Love During the Time We Lived Together with the School Beauty

page views:1 Publication date:2023-04-04 08:17:09

Volume One: First Encounter with the School

Beauty Part One: Wolf Cub's Wings Broken

"Damn it, they wouldn't let me in!"

Wolf Cub returned, cursing all the way. His angry yet innocent voice pierced the restless night sky, clearly reaching our old and messy dormitory building, causing all of us roommates to burst into laughter.

Looks like a late-night snack is inevitable…

This was a night in early September 1999, when we, a group of freshmen, were discussing something in our newly moved-in dormitory.

"You know what? Jiangda University, though just an ordinary, little-known university, is known for its strict management. Guys aren't allowed to just go up to the girls' dorms!" "How could that be?" Wolf Boy said incredulously. "The woman guarding the girls' dorm—oh...no, the old lady—isn't some kind of evil spirit. She wouldn't eat me if I went in, would she?" "You'd be lucky to get in!" Wolf Boy was called Wolf Boy because he often hummed the song "I Am a Wolf from the North" and called himself "Old Wolf." However, although he was from Northeast China, he wasn't big enough, so all seven of us roommates unanimously voted against it and, despite his objections, gave him the nickname "Wolf Boy."

Wolf Boy felt incredibly embarrassed these past few days because of this nickname, so he said, "How about we make a bet?" A bet? Our other seven roommates immediately perked up: "How do we play?" Wolf thought for a moment and said, "If I win, you can't call me Wolf, you have to call me Old Wolf!" "And if you lose?" "If I lose, I'll treat everyone to a late-night snack!" Wolf said decisively.

Damn, win and you get a free meal, lose and you don't have to pay—where else can you find such a good deal?

So, amidst everyone's cheers, Wolf set off with a triumphant air. We agreed that no matter what methods he used, as long as he could sneak into the girls' dormitory building across the street and wave to us from any window, he would win.

Wolf said confidently, "With my twenty years of experience—no, nineteen years and six months—I can overcome any obstacle. Even the Maginot Line is no problem. What's a mere old woman to me! I'll definitely scout out the girls' dormitory's firepower and get firsthand information, then I'll report back to everyone."

Everyone naturally agreed.

Because our boys' dormitory was "born" in a unique position, located right behind the girls' dormitory, we could see the windows of the girls' dormitory across the street as soon as we opened our eyes. Unfortunately, the wise school leaders had already anticipated that most male university students had the bad habit of peeping, so as a precaution, they actually spent money to install curtains in all the girls' dormitories. Meanwhile, the boys' dormitories were completely "naked," making one feel how unfair the world was.

However, at night, we could still see many slender figures moving about in the opposite building, like a shadow puppet show. For us boys who had just entered university, this was naturally a great pleasure. Being able to see the girls' lives day and night was more exciting than paying to see a movie. It's a pity we didn't have X-ray vision; it was like watching a censored film.

However, since Wolf Boy was willing to be the scout, we were naturally happy. Even if we lost and didn't get a late-night snack, listening to him tell us about the girls' dormitory situation that we had never seen before would be just as enjoyable.

Although Wolfie's trip might bring us abundant material and spiritual enjoyment, we all unanimously agreed after his departure that if he won, we'd call him Old Wolf, but with the word "lustful" added in the middle.

Unfortunately, it seems Wolfie didn't succeed; his cursing told us the outcome.

Although a bit disappointing, his cursing still caused a burst of laughter.

By the way, before Wolfie climbs to the top floor of our five-story dormitory, let me introduce my roommates.

First is Brown Bear, as the name suggests, he's naturally burly and strong. The "brown" comes from his dyed brown hair. Next is

Old Ox, honest and hardworking, but unfortunately, incredibly slow, like an ox pulling a broken cart, hence the nickname.

Then there's Fat Seaweed, a Chinese medicine, often shortened to Big Fat. However, he has an endless love for music, even singing it passionately while showering—perhaps Fat Seaweed can soothe the throat?

His catchphrase is, "Don't call me Fatty, call me Singing God. Gods are just people, they just did things people couldn't do, and that's how they became gods." Every time he says it, we beat him up... The African guy is very dark-skinned, and not the common bronze kind. At night, without lights, it's hard to spot him by moonlight alone, hence his resounding nickname.

As for Little Chicken, it's because he's pitifully small. Although he strongly protested and wanted to compete with us in that kind of thing, we all scoffed.

Next is me, the Scholar. That's why everyone thinks I'm rather pale and weak. Actually, as you all know from the previous book, *Youthful Erotic Songs*, I'm not weak at all; I even played soccer! But no matter how much I protest, the nickname "weak creature" still landed on me.

Finally, there's the Know-It-All. This is because he can fix and tinker with everything, and he's well-informed and accurate with his intelligence. In the first few days after we moved into the dorm, he fully demonstrated his talents. Okay

, that's all for the roommate introductions. Wolf Boy should be here soon; I reckon he's about to kick down the door.

Second, we got to eat chicken.

Sure enough, the door was kicked open with a loud bang as soon as the words were spoken.

Normally, we would strongly protest this act of vandalism and damage to our hearing, but for the sake of supper, we decided not to argue with this wolf cub.

So we shouted together, "Welcome back! Welcome, wolf cub, tonight's supper! Welcome, welcome, a warm welcome!" The defeated wolf cub smiled wryly, "Alright, a bet's a bet. What do you all want to eat?" "Eat chicken!" we shouted in unison.

Wait a minute, isn't it KFC? No, no, no, actually this is a Chinese restaurant suspected of copyright infringement, located right across from our school. According to our observations over the past few days, the food is pretty good, the prices are passable, and it's packed with customers every night.

"Damn it! Are you guys trying to rip me off?!" Wolf Boy cursed again, but seeing the seven of us eyeing him menacingly, he could only hang his head dejectedly and say, "Okay, hopefully I still have enough money." Everyone was overjoyed and said, "That's more like it! If you don't have enough money, we can lend you some." So the group of us danced and ran downstairs, heading straight for the school gate.

Our Jiangnan University was located on Wen'er Road in the old higher education park of Hangzhou. It was surrounded by universities on all sides, including the old Hangzhou University, Zhejiang University of Technology, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou Normal University, and five or six other universities. A little further away, Yuquan, was the old Zhejiang University. Therefore, the surrounding streets were full of both commercial atmosphere and rich cultural atmosphere, and the shops did their best to attract the attention of us students.

After passing through the bustling streets, we arrived at the place where we would kill Wolf Boy tonight. Although it was almost nine o'clock at night, "Deken Chicken" was still brightly lit and packed with customers.

As soon as we entered, a sweet-looking waitress greeted us with a smile. She was about our age, probably a student from the neighborhood working here.

After finding an empty seat, we each ordered one or two dishes. When it was Wolf's turn, he shook his head and said with a wry smile, "I'm not ordering anything." "No way, you have to order at least one dish!" everyone shouted in unison.

"Just kill me then! You can eat chicken, and I'll be eating pickled vegetables this month." Despite the many new ideas and concepts we'd instilled in Wolf Boy along the way—things like money is just an external thing, the more you spend, the more you earn, money depreciates if you leave it idle, and you're a coward if you don't use your money—Wolf Boy still looked gloomy. He finally managed to order the cheapest dish. After ordering,

he gritted his teeth and said, "I'll take revenge! Watch me, I'm going to storm the girls' dormitory!" He waved his wolf paws as he spoke.

