Qin Guan had to enrich his experience by exercising.
He turned the pages, writing on them non stop. Only a rustling sound could be heard around him.
Papers were filled, and books were opened and closed one by one.
The campus celebrity spent only two hours on a whole book and two sets of test questions. Finally, the black boy sitting opposite him let out the breath he had been holding. He had remained stupefied as he’d watched Qin Guan work.
He had originally done so out of curiosity for the fashion star, but he had gotten shocked by him.
Rongzhi, who had just won an international robot contest, looked like a nobody compared to Qin Guan.
The nobody was snapping pictures of his idol from some secret corner.
It was rare to see Qin Guan in the library. This was a great chance to collect material. Every night he climbed over the wall between the US and China to make reports to Qin Guan’s fan club.
"I saw Qin Guan on campus today. Here are some photos."
A snapshot of a hurried Qin Guan in J Clothing, holding some books, was sent by email.
"Qin Guan shot the posters for J Clothing today."
"These are the posters for the Armani perfume..."
He sent a picture of the Armani posters piled in a box.
Qin Guan’s fans in China were all jealous of him. Show off!
Christmas Eve was the biggest holiday in the US, just like the Spring Festival was in China.
Qin Guan and Cong Nianwei wanted to buy some postcards from the mall. They had received cards from their schoolmates, thus learning about the tradition of sending cards to each other before Christmas.
The mall was crowded. People were purchasing cards, presents, decorations and colorful ribbons like crazy.
"Look at this cute card!" Cong Nianwei pointed to a card with a red-nosed reindeer. Before Qin Guan could say anything, a large hand took all 10 copies from the shelf.
Stunned, they looked at the strong man, who had taken all the cards and thrown them into a shopping cart. He headed for the wrapping paper without looking back.
Qin Guan tried to console his girlfriend, "We did not need that many anyway. Just take the leftover ones."
He was right. There were still several lonely cards left on the shelf. The sales assistant was in the warehouse. They might have to wait another hour to see the new products.
It seemed like Christmas shopping called for a special operation.
"Excuse me..." Slender fingers stretched over and picked up a reel of colorful ribbons from above two ladies’ heads.
Before the old ladies could come back to their senses, the thief had disappeared. That was the advantage of having long arms.
Cong Nianwei pushed the cart while Qin Guan grabbed goods. They were the perfect match for a robbery.
"Oh, my beautiful lady! Your makeup is so elegant..."
Standing by the gift counter, Qin Guan was flattering a girl, his eyes fixed on the decorations in her hands.
"These are too old for your Christmas tree. Look, they are a little torn. I can see the sales assistant coming. You’ll get the most beautiful decorations for your tree. I’ll deal with these for you."
Qin Guan smiled as the girl flushed.
"Okay… Here you are..." The girl covered her burning cheeks and handed the decorations to Qin Guan.
Qin Guan threw them into their cart fast. They had walked three meters away, but the girl was still standing there, lost in thought.
Qin Guan craned his head towards Cong Nianwei, expecting some praise. "See? Only 20 minutes!"
Cong Nianwei poked at his head with her index finger. "Liar! The supplier restocked the shelves 10 minutes ago. The girl will have to wait for another 20 minutes for the next supply."
Qin Guan made a face, grinning cheekily. "It doesn't matter. She is still thinking about my smile. When she comes back, she will find new stock."
What a shameless guy!
They smiled and talked like tasting honey from a jar. After they decorated it, their small nest looked very festive.
What played the most important role at Christmas though? Food, of course...
Uninvited guests came to their apartment in the afternoon with the shameless intention of enjoying a traditional American Christmas feast.
The turkey was sizzling in the oven. Qin Guan had bought the semi-finished turkey from a store and seasoned it with black pepper, salt and butter.
He set the cold dishes carefully. Sliced oranges were a must, as they stood for the best Christmas wishes.