My Little Happiness 我的小确幸 Chapter is 15.1

Chapter 15.1 - Kangxi Dictionary (1)

One evening, Wen Shaoqing came knocking at the door. Cong Rong looked at the man standing outside through the peephole. She hesitated for a while, then finally sighed and opened the door.

Wen Shaoqing held up a USB stick. “I need to borrow your printer.”

Cong Rong frowned. “I don’t have one.”

“Didn’t you say you’d print that lawyer’s letter for me?”

“…” Cong Rong paused, then stepped aside. “Come in.”

She was still at that awkward stage of feeling uncomfortable being alone in the same room with Wen Shaoqing. Pointing stiffly toward the study, she said, “The printer’s in there, the computer’s on the desk—help yourself.”

Trying to be a polite host, she went to the kitchen to pour him a glass of water. But before the water even started boiling, she heard Wen Shaoqing call out:

“Lawyer Cong, your computer seems to have a little problem—do you want to come check?”

“It was fine just now. I’ve been using it…” Cong Rong muttered, puzzled, as she entered the study and glanced at the screen.

Right in the middle of the screen, a pop-up window appeared: “The other party poked you.” Then came a flurry of messages from Zhong Zhen:

“Professor Wen gave a lecture today wearing a dark blue striped suit—he looked amazing! Here’s a sneaky pic.”
Immediately, several photos popped up in the chat window.

Cong Rong had no mood to appreciate his looks right now. Gritting her teeth, she clicked the X to close the window.

Wen Shaoqing shrugged and said with an innocent face, “It popped up on its own. I just reflexively glanced at it—totally not intentional.”

Cong Rong took a deep breath. She had no words. Who could she even blame for this? Zhong Zhen, that idiot!

Wen Shaoqing, seeing no response from her, leaned in a little closer with a teasing smile. “So, do you ask Zhong Zhen about me often? Is this like… a daily update?”

“Never!” Cong Rong shot back instantly. “I have no idea why he sent me that!”

“Really?”

The amused curve of Wen Shaoqing’s mouth and his nonchalant tone made it obvious he didn’t believe her. Cong Rong rubbed her forehead. “Just print your stuff! Ten yuan per page! Have your change ready! Leave the money on the table when you’re done, and close the door on your way out!”

With that, she left the study, slammed the bedroom door shut, and immediately called Zhong Zhen to scold him.

“Zhong Zhen! Are you insane?! Why did you send me pictures of what Wen Shaoqing wore today and what he was doing?!”

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end before Zhong Zhen started screaming:

“Aaah! Sorry, Cousin! I sent it to the wrong person! I meant to post it in the other group chat! The one full of Wen-fans from our department! They asked me for daily updates—with pictures!”

Cong Rong felt her anger surge. “Zhong Zhen! You’d better stay far away from me for the next few days!”

Zhong Zhen hung up, rubbed his ear, and muttered to himself:
Geez, it was just a wrong send… why is she so mad? Early menopause?

---

The next day, after doing his rounds, Wen Shaoqing stopped Zhong Zhen.
“Give me your phone.”

He opened the photo album. The most recent picture was taken just minutes ago. As he swiped backward, there were pictures for every day.

Zhong Zhen started sweating.

“Why are you secretly taking pictures of me?” Wen Shaoqing trusted Cong Rong’s denial. From what he knew of her, she wasn't that kind of covert admirer.

“I figured you’d want to punish me—give me a second to choose a really thick book.”

Zhong Zhen replied immediately, “I trade them with the other students for snacks, drinks, and big meals!”

“That’s all I’m worth? A few meals?”

“Not just a few… it’s a lot of meals… an endless stream…”

“Then why did you send one to your cousin?”

“Total accident! Wait—you saw it?! No wonder she was so mad! I’m doomed! She’s going to take revenge for sure! Also… what were you doing at her place that late at night?”

“Don’t change the subject. From now on, stop sending them. Also, delete all my pictures from your phone. If I find any more, prepare to copy the Kangxi Dictionary.”

“Professor Wen, I’m a clinical medicine major—what does that have to do with Kangxi Dictionary?”

“Because I’ll make sure you can’t survive in Western medicine. Your only way out will be to become a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner.”

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Unrequited Love 暗恋橘生淮南 Chapter 32.2

Chapter 32.2 - Wake up from a Long Dream (2)

Even though being stood up by both parties actually made things easier to manage, Luo Zhi still felt an emptiness inside. She wandered around her dorm room five or six times before finally settling down. She took off her going-out clothes, changed into a casual plaid shirt, sweatpants, and cotton slippers, then sat down at her desk and opened her IELTS vocabulary book.