The crowd laughed, "Come on, weren't you beaten up enough today? These days, girls all know self-defense!" Wolf Cub said seriously, "I'm serious. Think about it, we've finally made it to the university we've been looking forward to, surrounded by beauties. If we can't even get into a girls' dormitory, how are we supposed to achieve our grand goal of dating all the beauties of Jiangnan?" "You can't expect ivory from a wolf's mouth!" The crowd booed, "Want to gamble again?" Wolf Cub subconsciously touched his wallet and hesitated, "Forget it, I'm Wolf Cub, and you're all greedy old wolves!" "Alright, alright," Brown Bear, who had been silent, picked up his chopsticks and said to the first dish the waiter brought, Crystal Pork Knuckle, "Enough chit-chat, everyone eat. We can order more if we're not full." Wolf Cub had already picked up his chopsticks, ready to take the initiative, but after hearing Brown Bear's words, he quickly put them down and said, "Forget it, I'm on a diet lately." The others ignored him and each grabbed a pork knuckle and started gnawing on it.

At the table, besides Wolfie, only Chicken, Old Ox, and I hadn't touched the food. Chicken, like me, said he disliked greasy food, while Old Ox, true to his nickname, was slow to react and was a step too late; the plate was already empty.

There were only four pig's trotters on the plate, so those who were late naturally missed out.

Fatty, the African, and Know-It-All were too busy gnawing on their own trotters to make a sound, but Brown Bear waved his hand casually and said, "It's okay, let them bring another plate!" Then he shouted, "Waiter!" Turning around, he saw Wolfie's bitter face and quickly said, "No, no." The pretty waitress pursed her lips and went back.

Wolfie's face returned to normal.

Of the group, Brown Bear, Wolfie, and the African were drinking baijiu, while the rest were drinking beer.

Fortunately, "Deken Chicken" was considerate of students with limited budgets; the restaurant didn't serve expensive liquor, otherwise, Wolfie would probably have to eat pickled vegetables for a year.

So, the group drank and ate, chatting about all sorts of things.

Wolf Boy mysteriously said, "You know what? The reason I applied to Jiangnan University is because I heard there are lots of beautiful girls there. So I came here specifically to infiltrate. Today I'm just doing some reconnaissance, a small test. Tomorrow I'll show you my skills. Jiangnan University is famously a school for beautiful girls; I'm going to win over all the campus beauties!" Everyone laughed again, saying he'd only had a few drinks and was already boasting.

But looking around, it was indeed a sea of beauties; there wasn't a single ugly girl.

Everyone expressed disbelief. With so many eager male students pursuing him, the campus beauties were probably already taken. How could he possibly have a chance?

Wolf Boy gave a sly smile and whispered, "You guys don't know this, but I heard our school's beauty queen is a sophomore, a famously cold beauty. Countless guys have failed miserably, so she's too scared to even try." Wolf Boy's information network was truly impressive; everyone wondered where he'd gotten such crucial intelligence. While admiring him, they also chuckled, "And what makes you so confident you can win her over?" "I..." Wolf Boy stopped abruptly, his gaze fixed on the door, as if drawn by something.

III. The Beauty Queen Arrives

The group was chatting happily when they noticed Wolf Boy's strange expression. Following his gaze to the door, they saw a girl enter.

They then understood why Wolf Boy's eyes had been fixed on her.

The girl was about 1.65 meters tall, with long, flowing hair. She wore a blue top and a white skirt, which accentuated her fair skin. Although she had gentle, watery eyes, her gaze was cold and unapproachable. Ordinary people like us would feel inferior in her presence and wouldn't dare to make any rash moves.

My ex-girlfriends, Tong Sishi and Lin Yusi, were all stunning beauties, and the twin sisters were also lovely and charming. But this girl was different from them all. The moment she appeared, everyone forgot what they were doing and their eyes were immediately drawn to her.

Wolf Boy nervously whispered, "Oh my god, this...this is Cheng Yuting, the campus belle of Jiangnan University! I saw her picture, I saw her picture!" She was indeed the campus belle. Everyone in our group except me was stunned. Even I, who had once been with top-tier beauties like Tong Sishi, Lin Yushi, and the twin sisters, could only marvel at her beauty. Aside from slightly different facial features, her temperament was somewhat similar to Lin Yushi's, only more aloof and elegant.

I hadn't had this old problem for a long time, but now my head was spinning again.

My friends all know that I get dizzy and have a headache whenever I see a beautiful woman, but I haven't encountered a woman who makes my heart flutter lately, so I thought I had become immune to beautiful women. Suddenly, I realized that this problem had just been dormant.

As for my roommates, who claimed to have seen all the beauties in the world, they were now just staring blankly, drooling.

Cheng Yuting didn't even glance at the stunned newbies. She casually shook off the stares covering her and walked through the crowd to a table that had just become empty diagonally opposite us. She sat down and softly called out, "Waitress."

As if it were prepared just for her, the couple who had occupied the table had just left, and the waitress had just finished wiping it clean. The new students waiting for seats were so busy looking at her that they didn't even think to save a seat.

Cheng Yuting nodded to the waiter and whispered two words, seemingly meaning "as usual."

I understood a bit; it seemed Cheng Yuting was a regular at this restaurant.

Thinking about this, I couldn't help but feel a little excited.

We know that there aren't many wealthy people in China these days, and they have their own specific circles that ordinary people simply can't access. Even if they did, they couldn't possibly have a relationship. And even if they did, it probably wouldn't be with a woman; even if it was, she'd likely be an ugly duckling. And even if she wasn't ugly, even if she was slightly younger and not horribly unattractive, she'd probably already be taken. So it's impossible for you to just bump into one, and even if you did, she wouldn't fall in love with you.

But there are always exceptions in the world, and today we've met one.

At this moment, the waiter brought Cheng Yuting a small dish of something greenish-blue and a glass of clear liquid. Although it was hard to see clearly from this distance, given the current trend of women dieting, it was probably cucumber slices and soda water or something like that.

Since she was a regular at this hotel, she must come from a wealthy family. Although the hotel's prices were reasonable, the rent was still considerable in such a prime location in Hangzhou. Looking at the decor, it was impossible for a white-collar worker earning less than 10,000 yuan a month to frequent it regularly. Cheng Yuting was a student, and for her to frequent such places, her family must be rich.

Therefore, it wasn't surprising that her male classmates still couldn't win her over. At a second-rate university like ours (despite its reputation as Jiangnan University), how many wealthy young men could be a match for her?

It was just a little strange that someone from a wealthy family would study in a place like this.

Such a thing was practically impossible in real life.

At this moment, the noise inside the room gradually increased. People were whispering, seemingly talking about a "school beauty." The boys were naturally talking, and the girls were also secretly comparing themselves to her.

A guy dining with a chubby girl had his ear twisted by her, screaming like a pig being slaughtered.

Even so, it only diverted everyone's attention for a moment. Seeing everyone staring, the girl quickly let go, pretending to fix her boyfriend's hair, then paid the bill and left with him.

Everyone immediately turned their attention back to Cheng Yuting, who seemed completely oblivious, slowly enjoying her cucumber salad, lost in thought.

My seven friends were all staring blankly at Cheng Yuting, as if they'd never seen a beautiful woman before. Wolf Boy, in particular, was dumbfounded, his mouth agape, drool dripping down his face.

