Chapter 6

At nine on the morning of September 1, the early-autumn sun had lost some of its bite, but the university district still shimmered with heat. The streets were packed and bustling.

Parents carrying bags crowded around their children. Some had bulging woven sacks on their shoulders, the straps biting into reddened skin; others struggled through the crowd with enormous suitcases. For most of the freshmen, this was the first time they’d truly left home for an unfamiliar world. Their young faces showed nervousness, but more than that, barely contained excitement.

The Qing Institute of Science and Technology stood just right of the center of the university district. To its left were the venerable Qing University, the artistic Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, and the scholarly Qing Normal University.

Liu Xun walked through the gate with a shoulder bag. He’d brought little besides clothes and toiletries, and the flip-flops on his feet made him stand out in the crowd. He craned his neck looking for Li Qian, but couldn’t find her. She didn’t answer her phone either, so he went to the human resources management registration desk.

A bespectacled senior and a young woman about five foot three were sweating as they checked names. When Liu Xun approached, the woman stopped and greeted him with a smile.

“Are you in human resources management?”

She had neat short hair and an efficient, outgoing manner. “I’m Liu Jiajia, a freshman in Human Resources Management Class One. We’ll be classmates! Are you thirsty? Here, have some water.”

Liu Xun knew both of them. The senior in glasses was the class assistant who’d taken his 300 Q Coins the night before. Rumor had it his family had connections at the school; although officially a student assistant, he was practically half a counselor. Liu Jiajia had served as Class One’s class monitor for all four years in his previous life. She was a decent person. But if things went smoothly, he’d be in Class Two this time and wouldn’t see much of her.

“I’m Liu Xun. Thanks!” He accepted the water and nodded.

The senior quickly found his name. Liu Xun handed over his ID card. The man glanced at it, let his eyes linger on Liu Xun’s flip-flops for two seconds, and opened the list.

“Liu Xun, Human Resources Management Class Two, Room 414!” He put particular emphasis on “Class Two” and gave Liu Xun a meaningful look.

“There’s nothing scheduled today. Tomorrow there’s a class meeting at four in the afternoon and a military-training kickoff in the evening…”

Liu Xun smiled. The 300 Q Coins had done their job. A different class might make for a different experience.

“Interested in a campus card?” Liu Jiajia offered him a flyer, and he took it. He knew selling campus cards was a lucrative assignment, not the sort of opportunity an ordinary freshman could easily get. Clearly, she’d already made connections at the school. In his previous life he’d understood little about social dealings. Now, looking back with the experience of two lives, he could see why she’d held the class monitor’s position for four years.

When he’d finished registering, he turned to find a girl in a white T-shirt standing awkwardly behind him. Though she wore a baseball cap and a mask, he recognized Qing University’s beauty by her eyes and full chest.

“It’s only a few minutes’ walk from Qing University, isn’t it? Late on your first day?”

“…Sorry. There were too many people.” Li Qian bit her lower lip and explained quietly.

She’d thought for a long time the night before. She truly couldn’t repay the loan, and her mother’s future medical bills were a bottomless hole. She’d run out of options.

Plenty of boys at school pursued her. Some came to the milk tea shop for two or three drinks a day, laughing loudly with their friends just to get her attention. Several were rich kids; some wanted to give her gifts, and one had even offered her a car if she’d be his girlfriend. All of it made her uncomfortable.

Why had she accepted Liu Xun’s offer? For one thing, four thousand yuan a month was tempting. Office workers earned only a little over three thousand. His promise to pay her debt amounted to eight months’ wages in advance.

For another, she found his terms easier to accept. He hadn’t offered a condescending gift like the rich boys, but a job. Whatever his motives, he’d at least given her dignity and respect. That was the last boundary she couldn’t surrender.

In fact, she’d arrived early, but she didn’t know her way around the institute, and the crowds had delayed her. She had no intention of arguing about being called late. However early she’d arrived, if they hadn’t met at the agreed time, she was late.

They walked toward the dorms side by side. After a silence, Li Qian gathered her courage. “Actually, a student from your own school would make a better assistant. They’d know the campus and have more connections. I study economics, so as far as your studies go…”

Liu Xun was taken aback. Even in her situation, she was thinking of what would be best for him. Most people offered such a well-paid job would never let it go.

“You seem all right to me. I’ll stick with you.” He handed his backpack back to her. “Here, take this. Be more proactive next time. Let’s go set up the room.”

“…Okay.” She took the bag and answered softly.

They collected his bedding, went to the dorm building, and paid the attendant ten yuan for the key.

“Keep the receipt. You’ll get the money back when you graduate!”

The familiar reminder struck Liu Xun hard, taking him back to his previous life. After returning his key and completing the departure paperwork back then, he’d hurried away with the crowd and never set foot on campus again. The noise and regrets of his youth had remained sealed within these grounds.

He pulled himself together and entered the corridor, greeted by a long-forgotten sense of life. Freshmen were busily cleaning their rooms. Young people from all over the country shouted and laughed in a multitude of accents, their carefree voices echoing down the hall.

As Li Qian passed with her head down, the boys sensed a girl their own age among them. The clamor abruptly died away.

A few minutes later, they reached Room 414. The room was fairly clean, and two roommates had already arrived and were unpacking.

“There are so many beautiful girls around the university district! I passed the junior college across the way, and a senior was wearing black fishnets. So hot!”

“I hear the girls at junior colleges are pretty wild.”

“That’s nothing. Not my style, anyway. I went to look at the fine arts institute on my way here. Man, that pastoral look was gorgeous. Beautiful girls everywhere in flowing skirts, and the way they carried themselves! You can tell they study art…”

The two were talking excitedly when they turned and saw Liu Xun enter with a girl behind him. Though her cap and mask concealed her face, her striking bearing and figure stopped them cold. The room fell silent. The two who’d just been talking so freely didn’t even dare breathe loudly.