Su Nianchu stood at the school gate, watching Lu Huai'an leave.
The wind gently lifted her light chestnut hair, blowing a few strands across her cheek.
"Huai'an, remember to pack your things and wait for my call tonight," Su Nianchu said in a crisp voice carrying a hint of reluctance.
"Got it, Sister Nianchu."
Lu Huai'an looked back with a wide grin, waved at her, and turned toward the apartments outside the campus.
Su Nianchu watched his retreating figure and let out a soft sigh.
"Minister, what are you looking at?" A voice interrupted her thoughts.
She turned around. It was the bespectacled boy from earlier—Zhou Wen, an officer in the Student Union's Publicity Department.
"Nothing, just seeing a friend off," Su Nianchu replied indifferently.
"Oh, was that the guy just now?" Zhou Wen pushed up his glasses, a flicker of imperceptible curiosity flashing in his eyes.
"Mhm." Not wanting to dwell on it, Su Nianchu turned to head back. "Let's go, there's still a lot to do."
Zhou Wen hurried to keep pace, though his eyes kept darting toward the direction Lu Huai'an had gone.
After parting ways with Su Nianchu, Lu Huai'an followed his navigation app to find the Jiangda Apartment building.
"Jiangcheng University is so damn stingy. They're short on dorms so they rented out these whole buildings, yet the rent isn't a penny cheaper!"
Lu Huai'an muttered complaints to himself, but his pace didn't slow down.
The apartment wasn't far from campus—just two sets of traffic lights. He found his room number and entered the passcode.
*Click.* The door opened.
A scent of disinfectant mixed with a refreshing hint of lemon rushed toward him.
The living room wasn't large, but it was neat.
On the sofa, a sturdy boy was buried in an apple. Hearing the movement, he looked up and broke into a grin, revealing two rows of neat white teeth.
"Are you my roommate? Hi, I'm Hu Yishu, a local from Jiangcheng." Hu Yishu stood up and enthusiastically extended his hand.
Lu Huai'an shook his hand, taken aback by the strength in his palm. This guy was really strong!
"Hello, I'm Lu Huai'an, from Modu."
"The other guy hasn't arrived yet, but he should be here soon," Hu Yishu said, pointing toward another bedroom.
"I checked out the rooms. All three bedrooms are about the same size. We can pick after everyone gets here."
"Sounds good, I have no objections." Lu Huai'an sat down on the sofa.
"Tell me, isn't it ridiculous that our apartment is far from campus and they still won't let us live on grounds? What is the school thinking?"
Hu Yishu took a bite of his apple and complained indistinctly.
Lu Huai'an smiled. "It's not that bad, actually. It's not too far, and living outside gives you a bit more freedom."
Though he said that, a faint trace of disappointment lingered in his heart. After all, he hadn't managed to live closer to Su Nianchu.
"What's your major?" Hu Yishu asked.
"Computer science."
"What a coincidence, we're in the same major! I heard our department is full of beauties!" Hu Yishu's eyes lit up as he wiggled his eyebrows.
"Bro, got anything going on?"
Amused by him, Lu Huai'an laughed, "What would I have going on? The semester just started, how could there be anything?"
"You never know. Fate is a funny thing, who can tell?" Hu Yishu gave a mysterious smile.
*Beep beep beep...*
A noise sounded outside, and the electronic lock opened.
A figure about as tall as Lu Huai'an, but extremely handsome, appeared at the doorway.
"Bro, need help?" Hu Yishu stepped forward.
The newcomer set down his suitcase and took off his baseball cap, revealing a striking face.
"Thanks, this suitcase weighs a ton."
"Hello everyone, I'm Jiang Chuan."
The guys added each other on messaging apps and started chatting.
"Yishu, aren't locals supposed to register tomorrow? Why did you come so early?"
"Ah, my place is right nearby. I was bored anyway, so I just moved in early."
"Right, which rooms are you guys picking? I'll take the middle one," Lu Huai'an said, pointing to the bedroom further inside.
"I don't care, any room is fine," Hu Yishu shrugged indifferently.