Whether it was from being drunk or dizzy, I vaguely saw Cheng Yuting suddenly glance at me with slight surprise, then quickly lower her head, never looking back.

A flutter ran through me. Could the so-called ice queen of Jiangnan University really be looking at me differently? That was absolutely impossible. If there were even a one in ten thousand chance, she would have already fallen into the hands of those wolf-like male students.

Maybe I was seeing things, I shook my head vigorously, chuckled self-deprecatingly, picked up my chopsticks, and slowly ate the dishes that suited my taste, secretly thanking Cheng Yuting. Thanks to her, otherwise, how could I have finished the food in front of those hungry wolves?

As I ate, I chuckled to myself, thinking, "You guys have the nerve to say you've seen a beautiful woman before?" Your drool was practically dripping down to your knees.

However, it would be quite embarrassing for a stunning beauty to see me sitting with such a bunch of idiots. Birds of a feather flock together, right? So, I fulfilled my duty as a roommate and gently nudged the two next to me: "Wipe your drool, don't be an eyesore!" The two guys—one a chicken, the other an African—suddenly snapped out of their daze, swallowed their saliva, wiped away their drool, and then nudged the ones next to them until everyone was finally awakened.

"She's not going to look up at us, is she?" Brown Bear asked awkwardly.

I frowned, then shook my head, feeling extremely embarrassed. Just then, I saw Cheng Yuting across from me actually raise her head and give me a barely perceptible smile.

Although it was barely noticeable, it didn't escape Wolf Cub's cunning eyes. He immediately stammered excitedly, "She smiled! She smiled at us!" As he spoke, drool dripped down his face like a thread, and he kept muttering to himself, "She smiled! She smiled at us!" IV. A Risky Bet to Toast the School Beauty

Goodness, that smile was incredibly devastating. If soldiers on the battlefield saw such a beautiful woman with such a captivating smile, who would even think of pulling the trigger?

No wonder Wolf Cub was excited; since she was an ice queen, it was rare to see her smile.

But then again, this Wolf Cub really hadn't seen much of the world. It was just a smile, wasn't it? Was it really that bad?

So he tapped the plate with his chopsticks and said, "Eat, eat! It'll get cold!" Everyone suddenly snapped out of their daze. Wolf Boy, still blushing, excitedly said, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! They say Cheng Yuting never smiles." I said, "What business is it of yours whether she smiles or not?

You're so naive." Brown Bear picked up his chopsticks, took a few bites, and put them down, saying, "By the way, Xingyu, I haven't seen you smile either. Such a beautiful girl, aren't you tempted?" "Yeah, you've been sullen since you entered school. Did

you break up with someone?" Little Chicken chimed in. Know-It-All stepped over the African man and whispered to me, "I heard that beautiful women are the best cure for heartbreak. Why don't you give it a try?" "Yeah," everyone chimed in, "Go and toast her. Maybe that smile will be for you." "Exactly! Don't miss such a good opportunity!" I listened blankly to my roommates' encouragement, and memories flooded back.

Tong Sishi, Lin Yusi, Zha Tieli, the twin sisters, the older sister, Gu Xiaofei, Ke'er, Liu Tingting, Yang Liuqing, Xiao Hui, Xiao Hong, He Yonglian, Zhang Miaoting… what wonderful girls they were! Where are they now?

Having experienced so much, can I still love?

If not, what right do I have to pursue a girl, especially this campus belle from Jiangnan University?

I looked at everyone blankly and shook my head, saying, “Such a boring thing, you guys do it.” Brown Bear retorted angrily, “How is it boring? Winning over our school's campus belle would bring honor to our dorm, our class, and even the entire freshman class! You don't dare do something so great?” I looked at Brown Bear and shook my head again.

Even if it's great, first you need to know if it's feasible. For example, if there's a solid concrete wall blocking your way, and you know it's harder than your head, would you bang your head against it?

Old Niu, who had been silent all along, spoke up: "Forget it, forget it, you wouldn't dare either." Wolf Cub said, "So what? I dare!" He paused, then added in a low voice, "It's just that she doesn't like me." "Yeah, Xingyu, she's already smiling at you, and you're still not going for it? Aren't you a coward?" "I can't believe Xingyu is such a coward!" "Who said that?" I snapped, "When I was chasing girls, you guys were still wearing open-crotch pants! Today I'll show you whether I dare or not." Little Chicken chimed in, "Great, great, we can feast our eyes." I was about to say something when I suddenly realized something was wrong. Damn it, had I been tricked?

In front of so many people, trying to breach the fortress of a girl that so many people had racked their brains to no avail in just a minute or two was easier said than done—no, harder than climbing to heaven.

Forget it, I'd better not embarrass myself.

So I said, "I'm not falling for your provocation. I don't get anything out of it." Everyone laughed and said, "If you don't want to, you don't want to. Just tell us what you want." In a moment of impulsiveness, I shouted, "Okay, let's make a bet." "A bet it is! Who's afraid of who!" everyone roared.

Only Wolf Cub timidly said, "I won't participate in the bet. I don't have any money." Brown Bear comforted him, "It's okay, I'll cover your share first. How can you miss such a sure thing?" Before Wolf Cub could speak, I said, "This time we won't bet money." "Tch! What's the point if we don't bet money?!" everyone said disappointedly.

I looked at these innocent faces. They were all college freshmen like me, but unlike me, none of them had my financial strength. Although I didn't have a lot of money, it was all earned by myself (see "Youthful Erotic Songs" for details). So, what's the point of me winning their money and letting them eat pickled vegetables?

So I said, "Let me correct you. If I lose, I'll treat you all to a meal at any high-end restaurant in Hangzhou. If you lose..." I paused intentionally, and everyone eagerly asked, "How about it?" "If you lose—that is, if I win—I'll be exempt from all the dorm cleaning duties for the year." Gentlemen, I'm not lazy, and I'm not intentionally avoiding the work. It's just that my roommates are all lazy, clueless about basic chores, and can't even do the simplest tasks. I'm giving them a workout.

They thought about it and realized this was a huge bargain. With eight people in a dorm, it's hard to keep track of who cleans the dorm in shifts. Now, with seven people, it's perfect—one person cleans for one day. So even if they lose, the loss is negligible. And how could they possibly lose?

The thought of the most luxurious restaurants in all of Hangzhou beckoning them brought smiles to their faces.

So they all readily agreed, "No problem! As long as you can toast Cheng Yuting with a glass of wine, you win." Damn it, these wolves, aren't they pushing me into a fire pit?

But now I had no way out, so while thinking of a solution, I called out, "Waiter!" A waiter came running over.

I said to her, "Bring me a clean glass."

The waiter went to get it, and everyone urged me, "Hurry up, don't waste time, she'll leave soon." Looking into the distance, the plate in front of Cheng Yuting was indeed almost empty.

V. Unexpected Result

At this point, I was forced into a corner, so I had no choice but to take the clean glass from the waiter, pour myself a glass of wine, and stand up to walk towards Cheng Yuting's table.

All eyes in the room immediately focused on me; some were surprised, some curious, and most wore expressions of schadenfreude—another reckless fool had run into trouble; let's wait and see the show. It

was only a dozen steps from our table to Cheng Yuting, but it seemed so far to me. I regretted it before I even reached halfway, but there was no turning back; I had no choice but to grit my teeth and move forward.

