At the east gate of the University of Finance and Economics, six boys from Dorm 215 were standing or squatting, waiting at the school entrance.
They had been waiting for 20 minutes, but it didn't matter; girls needed to do their makeup, choose clothes, and style their hair, so being a bit slow was normal.
The slower they were, the more it proved they took this social gathering very seriously and must have put a lot of effort into dressing up.
The hearts of a group of single guys were already starting to stir.
"Did you see the post on the forum? The quality of this year's freshmen is extremely high; several girls' looks can rival our campus belle, Chen Tian."
"Any pictures? I want to see what those younger female students, whose looks are better than my goddess, actually look like."
"No."
"No pictures, and you're talking nonse..."
"Damn, what you're saying... The younger female students just started school, where am I supposed to steal pictures from? Taking candid photos is illegal now, and I didn't even make the post; a younger male student from the statistics department did, and their professionalism is beyond doubt."
"Statistics? Then I have to believe it."
"I don't dare to hope for Chen Tian now; I just hope there are a few beauties above 80 points among the younger female students at this gathering."
"Calm down, your behavior of casually grading people is really off-putting."
"You're 91 points."
"Authoritative! You are the true judge."
"Don't worry, the quality of these younger female students will definitely be high."
"How do you know?"
"Look at how eager Yu Huai is."
The five boys turned their heads and saw Yu Huai standing at the school gate, constantly looking inside.
Many people around him greeted him, but he only responded with 'hmm' and 'ah,' looking very perfunctory.
Normally, this gentle head of the Literature and Art Department would at least smile to show goodwill.
"Is it too late for me to go blow-dry my hair now?"
"I want to go change my clothes."
Just as they regretted not taking this gathering seriously, they heard a sweet, cooing voice from not far away.
"Senior Yu Huai~"
This voice instantly made them stand at attention!
Vaguely, they saw five figures approaching from a distance: three tall figures and two petite ones.
The boys instantly stood up, puffed out their chests, and, in unison, began to fix their hairstyles.
The girls from Dorm 404 quickly arrived at the school gate. Among the five girls, some were shy and reserved, some were small and cute, some were bright and elegant, some were dignified and beautiful, and some were flirtatious... But without exception, they were all very pretty.
Each had a unique beauty.
Yu Huai merely glanced at the girls, his gaze not lingering, and then looked behind them.
"Senior, you made time after all."
Ye Xuan naturally went to link arms with Yu Huai as she got closer.
The latter, after regaining his composure, subtly stepped back half a pace, not letting her succeed.
However, Yu Huai was undoubtedly good at dealing with people, smiling as he responded, not letting the other party feel awkward.
"Yes... the freshman orientation arrangements are mostly done. They'll be fine even without me."
"Oh, that's good. What are we eating later?"
"How about barbecue? Or do you all have any better suggestions?"
The shy girls of Dorm 404 shook their heads, indicating that anything was fine.
Yang Jiajia wanted to suggest hotpot, but seeing that everyone else had no objections, she could only swallow her words.
"Why are there only five of you? Is another roommate running late? Should we wait for her?"
A tall young man put his arm around Yu Huai's shoulder.
This person looked quite handsome, but his demeanor was a bit roguish.
Yu Huai mentally gave this 'mouthpiece' a thumbs-up.
"No need, she has something to do today and can't make it. Let's just eat."
Hearing Ye Xuan say this, Yu Huai felt a bit disappointed yet also thought it was natural.
After all, Yao An's personality was just like that; she seemed to be that kind of person, otherwise, he wouldn't have spent several days staking out during summer morning exercises without even getting her name.
"Alright, then let's go. The restaurants on University Road will start having lines soon."
"Do you know Yao An?"
Just as he turned around, a girl with small canine teeth leaned close to him and whispered the question.
Yu Huai was a bit surprised.
"How did you figure that out?"
"At first, you kept looking behind us. Just now, when that senior mentioned the last roommate, your expression showed a bit of anticipation, but when you heard she couldn't come, your expression turned to disappointment. So, there's likely a story between you two."
Yu Huai felt embarrassed, thinking it was a shame she didn't study psychology.
