s see how long he can keep up the act..."

...

Seeing everyone accept his gifts, Ruan Hui couldn’t help but feel a secret satisfaction.

"They really are just innocent boys in their ivory tower. Even if they made a bit of money by dumb luck, they're still so naïve!"

In truth, over the past month, it wasn’t that Ruan Hui hadn’t wanted to return, but rather that he hadn’t deigned to.

Partly, some classmates had told him his bed was being taken over. But more importantly, he’d found a mentor at his internship.

Ruan Hui was interning at a foreign trade company. His mentor was a team leader there, exceptionally diligent—always burning the midnight oil to talk to clients in different time zones. Ruan Hui felt he was learning things from his mentor that you could never learn in the ivory tower.

For example, his mentor said: never make enemies needlessly. Greet everyone with a smile—a smile costs nothing, but the goodwill it creates is priceless.

For example, his mentor said: always curry favor with those around you, hand out small treats now and then. At a crucial moment, they’ll back you up.

For example, his mentor said: if you really have an opponent, keep calm. Become a smiling tiger—get close, even abase yourself and flatter them, then, when the time is right, strike a killing blow.

Ruan Hui’s mentor had taught him much, both in words and by example. In the company, his mentor was always smiling at everyone, and everyone liked him. Occasionally, he’d buy coffee or milk tea for the whole team, making sure no one was left out. He was always willing to help, even if it meant staying up all night himself. After a while, you just got used to it...

His mentor had long endured the department manager. As soon as the time was right, he intended to deliver a fatal blow and take his place.

Following his mentor, Ruan Hui felt his horizons had broadened. He was no longer the naive boy he once was, but a person with real-world experience and cunning.

He had only forgotten one thing: his mentor, a founding member of the company, had been stuck at team leader for seven years.

He also didn’t know that his mentor had also "endured" the previous department manager for a long time—who was now the deputy general manager...

But the Ruan Hui of today was not the Ruan Hui of the past! Or so he believed.

This time, he had returned, ready to use all his newly acquired skills to deal with Chen Ling and the others...