Looking at Cheng Yuting's expression, I saw something quite complex, a half-smile that I couldn't quite decipher—whether it was encouragement or disapproval. I was a bit confused.

I considered backing away, but then I remembered that if I went back, I'd have to treat this pack of hungry wolves to a lavish meal at the best restaurant in Hangzhou, which would cost at least several thousand yuan. So, I steeled myself. So what if I lost face in front of so many people? Besides, it would be good training.

I walked over confidently and, without thinking, handed her my glass, saying, "Hello, I'm Xingyu, a freshman. Nice to meet you. I'd like to offer you a drink, is that alright?" My hand hovered in mid-air. Though it might have only lasted a few seconds, it felt like an eternity.

Hearing the name "Xingyu," a glint flashed in Cheng Yuting's eyes, but it vanished in an instant. She remained seated, her half-smile unchanging, neither taking my glass nor refusing. My smile froze instantly.

The room fell silent, so quiet I could hear my own heart pounding and everyone else's.

Cheng Yuting looked at me quietly for a while before softly saying, "I admire your courage, but courage alone isn't enough to pursue a girl." Although her voice was soft, it carried clearly to every corner of the room, and everyone applauded upon hearing it.

Of course, not for me, but for Cheng Yuting herself.

Even though I'm a seasoned veteran, my face flushed crimson, and I wished I could disappear into a hole.

How humiliating!

Knowing she was the famous ice queen of Jiangnan University, a university teeming with talent and cunning, with countless daring and ruthless individuals who had fought countless battles, guerrilla warfare, and maneuver warfare, yet still failed to win her over, how could I possibly expect to do something so foolish in front of everyone?

If it weren't for the public setting, perhaps I'd have a one in ten thousand chance?

But she hadn't made a move, and I couldn't just take back my glass.

The hope was extremely slim; it seemed I was doomed.

However, even more unexpectedly, Cheng Yuting stared at me for a long time, then suddenly did something no one could have predicted.

She didn't take the glass I offered her, but instead took my own glass from my other hand and drank it all in one gulp.

Everyone was stunned at first, even doubting their eyes, then fell silent for a moment, before suddenly erupting into an even louder cheer and applause!

This time, it was for Cheng Yuting, and for me too!

I was also stunned, stammering, "Since courage alone isn't enough, why did you drink my wine?" Cheng Yuting gestured for me to come closer and whispered in my ear, "Because your demeanor is different. You're a new face, definitely a freshman who just arrived in Jiangnan and hasn't seen me before. But when I came in, everyone else stared blankly, only you were so calm, which made me a little curious." Ah, I see. I suddenly understood. Just as

I was about to say something, I heard Cheng Yuting call out loudly, "Waiter!" A waiter rushed over.

Cheng Yuting tossed a hundred-yuan bill onto the table, stood up, passed by me, and said softly, "Don't just stand there like an idiot. Didn't you win the bet? You owe me a favor. Remember to treat me next time." With that, she shoved her empty wine glass into my hand and gracefully walked away.

My head was spinning; I hadn't quite processed what had happened. Dazed, I took the glass back to my table.

My roommates were already clapping their hands red.

Brown Bear slapped me down into a chair and said, "Goodness, you're something else! You did that! You really brought honor to our dorm!" "Yeah," Little Chicken chimed in excitedly, "From now on, as long as we mention your name, who'll dare look down on us!" "Yeah, from now on, we'll take care of cleaning and toilets," Big Fatty said sincerely.

I sat there, still reeling from what had just happened. I felt there was a deeper meaning behind Cheng Yuting's words.

After a while, he murmured, "I won?"

Wolf Cub's eyes lit up. "Of course you won! I think we should acknowledge you as our boss so you can protect us from now on." "Yes!" Brown Bear roared, "We'll listen to you from now on and flatten Jiangnan University!" I was startled. The incident with Xu Peiling (see "Youthful Erotic Songs") was still fresh in my mind. How could I dare to do something like that?

So I quickly said, "Please spare me. How can I be a boss looking like this?" "What's wrong with that? You're not born a boss. You'll learn as you go." "Alright, alright, it's getting late. We should go back to school. The gates will close if we're late." I quickly changed the subject.

Sure enough, seeing that the show was over, everyone in the room shouted "Waiter!" and paid the bill before scattering like birds.

When it was our turn to pay, it wasn't too expensive. Eight people ate for less than three hundred yuan.

Wolf Boy pulled out three crumpled hundred-yuan bills from his pocket, soaked with sweat and crumpled for who knows how long, and timidly asked, "Miss, excuse me, could I take that cup with me?" The waitress smiled and said, "Oh, that's

fine , you can have it."

Afterwards, Wolf Boy refused to take the change, saying it was for the waitress's tip. The "Deken Chicken" restaurant was already empty, so he hurried back to school.

It was almost 11 PM, close to closing time at Jiangnan University.

Walking along the road, people joked that Wolf Boy had changed his target because he hadn't won over the school beauty.

Wolf Boy said seriously, "Does Jiangnan University only have one school beauty? I don't believe it, that waitress is pretty good." But as he said this, he hugged the cup and started kissing it passionately.

Everyone laughed and asked, "You're not a fetishist, are you?" Wolf Boy replied, "You don't understand, I just love everything about the place."

As we were chatting and laughing, a small bicycle whizzed past us. A slender figure on the bicycle turned around and smiled. We were all stunned. Wasn't that the pretty waitress from "Deken Chicken" earlier?

Wolf Boy stared blankly at her back for a long time before finally saying, "Damn, I'm going to get this girl. Can anyone lend me two hundred yuan?" "Tch!" everyone shouted at him in unison.

We arrived at the school gate just after eleven o'clock, barely making it to closing time.

Normally, the school dorm lights would be turned off at eleven o'clock at night, but because it was too hot, and the power supply for the dorm fans was connected to the lighting, the switch wasn't turned off.

Back then, the internet and computers were becoming increasingly common among young people, but school rules prohibited freshmen from bringing computers to campus. So, when I couldn't sleep at night, all I could do was chat.

At this point, everyone insisted I confess what the school beauty, Cheng Yuting, had secretly told me—whether she'd given me any contact information or a code.

I then realized I'd been too nervous to ask Cheng Yuting for her phone number until everyone brought it up.

But it was too late to regret it now; there was no going back.

So I told everyone the truth.

But things are strange in this world; if you lie, people will believe you, but if you tell the truth, you're often seen as lying.

This time was no different. No matter how I explained, no one believed me—Cheng Yuting hadn't given me her contact information.

I could only manage a wry smile.

Finally, after some questioning without any results, I had to give up. Tomorrow was military training, which I'd heard was grueling, so I needed to conserve my energy and go to sleep early.

However, even after turning off the lights, I still couldn't fall asleep immediately. My first, not-so-intimate encounter with Cheng Yuting stirred a slight ripple in my otherwise stagnant heart.

Back in the summer after my first year of junior high, I had already tasted the sweetness of love for the first time. In the years that followed, I'd gathered a whole host of beauties under my wing—Lin Yusi, Tong Sishi, Cha Tieli, the twin sisters, the older sister, Gu Xiaofei, Ke'er, Liu Tingting, Xiao Hui, Xiao Hong, He Yonglian, Zhang Miaoting… Now, all that was left behind, and although I wasn't even twenty, I already felt like I'd seen it all, my heart already aged.