She ended up watching a few episodes of the American TV series LOST on her laptop. When she checked the time and saw it was 5:20, she threw on a knitted cardigan and headed to the third dining hall for some freshly made hot flatbreads.

Just as she was sitting down with her tray, she saw Zhang Mingrui approaching from a distance. She smiled and waved, pointing to the seat across from her. Zhang Mingrui placed his tray on the table and looked at her food. “You really… eat these flatbreads every night?”

“They’re pretty good. I eat them several times a week. But who knows — maybe one day I’ll suddenly get sick of them.”

“Well, if that day comes, make sure to tell me.”

“Why?”

“No reason,” Zhang Mingrui lowered his head and drank his porridge seriously.

“By the way, for yesterday’s Law class — you and Sheng Huainan both skipped. Don’t tell me you were out on a date?”

Luo Zhi looked up, considering whether or not to tell the truth, when her phone suddenly rang. She almost wanted to write a song praising China Unicom — every time she was in a socially awkward moment, her phone would ring like a considerate TV drama plot twist.

It was her mom. Luo Zhi bit into her hot flatbread while bickering seriously with her mother over the phone. By the time she finally hung up, Zhang Mingrui had already finished eating.

“You eat that fast?” Luo Zhi asked, surprised.

“You talk that slow, more like.”

Feeling a bit guilty — after all, leaving someone hanging while you’re on a long call isn’t exactly polite — she quickly took a few big bites of her flatbread and shoved some spinach into her mouth to show sincerity. Zhang Mingrui frowned and pressed down on her chopsticks. “Okay, okay, don’t choke yourself.”

Luo Zhi ate more slowly for a while, then noticed that the person across from her was leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head, staring at her without blinking. She was puzzled.

“You… didn’t eat enough?”

“You trying to get rid of me?” He gave her an indignant glare.

“No, no…” She waved her hands, but Zhang Mingrui had already stacked his plates and stood up.

“Alright, alright, I’m going. I still need to grab takeout for our dorm leader and Sheng Huainan — those two pigs.”

Luo Zhi’s hand, which had reached out to stop him, froze in midair.

“Why didn’t he come out to eat himself?” she asked slowly.

“Who knows? He’s been acting weird since this morning — holed up in the dorm playing World of Warcraft all day. Not even worried about going blind. Our dorm leader’s even more extreme — watched Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty in bed all day. For lunch, I brought him a jianbing guozi. I’m telling you, that’s the downside of long-distance relationships. Without girlfriends hovering around every day, they all turn into hermits…”

Zhang Mingrui kept talking, but Luo Zhi couldn’t hear any of it anymore. She numbly bit into her flatbread and numbly said goodbye to him.

Didn’t he say he had something to do?

A bloated, dull pain spread in her chest. It wasn’t even full-blown sadness — more like something suspended in midair. She messily cleared her tray and went back to the dorm, put on her headphones, and forced herself to keep watching the American show.

That night, there was no goodnight text. She wanted to ask what was wrong, really wanted to — but after a moment of hesitation, she simply turned off her phone.

On Monday morning, classes resumed as usual. In her world, Sheng Huainan slowly faded away once more. She wanted to reach out and hold onto something, but it was in vain. All she had left were his text messages — yet no matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t figure out a way to start one.

She had thought they were already very close, but had to admit: if he wanted to get close to her, it was easy — he could just walk up and get her smile in return. But if she wanted to catch up to him, to turn him around and face her — that was incredibly hard.

She hadn’t had the courage to do it all these years, and still didn’t now.

There was a sense of distance stretched out before her. When the sweet haze of the past few days cleared, she could see it plainly — he was still far away, and all she had was the view of his back

.

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My Little Happiness 我的小确幸 Chapter is 14.2

Chapter 14.2 - So Tight that Not Even Honey Can Seep Through (2)

Wen Shaoqing tilted his head and glanced behind him. Zhong Zhen was slowly trudging in after Cong Rong, still carrying the giant teddy bear on his back.

“Isn’t this a bit of a human rights violation, Lawyer Cong?” he asked.

Cong Rong’s lips twitched, and she explained coldly, “I’m not referring to Zhong Zhen. I mean the thing on his back.”

Zhong Zhen finally made it through the door and raised a weary hand in greeting.
“Hey, boss. We came to freeload some dinner.”

