The next day marked the official start of the semester, and the campus instantly buzzed with life. Upperclassmen rolled their suitcases behind them, looking nothing like the overwhelmed freshmen weighed down by countless bags.
Bathed in bright sunlight and a gentle breeze, today held extraordinary significance for these young people who had just stepped onto a university campus.
Not only was it the starting point of a new chapter in their college lives, but it was also the momentous occasion of their very first official gathering as freshmen in the same class.
Jiang Chen sat on the edge of his bed, watching with keen amusement as his three roommates flurried about, frantically fussing with various hair styling products and accessories in front of their mirrors.
Finding it rather comical—especially when he saw Ye Nian joining in—Jiang Chen couldn't help speaking up. "Come on, guys, isn't this a bit much? It's one thing for Ding Junfei and Wang Congle to tidy up, but Ye Nian, don't you already have a girlfriend? Why are you joining in on the nonsense?"
Hearing this, Ye Nian paused what he was doing, flashed Jiang Chen a grin that revealed a row of neat, white teeth, and explained, "Oh, Brother Jiang, you just don't get it! This isn't just simple grooming; it's the pursuit of a high-quality lifestyle!" With that, he went right back to tinkering with his hair.
Hearing Ye Nian's declaration, Ding Junfei and Wang Congle felt as though they had been struck by a bolt of sudden enlightenment, nodding vigorously in agreement.
Echoing Ye Nian's sentiments, they sped up their movements, terrified of falling behind.
After quite a bit of tossing about in the dorm, the four of them finally finished styling themselves to their satisfaction.
Then, smoothing down their clothes, they strode confidently out of the dorm and headed toward the teaching building. Along the way, they chatted and laughed, full of eager anticipation for their brand-new campus life.
When they arrived at the finance major's classroom, they were surprised to find that quite a few students had already taken their seats.
Sure enough, just as rumors had it, this major was a textbook example of a class with very few guys and plenty of girls.
Looking around, the girls in the classroom were either chatting in small groups of two or three or quietly flipping through books, while the most of the guys appeared rather reserved, occasionally stealing glances at the pretty female classmates around them.
Since only a few scattered seats remained in the back row, the four of them walked straight toward the back. Not long after they sat down, a tall woman dressed in formal attire with a cold expression walked into the classroom.
"Damn, she's even prettier than in her photos," Wang Congle whispered to the other three.
Although Jiang Chen had already seen her in person, their previous encounter had been nothing more than a fleeting glance. Now, looking at the young woman standing at the front, he still found himself captivated by her indescribable aura.
"True, she's even colder in reality than in the photos. But Lao Le, why are you drooling?" Watching Wang Congle's lovestruck expression, Jiang Chen figured this guy was a lost cause.
"What do you know? This is called appreciation."
"Kid, you're invincible," Ding Junfei chimed in at Wang Congle.
With a light cough from the front, the classroom quieted down. A cool, detached voice rang out: "My name is Xia Xiaoyue, and I am your counselor. Starting today, you answer to me. Here is my contact information; if you have any issues with daily life, you can come to me."
"Next, we'll start with self-introductions. Everyone, come up one by one and give a brief introduction."
"You all know your student ID numbers. Come up in order of your IDs. First, Xiao Mumu."
"Hello everyone, my name is Xiao Mumu, and I'm from Beishi. It's an honor to gather here with all of you in the same class, and I hope we can take care of each other over the next four years," Xiao Mumu said from the podium.
Down in the audience, Wang Congle gave his own review: "Fair-skinned, beautiful, long legs, waist 65 centimeters, 36D."
"Impressive." The other three gained a newfound understanding of Wang Congle. He must have watched a lot to develop this kind of expertise.
The students continued taking turns stepping up to the podium in numerical order. Since their dormitory's student IDs were near the end, Wang Congle was up first. Jiang Chen was quite looking forward to his self-introduction; after all, who doesn't love a good comedy act?
Time ticked by. There were plenty of shy introductions and eccentric ones in between, but Xia Xiaoyue's expression never changed—she simply read out the student IDs.
"Next, student number thirty-seven, Wang Congle."
"Here it comes," Jiang Chen and the other two chuckled quietly to themselves, convinced Wang Congle was going to pull a stunt.
"Hello everyone, my name is Wang Congle. I am eighteen years old, have all four limbs, have breathed independently since childhood, eat three meals a day, know how to use a smartphone, and have a promising future. My schedule is inverted, my hair is sparse, I'm innocent, easy to fool, and totally boy-crazy/girl-crazy. I can recite the multiplication table, I know to run home when it starts raining, and my only pickup line is 'hello.' I'm a local, and my hobby is girls. Now, let's invite the next person with the exact same hobby as me to the stage."
Hearing this self-introduction, the classmates roared with laughter, leaning back and forth. The other three brothers were in awe of Wang Congle's audacity, but the moment Wang Congle finished his final line, Ding Junfei's face darkened.
He was smiling, and then he wasn't.
Watching Wang Congle's lecherous grin, Ding Junfei naturally clenched his fists. "Damn it, just you wait until I get back down there."
Once he reached the podium, Ding Junfei's cheeks flushed pink—whether from overheating or shyness, he bit the bullet and delivered a normal self-introduction: "Hello everyone, my name is Ding Junfei, from Liao City. I like fitness and playing ball. It's an honor to meet you all at Nanshi University, and I hope we can look out for each other in the future."
Hurryingly marching back down, Ding Junfei landed a heavy punch on Wang Congle. "You bastard, you set me up."
"Hey, you didn't object when you had the chance, and you even said you didn't like girls," Wang Congle said, wincing and baring his teeth.
"Next, Jiang Chen." Hearing his name called, Jiang Chen slowly stood up and walked toward the podium.
The gazes of everyone in the audience instantly converged on the boy stepping up to the front.
Jiang Chen glanced at Xia Xiaoyue, but her expression remained unchanged, just as icy as ever.
Right at that moment, a few soft gasps rose from the crowd—several girls couldn't help letting out a quiet "Whoa." Though the sound wasn't loud, it was enough to draw the attention of those around them.
Standing to the side, Wang Congle felt a trace of jealousy and resentment flare up in his heart. He muttered grumpily, "No way! How come nobody went 'whoa' when I went up there?!"
Before he could finish complaining, however, Ding Junfei mercilessly shot back, "Big bro, why don't you look in a mirror? Jiang Chen is way more handsome than you, alright!"
By now, Jiang Chen had reached the podium, smiling as he faced the entire class. "Hello everyone, my name is Jiang Chen, and I'm from Qing City in Lu Province. I'm someone who enjoys sports, especially badminton. It's an honor to meet all of you here, and I hope we can all look out for each other over the next four years."
With that, Jiang Chen gave a polite nod and stepped down from the podium. The whole process was concise and straightforward, completely devoid of any dragging on, because in Jiang Chen's view, a self-introduction was better kept simple to save everyone a lot of time.
Before long, everyone had finished their self-introductions, and Xia Xiaoyue stepped back up to the podium. "Tomorrow is our first day of military training. Get to sleep early tonight and gather bright and early tomorrow morning. I will be accompanying you throughout the entire training period, so if you have any problems, come find me. As for the boys in the dorms who are thinking of renting off-campus housing, pay attention and handle yourselves carefully; if you run into difficulties, come find your teacher. Alright, dismissed."