I'd thought I'd never meet another girl who could move my heart, but why was my heart, like a dry well, suddenly stirred?

Was my heart like a resurrection plant, able to revive after death, constantly dying and coming back to life?

I tossed and turned, unable to sleep for a long time before finally drifting off to sleep.

The next morning, there was a loud knocking on our dormitory door.

"Get up, get up! Military training has begun!"

Normally, in a military camp, the reveille would be sounded, but this is a school campus in a busy downtown area, and today is the first day of training, so the instructors had to go door-to-door, knocking on each floor.

Later we learned it wasn't too difficult, as each instructor was responsible for one floor.

Hangzhou city is small and transportation is inconvenient, so the training had to be conducted on campus.

I'm always a quick startler, so as soon as I heard the instructor knock, I jumped up, quickly put on the olive-green uniform I'd been given yesterday (though I had to pay for it myself, fifty yuan, not expensive!), grabbed my cup and washbasin, and rushed to the washroom. Behind me were Little Chicken and Know-It-All. I

rushed into the washroom and was surprised to find I was the first one there! But only a few seconds later, it was already packed with chattering new students.

Look at their excitement! I thought to myself: You'll see soon enough; let's see if you're still laughing then.

This old-fashioned dormitory building housed over four hundred students. There was only one water room per floor, with just a dozen or so taps, so of course, it was a scramble. However, the school had already started acquiring land on Xiaoshan Mountain to build a new campus, which I heard was thirty times larger than this one. Then we could enjoy the luxurious life of an aristocrat in a luxury apartment.

Although I was the first one there, I still had to share a tap with several classmates.

When I finished washing up and returned to the dormitory, I found two other people already there. One was Lao Niu, who was already slow, and was still leisurely putting on his sneakers. The other was Brown Bear, who was still fast asleep!

I said to Lao Niu, "Why didn't you wake him?"

Lao Niu slowly replied, "I did, but he wouldn't wake up!"

He then shook his head and walked away with his toiletries.

I was incredibly anxious. During military training, we had to get up at six in the morning and assemble on the parade ground by six-thirty; being late would result in punishment!

So I climbed onto the table and yelled in the brown bear's ear, "Wake up! Wake up! Military training has started!" But the brown bear was fast asleep, snoring away, and didn't react at all!

Seven, The Bear Jumps Off the Bed

Just then, the little chick who had just entered said with a wry smile, "Don't yell anymore. I don't know what he was doing up there last night, things even fell down, I barely slept a wink!" I said, "Then talk to him today and ask to switch beds." The little chick said with a wry smile, "I already mentioned it to him yesterday, but he almost threw me out the door!" Oh, I see. Thinking about it, the little chick's size is indeed far smaller than the brown bear's, by more than an order of magnitude.

But there was no time to waste. I grabbed the brown bear's ear and shouted at him a few more times, but there was no response. An idea struck me, and I said, not too loudly, "Wow, so the instructor in charge of our military training is a pretty female instructor!" "Pretty female instructor? Where?" The brown bear immediately woke up, sitting bolt upright, shaking the entire old-fashioned double wooden bed.

It seemed that if he kept this bed up for a week, it would definitely fall apart.

I said, both annoyed and amused, "Pretty female instructor, you wish! Military training starts today, and there are only fifteen minutes left before assembly. You figure it out." With that, I walked out the door.

I had to hurry to the cafeteria to buy breakfast; I was already late.

At the same time, I heard a loud shout behind me, followed by a loud "thump," and the ground shook violently. Anyone who didn't know better would think it was an earthquake. I didn't need to turn around to know that the brown bear had jumped directly from the bed to the floor.

A cornered dog will jump over a wall; a bear in desperation will jump off a bed.

I rushed to the cafeteria, squeezed through a huge crowd to buy two breakfasts, and wolfed them down as I hurried to the playground.

Along the way, I saw mostly male freshmen like myself, and at this point, all manners had vanished; everyone had a breakfast in hand, munching as they went. But when I got to the playground, wow, it was a sight to behold! I'd never seen so many people standing together eating breakfast.

But what was even more astonishing was that even more people were rushing over to join the breakfast frenzy.

The number of girls was gradually increasing as well.

That's normal; girls need to get ready, after all.

There's no way around it; half an hour from waking up to assembly—so much to do, how could anyone possibly have time?

So, it's understandable that the girls were late.

The instructors, of course, were already there, patrolling the edge of the playground. They were burly, somewhat rustic, and looked no more than twenty years old, like soldiers, but much more mature than the freshmen.

At 6:30 sharp, the instructors adopted a stern posture and blew the assembly whistle. The freshmen began to line up haphazardly according to the instructors' commands. The chaos stemmed

not only from the freshmen's lack of training but, more importantly, from the fact that many students, especially the girls, hadn't arrived. Therefore, despite the instructors' frantic whistling, it was to no avail.

This chaos lasted for about ten minutes before the field began to quiet down, and the lines became neat, forming twenty olive-green square formations. Although some students hurriedly arrived to join, it at least resembled a military unit.

The leading instructor then began his address.

To our surprise, he didn't say anything else, but instead said, "Soldiers are the guardians of the motherland. They need iron discipline and must also cherish every inch of the motherland's land. Look at yourselves, how are you acting like soldiers? You're late, undisciplined, and especially eating breakfast during assembly, carelessly leaving packaging on the ground. Do you think this is the quality a new generation of college student soldiers should have?" The students hesitated for a moment, looked at each other, and then answered sparsely, "No." The instructor said sternly, "Speak louder, I can't hear you! Is it true or not?" "No!" This time the answer was much more uniform and loud.

The instructor nodded slightly in satisfaction and said, "You have two minutes to pick up the trash on the ground and throw it in the trash can, then assemble again!" The students scattered to pick up the trash. Although I had already thrown the plastic bag containing my breakfast into the trash can, I still diligently picked up two bags and ran to throw them away.

As I passed the instructor on my way back, I suddenly heard him shout, "Stop!" Although I wasn't prepared, I calmly turned around. I hadn't done anything wrong, and I'd already exceeded my quota.

However, I was still uneasy because I'd heard that if you got caught by the instructor during military training, you'd be punished with running, standing at attention, push-ups, or something similar—it sounded terrible.

But the instructor's expression changed; he asked me very kindly, "What's your name?" "Me? Xingyu." The instructor nodded and said, "Very good, go ahead." I was a little confused and went back to the line.

Although there was a lot of trash on the ground, it didn't stop so many people from picking it up. Many people didn't even pick it up because some people grabbed it first, and more than one piece. A few people just strolled around pretending, not picking up any trash they saw.

The ground was quickly cleaned up. This time, everyone didn't wait for the instructor's order; they lined up again as before, and it was very quiet.

But students kept arriving, especially girls. My line was right next to the girls', and I overheard someone quietly complaining about a late girl: "Why are you so late?" The girl replied, "I'm already very quick. It usually takes me at least an hour." "You're here for military training, not a dance." "Okay, I'll get up earlier tomorrow, alright?" Eight, A Pretty and Powerful Girl

I turned my head slightly, and my body trembled slightly. The complaining girl had delicate eyebrows, an alluring, fair oval face, and a pair of clear, lake-like eyes. Although she wore the same olive-green military uniform, it seemed tailor-made for her, highlighting her gentle charm.

