Colorful years

Zhang Cong's heart pounded like a drum. With a heart pounding with anxiety, like a rabbit with its tail between its legs, he slowly reached out and gently pushed open the door.

The moment the door opened, his gaze fell upon something that made him involuntarily pause slightly—two beautiful women, as lovely as spring flowers in bloom, stood in the doorway!

He composed himself and looked closely, only then realizing that he wasn't entirely unfamiliar with the two women. One was named Xiao Gong, and the other Xiao Hu. They were both close friends and classmates of his cousin San San from nursing school, and now they worked together as nurses at the People's Hospital, saving lives and healing the wounded.

Zhang Cong's gaze slowly swept around the room, and a sense of embarrassment welled up in his heart. The room he lived in was truly extremely simple and shabby.

Looking around, there was only a slightly worn wooden bed, lying alone against the wall, as if telling the story of the vicissitudes of time.

Next to the bed was a bookcase with slightly mottled paint, some of the paint peeling off, giving it a somewhat old and worn feel.

Looking further to the side, a dilapidated desk piled with files and miscellaneous items appeared cluttered and disorganized. Beside the desk sat a solitary wooden chair with a backrest. Apart from that, there were no other items in the room.

Such a shabby setting is hardly suitable for entertaining guests from afar, especially since the visitors at this moment are two young and beautiful ladies.

Zhang Cong had been working for over a year, but this was the first time he had ever received visitors at home, and two of them were such beautiful young women.

For a moment, he, who was not good at socializing, felt as if his hands and feet were bound by invisible shackles, and he did not know what to do with them.

His face flushed instantly, like a ripe apple. He awkwardly spread his hands slowly and stammered, "I'm so sorry, but I don't even have a place here where I can sit down comfortably."

However, the two women showed no sign of disgust. Xiao Hu, composed and poised, walked directly to the bedside. Her steps were light as a swallow, and she gracefully sat down, a warm, sun-like smile blooming on her face as she comforted them:

"We're all acquaintances, there's no need to worry about these things."

Xiao Gong, standing to the side, nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, yes, don't be shy with us!"

It was precisely because the two beauties, Xiao Hu and Xiao Gong, didn't seem to care about the shabby accommodations that Zhang Cong's originally tense heartstrings gradually relaxed, like the strings of a zither being caressed by a spring breeze, and slowly returned to their usual natural state.

A faint smile appeared on his face, his eyes filled with a hint of doubt as he looked at the two beauties before him and asked, "Ladies, what brings you here tonight?"

Xiao Gong's lips curved slightly upwards like a crescent moon, and she replied in a sweet voice, "We don't have anything special to do after get off work, and we're just feeling bored, so we thought we'd come and see what you, this great talent, are busy with all day long!"

Xiao Hu chimed in, "Yes, according to San San, you're a real shut-in, only knowing how to bury yourself in your work and never taking the initiative to make friends. So, we had no choice but to visit you in person!"

Hearing their words, Zhang Cong couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. He replied, "Alas, you don't understand. I finally managed to escape from that remote rural area and come to the city to work in the county government. Naturally, I have to work twice as hard and diligently. After all, such an opportunity is rare. If I don't seize it, how can I stand out and make a name for myself?"

"That's true!" the two beauties said in unison, their respect for Zhang Cong growing even stronger.

At this moment, they secretly thought to themselves that if they were fortunate enough to marry such a talented man, it would surely be an extremely glorious and enviable thing.

However, Zhang Cong had already seen through the two women's thoughts as clearly as a crystal-clear lake through their casual conversation.

He is no longer the poor boy from the countryside who was penniless. Through persistent and unremitting efforts, he has become a proud and ambitious person.

He established three unwavering and inviolable principles for his future partner: first, he would never choose an actress who makes a living through performing arts; second, he would never date a woman who needs to work night shifts; and third, he would never marry a peasant woman without a formal job.

Because of these strict "three no's" principles, he had absolutely no interest in provoking these two beautiful and charming hospital nurses.

Zhang Cong frowned slightly, a helpless expression on his face, and said, "My two beauties, look at me, I don't even have a sip of water to quench my thirst, let alone fragrant tea."

Moreover, I have a huge pile of crucial materials that I need to work overtime to finish writing. Otherwise…” He paused deliberately at this point, seemingly wanting to leave the other person some room to interpret the meaning.

Hearing this, Xiao Gong pouted, her face showing a hint of reproach, and complained, "Oh dear, Zhang, you're so boring! You're already telling us to leave so quickly. Fine, we'll just have to go." As she spoke, she lightly stomped her foot to express her slight dissatisfaction.

Seeing this, Xiao Hu also snorted coldly, her face showing a hint of coquettishness, and complained, "Hmph, what a blockhead! He has absolutely no sense of romance!"

After saying that, she and Xiao Gong turned and left, leaving Zhang Cong with only two graceful and swaying backs.