"Quick, quick, quick, help me with my luggage, it's so heavy!"
The girl didn't treat herself as an outsider at all. Before she even clearly saw how many people were in the room, she was already waving, calling for everyone to help her move her things.
Han Wenjing was the first to help. Wu Tong and Tian Yuan hesitated for two seconds before also going to assist.
As for Yao An and Yang Jiajia, they stayed on their beds, unmoving.
The newcomer had two suitcases, one large and one small.
After the three girls took over, she simply carried a shoulder bag into the dorm, with no intention of helping at all, as if the items weren't her own.
"You all arrived so early! Where are you all from? Introduce yourselves!"
As she spoke, she plopped down onto the bed next to her.
Tian Yuan couldn't help but glance over, because that was her bed.
After another round of introductions, they learned the basic information of their last roommate.
Ye Xuan, a local from Shanghai.
After Ye Xuan entered the room, Yao An felt her gaze occasionally fall on herself, but she didn't mind.
After all, there had been too many such gazes recently, from both boys and girls, especially when she sent Jiang Jingya to the Normal University.
That's why she wore a hat, to avoid being harassed by people eager to find a partner, as refusing them one by one was quite troublesome.
"What are everyone's plans for tonight? Do you want to go out and have some fun together?"
Ye Xuan asked.
Actually, just by looking at her outfit, one could guess she had a fun-loving personality.
"How about we have a dorm dinner together?"
Yang Jiajia's suggestion was quickly approved by everyone.
Having dinner together is an old tradition in the land of foodies. Eating together for any reason, or no reason at all, can satisfy one's appetite and also bring people closer.
"Where should we eat? The cafeteria?"
"My suggestion is to eat outside. The fact that the University of Finance and Economics cafeteria is terrible has already spread throughout the university circle."
Wu Tong had done a lot of research before enrolling and had a lot of say in this matter.
"If you go out the East Gate of the school and walk 600 meters, you'll reach University Road, which is a snack street and has quite a few bars. If you walk another 600 meters, there's a Wanda Plaza, which has more food options."
"How about we go to University Road? Wanda Plaza is a bit far."
Yao An, who hadn't spoken much, suggested.
"I also think walking 1200 meters is too far. My exercise volume during the summer vacation was almost zero."
Presumably, they had reached a consensus on the topic of the 72nd Road rebels, and Little Tiger Tooth Tian Yuan was noticeably friendlier towards Yao An.
Then everyone started chattering about what to eat. Yang Jiajia suggested hot pot, which fit her Sichuanese background.
Tian Yuan and Wu Tong preferred barbecue and grilled skewers.
Yao An said she could accept anything as long as it wasn't too spicy.
As for the socially anxious Han Wenjing, she behaved as quietly as her name suggested throughout, looking as if whatever everyone decided was fine.
"Actually, anything is fine to eat, but it's boring if it's just us girls going out to dinner. How about we organize a dorm get-together with some boys?"
Everyone looked at Ye Xuan with puzzled expressions.
"With boys from our class?"
"We don't know anyone. Wouldn't it be awkward to go out to eat with boys?"
Ye Xuan scoffed.
"What's the fun in getting together with those little kids? I met a third-year senior during registration, and he's the one who suggested the get-together."
She couldn't be talking about Yu Huai, could she?
Yao An had also seen the scene of the two greeting each other in front of the dorm building.
It's just that Ye Xuan didn't have that voice at the time.
"But we're only first-years. Isn't it a bit inappropriate to hang out with third-year seniors?"
Ye Xuan waved her hand dismissively.
"What's inappropriate about it? We are university students now, not high school students. We are already adults with one foot in society. You need to quickly change that student mindset."
Tian Yuan was a bit embarrassed by what she said.
"That senior is very handsome and also a member of the Student Union. It's better to build a good relationship early on; it will make things more convenient for us at school later."
It really is Yu Huai, isn't it… Yao An suddenly didn't want to go.
"Besides, it's only interesting to hang out with seniors, alright? Who knows, maybe someone in our dorm will even find some romance because of this get-together."
Hearing her say that, everyone started to hesitate again.
On one hand, they yearned for a sweet university romance, and on the other, they maintained the shyness of high school graduates.
"I have no objections."
Being from Shanghai, Wu Tong was the first to express her support for the other party.
Finally, the get-together was settled. After all, such social events are indeed very interesting, giving a feeling of a group blind date.
No matter how shy they claimed to be, they were still very much looking forward to it in their hearts, especially since Ye Xuan had emphasized that the senior was very handsome.
They all wanted to see how handsome this person, whom this beautiful girl called handsome, actually was.
"Then everyone, do your makeup first. I'll discuss the gathering time with the senior."
The word "discuss" was used very well; someone who didn't know might think she was very familiar with that senior.
Ye Xuan took out her makeup and started touching up, while sending a message to the contact she had just added on her phone.
[Ye Zi: Senior, are you free tonight? The girls in our dorm want to organize a get-together with some boys, but since we're new and don't know anyone, I thought of your dorm.]
A moment later, a message arrived in the chat box.
[A Cup of Iced Americano: Okay, I'll talk to my roommates, and they'll agree.]
[Ye Zi: Then shall we meet at the school gate at 6 PM? To eat on University Road?]
[A Cup of Iced Americano: Let's make it 5:30 PM. It's freshman orientation today, so there will be more people eating out. If we go too late, many shops will have long queues.]