However, although she was pleasing to the eye, she had quite a temper. Seeing me looking at her, she glared and said, "What are you looking at! Haven't you ever seen a girl before?!" My goodness, are all pretty girls this powerful?

Besides, although she was indeed very beautiful, my Tong Sishi and Lin Yushi were no less so.

But remembering Ah Q's words, "Our ancestors were far richer than you," I didn't dare argue with her anymore. I slunk away, looking straight ahead.

Don't look at what's improper.

But out of the corner of my eye, I caught the girl being complained about giving me an apologetic glance.

No, women are tigers; best to avoid them.

Considering she's a girl and so pretty, I decided not to argue.

We boys have our tolerance.

After waiting a few more minutes, the group finally assembled.

The last one to arrive was naturally Brown Bear.

Seeing no one else was there, the lead instructor ordered roll call.

Thankfully, everyone was there.

Then came the real lecture.

Naturally, it was all the same old stuff: the importance of military training, the duty of a soldier. I was preoccupied with wondering why the pretty female "soldier" next to me was so fierce, so I didn't really listen.

Anyway, everyone knows military training—just do what others do, don't waste your brain cells.

Just then, the boy behind me suddenly shoved me, saying, "The instructor's calling you, hurry up and go up!" Calling me? Instructor? What's wrong? I didn't know what to say. I hadn't heard what the instructor had said earlier. Did this instructor have some special ability, spotting me among thousands of people who weren't paying attention?

Then I heard the instructor call out again, "Xingyu, step forward!"

I hadn't heard what the instructor had said before, so I didn't know if it was good or bad. I walked out of the line, completely bewildered.

Behind me were a sea of sympathetic and gloating eyes, waiting to see what would happen.

Of course, I couldn't care less about them now. I turned around as instructed and stood at the front of the line.

I'd leave it to fate.

Then the instructor said, "Everyone should learn from Xingyu. I noticed you all eating breakfast, but only Xingyu threw her packaging into the trash can and even picked up two more. That's the quality of a modern military college student..." So that's what it was. My face flushed red instantly. I lowered my head, unable to meet the thousands of eyes staring at me.

Such a small thing, and this instructor is really making a mountain out of a molehill, making me look bad in front of so many people.

Then I heard the instructor command, "Xingyu, step up!"

I obediently did as he said. But then I secretly glanced forward again, and strangely enough, amidst all those eyes, I caught a fleeting look from the girl who had just scolded me. The meaning was extremely complex, but it didn't seem like hatred or disgust. What did it mean?

I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

I quickly lowered my head again, trying to figure out what I had done to offend her that she would treat me like this.

I couldn't remember.

But then I was startled and quickly brought my thoughts back.

I couldn't let my mind wander anymore.

Then I heard the instructor using the incident as an opportunity to lecture everyone on discipline and following orders, to be qualified military college students, and to successfully complete military training.

Finally, the instructor announced that starting tomorrow, breakfast was not allowed to be brought to the parade ground, and lateness was strictly prohibited; otherwise, everyone would be assigned to either the breakfast team or the late arrival team.

At this moment, a commotion erupted in the crowd, accompanied by nonchalant laughter.

The instructor blew his whistle and said sternly, "Don't think this is unimportant. Those assigned to these two teams will have to undergo extra training!" "Ahhh!" people gasped.

This time, they dared not underestimate this instructor.

Just then, the instructor announced, "Let's begin..."

He was only halfway through his sentence when another instructor-looking man rushed over, whispered a few words in his ear, nodded, and then announced to everyone, "Just now, according to our inspection, out of so many college students, only a few of you made your beds! Soldiers must act like soldiers. Now, I order everyone to go back and make your beds as quickly as possible, and then return here to assemble!" The crowd scattered with a "boom," just as they were about to flee, when the instructor whistled again.

What was going on now? This instructor was really troublesome.

Nevertheless, they obediently returned to their original positions.

The instructor shouted, "Soldiers must obey orders. No one is allowed to move until I say 'dismissed,' understand?" "Understood!" everyone shouted in unison.

The instructor nodded in satisfaction and said, "No other work allowed. Make your beds and come back immediately. This morning's military training will last four hours, starting from when everyone is back here assembled!" Damn, this instructor is a bit of a fascist, everyone cursed inwardly.

Nine, Brutal Training

After all that commotion, it was almost nine o'clock. Everyone finally lined up and began the formal training.

Everyone has experienced military training, so I won't describe it in detail to avoid wasting your time. Anyway, it involved forming ranks and counting off. I don't know if it was an honor or bad luck that I was assigned as the platoon leader of the third platoon, third company, first battalion of our second regiment.

The bad thing was that as a platoon leader, I had to lead by example and be supervised by everyone; I couldn't slack off.

The good thing was also that as a platoon leader, I could sometimes slack off and let the soldiers do the work while I supervised them—legal slacking off.

There were three instructors in one company, but they weren't the main characters in this book, so I won't describe them.

Next was running—ten laps around the parade ground.

This lap is 400 meters, ten laps is 4,000 meters, and everyone was exhausted after running it.

Although everyone had already passed the 5,000-meter race in middle school, this group run seemed much more tiring than a free run.

And although it was only a little past ten in the morning, it was early September, and the sun was blazing, making it feel no worse than summer. Everyone was soaked in sweat.

So we rested for fifteen minutes, but we weren't allowed to leave the playground.

When we heard the order to dismiss, everyone ran to the shade of the trees at the edge of the playground and lay down, not caring about getting dirty.

I happened to be sitting next to Brown Bear, and I heard him respectfully call out, "Boss—no, Platoon Leader, I didn't have time to eat breakfast, and I'm starving. Food is essential for life, so could I ask for leave to go and get some food?" I said, "Didn't you hear the instructor announce that we weren't allowed to leave the playground?"

Brown Bear cursed and looked extremely dejected.

I pulled out the uneaten breakfast from my pocket and secretly slipped it to him, saying, "I still have two steamed buns here, you can make do with that." Brown Bear's eyes lit up; seeing the breakfast was like seeing his future wife, he grabbed it and started devouring it.

Unfortunately, Fatty saw this, and his eyes lit up too. He said to me, "Platoon Leader, is there any more breakfast?" I said no, couldn't you guys be a little quicker in the morning?

Fatty said, "I know, I'll definitely get up early tomorrow, but I'm starving right now. "

So he went to beg Brown Bear.

Brown Bear pushed him away forcefully, saying, "Go away, you're so fat, your body fat is comparable to a camel's. You probably won't die from starving for a few days, it's good for you to lose weight." Then he quickly wolfed down his breakfast. I said, "Brown

Bear, I need to discuss something with you."

The brown bear nodded as he chewed, saying, "I'll agree to anything as long as you don't make me throw up my breakfast." I replied, "Chicken said he can't sleep on the top bunk and wants to switch with you." The brown bear looked at me for a long time before saying, "Oh, that's what it's about. You're a very loyal person. Okay, I'll listen to you. We'll switch tonight." Just then, the whistle blew, and training resumed.

Next up was standing at attention.

Everyone knows that standing at attention is tough.

Standing at attention under the scorching autumn sun is doubly tough.

At first, it was bearable; I thought that as long as I didn't run, standing for a while was nothing. But after an hour, I felt that this long period of standing should be ranked first among the ten cruelest tortures of the Qing Dynasty.

"The highest level of standing at attention is a feeling of floating," and I did feel a bit floating towards the end. After half a day, my stomach was growling loudly, and it seemed that those who hadn't eaten breakfast (at least a third of them) were even worse off.

