Chapter 8

“This ladder is great; you can even place things on it.” Meng Shengsheng turned around and saw the girl’s father tinkering with the shared steps between two beds, designed like some children’s beds on the market—both as steps and storage.

The girl sitting on the stool kept glancing at Wang Chuanze, then at Meng Shengsheng. When she noticed Meng Shengsheng looking back, she winked at her.

“You’re so pretty.”

Meng Shengsheng was pleased by the compliment; the little girl was quite adorable.

Then the girl pulled the stool next to Meng Shengsheng, glanced at Wang Chuanze again, and whispered, “Your brother is handsome too, but you two don’t really look alike.”

Meng Shengsheng smiled softly, “That’s not my brother; he’s my boyfriend.”

“Ah? Really?”

Luo Shu’s eyes widened, seemingly unable to comprehend why someone would be brought to school by a boyfriend rather than parents.

“Really.”

Luo Shu nodded and blushed shyly. Although Wang Chuanze looked young, his mental age was mature. He got along well with Luo Shu’s parents and soon gleaned her family background.

Luo Shu was from Sichuan Province; her father was a civil servant of modest rank, and her mother ran a shop with a decent income. While not a wealthy family, they were better off than most.

Meng Shengsheng also learned the names of the other two girls not present in the dorm because their student numbers and names were still stuck on the lockers.

Zhang Yu’s bed had no curtain, revealing a comforter with a large red peony pattern favored by middle-aged women, which looked festive.

Xie Jieyu’s bed was decorated more elaborately, with pink curtains and expensive-looking sheets and covers. The neatly arranged cosmetics and books on the desk suggested a wealthy background, as the skincare products alone cost thousands.

After tidying up, Wang Chuanze handed Meng Shengsheng her campus card. “Keep this safe. It has 500 yuan loaded onto it. You can use it in the cafeteria, the convenience store, even for borrowing books at the library... If you don’t like the food, you can hire a housekeeper...”

Meng Shengsheng tugged him toward the stairs. “The school has three cafeterias with many stalls, offering both northern and southern dishes. Don’t worry about not liking the food; eating at the cafeteria is quite good.”

Most parents had left by then, and Wang Chuanze didn’t linger either. Instead of going home, he called Zhuzhu to pack and come pick him up at school so he could fly directly to the studio.

Meng Shengsheng and the others bought four milk teas after the car left and returned to the dorm.

By then, Xie Jieyu and Zhang Yu had already come back.

Zhang Yu wore glasses, had a round face, and looked gentle. Xie Jieyu was stylish, wearing a tight dark brown short-sleeve top and a miniskirt, with a great figure.

When she entered the dorm, the three were chatting. Xie Jieyu noticed Meng Shengsheng carrying four milk teas and stared at her. “Are these milk teas for us?”

Meng Shengsheng nodded, and Luo Shu happily took the bag to pick drinks.

“You’re so kind to buy us milk tea. I wanted to buy some earlier, but my dad said they’re full of additives and wouldn’t allow it. Hehe, but these aren’t from me…”

The four girls in the dorm were all in the same major and class. Since no one knew each other yet, they naturally stuck together.

By about five o’clock, near dinner time, the four walked to the cafeteria, drawing a few extra glances.

Luo Shu smiled, “Hehe, with you three here, our dorm’s attractiveness level has definitely risen.”

Eighteen- or nineteen-year-old girls, if diligent, rarely looked unattractive. Each of the four had her own charm: Zhang Yu was fair and quiet, Luo Shu petite and cute, Xie Jieyu lively and bold, so none were plain.

Meng Shengsheng laughed, “Shushu, you’re being modest. Didn’t a senior add you on WeChat during registration?”

The topic sparked a lively conversation among them.

Xie Jieyu curiously asked, “Really? From which college?” Then turned to Meng Shengsheng, “Shengsheng, did any senior add you on WeChat?”

Luo Shu said, “Forget Shengsheng; her boyfriend is so handsome. It’s the first time I’ve seen such a good-looking guy.”

Zhang Yu was curious too, “Shushu, how do you know?”

“Because it was Shengsheng’s boyfriend who brought her to register today. You guys came back late and didn’t see them.”

They chatted as they arrived at the cafeteria, discussing what to eat. Each ordered an 8-yuan meal set—one meat dish, two vegetables, and a small bowl of free seaweed and egg soup, which tasted quite good.