[Ye Zi: OK]
Ye Xuan was quite happy, but she still confirmed with a question.
[Ye Zi: You'll be there, right?]
[A Cup of Iced Americano: I have something on tonight, so I won't be going. You all have fun.]
Ye Xuan frowned.
The reason she suggested the get-together to her roommates was to create an opportunity to interact with this senior, as he indeed fit her aesthetic.
Now that the senior said he wouldn't attend the get-together, what was the point of this dinner?
She typed and deleted, repeating several times, then unconsciously turned her gaze to Yao An, who was making her bed on the upper bunk.
An idea suddenly sparked in her mind.
She held up her phone and took a selfie, perfectly capturing Yao An in the distance.
The other girl's serious profile as she smoothed out the wrinkles on her bedsheet was very beautiful.
She clicked send and quickly received a reply.
[A Cup of Iced Americano: Yao An is in the same dorm as you?]
[Ye Zi: Huh? You two know each other?]
[A Cup of Iced Americano: You could say we know each other.]
[Ye Zi: Then do you want to come to the get-together?]
Silence… [A Cup of Iced Americano: I'll rush over after I finish what I'm doing.]
The conversation ended there. After Ye Xuan put away her phone, she glanced at that vixen not far away and unconsciously pouted.
"An'an, are you really going to wear this outfit to the get-together dinner? Isn't it too casual?"
Tian Yuan saw that Yao An was still wearing her casual clothes and had no intention of touching up her makeup, so she couldn't help but ask.
"I don't think I'll go."
If it were just the few of them from the dorm going out to eat, she wouldn't feel right not participating.
But for a get-together with boys, Yao An truly felt it was pointless.
Especially since Yu Huai might be among the boys.
It wasn't that she wanted to avoid anyone, she just found it very troublesome.
"Ah? Is something wrong? You were just discussing what to eat with everyone."
Yang Jiajia voiced everyone's confusion.
"Something like that, something came up at the last minute."
Yao An didn't explain further.
"This is our dorm's first dinner together, don't be so unsociable."
Ye Xuan started to persuade her.
Though she claimed to be persuading, her words were not very friendly.
It was as if she was pitting Yao An against the rest of the dorm.
Sure enough, the others also started to chime in.
"Yeah, is there anything that can't be put off? The first dorm dinner is very memorable."
"Exactly, exactly! Hurry and change! As the face of 404, you absolutely must be there to represent us!"
Yao An felt a bit helpless.
"I really do have something. You all go and have fun. When I'm done, I'll clean up the dorm. Everyone will be in a better mood when they come back later and see a clean dorm."
Hearing her say that, everyone else fell silent.
Since it was their first day moving in, the dorm was indeed not very clean. They had originally planned to clean it in the evening, but now that someone had taken on this tedious task, they were happy to relax.
Actually, a few of them felt that it was normal for someone like Yao An not to participate in group activities, as she seemed rather cold.
But they couldn't help but label her as "unsociable."
Just as everyone was busy with their own things, Ye Xuan's voice rang out again.
"An'an, you're not afraid that you're too pretty and will steal our thunder, are you? There's no need for that. Everyone here is good-looking, so let's all go to dinner together. Otherwise, the senior might see that our dorm is missing someone and think we've collectively ostracized you, which would leave a bad impression."
Everyone's hands paused in their actions.
Actually, on second thought, it was true. Yao An was a campus belle-level beauty. If she attended the get-together, the boys would most likely flock around her.
The others would inadvertently become mere backdrops.
No one wanted to be a backdrop, especially not other pretty girls.
If the previous remark was unintentional, this one was clearly meant to instigate.
What's wrong with this person?
Yao An frowned, looking at her, confirming that she hadn't known her before.
Is she targeting me just because I'm pretty?
Is it my fault I'm pretty?
Should honest people be held at gunpoint?!
Is female competition among girls really this intense?
No.
She thought of a possibility.
Could it be because of Yu Huai?
No wonder she kept looking at her from the moment she entered the room.
Aren't you just creating an imaginary enemy?… Once she figured out the reason, the problem was easy to solve. Yao An smiled at her.
"I'm not attending the gathering just for personal reasons. No one ever said anyone was ugly. On the contrary, I think everyone has their own unique qualities, and you can't judge a person's attractiveness purely by their looks."
"Moreover, if the boys truly maliciously speculate about a group of girls they just met, simply because one member is missing from the gathering, then it only proves their narrow-mindedness and that they're not worth getting close to, and it's very off-putting."
Everyone's actions paused again.
Holy cow, her thinking is so clear.
The conflict Ye Xuan threw out was solidly tossed back at her.
Tian Yuan couldn't help but glance at Yao An, giving a silent thumbs-up to this seemingly cold peer. Her favorability towards Yao An greatly increased.
Ye Xuan's expression stiffened for a moment, then she returned a smile.
"Oh, I overthought it then. My mouth is faster than my brain sometimes, and what I say can often make people overthink, but there's no malice. Don't mind it, okay?"
"Hmm, I forgive you. I just suggest you think before you speak in the future, otherwise, you'll easily offend people. Others might not be as easygoing as I am."
Chasing her down to kill her… "Pfft."
Someone couldn't hold back a laugh. Ye Xuan's face suddenly looked a bit awkward. She said no more, turning her head to continue touching up her makeup.
Only, her grip on the eyeliner pencil tightened a bit.