Jiang Chuan pushed his suitcase toward the room closest to the door and said with a grin, "In that case, I'll graciously accept and take this one. It's closest to the door, which makes it convenient for 'making my move'."
Lu Huai'an and Hu Yishu exchanged a look, both seeing a trace of helplessness in the other's eyes.
This guy was already plotting to "make his move" the moment he arrived! It looked like dorm life wouldn't be boring at all.
With the rooms assigned, the three returned to the living room and slumped onto the sofa.
"Hey, what do you guys think the girls at our school are like?" Jiang Chuan initiated the topic with an expectant look.
Hu Yishu rubbed the back of his head and gave a simple-minded smile. "No idea, I haven't had a chance to check yet."
Lu Huai'an smiled without a word, though his thoughts drifted to Su Nianchu.
Right then, Lu Huai'an's phone rang, and "Sister Nianchu" flashed across the screen.
Lu Huai'an cleared his throat and answered the call. "Hello, Sister Nianchu."
"Hey, did you find the dorm? How does it feel? Are your things all unpacked?" Su Nianchu's voice was gentle and full of concern.
"Found it. The dorm is great, my roommates are easy to get along with, and everything is unpacked." Lu Huai'an walked toward his bedroom as he spoke.
On the other end of the line, Su Nianchu gave a light chuckle.
"That's good. By the way, let's have dinner together tonight to celebrate you getting into Jiangda. It'll be at Chuyu Restaurant near the campus, I'll send you the location."
"Sounds good, see you in a bit." Lu Huai'an hung up, a wave of sweetness washing over him.
He turned around to find Jiang Chuan and Hu Yishu standing at the doorway, watching him with identical mischievous grins.
"Not bad, Lu Huai'an, picking up an upperclassman the moment you arrive!" Jiang Chuan teased.
"What picking up an upperclassman? Don't talk nonsense." Lu Huai'an felt a bit embarrassed.
"Calling her 'Sister Nianchu' and everything, so affectionate—there's definitely something going on!"
"We're just ordinary friends, stop guessing."
Lu Huai'an tried to explain.
"Ordinary friends? Would an ordinary friend call and ask about everything? Would an ordinary friend take you out to dinner?"
"Hey, you think it could be Su Nianchu, the one ranked third on our school's campus belle list?" Hu Yishu blurted out.
Lu Huai'an was startled, not expecting them to know Su Nianchu.
"Su Nianchu? Highly possible! I heard she's famously gentle and considerate, plus an absolute stunner!"
Jiang Chuan's eyes lit up.
"Campus belle list? What's that?"
Lu Huai'an was puzzled. Having just arrived at school, he didn't know much about these things yet.
"You don't know? There's a campus belle ranking on our school forum. Every year they vote on the top ten most popular beauties, and Su Nianchu is ranked third!"
"Oh, I see." Lu Huai'an hadn't expected Su Nianchu to be so popular at Jiangcheng University...
"Hey, Jiang Chuan, why doesn't Lin Jiayu, the number one girl on the campus belle ranking, have a clear face photo?"
Hu Yishu pointed to a blurry picture of a back on his phone.
Even though it was just a back view, you could tell she was a beauty with exceptional poise.
"This, I'm not entirely sure either. Apparently something happened back then, and that senior student ended up taking a leave of absence. But all these years, the number one spot on the belle list has never changed, which just shows how much charm she has."
"Too bad. Guess I'll never get to see what she really looks like," Hu Yishu sighed.
"I'm going to take a shower first, I've got to go out for dinner tonight," Lu Huai'an said, quickly changing the subject.
"Go ahead, go ahead! Dress up nicely and make sure you leave a great impression on Su Nianchu!"
Lu Huai'an walked into the bathroom, closed the door, and let out a long breath.
After his shower, he changed into a clean T-shirt and jeans, and fixed his hair in front of the mirror. The young man in the glass had clear eyes, refined features, and a slight upward curve at the corner of his mouth.
"Oho, you actually dressed up! Looks like tonight's going to be interesting!" Jiang Chuan's voice suddenly came from behind, startling Lu Huai'an.