After dinner, laughing and chatting, they headed to class. They had already joined the class group chat during registration, where their counselor had just sent a notice about a class meeting.

The class had thirty students, with twenty girls and ten boys.

When they entered, most of the students were already there. Meng Shengsheng and her three roommates took seats at the back.

By around 7:30, nearly everyone had arrived.

Xie Jieyu scrolled through her phone, “Wow, fast! Photos of you and your boyfriend are already on the campus forum... though no clear front shots, just some side profiles... definitely handsome.”

“Where, where?” Zhang Yu joined in, eager to see.

Meng Shengsheng glanced too. Since no direct face shots were available, the post didn’t attract much attention. Comments ranged from requests for WeChat and phone numbers to questions about their majors, to claims it was a catfish post or that Wang Chuanze was a ‘handsome angle guy.’

Xie Jieyu flipped through several pages, clicking her tongue, “Modern college students really have too much free time.”

As they browsed, the counselor entered—an average-height, slightly stout, balding middle-aged man.

Meng Shengsheng overheard two boys whispering behind her, “Is this what a convincing traditional Chinese medicine doctor looks like?”

“Taking tonic medicine, and I, a young and handsome male student, end up like this...”

Classmates nearby stifled laughter.

The counselor introduced himself, wrote his name and contact info on the board, then asked students to introduce themselves and hold elections for class officers.

Meng Shengsheng didn’t participate; she was busy memorizing pharmacopoeias and books and had no time for student affairs.

At the start of the semester, no one knew anyone else, so she just cast a random vote, and the class officers were elected.

The counselor then called the officers out to arrange military training and dismissed the class.

Back in the dorm, Meng Shengsheng went to wash up. After showering, Xie Jieyu was watching a variety show, Luo Shu was engrossed in a novel on her phone, and Zhang Yu was following a drama. Just as Meng Shengsheng got into bed to message Wang Chuanze, the dorm door rang.

One by one, they heard the same pitch from various entrepreneurial upperclassmen selling all sorts of products—cleaners that remove stains with a spray, study guides for postgraduate exams and English proficiency tests... it was tiresome.

Once the visitors left, Xie Jieyu sighed, “Now I understand why the ‘No Solicitation’ sign is on our door. They just prey on freshmen.”

Luo Shu held her phone, “Seniors say not to trust these. Many are scams. Students have lost money before, and even police can’t find the scammers.”

Zhang Yu was surprised, “Really? We shouldn’t open the door for them anymore…”

When someone knocked afterward, they became cautious, always asking who it was and what they wanted. If the reply was sales or unclear, they didn’t open.

It wasn’t until after ten at night that the dorm finally quieted down.

Meng Shengsheng slept well and woke early at six. She changed into sportswear and jogged on the track for half an hour. Returning after seven, she brought breakfast for her three still-sleeping roommates.

Xie Jieyu poked her head out of bed, “Shengsheng, you’re up so early.”

“I went to bed early last night but couldn’t fall asleep, so I got up.”

While washing her face, Meng Shengsheng’s phone buzzed with a message from the class group chat.

Peeling the shell off a tea egg, she read the message from the class monitor: prepare to change into the military training uniforms distributed yesterday and gather at the school track at 7:50. A bus will arrive at 8:00 to take them to the training camp outside the city.

The three others were also awakened by their phones and couldn’t fall back asleep. They had to get up.

After a busy morning of washing, breakfast, and packing, Meng Shengsheng double-checked their supplies.

“Bring a basin, towel, cup, toothpaste and toothbrush, and plenty of socks. The shoes the school gave out apparently cause foot odor, so change socks often to avoid that... Don’t forget underwear, and sanitary pads too; even if you don’t have your period, they can be used as insoles to absorb sweat... Sunscreen is a must—I’ve watched so many videos where people’s faces are different colors from sunburn without it...”

Before registration, she and Wang Chuanze had already prepared everything. Meng Shengsheng just gave it one last check, changed, slung on her backpack, and was ready.

The four arrived at the track by 7:40.

Not only their college but the entire freshman year was going to military training. At this point, no one knew anyone else or which class they belonged to. Passing by the Management College, a class monitor was shouting hoarsely, yet some still couldn’t find their way.

Finally, before 8:10, they boarded the school bus. It took over four hours to reach the training camp where they would undergo military training.