Plus, my mouth was incredibly dry, so I remembered to bring water. "Just drink some water during the break."

Looking around, all I saw were faces contorted in agony.

But it was only a little past eleven; this was going to kill us…

So someone begged me to talk to the instructor and say that today's training could end here, and we could make up the time later that night. Just then

, the instructor shouted, "No looking around or talking while standing at attention!" But a voice came from the girls' line next to me: "Instructor, I need to go to the toilet!" Wow, this girl was really bold and shameless.

The voice sounded familiar, and it was right next to me. Although I couldn't turn around, it was probably the girl who had been scolded for being late earlier.

The boys didn't say anything, but they were all secretly delighted. They could control everything, but at least they couldn't complain about going to the toilet, right?

Although the toilet was a bit smelly, it was much better than being in the scorching sun, and they could also stretch their numb and cramping legs, and maybe even curse the instructor at the toilet.

So everyone mustered their courage, waiting for the instructor's approval to immediately follow suit.

But the instructor said, "Don't think I'm that easy to fool. After being out in the sun for hours, I don't believe you can actually poop!" Despite the instructor's prior orders not to make a sound, everyone burst into laughter, turning their gazes to the girl next to me who had spoken earlier.

I glanced over too, and just as I had guessed, it was the girl who had been scolded for being late!

Her face was flushed, and she couldn't say a word!

This instructor was really something!

But he was right; we were all covered in sweat and dehydrated, so we couldn't poop.

Everyone secretly clicked their tongues, no longer daring to be the first to try.

But under the blazing sun, thirsty and hungry, everyone was really struggling.

"Xingyu—Platoon Leader, I can't take it anymore," Little Chicken cried out in a low voice.

"Yeah, if we don't eat soon, I'm really going to die..." Big Fatty pleaded from the side.

10. Speaking Up for the Masses

The instructor sternly shouted again, "Who's talking there?" A thought struck me, and I seized the opportunity, saying, "Instructor, some students just said they're naturally timid and afraid of the dark, so they request that the training time be changed to the evening to cultivate their willpower!" The instructor, seeing it was me, didn't speak. After thinking for a moment, he went to consult the leading instructor who had just given the order.

The leading instructor glanced at me from afar, gathered with several other instructors to discuss it, and then walked to a rock in front of all the formations. He loudly announced that, due to the soldiers' request, the remaining morning training time, along with the afternoon time, would be moved to the evening, starting at 6 PM and ending at 11 PM.

He hoped everyone would rest well this afternoon and be well-rested to prepare for the evening's test!

He paused for a moment before shouting: "Attention! —Dismissed!"

The crowd roared and rushed forward, lifting me up and carrying me towards the mess hall.

Above everyone's heads, I saw that girl from before glare at me again with those beautiful eyes—yes, glare.

Because her eyes were just so big…

When I arrived at the cafeteria, it was already bustling with noise.

As soon as I sat down at an empty table with my food, everyone swarmed around me, praising my performance that day.

Big Fatty and Little Chicken exclaimed in unison, "Boss Xingyu, without you, we'd all be dead today!" Wolf Boy chimed in loudly, "That's right, the boss is the boss, following you is the right thing to do!" Everyone nodded in agreement.

I frowned, though. Why was Wolf Boy here again?

Recalling the tragic end of Xu Peiling, the once-powerful underworld boss of Shanghai, I couldn't help but shudder. I said sternly, "From now on, no one is allowed to mention 'boss,' or I'll turn on you!" The novel *Youthful Erotic Songs* describes this in detail. Xu Peiling was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for organizing a criminal gang, harboring, organizing, and forcing women into prostitution, fighting resulting in death and injury, extortion, and other crimes. Her sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment, and finally reduced to fifteen years.

Wolf Boy glanced at my expression before reluctantly saying, "Yes, boss!" A leopard can't change its spots!

As we ate, Little Chicken suddenly winked at me and said, "Look!" I looked up and saw a familiar figure carrying a half-eaten plate, walking past us without even glancing at us. But I recognized those familiar eyes—wasn't that the formidable girl from earlier?

I always felt something was off about her, like she was my sworn enemy.

Wolfie made a face behind her and then said to me, "Hey, old man—no, Xingyu, can you handle this girl? She's a strong contender for the new school beauty." I looked around and muttered, "Seriously? We're here to study, not to pick up girls." Wolfie made a face and said, "I know, I know, old man—Xingyu, you have to study and pick up girls too. That's called doing both, doing both well." This guy's got no backbone. What's the point of talking to him?

I couldn't help but think of the ridiculous things I did in junior and senior high school. Wasn't that what I thought back then? I thought I could handle everything, and it seemed I had a temporary solution, but what was the result? I'm still stuck in this school.

Thinking about this, I couldn't help but give him a bitter smile.

Those who try to play with life will inevitably be played with by life. A person's energy is always limited; if you chase too many girls, you definitely won't be able to study well. Of course, chasing girls in moderation is still something to consider.

However, I still can't understand it. I only glanced at her just now, why was she so mean to me? Logically, there must be something going on, but I've only just arrived at this school and haven't interacted with anyone much. I've secretly resolved to behave myself, not to provoke anyone, and not to get into conflicts, like spilling soup on someone's clothes. I've never even met this girl before, so why is this happening?

I can't figure it out no matter how hard I try. Forget it, I'd better not think about it.

Girls are the most troublesome; if I can't handle it, I'll just avoid it. Can't I just walk away from her in the future?

I ate while thinking, quickly finishing the food in front of me. Looking up at everyone, I saw they hadn't even eaten half of their food. Everyone looked at me in surprise. Little Chicken exclaimed, "The boss is indeed the boss, even eating faster than everyone else!" Before he finished speaking, he'd already received a tap on the head: "I told you not to call me boss anymore, you should keep the word 'boss' in your heart!" Little Chicken saw it was Brown Bear and naturally shut his mouth obediently.

This Brown Bear, after all that fuss, still wanted to acknowledge me as his elder brother. I really didn't have the energy to argue with them, so I just gave them a wry smile, picked up my plate, and left.

At the door, I put the bowl in the designated box, returned to my dorm, and collapsed into bed.

I have a problem: seeing pretty girls makes my head spin and throb, and afterwards I feel very tired, only wanting to sleep. It seems only in my dreams can I escape them.

Just as I fell asleep, I was woken up again. It turned out the others had returned, and Brown Bear was busy switching beds with Little Chicken. Brown Bear kept his word, and Little Chicken was, of course, extremely grateful to me.

It took a while for everyone to quiet down. The moment Brown Bear collapsed, his snoring became deafening, but I couldn't fall asleep.

My mind was racing, replaying past events.

Eleven, the Beauty Killer.

Whether it was luck or disbelief, I was quite the star in junior and senior high school, surrounded by beautiful women, enjoying all the good things in life. But as the saying goes, extreme joy turns to sorrow, and prosperity turns to adversity. In the end, my glory vanished, and I suffered greatly. My college entrance exam results were disastrous, leaving me, a once-promising student destined for Tsinghua University, in this second-rate university, surrounded by people like Wolf Boy. It's truly tragic.

Originally, my scores were barely enough to get into a top university like Zhejiang University, but as everyone knows, China has a huge population! Even if I got into a prestigious university, there weren't many good majors, so it was better to settle for second best.