"Why do you walk without making a sound?!" Lu Huai'an complained irritably.
"You were just too absorbed in yourself, weren't you?"
Jiang Chuan walked up to him with a grin.
"Well? Want me to give you some pointers?"
"No thanks, you go 'advise' your own 'criminal' plans."
Lu Huai'an pushed him aside and walked out of the bedroom.
"I'm heading out. Do you guys want anything to eat? I can bring it back later," Lu Huai'an said.
"No need, no need. Go enjoy your date, we'll sort ourselves out," Hu Yishu waved him off.
"I don't need anything either, I'm meeting someone for dinner tonight," Jiang Chuan shook his head.
Lu Huai'an nodded, grabbed his phone, and headed out.
Chuyu Restaurant wasn't far from the campus. It was an exquisitely decorated Western restaurant.
Walking inside, Lu Huai'an spotted Su Nianchu sitting at a window seat at a glance. She was wearing a light blue dress with her long hair draped over her shoulders, her makeup delicately applied.
"Sister Nianchu," Lu Huai'an said as he walked up to her.
Su Nianchu looked up and flashed a sweet smile. "You're here. Have a seat."
Lu Huai'an sat across from her. Looking at her delicate profile, his heartbeat sped up uncontrollably.
"Have you ordered the food yet?" Lu Huai'an asked, his gaze falling on the menu before drifting back to Su Nianchu.
Su Nianchu nodded. "Mhm, ordered a few things you like."
Warmth flooded Lu Huai'an's heart, as if gently brushed by something soft. He raised his eyes and met Su Nianchu's smiling gaze.
"Thank you, Sister Nianchu."
The waiter began serving the dishes, placing exquisite plates in front of them that gave off an enticing aroma.
"Cheers!"
"To celebrate you getting into Jiangcheng University. Don't mind the belated blessing, okay?" Su Nianchu picked up her glass and clinked it against Lu Huai'an's, her voice very gentle.
"Oh right, you haven't told me yet—what major did you pick?" Su Nianchu asked.
"Computer science," Lu Huai'an replied.
"Computer science? I heard it's really hard. The department has a new head of academic affairs this semester who is pretty strict about grades, and the failure rate is quite high." Su Nianchu looked somewhat surprised.
"Ah, really? Am I doomed then?" Lu Huai'an said.
"Hahaha, look at you. If there's anything you don't understand, you can always ask me. I know a bit about computers myself, maybe I can help," Su Nianchu said with a smile.
"Great, thanks in advance, Sister Nianchu," Lu Huai'an said happily.
"This place has amazing steak, you should try it." She pointed at the plate in front of him.
Lu Huai'an picked up his knife and fork, cut off a small piece of steak, and put it into his mouth.
Fresh, tender juices spread across his tongue, and it really did taste fantastic.
He looked up and saw Su Nianchu watching him with eyes as gentle as water.
Lu Huai'an found himself staring in a daze. Didn't he apply to Jiangcheng University just to attend the same school as Su Nianchu, and to tell her to her face—
"How is it?" she asked softly.
"Mhm! It really is delicious," Lu Huai'an nodded in praise.
"Right? I often come here to eat with friends," Su Nianchu smiled slightly, her gaze rippling. "Their desserts are great too, we can try some later."
"Yeah, sounds good." Lu Huai'an nodded.
They chatted a bit longer before Lu Huai'an checked the time—it was already nearing nine o'clock.
"Sister Nianchu, it's getting late. Let me walk you back to your dorm," Lu Huai'an said.
"Okay." Su Nianchu didn't refuse.
They walked out of the restaurant and strolled side by side along the campus path. The streetlights cast a dim, warm glow, tree shadows danced, and a gentle breeze carried bursts of floral fragrance.
Lu Huai'an noticed that Su Nianchu seemed a bit down.
"Sister Nianchu, are you..." Lu Huai'an hesitated before asking, "Is something on your mind?"
Su Nianchu's footsteps paused slightly. She turned to look at him, a complex emotion in her eyes.
"I..." She trailed off, stopping at the edge of speaking.