Wen Shaoqing nodded and said with a smile,
“Alright, eat early. After dinner, go back and work on your article.”

Zhong Zhen’s face fell instantly. He lowered his head and dragged the bear into the house.

Cong Rong sat at the dining table and stuffed the bear into the chair next to her. When Zhong Zhen was about to sit down there, she kicked him lightly.
“That’s its seat. You sit over there.”

Zhong Zhen gave a proud little snort and plopped down next to Wen Shaoqing, complaining to Rang Yi Rang (the dog),
“Rang Yi Rang, you’re so lucky. You don’t have a cousin who exploits you. Your life must be so peaceful…”

Maybe his resentment was too strong, because Rang Yi Rang looked at him and inched closer to Wen Shaoqing.

Cong Rong ignored Zhong Zhen and pointed to the teddy bear beside her.
“Let me formally introduce you—this is my pet.”
She stroked the bear’s fur and glanced at Wen Shaoqing, as if getting back at him for his earlier comment about her only being capable of raising pigs. Then she looked at Rang Yi Rang, implying: size matters.

Zhong Zhen didn’t get it, but Wen Shaoqing immediately understood. He smirked playfully.
“Oh, so Lawyer Cong prefers… big ones.”

That one sentence made Cong Rong’s face flush red, but Wen Shaoqing acted as if nothing had happened and kept playing along.
“Does it have a name?”

Cong Rong did her best to stay composed.
“Yes. It’s called Feng Feng.”

Wen Shaoqing was intrigued.
“Any special meaning?”

Cong Rong answered calmly,
“Because it’s 密不透风 (‘mi bu tou feng’—airtight). No honey can pass through Feng Feng. It belongs entirely to it.”

Wen Shaoqing sincerely praised her,
“What a great name!”
Then he turned to Rang Yi Rang and said,
“In that case, I should rename you too. You love gnawing on bones, right? From today on, you’re Xiao Wu—‘Wu’ as in ‘wu gu bu fen’ (not knowing the five grains), because you and bones can’t be separated.”

Zhong Zhen burst out laughing but got a glare from Cong Rong and quickly covered his mouth, shoulders shaking as he tried to hold it in.

Cong Rong frowned at Wen Shaoqing.
“Are you mocking its name?”

“Of course not.” Wen Shaoqing looked interested as ever.
“Would your pet like some soup?”

Cong Rong tried to suppress her irritation.
“No need. It’s hibernating and doesn’t eat right now.”

Wen Shaoqing nodded seriously,
“…As expected of a lawyer. Impressive logic.”

—

By the end of the meal, Zhong Zhen sat there looking puzzled, watching the back-and-forth between the two.
He glanced at his boss, then at his cousin.
Something’s off… Definitely something fishy going on here.

After dinner, he dragged the massive bear back across the hall. The moment they stepped inside, he couldn't help asking:
“Cousin, what’s going on between you and Professor Wen?”

Cong Rong lazily fiddled with Feng Feng.
“Nothing.”

Nothing—just a failed attempt at making a statement, leaving her bitter and frustrated.

Zhong Zhen, recalling Wen Shaoqing’s threat, crept up to her with a big smile.
“Sis… quick question. If I don’t get my scholarship or stipend next semester… will you support me?”

Cong Rong raised an eyebrow at the word “sis” and, still annoyed, reached out and ruffled his hair.
“Got exams coming up? Don’t stress too much. If you bomb them, it’s no big deal. At most, I just won’t have a brother anymore.”

Zhong Zhen froze, then shot to his feet.
“Cousin, I still have an article to write—I’ll be going! I’m really busy these days, so don’t come looking for me!”

And off he fled to catch up on his assignments.

---

After the failure of her “pet protest,” Cong Rong launched a cold war campaign against Wen Shaoqing.

But Wen Shaoqing, of course, kept provoking her.
Every time he took Rang Yi Rang out for a walk and ran into Cong Rong, he would ask with fake innocence:

“Aren’t you taking Feng Feng out for some fresh air?”

At first, Cong Rong was so mad she could’ve spat blood. But after being asked enough times, she learned how to respond calmly:

“It’s afraid of the cold.”

“It caught a cold.”

“It’s a homebody bear.”

“It’s hibernating.”

Eventually, even making up excuses became too tiring. Now, whenever she ran into him, she just gave him a perfunctory smile and said nothing more—her whole attitude screaming: I don’t know you. Don’t talk to me.