"It's hard to say if we 'know' each other."
"So you want to pursue her then?"
"Uh..."
"No need to deny it; An'an is both good-looking and has a good personality. If I were a boy, I'd definitely want to pursue her too."
She was indeed good-looking, but how did she conclude that her personality was good?
"Is Yao An very popular in your dorm? Didn't you just start school?"
"She's our dorm's treasure now."
Tian Yuan pointed to her cheek.
"All of our makeup was done by her. Pretty, right?"
"Yes, very pretty."
Yu Huai praised her sincerely.
He had seen many beautiful women, but it was truly his first time seeing an entire dorm full of pretty girls.
Clearly, the exquisite makeup added a lot of points to their looks.
"So, you want to help me pursue her?"
Tian Yuan didn't answer directly.
"It depends on your performance. Our beloved dorm darling can't be tricked away by a bad guy."
...The girls who lived in Dorm 404 in the previous year must have been quite clean, as they had tidied up most areas before leaving.
There were no strange marks on the floor, nor any stubborn mud prints.
Yao An didn't find it difficult to clean up; it was just wiping the floor and tables, then cleaning the windowsill and drying rack.
She was a person with mild mysophobia, so after the floor looked spotless, she sprayed some perfume around the dorm before finally going downstairs for dinner, satisfied.
The University of Finance and Economics had three canteens in total. Yao An, who hadn't done any research, didn't know which canteen had better food, so she just went wherever there were more people.
She loaded 3000 yuan onto her meal card and ordered a fast-food meal at the Third Canteen.
Hmm, just as Wu Tong said, it was terrible.
A pre-made dish for 24 yuan; the unscrupulousness needed no further explanation.
After the meal, she strolled around the campus. The voice of the senior at the broadcast station was very pleasant, the evening breeze on her face was comfortable, and the campus environment was very relaxing.
Around 7 o'clock, it wasn't dark yet, and many couples were already hiding in shaded spots, kissing.
She was half-full from the canteen and then stuffed herself with 'dog food' (public displays of affection).
She just didn't know if the mosquitoes had been fed enough by them.
At the sports field, many boys were running and playing ball, and along the roadside, clubs recruiting new members were packing up, preparing to return to their dorms.
Members of the street dance club, seeing Yao An's outfit, stopped what they were doing and quickly came over to promote their club.
When several boys saw her face under the brim of her hat, the prepared pitches immediately got stuck in their throats.
They could only let this beautiful younger female student disappear from sight, then began to regret why they hadn't been bold enough to ask for her contact information.
Following the campus map in the admissions brochure, she found the teaching building where the Youth League Committee was located. Just as she was about to go up, her phone rang.
She thought it would be Jiang Jingya or a roommate, but it was neither.
It was her Uncle calling.
"You little rascal, you came to Shanghai and didn't even contact me. I treat you like my own niece, and you treat me like a distant aunt, huh?"
Her Uncle was almost thirty, but his way of speaking was still so lively.
She wondered if he would settle down after getting married.
Probably not; a bird that longs for freedom won't be confined by a cage.
Looking at it this way, Yao Qiuran's personality seemed quite mischievous too. She wondered if Uncle could handle it.
But it didn't matter; he was very good to her anyway.
"No, I just arrived. My top priority today was to register at school. I was planning to contact you in a couple of days."
"Hmph, you better be. Come find me this week, and I'll take you to experience a high-end Western restaurant in Shanghai."
Yao An was helpless.
"Military training starts tomorrow; where would I find the time to see you?"
"Huh? There's still military training now? Isn't that just suffering for no reason?"
"Be careful what you say, or someone might trace your IP and arrest you."
"Oh ho, you, Xiao Bingkuai, can even catch references now."
A hint of surprise was clearly audible in Yao Qiuran's voice.
"Alright then, never mind. If I have time this week, I'll come see you. If not, just enjoy being a roasted duck. Hanging up."
"Um... Uncle, wait a minute."
"Hmm?"
Yao An hesitated for two seconds.
"Can you help me open a stock account?"
Another "Hmm?"
Followed by Yao Qiuran's serious voice.
"You want to trade stocks? No!"