Chapter 1: Registration: A Third-Rate Vocational College

"Shen Li, you can still repeat a year. Don't make a joke of your future. You still have a chance at the guaranteed admission quota for Qingbei next year."

"No, Teacher. I've made up my mind. I want to go to Wuchuan to study."

…

In the southern summer of August, the sun was intense. The thirty-nine-degree weather made one's whole body feel like it was burning.

The asphalt roads on the streets were steaming with white-hot mist.

Dragging her suitcase, Shen Li had arrived at Chengde University in Wuchuan, over three thousand kilometers away from Haishi, a week late for registration.

——Chengde University, a third-rate vocational college.

From childhood to adulthood, Shen Li had never left home, nor had she ever left the city of Haishi.

This was the first time she had been so far from home.

Having rushed through a night flight to reach Wuchuan, Shen Li hadn't eaten a thing.

After getting off the plane, she took a taxi straight to the school.

There happened to be a bridge rice noodle shop at the corner of the street, wafting with a rich fragrance.

She happened to be hungry.

Walking into the shop, the air conditioning instantly blew away the sweltering heat she had been carrying.

There were quite a few people sitting there at this hour. It was too crowded, and she wanted to turn and leave; Shen Li didn't really like crowded places.

But since she was already here.

She placed her suitcase in a corner of the shop, put her schoolbag down to claim a seat, and went to the counter to order.

It was the first time the landlady at the counter had seen such a beautiful girl. "Little girl, you're a new student registering at the Media School this year, right? What kind of rice noodles do you want?"

She wasn't!

Shen Li didn't explain much and just ordered a portion of plain rice noodles for eight yuan.

The money she had on her now came from the prize money she'd won in various Olympiad Mathematics competitions in high school. There wasn't much in her card, just a few tens of thousands of yuan, and she would need to spend quite a bit over the three years of university, so she didn't order anything too expensive.

The cost of living here wasn't as high as in Haishi; it was acceptable.

Shen Li took out her wallet; it happened to have small change. She gave a ten-yuan note, and with the other two yuan, she bought a bottle of mineral water.

"Exactly ten yuan."

"Little girl, it's such a hot day, aren't you hot wearing long sleeves?"

Shen Li lowered her head and tugged at her sleeves again: "Not hot."

The landlady turned and walked into the kitchen to get busy.

Shen Li pulled the zipper of her wallet. She had been using this wallet for several years, and the zipper seemed broken; it hadn't closed properly for a long time.

At the table behind her, the sound of a lighter igniting a cigarette rang out. "Sister Wei, want one?"

Song Yuewei waved her hand: "No, Xie Qin doesn't like me smoking. You guys shouldn't smoke either; it's bad for your health."

Seeing that she wasn't smoking, the few of them put their cigarettes away.

Until one of them asked curiously: "How are things going with Xie Qin from the Philosophy Department? I heard he changes girlfriends quite frequently."

"He's handsome, sure, and he really is quite a jerk, yet there are still plenty of girls throwing themselves at him. Sister Wei, you'd better keep an eye on him, lest he gets seduced by some flashy sluts."

"Yeah, a vocational college like Chengde is pretty chaotic; it's not even as good as a vocational high school."

Song Yuewei was from the neighboring Finance University, a proper 211 university. She was the newly elected school beauty—not the kind who was stunning at first glance, but the type who became more beautiful the more you looked at her. She was well-endowed, with a large chest.

"What are you guys saying! Xie Qin and I have only known each other for a week since school started; it's not that fast. My parents don't let me mess around outside; if they found out, they'd break my legs."

Girls all admire the strong, and it just so happened that Xie Qin had high looks and money; he had it all.

Regarding Xie Qin, no one knew what his family did.

He gave people the impression of being quite wealthy; in any case, whenever he got into trouble, there was always someone to smooth things over.

Many people were after his face, and some were after his money.

He gave people the impression that he was purely here to play at life. He acted in an arrogant and domineering way; no one could handle him, and he didn't take anyone seriously.

Having dated so many girlfriends, not a single woman had managed to crack this tough nut.

"Speaking of which, word from the neighboring Media School is that during the military training period when school just started, Wang Yina from the Broadcasting Department went to open a hotel room with Xie Qin, and they called for seven condoms. Don't know if it's true."

"No way, this Xie Qin is too fierce."

"You don't know, someone saw Wang Yina walking out of the hotel with Xie Qin, and her legs were shaking so much she couldn't keep them together."

"So strong, it must be huge."

These explicit, blush-inducing sounds were too much for Shen Li to listen to.

"Oh, alright, that's enough. Stop talking about these things. If you guys aren't blushing, I'm embarrassed." Song Yuewei hurriedly interrupted them. "Hey, new classmate, could you please help me get a bottle of iced mineral water from the fridge? I want Wahaha."

In the enclosed space, a pungent smell of smoke drifted over, making Shen Li cough a few times in discomfort. She finally zipped up her wallet and wanted to get away quickly. She didn't know if that voice was calling her, so Shen Li ignored it.

"Hey, our Sister Wei is talking to you! Are you deaf?"

Shen Li's clothes were tugged, and only then did she realize they were calling her.

"Sister Wei is calling you, and you're pretending not to hear?"

She looked over, and this group of people was looking at her with unfriendly eyes.

Shen Li frowned; she wasn't used to interacting with people she didn't know well, and she didn't like people touching her for no reason.

"If you want something, please go get it yourself. We don't know each other." The refusal didn't have much deterrent power, but paired with her serious gaze, a sense of aloofness that kept people at a distance permeated her bones.

One person slammed the table and stood up. "Don't be ungrateful. Who are you putting on an act for?"

With so many eyes watching, Song Yuewei hurriedly said: "Alright, it's a small matter, no need to get angry. I'll get it myself."

Until a burst of cursing came from behind… ===== CHAPTER 2 =====