Chapter 119: Such an Unfair Burden

After more than thirty hours on the train, Chen Xin finally arrived in the city where Jin University was located. Stepping off the train, she felt as though she had died and been brought back to life.

She vowed never to take such a long-distance trip again; even in a sleeper car, the experience was grueling. Chen Xin regretted her choice to ditch the plane for the train just to maintain a low profile—it was essentially self-inflicted torture.

Upon exiting the station, she saw someone holding a sign displaying her name and that of another person.

"That feels so silly," she muttered to herself. As she pulled her suitcase toward the sign and came to a stop, she barely had a chance to speak before being nearly knocked aside by someone rushing past. The person meeting them acted quickly, grabbing her arm just in time to save her from an awkward stumble.

"Sorry, sorry, fellow student! I was in a rush," the man said, his words spilling out like a machine gun, rattling on so fast that he was the only one heard.

Chen Xin sighed helplessly, ignoring him and turning to thank the person who had steadied her.

"It’s fine, as long as you weren't hit," the person replied. She was also a female student, wearing her long hair natural and bare-faced, dressed in a tracksuit. "I say, watch where you’re going! What’s the rush?"

"Well, I saw you waiting, and I was afraid of keeping you waiting too long, so..." the reckless boy explained. Seeing the blank expressions on the faces of both Chen Xin and the girl, he trailed off.

"Oh, so you’re Lu Qing. Truly a 'reckless youth' in name and nature," the girl teased, not standing on ceremony. "Grab your luggage, let's go."

When the girl turned to Chen Xin, her attitude softened considerably. "Your accommodations have been arranged in the graduate student dorms. We’ll pass by a shopping center on the way; I’ll point it out to you so you can come back later if you need anything."

On the way, the girl introduced herself as Wei Yu, a doctoral candidate. She told Lu Qing and Chen Xin to simply call her Senior Sister Wei.

"Xiao Xin, Professor Jin told me that your primary task here is to learn, so I won't assign you too many other responsibilities. Lu Qing, since you intend to apply for Professor Jin’s doctoral program, you should be prepared for some hardship. The workload is heavy and the timeline is tight; late nights are inevitable. If you can’t handle it, tell me early. Don’t let one person hold up the entire team, understand?"

Lu Qing was young, only twenty-three. Having started school early and skipped a grade, he was already looking toward doctoral studies while his peers were just graduating from college.

"No problem, Senior Sister Wei. By the way, for this translation work, do we have to be together, or can we work separately?" Lu Qing scratched his head, smiling bashfully. "Personally, I prefer working alone. I’m used to starting when it’s dead quiet at night; I feel my brain cells are more active then than during the day."

Senior Sister Wei glanced at Lu Qing through the rearview mirror, a corner of her mouth twitching. "Don't worry, we’re all night owls. There’s a dedicated room for us on the second floor of the library. There's no time limit, but the translation work must be completed there, and it allows for timely communication."

Lu Qing nodded, then looked at Chen Xin, who had remained silent.

"Junior Sister, aren't you here to apply for the doctoral program?"

"No, I’m here to audit classes and learn. I’m a graduate student at C University, and my term doesn't start until next semester."

Talking to academic high-achievers always felt a bit daunting. Even though Lu Qing appeared clumsy and reckless, there was no denying he possessed an incredibly high aptitude for linguistics. Not wanting the atmosphere in the car to turn cold, Chen Xin posed two complex questions that had been bothering her. Before Senior Sister Wei could speak, Lu Qing answered them directly.

"Junior Sister, let me recommend a forum to you. You can find answers to these kinds of questions there. It’s not open to just anyone; I’ll give you an invitation code, but you’ll still have to pass a review and complete fixed monthly tasks. I think that site would suit you well."

Lu Qing was a seasoned internet enthusiast. What he didn't mention was that he was an veteran expert on that forum. He didn't usually offer invitations so easily, but during his conversation with Chen Xin, he realized their wavelengths were perfectly synced; many topics didn't need to be spelled out for the other to understand. Even Senior Sister Wei, a second-year doctoral student, didn't seem as quick-witted as she was.

Chen Xin didn't know what to say. She was grateful for Lu Qing’s kindness, but was his emotional intelligence really that low? With the three of them in the car, he offered the invitation only to her—what was that supposed to make Senior Sister Wei feel? Or did he have some ulterior motive toward her?

However, looking at Lu Qing’s simple-minded expression, which lacked the sleaziness of an "oily" guy, she decided it must be the former.

Chen Xin cautiously glanced at Senior Sister Wei, only to see her roll her eyes and silently mouth the word: "Idiot." Chen Xin immediately relaxed. Whether Senior Sister Wei was genuinely unbothered or just pretending, at least her emotional intelligence was high, sparing Chen Xin from a "shura field" of social drama.

The drive from the station to the school took over forty minutes. About two blocks from the school was a general market where one could buy cheap daily necessities. On another road at a similar distance was a large department store for higher-end items. These three locations formed an isosceles triangle, with Jin University at the apex, and the distance to each side was roughly the same.

"For the market, you can take a bus from the back gate. To go to the department store, you have to transfer, or you can get off halfway and walk; it takes about half an hour."

The graduate dormitory was well-situated, close to the back gate, with a famous pedestrian street and night market right around the corner.

"This is the old campus. The new campus is on the other side of the city; it's still under construction. There's a rumor that we’ll move within five years. I suspect I won't see that day, and I hope you won't either." Senior Sister Wei nodded at Lu Qing with a stern face, terrifying him.

"Se-Senior Sister, are you serious? Do you have some kind of illness? Are you alright?"

Upon hearing this, Senior Sister Wei stiffened, only to glare back fiercely a moment later. "Illness your head! I meant that I’ll have graduated with my doctorate by then, so I won't be here to see the move. If you’re successful, your doctoral studies probably won't take five years either, but looking at you, I wish you luck in settling into the new campus."

With that, Senior Sister Wei slammed the door and stepped out, startling Lu Qing again. Chen Xin was laughing so hard she felt like she was suffering internal injuries, yet she dared not make a sound, tears of mirth welling up in her eyes.

"It... it was Senior Sister who didn't make herself clear," Lu Qing grumbled, feeling wronged. He grabbed his luggage and stepped out, his large frame somehow managing to project the image of a weak, helpless, and aggrieved puppy.