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Unrequited Love 暗恋橘生淮南 Chapter 32.1

Chapter 32.1 - Wake up from a Long Dream (1)

The relaxed dinner atmosphere was still disrupted by that inexplicable memory from Luo Zhi. But unlike their first meal together, the silence this time wasn't awkward — rather, it carried a sort of leisurely, tacit understanding.

“Speaking of essays, I remember you were really good at writing them in high school.”

Luo Zhi suddenly looked up, startling Sheng Huainan.

“Come on, I just praised you once — are you really that excited?” he laughed.

Luo Zhi withdrew her gaze and asked softly, “Did you ever read them? Be honest.”

Sheng Huainan was a bit confused but still answered truthfully, “Back then, the school’s language department often handed out model essays for us to read. I honestly didn’t read a single one — I used them all as scratch paper since the backs were blank. Sorry.”

“What’s there to apologize for? Essays are all the same — fake and cliché,” Luo Zhi lowered her head and said hurriedly.

“I skipped class today and also postponed the meeting with Tiffany and Jake. If you’re free tomorrow night, could you go see Jake? He really misses you.”

“Sure,” Sheng Huainan smiled.

Under the streetlamp near the dorm building, he suddenly stopped and pulled out a large paper bag from his backpack.

“I bought this the other day when I passed by a bookstore. I was going to give it to you another time, but I got excited this morning and just brought it along. Carrying it all day nearly killed me.”

Luo Zhi’s eyes widened as she took the heavy paper bag — six thick volumes: the complete works of Kahlil Gibran.

He carried them all day? Is he out of his mind? She was speechless and didn’t know whether to act angry or happy.

“I... I really like Gibran... I love Sand and Foam... Is your back okay?”

Her stammering seemed to make Sheng Huainan particularly happy. He affectionately ruffled her hair, not caring whether the gesture made her even more shy.

“As long as you like it.”

Suddenly, the sound of clattering came from behind. Luo Zhi turned around and saw a girl in a purple wool coat kicking a bicycle.

The girl looked up — it was Zheng Wenrui.

Luo Zhi became a little uneasy and asked softly, “Your bike broke?”

“The chain came off,” Zheng Wenrui didn’t look at her and kept fiercely kicking the bike’s rear wheel, making loud clattering noises.

“This is the first time I’ve seen someone try to kick the chain back on,” Sheng Huainan was still smiling, but his eyes narrowed slightly — for the first time, Luo Zhi realized how intimidating he could be when his demeanor turned cold. Zheng Wenrui took a deep breath and raised her head. In the moment her eyes met Luo Zhi’s, Sheng Huainan suddenly put his arm around Luo Zhi’s shoulders and led her away, turning the corner straight toward the dorm entrance.

Luo Zhi stood on the steps in front of the dorm. Not far away, Zheng Wenrui was still furiously kicking the bicycle, as if it had become a stand-in for someone she wanted to kick. Saying goodbye suddenly felt awkward. Luo Zhi averted her gaze from Zheng Wenrui and saw Sheng Huainan looking at her with concern.

“Don’t be scared,” he said.

His warmth instantly lifted her spirits. She nodded, hugged the paper bag tighter — the sharp corners of the books dug into her stomach, but she didn’t feel any pain. Smiling, she nodded again and said, “Really, thank you so much.”

He stood there leisurely with his hands in his pockets. “I should be the one thanking you. I haven’t felt this happy in a long time. We’ll go see Jake tomorrow afternoon, right? You must be tired too — go get some rest.”

The dormitory’s main door clicked shut and automatically locked, but he didn’t leave. Instead, he gestured with his mouth for Luo Zhi to go in first. She clasped her hands behind her back, lowered her head and smiled like a shy bride, then looked up and nodded at him before turning and walking away in big strides.

However, the rattling sound of the bicycle chain still clung to her relentlessly as she turned the corner and ran into the hallway.

She closed her eyes and told herself:
You did nothing wrong.

The next day at noon, just as she was about to text Sheng Huainan to tell him the meeting time for the afternoon, he texted her first:

“Something came up. I can’t make it. Sorry.”

Abrupt and brief. Luo Zhi stared at the message for a long time, feeling a bit troubled. She replied with a simple, “It’s okay, take care of your things,” then began to worry — if she bailed on Jake again, those two kids might just drag her into their little storage room at home and let the dogs loose on her.

She made a phone call. Zhu Yan had gone to Shanghai, and Mya told her she was just about to get in touch. The two kids had slight fevers and were already at the clinic with the nanny. She didn’t need to go over that afternoon.

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