A Billion Dollar Exchange

By the time Liling returned to her dorm her roommates were already in, they were ranting about something, she didn't care though. She immediately took new clothes and changed in bathroom after taking a warm bath. Liling didn't take her phone while leaving, so immediately she came out of the bathroom, her phone lit up, she quickly picked it up and saw about six missed calls from an unknown number. She quickly compared it with the one in the message inbox, when she saw it was the same, she quickly saved it as 'Chang Ming Nurse' and kept the phone under her pillow.

Lying down on the bed, Liling prayed for the ibuprofen to act faster, her tummy really hurts, she lay on her tummy and watched her friends. She was tempted to ask what was causing the argument.

"What's wrong? "

"Now you finally decided to ask, I thought you were not interested" Richen grumbled, she really hated Liling's nonchalant attitude. Xin Yong complained almost immediately, overshadowing what Richen just said.

"Liling guess what!, the practicals had been pushed forward. It's no longer on Friday but on Wednesday!!

Arrrgghh, which kind of stupid school pushes their exam forward, others add extra days, Gahll reduces the ones they've given, I so much hate this school!!" Xin Yong screamed as she paced round the room. Richen who had been standing all along, sat on her bed and picked up her music pratical book by the bedside. She looked through the chapters but frequently glanced at Liling's expression. Liling didn't even have the strength to lament, she lay there looking blankly at the wall.

"Liling, aren't you saying anything? You are not bothered that they've moved the exams forward?" Xiao Ran who studied languages quickly chirped in, it wasn't her course but her friends were lamenting so she obviously joined in.

Liling stirred a little and chuckled slightly. "Even if I'm bothered, or I lament from here till the main gates, the exams would still be taken on Wednesday; So I rather save my God-given strength for more studies"

They were all speechless, Richen and Xin Yong looked at Liling perplexed. 'She was really not bothered about the hardest exams?'

"Liling, we all know you know-it -all, and that you are already prepared but please don't rub it on our faces, okay?"

Richen replied angrily. She was really tired of Liling being the best in everything. Liling never failed a quiz, Liling never failed an exam, Liling was the prettiest, Liling had the best voice, Liling was always right!. It was so annoying, she was a good pretender but Liling's nonchalant attitude together with what happened earlier had pricked her so much that she didn't even know when she scolded her. When she recognized herself, Xiao Ran and Xin Yong were already looking at her with a dazed expression. She immediately recognized her fault and tried to correct herself.

"I didn't mean it like that, just .. Just that everyone is complaining and its so annoying ..."

"Yeah, Liling you should cry with us sometimes or even pretend to, it's not fair" Xin Yong lamented and came over to Liling's bed, she noticed the awkward scenario and immediately helped Richen out. She knew Richen didn't totally like Liling, but she didn't like her friends quarreling, so she covered her up immediately.

It wasn't that Liling was proud, she was very far from it. However, she was outspoken, had an outstanding self respect, intelligent and smart. Therefore, Richen was just annoyed, seeing that Liling had almost everything. Liling didn't even boast, but her quietness was enough to annoy someone who was already envious.

Liling just chuckled and sat up on her bed. "I'm a bit annoyed too but it won't still change anything, would it? "

'You are a bit annoyed, a bit, just hear yourself out. Everybody is complaining but you are just a bit annoyed!' Richen thought in her mind but knew better than to say anything.

When they came into the room earlier, Liling's phone was ringing, they had ignored it twice but on the third ring, Richen decided to pick it, she excused herself and answered the call outside the dorm. Before she could say anything, the caller had beaten her to it.

"Hello, Liling, it's Chang Ming, why are you avoiding my calls?" She had been so surprised, she didn't expect the person to be Chang Ming!, she had wanted to tell the caller that Liling wasn't around and that he should call back later, but for the person to be Chang Ming, she was really surprised. She smiled shyly and answered with the utmost sweet voice of hers.

"Brother Chang Ming, It's Richen, Liling's friend. The one you met outside the other day" She paused intentionally, waiting for Chang Ming to remember her.

Chang Ming paused for a while and replied. "The one with Liling the other day? "

Richen was a bit annoyed that he didn't remember her but she immediately waved it aside.

"No, the one that told you to wait a while.. " She sheepishly clarified.

Chang Ming thought a for few seconds then remembered her.

"Oh, Liling's friend, how are you? "

That was the most annoying thing Richen had ever heard, 'he didn't even call her by her name, but Liling's friend?, she was very pretty and she knew it, why wasn't Chang Ming smitten by her? He was into Liling who didn't even like him!

"I'm.. fine, Liling isn't around, she left her phone behind, so could you call back later? "

"Okay, thank you, Richen, I'll call her back later" Chang Ming immediately cut the call. Richen liked him when she first saw him, but since he liked Liling she didn't want to come in between them. But after realizing that Liling wasn't even going to give him a chance, she immediately felt that there was nothing wrong in trying her luck either, besides Chang Ming was handsome and breathtaking.

She looked at the phone for sometime and she smiled at her mischievous thought. Quickly, she took out her phone from her jeans pocket and saved Chang Ming's number in it. She immediately put back her phone and went back into the room, keeping Liling's phone in its place.