September 2nd, Xinzhou, Xinzhou University. Today was freshman registration day.
Wang Peng carried his backpack alone and pulled his suitcase toward the school entrance.
"Are you a new student? Let me see your admission letter."
An upperclassman walked over to Wang Peng and said.
Wang Peng fished the admission letter out of his backpack.
Seeing "Business Administration, Wang Peng," and then taking in Wang Peng's handsome face, the senior student became even more enthusiastic.
"What a coincidence, junior! I'm majoring in accounting. Let's add each other on WeChat, and if you have any questions in the future, you can always ask me." After adding him on WeChat, she said to Wang Peng, "Follow me, junior."
Led by the senior student, he quickly finished the registration and found his dormitory, Building 3, Room 626.
Standing downstairs at Building 3:
"Junior, today is Saturday, and classes start this coming Monday, so don't forget. Your classroom is in Building 10, Room 214," the senior student told Wang Peng.
"Senior, I already have a girlfriend," Wang Peng told her.
The senior student smiled awkwardly. "I was just helping out a junior. Well, if there's nothing else, I'll get going."
With that, she turned and left.
After the senior student left, Wang Peng pulled out his phone, opened WeChat, and tapped on a contact named "Half a Roast Duck."
【Other Half of the Duck】: My dearest wife, I'm done registering. Give your hubby a kiss.
*(Begging for a kiss.jpg)*
【Half a Roast Duck】: Ugly pass. Were you hitting on some senior student and got your soul hooked away? You ignored me for so long.
*(Ugly pass.jpg)*
【Other Half of the Duck】: My lord, I have been wronged! This humble subject has already received the imperial favor, how could I ever dare to flirt around outside?
Getting no reply, Wang Peng took a photo of himself making a aggrieved, neglected-wife face and sent it to 【Half a Roast Duck】 with the caption: *Please, Your Majesty, examine the case with absolute clarity.*
Then he put away his phone and headed to Room 626. When he arrived, out of the four beds, only his was occupied; the rest were still empty. He found his name, made his bed, put his toiletries in the bathroom, placed his laptop on the desk, and started playing a game.
He skillfully opened League of Legends. After a grueling 30-minute fierce battle, Wang Peng finished the match with a glorious 5/11 record. *My skills are just too formidable to carry these noobs. Sigh~*
So he started up CrossFire instead...
The human contour-mapping master had logged on.
.........
Just as Wang Peng closed the game, someone walked into the dorm.
*This must be a new roommate,* he thought.
"Hello, Wang Peng, a local from Xinzhou."
"Hello, Liu Qing, also a local."
*A bit aloof, huh?* Wang Peng thought. So he took out his phone.
【Other Half of the Duck】: Wife, are you there? When are you free? I can't wait to see you. I even met a new roommate—he's super cold and aloof.
【Half a Roast Duck】: A new roommate? Is he handsome? Got any pictures? I heard cold men are all very handsome.
【Other Half of the Duck】: You already have me, how can you be thinking about some other dog?
【Half a Roast Duck】: I just dropped my younger brother off downstairs at his dorm building.
【Other Half of the Duck】: Your brother goes to Xinzhou University too? Which dorm is he in? I'll be sure to look after my brother-in-law.
【Half a Roast Duck】: Is there any chance that I'm actually a guy? *(Grinning)*
【Other Half of the Duck】: Wife, stop joking around. I've already been admitted to Xinzhou University, let's finally meet up in person×
*(Meet up in person.jpg)*
【Half a Roast Duck】: Hmm~ Sunday afternoon, maybe? I've got the debate team this afternoon and some things to take care of. Let's do 4:00 PM.
.........
Wang Peng felt a little excited at the prospect of meeting his online-dating girlfriend in person.
While he was chatting with his online girlfriend, the remaining two roommates both arrived.
"Wang Dong, from Xinzhou."
"Ye Chen, from Beijing."
The two of them arrived together and both introduced themselves.
At 6:00 PM:
"Since everyone in our dorm is here today, let's all go grab a bite together."
At 8:00 PM, at a barbecue restaurant near Xinzhou University:
After drinking some alcohol, the four of them started loosening up as the buzz kicked in.
Wang Dong said:
"Brothers, my life is miserable. I found a henpecked girlfriend who makes me report my itinerary every single day."
Just as he was speaking, Wang Dong's phone screen lit up. A contact named "Dearest Wife" had sent a WeChat message.
【Dearest Wife】: What are you doing right now? Come pick me up at the school gates tomorrow afternoon.
Seeing Wang Dong's blissful expression, the other three looked at him with utter contempt.
Ye Chen chimed in:
"You call your life miserable? How is that compared to mine? I came to Xinzhou specifically to escape my fiancée. Ever since I was little, my parents kept telling me not to get a girlfriend because I was already betrothed. What if this fiancée turns out to be some ferocious ogress, or a violent maniac? My future life is going to be pure torture."
Liu Qing said:
"A bunch of total noobs. A real man should wander through ten thousand flowers without a single petal sticking to him."
Then Liu Qing looked at Wang Peng and asked, "What about you?"
"Uh~"
Wang Peng wore an expression of agonizing hesitation.
The other three said in unison:
"You don't happen to *not* have a girlfriend, do you?"
Wang Peng hurriedly said, "How could I not have a girlfriend?"
Then, like a deflated balloon, his posture slumped.
"How should I put this... does having an online girlfriend count?"
"Hah!"