Although I was young and impetuous in the past, and published quite a few articles in newspapers and magazines, due to a breakup, I no longer have the heart to write. Fame is fleeting, like a passing cloud, gone with the tide.

I've made up my mind to stay away from the root of all trouble—girls—and focus on my four years of schooling, eventually pursuing postgraduate studies or going abroad to achieve something truly remarkable.

With that in mind, I took a book from under my pillow and quietly began to read.

Although the textbooks hadn't been distributed yet, I had already found some reference books for our major to familiarize myself with.

College students are in their developmental stage and tend to sleep a lot, especially now in the summer when the weather is hot and dry; there's nothing else to do besides sleep.

I read for over an hour before feeling sleepy, so I went to sleep .

When I woke up, I saw everyone was already up and busy getting dressed—clearly, they were going out. They had been quiet while I was asleep, but now that they saw I was awake, they asked if I wanted to go to the internet cafe together.

In 1999, the internet was booming, and few young people could resist being captivated by such a novel technology. However, during high school, everyone was strictly controlled by parents and teachers, leaving little opportunity for such experiences. Now, in university, it was like birds being released into the blue sky and fish returning to the sea; everyone wanted to have fun and make up for past regrets and losses.

However, at the time, university regulations prohibited freshmen from bringing computers, so there was no choice but to postpone buying a computer until the sophomore year. Computers depreciate quickly; if you didn't use it for a year, its configuration would be outdated the following year. Upgrading was expensive and not as good as building a new one, so the only option was to go to an internet cafe.

After some investigation, I discovered several internet cafes within a one-stop stop of the university, offering plenty of choices.

Back then, online games hadn't taken off yet. Most people who went to internet cafes just chatted about the newly popular OICQ and played single-player games. I felt this was a waste of time, so I said to everyone, "You guys go ahead, I want to read for a while." Wolf said, "Hey, there aren't any formal classes yet, you'll have plenty to read later. Let's go, everyone!" Brown Bear and Know-It-All also strongly urged me to join them. I couldn't refuse their hospitality, so I put on my clothes, grabbed a bag with a few books

, and went out with the others. Our school naturally had its own computer lab, and the internet was cheaper than outside, but according to Know-It-All, the computers were incredibly slow, taking forever to open a single webpage, making it impossible to surf the web. We should go outside the school.

Everyone agreed, except Wolf hesitated for a moment before going along with the crowd.

Although our school wasn't very famous, it was a well-established institution. The campus was filled with towering trees and dense shade, so despite being in a bustling area, it was surprisingly cool.

As for the campus, since the senior students hadn't arrived yet, everyone was basically in olive green, except for a few pretty freshmen wearing light skirts and pants. To be honest, it wasn't that we didn't want to change, but we had military training that night, and we'd definitely be covered in sweat and exhausted. Nobody wanted to do extra laundry, and the girls were no exception.

Looking at the scene, Wolf Boy sighed, "I really hope this military training ends soon so I can feast my eyes. Right now, it's like I'm in a monastery." Everyone agreed with Wolf Boy's words; after all, girls who looked exceptionally beautiful in military uniforms were few and far between.

Then everyone started joking with me again, saying I was a real heartbreaker, and that besides Cheng Yuting, every pretty girl must be interested in me too, because generally, if a girl is fierce towards someone, she must be attracted to them. I smiled wryly, "We've never even met before, how could that be?" The African guy, who hadn't spoken until now, interjected, "Do you believe in love at first sight? I do." Everyone nodded in agreement.

I couldn't argue with them, so I said, "Fine, I don't have the energy to argue with you. It's love at first sight, we'll see." With that, we went outside the school, and everyone stared intently at the signs.

Like all university areas, this place was full of internet cafes, but because shops in downtown Hangzhou were too expensive, they were all located upstairs. Our group went into a "Play Around the World" internet cafe, each found a computer, and leisurely started surfing the web.

Wolf sat next to me and quietly said, "Old... Xingyu, can you lend me some money?

I'm afraid I don't have enough."

I thought about how it was hot, and I only had a fifty-yuan note with me, so I said, "It's okay, I'll pay your bill later." Wolf was overjoyed and said, "Thank you so much, I'll definitely pay you back later." I nodded and said, "We'll talk about it later, let's go online first." Wolf

didn't say anything more and went off to play his game. As for the others, they were all playing their own games, not caring about anyone else.

I quickly took care of my own business; internet access is so expensive these days, every minute is precious. So I turned on my computer and went online, first opening Sina.com, my first and most frequented website.

I checked my email, replied to a few messages, and browsed some interesting news for a while. Seeing that I had nothing else to do, I entered the Chinese Chess game room and started playing.

While I wouldn't claim to be the best at Chinese Chess, I've never encountered a worthy opponent. In the past, it was difficult to find opponents. I even played at workers' clubs in Shanghai, Beijing, and Tianjin, but while the chess and Go players there were highly skilled, they were no match for me in Chinese Chess. Those self-proclaimed top players in China were utterly defeated by me; some even thought I had superpowers, like X-ray vision.

This feeling of being invincible without opponents was extremely painful, which is why I was so addicted to Chinese Chess. Now, with the internet, I'm not afraid anymore; the whole world is right in front of me, and I don't have to worry about finding opponents anywhere.

Today I played exceptionally well. My usual score was around 8 to 1, meaning I could win eight out of ten games, but today I won over ten in a row, until my opponent, fearing it would affect his score, refused to play against me anymore.

Meanwhile, I saw Wolf chatting enthusiastically with several girls online. I couldn't help but think that because I don't chat much, I don't have many girls on QQ, though I do have a few I get along with. So I opened my QQ account, but unfortunately, none of them were online. As for finding someone else, I didn't have the energy; people online these days are too boring.

Looking at my roommates, they were all engrossed in their games, completely ignoring me.

Back then, the internet wasn't nearly as vibrant as it is today, and the speed was slow; sometimes a single webpage would take forever to load, so it could be quite boring at times.

Losing interest, I simply shut down the computer, went to the cashier (it was still manual billing back then), paid the bill, and then bought two more hours for Wolf. I told him I was going home now, and that I'd bought his hours, and he had two more hours left, so don't forget.

Wolf Cub, at the crucial moment of the game, said without turning his head, "Okay, okay, you go first, thanks." Seeing that everything was alright, I went back to school.

Back on campus, I figured there was nothing to do in my dorm, and I couldn't even find anyone to talk to, so I decided to wander around, familiarize myself with the environment, and find a place to study.

With that in mind, I started strolling around the campus alone.

Our school is quite old, with decades of history, so the environment is relatively green, with lush trees providing ample shade.

However, although our school has many trees, there's not much grass. Because it's an old campus, open space is very limited, and it hasn't been significantly influenced by the incongruous Western influences, making it quite crowded for students to study.

But in the middle of the trees, there was a small patch of grass, surrounded by green trees, a very quiet and secluded place. If the school officially opened, it would surely be packed with diligent students, but for now, it was like a lonely maiden, hidden away and unknown to the world.

A person's mood and actions are also influenced by their environment. If you're surrounded by students studying diligently, you'll naturally want to read too. But if you're surrounded by a crowd of revelers, how many people can concentrate on their books?

So, although I brought a book, I didn't want to take it out to read. Instead, I found a shady spot under a tree, lay down, and used my hand behind my head as a pillow to read.

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